An Archer's Promise Chapter 73: Mistioria (Patreon)

Thanks to Gamercrusher55 for helping me co-write the chapter. Fair warning, some dark stuff below. 15k words damn... The next update is To Love A Sword. Also, here is a mega link for anyone who may want to read the chapter offline: https://mega.nz/file/HdVQzRAT#DOVnAsnhVGmTNojOY5lnFsfEGoCxOd-oeNBxGUpbBeI . . . -???- How long had she been travelling?  It was a question Mistiora Arte herself could not answer, not with any real certainty. The passage of time… a slippery concept to those like her, fluid and hard to grasp. Truly, an overall tricky ordeal to deal with without any issues — humans, more so affected by that very same concept. Though there were some races capable of remembering better than most. The white haired Dark Elf, despite having lived for so long, still held some precious memories from her childhood when it was just her and her family, those cousins and relatives who she considered no different from how humans treat each other. Right now though all she could think about was one in particular; her sister.  Having lived in the Dark Elf kingdom, Nidalivier, since their birth, memories surfaced of the ongoing conflict between Dark Elves, humans, and Light Elves. A conflict dating back for many centuries, and during such a time, their mothers were never truly present. At some point as they had left them before they even could get past infancy… disappearing completely.  Told by the elders that they most likely had fallen in battle. With no remains, no bodies, just a cold sensation of loss, where the whole world had at one point lost its colour. Yet that loneliness failed to consume the young girl, it tried, many times. The sole factor keeping it at bay was the understanding that she still had family left — especially a sister so dependable and loving that Mistiora felt she had everything she needed in the world.  Olga… The sharp eyes hiding glimmers of affection, the languid expression that was so beautiful, the strict tone whenever she messed up and all of the many lessons on both magic and history of their race, she could still remember all of them clearly. Times when the two of them chased rabbits, and ran in their kingdom's fields with her silver white hair swaying with her sister’s obsidian black hair.  She still could fondly remember those days when she was with her sister and the rest of the dark elves. Going to study magic and etiquette from the elders. Learning the customs of her people, and the outside world from second hand comments. Enjoying the other dark elves as they wore dresses, gossiped, laughed or doing her part in the community. Those were truly good times. Sadly all good times must come to an end. It started when she had been called to meet the elders and discuss a very important topic. Something about the purity of her blood? When they told her what her duty entailed she honestly didn’t know what to think of it at the time, but all the other dark elves were happy for her and treated her like royalty. An honoured position that many sought after, but in total honesty she did not truly have much of a desire for it, especially since it cut into her time hanging out with Olga. Yet Olga herself held her close as she told her how she felt and afterwards that very same person said she would support her no matter what, those words made all of her reservations about the matter basically disappear. With her beloved sister by her side, she worked hard and She pursued and fulfilled her training without any complaints, meanwhile all the rest of the kingdom cheered for her.  Until… A certain incident made her lose that right completely.  She remembered that time, a moment when she had been moving on the boarders edge after a discussion with the guardswomen’s keep at one of the elders' behest. At the time Olga had been helping with some paperwork in the capital city. It happened so fast. She had been traveling idle and slowly gazing at the outstretched point of the border, wondering what the outside world was really like. Past the blue sky’s, the green forests, the stone mountains, knowing that she would soon get the chance to see it, upon fulfilling her role, thus, the girl became excited.  That was when she noticed something. A light of unknown origins grabbed her curiosity and distracted her.  By chance she had slipped on a slope, and a black object had missed over her head. She turned her head to where it had come from rather than where it was, and then she saw it — a group of passing humans — with the telltale traits of what her sister warned Mistiora multiple times belonging to slavers.  They had seen her face and immediately became erratic trying to throw another similar object which she now realized turned out to be a net at her. Rushing to capture the young terrified woman, they had given herself away and she bolted. Questions arose within. ‘What are they doing so close to the border? The guardswoman should have alerted the others!’ With the pursuit continuing, she had no choice but to continue running. Times like this were when she wished the dark elves weren’t so few so that they could cover the whole country’s borders. Still though she also wondered how they had gotten so close without being noticed.  There were contingencies. It didn't take long for her to realize they would eventually catch up, their size greatly surpassing her own allowed the men to gain more ground while she struggled against the rough terrain along with exhaustion creeping in. Soon they’d catch her. The forest loomed ahead and with no other choice she veered into it, crossing the border of the country and vanishing amongst the dense trees. With burning lungs and aching legs, the white haired elf waited until the humans were forced to leave. Examining her surroundings, she slowly left the bush she hid in and tried to make her way back to Nidalivier, unable to determine the exit point. Wandering for what felt like hours, using everything her sister once taught her but with little success. Then she saw it, a stream of clear water flowing deeper within the forest. Parched from the chase, she headed over to alleviate her thirst. Then it happened. A sharp metallic ding rang out, a net had shot out from a nearby underbrush, wrapping tightly around and yanking her into the shallows — all the while she struggled but all of it was in vain. Leaves rustled nearby until green little monsters showed up, with bloated bellies that jiggled with each step, covered with a rancid stench, beatty little eyes, and holding onto bloodstained clubs.  They eyed her with hunger. This had been her first time seeing them and she felt instinctive fear. ‘Goblins! The noise must have alerted them that their trap was sprung.’ The vile creatures took her to an entire nest of them. Bringing Mistiora back to their lair where the first thing she came to smell was a pungent incense causing an intense sensation sweep across her body. Slowly her senses were robbed of her… ‘Sister.’ Afterwards, the stray thought crossed her mind. Wanting to see Olga again, she wanted to be held close and be told that everything was alright. But the damage had already been done and upon gathering enough strength to finally make her return, she found out the truth.  Olga had left…  The elders even after finding out that Mistiora had been missing tried to search for her and spared no effort to lend her aid by sending search parties, but at some point worried they were too late. Thinking she had either died or been sold to slavery. So they prepared for the worst and instead decided to change up their plans and make Olga the one to become the chosen one to take part in the ceremony. By the time Mistiora had returned her sister had already left for the long, long, journey to the fated tower. She found that inexcusable, all she had left was Olga. She gathered every speck of information on the ceremony she could, even things they never informed them of, turns out. After speaking with a few deep purple haired dark elves she learned the truth and knowing of what was to come, it was as if new life surged within her all over again, especially after what she’d been through. She decided she could not just sit down and accept such an outcome without meeting her again, without telling her what it truly entailed. She loved her sister, and something deep and strong had awakened within her upon hearing what would happen, and somehow, someway her will was reignited. There was just one problem, the location was lost, passed by word of mouth and only one person was allowed to know the location. After it passed on using magic, the location was erased from the mind of the dark elf in question. That left her in a pickle, but she refused to let that stop her. She gathered everything that made up her life there and set out to find Olga no matter what.  The elders didn’t stop her after all she had basically lost the right to fulfill the role they had wanted for her after what had happened to her and so exiled her. That was fine, she didn’t care anymore, all that mattered was finding Olga…saving Olga. Thus with renewed purpose she left the kingdom in order to make her difference on the outside.  Venturing with nothing but the clothes on her back and a few coins she managed to save up beforehand. Intending to traverse this world in search for her sister and at the end of her journey be reunited once again so they could be a family. To be with the one person she truly considered all she had left. “No matter where you went, I'll find you and we can be together again, I won’t let something like that ever happen to you.” were the parting words she left on the borders of Nidalivier.  At first the journey had shown itself to be a beautiful experience, filling her heart with glee, and breathing so much life within her… she felt so grateful to be alive. Seeing the unknown wide world; the breathtaking waterfalls, the lush green forests spanning for as far as the eye could perceive, scorching deserts, and so many sites that pulled at her heart.  It was a time she truly understood her sister's love of the outside world back then.  But the longer she traveled, the more the outside world proved to be much more dangerous than she ever was told.  Countless challenges she crossed along her journey concerning both scarce supplies and the ever present threat of monsters. And it was in that long stretch of time that the girl finally came to find out the curse she carried. . . . Time moved on.  Her journey across the lands of Sererus which had once been beautiful and full of adventure had also gained many other life experiences, joyous and tainted all in one. Time had healed her mind, the scars all but one, had faded on her body to be nonexistent… but the scars on her heart still held strong. But she could not stop, not until finding Olga.  She had reached full fledged female development. Her beauty had grown to such a point where almost no man could resist her, not anymore, having gone so far as to not just wear a cloak over her body, but even a veil over her face to obscure her appearance, and dull the effects.  Still it had been too long, and the passage of time ran its course.  There were times where she could not escape times where she was someone who warmed the beds of many men — from simple village chieftains to kings of distant kingdoms. Some times of her own free will just to acquire further information and help in her journey. Doing whatever it took to keep her by her side and continued showering the woman with near endless gold and jewelry. Useful resources both in terms of what little remained of her tainted sense vanity to using them as resources to acquire more information. The more they wished to keep her, the bigger the conflict that followed turned out to be and thus she kept moving.  Having grown not just physically but mentally as well, she’d acquired skills that could be used to survive. The very skills she had sadly become most prominent had been taking advantage of her beauty, using it as a blessing instead of what drew men to her like flies.  Just the right words, a glance there, a sway of her hips there she could make a man putty in her hands and make him do whatever she wanted. A single night turning many into addicted slaves practically. Even making use of belly dancer routines to more completely entice those into working with her, and she had become adept at properly clothing herself in oils, and perfumes to attract them. Refusing to end up as helpless as she was with the goblins ever again. Rather than be the one toyed with, she would be the one who toyed with them be it in words or physically she became adept at manipulating the opposite gender. From the beginning, the girl cautioned herself to never drown herself in physical pleasure as much as her body desired otherwise, not just to remember her goal, but to also not let the guilt of her actions weigh too heavily on her. She… she would not fall again. If this is what it took to reach Olga, and make sure she was okay, then she would gladly do as much as it took. Doing all of this with the only desire to find Olga being the sole driving force behind the dark elf. Perfecting her craft till the point she prided herself as the best in the field. During her travels, a spark of hope finally appeared when she caught wind of a familiar name; Olga Discordia. Now hailed as the infamous Dark Queen, surfacing in hushed whispers from plenty of people around. Only through these did she finally manage to grasp the vast distance between them, but at least now she knew where to go.  As for the subject of rumors? She ignored them, knowing full well her loving sister would never do such things without a valid reason. Still hunted by several stubborn slavers, Mistiora Arte wandered across land and sea, clinging to each rumour like breadcrumbs on a long trail. Despite her curse, she found some rarely gentle souls who helped, but those who grew interested in her body and nature as a dark elf continued to exist in every corner — not wishing for those kind souls who aided her, and to anyone else who were still out there to be safe, she decided to not involve the innocent, It was another reason she kept separating from them.  Yet she remembered one particular instance during her journey across the sea where on board a large ship filled with other travellers like her, she overheard a conversation.  “Oi, have… have ya heard of what's been going on lately in that Eostia place? Hic! Th-thingsh have been getting kinda dangerous over there.” A conversation between a drunkard captain and sailor, they tended to be quite loose lipped seamen indeed. “I don’t know about Eostia but did you hear it looks like a really troublesome pirate in Austria was executed, a very dangerous man who had been responsible for a lot of death. It's truly saddening, but at least it’s all over.” The man had only started drinking so he wasn’t as intoxicated as his comrade. “Back on the subject it sounds like Eostia isn’t doing so well either. That war between the goddess and the Dark Queen appears to still be going on.” Mistiora’s ears had grappled onto that info. “I heard stories about it from my mother when I was but a child, can't believe it's still ongoing. How long has it been already?”  “Pft! With such beings, it is a waste of time tryin’ to ask such questions! They don't see time the same as ush! Years… hic! Years for them are no different to days or even monthsh for us.”  The elf paused in silence upon those words.   “For us humans it’s probably been like… what, a thousand years?”  “Don't think so, but close a few or a couple centuries off maybe.” “Bah! Who cares!? But yesh, it c-concerns the shtupid war. Aye, I been hearin' folk're leavin’ their villages in droves, runnin’ off to the kingdoms outside the alliance. Don’t fancy endin’ up demon chow or broodstock, savvy? Fucking shame, really. Bad for trade, too. Hardly anyone left with the guts to head that way no more.” The captain gestured to people on the boat. Due to her large hood, Mistiora’s appearance was hidden so no one was still paying any particular attention to her, but she still tensed up when she felt eyes gazing at her for even a brief moment. Worried that they might get suspicious and try to uncover her face, she held her bated breath and thought of how quickly she could swim to shore if she jumped now.  But thankfully enough, such a thing did not happen.  “Weren't those black dogs supposed to take down the queen?” “The Kuroinu, eh? Hehe… t-they're the last shot, I got word from a few other mercs that travel around that the leader, Vault, ish planning to set up a final battle against the Dark Queen and put this entire thin’ to an end once and for all.” “Thank the goddess, I hope this thing ends quickly.” As soon as she heard that information back then, Mistoria felt a pang of horror and worry for unlike this many here she did not want Olga to be defeated.  She still had trouble believing all the rumors she heard about the Dark Queen, as she got closer and closer to her goal.  A ruler of the dark lands who was vilified, at war with the world in declaration that she would free all dark elves and slaughter all humans. Now an insurmountable army had been placed between her and her sister. Due to this a discrimination against her kind rose considerably as her kind were blamed for the casualties of war as well. This had made it nearly impossible to reach her, and the journey had become so difficult to traverse.  While it was true she had seen the good of humanity she had seen the worst as well. She had known of the dark elf slave trade, and she knew that if the humans that were behind it were Olga’s enemies she could understand how she ended up in that position. Unlike her sister she did not wish for the death of every single human in this world.  Still, the ones that gave her that look, that dark glint in their eyes, the look they gave her as soon as they saw her face were just as bad as any lustful demons. Mistoria shook her head, shaking the bad memories off her. Her main concern was her sister, all this piece of news did to her, was make her rush to where the dark tower was supposed to be at these dark lands taking every risk she could to make her journey quicker using any means to get there even if it meant walking for days without any rest. … “Am I… too late…?” But as soon as she reached there, the only thing that waited for her was ruins with no trace of her sister anywhere. It was at that moment that Mistiora had momentarily lost hope and fell into despair. All of these years she spent trying to find her were for nothing and her dream of being reunited once again were shattered. “It's because of them, it's because of those Seven Shield Alliance, that Kuroinu and those lustful beasts who can’t help but give off those glint’s in their eyes — the ones who had chased after her for most of her life.” She had such thoughts as they continued to emerge in her head several times on her way back, The desire to get revenge rose several times on whoever had done this, maybe even beyond that, but she did not act on them, the girl was not like her sister, she did not have the confidence of taking on a similar role or the strength to carry out something similar.  All her life was spent running and hiding. It was all to find her sister. But now what was she to do with herself? The map that was curled in her hand which showed Eostia, had several kingdoms crossed over as she had already visited them for her search. All she could do was crumple it as if to vent all her pent up frustration.  She wouldn’t bother going to the others now. Honestly, after finding the ruins of the Dark Tower she had wandered in a daze from the nearby ruins she thought were safe, but were actually full of monsters on a long aimless journey down till she reached right outside Geofu, the capital of Eostia and Ken, both belonging to the Seven Shield Alliance’s domain.  Without even realising, one day she ended up walking into another human village, one called Ledian, this one barely populated making it easier for her to stay around as there were no guards to look out for Dark Elves and no one would in their right mind bother or even care about the cloaked person. In an inn she had gone to rest, she couldn’t help but look around and see as celebratory decorations were being put away with several drunk mercenaries seeming to be rambling on and on about how at long last they could celebrate it all being finally over. Curious, she ended up overhearing their conversation. “Damn, I sure do miss those two hot fucking elves, can't wait to go back to that village!”  “Oh them?” One of his drinking buddies shook his head with a saddened expression. “Forget it, word is they settled in some town down near Ansur because the mayor’s fiance was cheating with that dark elf chick… What was her name? Lune? Grace?” “Seriously? She probably got tired of the old man hahaha!” Others found the story amusing, coming up with different reasons behind their departure. “Shit, if I had been there I would have gladly taken them off his hands.” “Keep dreaming, you know how picky light elves can be. Arrogant bunch.” “The cunt chose a dark elf to elope with, thought both sides fucking hated each other. Clearly it's because she just lacked the option of a proper partner, because I wasn't there!”  “Hahahaha!” She wasn't surprised to hear such things, from what she gathered from passing ears, light elves were quite numerous in Eostia, Eostia, and the neighboring Fullstar, they were commonly spotted in both major cities and even small villages living similar lives to any human. The more she listened the more she learned that one of the elves was also in fact a Dark Elf, this piece of information managed to light a spark of interest within her numb heart, given those of her kind were usually captured and sold into slavery within this part of the world and for once to find one living such a life was nothing short of a miracle.  Yet what was mentioned next made her breathing come to a complete halt.  “Rumor is going around about there soon being a public execution of the Dark Queen in Feoh.” “What? Didn't that bitch die when the black dogs sacrificed themselves to kill her?” “Not sure, but apparently she managed to survive and tried to escape, but later on the Princess Knights managed to capture the woman and bring her to Princess Knight Alicia's kingdom to stand trial, you know, the blonde one who hates men. Most likely wanted to make an example out of her and do a public execution for all the fucking shit she’s done.” Mistiora could hear her own heart increase and that familiar blast of new life had been shot straight to it. Her composure weakened when she especially realized Feoh wasn’t on the map of kingdoms she had visited. Unable to control herself she leaned in trying to gather more info. “Are you sure or is that just a rumor? This is the first time I'm hearing about this. “Just trust me, I got this information from—hm? Hey, you?!”  “—!”  In the moment of weakness, or perhaps due to pure desperation and wanting to know more, the young Dark Elf got too obvious with her actions of eavesdropping on the group, making them notice her actions and calling her out on it.  She froze on the spot.  “You, the one in the cloak. You have some nerves eavesdropping on us!” “Sorry.” She whispered with a quiet tone, instinctively backing away, her cloak catching on her chair’s leg.  “Now you listen here, what we're talking about is like the bread and butter of us mercenaries, you can’t just listen in on our private conversations.” The gruff man approached her getting even closer, noticing the woman pulling down the hood to further hide what hid within. But even that cloak barely did much to hide her overall figure; he got to see the outline of it after the cloak had initially gotten stuck. “You know this kind of information is not something someone like you needs to know unless you're willing to provide us with a bit of compensation.”  With a grin on his face, he gestured with his fingers together with a clear sign asking for coins in return. Which relieved her for it meant he had not seen her face yet. Unfortunately, she had no coins on her, so to avoid further complications she tried to talk him off. “I’m sorry I don’t have any money on me right now, though I do have a few accessories that may be worth something.” Under her cloak she unhooked a golden ring on her arm, and offered it to him.  While she was confident at using her beauty to worm her way out of such situations — there were just too many people gathered in one place to overpower her if they lost themselves in lust. In their drunken state, dealing with them would not lead to a pleasant outcome regardless. So while she had the option, Mistiora already placed the gold hoop on the table, and turned around to walk towards the door. Only to have her cloak tugged with the person behind her quickly grabbing hold of it.  “I agreed to pay, so let me go.” She struggled against her capture, pulling which only served to loosen her cloak to the limit, already loosening. “Well would you look at that, we have a passing rich lady visiting such a shady place hehehe! What is a noble brat doing so far away from her castle? I'm curious to see what else you have on you.” Another said with an greedy tone but then his face changed. “Hm, You don't look like you're from around her—uh?”  The man’s action of pulling her cloak had reached the limit making her hood be pulled away and for a brief moment her white silky pristine hair, pointed ears adjourned with gold jewelry, and lastly her smooth marble dark skin. The group of men who were drunkenly chatting all around her earlier became completely stunned as soon as they saw her face.  Even with the veil on her face and hair, Mistoria felt a faint sense of unease at her face being slightly revealed as the mystery appeal of a beauty had come with its own problems, she had at least hoped that their willpower wasn’t that weak. But in an instant she knew otherwise, that this was truly bad, a dreadful feeling filling her heart as soon as she saw a familiar glint in their eyes. And without wasting any time, she ran out the door.  “W-Wait! Come back here!” The one who pulled on her clothes shouted a few seconds later his voice echoing from behind.  “Holy shit it's a high quality dark elf! Don't lose sight of her, the pig brothers will happily trade a pretty penny for her!”  “Pig brothers? Mandeville will pay a bigger price! He's the expert with such things!”  A chill ran across her spine when she heard those words. Those were famous slave traders who upon catching her would sell her on the market only after defiling her body. She had seen the fate of others of her kind who were not so lucky, and she was not willing to get caught when she was so close to Olga. So she ran, desperately and with the fire burning in her heart as now she finally knew that her sister was still alive.  All she could do was keep running to where the map pointed to Fiore, as her pursuers went after her. Going into a forest where she had grown used to hiding from such people, she lured those who caught up to her into the spider’s nest with various monsters on the hunt. At first it worked where soon enough they lost track of her. Finding herself in the forest’s heart she caught her breath finally safe. After resupplying on food, water, and bathing a bit, it was then that her next destination was decided and she started to make her way onto towards the kingdom of Fiore intending to reach the place before the execution and somehow find a way to save her sister.  But unfortunately, she soon realised that those very people who she encountered at the tavern had not given up so easily with more people now being on her tail trying to capture her. They had made travelling on the road harder by the day as their numbers grew and even the forests would not help for long. It wasn’t just them however, she’d heard from a passing caravan that locals had been encountering demons there with news of their being several sightings of them spotted in such places leading to Fiore…she could not take such a risk.  So cornered from all sides, she had no other options but to slowly travel around the area until she could spot an opening.  Eventually, she found refuge and rest in a different town, several days’ journey. It wasn’t a small town from before, but a sprawling city with a bustling plaza and high brick walls. It was large enough to disappear in, and she was certain her pursuers had no idea where she’d gone. If she kept hidden, they’d lose her trail completely. She would reach Olga.  {Break} This blockade wouldn’t let even a fly through its gates, but he doubted it could keep them in if they really tried. This town, just from looking around you could clearly see that it was definitely not something that could be called a simple village any longer. The architecture, the number of buildings, the overall appearance elevated made it hard to consider it a village in any sense of the word, it had obviously grown into a thriving hub of life and business. Even the number of people present were clearly far more different than any place he had visited in this world aside from the kingdoms. “You look a bit lost, you talked about something with lady Celestine right, what was it about?” Maia said, coming to his side with a curious look on her face.  “We didn’t talk much, just that she wanted to have a conversation with me later on.” He saw no reason to hide what was being discussed between him and the blonde elf.  “She’s been acting differently lately.” Maia added “Every time I look at her nowadays it feels like I’m talking to someone else. There are even times I can’t even recognise her with how she’s acting and I wonder what’s going on… In his opinion the woman was just going through a period of denial and had fallen too deeply into a delusional belief she’d reached from just a few visions. She knew too little about the situation at hand, and was grasping at straws.  That was how he perceived her change at least.  “You should talk to her.” he advised her, his suggestion getting a weird glance from Maia. She paused to consider but then sighed dejected.  “I doubt it’ll work. She's been looking at me differently as well.” “In any case, we didn’t come here to discuss matters related to Celestine. While you were looking outside, did you manage to gather any useful information?” As much as he wanted to clear the air and find a way to make the goddess reborn understand the truth, there were more pressing matters to worry about concerning their two missing dark elves. As he said that, Maia showed a disappointed face and shook her head. “Unfortunately yeah, but it's not really good news.” He couldn’t help but frown at that. “What do you mean? Has Olga been captured? Or has she left already?” If it was the latter then best to leave this place as quickly as possible rather than stay another night. Time was of the essence and even if they were to travel at night with the increased chance of more dangers it would at least be more beneficial since they at least knew their two quarry’s destination. No matter what obstacle they faced he was certain that he could deal with them. “I don't know.” she admitted with an uncertain expression. “All I got was vague answers from different people. According to some of my former informants, there is actually a dark elf said to be here in the village though this claim is without any evidence just mere words of mouth.” Even if there was a dark elf here, why suddenly block all access to the village? While they are more rare than light elves, from my understanding it is not unusual to find one or two even if they are being discriminated against.” “That's the thing that confuses me.” she admitted with a sigh. “I didn't actually get any physical description or any other details that lead me to believe it's Olga or even Chloe. They just mentioned that it’s a beautiful dark elf woman who is travelling around wearing a cloak that covers everything. Though there is this one mercenary gang that claims they saw her face and she had white hair but they kind of have a long track record of scamming people with false information and spreading false rumours to mislead others just because they were paid to do it. Doesn’t help that I heard from some people that they’ve been scamming money from people on false pretenses. Back on track there’s another group that keeps saying that she’s supposed to be royalty or something.”   So basically, they didn’t have any reliable information that could tell them whether or not it was Olga or Chloe or even someone else. “Unlikely for this to be Chloe, had it been her then information about the person who captured her would have also been present.”   “So then it's Olga? Wait, since she’s a mage, that woman could just use illusion magic to change her appearance.” He nodded his head but quickly added his own two cents to Maia’s analysis. “She could have easily taken the face of a human instead to hide herself better. Unless she’s low on strength and can’t accurately use a technique like that in the first place.” To his surprise, this just ended up making Maia subdued, as she muttered silently. “Even with how prideful that bitch is, do you honestly think she would disguise herself as a human or even any other race?”  “She’s done it before a little trick on not just her but me and the rest of the people traveling with us on our way to Fiore.” She’d definitely resort to it if she didn’t feel she had any other choice in the matter, she had a strategic mind to rely on that could get her out of most jams. Though that spell in particular would be an excellent way to stay hidden, the biggest flaw was the user itself.  “Then why do I get the feeling you haven’t completely discounted the possibility.” “The actual problem is if she feels she’s too arrogant in a situation to even need it in the first place.” He knew personally that she was far too prideful for her own sake even to the point of endangering her own life. She wouldn’t do it unless she had no choice.  “Any other situation where she may not do it.” “Maybe…if she lacked the power for it at the time…or she was injured.” Archer massaged his temples trying to get rid of his stress. “Sometimes I question myself how some people like her managed to stay around in power for so many centuries. While she had an army of demons to hide behind, without them, she's nothing more than just a slightly powerful mage at best.”  A mage that according to Celestine could flatten a town if you wanted to. The mages and their magic system in this world were in some way less restrictive than the one he was familiar with but also very undeveloped. The only competent mage that came to mind was Kin.   Maia interjected in his reasoning. “Let’s get back to the quarantine here, there is another thing I discovered. Apparently it looks like multiple parties are trying to find this dark elf, each with different motives. The Pig brothers, John Mandeville, the local mayor of this town, several mercenary groups, and other big names. If all these people are the ones searching for her, then it gives credit to the possibility of it being none other than Olga. What other dark elf could attract so many parties after them.” “But the timing makes no sense.” he commented, clearly this had been going on for a while in this town and Olga had only just escaped. “So what do we do then? Maia asked even though she already knew the answer to it. “We leave.” Okay maybe she didn’t. That made her raise her eyebrows. “What? Your not gonna try to save whoever this dark elf is.” “What gave you the idea that I was interested in such a thing?” Maia shrugged her shoulders. “I don't know, you just give me the impression of being someone who would go out of their way to help people like that whenever the possibility arises. You've been pretty consistent with that for as long as I've been by your side.” That made Archer stop in his tracks as he looked at the red-headed woman with a raised eyebrow to which she responded back with a cheeky grin. “What? It's not like I'm lying, tell me one time where you minded your own business and just walked away from someone who is having issues?” Without missing a beat, she grabbed his hand and brought him along to another street, “Where are you going?” He asked curiously, having his question quickly answered when the woman led him to a discrete shop at the end of the road where various assortment of fabric and clothing were put on display.  “This is the last place where there's a guy who used to work for me and well… Vault. If he does not have any information, then we really are out of options other than to leave the place somehow with the stupid rule.” She said eagerly, leading him inside where the first thing he noticed was how most of the clothes put on sale were undergarments and riské clothings that barely covered much for women.  And the second thing catching his attention was a rather rotund man standing behind the table greeting them as soon as they entered. A greasy face, using a tissue to wipe his face the moment he saw them, a large nose with warts all over them, tiny eyes and even missing a few teeth from his mouth. While he preferred not to judge, Archer wondered if this guy even got any clientele in the first place within the appearance like that. “Holy shit, you actually lost weight, Lan!” Maia went ahead and slapped the man on his back making his entire body jiggle on the spot with a faint sound escaping his lips that sounded like the screeching of a pig. His overall appearance truly reminded the Heroic Spirit with his experience of the Pig brothers. “Maia-sama, you look as beautiful as ever!” He greeted her, grabbing her hand and intending to plant a kiss only to have his head slapped away.  “Stop it with that, you know I don't like such things. Just greet me normally.” “Yes, yes, I'm very sorry! Are you here to buy another set of clothes? You didn't have to travel all the way here, I could have easily sent you the orders like usual. Please have a look, my latest designs are absolutely suited for your taste! And excellent for combat.” he went ahead and grabbed something from a box only to reveal it to be an upper jacket made of animal fur that clearly belonged to a tiger, and leather that were made from a leopard.  Holding resemblance to the leotard outfit Maia currently wore but instead covered only her breasts this time leaving the stomach fully visible along with the middle of the chest and a large portion of her cleavage were she to wear it. Just looking at it made his eyes twitch, what part of it offered any sort of protection in the first place?   “Wow, that looks awesome, I'll take it.” The woman immediately grabbed it and left a handful of silver coins on the table. Had it been another time, then he would have face palmed but at this point he had gotten used to and even expected such a reaction from the woman. “Excellent choice, it’s made from the hide of quite powerful monsters so it’s quite durable against slashes and cuts of all kinds. Excellent against monsters with claws and sharp fangs!”  “...”  He did not even try to question it at this rate anymore.  “In any case, this time I didn't actually come here to get some clothes. Just here to buy information if you have any.” Lan’s eyes widened and he quickly nodded his head before turning his attention to Archer. “Of course Maia-san, but shouldn't we go somewhere more private? And who is this man next to you?”  He did not miss the slight presence of hostility from that man's tone of voice, though he stopped himself from saying anything as the redhead next to him came forth to handle the situation, by grabbing onto his arm, and pressing it between her chest, while her leg and her knee were raised up and touching his waist. Head resting against his shoulders she whispered to the clerk with a smile.  “Can't you tell? This is my husband.” “Your… what!?” Both men were not expecting such an answer from her and one of them shouted out with disbelief. “How is this possible? How and when did you get married to this person? I’ve never seen him! Didn't Vault die not that long ago? Who is this man?”  He took a few more seconds to pay attention to Archer's face more closely this time monitoring him slightly to see if he recognized him.  “White hair, grey eyes, tall and dark skin that looks like a dark elf. Wait, this can't be, my lady Maia, quickly get away from him! He is the one who killed Vault!” Lan shouted, running towards Archer intending to attack him only to have a foot greet his face. He didn’t put any force behind his attack, just making sure to push the guy away.  But it seemed like the kick held more force than he realized into his body causing him to blow back as he crashed against the table from his own attack. “Really?” Archer muttered while looking at Maia with a dry gaze.  Yet rather than looking a bit guilty, she instead had an innocent face while tilting her head. “What? We practically did everything a normal couple would do. Do you perhaps want a reminder?” “Right now, it's not necessary.” “So you wouldn’t mind later then, alright.” Fearing that the guy would attempt to murder him out of jealousy if Maia tried to do what he thought she would — he signaled at the redhead to stop. Finally, Lan got up with some bruises on his face but still looking as grievous as before. “Calm down, you big dough ball. I was just messing with you. I know who he is and what he’s done. All of this is old news. It’s not like I’m okay with what he’s done, but I’ve already aired out those feelings to him in full.” She said with a melancholic smile on her face before shaking her head, not willing to dwell on the past. “Besides I can’t believe I’m saying this, but their may be a small chance Vault or higher echelons of the Kuroinu may have been plotting a hostile take over, that involved a lot of rape.” The chubby shopkeeper flinched, and beads of sweat started to pour from his face. “D-did they re-really. I can’t i’m-imagine why they would have gotten that intention i-in their heads.” Maia looked at him dead panned, and then sighed exasperated. “Hah, so you were in on it too… I guess the idea of sleeping with tons of beautiful women, and getting more business really tickled your fancy. Business would really boom in a cuntry as they called it, right?” “I'd rather forget about that,” Archer said, while also taking notice the risky clothes on display would have been served better being bought by those wanting night time activities. Lan was pouring water on that statement, and was shaking like a leaf. “N-no you have to understand, I wasn’t involved with any of Vault’s movement’s or choices, they were just my patrons. They promised me a lot more clients, if I just kept feeding them information and they held blackm—” “You're not helping your case.”  “...” Lan shut his mouth as if just realizing that Maia hadn’t found anything concrete about it till just now. Without warning Maia smashed a wooden table with various coin filled lockboxes breaking from the powerful fist, her face a mix of pure rage for a brief moment before she forced back a bright smile that made the former Kuroinu informant sweat even more than usual.  Maia took a deep breath and walked to Lan and began pulling at his cheeks hard.  “Listen Lan, I don’t like being viewed as someone who’s only just a piece of meat to be passed around and I especially don’t like the people I think are my friends plotting things behind my back. We're friends, right?” That sounded more like a threat than a question. “M-Miss Maia, please Vault assured me you were aware and were his willing aid!” She rolled her eyes, “You know, I kind of hate how it is very likely my past self would have tried to get along with Vault’s plan if he told me I would be his alone — what a fucking lovesick idiot. Urgh, whatever, look the truth is I need your help, and if you really were not directly involved in any way, then I’m willing to let bygones be bygones.” “Re-really?” Maia let his face go, the distorted whimpering making her feel unpleasant. “Yeah, yeah, it’s not like you have anything to lose either. Besides, if what Archer here tells me is true, what we’re chasing at the end of this all is something you need taken care of as well. Cause if not, this town, you, and everything in the surrounding area you think you can run too are going to suffer something way worse than Vault.” The chubby man looked uncertain whether to believe that piece of information or not, looking at Archer for confirmation and getting a nod from him.  “If you say so, Maia-san." Maia saw the interaction between them, and a cheshire-like grin formed on her face. “You know Lan, since Vault and the Kuroinu are gone, you're gonna need more regular customers. I’m certain Archer and any other girl that catches their eyes on him, wouldn’t mind the casual purchase as long as it comes with a side of useful intel.”  At those words Archer turned to Maia. “Oi, what makes you think I’m willing to buy anything from this shop.” “Just look around and tell me you aren’t interested in any of the beautiful women around you wearing these fine treasures.” Archer had taken a look at some of them out of curiosity and they were clearly high quality, but he wouldn’t dare mention that to either of them. He turned back to look at them, but he noticed that Lan had caught his gaze, and the man’s face had clearly looked like he realized something. Taking a damp cloth from his pocket shirt and wiped away the water on his face, and looked at him. “A-Are they beautiful women?”  “All of the Princess Knights.” Maia said with a grin.  “Well, I don’t know what I was thinking. I can’t believe how rude I was to you, Archer. I should have realized you are a man of impeccable taste and character.” He then turned to Maia and offered her a sincere bow. “I must apologize, Maia, for my past actions.” She waved her hands, “Let’s let the past be the past, and move on. We really need your help.” “Yes, yes of course, I could have noticed the tension within your shoulders, and that you were pressed for time. Maybe if you come and join me for some wine to make up for my past mistakes, I can give you a great massage treatme—” “Don’t push it.”  “Sorry…”  “Alright let's get down to business. We are searching for two dark elves, Olga Discordia specifically who’s on the run and her second in command, Chloe who was kidnapped.” Maia said, taking a more serious tone and moving past the awkward atmosphere from before. Lan hummed, scratching his bald head with intrigue. “So the rumours were true, the Dark Queen had indeed been captured and said to be scheduled to be executed publicly.” “Well, sort of.” Maya didn’t go into detail with that part. “It’s complicated, and trust me that bitch is gonna pay for everything she’s done, but right now, in order to deal with a ton of life-important matters we need to capture her alive. Like I said before, due to some incidents in Feoh, Chloe ended up getting kidnapped by the Shirokami and Olga ran off to save her. We need to most likely find that woman's loyal dog first in order to locate her as soon as possible.” “Leona huh, so she was there after all.”  “You know something then,” Maia said with glee, slightly relieved to have finally gotten a possible clue. “Where are they now?” Much to their dismay, Lan shook his head. “Unfortunately, Leona, of whom you search is not here any longer. She passed by a few days ago to resupply and buy information from me.” He then looked at Archer. “She wanted to know more about him. Paying a pretty penny for that and any information on Olga's second in command before leaving. She did not return here, most likely making her way to Fullstar to fulfill her contract with Mandeville. From what I understand that man has started having that mercenary group work for him now. But unfortunately I do not have any information on the Dark Queen.” ‘John Mandeville? Wasn’t that the name of Chloe’s biological…” Archer recalled the name having heard it being uttered by both the late Beardsley and Olga. “I’m still confused about something, why the hell would someone like Leona work for that slave trader. She hate’s the whole practice of it?”  “Fullstar is preparing for war,” that information startled Maia, as well as Archer. “At least, it looks like they are. Their armies have grown since last year and they have been going around recruiting mercenary groups to join their ranks. Those who refused would face severe repercussions in the guise of not following the safety of the country and ensuring the safety of their citizens — this excludes groups that are already in a contract with big figures like Mandeville. They get the luxury to maintain some of their freedom. I’m certain Mandeville pushed them into a corner where they had no choice, but to work for him.”   “Tch, this can't be good. Those fucking snakes over there are cooking up some schemes and I don't like it. Hah… do me a favour and just send a letter with this information to Claudia and Alicia as usual, we still need to handle these other matters for now.”   “O-Of course,” Lan nodded his head hastily. Archer decided to do his own inquiry. “What about the rumors of a dark elf right here in, what was this place called?” “Uh Karoun, and as for those rumors there appears to be weight to it, but I’m not sure if it is the dark queen Olga herself. From what I can gather a dark elf ran afoul with some mercenaries at a bar in the Eos plains, and was spotted heading in this direction. From the rumors it could be Olga she was described to be immensely beautiful and had a royal bearing to her.” “Did those rumors really start two days ago?” Archer asked. “Yes!” “Then it can’t be Olga, she disappeared a day ago.” Maia had a concerned look on her face. “I still think it’s too soon to tell. Even if it wasn’t Olga she could have gone on this path and hid in the city, even if there was another dark elf on the hunt. Doesn't that woman have this whole goal of helping those of her kind going on?” “Yeah, but if she didn’t then we’re wasting time here while she and Chloe get farther and farther to that slave trader. We don’t have time to waste. There are other path’s to Fullstar close by, she could have easily taken one of those.” “Look I get that but we’re also tired from our journey, and the people were hunting, they get tired too. Plus we can never be too certain with that witch’s magic at play.” Archer paused as if in thought then made his decision. “Well stay here for a day to rest then continue our journey whether the people in the blockade like it or not. Meanwhile just to be sure we’ll see if we can’t find any dark elves ourselves.” “Sounds like we got a plan.” Maia spoke confidently with her hands on her hips. “Wonderful, I’m glad to have such happy customers. Now well that be all? Aside from this information, are you interested in any other clothings I have for you? They are fine quality, you can try them out right now and suggest any modifications on the spot!” Grabbing other pieces of what was practically fabric held together by thin strings barely looking any different to a bikini.  Archer realised that Maia seemed genuinely impressed and she immediately grabbed the articles from his hand before looking around. “So, where the hell do I get changed? I ain't taking off my clothes in front of you.” “This way!” He showed her the door next to the counter leading to the back of the shop where she walked in with Lan trying to follow her inside only to be pulled back by Archer by his collar. “Unhand me! Who do you think you are touching!?” His reaction and way of talking to him had taken a complete one eighty compared to before, which rather than irritated the counter guardian instead brought him a bit of amusement. “You are quite bad at hiding your intentions aren't you.”    “I-I don't know what you're talking about! It is my duty to make sure my creations fit her perfectly and everything is perfect! Now let me go!” He started to believe there was something odd with the men around these girls, all of them carried a similarity that bore no good news in the long run, as if they would take whatever chance to unwind something pent up a little. The only normal one was Klaus so far, but only because the man had become mostly paralyzed, though Claudia recounted plenty of stories about her husband where she painted a rather reliable and honourable man who helped her in every possible way.  Everyone else always were either scheming something or trying to rape the girls.  With the fact that it went on for such quite a while that he doubted it was due to Draco's influence. While a Beast's powers and ability to corrupt were formidable, she could not be everywhere at once. Nor was she powerful enough to influence so many people.  ‘People are just weird, I sure hope those in Grünes remain the same.’ Especially when Anna and Grace were over there and those women could easily attract the wrong kind of attention. He was so caught up in his thought’s he hadn’t realized he said that part out loud for Lan to hear him. “Shit,” Maia’s voice came from the other side, struggling with something. “Don’t tell me I fucking gained weight, you used my regular sizes, right!?”  “Y-Yes! If you would let me come in then I may fix yo—” Lan barely finished his sentence before the door opened slightly with an arm shooting out and grabbing onto Archer's cloak. “What are you doi—urgh!” Archer pulled himself inside in an instant without even getting a chance to resist, pulling in Lan by reflex. The moment both men saw Maia topless, was the moment Lan was pushed out by Maia herself. “Sorry, I kinda need a client’s opinion on this.” “A-ah, I can help!” Lan tried again to enter but found the door to be locked. Lan couldn’t help but be a bit worried, he had not anticipated that she would have come to this place after such a long time or else he would have made ample preparations!   Still though… He was taken aback by the treatment this guy who had killed the person she loved received right before his eyes. ‘What could have possibly happened that I was unaware about.’ Lan stood there in disbelief trying to make sense of the situation which made a well of jealousy build up within him.  “Damn it, I paid months worth of my savings for that special wine… I have to find a way to get her to drink it.”  Standing there, he heard a long conversation going on inside there for several minutes before everything went quiet. Wondering why she had not yet come out, Lan tried to call out her name multiple times only to be completely ignored.  “What is going on…”  Frowning, he went ahead and pressed his ears against the door frame trying to catch a whiff of the conversation and learn what was truly going on between them — the man instead heard a sound that made his heart shudder.  “Ah~!”  “Maia-san!?”  “I-It’s nothing! He's just helping me put on the clothes! Don’t pull so hard~!” Her voice echoed from the other side, but Lan’s heart did not calm down at all.  For that sound sounded several times later on. What was going on in there!? At some point he got worried, trying to look through the keyhole, only to see nothing but darkness on the other side and a faint trace of a particular scent wafting to his nose. “Eh, isn't that…” He immediately recognized it, having tasted the product before to see just how strong its effect was whenever he went to visit the local brothel. His face paled and then turned pure crimson with both anger and envy. “Shit, she drank the wine! I left it there! Maia-san, is everything okay!?”  “J-Just putting on the other c-clothes!”  “I only handed you one piece of clothing!”  “Shut up, Lan! Your voice is ruining the mood!” She shouted while he felt like crying tears of blood. Both cursing and somewhat even admiring this Archer fellow. “By the way my Maia-san, I couldn’t help, but notice some garments that seemed to suit Archer’s taste. If you would like, I can show them to you.” Just a little peek! He was willing to be satisfied with just that! “…” A pause went on for a long while. “Heck yeah, I'm coming right out!” “Quiet you!” {Break} (An hour later) After the situation with Maia where she had a bit too much fun intentionally tormenting her informant, Archer continued searching the town for any useful information. The Princess Knight had even reached out to all her informants for leads, but in the end, they returned empty-handed. ‘The more I learn about this, the more certain I become... this has nothing to do with Olga.’ Even setting aside the issue of timing, Olga, despite being a genius in magic, had never been skilled at staying hidden, especially from so many eyes. Even with magical aid, he doubted she could have evaded detection for this long. At best, she may have passed through the town and already moved on, which made their decision to leave even more likely. "Hm?" He paused mid-step, glancing over his shoulder at the bustling night streets. That strange sensation from before crept back into his awareness. ‘Someone's watching me.’ A faint sensation that started the moment he left the shop. Making him question if Lan perhaps became a bit too bold and was attempting to try something unwise. With so many people out and about, it was impossible to tell. Whoever it was, they were extremely cautious and deliberate not to reveal themselves. His eyes swept the crowded street one last time before he turned and entered the tavern. Inside, the Inn owner approached, holding a small folded note. "Excuse me, sir. The lady in a cloak who was with you earlier asked me to give this to you as soon as you returned." He accepted the note, instantly thinking of Maia, but quickly dismissed the idea. She wasn’t the type to use such roundabout methods. If she had something to say, she’d do it face-to-face. That only left one possibility. Opening the paper and scanning its contents, he let out a weary sigh. "Alright then.” . . . (A few minutes later) Despite the place being closed off, some areas like the plantation fields where farmers cultivated were still very much a large open area where he was allowed to go. Finding a hill in the distant edge away from sight, a single tree grew on top where under the moonlight a person awaited him.  “The night is very beautiful,” the person before him commented, his eyes going to the cloak at the foot of the tree leaving the woman standing there without anything hiding her figure. Soft and vibrant blonde hair swaying with the cold wind gracing her figure.  The ribbons of white cloth dancing around her body to the breeze.  At such moments, despite everything that happened between them, it was at such moments he would momentarily recall that despite all of her flaws, the woman could easily be considered one of the most beautiful in Eostia and why plenty of people worshiped her. A trait shared by her sister as well, both blondes embodying what many in this world considered perfection.  “The Moon looks exactly just like the one from my vision of you as a child.”  The man headed near the tree and leaned against it without pulling down his hood and crossing his arms. Neither surprised of what she said nor angry for he already knew she had seen plenty of things related to him through Divination somehow.  “Maybe,” Strange how even in a different world the celestial body in the sky was somehow identical to the one from his own world. “You… remember those moments?”  “Bits and pieces, sure.” He answered honestly, no reason to keep any secret at this point. “What about it?”  Celestine turned her attention to him, or rather she was staring at someone else entirely; while they were one and the same he was here present, while he existed in the past. “When I first got these visions back then, I was very confused and fearful. I did not understand their purpose nor the meaning behind it. All of it focused around a young redheaded boy who did not seem like he was from the Seven Kingdoms. Despite the tragedy of the fire, I could not look away and grieved for the young boy.” Archer huffed lightly.  “I appreciate the sentiment. Even if it is an invasion of my privacy.” His answer was neither too thankful nor did it sound like a sarcastic response — mostly at least. Just a simple response without much emotions or intent behind them. He slid down and sat on the grass looking at the stars. “I saw many things and I know you may not approve that I witnessed so many different moments about you… but I do not regret them. I am grateful to have seen the life of such a pure hearted child who despite all tragedies kept trying to help people around him.”  “That was a long time ago.”  “I know.” Surprisingly, she did not argue back. “But if you don't mind me asking, in one of my visions, that man who you once called your father. What kind of person was he?”  “Why are you curious about him?” He asked, curious as to why she was even asking about Kiritsugu. Yet surprisingly, the answer he got was worded out with a clear presence of venom.  “Because I want to understand the kind of person who ended up cursing a child to walk such a cruel path in life.”  He was a bit shocked. He was not prepared for there to be such an emotion this woman had towards a person she never actually met in her life. Only knowing them through the eyes of a broken child who idolized that man, yet she had clearly gotten a different impression of him. For a moment, he was not even sure if he needed to answer that question in the first place.  For it held no purpose.  But still, he decided to entertain that notion, even just for a little bit. Part of him clinging onto hope that maybe it would help her understand what had been trying to tell her since the beginning.  “Not much to say, Kiritsugu was… a deeply flawed man, with plenty of regrets from his past and guilt shaping him into a person who tried to make the tragedies he saw in his life mean something. Over time his views became jaded and his methods became more radical. He was human just like me and the people here.”  “…” “Humans are flawed, he just believed in flawed methods and flawed solutions. That doesn’t mean he meant anyone ill will — he is the very reason why the young boy lived in the first place.” The boy idolized him. Perhaps seeing him under a similar light like the people in this world saw Celestine. He closed his eyes, despite the passing of countless years he still recalled that man's smile and his passing on that night Celestine saw clearly.  Each second.  Each word. All of it forever burned to his core, impossible to forget. Celestine’s hands clenched, “He had no right to do such a thing. You are suffering eternally with no rest, with no reward. Don’t you wish you’d never heard his words?” Again, he shrugged.  “It wouldn't have mattered, that boy was already walking down that path.” For it was not that conversation that was the source of Shirou Emiya’s ideal, merely served to further focus what was already taking shape inside. “I think the moment he was saved from the fire, everything had already been set into stone. Kiritsugu just gave the boy's ideals a name, a Hero of Justice.”  “If you now see the flaws in his words, then why continue being a hero to people undeserving of it?” Her voice shook, he felt they already had this conversation before… no, they definitely did.  But she did not accept his answer. She couldn’t. He chuckled, “You speak as I have a choice here. In the end, whether I currently wanted to continue being a hero to you or anyone else doesn't really matter anymore. I cannot ignore my duties. You already know the truth of my situation, I do not know why you keep being so stubborn about it.”  “...” At that moment, a faint smile crossed his face when he remembered a certain twin tailed girl's face.  “This is my life now, I’ve decided to accept it. I promised someone that I’d do my best and will try with all my might to live according to what I believe to be right along with my duties. If I do that then maybe this existence won’t be so bad.” Seeing the quiet that had come over, she decided to take a seat next to him unbothered by the dirt on the ground and the rough texture of the tree bark pressing against her back. Her shoulders slightly leaning against him as she felt his warmth.  Archer decided it was best to steer away from this topic, knowing full well that his words would not really change her mind so easily, he made a simple comment.  “Have you ever considered wearing something more… conservative before? Standing here in such weather will make you catch a cold or a bad fever. Perhaps being a goddess makes you immune to such trivial mortal related issues?” He continued with something else in response to what she mentioned.  Celestine giggled, shaking her head with a faint weak smile, visibly affected by the prior conversation. “A goddess… huh, can I even be called one?”  “Aren't you the reincarnation of one?” “I am,” a sigh escaped her lips. “Yet I do not possess the memory of the Goddess Larentina, I merely wield but a mere fraction of what she had but I cannot create life with just a wave of my hand. I do not control it, at best I can extend it.”  She turned, her emerald green eyes gazing at him with the ever present amount of love within that had never diminished once — but this time carrying a hint of sadness. “Tell me, what is a god to you?”  An unexpected question he had to admit, but one that was not so easy to answer given the differing rules and circumstances in both worlds. Were to give a simplified answer then any Divine Spirit formed by collective thoughts of human kind embodying a certain concept, beings that were worshiped and gained power through the accumulation of faint would count as a god.  Were he to simplify it even further then just possessing Divinity alone would give credence to one holding the title of a god.  “Is a god not supposed to be a being of absolute power capable of shaping the world as they wish?” Celestine continued. “One who holds both omnipotence, where nothing is impossible for them — including keeping people who worship them safe? To grant their prayers, to save them from harm, to bless the innocent and punish the wicked? One who can save anyone and everyone?”  Archer did not immediately answer, rubbing his chin with several thoughts crossing his mind. He felt her body shift, moving closer until the woman sat in front of him on his knees. Unaffected by the cold with her eyes filled with something different this time, not sadness like those previous moments.  “Do you see me as a Goddess, just like the rest?” She asked.  Archer sighed, “Yes, I do.” Regardless of what he may feel towards her, by this world's system she was a Goddess or the closest thing to one. Being a god did not mean having a certain temperament, a certain set of powers or even following a duty to protect mortals. He had seen and interacted with Divine Spirits in the past and would never have had such intentions — yet they were still worshiped.  Now whether he worshipped her or not, that was another matter entirely. It was clear she wasn’t capital G-d after all, heck with what he’s been through he didn’t feel like the devout type. His mind went back to the fact of the priest who lived in his town for a decade and what he did. He shook his head to banish those thoughts. “Look, I can tell that you care about your people and your past actions in keeping humanity safe from Olga's fury is something not every god would even consider. If it helps you, then consider that as an achievement to show that you have done more than enough to earn the recognition as a god. Just continue doing what you have been doing before my arrival and everything will be alright… just don't blindly trust a band of mercenaries with the fate of the world next time.”  Rather than be satisfied with his answer, a different emotion rose on her face. Leaning forward till she was practically leaning onto his chest, “But if the safety of people is no longer my goal, will you still call me a Goddess?”  Archer chuckled, not a reaction she expected.  “Some would say that you behave more like a god then, from where I come from, many of them were pretty selfish. Willing to do anything to get what they wanted, even if it meant putting the lives of those who worshiped them in peril. Sometimes gods are no different to humans themselves.” Then he lowered his gaze, looking at her. “I cannot replace them, Celestine. You should not go to such lengths just because you feel the responsibility to save a single person who is already dead.” Listening to his words, her fingers glided over his arm, going downwards and taking his hand onto her own. He raised his eyebrow when the blonde brought them to her chest, making his palm press against her chest with the fabric covering them being pushed off. Yet she did not appear embarrassed or even ashamed.  “Do you feel that? Can you feel my heart beating? All of it's because I am with you. What I felt before was not just pity, but also admiration. I am not trying to save you because I feel pity or because I am compelled by some responsibility as a Goddess. I want to be next to you, just like Maia and the others have been lately. I see them smile around you, even Olga and Chloe who were once your enemies — I see them smiling around you. But they… they do it not because they love you, but because they want something in return.”  With little movement, she removed the other ribbon on her chest, fully exposing them to Archer with a prominent flush on her face. “I want to give you love, not to take or ask anything in return.” Her hands caressed his face, her breathing turning deeper as she leaned in with her face nestled against his neck. Lips touching his skin, leaving several delicate kisses. “It hurts seeing you with them, every time I can't help myself but find the world starts to lose its colour.”  A shiver ran across the woman's body as his scent reached her, heart shuddering with delight from the warmth coming off his body. She could not stop, both mind and body demanding more… hoping that he would be able to sense her feelings for him. “Unlike them, you can take me. Ravish me, hurt me, use me in any way you want to… and I will never ask anything in return. I will love it, more than anyone else… for even if I have yet to acquire the power to break your chains — then at least I can use my body to make it more bearable for you. I just want you to feel loved, to relieve you of these responsibilities and lessen some of your burdens. You are tired, I can see that.” Her soft voice next to his ears were no less enticing than a succubus, without even having any experience, Celestine found herself moving at the whims of her instincts.  At one point, she had dreams or maybe even saw a vision of a “what-if” realm where the Kuroinu had won. She saw herself being put on display in front of her people, defiled on the spot by Vault before he threw at the crowd who proceeded to continue the act.  Those scenes disturbed Celestine every time she remembered them.  What horrified her the most was understanding why ‘that Celestine’ had made such a decision. For she wanted to save her people, to shoulder their fear and over a form of peace during such a defeat. Even if it meant using her body to satisfy their lust, for that Celestine could not bear to see her people suffer.  If faced with a similar situation, would she take a similar path? The answer had been clear the day Beardsley started an assault on Feoh through his schemes and plunged the place into chaos. Had she been like her previous self, then that version of Celestine would have offered her body to get rid of the effects of the aphrodisiac had there been no other way.  But back then, she gazed at several of those affected getting trampled by the horde trying to get to her and the other Princess Knights. Seen blood flow and life flickering away without so much as a twitch on her face. She felt neither grief, anger or even sadness — just emptiness.  For their suffering was nothing in comparison to his. Why would she offer any help when he needed her the most? Yet now, in this position, she did not mind if he used her the same way as Vault did in her dreams. She did not feel any disgust or revulsion at the idea, even craving it to some degree for it meant he wanted her. That her body made a difference, even if a small one. That she could help him. “I love you…”  She opened her heart, eyes hazy with love as they focused on his lips. Feeling a warmth spread downwards at his touch, wanting to be taken under the moonlight and make herself his alone. To give him comfort that others could never actually give for they did not understand him like she did.  Slowly, her lips drew closer to his. “I love you, Shirou.”  “—!”  Just as her lips nearly touched his, she felt a coarse texture cover her mouth and opened her eyes to see the man bringing his palm up to cover her mouth. Calmly looking at her without any ripples of emotions on his face, she saw that face before and it further gave an ache in her heart.  “Why…” she asked with a hint of silent desperation. “Do you think I'm not telling the truth? Am I not good enough?” Archer sighed. “I know you're not lying.”  She could not understand.  “Then why…?”  The blonde needed an answer, her every effort being met with resistance on his end, yet others could freely get close to him. Why couldn't she?  Unlike them, all she wanted was to save him.  “You do not love me,” he replied, shocking her as the answer made no sense. He added more, noticing her reaction. “You do not love me, nor do you love the Shirou Emiya I once was for that matter.”  “That's not true.” Celestine said with a shuddering tone. “I love you, more than anyone does! I want you to be happy more than anything else! To give you a life you deserve!” Again, he shook his head and instead showed a smile that resembled more pity than anything else. “I do not know why your divination powers worked in such a way to show you my past even though you are not my Master and I am no Servant. It has shown you many things you did not understand, put a veil over your eyes whenever you saw the life of the boy who followed a path completely devoid of you or your involvement in the matter.” His hand rested on her shoulders, gently pushing her away.  “You fell in love with the idea of the Shirou Emiya you created in your mind. Of what he symbolized, what he meant for you and what you wanted to see in him. It was neither myself nor the real Shirou Emiya who once was alive.”  She shook her head, eyes wide open with denial and frustration.  “You're wrong… you're wrong!” Her voice echoed across the empty clearing. “Let me show you then, I-I can show you that my love for you is genuine in any way you want!”  “If I took advantage of you while you're in this state, then how am I any different from Vault.” He added, “It's not like I am against the idea of you loving me, even though I find that to be a terrible decision in itself. Like I said to Maia, I won't be here forever and growing too attached would only hurt you.”  “...” “But you do not love me in the first place and until you do not get rid of the version of Shirou you have created in your mind, I am no different from a stranger to you. You cannot ‘fix’ me because you are mistaken about what to ‘fix’ in the first place. You cannot save me in any way since you refuse to even acknowledge who I am and not who I once was. You aren’t taking in consideration what I need.”  He got up, leaving Celestine on the ground, hesitating at first but ending up projecting a blanket around her body. Archer understood that seeing his earlier life went against everything Celestine stood for, compelling her to prevent what had already happened to such a point, to repair it, that it warped her understanding of Shirou Emiya. “I do not hate you, Celestine. I just wish for you to see things as they are rather than how they should be.” With his part said, with neither anger in his tone but instead patience this time. He hoped that his words managed to get through her and decided to give her time to process it. “We'll leave tomorrow or the next day at dawn, best not to waste time finding Olga and Chloe.” “Does Olga know you then?” She whispered, her hands clenching the grass beneath. “Same for Maia, Radomira, Alicia, Prim and anyone else? They’ll betray you, just like back then after you gave everything… they will.” He stopped in his tracks, giving her a side glance. “They have no idea of who Shirou Emiya used to be, so in their eyes, I will always be and remain no one else but Archer. Even if they betray me, well, I wouldn't fault them for that — I can be a jerk at times. As long as I complete the goal I set out here to accomplish, then I know that both sides will eventually be alright.” He did not know if this was enough to make her understand, he did not want to continue this conversation longer than it should take and his heart still had not completely calmed down yet.  But just as he was about to leave, his eyes narrowed in the distant building, noting a shadow retreating as soon as he turned his attention over there. ‘I should not take any risk.’ Walking over to Celestine, he extended his hand. “Let's go, don't stay here all by yourself. It's dangerous.”  Even after what happened between them, she accepted and held onto his hand without meeting his gaze. . . . Both arriving back to the Inn, he noted how the sensation of being watched had disappeared once more. He did not dismiss the idea of it being Lan or even someone else, but they were leaving tomorrow and he would deal with the person if they continued to follow them past the town.  With these thoughts in mind, inside the building he found Maia and Radomira sitting at the empty dining hall having dinner. Both women still having cloaks hiding their features, they waved at him excitedly and called him over.  “Where have you been, Archer?” Maia asked, looking at Celestine walking upstairs holding onto a blanket she had never seen around her body. Several alarms rang inside her mind. “Did something happen between you two?”  He shook his head, while patting Radomira’s head. “Nothing, we just had a… talk.”  “A talk, really?”  “Believe what you want.” He turned attention to the Tiefling who had behaved appropriately today without attracting any attention. Guess she was worried about Olga as well, even if she tried to look cheerful.  “Everything is going to be alright, we will find her.” Radomira paused, then smiled. “Right next time I’ll help you look for her in the city.” “I don’t think that’s a good idea. If there's a chance they spotted your wings, horns, or tail, then what huh. It's late now, so go to bed now.” From within the hood, he saw the girl pout. But in her current form, it looked quite different from what he was used to seeing.  “Let's go together then.”  “We're not sleeping together,” he told her immediately, especially how narrow the beds here were. And again, in her current form sleeping together was a bad idea, for Radomira moved a lot in her sleep and was pretty grabby at times. “You're a grown woman now.” “That's not fair! It's just my body, not like I've changed!”  “So you're admitting that I should continue treating you like a brat?”  “Ah,” Radomira froze on the spot, realizing her mistake especially when lately she kept wanting for him to treat her differently from before.  Maia grinned, more amused than anything else. “Forget about it, you may be sexy as hell now but you still have a lot catching up to do to me.”  “Shut up, bitch.”  “What did you call me!?” “Radomira…” Archer said while giving her a pointed look, wondering where she learned that word, she immediately pointed at Maia, causing Archer to look at the one in question who was looking away, sweating. “I'm i-innocent.”  “Pffft,” That stopped both the girls as they slowly went to look at Archer’s face, all while seeing the erratic rise of his chest. Was he… laughing? The two were stumped until he patted Radomira's head once more, much to the latter’s dismay at not being able to say anything in return. “I won't be joining you for dinner unfortunately, I'm gonna head to bed early. Don't stay up too late and Maia, don't you dare hand Radomira any alcohol.”  With those words, he parted ways and headed upstairs. His eyes went to Celestine's room where he couldn't help but release a sigh after recalling what happened. She may have been hurt from what he said, but she needed to accept the truth.  “Fuuu…” Inside his room, the man landed on his bed with a loud huff, staring at the ceiling for a couple of seconds while thinking about what occurred earlier. He did not want to admit, but for a brief moment he had indeed gotten too immersed in the atmosphere with Celestine back there.  No wonder why Olga warned him about her beauty, she had her own charm as the Goddess Reborn without even needing the help of aphrodisiac to cause certain thoughts to enter the mind of men and women alike.  “Hah, guess I am also tired myself.” He chided himself for almost making a terrible mistake that would have just worsened Celestine's state had things gotten out of hand.  After that, his eyes closed and the man slowly fell into a deep sleep for the first time in a long while. Knowing full well that tomorrow would require all of his energy if things didn't go as planned as they usually tended to be. … Hours passed, the other girls returned to their rooms and the Inn turned silent with everyone now fully asleep. The doors to the establishment opened quietly with a figure walking in, faint rings of bangles ringing with each step. Heading upstairs and then proceeding to stand in front of a room where sensitive pointed ears could hear faint sounds of breathing coming from within.  The people here… they were searching for Olga who had apparently managed to escape.  They seemed to know where she was heading.  “I'm so close, just wait for me, sister.” She’d made all the preparations, she took a bath, brushed her hair, colored her lips, adorned herself in the necessary scents. One of them was a man… this made things easier for her.