Along the trail that led down the town road, men flayed hay into piles, and children played with voices full of song. Dirt crunched under my heels and scrapped the metal shoes of Sakiiya walking in front of me. Though her armor was slim, it just occurred to me that she also wore armored heels. How was she walking in those? Even though this was virtual, my ankles felt like they were about to snap right off.

「Isn’t it easy to lose balance in fights while wearing heels in armor? You know… as a knight.」 I asked.

Sakiiya turned around and began walking backward with a hand up to her chin. 「Well, not really. Women have higher yields of vitalum, which gives us better muscle and blood control. Our armor enhances our vitalum rate so we can move faster and hit harder in combat. The extra length acts as an equilibrium balance to the ground so we can push off quicker.」

「And I’m assuming vitalum is like magic or whatever?」

Sakiiya raised an eyebrow. 「Magic? Oh, no, no. I’m not that talented, and that’s a rare gift to possess. Vitalum is the power that flows through non-esterbal beings, or those without otherworldly gifts or curses. I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone compare the two. Magic is a pretty ancient art.」

She then turned around and pointed to barns, houses, and a gray-stone church past the town’s main road. That was pretty much all there was in this desolate town, besides a windmill silo casting an enormous shadow past a few trees north. I suppose seclusion was a good thing, but why would a man who enjoyed a lavish lifestyle stay in this mundane town?

We stopped a few paces in front of a white shingled home with two square windows. Sakiiya turned around and scratched the back of her head with a nervous smile.

「Well, ah… That’s pretty much it. I’m sorry there isn’t much to show, must be pretty boring place for a princess, huh?」

「Inascovia has homes made of wool and wood, melded together by ice and snow. This is a pleasant change and is interesting nonetheless.」

Why the hell did I just say that? It’s like I knew what I wanted to convey, but the information just came from some open place in my mind. Wait a second. Was that the stupid character profile prompt they sent when I loaded in? Are they forcing thoughts and dialogue into my head? That’s creepy as hell!

Sakiiya’s eyes widened, as if not expecting such an astute answer. 「O-oh… Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying the scenery.」

「Sasa! Sasa!」 A young woman’s voice beckoned a few paces down the road.

Short lilac hair bounced from side to side with a cheerful smile coming toward us. She looked familiar, but where did I know her from? Did we meet at the Ushur’s coronation? No way. Well, not if she’s hanging around this dingy town.

「Miinareen, slow down! You’re going to hurt yourself!」 Sakiiya called out.

Miinareen pounced into Sakiiya’s arms, prompting a joyful spin as Sakiiya twirled. They giggled, then stopped mid-spin, Sakiiya placing her on the ground.

「What’s gotten into you? You must’ve learned something new today from my father.」

「Yep! He’s teaching me to control my vitalum, and it’s soo cool! I’m almost able to do five push-ups while tensing my entire body! Did you hear me? Five!」

Sakiiya patted her head with a sigh. 「Why, yes… that is an improvement from the mere one you’ve been able to commit to before passing out.」

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

「Yay, praise!」 Miinareen chirped, lifting her head and enveloping in the head pat.

She was enjoying this a bit too much. But it was nice to have someone else around who was a player. Even better, she may have some additional information on my mother’s murder. While Sakiiya seemed well, I was positive Bernak and her were acquittances in some capacity. I couldn’t trust the information I would get from her would be legitimate or that she’d tell me what I needed to know, anyway.

Miinareen then spun around toward me. Her eyes were on the verge of tears as she clenched her hands into fists at her sides. 「I’m… I’m so sorry, Yokalen. Losing your mother must’ve been terrible. I wish I’d gotten there sooner, but…」

I shook my head with a reluctant smile. 「You’re fine. Thanks to you and Sakiiya, I made it out safely with Agnelov and my sister. I owe you both a tremendous debt I will one day repay.」

Miinareen sniffed, then clenched her eyes shut, allowing the bubbles of tears to flow down her cheeks, and lunged at me. I tried to dodge, but she was nimble at wrapping her arms around me with a gentle squeeze.

「You’re such a kind person, Princess Yokalena. I’m so glad we met that day. You and Sakiiya are, like, my two only girl friends, and I’d hate it if anything ever happened to you both.」

Heat swelled in my cheeks as I shook my head frantically, trying to shrug off the pure intimacy she was gushing onto me.

「Okay! Okay! I get it! Now let go already!」 I said, squirming in her grip.

Miinareen let go and wiped her face with a smile. 「Ah, sorry. I’ll… I’ll go back to train with Mr. Aiusu. Sasa, your mom said dinner should be ready before you head out on patrol. Oh! Could we invite Princess Yokalen over? After that, we could head out together…」

「We?」 Sakiiya said, brushing a lock of blonde hair past her ear. 「You’re not ready for a patrol yet, Miina. We’ve talked about this.」

「I’ll never be ready if you keep—」

A wisp of wind swirled around Sakiiya’s feet as her eyes gave off a blue gleam. Her entire demeanor changed as she furrowed her brows.

「You’ve only been training for a few days. You’re nowhere near my level and not the level of even a novice swordsman. My patrols can be very hazardous, and I can’t protect you, especially at night.」

Miinareen opened her mouth to protest, but Sakiiya’s resolve spoke for herself when she scrunched her eyes.

「I’ll show Princess Yokalena around some more, and we’ll both be home by dawn. You should go and wash up.」

Miinareen nodded and walked down the trail. Her head drooped as she kicked at dirt every few paces. I didn’t expect Sakiiya to have such a serious side to her. But if she had to deal with the Phoenian knights, like I saw back in the capital, you had to become more assertive.

Sakiiya crossed her arms until Miinareen was out of view, then sighed, turning to me with a smile. 「Sorry about that. We should get going. There’s one more place for you to see.」

We traveled north of the church and exited past the town’s west gate toward the windmill. It was a two-story cone-based structure made of dark wood and a circular top. Four large vanes swirled in a hypnotizing glow that blew waves of yellow and green grains around us back and forth.

Sakiiya stopped up the ramp and looked back at me. It was as if her eyes pleaded with me not to go, causing me to step back.

「Uh, what’s in there, exactly?」 I asked.

「This is… the gristmill. The farms I showed you around town deliver their produce here, and I sell them in town for money. But, our harvest has been dwindling for the past few years, so we couldn’t make this our primary source of income. But… the townspeople don’t know that.」

She reached for the handle, hesitating to graze the iron latch with a sigh. 「I’m… I’m not proud of this by any means, okay? And I’d rather not bring someone else into this, but… Bernak says that you could help and that we wouldn’t have to do this type of thing anymore. So… please forgive me.」

She opened the latch, and the cool night wind was subdued with a wave of hot air seething from inside. The room buzzed with metal churning gears, cranking with a rattling noise. Pools of grain ran down animal-skin conveyor belts from the top of the mill, then crunched and heated inside a large white bagged oven. The furnace had glowing red eyes and a mouth, cackling full of flames.

The hayed floor below us was firm but unsteady in some places. It almost felt like I should’ve removed my heels so I wouldn’t fall. Sakiiya’s armored heels clamped onto dirt as we walked down a hollow of earth, an arched roof of dirt and wood hovering over us, shielding us from the mill’s noise and transitioning into an eerie silence. Two stout double doors made of tough timber and iron laid before us. Sakiiya knocked on the door twice, and a latch opened above us with a pair of green squinting eyes.

「Open it. She’s with me,」 Sakiiya said, crossing her arms.

The emerald eyes looked me over. The latch shut closed, and both doors then creaked open.