(Pov Kai)
I meditated inside the carriage, joined this time by Bea, who had stopped avoiding me. She had gotten that which had been bothering her off her chest, and mostly reconciled herself with the fact that I wasn’t angry with her. Now, while she was still quieter than normal, she was mostly back to being her old self.
As a bonus, I could ask her about the rest of the people traveling in this caravan. I wanted to know things like which groups to avoid, where people are going, and general levels of strength. By knowing these things, I could prepare myself for many different eventualities. For instance, in the case of a bandit attack, I would know who to stand by in order to not be noticed.
This was important, since I had resolved to not draw undue attention to myself while on the road. Apparently, my horns and eyes weren’t too uncommon in this land, and could be passed off as being from one bloodline or another. However, should word go around that a Demon was traveling in a caravan, there would certainly be people that would fall to greed or hunger for power and hunt for me.
Unfortunately, I’m not yet at a realm where I could reliably protect myself from true powerhouses. Hell, I’m having trouble against Bea, who could really only be considered reasonably strong.
Though, with the ludicrous speeds my level was rising, I wouldn’t have to worry about being weak for long. Additionally, I was confident of at least escaping most situations with my life still intact.
It shouldn’t come to that, though.
So, this was all just a lengthy way to say that I plan on laying low. No need to invite trouble and all.
And, while laying low, my power will only be increasing. It’s a win-win situation for me, and everyone else, since they don’t have to deal with a teenaged Demon who might have some mental issues. Rather, they don’t know anything about me, and sleep easier for it. I’d say the same goes for Bea.
I mean, I certainly am not planning on informing her about some of the things I’ve experienced, and what happened to me afterwards.
Anyway, I had a nice and peaceful time meditating that night. I think Bea went to sleep, but wasn’t really sure, since I wasn’t paying attention to her.
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(Pov Joseph [A.K.A, the massive douche-handle.{At least for this chapter}])
Even after looking for Lady Katariah for these past two days, she never materialized in the caravan.
“Maybe she decided to stay behind in the end?” Said Idarus, trying to get me to stop looking.
“But if she is? I have to know, Idarus, and the best way to find out for certain, is to see her with my own two eyes. If she truly isn’t here, then I’ll never see her, right?”
Jasmine shook her head in exasperation due to my reasoning, and proceeded to point out all its flaws.
“So, you’re just going to constantly be on edge, looking for someone who may not even be here? Why not just quit? If she’s here, then you’ll see her eventually, and if not, then you don’t have to worry about it any longer.”
I sighed.
“But, I don’t have that time. I overheard her agreeing to spar with Gabriel’s sister, and I need to warn her off it before that can happen.”
“She agreed to spar with Bea?” Asked Gabriel, who was well aware of the sort of reputation his sister has in regards to combat. “Does Katariah have a death wish or something?”
I shook my head.
“That’s exactly why I have to find her as soon as possible. I don’t think she knew the danger of agreeing to this fight.”
“If she wants to fight, then let her. She ought to be capable enough to at least hold onto her life. With the way Mom and Dad were talking about her, she’s certainly special enough to do so.” Said Jasmine bitterly.
“Yeah, but I would rather that someone who didn’t know better wouldn’t get hurt in the first place.” I rebutted.
“So,” sighed Idarus, “What do you want us to do about it?”
“Simple—I want your help in checking all the carriages, and looking for either Lady Katariah, or Bea.”
They all complained a little, but agreed in the end, after I promised them some favors. Thus, we began going around in the middle of the night, peering into each and every carriage stealthy.
In most of them, people were sleeping peacefully. I didn’t bother checking the tents set up in the middle of camp, since I had already done that last night. Needless to say, Lady Katariah wasn’t present in any of them. Nor was she found in any of the carriages that I personally checked.
It was Gabriel who found the carriage in the end, something that I found out after we regrouped, the rest of us having had no luck. Gabriel stated his find bluntly right at the beginning.
“I found Katariah’s carriage. However, I was discovered right afterwards.”
“What—By Lady Katariah?”
“No, by my sister, who was sleeping in the same place. Katariah was meditating through the night instead of resting. Bea woke up and saw me.”
“What happened after that?” I asked anxiously.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“She asked me why I was snooping around the carriage, and I told her the truth—that you had overheard that she and Lady Katariah were going to spar.”
“What?! How did she react? Did you ask her to not do it?!”
Gabriel looked at me crossly.
“Of course I asked her to not spar with Katariah. I’m not an idiot, unlike a certain person here, who can’t even tell the most basic of things.”
I tilted my head in confusion.
“Hm? What am I missing, then?”
Gabriel huffed angrily, and stormed away from us, flipping me off as he went.
“Huh? Wait, Gabriel—could you at least tell me what Bea said back to you?!”
I called out to Gabriel, wanting to at least be sure that Lady Katariah was safe. Behind me, I heard the others talking as I ran after Gabriel.
“Is he that idiotic? I thought it was on purpose or something…”
“Ohh….that bastard is so blind? Or is he just delusional?”
I caught up to Gabriel after a few minutes. Oddly enough, he was crying softly, almost tenderly.
I came up behind him, and grabbed his shoulder gently. For whatever reason, he was feeling hurt by me, and that was not cool.
“Hey, Gabriel….What did I do, to upset you so? What am I missing?”
Gabriel looked up at me, his eyes watering still. He was also still a little angry looking, so I made sure to act as gently as possible.
“Please, just tell me—I want to keep from hurting you as much as possible, and I won’t be able to do that if I don’t know how I’m hurting you.”
Gabriel pushed past me, running again.
This time, I didn’t follow him. He obviously wants time to himself.
Instead, I returned to the carriage and endured the frosty looks from the rest of my companions.
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(Pov Gabriel)
I’ve run away again.
I know I’m at fault here for not correcting him when he says that one little pronoun, but I’m afraid of what would happen. Joseph has always thought of me as male, so how would he take the news that his friend was a girl?
I met him a few years ago, while attending a starting school for combat and magic. At that time, I kept my hair short to keep it from bothering me, and was nearly always covered in mud, dirt and grime from my daily exercises and drills. It wasn’t a surprise that I was constantly mistaken as a boy. I didn’t correct anyone who thought so, either, which is where all this pain stems from.
After a while, I began to let my hair out, and my feminine features started to emerge, even if I turned out to be somewhat….lacking in areas.
Most of my classmates and friends figured it out at that point, with the exception of one fucking idiot, who also happens to be one of my closest friends—Joseph.
I don’t really know when he began to mean more to me than that, though. All I know is that I’m terrified of what would happen when he finds out that I haven’t been entirely honest to him. I don’t want to lose him.
But, I also didn’t want him to continue treating me like a guy. I need to tell him. I’ve deliberated over it long enough, and just need to act.
Besides, I also need to tell him what my sister told me about Katariah.
I started walking back to the carriage, feeling weighted down by my decisions.
Hesitating slightly before opening the carriage door, I took in the scene inside.
Joseph sat in one corner of the enclosed space, visibly isolated by the others, who were sending him frosty looks, while turning to me with pity. I appreciated their support, but also held no illusions as to whose fault this whole thing is.
I cleared my throat, and Joseph looked up, scrutinizing me. I nearly squirmed under his gaze, but held myself back, speaking instead.
“Joseph, we need to talk.”
He nodded and got up, following me outside of the camp.
Joseph stayed silent until we reached the tree-line and stopped.
Once we were there, I just started talking really quickly, without any real regards to what I was actually saying.
“So, the thing is, that there’s something about me you really should have noticed by now, but you haven’t, and I really don’t know how to tell you about it, and don’t know how you’ll end up reacting. I don’t want you to hate me or anything for not letting you know better sooner, even though pretty much everybody knows already. And really, it’s kind of embarrassing, since I don’t know if it’s because I don’t have anything there, or if you are just the biggest fucking idiot of all time. Oop—I didn’t really mean to say that out loud, but I guess those are my true feelings, and….”
Joseph chuckled lowly.
“Slow down, Gabriel. I can hardly understand what you’re saying while speaking so fast. Take a breath, and tell me the main idea.”
“Right, sorry. I’m slightly overwhelmed at the moment. But, the gist of it is this: I’m a girl.”
…
…
…
“What?”
“I’m a girl.”
“Are you…”
“Don’t even think of asking me if ‘I’m sure’—I will beat you up here and now.” I said, blushing slightly.
“Huh. I don’t really think I expecting that. I though you were going to tell me about a secret assassination plot or something.”
“I don’t think you’re worth assassinating at the moment. You hardly pose a threat in any way.”
Silence from Joseph…
“Sorry, this is a bit hard to wrap my head around—Have you always been a girl, or what?”
“Damnable idiot. Of course I have.”
Then, I threw out a bit of information to get his mind off of me. I knew that Katariah held a greater importance to him (At the moment), and he would probably throw this new revelation of his to the back of his mind after hearing about her. Especially since what Bea told me was so perplexing.
Sighing, I told him about it.
“You asked about Katariah earlier, right?”
Ah damn, the bastard’s like a puppy seeing it’s owner. He perked up at the mention of her name, and replied energetically.
“Lady Katariah?! What did Bea tell you?”
I felt a soreness in my chest from his reaction, but was also aware that I still have a chance—as long as Katariah continues ignoring him. Though, I would still have to worry about Jasmine.
“When I was looking inside the carriage window, I saw Katariah meditating deeply, while Bea woke up, and asked me why I was there. Our conversation went something like this—“ I said, remembering that moonlight talk.
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“Mh? What are you doing here, Gabe?”
“I was asked by Joseph to try and find Katariah. He’s somewhat concerned, since you asked a little girl like her to spar you. We all know how you are during any sort of combat, Bea.”
My sister pouted, acting like a spoiled brat, even though she’s more than a century older than me.
“But I try and go easy…”
“Ha, easy? Samantha Usinger, the Black Guard’s Beast going easy on someone?”
“Mau~ You don’t have to say it so harshly…”
I rubbed my temples, profoundly annoyed with both Joseph, and this conversation.
“Doesn’t matter. Just please, refrain from sparring with Katariah. She seems too fragile.”
“Are you telling me this because of that boy, Joseph? Normally, I would tell you to get him to say that, since it’s his crush, not yours. Unless you swing that way, of course—though, with the way you talk about Joseph, I doubt that.”
She paused.
“Why do you like him? He seems to be treating you rather bluntly. After all, doesn’t he still thing that you’re a boy? No romance would ever come out of a relationship like that.”
I huffed, not wanting to linger on her words.
“Just promise me that you won’t spar with Katariah. It’s all I want.”
“All you want? No, this is strictly Joseph’s business. Besides, it’s too late.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Katariah and I already sparred together.”
I gasped, and looked closer at that figure meditating in the carriage, unaware of the conversation taking place outside.
She didn't seem injured in the slightest though—not even any scratches. I was baffled, considering that Bea regularly broke in the average soldiers…or just broke them, period.
“You shouldn’t rate Kai so lowly. We ended the spar in mutual checkmate, you know.”
I feel shocked hearing that, knowing what that phrase meant. There was someone actually willing to be as vicious as Bea in the world?
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After I finished relaying our conversation to Joseph, he sat in stunned silence, just as I had for a while, before realizing that Katariah holds depths unknown to us.
I heard him whisper under his breath, before unsteadily getting up and walking back to the carriage. I think my tactic of distracting him from my own shocking news worked too well.
“I need to get stronger. I have to.”