"Wake up! Mido! Wake up!" A soft, exhausted voice echoed. Mido slowly tried to look and saw familiar, emerald eyes.

"You… you opened your eyes…" She cried with a smile. Covering her mouth, she apologized. "I'm sorry, Mido." Wizbette used her ability and transferred some of her vitality to Mido. In the process, much of the foliage around the two withered, as a result of her using Weaving Rain.

"Where… where am I?" Mido tried to move, but to no avail. His whole body was still paralyzed from the shock of using too much of his ability.

"Stop making her cry, Mido." Gen sternly said from a distance. "Seriously. Don't be so reckless next time."

"Hey! Mido woke up!" Vivace waved for the others. For a while, he thought he was done for, but this seemed to not be the case. Her ability was both a warm embrace and a font of life.

Wiz's ability was slowly taking into effect. Mido can now turn his head, to an extent. He scanned what seemed to be the aftermath of the explosion. A huge tree split the area into two, letting the sun's rays shine on the area brightly on one side. Much of the village was destroyed in the process, but the general area was irredeemable at this point. He leaned beside Wiz, and was accompanied by Vivace and Gen. The rest were either guarding or assisting whoever was left at the bunker walk to the Beaver.

"How long was I passed out?" He asked wearily.

"Long enough for the two to arrive. Wiz and Sora got here just in time." Gris sighed relief. "I'm glad I taught that kid how to drive the Beaver."

"The road leading to this forest is deep. Luckily, we followed some goons that we had to break through." Wiz said to Gris. Fein approached them after sending out the last surviving people.

"We only have one vehicle for a dozen of them. The Beaver is large, but we need to compensate for the passengers." He leaned down on Mido.

"I have to admit, that was a bold move, Mido. But do not be reckless. I do not tolerate colleagues who risk their lives indefinitely."

"I… did as best as I could, captain." Mido groaned as the pain in his joints acted up. Wiz supported him.

"You sure did. We have successfully captured a culprit, and we will proceed to investigate. However," Fein looked at the frail-bodied people they rescued, one by one entering the Beaver.

"We can't carry them all back to Henwales."

Peram stood up and approached Fein.

"Sir Fein. We have an organized group on Reiss. I'm sure they can help these people. When they see them, it would come to their attention that Pierre has done enough to anger the Vassals in our city."

The captain nodded at Peram's courageous decision to take the helm and help these people undeserving of their treatment.

"Pierre is still out there, and that 'lady' of his. With this establishment destroyed, however, and his identity now known to us, I trust that he will not be staying on Reiss for a while."

"So… the people will now wake up from his ability?" Vivace asked.

"Yes. If he is not in the vicinity, that is."

"We'll help the people with what we can make do, sir." Peram immediately came to Enna's aid in helping the survivors.

"This has become more complicated than I imagined. Mido, can you walk?" Fein turned to Mido. He tried to move both of his legs.

"…Yeah. My legs are still numb, however." He said before coughing.

"Good. Don't make Wiz carry you, then." Fein tapped Mido's shoulder before walking back to the vehicle.

"Take your time, and let's drop them off to the city."

All of them eventually stood up and followed Fein.

"Wiz… I'm sorry I—"

"Shush. Let's rest for now." Wiz supported him with her petite body.

"Don't worry, I can walk." He said while visibly struggling to do so. Wiz threw his arm over her shoulder and grabbed him by the waist.

"Nope. You're still a vegetable. Not to worry, I can still carry you, Mido." Wiz said, but she was clearly straining.

As they walked, they went inside the Beaver along with the others. The survivors were made comfortable as D-7 could, but they did not have the resources to fully replenish all of their vigors and fix their tattered clothing. The best they could do is to accommodate them with food and water from their ration reserves. They can just buy supplies back at Henwales.

The sight of the battle's aftermath devastated the village. The gigantic tree made the huts it's deathbed, separating the bunker from the rest, which those already dead and those too late to be rescued made it their last burial place: on caskets and cages. They would never know if those people that defended this place were truly barbaric, or were just manipulated by both Pierre's ability and his promise of wealth. They still wouldn't know who won.

And most of all, they debated among themselves if killing people that were manipulated to kill them was the right decision to make. For Fein, the papers will excruciatingly burn him for days.

As the Beaver drove away from the destroyed village, Vivace took one last look and was swept with melancholy.

"So, they are really gone, aren't they?" She sobbed as Peram accompanied her by her side.

"…Yeah. Our friends were blinded and murdered by him, but Pierre is still lurking around."

"We need to find the others. Those that are hiding all this time."

"I'm already planning to, Vivace. We need all the help we can get."

Everyone in the vehicle went silent. They were all in deep thought. Much of the survivors were whimpering. Scarred. Afraid.

The woman Gen saved earlier cautiously sat beside him. Gen noticed her, so he struck a timid conversation.

"Stera, was it? Are you alright now?"

"Mhmm. You haven't given me your name yet."

"Uh, it's Gen."

"Gen." She chuckled. "It's a funny one."

"Hey. Suck it up." Gen said out of reflex; he did not mean to badmouth her. "I mean, you think… huh."

"Thank you for helping these people… Most of them came from different places, but at this point, I think letting them stay in Reiss with good people such as those two would be best."

"Yeah. You should help them too, Stera."

"No."

"Huh?"

"I don't want to go back."

"Why? I thought you lived there? Don't you want to go back?"

Stera's calloused hands curled shakingly into a fist.

"Do you know why I was enslaved in the first place? I was a slave even before I came here. A noble family took me in as their maid."

"Let me guess. You were used." Gen bluntly termed. Stera's face turned into disgust upon hearing that, but she just nodded.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"I'm not going to lie, I had quite a stable life back there. But I have no family left. My parents and siblings were all lost to the war."

"The Faustian war?"

"Yes. I'm from a coastal city. Part of the Soma Coalition. The day they came, most of us did not make it. With me being the youngest, I found myself as the last one, here in Reiss. They took me in, but they…" She stammered as she spoke.

"It's okay. You don't need to dig deeper."

"Please. I don't want to see their sadistic faces again. If anything, I want a clean slate. Anything than going back…"

"I… I'll find a way for you. I… promise." Gen hesitated. He did not know what to decide, and even if he did help her, does he have the power to support Stera as she finds a way out of her own maze?

"In Henwales. We can find something there for you. A way to change your life."

"If anything, okay. I'll follow you, Gen." Gen's heart warmed up as Stera smiled with her ochre eyes. It had a distant, but familiar feeling to it. Something he felt but was long hidden deep within him until now.

"Good… I guess…"

In the far corner of the room, Enna sat ankles locked to each other. Gen saw she withheld a suspicious grin as Stera sat beside him.

----------------------------------------

It was early midday. D-7 did the last of unloading the survivors inside the city gates, who gave them their utmost thanks. Peram and Vivace were accompanied by their acquaintances, possibly the 'organized group' he introduced to them. They were giving people clothes and commodities.

"Thank you for volunteering to handle them, Peram."

"No. Thank you for all of you, Vassal United. You've given us courage, me and Vivace. Pierre might be out of the picture for now, but he will come back. And when that time comes, the Vassals at Reiss will band together, even if it means taking it to the city lord's domain." Peram enthusiastically stated.

"I admire your courage, but don't go and start a destructive feud against your lord."

"We will try not to." Vivace nodded, her beige hair bobbing along, brightened by the midday sun.

Fein smiled at her, to which she timidly tried to cease eye contact. Meanwhile, the others were observing them.

"Ehh… Look at these people. Hahaha! They look like they've had a pretty sober hangover." Enna pointed at and mocked the guards and civilians. After being released from Pierre's constant influence for a long time, the people of this district's senses were awry. Almost every one of them slumped and looked around, seemingly unaware of what has happened to them. Some were looking at the group sorting out everything on the gates, utterly confused as to what they were doing here.

"Well, you can't blame them. Blinded by greed because of another person's greed. Money in itself? A tempting thing. But money with Pierre's ability is like a drug. Shit, it IS a mind-controlling drug. In the form of coins." Gen heard a pair of feet sliding into the dirt.

"Oh, Sora! You missed so much."

"Yeah. A lot has happened since my injury, Wiz told me."

"You drove the Beaver? That was amazing!" Enna clutched Sora's shoulder, which startled him a bit.

"Mhmm. Gris taught me how."

"That old man… Why hasn't he taught me yet?" Gen complained.

"Because your fat ass cannot fit in the seat?" Enna rolled her eyes.

"Eh?! That enough a valid reason?" Gen barked but was interrupted by a low voice.

"I heard all of that." Gris laughed behind them, joining them at the Beaver's side. The two just joined in on his humor.

Sora sighed. "So, Pierre is still not caught, huh… But we have one of his accomplices. I take it we'll need to interrogate her." He looked at Enna. She shook her head.

"That "Woodcarver" is a Vassal. No can do."

"*sigh* So it will be brute force, then? I dislike... "torture," but what the hell…" Gen commented.

"Uhmm… Excuse me?" A soft voice called out from the Beaver's entrance.

"Where's Gen?"

"Oi. Someone's looking for you." Enna nudged Gen.

As the person nearest to her, Gris took it upon himself to let her join in.

"Stera, right?" She nodded. "Aren't you one of them survivors? Why aren't you going with them?" Stera shuddered and looked at Gen nervously. She stood out among them because she was the first to be rescued and had a seemingly 'healthy' appearance, but at the bottom of it all, Stera was still a rescued refugee from Reiss. Everyone assumed she needed to go back, as only she and Gen knew the whole story.

"Uhmm… It's…"

"Stera would want to join us back to Henwales." Gen finally swallowed both his pride and nervousness. He expected everyone to mock him for his selfish decision.

But all he got were laughs from his colleagues.

"Oh! Was that why the two of you talked recently?" Enna jeered at him, and Gen was awfully timid about it, not trying to start a banter. Stera blushed a bit as she hid her face from embarrassment.

"First, Wiz towed along a boy, then you dragged a girl. Haha!" Gris laughed. This went on for a while, then it went stale.

Gris cleared his throat. "If that is her decision, then we'll help you find Stera someplace to live in Henwales."

Gen immediately lit up. He was not sure if it was from his act of saving her, but he seemed to be happy when Stera's wish was supported by his colleagues.

Enna grabbed him by the shoulder.

"That's right! We'll help you, glutton. And missy!"

"Yes?" Stera slowly turned to her.

"Gen's not a natural. Be sure to adapt yourself every once in a while." She sneered but not before receiving a punch to the stomach from Gen.

"Shut up, Enna!" He gritted his teeth.

A girl, with short, messy hair the color of beige approached Sora. They were almost equal in height, as both of them were short. She timidly looked at Sora's bandaged thighs before looking at him.

"Sora?"

"Are you…" Sora curiously asked.

"Vivace. I'm… sorry for hurting you."

Of course, Sora remembered everything, even how it felt like and how the ice tore his muscles. His raw instincts told him the girl needed some correcting, but gladly, he fought through the notion.

"It was all a misunderstanding. I understand that. You don't need to apologize, Vivace." Sora slowly extended his hand for her to shake.

"Oh… Mhmm!" She shook hands, nodded, and got back to work with the others. In the distance, Mido and Wiz were helping Peram and his acquaintances distribute the goods.

"She has a bit of temper, but Vivace is still a young, innocent girl. She has a lot of room for growth. I'm sure you know how that feels, Sora." Gris assured him.

"Yeah. I know too much about that."

In a way, they tried to find some way of experiencing happiness, despite what was thrown to them recently. Perhaps it's the nature of their job that made them impervious to the slights that they encounter.

The man who wields Greed is still out there, however. Their job is not yet done.

"So, it's back to Henwales again, huh Wiz?" Mido asked.

"Yeah… But we're still not done yet." She groaned.

"Sadly, yeah."

Wiz suddenly blurted out a suggestion. "Let's take a walk in the park sometime. Just you and me."

"Hmm?" Mido asked.

"A walk. You and me."

"At Henwales? Fine by me. We're still busy though." Mido bluntly answered.

"Hmph. Dense." Wiz pouted.

"Mido!" Vivace waved at Mido from behind.

"Oh! Vivace!" He happily greeted her.

"You'll go back now, right?"

"Yeah. It might be a while after we see each other again."

"Mhmm… Mido. Mido…" Vivace said slowly as if she was memorizing.

"Huh?" Mido was confused.

"Right! I'll remember your name." She winked before going to Peram.

"That girl…" Mido chuckled. Vivace sure warmed up to him quickly after that talk they had back at the forest. An event Wiz did not see.

"Vivace acted differently to you, huh… Did you become friends?" Wiz asked. Both of them looked at her, whizzing past people and helping them.

"I think so…"

I'll remember your name.

----------------------------------------

The survivors were now properly accommodated by the group Peram represented. Everything went calm at the gates now, and sure enough, the people not involved were still confused.

Peram and Vivace stood in front of D-7.

"It was a good thing we banded together. Even though our first meeting was quite a twist." Fein said as Peram chuckled.

"Yeah. It was quite a misunderstanding."

"But still, I have an offer for you," Fein emphasized to them. "Are you willing to join Vassal United?"

"Huh?" Both Vassals were shocked. A personal invitation to their organization means a lot to boost both of their lives.

"You have aptitude working with us. You two, Peram and Vivace, have a lot of room to improve upon your abilities as Vassals. Therefore, I am inclined to recommend you to our command for application, should you agree. This is personal recruitment offered to the two of you."

Both considered for a moment.

Peram spoke. "Sir Fein, that is a generous offer for the two of us. But despite its state, Reiss is still our home. We will fight against people like Pierre, despite how run-down and poor our district is."

"Thank you, sir, but we need to brave this world ourselves." Vivace gently rejected.

Of course, Fein expected this answer. He just wanted to know if they are capable of deciding things for themselves not just as Vassals, but as humans. Instead, he presented two badges to them. They were the shape of an intricate snowflake but had an octagonal form. Both were inlaid by turquoise gems.

"What are these?" Both asked as they felt the badge.

"Trinkets, to remember us by. However, our job here is not done. We might come back, as the case is still not solved." Fein smiled.

"So… you actually have a soft spot for them? Well, what can I say, Captain says what goes!" Gris approved at the back, ushering a chuckle from everyone.

"Thank you. We'll keep them."

"Another time, you two."

"Goodbye. D-7!"

After heartwarming exchanges, D-7 finally parted ways with Peram and Vivace. Their short company together ushered new connections to Reiss, which is a positively good result at best. As D-7 drove back in full speed to the distant mountain range, the two just looked at them slowly becoming smaller, until the hint of mirage caused by the sun were all that's visible at the horizon.

"Peram? It's been just a day, but I think I'm gonna miss them…" Vivace said melancholically.

"So am I, Vivace. But this is not the end. The case is still not solved, and I'm sure they will be back." Peram clutched the badge Fein gave them.

Despite what they went through, they ended it smiling, and above all, with hope. Pierre is still out there, a rogue, and the lord might still be clueless, but as Peram said, they will be ready.

D-7, along with Stera, an enslaved refugee from a faraway western city so close to the coast, were all calmed down following the events that took place, the prairie fields whizzed past them as they inched closer to the mountains. Pierre was still not apprehended, and his client still unknown. However, because of their efforts, they unexpectedly captured one of their accomplices.

"Captain. The Woodcarver. Where is she?" Mido asked. Fein pointed to a locked room.

"Still unconscious, but we have her gagged and tied up. We must not waste time, however. We need to be relentless in interrogating her. Even if it means squeezing every ounce of information to a pulp." Fein walked to the counter as Mido trailed him from behind.

"But, hell, you sure blew her up, Mido." He said as he drank a cup of water.

"I still need to learn so much about this ability of mine…" Mido looked at his left hand.

"That was a heck of a start, though. For a Vassal, you learn fast."

"Really?"

'You have untapped potential. One that can rival the sun itself.'