Nico wiped the sweat from his brow as he struggled to strap a red painted barrel to the rest. "That better be the last one, it's cooking out today."

Deo stood by under a tree supervising the whole task. "Quit complaining, it's beautiful outside."

Nico pulled the ropes and a rogue one snapped and rubbed his hand raw. He shook his hand violently, kissing and blowing cool air on it. He muttered to himself. "Easy for you to say, sitting in the shade all day while the soldiers and I load all these wagons."

Deo chuckled. "Do my sharp ears deceive me? Do I hear someone complaining about having to help clean up the mess they made? Maybe they should have waited for help like I said and there wouldn't be all these barrels sprinkled around the shore. Now when you're finished, come over to the main tent."

Nico nodded and heaved the last barrel onto the wagon, sweating continuing to trail down from his forehead. Without hesitation, he strode over to the horse trough, recently filled with fresh water and plunged his head in. His body quivered as the shock of coldness numbed him. A smile crept across his face as he emerged from the water, and he relished in the moment of chilled relief before saying to himself, “No matter how embarrassing this is, at least it’s cold.”

After he was finished toweling off, he gathered his armor and fastened the hilt of his sword. His gear had been loaded onto his wagon earlier in the morning, so he only had one thing left to do: make his way to the main tent of the army. When he arrived, he noticed Deo was hunched over a map spread out on a table, gesturing at a certain region while talking with another soldier.

When Deo noticed Nico, he nodded and beckoned him closer. "Lutius, you remember Nico from the shore clean up yesterday?"

Lutius nodded and shook Nico's hand. Lutius stared hard into Nico’s eyes, creeping him out. "Just wanted to say good work on destroying the Hound base. Truly an honor"

"Oh.. thanks." Nico looked puzzled. Did he mean that? Nico sure didn't feel that way. He felt like a screw up from the moment he was rescued from drowning.

Deo continues. "Anyway I just finished talking with the Council, reports show the Franks are marching towards the village of Pisogne, about a day's ride from here. This whole regiment and I are going to meet with the local mayor and prepare for battle. We should report back to the council within a fortnight."

Lutius straightened up, his stance mimicking a statue. "We will stop the Franks before they have a chance to reconsider! The "Holy Roman Empire" doesn't know anything about Venice and her people. We will show them what the men and women of Venice are capable of!"

Nico had to choke down a laugh. "Wow, you are passionate aren't you?"

Lutius continued standing like a statue, only his mouth would move. "Of course! My life is here and the men of the regiment and I will die defending it!"

Nico turned to Deo. "Well sign me up, I definitely want this guy by my side the next time I charge into battle."

Deo shook his head as he picked up the map and put it away. "No Nico, you already know where the Council told you to go."

Nico nodded. "I'm supposed to escort this convoy of red jelly back to Venice.” He leaned his arms against the table and sighed. “ I’m sorry I was upset last night when they told me. I was mad since it’s not counting as a Labor nor is it the most glamorous of missions, but you're right, the Council will surely be pleased at the haul and help me gain trust with them again."

"Remember," Deo said, walking over and placed a firm hand on Nico's shoulder, "keep your wits about you. This mission may not count as a Labor, but it is no less important nor any less dangerous."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I know – have patience, think smart, and all that other stuff." He smirked, adding, "Don't worry, old man, I'll make you proud."

"Old man?" Deo raised an eyebrow, feigning offense. "I'll have you know I can still outfight you in any sparring match!"

"Of course, of course!" Nico laughed, hands up in surrender. "Now, go on! You've got your own mission to handle."

"Very well," Deo replied with a nod. They clasped hands briefly before parting ways, Nico left the tent and headed to the convoy.

Nico began walking towards them when all of a sudden he heard a voice call out from behind him. "You didn't think you'd leave without me, did you Nico?" He slowly turned around and saw Rosa standing there with her bright smile, hands on her hips. Her fiery red hair was tied back into a bun and she was dressed for travel. She waved as she approached him, his pack full and trying to fall off her shoulder.

"You're coming?" Nico asked, feeling like he was definitely missing something.

"Of course! You asked me to join you last night, remember?"

Nico thought about it for a minute, he remembered returning to the tavern with Rosa after their talk near the lake. After that Deo and him summoned the Council through the Loqui disk. He definitely remembered laughing at Rosa's reaction to seeing a Loqui disk for the first time. She left them to go get drinks as Deo and him summoned the Council. They explained what happened to the Council and he was told to escort the red jelly back to Venice. He remembered getting mad at his new mission and Deo trying to calm him down.

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But after Rosa returned with drinks he started drawing a blank. "Sorry Rosa, I actually don't remember anything from last night after you bought us drinks."

Rosa's sheepish smile disappeared for a second, then returned before responding. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised, you were all over the tavern last night. Thought you were gonna die when you jumped on the roof beams."

Nico's cheeks screamed fire red. " I did what? Why was I on the roof beams?"

"There was a bet around the tavern that a Crest Knight couldn't jump that high. You took the bet, jumped and landed on the beams. Then after boasting to everyone about how skilled you are, you immediately slipped off and crashed into one of the tables."

Nico suddenly felt the urge to run his sword through his chest. How could he not remember any of this? Nico shrugged his shoulders. "Well at least I made some money last night right?"

Rosa rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, not exactly. You broke a table when you fell."

"Can't be that expensive of a table though."

"Not one table, but it adds up when you count the other two you caught on fire when someone bet that you don't have any powers."

Nico's head hung so low he would be the lowest hanging fruit of any tree. Ready to jump into the lake and drown, hoping to escape from the embarrassment he felt in his chest. Rosa smiled and grabbed Nico's shoulder. "But I had a great time. Plus you promised to help me find work in Venice."

Nico looked up slightly. "I did?"

"Yes you did, you wouldn't stop talking about how I was a terrific singer and how I should be singing in the largest theater Venice has to offer. Now I know Nico Cornaro keeps his promises, correct?"

Nico straightened up, his embarrassment washed away. It was true, her singing was amazing. Helping her get a spot in the theater should be easy enough, his father knew the theater owner. His family even owned a private loge, and he spent many summers watching shows with his mother and sister.

Nico grabbed Rosa's hand and bent a knee. "You're right, the Cornaros always keep their promises. Rosa, now that I can remember what I'm saying, would you like to come with me to Venice?"

"No, I changed my mind."

Nico's face suddenly shifted from joy to confusion. He was stunned, having no idea how to respond.

Rosa started laughing, almost falling to the ground as tears rolled down her face. " Relax! I'm only kidding."

"Don't do that, I can't handle any more crazy emotions today."

Rosa nodded in agreement as they began walking up to the convoy. Five guards clad in shining armor stood watch, their swords gleaming in the sunlight. They eyed Nico warily, sizing him up.

"Alright, listen up!" Nico barked, putting on his best authoritative voice. "I'm Nico Cornaro, and I'll be overseeing this little excursion back to Venice. Let's keep things professional, get the job done, and go home. Got it?"

The guards exchanged glances before one of them, a burly man with a bushy beard, stepped forward. "Aye, sir! We'll follow your lead."

"Good." Nico nodded, signaling to Rosa to board the leading wagon. He then checked every cart one more time before taking his post at the front of the convoy. "Alright, men!" He shouted, pointing east towards the road. "We have a long trip in front of us, so let's make sure this precious cargo gets to Venice unharmed!"

As the convoy began its slow march towards Venice, Nico couldn't stop thinking about his next appearance with the Council. Would they jail him until another random task seemed suitable for a Labor? Or would they decide that his performance was unsatisfactory and just kill him off? This labor started with ghost rumors and ended with the destruction of an entire island, who could have predicted that? Were the rest of the Labors gonna be as crazy?

He noticed Rosa had already fallen asleep, with a cloak protecting her face from the sun. Nico smiled, it was nice to have a friend with him. Even though they just met two days ago, he could tell she was one of the good ones. Maybe something good can come from these Labors. Regaining knighthood was the most important thing, but making new friends along the way didn't hurt either.

The convoy trundled along for hours without incident when a shout from the rear wagons shook him from his daydreams. Nico whipped around to see one of the jars had tumbled from its wagon, shattering on the ground as its contents oozed out onto the road. Nico jumped off his wagon and walked over to inspect the damage. The guards were attempting to scoop the ruby red jelly back into the broken barrel with pieces of wood, but it was no use.

"Leave it," Nico said. "We can't waste any time stopping. Just bury it so no one can get electrocuted. No use crying over spilled...well, you get the idea."

The guards chuckled, abandoning their efforts and started kicking dirt over the mess. Nico started to walk back to his wagon when something caught his eye. “What happened to the rope?” He called out.

One of the guards kicking dirt replied. “Must of snapped when we hit a bump earlier , I didn't see it happen. I only rushed over when we heard the barrel fall out.”

“Anyone see somebody touch this rope?” Nico asked.

Another guard spoke up. “I’ve been walking behind the wagon the whole trip sir, nobody has been near that wagon.”

Nico nodded and investigated the rope. All the barrels were secured tight with new rope before they left, he had made sure of it. New rope shouldn't snap so easily. Nico grabbed both ends and took a closer look. The ends of the rope had been carefully cut, creating a neat and clean tear that looked like it had been done with a sharp blade. Nico looked around the convoy suspiciously, what was going on here? Somebody either wanted us to either spill this jelly everywhere, or cause the convoy to stop.

Nico looked up and scanned his surroundings. They were in the middle of beautiful countryside. No heavy forests or cliffs that could hide bandits or traps. Whoever cut the rope clearly meant to slow them down. How could they cut the rope without the guards seeing them? Nico knew he didn't have time to stay here asking questions, if someone was trying to stop them then staying in place was a death wish. Nico informed the guards of what he found and to keep their eyes open for anything. “Be prepared. We march on!” He called out and walked back to the front wagon.

He found Rosa awake now, stretched out in the same spot reading a book. Nico jumped up and sat to the right side of Rosa, whipping the reins forward. Rosa smiled at him and asked. “Is everything okay?”