Pugio put the handkerchief back in his pocket, put his elbows on the table, and crossed his arms. "Before we go our separate ways, there are some property issues to deal with," He gestured to Dàn behind Vasili. "The fugitive virgin behind you killed our comrade and stole the divine fire. According to the old rules, you should go to the stake with her, literally. However, as you can see, we are no longer a legion, but a band of mercenaries. Since we are mercenaries, we have our own way of doing things: give us the virgin, and you can choose to keep the flame."

"Pugio, that fire belongs to Gras," the mercenary behind Vasili couldn't help but remind him. "Graslic is just a fool. He deserves to die for putting his fingers on the virgin," Pugio gritted his teeth and warned, "Let our guest choose."

Vasili remained silent, just nodding slightly. Dàn walked forward, and as she was about to cross the line, Vasili stopped her and reached out his right hand, demanding something from her. With everyone's eyes on her, Dàn opened her hands and displayed the weak but splendid flame of Varmah. The flames illuminated Pugio's face and injected vitality into his aged eyes. He suppressed the desire to stretch out his cracked fingers like grabbing gold coins to take the divine fire from the virgin's palm. Under his witness, Vasili extend two fingers and pinch the pieces of the flame of Varmah, crushing them. The flame immediately turned into several beams of light that enveloped Vasili's body, and the sparks made his curly hair seem like a crown.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Dàn looked up at Vasili, but he seemed to look past her with a blank expression. Pugio drew a dagger and inserted it into the negotiating table. Vasili also drew the flesh-cutting knife that belonged to the bandit Gras from his waist and inserted it into the table. The two exchanged knives and then exchanged sheaths.

Vasili stood up, put on his wind hood to cover the floating fire sparks, turned around and left. A mercenary stepped forward and firmly grabbed Dàn's arm, but they were overly suspicious, and Dàn wouldn't escape this time. Her petite figure blended into the virgins who watched the guest leave with indifferent eyes. Then a thick fog rolled in, and Vasili's dark back disappeared into the shadows of the trees. Vasili, who had once rejected her, accepted the flame at the last moment, leaving Dàn confused.

Until this moment, she realized that she didn't know what kind of person Vasili was.