“Something just doesn’t feel right about Kazuma.” Corsair dropped to the ground, exhausted. The party’s thinking was generally left to him, and he was beginning to regret not pushing the trio away more forcefully.

“Certainly he’s not the naive merchant I expected when we spotted him, but speaking ill of him is too much.” Ritz sounded as if he would get a bit preachy in a moment if he didn’t watch his words. Corsair didn’t mind too much, his passion was part of what gave their group direction.

“You’re not being cautious enough. Remember what Leitha said? The spirits are uneasy around him…”

“Yet he’s done nothing. I recall the spirits aren’t quite fond of myself either.” Ritz folded his arms, looking at the half-elf. Averting his eyes to the ground, Corsair had forgotten he once heard it couched in those terms. Turning around, he silently pleaded to Leitha.

“It’s much worse. They’re uneasy near you...but he—repels them. Not just him. They are cautious of Rea, Lucy confuses them.”

“Patriarch knows why that is. I know the spirits have aided us countless times, but they aren’t fit to judge. Use your own head when evaluating others.”

“I’ll keep it in mind. So let’s start while they’re still out...training.” Taking out an arrow, Corsair rolled it back and forth along his fingers. The action they needed to take was extraordinary, Ritz wasn’t willing, and he didn’t believe he could change his mind.

Lukas patted his shoulder, before walking by to sit between him and Ritz. Corsair almost lost balance of the arrow as looked over his friend’s calm demeanor. He’d been the one to convince Ritz to rescue Leitha, seeing Kazuma’s treatment of Lucy usually would have him in silent rage.

Ritz and Leitha stood, while Corsair and Lukas sat, the four of them waiting for another to speak the first word. Unsurprisingly, Lukas broke the silence.

“What we need to decide is if we’re going to continue travelling with them. Kazuma is not weak, and perhaps capable of protecting both girls alone. Our decision depends on how we feel about their company.” Lukas turned from Corsair to Ritz as he continued. “Lucy’s desires may be asking for his support, but it is a rough form of training. Staying with them will give us a chance to refine Kazuma’s ways. I can say little on the matter of spirits, but if I recall they act oddly around magic-users.”

Talking slowly, Lukas gave each member the point they wanted to focus on. Not one for speaking out of turn, the way he framed a matter gave enough insight to his position. Of course, he would still answer when one of them asked something of him.

“Ritz made his reasons clear, but how can you let Lucy remain with Kazuma? Even if he claims it is in her interest, this isn’t the sort of thing we can just let go. The intensity of those throws was absurd no matter how lighthearted he acted.” Corsair clenched his fists as he recalled Kazuma’s pitch. The four of them fought for a living, there was no way he couldn’t deduce the power hidden in those wiry arms. Corsair’s own build was similar, but exerting enough strength to knock someone down with such a light object went past impressive and into the territory of suspicious. Unrelentingly throwing like that at a child...he couldn’t see how the others could just stand by.

“She is still a child, but I suspect she’s more suited to his ways than you would think.” Lukas huffed to himself. “I get the feeling that having him let up on her would be the same as failing. He’s pushing her along a razor’s edge, not just overwhelming her. And it’s because she can succeed—”

“Just because she can succeed, doesn’t mean we should let her be pushed that far! People can manage in all sorts of situations—” Corsair wondered if he’d forgotten about Leitha’s situation prior to joining them. She had managed just the same, but Lukas wouldn’t let it pass that time.

“Did you notice when I intervened though? I wasn’t sure at first, but Kazuma’s description explains it. When she stopped running away, she looked back for his signal. When he waved her on, she wasn’t taking off due to anxiety. This is a passion. She seeks strength on her own.”

“She’s still too young to know about the repercussions. We managed because we had our group. The path of blood, it isn’t meant to be traversed lightly. Even if she can manage physically, there’s the greater weight of conscience. Do you really think Kazuma can teach her how to carry that?”

“The load of Man’s heart should not be shared.”

“Yeah, yeah…” The conversation shifted to one from the past. Ritz still believed that the support they gave one another came just from the knowledge of having someone beside them. But how many times did Corsair, Lukas, and Leitha aid him, resolving his troubles alongside him? Even if two people weren’t close, culpability could be shared, it was coming together that made life easier, not just knowing someone was there.

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Just reciting a few lines brought about a somber mood. Travelling for so many years, all had long since learned how to put death behind them, but it wasn’t pleasant looking back.

“Let’s leave them behind soon. Judging aside, if spirits act strangely around them, we are disadvantaged. Helping the girl is good, but we have no way to.” Leitha’s soft speech resonated with the wild, even those at a distance would hear it if she wished. Corsair found it soothing, but Ritz would often complain that it felt ‘itchy’.

“Is it really that serious? We should at least go with them to the next town. Even if Kazuma puts you on edge, he appears good natured. Even if he doesn’t need us to guard him, the company will be welcome. It would be a bit rude for us to just take off without reason.” Why did Ritz always suggest things he didn’t want to do? Uncomfortable with taking action to help the girl, or stopping her ‘training’, he kept insisting on staying. By the Patriarch, he still hesitated so long as he thought he could understand and it didn’t go against Tian Meng.

So long as they were faced with something immoral, Ritz would unhesitatingly lead the charge. However he was weak against shades of grey and sophistry; he didn’t trust his gut for things like this.

“Rudeness is immaterial. The spirits have never been this upset before. Never.” Corsair sat close enough to notice Leitha’s eyes darting towards the brush where Lucy and Kazuma ran off. It may have been his imagination, but the spirits surrounding her felt agitated in a way that stirred up old memories. Ones where the four of them were massively overwhelmed.

“Even if he is a wizard, he couldn’t possibly be that powerful.” Corsair shook his head. Leitha’s held a strong bond with the spirits, the only wizard able to shake her control was in contact with the temple of Medean, yet had enough power that the Church could only hire him. Escaping only because the skirmish was incidental, Kazuma holding that kind of power made little sense. “Why would he move about as some sort of alchemist, or accept our company so readily? Not to mention the physical strength of magic users is typically low…”

“If not, he carries something similar in power. This is not something easily mistaken. Whatever his motives, he endangers us.”

Were it anyone other than Leitha, he would have retorted. Given their history, Corsair couldn't bring himself to do so. His ideals didn't go so far as to prioritize a stranger, though the thought still left him unsettled.

“Lukas, have you anything more to say? At least bless my ears with a reason that doesn’t reek of paranoia or hypocrisy.” Ritz knew their argument was reaching its end. He could be stubborn at times, but if he didn’t consider others at all, the four wouldn’t have stayed together for so many years. Still, his biting words signaled that this event would surface in future discussions.

“Let’s part ways with them in the morning. It would be polite to guard them one last night before moving on; I don’t particularly feel the need to show them any ill will.”

“You still aren’t taking his presence seriously enough.”

“Yet that is soon enough, is it not? By the Patriarch Leitha, an accord has been reached, let that be enough, for there are no words that will convince me to trust your spirits over my own experience.”

Warily looking between the cart and the vegetation Kazuma vanished into, Leitha fell silent before turning back to the main campground. Hesitation a moment, Corsair quickly followed after her.

“He can be a bit too stubborn with his own ideas, you know?” Sounding much less rhetorical than planned, he matched his stride to hers.

“Even so, he’s acquiesced. I am thankful for that, but you have no idea how great the danger is. The spirits are everywhere and filled with power. For them to shrink back to this extent is absurd, humans are unable to interact with them, so they should continue on as if they did not exist.”

“As Lukas said, it may be a matter of him being a mage instead of an alchemist. Magic is a special kind of devilry, who knows—”

“A devilry much like the manipulations of spirits? Perhaps be a little more aware in your comparison.” Leitha pointed out his error with an enthusiasm a little too on the nose of elvish stereotypes.

Despite a rare show of levity, she sat down on the grass and began taking care of her bow. The spirits called were ephemeral, and despite their obedience, they never lingered. Bowing her head, gently whispering in the elven tongue, nature swooned.

As far as Corsair knew only elves could see spirits, and even they concentrated to do so. However with experience, he picked up on the subtleties of their wake. Arm-sized currents of air appeared, hardly forceful enough to send a leaf astray. Not several, many dozens of such currents were picked out by his keen eye watching motes of dust erratically take on a new path. Surely there were a good deal more shimmying zephyrs; if not for a bright sky, with the clear air and his own limitations Corsair wouldn't see it at all.

Like light dancing on the bottom of streambed, even a glimpse of it was captivating. Leitha sat with her legs crossed, hair gently tossed about as spirits passed into her bow. Those unfamiliar with the sight would think it dull, but Corsair remained enraptured in the silence.

Remaining silent for much longer than usual, she must have been calling at least the same count as when they fought against the tribe of goblin shamans near the lumber yards. In fact, as time passed, Corsair grew worried. Communing with spirits was a request, yet after particularly large tasks, Leitha would become visibly exhausted. As she explained to Ritz and him, keeping spirits required her to offer some of her energy; while it wasn’t a forbidden art that permanently drained her, sustaining many spirits for a long duration could leave her sick for several days.

“Is this much really necessary? I shall take precautions, but there’s no need to exert yourself so.” Corsair pleaded as soon as she opened her eyes again.

“You were still skeptical until moments before now. What could have possibly changed your mind?” She laughed, but Corsair could already hear fatigue in her voice. “But you still need to stay on guard. Even if I can get a better look at him like this, it won’t give us much an edge. At least Ritz will change his mind if Kazuma attacks us. Probably.”

Standing up she drew her bow several times before taking out half a dozen arrows. Specially crafted with the wood of a Living Tree over a thousand years old, it took weeks of effort to satisfy the tree’s request, and even then Leitha only received enough material to make 31 arrows. That didn't include other extracts that she collected over time, which while lacking devoted effort, took an equal or greater amount of time.

Lacking knowledge of the spirits, Corsair didn't fully understand the importance of using those arrows, but with so many of her short supply at the ready, it put him even more on edge.

“I’m sure it won’t come to that, so stay your hand as long as possible. At the very least, Kazuma hasn't provoked us yet. Stay on guard, but don’t escalate unnecessarily.”

“I’m the one trying to be cautious; maybe you should watch what you say about the little girl.” Leitha had more to say but paused and looked off into the distance. “He’s returning. Don't be careless.”