“Yeah, sometimes we have to do a search, of course. And it's not always easy being a guard and serving at the city gates. You got all sorts of lads comin' and goin'. Gotta clench those teeth when you're on duty, and this horrible guy comes in, covered in piss, shit and pus and whatever the hell the gods thought it'd be fun to have him afflicted of, and your captain looks at you like, yeah, body search for him, you do it. We keep a stern face 'cause that's our job, you know, looking intimidating and stuff. You just have to hope that every time you stop a fishy fellow, he's not some madman or evil knight that'll pull out a blade from under his cloak. Of course, there are brighter moments. When some merchant is willing to pay, err... a generous tax, only asking that we look the other way. Or when there's a nice, hot lady coming through. You won't find anyone here that doesn't love that body searching thing, when it's a lady we're searching.

-guard”

* * *

Eric, the manly knight

“Ye two lovebirds goin' back to the capital, eh ?” a man called out from the seat of his wagon, pulling the reins of his horse to slow it down.

...What ? Who're you ?

Erin looked around. Right now they were alone on the road – only Azcheron, herself, and that man on his wagon. They were making a short pause to eat and were about to resume their trip. They were close to the capital, and so they had been encountering more and more people as they approached. Though until now, no one bothered to speak to them. She observed the stranger.

He was an old guy with a very unhealthy number of missing teeth, but who otherwise gave Erin a good vibe.

“We are indeed, good man, and what about you ?” she answered, taking a rough-sounding voice as she had been doing for the past months whenever she had to speak to someone.

The helmet helped hiding whatever femininity remained in her voice, and more importantly, her face. Couldn't hide the femininity of her face, and she didn't really feel like shaving her head or resorting to some other similar subterfuge.

Azcheron strictly forbade that she cut her hair anyway. Saying it was pretty and things of the sort. What a smooth talker ! Or so she thought at first, since Azcheron complimenting her was a rare sight. But apparently he was very serious, so she pushed aside the hair-shaving idea and simply wore her helm as often as she could.

“So does I, so does I...” The man got off his wagon and walked to his horse. “Good old Brutus 'ere 'll take me 'ere in no time,” he said, patting the beast's head. “Why don't we go together, me an' ye two ? Got nice ale an' nice salted meat 'ight 'ere.”

Erin and Azcheron looked at each other. The capital was only half a day away now, and they would rather avoid people and a potential reveal of their identities.

“What do you mean by 'lovebirds', by the way ?” Azcheron asked, in his most feminine voice – the best he could do was a high-pitched haughty voice.

“Ha ! 'Tis obvious just by looking ! A lone knight eloping with his young lady, who's hiding her face in fear of being recognized !”

Azcheron smiled wryly. “You... are a sharp man, err ?”

“Me names' Brutos, the ale-seller ! Best ale in the Empire, it's Brutos ! Even the Thirsty Goat buys Brutos' ale !”

“Ah. I see. Brutos... and your horse, Brutus. A duo worthy of respect and renown, no doubt,” the Saint replied in his less mocking voice. Which was exactly the same as before, high-pitched and haughty.

“Thank you for sayin' so, fair lady, har har ! 'Ere, take me hands, get a nice seat on the wagon,” he said merrily, offering his hand to help Azcheron getting on.

So what, are we going with him then ? I know we didn't meet any trouble during our journey back, but that's not a reason to start slacking off and stop being wary...

Perhaps feeling Erin's hesitation, Azcheron turned around, showing his back to Brutos, and winked at her. The wink, of course, coming from Azcheron, was harbinger of many undesirable things, for instance chaos, evil plots and an overall unnecessary trouble-attracting behaviour.

“So, what's ye two's names ?”

“This is Eric, and I am... Azina. You understand why we can't show our faces, so you won't mind if we keep things as they are, I gather ?”

“Ha, don't mind me ! Brutos isn't one to break apart some younglings' secret love ! Keep hiding, I say, keep hiding ! Har har.”

* * *

The capital finally came within sight. They had been away for six months, and while the city itself hadn't changed a bit, Erin immediately noticed that something was different when they neared the north gate.

People – lots of them. People on foot, on horses, on carriages and wagons, all kinds of commoners, merchants, even nobles. Waiting in line, waiting to enter, or simply waiting around the gates while putting up tents and stuff, as if they were camping here.

“Is there some event happening in the capital ?” Azcheron wondered, seeing the scene.

“Hm ? Ye haven't heard, milady ? They gunna crown the new Emperor.”

Erin frowned. “What ?”

“Ye see, his previous majesty died, may he rest in peace.”

“Who's going to be the next Emperor then ? Prince Hadrias, I gather.”

“Right on the mark, milady. Brutos though ye two were goin' back 'cause of that. Why have ye come, if not for his highness' crownin' ?”

“Oh...” Azcheron smiled faintly. “To cultivate my own sprightliness.”

“Ha ! Looking for entertainment, eh ? Didn't ye got enough of that while ye were alone ?” Brutos merrily said, pocking Erin with his elbow, while Azcheron looked at him with strange eyes.

It can't be that he's getting embarrassed by that oaf's jokes, right ? Hm.

Since Brutos seemed to be running out of stupid jokes, they approached the gates. Soon enough they saw guards patrolling the area, and people were talking about a sort of checkpoint at the gates. Taxes and stuff. Erin, Azcheron and Brutos got in line like everyone else, and it advanced slowly, but steadily. Occasionally, people were getting refused entry, and were thrown away if they got a bit too unhappy about the guards' decision.

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As they came closer to the gates, Erin noticed that the guards were conducting a search. And it's not the 'hey, I got nothing fishy in my wagon, here, take five coins for your hard work, wink' kind of search, she realized as she saw one suspicious fellow trying to hand over a small bag of clinking metal to a guard, only to get punched in the face and taken away for further questioning.

Erin and Azcheron looked at each other. No way the guards would let them enter without at least revealing their faces. And people were already singing very descriptive songs about the Saint and the Verald traitor's appearances. The general opinion was now that Azcheron had a shameful, feminine figure, and the lack of manhood that came with it, while supposedly Erin was a beast in woman's clothing, so hideously disfigured that it was unbearable to the onlooker's eye.

As accurate as it may or may not have been, it would be enough to get them into trouble. Azcheron was somewhat girlish-looking with his hair, and Erin was indeed scarred.

“Come,” Azcheron whispered, grabbing Erin's wrist. Probably thinking it was wiser to come up with another way.

“What about Brutos ?” she muttered back, glancing at the ale-seller who was chatting with some old guy, a fellow ale-seller, probably.

“I can't trust him,” he said flatly while they disappeared out of Brutos' sight.

Erin sighed. “You can't, or you don't want to ?”

“He's a spy,” he retorted seriously.

Oh, come on. Aren't you trying a bit too hard to make this whole conspiracy thing happening ?

“Let's get away from here first,” Azcheron continued.

They walked back the line of waiting people – some curious looks fell upon them, surely thinking that the guards refused that they entered the city. Some worried wife asked her husband how they'd manage to get through the gates if such a perfectly respectable lady and his knight were denied passage.

Once they got away from the camp, in some small woods not far from it, they finally stopped.

“Well, explain,” Erin said as she sat on a tree stump.

“Two things,” Azcheron exclaimed confidently, raising two fingers to her face. “First, we need to interrogate and kill Brutos. Secondly, I decided that we won't enter the capital after all.” Seeing her confused and annoyed face, he carried on before she could insult him. “Allow me to enlighten you.”

“Yes, do so. Enlighten the hell out of me, because I won't easily accept that I just travelled for three months, only to kill some peasant and leave.”

“No need for grumpiness, dearest Erin. If you keep frowning and glaring at me, your face will get stuck that way and then you'll really become the beast-woman they speak of in their ballads.”

I'm not a beast, she complained in her mind. She gave up the verbal joust and silently motioned for Azcheron to explain his miraculous thoughts.

“Brutos is a spy. I had my suspicions when he first greeted us, but now I'm convinced of it. He asked us if we were going back to the capital when we met him. As if he already knew we were returning.”

“Yeah, but maybe he only assumed we were from the capital.”

Actually, he said he thought we were returning for the crowning of the new Emperor.

Azcheron nodded. “I know, that wasn't enough to prove it, that's why I agreed to go with him. To check if there was more to him.”

“You acted on a whim, then,” she said, shrugging.

“A calculated decision. And I was right, in the end.”

“How so ?”

“He knows what sprightliness means ! Ever met an ale merchant knowing such words ? Seems to me like he's fairly educated for a peasant. He took my bait and blew his cover,” the Saint said with a proud smile.

“Okay, why not,” she said without really believing it. “And ?”

“And what ?”

Erin pinched the bridge of her nose. “...That's all ?”

“Hm ? It's good enough evidence. And, seriously... Brutos and Brutus ? It's so stupid, that can't be real. Evidence, I tell you.”

“No... It's a convenient twist of logic, nothing more.”

You really have to convince yourself that there's some kind of plot going on, do you ? Trying to see spies everywhere and stuff.

“Let's put this aside for the moment,” she continued, while in truth hoping not to ever come back to this topic. “The other matter.”

“Yes, yes, indeed. I was thinking that meeting with Anton in the capital would be unwise and tedious. There's a lot of guards it seems, and more importantly, I don't think we'll find him so easily.”

“Because...” She paused for a moment. “You believe he's hiding ?”

“I would say so. Whoever sent assassins to the Academy obviously doesn't care much about appearances, decency or laws, and wouldn't mind executing people in broad daylight, be it peasants or famous mages. Makes me think it may very well come from the Palace.”

“It's like a trend, eh. Palace plotters sending assassins to silence annoying magicians.”

“Ha ! Please understand that I am always the cause. This time it was because of the search about my clan's past. It's all linked to me,” he said proudly.

“Why are you bragging about it... Whatever, what do we do then ?”

“We send a message, of course !”

She stared at him, as she noticed the faint, but unmistakable air of plotting on his face. An ignoble idea must have taken root in his mind, and it became suddenly very urgent to learn of it, as to prepare a countermeasure.

“I'll not argue, it's an extraordinary, wonderful idea, but... what kind of message ?” she wondered, trying to sound as unsuspecting as she could.

He showed an awful smile and began to speak faster. “Nothing too extravagant, though it has to be something that will be noticed by Anton wherever he is, but also something that him alone could understand who it's coming from in case he's being watched, so I'm thinking of casting flashy spell he'll know that only I could-”

“Azcheron,” she interrupted him flatly.

“Mmh ? You look rather displeased. What's the matter, dearest Erin ?”

“You can't say 'nothing too extravagant' and 'flashy spell' in the same sentence. See, this is the sort of thing that makes me want to pull your own teeth out. When you're clearly, blatantly lying to me, and not even caring about exposing your own lies yourself. It'll be a flashy and dangerous spell like the one that destroyed half of Pelirise.”

“Ah. You concerns are duly noted.”

...And apparently that's it. Duly noted, then conveniently pushed aside, like always.

“However,” he added as if to confirm Erin's thoughts, “you have nothing to worry about this time. 'Tis a spell I already tried out, so all is under control this time.”

She raised a finger. “This time, you said.”

“Yes, this time.”

“Implying, it wasn't under control the first time.”

Azcheron shrugged. “No, it wasn't.”

“Oh, I see. It wasn't, eh ? Right. Isn't that the case for every single damn spell you try ?”

“Ha ha ! Now, now, Erin, magic is something naturally unstable, you cannot expect even the finest magician to nail every single spell by the first cast !”

Azcheron walked away, only glancing back once he noticed Erin wasn't following him. He waved for her to come, and even if she really didn't want to, she had no choice. She had to make sure he wouldn't create some catastrophe. She got to her feet and followed him.

They walked for a bit, until they reached a large, empty hill where, at least, there wouldn't be any human casualty.

“I understand your fear,” he suddenly said as he crouched and started to do something with the dirt. “I wasn't planning to do the kind of magic that you saw at Pelirise. I told you, didn't I ?”

“What ?”

“That it had to be something Anton would know only I could do. I can't very well use the same magic that killed Karia, right ? Everyone would know of the Saint's presence at the gates of the capital, after all.”

“True enough.” Curious, she neared Azcheron to see what he was doing. Some sort of magic circle, she realized.

Memories of a certain nightmarish summoning surfaced. That was the only time she had witnessed a magic circle being activated, but surely there were other spells that used this technology.

“Actually, this spell is harmless. I confirmed it after the blunder of the first attempt.”

Harmless ? Then it couldn't be the draconic summoning. These damn creatures couldn't possibly be harmless. Erin sighed in relief.

“Okay, I think it goes like that, if I remember well.” And Azcheron began to chant in Dragon tongue.

Another draconic spell ? Please, don't...

Then a feeling of dread crept up slowly as she seemed to recall this specific incantation. Yes, she unmistakably heard it once. Then, it came back to her.

As the Saint finished his chanting of eerie sounds, Erin had only one word in mind.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO !

The sound of her own internal screaming was soon overwhelmed by the deafening flapping and screeching of a thousand hell bats, flowing out of the magic circle toward the capital.

Amidst the horrible situation and the chaotic noise, she could have sworn she heard Azcheron laughing like a maniac.

They didn't need to wait long before another sound was mixed in the whole mess. The sound of bells, of soldiers gathering their gear, of captains yelling orders, of citizens crying in panic.

“Nothing like the capital believing they're under attack because of nightmare bats, to let Anton know of our arrival !”