It had been several days since the crisis began. With Eris' injection of 4 more pieces of gold, the scale of the attacks had grown wildly since. Even caravan trains were no longer safe, as these outlaws soon overran the roads in and out of the village.

And, tonight, again, the two culprits met at their usual place, under the cover of darkness.

"Things are looking really bleak out there," said the old man as he poured malt liquor into the woman's cup.

She sighed, "...And yet, it isn't enough to convince that brat to accept the proposal."

"I don't know what strings you're pulling but make sure to do it clean. Organized banditry is a serious offense, and if your name gets dragged in..."

"Yes, I know." Despite knowing that she couldn't handle her liquor, she still took a sip. A bitter sensation spread across her tongue the instant it entered her mouth, forcing her to swallow it all in one gulp. She then heaved a deep sigh as a warm sensation spread around chest and travelled down to her fingertips.

"Anyway, even the client has taken notice." He leaned over the table. "He's pleased that there's finally some tangible action being made, but make sure that this all doesn't lead to irreparable damage to Dellwick itself."

"Don't worry. I didn't give them that much money." She propped her head up by her knuckles. "Might need to hunt some remnants after everything's over, though."

"So," He soon finished pouring himself a drink. "what did you come here for?"

"Checking in on your side of the deal."

He furled his brows.

"The girl will not willingly ask for help." She continued, "Even I do not know how deep her pride and narcissism runs. At this rate, she might even regard the utter destruction of Dellwick as more desirable than to lower her head and ask for help..."

"Hm. And?"

"...I can't mobilize the influence of nobles myself."

"Hmph..." He smirked. "...but the client would."

She nodded. "It would then present a chance to humiliate the girl in front of all the kingdom."

"Heh. I can picture it now:" He swept his hands across the air and formed a rectangle with his fingers. "At the time of desperate need, the Kingdom's finest - the 4th Linden, swoops in to save a beleaguered village, and depose its indifferent... no, cruel, ruler. Such a story will surely reverberate amongst the nobility!"

"...and surely destroy the girl's reputation within the kingdom. While it is certain that she will lose Dellwick, it may even be possible that she would lose her noble title from such disgrace."

"Mm'yes." He gulped his cup down to the last drop and quickly began pouring himself another round. "She's just a low rank dreg, with a bestowed title anyway. I imagine stripping it away again isn't going to be a big deal."

"Nonetheless, she is still the Legendary Heroine."

"Oh? I've heard of that rumor. Is it true? I observed her once, and, though she does look out of the ordinary, she doesn't..." He twirled his finger as he wrapped his tongue around his words. "...you know? Seem all that heroic. What do you think? You've spent a lot of time with her."

She sighed. "Unfortunately, I can agree, wholeheartedly. At this point, I'm even starting to doubt if the rumors are true..."

Though the girl, herself, claims it...

His eyebrows shot up. "Could it be... that her being the heroine is just a ruse made up by the royal court!?"

"Hm?" Her eyes sharpened.

Could be. It would certainly explain a lot of what I saw.

"...Who knows?" She then said with a shrug, "But if she is... shouldn't we get a bonus for knocking her down a peg?"

Roderick let out a prolonged snicker. "Sly as ever."

Gulping down the rest of his drink, he wasted no time and quickly poured himself another round.

Eris glanced down and followed his hands. Right after filling his cup, they soon swung around and headed towards hers. She interjected, "One is enough for me. I can't have myself tumbling my way back."

"Bah." Despite her protest, he nevertheless filled her cup and slid it back at her. "Just this once. To celebrate."

"Celebrate?" Her expression soured. "Isn't it a little early for that?"

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"Hrmph. I know you well." He took another sip from his cup and said in a tipsy, melodic tone, "All of this is as good as done."

She sighed. "You're already drunk."

"Bah," he grumbled, "you're spoiling the drink. Just join me already."

The cloudy liquid in her cup shimmered a pale golden brown against the moonlight. It tempted her, despite her knowing full well its sharp, bitter taste. Eventually, she gave in and, with a click of her tongue, said, "Fine. Just this once."

"Good, good!" He grinned. "That's the spirit. Those who work hard, ought to drink hard."

Alas, she begrudgingly lifted her cup.

If that's the case, you shouldn't be drinking at all.

And so, the two drank away until they had finished the entire bottle.

Eris staggered her way back to the inn.

Damn, I'm such an idiot. Why'd I let him pressure me into drinking past my limit?

She pegged her arm onto a wall to prop herself up.

I don't even know if the brat changed the patrol routes. I'm getting sloppy... Haah. The stress might be getting to me. I'm so close to such a massive prize that I can't think clearly.

She slapped herself using both hands.

Come on, focus! I can't afford to mess this up right now.

And right as she was struggling to keep herself upright, she noticed a shadow moving just off the corner of her eye. However, when she turned to look, nothing was there but empty dirt road.

Urgh... Is it the liquor?

Damn, that's it. I'm never drinking again.

Just in case, she kept her hand near her thigh where she had concealed a small thrusting dagger, and continued walking.

It might have been the drink playing tricks on her, but for the first time in recent memory, she felt the darkness creeping over her. Despite the moon and the stars dimly lighting everything under that cloudless sky, she only became more and more anxious for every step she took.

After turning a few corners, she again noticed a shadow moving at the corner of her eye.

What is this feeling?

Adrenaline pumped through her veins, overwhelming the alcohol in her blood. She felt a distant gaze staring right at her.

Am I being stalked? I don't think I'm just seeing things...

Thus, when took the next turn, she hurried forward and made another before for swinging around and drawing her blade.

Come out, you.

After a few moments, her pursuant revealed itself. It crawled out of the corner and gazed at her with golden eyes that shined hazily in the distance. Indeed, between the black night and her alcohol-addled vision, it was the only thing even barely distinguishable of it.

"Huh..."

But it was enough.

She wiped her hand across her face. "I see."

A rather large cat, whose black fur blended so completely in the darkness as to be almost transparent, sat there and stared right into her eyes.

Tsk. Now I feel silly... This is why I don't drink...

And as she was about to turn around, the cat, just out the corner of her eye, seemed to rise from the ground and stood on its hind legs.

Her temples ached.

She couldn't tell if it was the alcohol garbling her senses, but she then heard a strange, high pitched, "Nyaa."

Baffled, she froze in place as she tried to make sense of the situation.

But by the time she recovered enough to take a closer look, the cat had disappeared, presumably jumping back into the darkness.

... Huh.

She placed her hand on her chest. Her heart must have been racing faster than that one time when she had to run across the Aubury to meet the deadline to the Royal Chancery.

What... just happened?

She rubbed her eyes, hoping that, with some clarity, she would make out something from the dark emptiness before her.

Tsk.

But in the end, there was nothing left. Whatever it was, cat or illusion was gone.

After a few moments, she turned back around and continued walking as though nothing even happened.

I will never, ever drink again...