“Hey where are you two going?!”

Oliver promptly ran after them, seeing how the two of them were in a hurry.

As both Leona and Athena made their way out, right outside of the cavern a familiar high elf held a soldier at daggerpoint. Her blade was dangerously close to the man’s throat before she questioned.

“Where is the Princess?!”

Phoebe yelled the moment the tactician came out of the cave accompanied by Athena and other two soldiers.

“Phoebe!” Leona loudly told her. “They are our allies, please lower your weapon!”

“Princess?!”

The high elf was surprised. It was only a five minute trip to look for a lost pendant and the moment she came back there was a small army waiting at the entrance of the cavern, of course she would react the way she did.

“It’s alright, lower your weapons.” Athena told the soldiers. Some hesitated, but in the end all of them were no longer pointing their guns at the high elf, who also put away the dagger after seeing Leona safe. “She is much deadlier with those daggers than any of you with a rifle, keep that in mind.”

“Yes ma’am!”

They saluted. Athena turned around the moment she heard footsteps behind her, Oliver was standing there with his rifle on the ready.

“You told them about me, I’m assuming?” The inventor questioned the captain. “Not only they listened to me but also called me ‘ma’am’.”

“Only the important info.” He chuckled. “You are technically an officer as well, all things considered. Second lieutenant Kaiser.”

“I left that title behind me years ago.” She shook her head. “In any case, we have a few of our belongings inside, I take it you’ll depart as long as we are ready?”

“But of course.” He replied before turning to the soldiers. “I want you to support these three in whatever way you can, until you finish, their orders are my orders.”

“Yes sir!”

All of them answered with a straightened back and open palms near the temple. Leona watched everything unfold from the sidelines.

‘So influential.’

She thought.

“Princess.” Phoebe approached her from behind, speaking in a low tone. “Are these people trustworthy?”

“If I am to be completely honest, I’m not sure.” The tactician answered while trying to keep her voice as low as possible. “While I do trust Athena, the captain over there, Oliver. I’m not sure if we can trust him.”

“Hmmm…We should talk more inside when there are less people around.”

Phoebe made her way inside whilst glancing occasionally towards the captain who was busy talking to another soldier.

‘Oliver Arc…’

Leona thought as the memories of her conversation with captain Frey came to mind. From the outside, the Arc family seems just like a group of researchers whose goal was to improve the Londrian kingdom. However, she knew there was much more than what meets the eye, according to Frey, it was just a pretext to use the kingdom and its people for inhumane experiments. It made her feel uneasy knowing her recent ally was involved with them.

“Leona? Is there anything wrong?” Athena’s voice broke her attention, prompting her to look towards the inventor. “You were almost making a hole through Oliver with that stare.”

“Ah I’m sorry, I was distracted.”

Athena chuckled.

“Don’t worry most of the soldiers are going inside to help us carry whatever belongings we have. Plus I think some of that gold can be put to good use in the capital.”

“Isn’t all of that stolen goods though?”

“It’s not like we can know from whom it was stolen in the first place. And the kingdom isn’t going to ask where all of this gold came from anyway.” She glanced over her shoulder to one of the soldiers walking in as they gave her a thumbs up. “As long as we give them some of it, I suppose.”

It didn’t sit right with Leona, but she knew coin was important for their survival, both food and equipment could be bought with enough of it and since their food supply was mostly gone, she wanted to make sure they wouldn’t starve before accomplishing their mission in Londria. As they were walking inside, the tactician decided to ask her.

“How long do you think it’ll take before we reach the capital?”

“Probably one more day of travel, assuming we don’t run into any problems.”

“I see.”

They walked further in, the hallway that connected the storage area with the depths of the cavern was somewhat cluttered with soldiers moving crates of coin and other valuable items

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“What business do you have in the capital? I don’t take it you’re trying to enlist the help of mercenaries?”

“No, we are simply trying to accomplish a task given to us. I owe them my life and my comrade’s.” Leona felt guilty the moment she remembered why the soldiers had saved her in the first place. “This is but a small retribution of such favor.”

“You really are a righteous person aren’t you? I pray I’m able to help you regain your nobility, the kingdom shouldn’t lose a leader such as yourself.”

Leona had a bitter faint smile across her mouth because one thing she was certain of.

‘No… I am not worthy of the mantle of ruler just yet. I let too many die in my name already.’ She tightened her hands into fists. ‘But I will make sure nobody else dies, this isn’t just about the kingdom anymore, if I can find a way to stop the death angels from advancing, we just may have a chance in exterminating them. But for that to happen…’

Her eyes glanced towards the captain walking in front of them.

‘I need to find a way to get closer to his family somehow.’

“Say Athena.” Leona started a conversation as they walked. “I heard you two talking, but how exactly did you get to know each other?”

“You mean me and Oliver?” Upon seeing the tactician nod once she continued. “We studied in the same school. He and I go a long way back, he didn’t have the Arc surname back then. He was adopted by the head of the family after his parents passed away in an unfortunate accident with machinery.”

“Oh… sorry that sounded like a bad memory to bring it up.”

“Don’t worry he is long past that. Or at least that’s what he told me after he was adopted.” She scratched the side of her head. “But don’t tell him that I told you, it has been a while since I talked to him so I don’t know how he would react if someone just out of nowhere mentioned it.”

“I’ll be careful, thank you for warning me in advance.”

She was almost fooled thinking he was an actual heir as his appearance did match the Kimbell elf duo from back in Akrapocalis. Maybe it was just pure coincidence or his appearance did have something to do with his adoption.

‘I need to find a way to learn more about the creator of those beasts. However…’ Her eyes locked on Krieg sleeping against the pile of gold, he didn’t move at all from where she had left him. ‘I have to find a way to wake him up, otherwise it’ll be just me and Phoebe to deal with this situation.’

She kneeled down beside the unconscious knight as the soldiers gathered around her.

“This is Krieg, I’ve been traveling with him for the last month but he succumbed to a deep slumber a few weeks back. He is still alive but I don’t know what exactly happened to him.”

“Right, we’ll be able to provide further care to him at the capital.” Oliver motioned with his chin for two soldiers. “Carry him to the entrance, we’ll take him with our pod.”

“Pod? What is that?”

Leona asked curiously.

“Oh, those…” Athena seemed disinterested, but she explained nonetheless. “The newest vehicle made with a steam engine, honestly I still prefer the sled wolves.”

“Even though it leaves your face exposed to the cold wind?” Oliver asked playfully before turning to Leona. “Come with us once you finish gathering your belongings, I’ll show you what a ‘pod’ is.”

“Steam engines aren’t really that good for this cold weather but who am I to judge a genius’ design right?”

The inventor scoffed as she picked her vintage bag from the ground while moving towards where her brother was.

After Leona picked her own rucksack and stuffed it with some of the coins, she waited a bit as Phoebe approached her once again. The two of them were a few meters away from the group of soldiers.

“Here you go Princess, before anyone else sees it.”

She handed her pendant back, though the metal that held the prismatic star had been shattered, the fact the high elf was able to find it amidst the storm outside was nothing short of a miracle.

Upon having the dear memento back, Leona pocketed it inside her vest and buttoned it tightly in order to not lose it again.

“Thank you Phoebe.”

The high elf nodded as she took a look around.

“Princess, while I was not given a time limit to complete my mission I would prefer to take you two as fast as I possibly can to the eastern nation, Nara to be more precise.” She pulled out the familiar small box that held another prismatic star in a pendant. “Remember I showed you this before? I’ve been thinking all this time, why would Queen Eleonora give me such a pendant for no apparent reason? That was the question I asked myself countless times and now I think I know why. She never meant for me to meet Krieg, but you instead.”

Leona tilted her head slightly with one eyebrow raised.

“But why…? I never met Eleonora before and I’m positive that she wouldn’t know much about me.”

“I wouldn’t be so certain if I was you. I heard once that your mother was a knight in all but name for the Arcadian kingdom.”

“My mother? She passed most of her days inside the mansion, there was no way she could possibly-”

She stopped as her mind started to search her childhood memories, most of the time her mother was seen doing anything other than tinkering with weapons and medicine, was when she spent time writing. Often she would take her time going through a myriad of different letters, by replying to them in a hurried manner going through as many as she could in one day. For the young Leona it seemed just another day but after connecting the dots, it all started to make sense. Otherwise how could her family welcome demons with open arms in a kingdom that was so fixated in exterminating them in the war?

“I do believe the person Queen Eleonora wanted me to bring to her wasn’t sire Krieg, but you.” The high elf concluded. “Why else would she hand me a pendant that closely resembles yours and tell me to show it to Krieg’s liege? I-”

Leona raised her hand promptly stopping Phoebe from speaking.

“Now I’m beginning to understand a bit of what is going on, but as you also know, we need to finish this job before we are hopefully able to make the trip to Nara. If this method of air transportation works it means free passage from the inherent risks of death angels roaming the land.”

“Yes I am aware of that. But what I’m saying is, whatever that elf told you back in Akrapocalis, don’t get yourself involved with it. It bodes ill to ally yourself with their lot. Allies of that noble demi woman they may be, but that does warrant them enough trust for you to be pulled in whatever schemes they have planned. Elves are deceptive by nature, Princess Leona.” She suddenly turned around with a needle in hand. “Who goes there?”

Leona only noticed who was skulking behind them after the high elf pointed out. The blonde emerald eyed elf had both of his hands to the air.

“I take it you heard from my siblings?” He had his laid back attitude from before, but something seemed different somehow. “If so I’d prefer if you hear me out before anything.”

Phoebe glanced from the corner of her eye towards Leona, but the tactician nodded.

“Tsk.”

The high elf clicked her tongue as she put the needle back inside her coat. Oliver approached the two before looking around to check if anyone else was near.

“If you didn’t notice, I’m not a legitimate heir to the Arc family.” Unlike before, his eyes were sharp and focused, as if his life depended on that conversation. ”And the sole reason why I keep this facade is to take revenge on them.”