It only took two days for Lilith to return to almost normal. Enough to walk around town to where no one would look over, wondering if she was alright, and now that the immediate dangers were out of the way, the questions she was curious about once again floated by in her head. It felt like she was constantly asking herself questions since heading out on this job and after thinking about it; it seemed like by the end of it all, these questions would far outpace the answers she could gather.

The first question she couldn’t help but wonder about after thinking back was why no one traveled from one village to another on the east side of the continent. In recent years, villages have continued to appear far more than before, and Lilith was familiar with a handful of them in the east. Although she avoided the city, it never bothered her to visit the villages for jobs. They often had mail that needed to be delivered to them or sent out from their location, yet it felt like everywhere was closed off. Not a single soul on the roads, even though small groups weren’t that uncommon. Sure, it was risky, but villages were great locations for adventure groups to travel to.

The second question she only recently came to realize was, why did the city seem so normal? Although it might feel like there’s fewer people that expected for a mega city such as the Holy Empire, but there were still people walking around without a worry. It was strange, to say the least, but there wasn’t much she could do about it.

“Hello, how may we help you?” The receptionist asked at the mailroom, which Lilith visited. It was her first stop after recovering.

“Hi, I have this letter,” Lilith reached into the bag, but instead of activating the bag, reached into her void, pulling out the letter. It was a trick she would have to do often. “It’s from the branch manager of Mystral.” The receptionist took the letter, comparing the stamp to the ones on record. She handed it back after confirming its legitimacy and brought her through familiar hallways to a similar room where the branch manager was in.

“Welcome!” the younger man said. He had long white hair just past his shoulders and an outfit identical to the priests she was all too familiar with. “Come, sit.”

“Thank you,” Lilith said, her face contorting with a smile. A Priest? She asked herself, taking a half step backward.

“Don’t worry,” the man said with a smile. “I have no plans to do anything to you. Even if you’re a cursed one. My name is Gabriel.” His deep blue eyes were staring. Observing Lilith as if she was being tested. His frame, unlike Alex, was small, yet something felt… off. “I’m trustworthy. Don’t worry,” he repeated as if he read her mind and wanted to reassure her.

“How did you know?” Lilith asked, her voice sharp. Pushing a chair as far back as she could, she sat down. It was a small table. A place to drink tea and eat snacks.

Gabriel sat down across from her, and after scooting his chair closer, he poured Lilith and himself a cup of tea. “Well…” Lifting the cup with one hand while holding the small plate with the other. He hovered the cup over the plate while taking a whiff of the tea. “I’ve known about you. I keep track of every cursed I can. It also helps that you work where I work.” He took a sip of the tea after talking, then gently placed it back on the table.

No words followed Gabriel's statement as Lilith anxiously sat there, on guard and watching his every move. They could’ve warned me, she thought to herself. Gabriel knowing her secret was one thing, but being a priest as well? It was a combo that worried her.

He seemed to have a different demeanor from his initial presentation, and his patience matched what was known of a priest. It was a type of patience that Lilith couldn’t dream of having as he sat there, waiting for Lilith to talk. Yet she didn’t. At least for a while, until her patience had worn thin.

Lilith handed over the letter with a gentle toss onto the table to allow her to keep her distance, and while Gabriel read the letter, Lilith reached into the void, taking out a stealth potion as a safety measure. There was no saying what could happen, and it was worth being prepared.

“I would be careful using that magic, Lilith,” Gabriel said only moments after she grabbed the potion. “The general populace won’t notice, but the ones who’ve trained under the church can easily tell,” Gabriel peaked out from the side of the letter and gave her a smile, causing a chill to run down Lilith’s spine.

“Thank you for the warning,” Lilith said, holding the potion close.

“I understand not knowing this, but you’re lucky you haven’t run into anyone who would notice. Their stance on the cursed isn’t pleasant in the slightest.”

“Their?” Lilith asked, harping on the word choice. “What do you mean by ‘their?’”

“Answering my question with a question?” Gabriel took a sip of his tea. “It’s more than just the priests and priestess that can tell.”

“But what about you? Can I trust you?” Lilith asked.

"If I intended to capture you, I would have apprehended you when you entered the city a few nights ago."

“I guess you’re right…” Lilith paused as the wording kicked in. “How did you know that?” she asked. “Know that I came in at night?”

Gabriel didn’t respond, or at least didn’t respond right away. He continued to drink his tea while finishing the letter, and only after he refolded and put it back in the envelope did he bring his attention back to Lilith. “Even though I’m not the pope, I have eyes everywhere. I know which guards you met when entering the city. I know you stayed at the Cat’s Paw and didn’t eave your room for days. I know why you didn’t leave, and I now know why you’re here.” Gabriel pointed to the envelope.

“I see…” Lilith readjusted her hand, making sure she could open the vial as soon as she could. “But you’re a priest. I normally wouldn’t mind, but after hearing what has been happening here…”

“As I said before. I have no intention of harming you or turning you in. In fact, I am against what the church believes in and think that anyone should have the freedom to pray to any God or Goddess they choose. Same with the cursed.As far as I know, there’s no valid reason to hunt you all.”

“If there’s no issue in your eyes, then why are you aware of who I am before I even introduced myself? Why do you keep track of us?” Lilith's eyes expressed distrust and worry, but remained sharp and attentive.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“I only wish to help the ones in need. So if it’s within my power, I will help, and after reading your letter, I know I can. There are many people in the church who feel the same. Now, maybe not the same about the cursed, but,” Gabriel tapped the envelope. “These people deserve their letters and packages. There’s no reason to prosecute them.”

“You fancy yourself a martyr?” Lilith said.

“Heavens no. I simply follow my faith in God, and the ones higher up have simply forgotten their roots.”

“Roots?” Lilith asked. “Nevermind, I don’t need to know. Why are you a branch manager, then?” Her voice soften up slightly as she questioned his motives.

“It gives me access to things that allow me to pursue my goals,” Gabriel said with a smile.

“That’s it?” Lilith asked after waiting for any extended explanation.

“That’s all I will share for now. Now, to get to why you’re here. We’re more than willing to help you. After all, you’re doing something noble, but.”

“But?”

“It will take a bit of time to get ready as in I will prepare a list of everyone on those packages, where they live, and their affiliations. This will allow you-”

“To plan better. To know who would sell me out or not and to figure out a route of delivery?”

“Correct. However, in the meantime, can you do me a quick favor?”

“A favor?” Lilith responded with a question as she tried to figure out what he wanted.

“It’s just a delivery,” Gabriel said as he kept his smile. A smile that was quickly annoying Lilith..

“It can’t be just a delivery.”

“It is, it’s just the location…”

………………………

“This guy is insane.” Lilith stood in front of the mailroom, head tossed back, watching the clouds slowly fly by. “How does he expect me to sneak in a package if they can tell when I use my magic?”

Lilith dropped her head down and looked in the church’s direction. Although it wasn’t a clear view of the building, it was tall enough that you could see it from anywhere in the city, even if only a part of it. “I guess I have a potential way of doing this,” Lilith said, wracking her brain about the options.

Sitting down and watching people walk back, Lilith reached into her bag, taking out the pass given to her from Charlotte. “Spellbound,” she read. It was the name of the store Charlotte mentioned to her, and Scarlet was the name of the owner. She didn’t delve into too much details about who she was, but mentioned that she needed to have the pass out to even find the store.

“Check the alleyways, she said.” Lilith shrugged. She couldn’t quite understand how it worked, nor did Charlotte actually try to explain it, either. However, if what Charlotte said about Scarlet to be true, then it was indeed worth visiting.

Or so she thought. “Nothing is happening…” Lilith said, her voice carrying a hint of annoyance and disappointment. Leaning against a building, she looked at the pass. How does this even work? She thought while scratching her head. With a sigh, she wiped her brow and kept going down the alleyway she rested at. Starting at the ones she had never gone through earlier, she was now running out of ideas, and in a last ditch of effort, revisited the few she went through to get to the mailroom to begin with.

Her pace, which was fast to cover as much ground as she could, quickly slowed down. Something felt off. It had a similar feeling when entering protected Elven ruins. It felt like something changed. A space that seemed to be ignored. Her walking now came to a stop as she stood in front of a sign with the words “Spellbound” and stairs which lead down to a four panel glass door.

“This wasn’t here before.” Lilith read the sign once again, confirming she was at the right location. Lilith’s thoughts were mixed. She didn’t recall such a store being here, nor did she even see any store entrances in any alleyways in the city, so it was strange and eerie. However, there was a type of mystery that excited her. Plus, it was someone Charlotte was more than willing to recommend and knew very well. Now this is how a magic store should be, she thought, while being welcomed by the chiming of the bell as the door opened.

“Welcome!” voices ringed out.

Voices? Lilith questioned herself if she had heard correctly. Plural. More than one?

A figure draped in a black robe and black gloves covered them from head to toe came downstairs from the spiraling stairs in the back corner of the store and although their lower face was the only thing visible, something interfered as if there was a blur.

“You’re a unique customer,” the voices rang through Lilith’s ears, causing the hairs on her neck to stand up and her body to stiffen. It didn’t register for the first time, but the voices were a mixture of both male and female of all ages. She counted 6, maybe 8.

“Y-you’re Scarlet, correct?” Lilith’s voice was shaky. “Charlotte told me about you.” She placed the pass on the counter for Scarlet, who walked over and took it, giving it a look over.

“This is indeed the pass I gave her. What has she told you?”

“That you’re female.” Lilith pointed out. “And you’re her mentor.” The two other things she only mentioned.

“Is this what you wanted?” Scarlet said, her voices now replaced with a single female voice.

Lilith nodded her head repeatedly.

Scarlet let out a small laugh while covering her mouth. “I like to keep myself as unknown as possible now and I normally don’t go by the name Scarlet when operating under this shop. Charlotte knew that too, so why did she mention my name?”

An unknown pressure pushed down on Lilith, causing her legs to feel heavy. With great effort, she fought to stay upright while holding her breath, only for the pressure to vanish without a trace, allowing her to catch her breath. “Why?” She asked in between each gasp.

“I specifically told Charlotte to never give away this pass.” Scarlet ran a finger against the length of the pass. “Yet here you are.”

“I would’ve never taken it from her by force,” Lilith said, trying to reassure her.

“And I agree after getting a closer look at you. You don’t have the ability to do so even with all that mana, and based on your outfit, I doubt you would if you could.”

“Then was that necessary?” Lilith asked, her voice with a hint of anger. Her legs were no longer weak and her voice no longer struggling.

“If someone came into your home without your permission, wouldn’t you defend it?”

Lilith couldn’t help but let her anger subside. She wasn’t wrong, even if she didn’t agree to what she did.

“So, what do you need?”