It’s been two hours since the defeat of the goblins. We went inside the cabin by the lake to recuperate. Leopold placed down the hero onto her bed. Now all we’re doing is waiting for her to wake up. The damage from the huge spell she cast started to disappear. From what Hitomi said the magicule count here in this forest is enormous that any damage to it will be automatically fixed by the forest itself. It really does seem like this forest has a will of its own. I was observing its development through the window. The three of us were sitting by the table.
“Empress it seemed like you and the hero knew each other before.”
Leopold speaks up.
“Yes we know each other. I planned to tell you after we arrived here.”
Hitomi says as she takes a sip of water in her cup.
“Then you must know her skill right? You even call her by the skill much like me.”
I said quite aggressively.
“Perhaps. Though it would be better explained by the person in question no?”
Why does she keep it hidden? Why won’t she just tell me? I can’t even lay a finger on her or I will have a whole kingdom after me. It’s been two hours already and she is still asleep.
“We have no time to wait for her to wake up. I remember Lovre experiencing the same thing before. What if she never wakes for days?”
Leopold gets slightly closer to Hitomi to put on pressure.
“You make it sound like I’m dead…”
We look over and see that the hero has awoken. Her hand is holding her head.
“Using my skill like that truly puts a toll on my mind.”
Great, now that she’s awake I can ask her what her skill is.
“Anego won’t tell you what my skill is because she isn’t allowed to. I asked her to keep it a secret after I found out about it at Alvarez.”
“Look, that’s great and all but I really don’t care. Just tell me what your sin skill does.”
I’m growing impatient. The more time I waste here the closer my family is in danger.
“My skill is Envy. It’s a skill that lets me take away a living beings strength not just physically but mentally and their mana. That means I can take away a giants ability to lift heavy objects for myself or even take away a grand mages ability to cast spells.”
That’s a broken ability… so she’s able to just take away anything that makes a person strong. It’s somewhat similar to Greed. This skill however takes away stats. I’m starting to see why Lust is the weakest. Only being able to take away a living beings choice compared to the other two it’s pale in comparison.
It seems like she’s not the one I’m looking for, dammit now I have to find the kid. What if it’s not him? Does that mean I’ll have to find the hidden three remaining? I really can’t waste time.
“You’re not the one I’m looking for. One more question do you know where the kid is? The other hero that was summoned in Alvarez?”
I asked as I stand up. She then answers with a nod.
“Where is he?”
“I will tell you after one condition”
Another favour?! I don’t have time for this!
“No I need you to tell me where he is!”
Leopold stops me before I got too hot headed. He steps in front of me and gave a stern look at the hero.
“What happened to your escort? The one who was supposed to stick with you at any cost?”
What the hell is he asking?! How does this correlate at all to my predicament?!
“Everyone calm down. Let’s all take a seat and we’ll handle this amicably.”
Hitomi said with a cold glare then sent a chill on my back.
The three of us sat down and tried to calm ourselves.
“You were asking about my escort? He was taken away. That is why I need both of your help and you too anego”
She explains
“I don’t live here alone, I have a mother. She suddenly collapsed one day. Then before I can tend to her I was summoned to Alvarez to attend the hero anointing. After that I hurried over with the escort back here to tend to my mother. I came inside the house and she was standing beside a man I haven’t seen before. My mother did not look like herself and she felt like a different person. She suddenly started attacking me and my escort defended me. Then the man that was with my mother beat him and used teleportation to get away along with my mother and escort. Now there is an abandoned castle where they are holed up. I need your help to rescue my mother. Only then will I tell you the location of the other hero.”
“Very well I agree. Your escort is a renowned knight and it would be a tragedy to have him disappear so I will help you.”
Leopold agreed with a smile.
“I won’t help”
Both Leopold and the hero were surprised by what I said. Hitomi seems like she saw it coming by simply sitting quietly.
“I don’t gain much for all the trouble you are getting me into. All I get is the location of the other hero. It could be the farthest kingdom from here and that would take days of travel. I don’t have the luxury of spending anymore time here.”
The hero started to look irritated. Does she even have the right to be irritated?! She’s the one withholding information that I need.
“Alright calm down”
Hitomi signals both of us to calm down.
“Lust I know you are in a hurry but would you really be willing to just wander around the whole continent blindly?”
She’s right I can’t afford to just wander aimlessly.
“Envy possesses spacial magic. It’s magic that is able to open portals that lead to a place where the caster has already been in. Meaning in the end of it all you can get an instant travel to said location.”
“How would I know she’s already been where the kid is?”
“Don’t worry about that I was the one that sent him over to that place in the beginning.”
“I don’t see anymore problems Lovre. It could save us travel time.”
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Leopold said.
“Fine. I’ll help you with your parental problem. I don’t even see why you even need me. You can just use the spell earlier to wipe out the castle in one fell swoop.”
“I’ve already tried that. My mother is a very strong witch. She was able to negate the whole spell. Normally she isn’t able to do a defensive spell in such a scale. But ever since I returned she had a huge boost in power.”
“Why not use your Envy skill? That way you can take away her magical energy for the time being.”
Leopold brings out a very good point. If she doesn’t have the mana to cast anything this will be easy. In fact if I can make eye contact I can order her to return to normal and that should end this debacle early.
“That’s the problem. I tried to use it before as well. Before you guys arrived here with anego i've stormed the castle already. The problem was that when I went over, there were two people guarding the old throne room. One of them was my escort and another a person wielding a katana. Neither of them submitted to Envy.”
Wait… so does that mean they’re under the influence of another sin skill?
“Envy, we may be facing someone with a sin skill much like yours. People cursed with the sin skills cannot be overwritten by another. If what you say is true then it may be a possibility.”
Is Hitomi actually reading my mind?
Hitomi looks at me like she confirms what I just thought.
“If we’re going to work together for the time being it would be best to give each other our names. I can’t keep calling you hero when there’s two more out there. My name is Lovre Don Faust I have the sin of Lust skill.”
I then proceeded to shake her hand for this arrangement.
“My name is Kuroe Graham. Me and my mother are the last witches that exists. I hold the sin of Envy skill, anyone who responds to me can be put under the influence of the skill.”
She shakes my hand.
So different sin skills require different forms of activation. My skill requires my target to look me in the eye, Kuroe needs a response to her voice, then that snow elf needs to just raise her hand?
“Wait… did you say Graham?”
Leopold said with a shocked face.
“Envy I told you to keep quiet about such things”
“But anego If we’re going to work with them wouldn’t it be better if they knew who they’re working with?”
“I suppose it is inevitable. Yes me and Envy are sisters.”
Wait what just happened? I wasn’t paying attention.
“Why didn’t you tell us empress?”
“Because there was no point in telling you”
“Did you bring us here to help resolve this problem to begin with?”
I asked. It wouldn’t be impossible after all they are siblings and seeing as how she’s so secretive it wouldn’t surprise me.
“In a way yes. However in all honesty I never expected you to agree to help us with our problems. After all seeing in your past records you tend to work for the sole purpose of providing for yourself.”
She said as she takes a sip of her drink.
It’s true I don’t care about others except for me and the ones I care about. I don’t think that’s a bad thing I’m sure most people think the same thing. If things don’t affect them at all then they wouldn’t care less about it. In this circumstance I benefit from this agreement so it doesn’t matter.
“Kuroe you said you know where the hideout is right? Why don’t we just head on over and storm the castle then?”
“I think that would be too risky Lovre. If we were to storm the castle now they would be on high alert. After all they would be facing two holders of the sin skill.”
“That wouldn’t matter if what Kuroe said was true then there should only be four people there. We have two holders of the sin skills it shouldn’t pose that big of a threat”
I don’t get the idea of waiting around. We have to do this as fast as possible.
“No, I think the prince is right. It’s true that there should only be four people there including my mother. However they could have more of the goblins that we fought earlier lurking in the castle. Seeing as the two of you were a big help. It would be best to come up with a counter plan to negate the effects of intimidate.”
As much as I would like to disagree with her she’s correct. Both me and Leopold were useless in the battle earlier having to be protected by the empress like children.
“Fine let’s say we do exactly that. How do you plan on negating its effect on us?”
Hitomi stands up and explains.
“I have an ability to enchant jewelry. Doing so can take time. It’s going to be in the same principle with the amulets I forgot to give you but in a bigger scale. The intimidation skill needs to analyzed first so it will take a few days.”
Days? I don’t have time for that. I expected it to be a one off kind of deal not this.
“Look this is our best shot Lust. Envy said that she wasn’t able to afflict the people in the castle with her skill. It could possibly be another sin skill user. That would shorten your search time.”
I scratch my head and let out a heavy sigh
“Fine, Alright we’ll wait a few days for you to enchant some jewelry and then we storm the castle.”
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well we should back into the kingdom you come too Envy. It’s dangerous for you to be alone in the forest.”
Hitomi said.
“I’ll be fine anego. I’ve been here this whole time plus I got some traps around the house. They won’t even come close. The only reason we got ambushed is because the two of them triggered the trap.” Kuroe said pointing at me and Leopold. How do we know that there are enemies around?
“This isn’t up to debate Envy. I would rather not have you be attacked without my knowing. Plus it’s been a while since you’ve been in the kingdom.”
I don’t understand Hitomi. She has the aura of a royal but yet at some points she acts very casual and slightly carefree.
“If you say so”
Kuroe agreed to the proposal and Hitomi looked at Leopold.
“Both you and Lust will be accompanied by Envy all three of you can stay over at the castle for the time being.”
Does that mean I can sleep on that comfortable bed once again? That would be great.
Hitomi once again looked at Kuroe and started speaking a different language other than English.
“Do you understand what they’re saying prince?”
I ask Leopold. He looks like the kind of guy who would go to summits and know other languages.
“Sadly no. I never learned Japanese.”
So their language is Japanese. Their English is fluent that you wouldn’t suspect they were from another kingdom that speaks differently.
“Sorry about that. We should head back to the kingdom. Also to prove to you that Envy has spatial magic we’ll use her magic to get to the castle directly.”
Hitomi then proceeds to nod to Kuroe.
Kuroe casted a spell that made wear the witch clothing before. A magic wand appears out of nowhere and she started moving it in a circle until a portal appeared. I peek through and from it you can see the inside of the castle.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s go!”
Hitomi said as she jumps through the portal and landing on her feet.
Kuroe followed and also Leopold. I followed and the presence of the forest also disappeared as I step through.
“Now I gotta hurry and work on the accessories so we can finish this as fast as we can.
Hitomi turns around and starts to walk away.
“Hitomi!”
It was a female with short black hair with glasses and suit that called out to Hitomi.
She looked shocked that the woman found her.
“I can’t believe you would leave in such an important meeting! And what are you wearing?!”
“I have a good explanation Makoto. You see these people needed to go to the forest of truancy but I forgot to give them the medallion so I went and gave it to them.”
“You were out for almost 3 hours giving the medallion?”
“...Yes…”
What’s happening here? The Empress is getting chewed out by a woman I don’t even know. I’ve never seen Hitomi this timid in the short time we met. She always had this aura of someone not to mess with and sometimes playful.
“Leopold do you know what’s happening?”
“I assume so. I think that lady has always been with the empress every summit. I think she handles all of the business ventures and trades that come in and out of this kingdom.”
Kuroe also starts to hide behind the two of us.
“What’s so important about these two that you had to leave in the middle of the meeting with business heads?”
The lady who is apparently named Makoto points at the two of us. I get that I'm nobody but Leopold is a prince you’d think he’s well known.
“Don’t think I don’t see you Kuroe. After all these years you decide to show up now?”
Kuroe shrinks even more behind us.
“Empress can you please explain what’s happening here?”
Leopold asks. Finally something we can agree on, I’m so confused on what’s happening.
“Well Makoto is my advisor when it comes to political decisions. I get the final say but she tells me all the possibilities for my choices. She is also my mother.”
Hitomi gave Makoto an introduction.
“That’s right. Now you two… explain to me why you guys are so important that my daughter had to leave in such urgency.”
If Hitomi has a royal aura but an approachable person. Makoto is like looking inside a tiger’s mouth when it comes to her presence, it’s chilling.