"We'll be headed to Sigovia, a small seaside town to the south of Yves," Psyche explained. "I've heard rumors floating about, but we've just recently received a direct cry for help from one of its residents. A giant sea serpent has been terrorizing the town for years."

Aldrich leaned back against the wall of Psyche's quarters. "For years? Then why are they now calling for help?"

Psyche shrugged. "No idea. Nevertheless, it's our duty to help them."

Levi raised a hand, even though Aldrich had kept telling him he didn't need to. "Terrorizing the villagers how exactly?"

Psyche picked up a parchment lying on his desk and looked it over. "We're not quite sure of that either. I've heard it rises up from the ocean floor every few months and devours a few of the villagers. Others say the people eaten are sacrifices, from a cult to appease their 'god'."

[Tch, Abaddon commented, his voice full of disdain. Sacrifices. And even worse, eating humans. This reeks of Belphegor.]

"Who?" Levi asked.

[One of my moronic brothers. Preying on the weak for an easy meal, to think they used to call me the slothful one.]

Psyche nudged Aldrich's shoulder. "Who is he talking to?"

"The dragon," Aldrich answered. "They can talk to each other."

"Oh." Psyche hadn't known about that. Knights under the Grand Commander hadn't been given so many details on the boy's unusual situation. "So he's a bit like me then."

Aldrich crossed his arms over his chest. "A giant sea serpent and possibly a cult worshiping it. Are you sure just the three of us are enough?"

Psyche laughed. "I've got it covered. And don't worry, you're just to tag along anyway. I'll handle any fighting."

"I'll have you know I can handle myself well enough now," Aldrich scowled. "A lot has changed in these past months."

"If you say so," Psyche replied, brushing him off. "About your friend, though. He can't just leave the city just like that. He's too potentially dangerous."

Levi's focus snapped back to their conversation upon hearing those words. "So I can't go?"

Aldrich pushed off the wall and stood up straight. "I already have a plan for that."

Psyche raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

"Yep," Aldrich nodded. "Since we'll be in the company of a Knight as talented as yourself, I'm sure it'll be no issue to get Sir Andrius to vouch for us."

A loud laugh escaped Psyche's lips. "You really think you can convince Sir Andrius to let you do something like this?"

"I have my ways."

Aldrich tapped Levi on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go talk to him right now. We'll meet you at the gate tomorrow, Psyche."

×

"Absolutely not," Andrius said.

Aldrich dropped his head. He had tried everything, but the man was not budging.

They found Andrius sharing a table at the local tavern with Yasuo. Levi was surprised he was still in the Yves region.

"I was supposed to travel back a few weeks ago," Yasuo explained, a wooden cup filled with ale in his hand. "But I let this idiot rope me into a job."

Andrius elbowed him gently. Yasuo's ale sloshed in the wooden cup. "Come on, it was for old time's sake. You can't tell me you didn't miss it, miss this."

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Yasuo's expression remained neutral as usual, but Andrius could see the corners of his mouth begin to turn upwards slightly. "Maybe. Just a little bit."

He downed the rest of his drink and placed the cup onto the table. He got up and stretched. "I'm going back to the inn."

Yasuo ignored all the protests from Andrius as he walked away. When he passed by the two boys, he leaned in for a few seconds and whispered into Levi's ear, "Scratch his head; he loves that."

Levi watched the man leave, a confused expression on his face.

"What did he say just now?" Aldrich asked.

Levi told him. Aldrich seemed much less confused by it, though.

"Of course," he said. "Why didn't I think of that?"

He moved towards Andrius at the table. Andrius regarded him warily. "What are you doing?"

Without an answer, Aldrich moved forward a few more steps. Andrius' confusion grew deeper. His yellow eyes followed Aldrich's hand as it moved towards his head.

"St-stop that," he complained half-heartedly as Aldrich began to ruffle his hair. After a few minutes of petting, he let out a loud sigh. "Fine. Whatever, but if anything happens... we're blaming Psyche."

"Was that not already a given?" Aldrich laughed.

Aldrich began to retract his hand, but Andrius grabbed onto it. "Don't look at me like that," he said, seeing Aldrich's face. "You started it. You can't just stop now."

Aldrich didn't have a comeback to that. He looked to Levi, but all he got was a shrug. So, he sat down at the table and continued to scratch the grown man's head.

"Do you want me to call you a good boy as well?" Aldrich wondered out loud.

"Let's not make it weird," Andrius replied after a few seconds. But his silence betrayed that he had actually considered it.

×

Aldrich and Levi left the tavern about half an hour later. Clouds obscured the moon, but a few streaks of moonlight still broke through.

"Is the Wolf Knight really as pliable as a friendly house dog?" Levi asked in disbelief as they walked.

Aldrich laughed, nodding. "A side effect of his abilities, I've gathered. He's got a lot of animal qualities, even outside of battle. I use that to my advantage, from time to time."

"Like when?" Levi asked, intrigued.

"Well, there was this one time I walked in on him chewing on my father's favorite pair of leather boots," Aldrich said. "My father was looking all over the house for them for so long. I agreed to keep his secret, for a few favors. That's actually how I convinced him to bring me with him when we met you."

Levi laughed. He would never have guessed the man had such a goofy side to him. He had such a serious-looking face and demeanor.

Aldrich sighed and placed his hands behind his head. "We're going to be far away from here, and Larian, for a long while. Minus the threat of a giant sea serpent, I think this might actually be kind of... fun. Assuming I don't die horribly, that is."

In the quiet embrace of the moonlit night, two boys strolled through the narrow cobblestone streets of the city. The flickering lanterns cast shadows on ancient buildings, while distant echoes of laughter and music filled the air, creating a timeless ambiance.