Back in the village, Greaves and his party are discussing Straf's plan, or lack thereof…

「…Legitimate ruler or not, do you really intend to do as that insufferable braggart tells you to, Greaves?」

Lian asks Greaves as they sit in the inn at a table, waiting for Will to get better.

「Well what am I supposed to do!? It makes sense now, he ordered a bunch of people executed for the smallest things! He's a tyrant! And if he's evil, it's my duty as a hero to get rid of him!」

Leaning back in his chair almost enough to tip over, Greaves crosses his arms, sitting with his boots on the table.

「Really? Tyranny is the right of the strong over the weak. It seems to me the princess is simply too weak to take over, and is desperately seeking more strength. You're willing to be her tool to gather more power?」

Lian raises her brows as she asks, a serious expression stays fixed on her face through her entire cynical statement.

「The strong are supposed to protect the weak! If power is coming back to the weak, then so be it!」

Greaves swings forward out of his precarious position in his chair, dropping his boots down onto the ground and slaps the table for the emphasis.

「I see… And what if she turns out to be a tyrant as well? Will you gladly spill more blood over yourself, again?」

Lian lowers her head, smirking with her eyes closed. Her expression is still cynical, as her amused lips are in stark contrast to her serious eyes.

「Wha-? Well- Then I'll…」

Her statement gives Greaves a pause. His gaze shifts around rapidly, as thinking on his feet can get him only so far in response to a gray-gray morality.

「The naivete of your kind never fails to amuse me. You will throw yourselves head-first into lofty ideals without questioning who benefits from peddling them. You are very lucky my people keep to themselves, If they ever found out just how naive you are, they'd conquer you within a few years. You'd be under one or the other clan's boot, no need for deals with the demon lord.」

Lian scoffs. A sly smirk appears on her face as she rips into Greaves's morals. Greaves opens his mouth about to riposte with something, but then Alicia returns downstairs.

「I gave Will the potion, he should be feeling a lot better by tomorrow.」

Alicia says as she pulls one of the chairs out, and sits down.

「Good to hear… Well? What will you do?」

Lian nods, crossing her arms. Her dark eyes glance back to Greaves. He grimaces heavily as Lian's words weigh on him.

Thud.

「We're going to the capital! We'll burn that bridge when we cross it!」

Greaves exclaims as he slaps the table again.

「…Eh? Greaves, I don't think that means what you think it means…」

Alicia tilts her head, furrowing her brows at him…

…

By nightfall, the lights of the capital city illuminate the dark sky before Straf, Lily and Cycelia as they follow one of the kingdom's main highways.

「…Daughter, huh…」

Lily sighs after glancing momentarily at Straf.

「What, you're still hung up on that? I know there is very little resemblance, but there's a lot of ways to explain that while allowing Lia to save her face.」

Straf looks down at Lily as she carries her folded parasol with a pout, looking aside.

《Wife… Wife… Wife…》

Grinning like mad, Cycelia keeps replaying Straf's words in her mind, over and over again.

「Right, Lia?」

Straf turns his head to Cycelia as she stares downwards, holding her hands on her face.

「Yes! Huh? What?」

Without thinking, she immediately replies. Her eyes widen when she realizes she has no idea what question she just answered. Straf narrows his eyes in light confusion at her reaction.

「Why can't she be the daughter?」

Lily asks with a slanted mouth. Straf looks at Lily, then Cycelia, then back at Lily.

「Hmmm… We could say that… But then I'd probably land in jail. The whole point is to avoid that.」

「Huh?」

Lily tilts her head at Straf. He sighs, his brows rising.

「Lily, don't suggest things like that if I have to explain it to you.」

Straf says with a troubled grimace on his face, looking down at the confused vampire beside him. As they draw near the gates, Cycelia grows increasingly nervous.

「Straf… We need to be careful. I haven't really left the capital much, so the people didn't recognize me in the countryside… But that likely won't be the case around here.」

She says with a hushed tone, leaning into Straf's ear.

「Indeed… We should seek another way in. I can't walk the streets with all those lamps around, Straf.」

Lily chimes in with a serious expression, before her gaze returns to the anti-vampire streetlights beyond the gate.

「Well…」

Straf stops and places his fists on his hips as he grimaces, looking at the guard at the gate waving people past.

「Lily, you go find a way in. I have a plan.」

He looks down at the vampire, and nods his head towards the city.

「Understood… I will find somewhere to sleep. Will you stay at the inn, or hide somewhere?」

Lily nods her head, then tilts it as she walks a few steps away.

「I think we'll find some empty warehouse or something, right, Lia? Beats sleeping in a forest.」

Straf replies, glancing momentarily at Cycelia. She turns her gaze away from the people passing by, trying to hide her face behind him.

「Very well… I will see you tomorrow, Straf.」

Lily performs a little curtsy, and disappears into the night as her form blurs from the acceleration.

「Come on, Lia.」

Straf takes off, walking towards the gate and the line of people waiting to enter.

「Huh? Through the gate!?」

Cycelia's eyes widen in surprise, and she meekly pinches at Straf's clothes.

「Yeah, I have a plan. Just trust me and play along, alright?」

Straf looks into Cycelia's worried, emerald eyes. She blinks and grimaces nervously, but then nods and gulps. They wait their turn in the queue, a few minutes later, they reach the gate guards.

「Halt.」

The guard on their side of the gate commands, as he holds his palm out. His partner on the opposite end watches Straf and Cycelia approach like a hawk, gripping tightly at his halberd as they rest them against the ground.

「What, entry tax?」

Straf spreads his arms out, shrugging his shoulders.

「Papers pleas- Hold on a second…」

The guard glances at Cycelia. His eyes immediately narrow in suspicion, he walks up and rubs his chin. The other guard notices something is wrong, and approaches as well. Cycelia blinks and glances at both of the men nervously, trying her best to maintain her poker face.

「Green eyes?」

「Yeah…」

The other guard asks his partner as he approaches. Their expressions shift from bored, to nearly hostile.

「Who are you? Both of you.」

The man talking to Straf asks in a gruff voice. Both of them grip onto their halberds with both hands, but continue resting them on the ground. Their stance becomes more wary as they glare at the both of them.

「I am Straf. Katastrof. Vindict.」

Straf enunciates, with his fists on his hips.

「N-」

「Yeah, never heard of me. I know.」

Straf shrugs, interrupting the guard as soon as he opens his mouth. The guards glance at each other, then glare at Cycelia. Her poker face begins to crack as she nervously gulps.

「And who is this?」

The guard asks. Cycelia's hands begin to tremble lightly, as she peeks at Straf.

「This?」

Straf grins, and nonchalantly wraps his arm around her. He pulls her in closer, and she meekly yelps.

「This is Cycelia, the rightful heir to the throne. She's back to kill the king!」

「Wha-!?! Straf!」

Straf announces with a massive grin. Cycelia's jaw drops as she clutches onto his shirt. Her gaze returns to the guards, staring at them both with stone faces. Straf's grin only grows wider the longer they look at him.

「Pfft.」

The other guard's stone face breaks, and a suppressed laugh slips out through his lips. He shakes his head, and walks back to his spot on the opposite end of the gate. The guard in front of Straf starts chuckling as well.

「Heheh… Fucking joker, get the fuck out of here. You could get into trouble for that.」

He says as he shakes his head with a grin, and waves Straf and Cycelia past. Straf snaps his fingers and points at the guard.

「Heheh, yeah. Imagine if the princess just walked in through the front gate. What a story that would make. See you guys around.」

Straf says with a grin and walks in, practically dragging Cycelia in with him with his arm still around her as she's too shocked to process the situation. They walk further in, and Straf lets go.

「So, we're in. Told you I had a plan.」

Straf says, as Cycelia is still staring at him with her jaw wide open. She shakes her head and snaps out of it.

「Straf! I thought I would die! I thought I would drop dead right on the spot! Why would you do that!?」

Cycelia grips onto Straf's clothes as she stares into his eyes with a massive pout on her face.

「'Cause Lily didn't like it when we walked past them the last time. Would it be better if I just killed them?」

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Straf shrugs as he asks with his fists on his hips, smugly smirking.

「No! Ahh… No… You're right, Straf. It was the best solution… But I really thought I was going to die there and then! It's unfair!」

Cycelia sighs as she calms down, but then pouts angrily again.

「Anyway, let's find a place to stay for the night while we wait for Carrothead. Come on.」

Straf nods his head down the lamplight-flooded streets. Despite the late hour, the crowd is ever-present and carriages ride up and down the road. The people are well-dressed, even those that appear at a glance to be from the poorer strata. There is no sign of even the slightest disrepair in the buildings, the excess decorative flair on them screams wealth. Opulence, even.

They continue down the main street and arrive at a crossroads. A large and mostly pointless plaza extends in all directions, as another statement of power and wealth, as if to say look how much space we can afford to waste. In the center of it all a pavilion stands all over the crowd flooding the plaza.

「What's this place? Looks important.」

Straf asks Cycelia, pausing to look at the marble structure. Multiple guards stand all around it, unmoving. The small building in the center looks too minuscule to house anything, though its doors are tall and very decorative. A golden silhouette of a dragon is split across the doors, down the center, though the gap in it is imperceptible at a glance with the doors closed.

「That's the royal mausoleum, Straf. There's stairs down to the crypt in that building. Whenever a member of the Redwing family dies, a funeral procession walks through the streets and lays the body to rest in the crypt.」

Cycelia's expression grows troubled as she looks at the golden dragon on the gate. Given by the amount of guards, the mausoleum is more closely guarded than the gate to the city itself.

「…I've heard he at least provided them a nice funeral. I suppose he had to, to avoid suspicion.」

Her eyes drift downward, blinking rapidly.

「Think you'll return the favor?」

Straf asks, smirking as he looks aside towards Cycelia. She lets out a suppressed giggle, and her mood returns to normal.

「Ask me again if we actually walk into the palace, Straf.」

She says with a slight smile.

「When, not if.」

Straf replies, and continues walking down the street. Cycelia picks up her pace, lagging behind him ever so slightly as she holds her hands clasped behind her back. They navigate and meander through the streets aimlessly, searching for a quiet place to stay. When walking through one of the alleyways, Straf notices something peculiar painted on a wall.

「Huh…」

Straf humms as he looks at the silhouette of a red dragon wing in a circle. He rubs his chin, his brow rises as he continues to stare at it.

「Ah, this symbol again…」

Cycelia rubs her lips with her thumb as she looks at the symbol.

「Lia, are you sure you do not have a secret police?」

Straf glues his eyes off the wall to glance at Cycelia.

「Huh? What is secret police?」

Cycelia blinks at Straf in confusion as she asks.

「Good answer. But seriously, you can tell me.」

Straf snaps his fingers and points at Cycelia, then shrugs with his hands.

「But- But I don't even know what police is?」

「Lia…」

Cycelia shakes her head and blinks in confusion, and Straf knowingly smiles at her.

「…What?」

「Forget it, let's check this building out. Last time I saw this thing, there were hidden goodies.」

Straf dismisses Cycelia's ignorance with a wave of his hand, and walks up to the building's side door. He pushes at it, and besides a strained creak from the door, not much else happens.

「Locked? Let's look somewhere else-」

「No it ain't.」

Straf interrupts Cycelia as she walks up to the door beside him, fidgeting with her medallion.

「Huh?」

She blinks at Straf as he backs a step away from the door.

Thud-Slam!

With his hands in his pockets, Straf gives the door a rough kick in its center. It flies through the vast building, slamming into a wall, it then explodes into tiny splinters. Straf nonchalantly enters, and Cycelia peeks her head into the building in full shock.

「What is this place? I don't think someone would just leave all this laying around and forget about it.」

Straf walks among the stacked wooden crates, and peers into them at random. Most of the crates are empty.

「What's this?」

Straf takes one of the square packages wrapped in waxed paper and tied with a cord. He unties it and opens the package as Cycelia skittishly wanders into the dark, tall warehouse.

「What did you find, Straf?」

She asks as she walks up. Straf sniffs the contents of the package, then takes out a light-brown wafer and bites into it with a loud crunch.

「Hmhm. Hadfwack.」

Straf says, while chewing.

「…What?」

Cycelia pauses and blinks, trying to decipher what Straf has said. She gives up, and asks instead.

「Ahem. Hardtack. Man, these things are hard aren't they?」

Straf swallows, then says as he opens his [Portable Storage] and starts throwing them in by handfuls.

「Why are you taking them?」

「What do you mean?」

Straf pauses for a second, staring at Cycelia with raised brows before resuming his looting.

「These rations. That's… That's stealing, Straf. It's somebody's property…」

「Do you see a name on them?」

Straf pauses between throws to ask, then throws both handfuls in at the same time.

「N- No, but…」

「Exactly.」

Cycelia meekly protests while fidgeting with her medallion. She looks down, unable to find an argument against Straf's futuristic idea of egoism.

「What do you think this warehouse is for, Straf?」

Cycelia asks as she takes a look around at the rations, and weapons of many types piled up in crates, or loosely laying around.

「For my benefit.」

Straf says from inside the box, leaning into it as he rapidly empties the crate into his whirling purple vortex.

「No, I mean, what is the purpose? If it was a purely weapon merchant's warehouse, why would the rations be here? If it's a rations trader, why the weapons?」

Cycelia stands aside, taking a good at the dark warehouse in whole as she rubs her lips with her thumb again, holding her elbow in her hand. She taps her foot, thinking.

「Beats me. As far as I can tell, all the weapons here are low quality trash. There's some armor laying around there too, if you want some.」

Straf closes his [Portable Storage] and pushes himself off the crate. He points at sets of plate armor gauntlets, helmets and chest pieces sticking out of crates tucked away into a corner.

「Ah, you're right… It's like… It's like whoever owns this warehouse was preparing for war…」

「Well, it's a good investment. Hardtack is good for longer than most soldiers will live for, weapons don't rot, armor doesn't rot, and wars are always in high demand. Why grow as a person when you can just kill someone who talks funny and then write a book about it?」

Straf shrugs and smirks as he walks up to Cycelia, then looks over his shoulder at the warehouse as well.

「Huh?」

「Ah, my bad, sorry, I forgot everyone speaks the same language around here. That's kind of morbid, isn't it?」

Straf turns back to Cycelia, and shrugs again as he asks.

「…What? Nevermind, do you not find it odd, Straf?」

Cycelia asks as she peers into the crate full of swords.

「Not in the slightest. Like I said, war is a fast-moving consumer good.」

Straf grimaces a little, then shrugs his shoulders as he lazily follows Cycelia around the warehouse.

「Wh- Really? You have everything you need to outfit a fighting force here, Straf. In no small amounts, either. Don't you find that incredibly odd?」

「Everything except the people.」

Straf ripostes as he stares at the crate of armor.

「Ah- Well, yes…」

Cycelia tilts her head, she lets out a little sigh as Straf's one-liner is armor-piercing.

「But suppose you had a hundred or more people willing to fight… This would prepare them for months of campaigning at least. I can easily see how you could form heavy infantry, spearmen and skirmishers out of everything in this warehouse. If even half of these crates have rations, that's enough food for a small army for over a month.」

「Yeah, so?」

Straf spreads his arms and shrugs his shoulders.

「Straf, this is the capital. If rioters got their hands on this…」

Cycelia rubs her chin and mumbles under her breath. Straf snaps his fingers.

「Fantastic idea-」

「Straf, no!」

She looks at Straf in horror with wide-open eyes.

「Tsk. Okay. But you gave me a good idea how to deal with the guards, and it'd be a waste not to use it.」

Straf rolls his eyes, and sighs in disappointment.

「Straf, I don't want innocent people to die. On either side. I'm sure most of the guards don't know the truth, and I don't want random people to die as a distraction for me.」

Cycelia fiddles with her medallion, and looks down with a gloomy expression on her face.

「Okay! Fine. Try to get some sleep in, Lia. I think hardtack might make a soft enough bed.」

Straf throws his arms up, and heads for the door.

「Wait, Straf, are you leaving!?」

「No? I'm making sure no one just waddles in.」

Straf says as he picks up one of the filled crates without the slightest difficulty, and places it down in front of the doorless doorway. He stacks another crate on top, until the entrance is completely blocked away. Cycelia picks a random set of closed crates to lay down on, and closes her eyes.

「Just crates, huh?」

Straf comments as he returns to Cycelia, and places his fists on his hips while looking down on her so-called bed.

「I have no choice, there's nothing better here. It's fine, Straf. I'm used to sleeping on cold dirt…」

Cycelia responds, keeping her eyes closed as she's resting her head on her arm.

「Craft.」

Straf taps his finger through the crafting screen in front of him. A folded rectangle appears in front of him, glowing. When the light subsides, a blanket drops into his waiting hands.

「Here, I can spare this much, I guess.」

「Huh?」

Cycelia's eyes snap open when Straf drops a dark-gray blanket on top of her. She blinks, staring at it, then at Straf as he hops up onto one of the crates, and kneels into his meditation pose.

《What a great guy…》

Cycelia smiles, pulling the crafted blanket up, partially covering her face with it as she tries to sleep…