In a span of an hour, he arranged both a better map and gathered his people again, this time including Harsh, who at first was surprised to learn about me being Lost, but he accepted me surprisingly easily. I guess knowing the man beforehand helped a little bit.

They all were pretty surprised to hear that not only I had For under my command thanks to the current circumstances, but also the missing Melle, although none of them froze like the king himself when he first heard about it.

I didn't really want to disclose that to everyone, but no one asked me about my opinion.

Thanks to the map I was provided I was able to better pinpoint the location of our target.

-Kalkano? - Odar squinted at the map once more. - I honestly can’t believe it…

-Are you absolutely sure that it’s her you have a contract with?

-I mean I can summon it, but I believe that would sort of ruin everything.

-Right. Whoever is with her would definitely notice…

-But what the hell are those monsters doing in Kalkano? Isn’t that a decently populated town? Did they raze it?

-I doubt that - chimed in Harsh. - We passed it multiple times not so long ago and it looked as usual…

-They just probably have some hideout on the outskirts…

-Doesn’t look like that to me - I said pointing to the map. - If I am to believe that this is accurate, the spell and the map both, it shows that she’s right smack down in the middle of it.

-Underground maybe? - pointed out Odar. - Those things did spring out from below the ground…

-That’s actually possible… In any case, we need to pursue them at once.

-Hold your horses, Harsh. - stopped him Odar. - While I understand that this is a very delicate matter and an important for His Majesty himself, I cannot leave the capital in this disarray and pursue another target. What about the people?

-Look at you, so caring now. Weren’t you responsible for the defense during the attack?

-I was.

-And what came from that? Castle halls destroyed, guards missing, people killed…

-I think we already confirmed that the enemy came from below the ground. I can hardly predict or defend from something like that.

-That still does not explain people missing from their posts. If they were actually doing their job we would not have to undertake this mission in the first place. But what can you do, I guess people do take from their leader after all.

-What was that supposed to mean? Are you now insulting our king out of sheer spite?

-His Majesty? Of course not. I am insulting you, bartering with criminals, taking strange offers from weird people, who knows what else? I wouldn’t be surprised if people that were supposed to protect Miss Melle were somewhere in town doing some shady business for you.

-May I remind you that those “criminals” and strange offers are from YOUR OWN SON?

-DON’T YOU REMIND ME OF THAT DISGRACE.

-SILENCE.

The king had to finally step in. I feel like he was a bit too late, because it looked like both of them were about to start slinging spells at each other.

-I will make this quick. Odar, you are to go and find them both. Bring them to me safely.

-As you wish, your Majesty.

-Mor will be obviously going with you, please keep him safe as well.

I shrugged but did not protest. Not like it would’ve mattered.

-I appreciate the concern, but I will be fine.

-As for a third person…

He gazed through everyone in the room.

-Odar, any suggestions or wishes?

-As strange as it might sound, your Majesty, I believe I will need Harsh for this one.

-Oh? Even with your arguments?

-Yes. From what we know those monsters are able to use multiple elements, meaning we need to cover for every side. With me, fire of Mor and Harsh’s ice, we have a solid setup.

-Wait a second, don’t you use ice?

-I can use both ice and nature magic, yes.

That was surprising. Wasn’t he the first person to openly admit to being able to use multiple elements? I guess that made sense, he was pretty close to the king, meaning he had to be powerful.

-So what’s that guy for?

-”That guy” - he said before Harsh was able to say anything - is needed when we need to use the magic at the same time. And if what you told us about those creatures is correct, that most likely will be needed.

Right. I was forgetting that people here, even if talented enough to use more than one element, are still somewhat limited.

-Okay sure, but I still disagree - I stepped up, looking directly at Harsh. - While what he said might be right, I refuse to cooperate with him.

-May I know why? - asked the king before Harsh even managed to start protesting.

-Of course. His magic might be useful, though I do not believe he is fit for a fight against those creatures with me. As he’s shown earlier, his magic resources are very limited, and for this kind of journey we need stamina the most. Our target is stationary for now, but who knows if it will stay that way. If it comes to the chase I believe that he will be a hindrance.

-And you won’t be? - Harsh snapped angrily at me. - Look at yourself.

-I firmly believe that I have a lot more mana capacity than you. May I remind you that you fainted during our encounter with those creatures? I have been fighting them longer than you and yet I am still standing, without the rest.

-That might be true - nodded king - but in that case I just need to supply you with more mana fruit. That should cover for the lack in this regard.

-It might, temporarily. Prolonged use of mana fruit will only deter his ability to think clearly though. Not too long ago, I was in a similar situation. After a few days of mana fruit usage my companion was reduced to a shaking mess, barely useful in combat.

What I said was true, but I also just did not want to deal with him and his character overall.

-Besides that, I also do not trust this person - chimed in Odar, surprisingly agreeing with my opinion. - Even if we disregard their previous disagreements and all of that misunderstanding, I cannot just straight up ignore the fact that he is the one who found out that Melle’s missing in the first place. Out of everyone in the castle, if there is a traitor or some kind of mole in Your Majesty’s court, he is the prime suspect. I do not want someone like that on a rescue mission.

-YOU DARE…

-Quiet - said the king calmly. - While I do not agree with that statement nor I believe that he’s done it, I understand your doubts. However, who else is there available to pick though?

-How many of us do you intend to send?

-Three. I have only three steeds on hand right now.

-Well, at first I intended to suggest for For to come with us, but as you said, the lack of the diversity in magic might prove to be an issue.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

-Why her, out of curiosity?

I raised my hand and pointed to the mark.

-I can trust her completely. In other people I trust… hm, I want to say Jacob, his portal magic would prove useful, but that is impossible I feel.

-Indeed. He is indeed needed in the Red Edge. Maybe one of Harsh’s mages then?

-The one I would take is currently in a dungeon, besides he has the same problem as Harsh.

-Well, there is no one else that uses ice-based magic here that is trustworthy…

-Actually, Your Highness. Yes there is.

-And who might that be?

-Bert Harsh.

Ah. So Harsh was not his given name.

-That disgrace? He’s not fit to even call himself a mage at all with his…

-Oh right. He’s still in town? - I asked, not paying attention to Harsh’s complaints.

-Should be. I saw him yesterday, I can send for him right away.

-Your son, hmm? - the king started gazing into space, thinking. - And I see you are also in favor of bringing him?

-Yes. I feel like he is a good choice. Definitely better than his father - I added under my breath so no one else besides Odar would hear me.

I noticed him smile slightly.

-Anyone, besides you Harsh, got any complaints? No? Good. Then it is decided. Those three will suffice. Odar, send for him. Mor, prepare whatever you need for your journey. Servants will arrange for the supplies to be delivered as soon as possible. Harsh, please stay here for a minute, I need to talk with you.

With that, we were dismissed, to the dismay of rejected Harsh.

The preparations went very quick. Seemed like when under pressure, Odar’s people could work at a really impressive speed. Before the next day even started, Bert was already in the castle, ready and waiting, the supplies gathered along with a large garrison of people readying to go out as well.

As I learned later, the three of us were supposed to be a “scouting force”. While the king definitely trusted Odar and, amusingly, me, he said that even though he will send another force behind us, just in case. And not just some half-assed group of guards, no. The second group consisted of the same people that were first present during the initial attack. I mean, those who survived, that is, plus about another ten, I guess their replenished manpower. On top of that, For was to join them along with Bert’s father, with the king leading the whole band.

Officially, the king was supposed to stay at the castle, but only people that knew about him leaving were just those who were going along with us.

They all were going to follow us a few hours after we left. I was going to complain that there was no point in sending the forward party if we were to be followed by basically a battalion of armed people, and we were going to be discovered instantly, but I changed my mind when I saw how we were going to travel.

While the secondary force were going to travel on foot with an occasional horse for the king and the higher ranked people, the three of us were given a way to travel that after just one look I felt my ass scream in protest.

We were given those wooden monster-horses again.

With that, the problem of spacing was definitely solved. Even if we were to depart simultaneously, the speed of those things would definitely be more than enough to give us enough of a gap for no one to be wiser.

On top of all that, Odar was supposed to be in constant contact with the king himself and relay the information every now and again, including slowing the whole group down if needed.

As I was getting ready to depart, we finally were able to meet up with Bert. Up till then, he was only mentioned to be ready and I have not been able to see him and I had a distinct feeling that I knew why - his father was still around. Only when we finally got out of sight and I started getting mentally ready to ride one of those beasts again, he approached and greeted us both, just to jump away on the sight of those beasts.

-Don’t worry, they don’t bite. I think.

He looked more curious than frightened.

-I mean I knew that we were supposed to use some strange creatures, but wow…

-It’s nice seeing you too.

-Ah. Sorry. Hello, Mor.

-Leave the pleasantries for later, we need to go.

Hurried by Odar, we quickly mounted the beasts and in their unnatural fashion we moved out into the forest.

The monsters moved silently and swiftly, to the point where we were able to easily talk with each other with minimal effort.

-So, what exactly am I needed for? - asked Bert during one of the longer periods of silence.

-Weren’t you briefed already?

-I mean sure, but I still can’t help but feel strange that I got priority over my father.

-Thank Mor. He’s the one who refused to work with him.

-Don’t get it twisted. I just did not want to have a liability during something like that.

-Wow.

-And besides that, I still owe you.

-Huh?

-What, you forgot? You did send me on a mission, and while that might not have been my fault, I did fail it and never was able to get your stuff back.

-Ah, that. Don’t worry about it. While you getting caught was unfortunate, I actually did receive the armor. Or rather scrap.

-What? How?

Apparently, after I got released from the dungeon, along with me they freed Eicam and even gave him all his stuff back. That included the armor we found. He was dropped off in the capital, which made it easy to deliver the stuff back to him. He even got paid.

That was some good news. I was wondering what happened to him.

-I was going to ask Odar next time I see him about you and try somehow to fix the situation, but imagine my surprise when I learned that not only you were freed, but you also were going to be sent on some mission under the direct order from the king. At the time I thought that you got blackmailed, but when Odar reached out to me and told me that’s not the case AND on top of that I was also being invited… Well, being overwhelmed is one way to put it.

I smiled to myself.

-Man, I am glad he reminded the king that you were still in town… But back on topic, what about that hunk of junk that you got? What in the hell are you going to do with that?

-I? Nothing. I just delivered it to its owner, what he’s going to do it’s not my business. From what I’ve heard though he’s been trying to get in contact with his brother to get him to help reforge it.

-What, his brother is a blacksmith or something? I thought he was an adventurer as well.

-He is an adventurer. But apparently he’s a bit higher up than his brother and has some connections.

-Ah. I guess it is not an easy task to get someone willing to work on that kind of metal…

-Now when you mention it… what kind of metal was that?

-What, Eicam did not tell you?

I briefly explained what we learned when we inspected the scrap that used to be Goldie 's armor.

-And he was wearing that? I can’t…

-Looks like it. I was surprised too.

-Speaking of surprise - joined in Odar, who was for some reason smirking. - I did not expect you to join this expedition so easily.

-Hey, when the king calls, you don’t ask why, you just go along with it. I feel like it’s like that for both of you, isn’t it?

-Maybe for him - I shrugged. - While he might think otherwise, I am not his subject.

-Really? Why are you joining us then?

-Because…

Yeah, why did I exactly join this thing?

No one actually pressured me to do so, I just went along with it for some reason…

From what the king said, I could’ve just given him a copy of a map with a marked location and that would suffice if they were still in the same place, in that case I could have just hung around with the rest of the force that was behind us, but for some reason I went with Odar.

True, I did have a pact with her, so having me on the front lines was a plus, but not a necessity. Did it have something to do with a deal I stuck with her beforehand? I mean, sure, I essentially owned her and it would be a shame to lose such a valuable asset so easily.

But was that just it?

To be honest, I was not sure of that.

Recently I’ve been feeling a bit confused. Not because of the recent flood of information and strange events that seemed to follow me wherever I went. While that definitely did not help, that was not it.

For some reason, when I was with those people, I felt… sort of calm. Before, when I traveled with Eicam through the forests, and even before, when I was just wandering the island where I first met Jack, I constantly felt on edge. But now, even when on that stupid monster-mount, I, for some reason, felt like I was returned to a place I should be. Even before, in the dungeons, of both the capital and the Red Edge, I never actually felt threatened.

Did that have to do with me being that supposed “Lost”? What did that actually mean though? If I was to believe what I was told, I’d think that it would be the complete opposite: they would feel more calm around me, not the other way around, since I was their “god” or whatever. Did his talk about protecting me and all that really got into my head that much?

Shaking my head, I decided that I should not think about it for now.

-Well, she is my property after all. I might have left her in the king's care, but that does not mean that I am just going to ditch her at the first ocasion. To be honest, I did not want to just leave her with you either, but things just worked out that way.

-Uh-uh…

-What, you don’t believe me?

I couldn’t blame him. I was just trying to figure out what the hell I was doing myself.

-It’s just… you did not strike me as a heroic type at first…

-I would like to remind you that I did nothing but save your ass when we were last together.

-True. But you also did that AFTER everyone else was killed. You also let them get me on purpose after all.

Ah. So he did notice.

-Details.

-Well, you saved me in the end, so I’m just going to leave it at that. As long as you won’t get us killed, we should be fine.

-Don’t worry, I won’t. And this time, instead of an unhinged maniac in golden armor we instead have an infinitely more useful and powerful mage directly under the king’s orders. Who in their right mind would even try something that stupid?

I noticed Odar trying to conceal his laugh, but besides that, he did not say anything to us.