-Six Days Later-
After the village, there was little in the way of notable events. The route was clear and every stop along the way was as routine as could be, some people boarding and others getting off at the few villages and towns along the way. However, upon being informed of the first village's destruction, the mayor of one town had explained some interesting events from about a week prior…
"Alright, we're going to be coming up on the capital soon, this might be a good time to sort through what we've been able to figure out…" Declared Milo. The trio were sitting atop the second level of their carriage, on the lookout for anything as they approached the capital.
"What that mayor told us has really been bothering me…" Minoru began. "A whole group of people, dressed exactly the same, heading in the direction of that village that was destroyed."
"Yeah… We didn't see or hear about any groups like that until now, though. I find it hard to believe they'd take the caravans to leave that village, too. Do you think they could still be around that area?" Petra asked.
"I don’t think it’s very likely, honestly. If these are the people behind the attack, I doubt they’d linger in the area, they probably would’ve left as soon as the job was done.” Milo explained. “I don’t think they headed south, either, or else we would’ve likely encountered them somewhere on our way to Bolia.”
“Good point… d’you think they’d have some kind of base of operations? Maybe it’s somewhere in the kingdom, and they walked back there on foot so they wouldn’t be found?”
“Mmh… maybe…? East of that village is almost entirely empty grasslands until you reach the coast, I can’t imagine any kind of ‘base’ being there, and north would put them in danger of being seen on the main caravan road.”
“Then if there is a base, it’d be to the west?” Minoru interjected.
“That’d be my guess, but we also can’t discount the possibility that they’re from outside the country.”
“Or maybe this is a more connected organization we’re working with? The attack on your guys’ village was in Lemuria, over ten years ago. If the infection has spread as much as you say it has, then maybe whatever group is doing this has spread across Villesia as well?”
Petra groaned frustratedly. “Ugh, we’re just talking in circles here! We don’t even know if those people taking the caravan were connected to all of this or not!” She stood up, hands on her hips. “We don’t have enough information to make any kind of guesses, we need to go out there and find stuff out on our own! Listen, it might put a stop in our journey to Camelot, but if we want to figure this out I think we should take the time to investigate around the capital. I’m sure we’ll be able to dig up way more information that way.” She declared emphatically.
Milo nodded. “You can have some pretty good ideas sometimes, Petra.” He joked. “I agree though, we should take the time to look around the capital and be vigilant about whatever information we dig up. If we can do that, we might even be able to establish a link between those people and any recent monster attacks.”
“You didn’t have to add that first part.”
“We should keep in mind that we might be chasing empty rumors. Let’s try not to get too caught up in what we think is going on, we’re still just starting this investigation.” Minoru reminded them, to which Petra and Milo both nodded affirmatively. “First though… we should get something to eat first, cool our heads off once we arrive at the capital, yeah?”
Almost too perfectly timed, Petra’s stomach rumbled audibly, her own surprise at the reaction making her ears stand to attention as her face turned red. Grasping her own stomach, she turned away from the two as they looked at her. “Cut me some slack, it’s been a while since I ate…”
“No, I was thinking the same thing, actually…” Milo noted. “Let’s look for a place to eat once we get to the capital, shall we? We could look around for a place to stay too.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Minoru affirmed.
“Hey guys… look…” Petra’s voice came suddenly after the other two finished speaking. Turning towards her, she was pointing far off into the distance towards the horizon. Looking in the same direction, the trio were aflush with a kind of wonder as, looking down from the hill they were on, was a city, almost shining on the hill amidst the orange hues of evening. Huge in size, the city was quite the expansive one, as the horizon continued to reveal more of its expanse.
Sitting alongside the largest river in the country, Draetan was founded long ago, and its sheer size and status as the kingdom’s capital showed it well, as it covered just about three miles of the river’s length, with the city then extending a few miles further into the hills to the north, a castle sitting atop them. The city was surrounded by walls all around, with multiple entry points visible as the surrounding hills gave way to the shallow valley the city sat in.
“Man… I wasn’t expecting this from Draetan.” Petra mused.
“You haven’t been here before?” Minoru asked.
“Nope, first time. Same with Milo. I always heard about the river capital of Draetan, but I never expected this.”
“Well then, this’ll be the first time an experience is new for all three of us, huh?”
“Hah, I guess you’re right!” Petra replied, having realized that most of Minoru’s experiences in Gaia until now was being taught by her and Milo. “Well, we’ll have to do some real investigating on how good the food here is, huh?”
“I wonder what kind of books are available here.” Milo pondered, him and Petra’s shared wonderings just eliciting a chuckle out of Minoru.
“Guess we’ll have to find those out together.”
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Hopping off the carriage, Petra was finally able to stretch herself out properly, loosening up her body as Minoru and Milo stepped off as well.
“First new city on this journey of yours, Minoru, how ya feelin’?” Petra asked as she stretched her arms.
“Pretty excited, actually.” He couldn’t help but smile. Bolia was quite the sight for someone from modern day Japan, but Draetan was quite a treat for the eyes as well. Not only did the caravan park in the middle of a busy center of the city, where it appeared there were many other such caravans parked, this area also gave him a clear view of the huge river that ran right through the city center. The surrounding city was raised a good seventeen or so feet above the river, with multiple bridges running across the sixty feet between either side. Drifting through the waters below were multiple boats, multiple passengers in some, others set up with awnings that had signs atop them, with merchants aboard them ringing bells and advertising their wares, others still were still, docked on either side of the lower levels of the city, seemingly free to take for a boat ride.
“Y’know, Minoru, I think that friend of yours that you’re looking for would be real pleased if you took her on one of those~” Petra leaned onto him, teasing with a little bump of her elbow.
“H-Hey, come on, we’re not that close, we just met before I got summoned here.” He waved off her jokes, although he couldn’t help but flush a little at the tease itself.
“Y’never know what can happen, don’t count it out just yet!” She teased further before pulling herself off of him. “Now, why don’t we find some place to eat?” She proposed, her tail wagging slightly as she excitedly perked up at the smell of something delicious drifting through the air. Really, there were multiple scents, all coming from different corners of the city. “Mmh~! Oh I can hardly wait, let’s just pick a direction and try and find something!” She decided, picking up her bags and almost dashing off in a direction.
“H-Hey, wait up!” Minoru called forwards, rushing after her as Milo sighed heavily, following close behind.
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Breathing heavily, Minoru and Milo finally caught up with Petra, who was seated at an outdoor table of a restaurant. Perking up, she smiled at the two, waving them over.
“Hey guys! Took you long enough!” She called to them, chuckling merrily to herself as they joined her at the table and sat down.
“Seriously, Petra, you need to stop running off without us, we almost lost you.” Minoru breathed out exasperatedly.
“I think… traveling with her… has given me more exercise… than any of my voyaging classes ever could…” Milo added, panting as he spoke.
Petra sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. “Sorry, guys, you know how I get when I smell something good. Besides, I was hungry!”
“No… excuses…” Milo panted out before leaning onto the table, resting his head onto it.
Soon enough, a young woman came up to their table, greeting them with a smile. “Hello, and thank you all for dining with us this evening! What can I get started for you?”
As Petra and Milo made their orders, Minoru looked off and watched the people walking by. This street was rather busy, with quite a few restaurants open, hosting all sorts of people. Others walked down the street, and others still seemed to simply enjoy the atmosphere enough to hang out in this area alongside their friends. His expression soured somewhat as he pondered this, wondering if scenes like this played out in that destroyed village, what kind of lives those people led before they were unceremoniously snuffed out. He unconsciously looked back towards Petra and Milo, wondering what kinds of lives they had before they were torn from their previous lives.
He had only known the two for a couple weeks, sure, but they were really all he had in this world. Not to mention how well they treated him and how they were helping to find Hana and get him home. He'd been having these thoughts for a while, but they only amplified after encountering the destroyed village and learning their stories…
Was it really fair for him to prioritize his own goals? Was it selfish of him to want to get home above everything else? It felt… wrong, to him. He had this nagging feeling that he should be doing more for them, that he should prioritize helping their mission, as a visitor to their world, rather than his own. He continually felt some form of… secondhand grief for them, if he had to describe it. It was a strange, pit-in-the-stomach feeling that he got whenever thinking of them, one that made me feel almost sick for prioritizing getting home. It felt… wrong.
"Minoru!" Came Petra's voice, snapping him out of his thoughts, causing him to look around worriedly until he noticed the waitress looking at him expectantly.
“O-Oh, sorry… Uhm… what do you recommend?”
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With a hearty sigh, Petra leaned back in her seat, giving a pleased, happy noise as she polished off her plate.
"Haaah~! Just what I needed!" She sighed, relieved at finally being able to fill her stomach.
"You really scarfed that down quick…" Minoru mused, almost shocked by how fast she had eaten it.
"She wouldn't be so hungry now if she hadn't eaten all of her food yesterday." Milo commented.
"Ahh… the taste of those snacks still brings a tear to my eye… if only I could taste one more…" She lamented in a woeful tone.
"You're still thinking about eating more!? You just stuffed yourself full!"
"Oh, Milo, you simply could never understand…"
"Like I'd want to." He said as he rested his hand on his head exasperatedly.
"Hey… guys?" Minoru interjected, getting their attention. "I'm not sure if this is a good time, but… I think we should try and come up with some idea of how we're going to investigate. I know we agreed to take this day to rest, but… I've been feeling kind of anxious about it. I think it'd be best if we got this done as soon as possible. I mean, a village was destroyed, so many people were killed… I doubt much progress could be made if we took this to the cops. I feel like… we need to be on top of this."
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Petra and Milo pondered his words, before Milo responded. "I do agree with you. If more attacks like this one persist, many more people will be in danger. However, I must remind you that we’re working without much of an idea on where to start. We shouldn’t be hasty about planning this out. Ideally we’d be able to look into records of people traveling on the caravans’ routes, but as simple voyagers we don’t have the influence necessary to get those kinds of documents.”
“I feel the same as you, Minoru. Hell, Milo and I have spent ten years wanting to do this, but the simple fact of the matter is that whoever is leading the monsters doing these attacks has been extremely meticulous about keeping themselves under wraps. As far as I’m aware, that bipedal monster hasn’t been sighted anywhere since what happened to our village.” Petra added.
“I get that, it’s just… When I think about it more, it feels like we’re so helpless to find anything out. I guess I just want to do something sooner rather than later.”
“I understand how you feel, but all we can do now is try and ask around.”
“Mmh…” Minoru muttered out in agreement, clearly a bit downtrodden at the prospect of how little info they had to work with.
“You all said you were investigating monster attacks, right?” A voice came, causing the three to turn and look towards its source, seeing a tall, young man with long, pointed ears- a sign of his status as a lunan- and silver hair stand up from his seat and approach them, bowing to them in greeting. His style of dress was quite regal, wearing a black, militaristic uniform accented with gold, a necklace hanging from his neck alongside a back on the left of his chest. “My apologies for eavesdropping, but I couldn’t help but be interested in your conversation. Do you mind if I sit with you?”
Petra shook her head. “Go ahead. But, who are you?”
“Oh, of course, where are my manners? I am Dedrick von Orleans, it’s a pleasure to meet you all.” He introduced himself with a curt bow and a cheery expression before taking a seat.
“Dedrick von–? W-Wait, you’re the guy that gave the speech in Bolia!” Petra exclaimed.
“Oh? Were you three in the area when I was there? Then you must already know why I’m interested in what you were talking about.”
“You mean about investigating the monsters?”
“Precisely.” His expression soured a little. “Truth be told, I’ve been investigating these monsters and why they’ve spread so far for a long time. Trying to ascertain their goals, what they attack us for, where their malice comes from… It hasn’t been an easy journey, their motives are clouded in this… impenetrable fog, just as much as they were when I started down this path.” He looked at the three, speaking in a low tone. “I know of the destroyed village to the south. Reports about it were brought to the attention of the king, but for some reason action hasn’t been taken. We don’t even have an open case regarding it.” His brow furrowed in frustration.
“You mean… nobody’s even trying to figure out what happened?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I’ve tried pushing for it but my proposals are always rejected. That’s why… if you three don’t mind, I would like to hear what you all know. And, if possible, I would like to help.”
“A-Are you sure?” Milo asked worriedly. “To me, it sounds as if there’s a conscious effort to quash any official investigation, are you certain you’d want to do such a thing?”
“Of course. I care little for the motives of the other nobles in this country. My interest lies solely in uncovering the truth behind this situation, and if the nobility of Draetan seeks to obstruct that truth when hundreds, if not thousands of innocent lives are being taken by these monsters…” He folded his arms. “I would not hesitate to cut them down in the process.”
The three were shocked by his words, a common thought of “This guy’s too intense!” crossed their minds at once.
Clearing his throat, Minoru spoke. “Well, we don’t mind the help, especially from someone of the nobility, but what makes you want to help us in particular?”
Sighing, Dedrick gained an apologetic expression. “I apologize once again for eavesdropping, but I heard mention that some of you were residents of a village that was attacked, ten years ago, am I correct?” He asked, to which Petra and Milo nodded. “If I’m not mistaken, ten years ago was when Wesgrave in Lemuria was destroyed. I traveled there on my own when I heard the news. Simply put, I was… horrified. I have seen a lot since then, but the memory of arriving in that village has stayed with me.” He looked pointedly at the group. “Selfish as this reason might be, but I need to find closure, not just for the people of Wesgrave, but also for everyone else who has lost their lives to these beasts. But most importantly, I wish to find closure for myself, to find out why all of this is happening.”
“I see…” Petra mused. “I… appreciate your honesty. To be honest, it’d be dumb of us to reject your offer, but I want you to know that… we intend to kill whatever monsters we come across. Milo and I… our motivation is a lot more selfish than yours are. We only want revenge. Is it still acceptable for you to work alongside us, knowing that?”
Dedrick pondered her words for a moment. “I admit that… I have some reservations with revenge as a motivator. I know all too well that desire, that hatred…” He clenched his hand around the necklace he wore, looking down at his own fist as he spoke. “I know how it can destroy a person, how it can degrade your very humanity down to nothing. And yet…” He opened his hand, revealing a small pendant at the end of the chains of his necklace, resting in his palm. “I also know how it can drive a person. Much like how despair or spite can make a person accomplish great things, things that help many people, revenge is capable of that as well.”
Letting go of a breath, he paused for a moment before tucking the pendant into his coat, out of view, before looking back up at the three. “It would be foolish of me to criticize the motivation that pushes you, especially when that motivation is one of the most natural emotions that comes to us as humans, when we’ve been on the receiving end of an injustice most vile. Really, it might even be one of the most natural emotions in life in general.” He smiled reassuringly, an expression that displayed a good bit of his age that was usually hidden behind his youthful appearance. “I do not seek to hinder you from your goals, I only wish to request that you do not become consumed by what drives you towards those goals.”
After a few moments, Petra simply smiled brightly, a big toothy grin that departed heavily from her previous graveness of tone. “Well then, I’m looking forward to working with you, Dedrick!” She exclaimed, stretching her hand out, to which he smiled back and reciprocated the gesture.
“As am I… Oh gods, pardon me, I never got your names! My apologies.”
“Hehe, no worries– Petra Belford, at your service!” She introduced herself.
“Milo MacNeill.”
“Minoru Takahashi.”
“Well then, I’m glad to have met you all. I hope our partnership will bear fruit!” He said in a bright tone. “Now then… from the looks of things, you three only just arrived here in Draetan, correct? If that’s the case, I would be happy to arrange your stay here while we do our work.”
“Really!? Are– Are you allowed to do that?” Petra asked, excited.
“Of course! You three will be my honored guests, I have no qualms extending this to you. Our goals are aligned, after all, so why not treat you all like the allies you are?”
“Will– Ahem– W-What kind of food do you nobles eat, i-if I may ask?” Petra inquired, to which Milo simply shook his head and Minoru chuckled, with Dedrick joining him.
“Well, as my allies, I would be happy to treat you all to dinner during your stay here. My family’s personal cooks are quite the masters of their craft, I can assure you. Although, that will have to wait until tomorrow.”
“Ahh… being a noble sounds like the best, getting to have your own master cooks all to yourself…” Petra lamented.
“It’s not all glitz and glamor, I can assure you, but the food is one of the best parts of it, for sure.”
“I’d really like to get a feel for how people in Villesia cook.” Minoru commented.
“Oh? Have an interest in the culinary arts, do you?”
“Well, I would always help with cooking back home, eventually I picked it up on my own and it just stuck."
"Wait, you never told us you could cook, Minoru!" Petra exclaimed.
"It's not like I had the opportunity to! We didn’t have a kitchen or anything at the hostel that I could’ve used."
"You're right… promise to show me some cooking from Japan when you get the chance?"
"Alright, alright, I promise, I'll cook enough for everyone."
"Yay! You're the best!" She replied, excitedly, her tail wagging.
"'Japan…?' I've never heard of that…" Dedrick mused to himself curiously.
"O-Oh, right! Uhm…" Petra began, glancing at Minoru, who simply shook his head. "It's a country in Haucordia! He's traveled to Villesia from abroad, you see."
"Oh, how delightful! I've been to Haucordia only once before, but it was a very beautiful land. I hope you enjoy your stay in Villesia, Minoru."
"Hasn't been anything but pleasant, especially with these two with me."
"Aww!" Petra delightedly exclaimed. "You're too sweet, you're our friend now, so it's only right!" Milo nodded in agreement.
"Looks like you all are close allies already. I'm glad to have you three to help." Dedrick mused with a smile.
"Likewise." Minoru replied, smiling back.
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“Whooaaa! No way, we really get to stay here!?” Petra exclaimed excitedly, almost dumbfounded.
Looking around, the three took in their surroundings as Dedrick led them into the entrance room of his family’s home, night having fallen by the time they arrived. Huge in size and lavish in decoration, the entrance room alone really showed off the family’s status, with architecture befitting nobles. Tall, fancy windows shone down onto large, beautiful plants that lined the railings of the main staircase that laid straight ahead, leading up to a mezzanine that lined around the whole circumference of the room, held up by marble pillars. On the floor, there were intricately designed red carpets, accented with gold. And lining the walls were numerous portraits, paintings, and various objects, from ornate weapons to regal armor. Really, any more than this and it’d be garish.
“Of course.” He gestured to a woman, a seraut with feline ears, tail, and a tied-back style for her blonde hair, dressed in formal clothes, standing off to the side next to the stairs, beckoning her over to which she joined them immediately. “Lydia, these are Minoru, Petra, and Milo. They’ll be my guests for the night.” He introduced her, to which she looked back to the trio with a straight, almost flat expression before bowing in a polite curtsy.
“A pleasure to meet you all.”
“Lydia, would you mind showing them to the guest rooms?” Dedrick asked, gesturing to the stairs that sat at the forefront of the entrance hall and split off into two more staircases, running to either side of the room, a large fireplace resting in-between.
“Of course, Sir Dedrick.” She affirmed. “By the way, your father should be entertaining his own guest right now in his study.” She added.
“Ah, thank you very much, I shall go and see him now.” He addressed her, before turning back to the trio. “Please, make yourselves at home, I’ll be talking to my father for a while, so feel free to turn in for the night.” Dedrick reassured them.
“You got it!” Petra replied, giving him an emphatic thumbs up, eliciting a smile from Dedrick before he walked off.
“This way, please.” Lydia requested, gesturing towards the stairs as she began walking towards them.
“Man, how lucky are we? I mean, not only do we have an Orleans on our side, but we get to stay at his house too?”
“It’s incredibly fortunate to have an ally like Dedrick on our side. I’m sure with his help, this investigation is going to go much smoother.” Milo commented.
“Sir Dedrick is a valuable man to have on your side.” Lydia spoke up out of nowhere. “If a bit idealistic at times. Still, whatever it is you will be doing with him, I’m sure he will be of great assistance.” She commented before stopping, gesturing with a hand to the hall she stopped in front of, either wall lined with three doors each. “These are the guest rooms. Each has its own washroom as well. Additionally, if there is anything you require, there are mana signalers in each room that will get you in touch with one of the servants here, so please do not hesitate to make use of them.” Bowing, she continued. “I hope you three enjoy your time. If you’ll excuse me.” She concluded, before walking past them back the way she came.
Smiling, Petra spoke to Minoru in a low tone. “Y’know, I wonder if there’s any more cute girls like her working here…”
“You think?” He replied, seemingly very curious.
“Y’like maids, huh Minoru? Noble families always got tons of cute maids roaming around, right? Who knows, maybe we’ll get the chance to meet more during our stay!” She added.
“Touch any of them and I’m sure Dedrick’s father will have you thrown in prison.” Milo commented, lightly whacking Petra’s head with his staff as he reprimanded her, forceful enough to make her wince and flinch from the hit.
“Ow! I just said she was cute, alright!? What kind of pervert do you take me for?”
“One who couldn’t stop drooling over Theo when we first met her.”
“I was not drooling, I was appreciating her beauty!”
“Huh, I didn’t know you swung that way, Petra.” Minoru commented.
“What can I say? I’m just an appreciator of the female form, is all~” Petra replied with a knowing smirk, earning her another hit to the head from Milo. “I will snap that thing in two if you don’t stop!” She shot back quickly.
Milo chuckled. “Good luck, I doubt even a beast like you would be able to break this thing.” He smirked, twirling his staff around before walking over to one of the doors. “Anyways, I’m quite tired from today. I’ll be turning in. Let’s be sure to get our investigation started tomorrow, alright?” He asked, to which Minoru and Petra both nodded reassuringly to him. “Good.” He commented, before retiring to his guest room for the night.
Stretching and yawning, small tears forming in the corners of her eyes, Petra let a heavy sigh go. “Welp, I’m pretty beat as well, that dinner we had is tryin’ to knock me out as we speak!” She joked before waving to him as she also moved towards one of the rooms. “See ya tomorrow, Minoru.”
Minoru returned her wave, entering into one of the rooms as she did. Settling in, he set his bag beside a desk that sat beneath a large window. To his left was the closet door, and to his right was the large, king-sized bed as well as the door to the bathroom. Undressing out of his heavier clothes, he changed into the casual shirt and pants he still kept on his person from when he had been summoned, as well as unpacked a few of his items, primarily the various books he had now. His spellbook and notebook chief among them.
Sitting down on the bed, he laid down, finally letting his tensions escape him through a hefty sigh. They had been traveling for so long that he had almost forgotten what a bed felt like! Looking out through the window, he sunk his head into the extraordinarily soft pillows.
“I wonder what dad is up to right now. I hope he isn’t running himself ragged. I can’t imagine how worried he must be… I hope… that my time here won’t be too long… If only he’d been brought here with me, huh? Now that’d be something… If only…” He thought idly to himself as he slowly felt his eyelids growing heavier, getting closer and closer to falling asleep.
“I wonder if Kurogane-san is doing well… I hope she found herself with a group willing to help her like Petra and Milo are for me. I wonder if I’ll meet her during our travels.”
As his mind wandered and his eyes grew heavier, it became harder and harder for him to keep a coherent thought, and soon enough he would drift off to sleep, finally relaxing more than he had been able to this whole week.