There were about two dozen men and women assembled on the edge of the village when Yuvina came to speak with us again.

“Well we’re all here.”

“This is all of you? What happened to all the others?”

“A lot of the other villagers didn’t stay here long. They went with my grandfather to find somewhere better to live.”

I blinked. They went out, largely unarmed, into the dangerous wilderness just for a relatively slim chance at finding a better life for themselves?

“Did they not even have a destination in mind?”

“They figured they might make their way to the capital eventually. But other than that, not really.”

“Why did they want to leave so badly?”

“It was pretty obvious there wasn’t much room for all of us here and they wanted a chance at a fresh start. To be honest, I almost went myself.”

“What stopped you?”

Yuvina shrugged. “Fear, I guess. That and I had trouble imagining there was really anything better out there for us. As hard as things were here, at least there was a chance at food and shelter. I’m glad I stayed though, it worked out pretty well in the end.”

“How so?”

Things didn’t seem to have changed much around here as far as I could tell.

“Most of Biustarn’s men are gone, and those of us that stayed were more than happy to take advantage of all the empty houses. Not that the other villagers gave us any of the good ones, but hey, they were here first.”

Elmidath, silent up until this point, finally saw fit to interject. “You seem to have done quite well for yourselves then, given the circumstances. Have you heard any news of those who left?”

Yuvina shook her head. “No, nothing. But they might still be alright out there, I’d give them decent odds.”

“Hopefully there’s good news to be had about them soon then. You said they were travelling toward the capital? I’ll ask around if I happen to take a trip in that direction.”

“Thank you, I’d appreciate it.”

“Now then, I believe it’s about time I let everyone know why I’ve brought them here.”

She moved away from us and approached the crowd a short distance away, who’d spent most of the time since they’d arrived muttering amongst themselves.

“I’m sure you must all be wondering why I’ve brought you here today and have important things to attend to, so let me get right to the heart of the matter. Those of you who choose to remain here will do so as my subjects and will hence forth be expected to carry out their duties as directed by myself or my subordinates. If you refuse these terms, then you will leave at once and find shelter elsewhere.”

The villagers’ chatter died down over the course of her short speech, until they were watching in silence. I could only see a handful of their eyes, and they all seemed frightened. After delivering her ultimatum, Elmidath held out her hand away from the village, indicating where they could go if they refused her off.

Several moments passed without anyone saying or doing anything. Only then did Elmidath resume her speech.

“Good. Now, as to the recent chaos that has overtaken much of this land, I am pleased to announce it is at an end. Thanks in part to my own efforts, we have stymied the foe that consumed my father and has wrought so much devastation as of late. You no longer have anything to fear from them.”

She stopped to breath and survey the crowd. A few of them nodded to each other, or whispered what I hoped were positive things.

“As to the future, I’m still currently negotiating with the new ruler of this land to ensure all your needs are met. If you have any further concerns that need addressing, feel free to seek me out.”

Turning on her heel, Elmidath strode off and I went with her. While she’d somewhat massaged the truth, I mostly approved of what she’d said. It was hopeful without being deceptive. Or at least, not overly deceptive. I could certainly stomach a few white lies when it came to bringing their lives back to order. None of the villagers followed us, and once we were out of ear shot, I addressed Elmidath.

“I think you did a good job back there.”

“I hope so. None of them walked away at least, that has to be a good sign. Though this is really just the beginning, there is still much more to do.”

“Did you really mean that last part? That they could talk to you if they had any concerns?”

“Of course. A leader needs to listen to their subjects after all, even if only to give them peace of mind. I imagine few of them, if any, will take me up on that offer though.”

I thought back to Yuvina’s attitude towards her, and snorted in amusement.

“I’m sure you’ll be hearing from at least one of them very soon.”

Elmidath didn’t reply, and after a few moments, I moved on to another topic.

“What do you intend to negotiate with Miusin anyway? Or to do about Yueryurn?”

“It’s too early for me to say much about Yueryurn with confidence, we’ll have to see how it all shakes out before I make any real decisions. Presumably one of Yueryurn’s soldiers will take over, but even then, I’m not sure what their intentions will be.”

She paused to take a breath.

“As for Miusin, I was thinking perhaps we could rule this land together. Neither of us have a great deal of experience or military force behind us, so it seems like a logical arrangement that would benefit us both.”

Now that caught me completely off guard, to the point where I nearly tripped over my own feet.

“What? You want to share power with her? Would she even be willing to do something like that? Would you?”

“I would never have suggested it, even to you, if I weren’t. While I don’t really trust Miusin, she seems more trustworthy than anyone else I could have working under me. Barring yourself, of course, but you’re hardly fit for a job like this.”

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“No argument here. You think she’d be willing to do something like that?”

Glancing up at the sky, Elmidath’s mouth opened and closed while she considered the question.

“I don’t think it’s something that she’d want. As a matter of fact, it’s not exactly my preference either, but I hope that she’ll recognise the benefits it would bring. Surely we’ve both proven ourselves to be reasonably competent when it comes to certain tasks at least.”

Reasonably competent when it comes to certain tasks, if that wasn’t damning with faint praise then I didn’t know what was.

“That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement.”

“I know, but I think we’re still the best of her available options. And I’m sure we’ll do better in future. Mostly.”

“I’m sure we will.”

It was hard to say how much either of us really believed that, but I was willing to believe in the idea of it at least. Things had to get better eventually. Until they did, we’d just have to endure as best we could.

Elmidath yawned.

“This has all been rather tiring. We’ll pick this up tomorrow. I assume you’ll have found Miusin by then.”

“I’ll find her if she’s still here. Where are you going to stay anyway?”

“I’m not sure exactly. I’ll talk to Korzan and see if she can set me up somewhere. If need be, I can always stay where ever she’s living right now.”

While I doubted Korzan would welcome the imposition, she’d probably tolerate it without too many complaints.

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“I imagine you can find somewhere to stay on your own?”

“Yeah, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Bye then.”

Elmidath headed back towards the village while I contemplated my next move. If Miusin was going to turn up, then I imagined it would be later on given that we’d only just been searching for her, so I decided to take a walk while I waited. Walking around the edge of Lord Biustarn’s broken tower, I drew a few glances from the demons working there but none of them seemed all that interested in my company.

I imagine they had too much on their plates to care much about one of Elmidath’s soldiers, which had to be how they saw me. It wasn’t too far from the truth at this point either. Despite my otherworldly origins, I wasn’t all that different to any of the other soldiers I’d encountered without Shotensho’s power. It was a humbling thought, and one that bothered me more than a little.

If I was going to live in this world, fighting merely to survive, then I at least wanted to be special. How was I meant to have any say in what happened if I had no more power than a common solider? I’d have to change that somehow, though I couldn’t see any way of doing that right now.

The power of both Shotensho and Yueryurn were still within my sword, I could feel that much, they were simply out of magical energy. I’d have to see about replenishing it at some point, though I’m not sure who could really help me with that. It was a pity Tagath wasn’t still with us, he would’ve been able to either fix it or point me to someone who could.

I spent some time admiring the way the broken stone that had once formed this majestic tower scattered the suns’ light across the ground. Each minute movement of the celestial bodies above created entirely new patterns, which managed to hold my interest for a while.

Eventually I grew bored of watching the lights and moved on. There were few other features of note to be found here in this wasteland however, and so I simply wandered. There was a certain serenity in travelling with no destination in mind for once.

I’d spent much too long seeking one thing or another to accomplish some crucial task. Now all I sought was a little rest and light entertainment. Unfortunately, entertainment was sorely lacking in this world, so I’d have to settle for a simple walk.

With the Ortisfel no longer seeking our destruction, there wasn’t much to worry about but I kept my guard up regardless. There may still be Tertium or perhaps some sort of bandits to be found out there. That constant threat made it difficult to truly relax, but it was still peaceful compared to everything else I’d encountered lately.

Leaving both the village and the ruined tower behind, I walked a circuit around the area. Now that I was free to pay more attention to the mundane landscape around me, it made it all the clearer just how barren it was out here.

There was no plant life or animals to be seen, nor any people about. I often found that made for a somewhat bleak, depressing view. And yet, this time it came as something of a relief. Partly because it was quite familiar to me now, but also that it offered no challenges or demands on my time. The endless stretches of broken earth didn’t care who I was or what I did, which I found oddly comforting.

I wandered over low hills and around the many crevices, thoroughly engrossed in my own thoughts. Occupied as I was, it came as a bit of a shock when I heard sobbing ahead. Curiosity overtook my sense of propriety and I headed towards the sound. A demon woman was sitting in a crescent-shaped hollow atop a rise, hugging her knees to her chest.

From her light brown hair and greyish blue skin, I assumed it must be Miusin. Probably best that I leave her alone then, she’d clearly come out here to be alone. And yet, I found myself rooted to the spot. Despite the imposition it would be, I felt compelled to offer what little comfort I could.

I doubted it would end well, but I called out to her anyway.

She shot to her feet, hurriedly wiping her face with her sleeve before turning to face me.

“Do you need something?”

My first impulse was to ask her why she’d been crying, but that seemed a rather indelicate way of going about it.

“Not exactly, I mostly just came out here to get some air. I’m guessing you did the same.”

“Something like that. Where’s Lady Sarinknell?”

“Resting. We were looking for you earlier by the way, but no one seemed to know how to find you.”

“I needed some time alone. Everything was just getting to be a bit too much.”

Nothing in her tone or words seemed to indicate that she wanted me to leave, so I took that as a good sign and pressed on.

“I can understand that. A lot of terrible things have happened and it’s been hard on all of us. There’s no shame in taking a break from it all while you can.”

She glanced at me with a flicker of a smile.

“Thanks. Hey, can I tell you something in confidence?”

“Sure.”

“You swear you won’t tell anyone else about this?”

“I swear.”

Swallowing, she moistened her lips nervously. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this; any of it.”

“How do you mean?”

“I mean I don’t think I can be responsible for all these people. I’m no leader.”

It occurred to me that this would be a perfect time to suggest she give control over to Elmidath, but that hardly seemed like the right thing to do.

“Leading is just something you do, it’s not like people who do it are special really.”

“Really? Because they seem pretty special to me. I can’t imagine doing what they do, especially in the long term.”

I took a few moments to think, trying to articulate my thoughts as best as possible.

“I’ve never really led anyone myself, so what I’m about to say might be totally wrong. But the way I see it, is that it’s just a hard job for anyone. While it’s possible that you might not be cut out for it, I think you’re selling yourself short. If you really apply yourself, then I bet you can do at least as well as any of the demon lords I’ve met.”

She met my gaze, apprehension plain upon her features. “And what if I fail? What if I get my subjects killed?”

“If you fail, and you will, then you just have to own your mistake and do better next time. That’s just how life is.”

Miusin shook her head, holding her arms close to her chest.

“I don’t think I could handle it.”

“Well you don’t have to handle it alone, that’s why you need people you can trust working with you. Speaking of which, Elmidath wants to join forces with you. I think you’d both have a much easier time doing all this together.”

Frowning, she retreated a step from me.

“And what makes you think I trust either of you?”

“I don’t expect you to trust us, at least not yet. Though I hope our good intentions haven’t been lost on you. All I ask is that you try to work with Elmidath and see how it goes. I think a little cooperation would go a long way, especially in such difficult times.”

“What happens if I refuse? Are you two just going to seize power here?”

“No. I can’t speak for Elmidath’s thoughts on the subject, but I wouldn’t let something like that happen.”

She raised an eyebrow at that.

“Really? Not ever?”

“Well, barring any extreme circumstances where we’d have to take action to protect our own people.”

“I’m still not sure about any of this, it seems like a huge leap. I mean I don’t even want to do this.”

“Sometimes what we want is inconsequential next to what we need to do. If you’re not going to lead these people, then who is?”

Miusin fell silent and I took that as a good opportunity to leave her be.

“Give it some thought and see how you feel tomorrow. There’s no sense rushing into these things.”

She glanced at me one last time before looking back toward the horizon.

“I’ll think about it.”