As promised, Beldo had ended up paying for the entirety of Lusya and Ariya’s stay at the inn, both their room and meals. He must have visited this village with some regularity. The innkeeper had greeted him with jovial salutations and thanks for assistance with some errand “last time.” The innkeeper had even given Beldo a discount. Regardless of his true intentions, it was clear that Beldo was quite the unusual demon.

After paying for their room, Beldo had continued holding up his end of the bargain and departed town immediately. Lusya had sensed him move farther and farther away without stopping, until he was out of her sensory radius. So far, he was doing a good job of earning her trust. Keeping a promise was a good sign for his character.

Of course, it was still possible this was all some elaborate, long-term ruse. Perhaps he had been laying the groundwork to earn the villagers’ trust before betraying them and had been forced to improvise around her arrival. If he knew Mother and Father, he might have known more about Lusya herself than he let on, and he may have intentionally played on her affinity for promises. Although the promise that had spawned that affinity had been resolved, the importance she placed upon them had not. Perhaps that was Father’s influence, or perhaps she had just grown to think them important all her own.

Still, Lusya found it more likely that, for the time being, he was not hostile and would not be for the foreseeable future. It was doubtful someone could know such a detail of her character without her knowing them, and she was sure she had never met Beldo before. And, if she took his word as true, he implied he had met Mother and Father only briefly before Lusya had even been born. So, it was unlikely he was plotting anything against or related to her. For that matter, he had little reason to think he would need to. Perhaps, if Mother had raised her, Lusya may have become a Sacred Knight. But, in this life, it was plain to see that she was not. Beldo had no reason to believe she would object to destroying the village more than any other demon. The only reason she would was because Ariya would.

None of that precluded him plotting against the village as a whole, of course. But Lusya found it doubtful. He would have had little reason to try to include Ariya and Lusya in whatever game he was playing if there was one, and he had clearly already earned the villagers’ trust some time ago. If his goal was to gain and subvert it, he would have done the latter long ago.

There were other things, things that poked at Lusya’s curiosity. Small communities were infamously apprehensive of or even hostile to outsiders. Even if it was only with the innkeeper, the level of rapport she had seen was not forged overnight. Beldo must have been coming here for months. Years, if it was not just the innkeeper, which seemed likely considering how popular Beldo had been with the children the previous day. Were the Sacred Knights ignoring him? She could think of no other way that a powerful high-rank demon could have survived for so long during a turbulent age near the Sacred Knights’ seat of power. Even if he was strong enough to fight off a Paladin, they would have sent multiple. It would have been a destructive clash, and word of it probably would have spread. And if—by some miracle—he survived, he probably wouldn’t have stayed here.

It was an interesting mystery. One Lusya, unfortunately, had neither the answers to nor the means to derive them.

She supposed most of those concerns were moot. She would be leaving this village and this region soon enough. It would be…frustrating to have so many questions unanswered, but she would live.

It was as she finished breakfast that she pondered all that. Ariya sat across from her, downing a cup of milk after having finished her meal. She let out a contented sigh and patted her belly, a thin line of milk topping her lip.

“You have milk on your face,” Lusya said.

Ariya grabbed her napkin and wiped the mustache off, then puckered her lips as if Lusya might have trouble seeing over the couple feet between them.

“Better. If you have finished, we are going now.”

“Am I gonna get my candy?” Ariya asked.

Lusya shook her head. “We still do not know enough about Beldo. I cannot be certain it is safe for you to eat one.”

Although she had not left the inn yet, Lusya would have expected to notice some sign if the other children had suffered any ill effects from the candy—a commotion or change in the villagers’ mood—but there was none as far as she could tell. Aside from groggy, the innkeeper and the few others eating seemed no different from the previous day. Still, Lusya could not be certain. It had been less than twenty-four hours since Beldo had distributed the sweets. She was not going to take chances by trusting a demon with Ariya’s well-being.

Ariya sighed but smiled after a moment. “Okay, Lusya. That must be right if you say so.”

“Indeed.” Lusya was well aware that she was not always right, but her judgment was often better than Ariya’s, including in this case, and Ariya having such faith in Lusya was beneficial, so Lusya saw no reason to correct her.

“Anyway, I’m done. We can go.”

Lusya nodded and stood, with Ariya following suit. Lusya looked to the innkeeper and saw an opportunity.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” she said as she approached the counter.

He shrugged. “No problem at all, as long as I’m getting paid.”

“I would assume as much,” she replied. “Although, I am not the one who paid.”

“Money is money,” the man said with a smile. “And a friend of Beldo’s is a friend of mine.”

Lusya cocked her head and blinked twice. “I see. He seems quite well-liked, despite being quite distinct.”

“Well, he’s been coming around as long as I can remember,” the innkeeper said. “And I mean that literally. Shadows, I’m pretty sure the man’s been visiting since before I was born. We’ve got whole generations who grew up with him stopping by, since he’s a reltus and all.”

An actual reltus would have aged noticeably in that time, but the other two mortal races were often ignorant of the precise rates relti aged at. And Lusya saw no reason to correct him.

“And are his visits always like this?” Lusya asked.

“Like what? He usually stops by, chips in with an oddjob or two, and moves on. Sometimes he’s got presents or the like too.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Like the candy?”

The innkeeper chuckled. “What, you want some? Sorry to say, it’s for the kids. First come, first serve if there’s any leftover. Sometimes I wish I was a kid again just so I could get some…”

“That is not what I asked about,” Lusya said. “Does he bring it frequently?”

The innkeeper frowned. Probably because she had been rude. If he wanted politeness, he should have answered her the first time. “Not really. Maybe about twice a year or so. Why?”

“I was only curious,” Lusya said. “Good-bye.”

“Right, bye.”

Lusya turned and walked away with Ariya in tow. “You may have a candy.”

“Really?” Ariya asked. She jumped into the air. “Yay! You’re the best Lusya. You were already the best, but now you’re the extra-best.”

“That statement is nonsensical, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

They made their way to the door and walked out of the inn. At that precise moment, a man trying to enter bumped into Ariya.

“Oh, sorry, young lady,” the man said with a smile. “I should have been more careful.”

“It’s okay,” Ariya replied. “Bye!”

The man waved and they parted ways. Lusya led Ariya away from the inn, looked around for anyone who might have seen, and stopped. Lusya had not missed the way Ariya’s hand moved, nor the way she now held it, closed loosely enough to appear casual but tightly enough to conceal whatever was in her grasp.

“Ariya, what did you take from that man?”

Ariya smiled proudly for a brief moment, before she obviously detected Lusya’s displeasure and cast her eyes to the ground. Ariya held up her free hand and sheepishly opened it, revealing a single copper coin within. A Talsian arga, to be specific, but that was irrelevant.

“Why did you take that?” Lusya asked.

Ariya squirmed beneath her gaze. “Because we need money…right? You’re always talking about it.”

“We do need money,” Lusya said. “But that is none of your concern.”

“If it’s we then it’s my problem!” Ariya replied. “Even if it wasn’t, your problem is my problem!”

“No,” Lusya said. “Your problems are my problems so long as you are in my care. The reverse does not apply. Regardless, you should not be stealing.”

Ariya looked up at Lusya with wide, questioning eyes. “But you do.”

Lusya blinked. “How do you know that?”

“It’s obvious!” Ariya replied. “You go out in the middle of the night and then, all of a sudden, we have more money. Where else could it come from?”

There were numerous other potential sources, and Lusya had considered many of them, but informing Ariya of either of those facts did not seem productive at the moment.

“You are correct,” Lusya said. “But even so, you should not be stealing. My doing something is not reason for you to do it.”

Ariya hung her head. “I just wanted to help.”

“I know, and I appreciate the sentiment,” Lusya replied. She knelt and took the coin. “But you must not do such things. You must avoid harming others.” She put the coin in her purse. “We will keep this, because returning it would invite more trouble. But you will not do it again. Am I understood?”

Ariya nodded. “Yes, Lusya.”

Lusya patted her head. “Good girl.”

Ariya regained some cheer at that, raising her head and smiling. Lusya stood and they continued walking. She would have to be more vigilant in the future. Ariya must have been practicing to have pulled off that maneuver. Her motives were innocent enough that it was not cause for concern, and there was no change worth noting in her Malice levels, but this becoming a pattern could be troublesome.

For now, they just had to get out of town. Lusya did not know if or when that man would notice a single coin missing, but it would be inconvenient if they waited to find out. It seemed, however, that they would be meeting with Beldo first. He was making his way toward town, and Lusya had the sense he would want to speak with her again.

Indeed, he intercepted them as they made their way into the outskirts of the village, rounding a corner to meet them. He wore an easy smile and had his bag of candy in one hand.

“See?” he said. “I’m trustworthy.”

“So it would seem,” Lusya replied. “You have quite the reputation in this town, earned over decades. I find it unlikely that is part of some long-term plot, and you could not have known I was coming here to change your behavior.”

Beldo chuckled. “Thank you for that analysis on why I probably won’t murder you. Most half-demons are a little strange, but you’re unique even among them. Maybe it’s because of your father.”

“Perhaps,” Lusya said. She cocked her head and blinked twice. “Have you known many half-demons?”

Half-demons were quite rare, to the point that most mortals didn’t even know they existed, and it didn’t occur even to Sacred Knights that Lusya might be one. As far as Lusya knew, she was the only half-demon born in centuries. It was a favorable state of affairs, seeing as it kept her from being discovered.

“I wouldn’t say many,” Beldo said. “Around half a dozen or so. Before you, I hadn’t seen one in two, three hundred years. Doesn’t mean there weren’t any more born, of course.” His expression and tone soured. “They could have been in hiding, and I’ve heard a lot of them just get killed at birth.”

“I see.”

“But I didn’t come here for such morbid conversations. First thing’s first, I believe Ariya was promised two candies.” He grinned and extended the bag to her. “Take your pick.”

Ariya grinned and reached into the bag.

“You will have one,” Lusya said.

Ariya looked up at her with wide eyes. “But Lusya…”

“Do not ‘but Lusya,’ me. The revoking of what was a special privilege to begin with is an exceedingly mild punishment.”

Ariya sighed. “Yes, Lusya.”

She drew a single paper-wrapped orb out of the bag and unwrapped it to reveal a bright red ball. She turned it about in her hand, examining it.

Beldo cocked an eyebrow. “Did something happen?”

“Nothing you need concern yourself with,” Lusya said. “Now that Ariya has received her candy, we must go.”

Ariya popped the candy into her mouth, and all traces of discontent vanished as she squealed in delight.

“It’sh sho sweet!”

“Do not speak with that in your mouth,” Lusya said. “It almost fell out.”

Ariya grunted in agreement and nodded.

Lusya nodded at Beldo. “Farewell.”

“Actually,” he said, stepping into her path, “I was thinking we could travel together for a while. I know this area pretty well. I’m sure I can help you find the best way through. Are you headed for Talsia?”

Lusya nodded. “It is not our ultimate destination, but we are going in that direction, and we have little choice but to pass through the country itself.”

The country they were in now, Kiner, might as well have been Talsia. It was independent, but a rural villager’s use of a foreign currency did not speak to the strength of that independence. She suspected much the same would hold for the other small countries they would pass through on their way to Talsia.

“How are you planning on getting there?” he asked.

“We will head northwest from here to Farhaven, then we will…”

Beldo nodded along as he listened to her explain her intended route. When she had finished, he hummed in thought for a moment, then nodded once more. “Not a bad way to go about it, but you could do better. Let me be your guide. I’ll show you the best way.”

Lusya blinked. “Why?”

“You seem interesting,” he replied. “And at my age, it’s rare to find something new and exciting. Gotta seize on it when I do. Besides, I might not have known Romoro and Azure long, but I still feel like I should make sure their kid is doing okay.”

“I do not need your supervision,” she said. “And if Mother had any concerns, she could have told me when we met recently. But you have sparked my curiosity as well, and I will not object to a guide, provided your services will not be too expensive.”

“I won’t be charging you a thing,” he replied. “I’d appreciate it if you’d share your food with me at mealtimes, but I’ll pay you for anything I eat. And it’s no big deal if you don’t want to.”

Demons did not need to eat, but, if he was going to compensate her, she saw no reason not to allow him to do so for pleasure.

She nodded. “I accept your offer. And you may eat during meals.”

A guide could prove beneficial. That had always been the case. Lusya did not know this region well, nor much of the area they had covered during their journey. Her planned route was based purely on maps, and at this point had been planned almost a year ago. Much could have changed in that time.

The main reasons she had not had a guide for most of the journey were cost and the need for secrecy. Beldo was not asking for money, and he had yet to ask a single question about her and Ariya. It seemed worth using him as a guide. The chance to find out more about him was an added bonus.

“Then follow me,” he said.

He began walking, and Lusya did just that.

“If he’s coming with us, can I have another candy?” Ariya asked. She had spent a while sucking on it, before destroying it in a series of loud crunches.

“We shall see,” Lusya said. “You may earn another with your behavior.”