After about thirty minutes of walking, the other mortal Lusya had sensed came into view on the horizon, dressed in the same immaculate white as Azure. A shock of long-ish green hair marked him as most likely being a reltus. As he got closer, his lavender eyes and pointed ears confirmed it. Much like Azure’s uniform, his had a stylized number embroidered in gold over his heart. In his case, it was thirteen instead of seven.

Also like Azure’s uniform, the numbers were rather small and subtle. It was an interesting choice to make the distinguishing feature of the Paladins’ uniform so nondescript. According to Azure, the point was to emphasize that, despite their strength, the Paladins weren’t inherently better than other Sacred Knights and avoid putting them on a pedestal. Lusya didn’t understand why the leadership would want to do that, and Azure had not provided a satisfactory explanation. It seemed to Lusya that it would be wiser to make sure everyone knew a Paladin when they saw one. Even enemies. It took away some element of surprise, but it could also serve as intimidation, so it probably evened out.

The reltus stopped about ten paces away, with Azure doing the same, and Lusya and Ariya just behind and to the side. He had been scowling to start with, but it deepened when he laid eyes on Ariya.

“A child too?” he muttered, seemingly to himself.

Even powerful Sacred Knights’ sensory abilities struggled to detect weaker mortals as Lusya did with ease, so it was no surprise that he had not realized Ariya was there until he had laid eyes on her. Nor was it a mystery why that seemed noteworthy to him. After a moment, he redirected his attention to Azure. His eyes glided over Lusya without acknowledging her. There was no doubt that he knew what she was, and it seemed he was not interested in the details of the demon present. Still, he was silent for a moment, pinning Azure with a glare that she answered with a cool smile, though she did not seem to be in any hurry to speak either.

“I wish I could say it was nice to see you, Seventh,” he said at last. The animosity lacing his voice did not make his words seem sincere. “Unfortunately, it’s about as nice as gouging my own eyes out.”

Azure giggled. “Ever the polite one, Falin.”

“Being dishonest would be much ruder than anything else I could say,” Falin replied. He seemed to be trying to stay calm, but he hadn’t been able to hide a twitch of his eyebrows when Azure brushed off his barb. “Not that you have much room to talk, refusing to address me properly.”

Azure feigned a gasp and raised a hand to her mouth. “My apologies, Thirteenth. It’s just so easy to forget when you don’t act the least bit deserving of it.”

Just as his uniform had suggested, it seemed this man was the Thirteenth Paladin. Lusya was not surprised. Azure’s familiarity, if not friendliness, with him had suggested it, and, while much weaker than her, this Falin was still the second-strongest mortal Lusya had encountered by a significant margin. That did not bode well for what was coming.

Falin gritted his teeth against the insult, his facade of calm annoyance shattering. “I can tolerate plenty of your foolishness, Seventh, but I’ll have you withdraw that. I have earned this position just as much as you. More, even.”

Azure grinned. “Yes, yes, I’m sure daddy’s very proud of you, you little brat.”

“I’m older than you, you dolt,” he spat before smirking. “Or have your human brains already started rotting at that age, hag?”

“Falin, dear,” Azure said gently, as though to a small child—a rather dull one seeing as she did not speak to Ariya in that matter, “you realize that just makes the way you act more embarrassing, right?”

His smile vanished in an instant, replaced again by his usual scowl, deeper than before.

“I thought the Paladins were friends,” Ariya whispered to Lusya.

Azure must have overheard, because she glanced at Ariya and laughed. “Some of us are, but not all by any means. I told you strength wasn’t the sole consideration for ranking the Paladins, but it’s still the main one, and it’s just about the only one for being a Paladin in the first place. That doesn’t exactly lend itself to us being a group of well-adjusted team players.”

“That, we can agree on,” Falin replied.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Ariya said. She looked up at Lusya again. “Did you know that?”

Lusya shook her head. “I did not, but it is not surprising.”

Father had often avoided grouping up powerful demons for similar reasons, and it was Lusya’s understanding that Paladins working together was a rarity. In a tranquil age, it was rare that sending two Paladins somewhere wasn’t overkill, but even during the war, it had been rare for more than one to be in the same place at the same time.

“Case in point, Falin Rivelda,” Azure said, gesturing toward him. “Not well-adjusted, not a team player.”

He clicked his tongue. “I see trying to be civil with you was a mistake.”

“When, exactly, did you try that?” Azure turned to Lusya and Ariya. “Did either of you hear anything like that?”

“Nope!” Ariya said with an exaggerated shake of her head. “He’s a big old meanie!”

“I did not,” Lusya said. Granted, Azure had not tried to be civil either, but Falin had set the tone of the conversation from the start.

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“Right?” Azure said. “See, Falin, the problem here is that you have an absolutely awful personality.”

Falin snarled. “I don’t want to hear that from you, of all people.”

“I’m actually quite popular among people who aren’t taking out their inferiority complex on me,” Azure said, never losing her cool smile. “I promise I wasn’t born a prodigy or beat you into the top ten out of spite, if it makes you feel any better. I’m just a little better at this than you.”

Falin seethed, clenching his fists tight. “Enough of this.” He shook his head and jabbed a finger at Lusya. “Why are you traveling with a demon?”

Azure still didn’t falter. “I don’t believe who I travel with his any of your business. Need I remind you that I outrank you outside the Paladins too?”

“That’s irrelevant when you’re violating our rules,” Falin said. “Providing shelter to demons is a clear violation of the Code of Jaune.”

“And that rule is outdated,” Azure said. “Demons are living beings. They don’t deserve to die just for being born.”

Falin scoffed. “Reading Madirian literature, are we?”

“I have been, actually,” Azure said. “Broadening your intellectual horizons isn’t something to be ashamed of, not that I expect daddy’s little puppet to understand that.”

Madirism was a religion popular in many lands on the continent of Enya, across the ocean to the east of Ysuge. Unlike most of Ysuge’s popular religions, most sects taught that Malice and demons were naturally occurring, proper parts of the world, rather than some foreign element or test. They believed understanding these things and, ultimately, finding peace with them was the key to overcoming the Demon King cycle once and for all. Of course, even the most devout practitioners were forced to admit that, at present, most demons needed to be dealt with by force.

Lusya would not have thought a Sacred Knight attracted to it. Their core doctrines were antithetical to one another. Then again, Azure had befriended Father in the past. It was no wonder her views on demons were unusual. Considering her apparent compassion, though, she sure seemed to enjoy battle. People were so complicated. Lusya had realized as of late that it was perhaps a bit hypocritical of her to think that, but that didn’t make it any less true.

“Regardless of your personal beliefs,” Falin said. “This is still a violation of our code.”

“You don’t know that,” Azure said. “You have no idea what I’m going to do with her.”

He scoffed. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“Yes, but that’s besides the point,” Azure said. “Unless you have something important to tell me, drop it. Now.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he said. “Not for such a serious infraction. Certainly not for you.”

Azure sighed and held up a hand in a placating gesture. “Come on, now, Falin, no one here wants a fight. You don’t want to end up hurt or dead either, do you? Just forget the whole thing and we can all move on with out lives.”

“It’s not a matter of what I want,” he said.

“Of course it’s not,” she replied. “If it was, you wouldn’t be here in the first place. I could respect your commitment to the rules if it was for any reason other than your father’s delusional ambitions.” Her smile suddenly turned from smug to sad. “You’re not going to make First, Falin. You might be here long after Elphrid is gone, but someone else will pass you in the meantime. It’s not because you’re weak or a bad person. Your heart just isn’t in it.”

“Don’t talk like you know me!” he snapped. “If you insist on protecting this—” He looked at Lusya for the first time and fell silent, his eyes going wide. Then his scowl returned, more intense than ever, as he returned his focus to Azure. “Your sins run quite deep, don’t they, Seventh?”

The meaning of all of that was lost on Lusya, but that might have been the first time she saw Azure scowl. “Falin. Leave.”

Falin smirked. “No need to panic. I’ll take it upon myself to purge those sins.”

Azure was ready to charge. It was almost imperceptible, but Lusya could see it, the slightest movements of her limbs, her grip shifting on her spear, ready to drop it so she could call her Sacred Blade to her hand in its place.

“Azure,” Lusya said, drawing her attention, “watch Ariya.”

Azure’s eyes widened. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she frowned and nodded, relaxing a bit. She was still on guard, but no longer about to attack.

Lusya released Ariya’s hand. “Stay near Azure. Listen to what she says. I will be back.”

Ariya frowned but didn’t hesitate to obey. “Yes, Lusya.” She ran to Azure’s side, grabbed onto the Paladin’s cloak, and threw Lusya a thumbs up with her free hand. “Go get ‘im, Lusya!”

“There’s no point in playing tough,” Falin said. “We both know how this is going to end.”

Lusya shrugged off her pack. “You are stronger than me, but not by a large enough margin to make the end result certain.”

Falin removed his pack as well and tossed it aside. “No. I already know it.”

“You may believe that if you wish,” Lusya said, walking forward.

Falin clicked his tongue. “Of course…”

“Are you sure about this?” Azure asked. “If you’re not, I’ll do it.”

Lusya shook her head. “This was inevitable from the start. I was prepared to fight when I came with you. You do not need to trouble yourself by killing your comrade.”

Azure pursed her lips and nodded. “I understand. I’d prefer if you didn’t kill him either, but do what you need to do.” She smiled. “And do your best, Lusya.”

Lusya nodded and continued on. She stopped a few feet in front of Falin. For all his talk of how she needed to die, he didn’t make any move to strike her. He seemed to be treating the affair like some kind of duel. That suited her just fine.

“May we move away?” Lusya said.

Falin scoffed. “Concerned for the child’s safety?”

“Yes.”

He scowled and clicked his tongue, but he didn’t miss a beat before nodding. “Fine. Follow me.”

He turned and walked away, though he kept his head turned such that he could see her. It would have been nice if he had taken his eyes off her and offered her an advantage, but moving the battle was her primary concern. She likely wouldn’t have risked compromising that by attacking even if he had looked away. She followed until they were a few hundred feet from Azure and Ariya, at which point Falin stopped. She stopped about twenty feet behind him.

“Happy?” he asked as he turned toward her.

“No, but it will suffice,” she replied.

He frowned. “Good. I am curious. What is your name?”

“Lusya,” she replied.

“No surname?” he said. “Interesting. Since you’ve introduced yourself, I suppose I’ll return the favor. I am Falin Rivelda, Thirteenth Paladin of the Sacred Knights of Ysuge.”

“I had gathered most of that already,” Lusya said.

He ground his teeth. “I didn’t think there was anything worse than that irreverent hag, but your stoic act pisses me off.”

“This is my natural demeanor,” Lusya said. “I am not attempting to provoke you.”

“I guess you’re just unlucky, then,” he said. “Blame your mother for lying with a demon.”

Lusya didn’t know if he knew her mother or had simply guessed that she was a half-demon. For that matter, she didn’t know why he had become quite so fixated on her all of a sudden. He had wanted to kill her from the start, of course, but his animosity seemed to have taken an oddly personal turn. She was tempted to ask, though she doubted she would get a useful answer.

“That’s enough talk,” he said before she got the chance. “Half-demon, half-human. You’re the absolute scum of Ysuge. Consider it an honor to die by a Paladin’s hand. Stasio!”