“Why are you so annoyed anyway?” Andrew raised a fair question.

Mila studied Mortimer for a moment before pushing past him inside the apartment. The man couldn’t be much older than her. He looked frail, and his body kept twitching as if unable to decide if he should stay or flee. He looked dainty with his semi-long, olive-coloured hair, high-bone cheeks and thin face.

Despite knowing better, Mila had been too rough at the first contact. How Mortimer had looked at Isabel had ticked her off even more than she had been before. “I am not.” She grumbled.

“You kind of are.” Isabel’s tired voice followed behind Mila. “I really missed chairs.” She wistfully whispered while swaying towards them. “And a bed.” After another moment of thinking, she added another item to the list. “And a bath. I need a bath.”

“Yeah, my body is so sore.” Andrew joined Isabel. “Sorry about that, dude.” He addressed Mortimer. “She is usually more amendable. I am Andrew, by the way.” He introduced himself. “The taller lady is Isabel, and the sunshine is Mila.”

Mila ignored Andrew. At least he had regained some of the cheer he had lost on the last night in Ocheon. The few following days had been rough for him. He had barely spoken to them for a while.

And Mila agreed with her companions. Her rear wanted something comfier than cold ground or a rock. She headed towards the table and sat down on the chair. Her nose picked up the smell of freshly baked pastry in the air, which soured her mood even more.

There had been little choice of food during their travel. The best they had gotten was stale bread and jerky from a group of would-be robbers.

Those poor suckers had donated most of their current equipment to them as well as food. Mila had even managed to not kill them, which had been more onerous than it should be. But she had done it for all of their sake.

That encounter had not been dangerous, and the robbers had not aimed for their lives. And yet, Mila still wanted to chase them down and rob their lives. It just felt…

Easier? Was that the word? Perhaps it was. Although, Mila felt the word ‘easier’ shouldn’t be used when talking about taking someone's life.

Mila watched Isabel walk to the table and plop down next to her. She had been holding her chin up somewhat, or at least during the daytime. Her girl’s sleep was far from peaceful. Isabel could fall asleep only if Mila was close to her and holding her hand.

Then, her attention returned to Mortimer, who had a constipated expression. The man seemed to regain his spirits for a moment before he deflated.

“Be my guests?” The poor man gave up. He closed the doors and returned his attention to the trio. “H-how may I help you?” It was clear Mortimer was eager to get them out of his place.

“Just a moment.” Andrew followed Mila and Isabel to the table while pointedly glaring at Mila to stop her from talking. “It’s been a long road. We are tired.”

She wasn’t that bad, was she? Okay, maybe her mood was kind of sour. Mila pursed her lips and started to study the place. It was nice. Especially interesting was one of the rooms. She could swear someone had just peeked at her from there.

And Andrew was right. They were tired. Not so much physically as mentally.

It had been a long trek, and while they had used roads, there had been times they crossed forests to keep away from The Temple forces and the regular army marching towards the battle fronts.

But in the end, they had gathered enough clothes, weapons and supplies to rearm and make themselves presentable before they arrived at Stilag. A simple disguise had been enough to remain unrecognisable. It did mean they left Andrew’s wolf in a more remote spot to stay less conspicuous.

Although they were wanted, there still were no posters of them. The simple cloaks, night, and smoke had done much to keep them unidentifiable during the Temple assault. Albeit, Mila felt like the young man who had gone through the awakening there would recognise her anywhere.

And finally, they were in the city Hanna had pointed them to. She had suggested they look for Zemny Cenpeno in Stilag. He was the only person Hanna could confidently say would know where Tiff and Kefo were heading. This was their best lead.

They had spotted the city on the horizon just at sunrise. And that’s when Mila’s mood started to plummet.

First, upon their arrival, they had realised Stilag was overflowing with people. Newly added shanty towns surrounded the city, making it hard to get inside. There simply were too many people wanting to get inside Stilag. Be it mercenaries, soldiers, caravans or any other occupation - all of them had to have a good reason to be here and, even then, had to wait.

In a way, it was helpful. It certainly helped to stay unrecognised. Mila spotted several other groups similar to theirs. But at the same time…

It was a miserable sight. It was a sorrowful sight. People were trying to scavenge food and basic necessities or find a place to lie down without anyone stepping on them. The smell of faeces, piss and sometimes death was overwhelming. They shouted and cried, seeking for anyone who would listen.

These people had arrived without anything to their name. Sometimes, they were injured or sick. Most of them didn’t find solace. There were simply too many of them.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

Of course, it included them. Luckily, their chosen disguise served well to move up the lines. With gleaming weapons at their sides and confident steps, they pushed through the upsetting place.

They pretended to be mercenaries searching for opportunities to earn glory and coin in the war. It had been Mila’s suggestion. With grim faces and swagger, they could deter most would-be beggars.

Well, Isabel and Andrew were playing that role. No one seemed to believe Mila was anything but their younger sibling - a deadweight.

They had been stopped only upon arriving at the gates, where a guard pointed them towards a recruiter. They had to be tested for their usefulness, and if they were good enough, they would be allowed entry and further instructions on how to join the army.

After besting one of the recruiters, they had been granted a pass inside Stilag. Capable warriors were in high demand. Isabel and Andrew passed the standard to qualify. Mila had just been added to the pass as a bonus. No one even offered her the chance to prove her capabilities. She was treated as a child. It didn’t feel nice, and her mood had worsened.

The next problem was - how to find the person they needed?

After a short brainstorming session, they decided to rely on Andrew’s friendliness. His idea was to ask guards, but after asking around the locals, it turned out there was no need.

One of the rug sellers knew who Zemny was and where he had lived.

Unfortunately, the man had died a few years prior. The seller even knew where Zemny’s son lived and pointed them his way.

Zemny had been a well-known merchant and a nice person. But Zemny’s son, the seller pointed out, was a thief, and he advised them to not associate themselves with him.

All in all, the trio was soon on the right track. Of course, it was an open question whether or not Mortimer could help, but…

If Mila was honest…

She could not eliminate the nagging feeling they were too late. Mila felt Kefo and Tiff were already gone. The chance of them being fine wasn’t high. Even if Silinth had managed to stave off the corruption for over a month, the kids weren’t as sturdy.

But Mila knew Isabel and Andrew wanted to know for sure. The younger kids were their friends. And while she barely interacted with them, they still were more than just acquaintances to her.

Mila mulled over her sad excuse for a social circle for a moment. There wasn’t much she could do about it.

After a light sigh, Mila peeked at Isabel’s tired face and moved her chair closer to her girl. She tried her best puppy-eye impression, hoping it would help her love.

Much to Mila’s delight, it did. Isabel cracked a small smile while poking her arm. It helped to improve Mila’s sore mood as well. It was a win-win solution.

After the trio had all gathered around the table, Mortimer shuffled closer to them. He still looked ready to flee at any given moment. “So, um, again, what did you want?” He tried to appear larger by pushing out his chest.

“Tea,” Mila glanced at the room with the other inhabitant. From what the seller had told them, Mortimer lived alone.

Isabel poked Mila’s hand again. “Mila, be nice.”

Mila really didn’t want to. Mortimer was still looking at Isabel with lecherous eyes… Probably. But if her girl was asking, then… “Fine.” Mila unwillingly agreed. “My apologies, Mr Cenpeno. I let my tiredness get the better of me. I’ll be careful to not repeat the mistake.”

“I wish you would listen to me too.” Andrew sighed and shook his head, interrupting Mr Crow’s preening. “Sorry, Mortimer, that’s the best you’ll get out of her.” The bird chirped along his words. “We won’t bother you for long.”

“R-right!” Mortimer seemed to regain some spirit after Mila’s apology and Andrew’s encouraging words. “Pl-please tell me you trained him properly.” He turned his eyes towards the talkative bird.

Andrew blinked. “Mr Crow?” He tilted his head along the bird. “Trained?”

“You are a beast tamer, right?” Mortimer pointed out the obvious. “Y-you know, trained, so your bonds don’t, you know, relieve themselves freely. It is a big problem!” He eyed his carpet.

Everyone looked down at the admittedly impressive purple carpet. It really didn’t suit the rather shabby-looking building.

Now that Mila took a second look, there were various trinkets and memorabilia that only the rich could afford. And once again, the nagging feeling of her being watched returned. She spread her senses, noting how Mortimer didn’t appear on her internal radar, but didn’t notice anything else.

Well, besides hearing a slight rustle of clothes in the room. There definitely was someone hiding in it. Mila notified Isabel by brushing against her girl’s hand and nodding towards where the eavesdropper was.

After glancing at the doors, Isabel nodded while Mila prepared to move.

Meanwhile, Andrew was baffled. “What? Mr Crow wouldn’t do that, right buddy?”

Mr Crow let out an offended chirp and glared at Mortimer.

“No, but you see, those beasts always do! I don’t want my home b-be sullied that way!”

To be fair to Mr Crow, Mila had not seen him soil anything. She pretended to stretch and pushed the chair back to make it easier to move.

Before Isabel stopped her. “Shouldn’t we just ask about it?” She whispered.

The soft breath of Isabel tickled against Mila’s ear, distracting her for a moment. And despite the long travel, the aroma of her girlfriend was so alluring. She bit her lip. It had been a while since they had been alone together. The harrowing experience didn’t allow for a romantic mood. And besides… Andrew was always with them.

It was another reason Mila felt… Irritable.

“What do you mean you don’t have a permit?” Mortimer’s scandalised voice interrupted Mila’s thought process.

“What permit?” Andrew didn’t understand. Mr Crow, meanwhile, just dismissed the man’s words, likely pointing out that he didn’t need any permit.

“A permit for your beast!” Mortimer pointed at Mr Crow. “You need those if you want to bring beasts into the city!”

That was an interesting tidbit. Back in Ocheon, they had not met any other beast tamers. But here, they were aplenty. The trio had seen several rather fearsome beasts prowling behind their owner. It was likely they gathered here before heading further towards where the fighting was.

But before they could ask, a loud thud from the room alerted everyone of the spy. As Mila rose from her seat with a dagger in her hand, she noticed Mortimer pale in fear.

“S-stop!” He tried to stop her.

But Mila was already moving.