With the hostages trailing behind them, the party made their way down to the village of Sarcodes, sending signal flares to alert the rest of the soldiers. At some point close to the village, Arlan and Rona split off to bring the body of Gladys elsewhere.
Camilla looked at the saber she was still carrying. Already of mediocre construction, it now looked absolutely trashed out of its mind. It had burn marks and a weird iridescent sheen – oxidation, caused by her fire magic. Crusty bits were falling off of it.
“Gods, this thing is awful,” she said, making a face.
“Yeah, you totaled that saber. Just hold onto it for now,” Prelinsa advised.
“I know. I can’t wait to have my own sword back.”
“Right?”
Prelinsa’s katana and Camilla’s usual saber were forged in volcanic areas, under the dance of fire and mana. This had the effect of imbuing them with resistance to those elements, as well as helping mana flow more easily through them. Any tool constructed in this way was called a ‘medium,’ regardless of whether it was a weapon, armor, or something else. A medium didn’t increase its wielder’s magic power, but aided in control. Naturally, all mages used mediums whenever possible.
Back in the village, an expectant crowd was waiting. As they reunited with their loved ones, people hugged one another and cried. It was a joyful time of celebration for the villagers.
But for Prelinsa, it was still too early to celebrate. There was now a mystery of where Gladys had gotten her Leviathan Core. It was a powerful, dangerous, and restricted magic, which only some members of House Goldensun and House Silvermoon had access to. For someone like Gladys to have a Leviathan Core brought back bad memories of the Second Civil War. During the war, House Goldensun had taught the Way of the Leviathan to innocent clones and used them for combat. Most of those clones had died horrible deaths, but some had survived and were now under the care of House Silvermoon.
“We cannot thank you and the others enough,” Mayor Freewinter said to Prelinsa and Camilla, bowing deeply. “You have saved not only our village, but many peoples’ families today.” Meanwhile, Mirabelle – still in her gorgeous wolf form – was surrounded by an admiring crowd.
“Hold your thanks for a bit. There was something we weren’t expecting,” Prelinsa said. “It could be a big issue if not dealt with properly.”
She told him about what they had seen. About Gladys, and the presence of a Leviathan Core. As she did, Mayor Freewinter’s face darkened.
“We had no idea. That is very serious,” he agreed.
“More people from House Silvermoon will come here later to investigate,” Camilla said. “We ask for your cooperation in advance.”
The mayor bowed. “Naturally, we will do all that we can. But for now, it is a time of celebration. We have little to offer prestigious guests such as yourselves, but we hope you will stay and partake.”
“Of course,” said Camilla.
----------------------------------------
Medics from House Silvermoon’s military division were on the scene, and concluded that Mirabelle’s wound was completely fine. Rona had healed it properly, and the Ocean’s Blessing had done its job neutralizing the effects of the poison. To the relief of everyone, there was no danger to Mirabelle at all.
The soldiers returned with all the bandits in tow, and all of Sarcodes threw a festival in celebration. Meanwhile, Prelinsa and her party members stood around a funeral pyre, upon which lay the body of Gladys. Prelinsa ignited her sword, and touched it to the pyre. In moments, the body lit up in flames. Rona closed her eyes and put her hands together in prayer. Prelinsa wasn’t a religious sort, but she hoped that if there was an afterlife, Gladys would at least be less terrible there.
They stood in silence for a good while, beneath the nighttime glow of the aurora, until the flames went out and there was nothing left but ashes. Rona then collected the ashes in an urn, to be taken back with them to the Eastern Grand Principality of Silvermoon.
“May Gladys find peace after death,” she said. “You are all dismissed.”
The party left and headed to the festival. After a while of silence, Mirabelle stretched, not having been too comfortable with the entire thing.
“So, Arlan. Wanna see which of us picks up the most girls at the festival?” She asked, trying to lighten up the somber mood.
“So frivolous,” Arlan replied, rolling his eyes. His tail flicked in annoyance.
“I think you’re just scared that I’m more popular,” Mirabelle quipped. “Even though you’ve got the looks, there’s no swagger behind them. You’ll never get a girl like that!”
“There’s no point in continuing this. I’m not falling for your taunts.”
Prelinsa snorted at that. Mirabelle was popular – among men, women, and others alike. Many people wanted to date her and marry into the prestigious Leclerc Marquisate. As a result, she was the target of many pursuers, and a number of people found her brash, teasing personality and her great skill in combat to be charismatic.
As heir to the Whitemane Duchy, Arlan was also a prestigious individual to marry, but his serious demeanor and lack of sensitivity put many people off. Mirabelle was simply more popular.
“You’re just jealous. You know I’ll get all the girls. Because that’s what always happens,” Mirabelle said smugly.
“Stop this, please. We’ve had this conversation before. You’re right, you’ll get all the girls. Are you happy now?”
“Okay, fine! As long as we both know that I’ll win~”
Arlan sighed.
Mirabelle patted him on the shoulder. “Hey. Lighten up. You know I’m just pulling your tail, right? I’m not out to make ya feel bad or anything.”
Mirabelle was infamous for refusing to date men, even one as attractive as her childhood friend Arlan. The issue of a successor to the Marquisate was not a problem regardless – she had both Camilla and a baby brother, each of whom could become heir to Leclerc. If neither was suitable for the job, then a capable enough person could simply be adopted into the family.
There was also a new process that had been legalized in recent years – science babies. By combining DNA from the parents and using advanced machinery, a child could be born to those who could not normally conceive children. The process was new and still heavily fraught with ethical issues, so it was very intensely regulated and required licenses on both the part of practitioners and those who wanted children. The cloning that House Goldensun had done to create soldiers, on the other hand, was extremely illegal and banned by international treaties.
As Mirabelle and Arlan bantered, Camilla had remained silent the whole time. Prelinsa could understand why – she felt left out.
“Want to slip away for a bit?” Prelinsa asked her quietly.
“I- what? Huh??” Camilla stammered, her face turning red.
“It’s hard being around those two, right?”
“Uh. Yeah,” Camilla admitted, calming down and nodding slowly. Prelinsa had accurately picked up on her jealousy.
“Let’s go, then.”
Prelinsa led Camilla along a separate path to the festival, away from Mirabelle and Arlan.
“Remember, you’re not worse than them,” she said, trying to be reassuring.
Camilla lowered her head. “I know, but still. I always feel like I’m a few steps behind,” she said bitterly. “And you, too! Before I knew it, you were stronger than me. Stronger than all of us. Meanwhile, I’ve only started doing real missions this year.”
“Yeah, but that’s normal. You only turned twenty recently,” Prelinsa commented. “Meanwhile, I feel like I missed out. I got stronger so fast that I feel like I’m still learning how to handle myself. It’s weird. I still think Mira’s a better fighter than I am. And both you and Arlan are still smarter than I am. The only reason I’m here now is because of the Phoenix Heart. Because Elder Kirith chose me as her disciple.”
“That’s not-” Camilla paused. “Okay, fine. I guess I can see that. Guess everyone has their own worries, huh.”
“Yeah. Like how you’re crushing on me, but are too afraid to say it,” Prelinsa remarked dryly.
“I am not crushing on you!” Camilla hissed, her face turning red again.
“You should ask your sister sometime. Or Rupeth. They’re both experts on this sort of thing.”
“Fine, I will!” Camilla fumed. “But Prince Rupeth isn’t here right now. And Mira’s going to be way too busy having fun at the festival. Picking up girls and having a good time.”
“Yeah, that sounds like Mira alright.”
The two of them finally arrived upon the festival. People were laughing, dancing, eating, drinking, and generally just enjoying themselves. Prelinsa and Camilla quickly spotted Mirabelle, already with two escorts in tow – a blue-feathered harpy woman and a blonde human woman. She certainly moved quickly.
“So, I heard you’re a wild one,” the harpy said to Mirabelle.
“Babe, I can be wild, tame, or anything in between~” Mirabelle replied suavely.
“You should come to our place,” the human woman said. “I can think of lots of things we’d like to try out with you. Are we allowed to use your military uniform?”
“Sorry, gotta keep that clean. I hope you girls understand!”
They all laughed and giggled flirtatiously.
“So unbecoming,” Camilla muttered. “I could never do something like that.”
“Hey, as long as she’s not hurting anyone,” Prelinsa said, shrugging.
“She wouldn’t dare. It would put a bad name on the Leclerc Marquisate. She only goes out with people who are into those short flings and don’t care about being heartbroken.”
“Then it’s all good.”
“Hmph. I bet she would break even more peoples’ hearts if she had it her way. So easygoing, without a care in the world.”
“But you wish you could that easygoing,” Prelinsa observed.
“Stop seeing through me!” Camilla did that thing with her fists again. “You’re right, okay? I’m jealous of Mira. For gods’ sake, someone just died and she’s acting like nothing happened. Even when you beat her for the first time all those years ago, I was the one who got more upset!”
She took deep breaths, trying her best to calm down.
“…For the longest time, Mira was my everything, you know?”
“Yeah,” Prelinsa replied.
“To see her lose to you so easily was… weird for me,” Camilla continued. “But Mira herself only gets worked up when really bad things happen. Even today – she knew the only way to stop Gladys was to kill her, and she’s just… okay with that. I wish I could be that easygoing.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“I think you’re just different. Mira sort of… ignores problems if they bother her too much,” Prelinsa commented. “You always think things over, even if it makes you uncomfortable. I think that makes you more careful than Mira.”
“Careful?” Camilla frowned at that. “Please. What about that time I attacked you because I was jealous?”
“That was six years ago, and you were in a bad headspace back then. Normally, you’re pretty careful,” Prelinsa thought aloud. “Like… you were the first one to bring up problems with Arlan’s plans. Even if you agreed to the second plan later, I think that counts as being careful.”
“Hmph.” Camilla pouted. “I guess I can’t really argue with that. Also, I still haven’t given up on becoming a Silvermoon. Don’t get too full of yourself yet. One day, I’ll really catch up with you!”
“Well, I’m waiting for you. I mean it.”
“What did you even have to do to learn it, anyway? I want to hear it from you, so I know what I have to do.”
Prelinsa thought for a bit.
“…I had to work on compassion and patience, and learning how to understand and use my feelings in better ways,” she said. “But we’re pretty different from each other, right? And you know how Elder Kirith is. She’d probably say something like…” She paused, putting on her best Kirith act down to the serious face. “Camilla, do not seek to emulate Prelinsa. What applies to one individual does not always apply to others.”
Camilla smirked at Prelinsa’s Kirith impression, which had all the right wording, but was terrible in other respects. “You’re right, that’s exactly what Elder Kirith would say,” she said. She frowned again. “But it still annoys me.”
“Rona taught me that food sometimes helps with being annoyed.”
Prelinsa picked up a few skewers from a food stand.
“Want some?” She asked, offering them to Camilla.
Camilla made a face. “Skewers? So unromantic,” she muttered.
“So you do admit that you see me in a romantic way.”
“Argh, shut up!”
“Look! It’s the Scarlet Devil!” A young voice called out.
Prelinsa and Camilla looked over to see the pokkit girl they’d rescued from the fortress. She was with a few of her friends now.
“Show us your fire sword!” A young lycan boy said.
Prelinsa pushed all the skewers onto Camilla.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
“It’s fine. Do what you have to.”
“Everyone, step back!” Prelinsa said, moving away from the food stand. “Fire and swords are dangerous!”
Immediately, people made plenty of space for her. Prelinsa drew her katana and ignited it at low power, making it glow a dim red. Gripping the hilt with both hands, she did some sequences of cuts, jabs, and slashes – very slowly and deliberately, so as to minimize the danger. Her blade made faint crackling noises as it left behind trails of sparks in the nighttime air. It made a striking contrast with the blue-green aurora overhead.
Prelinsa pointed her sword upward, launching some flares into the sky that exploded like little fireworks. The crowd clapped and cheered as she sheathed her weapon and bowed. Camilla just watched in silent admiration, smiling a little.
“Wooow. I wish I could be as cool as you, Miss Phoenix Knight. Using phoenixfire to kill all the bandits, whoosh!” A human boy said, making some fake swings of a sword.
“Brendan, it’s not just about killing!” The pokkit girl protested. “The Scarlet Devil only killed one person! And it was only ‘cause that person was gonna explode and kill all of us! She didn’t have a choice!”
“For real, Helena?” Brendan asked in surprise.
“Yeah, I was there! I saw! She beat up all the bandits, but didn’t kill them!”
Brendan turned to Prelinsa. “So you don’t like killing people, Miss Phoenix Knight?”
“Yeah. Being a Phoenix Knight isn’t about killing people,” Prelinsa said. “It’s about protecting people. Bandits are just people like us.”
“But they’re bad people, right? So isn’t it okay to just kill them?”
Prelinsa shook her head. “No. They’re only bad because they need our help. They can become good people if you’re really nice to them, and teach them what’s right or wrong. So you should never kill bandits unless you really have to. Okay?”
“Got it! Then I’ll be a cool hero who helps people in need! And only sometimes kills bandits!” Brendan said.
Camilla snorted. Helena just sighed and shook her head. Then she turned to Camilla, bowing.
“Also, thank you too, miss! We wouldn’t have made it without you!” She said, smiling brightly. She was genuinely grateful that Camilla had helped save the villagers.
“Yeah! Thanks for saving Helena!” Brendan added, also bowing.
Camilla’s face turned pink, but she smiled awkwardly. “I just did what I had to.” She was tickled that she was being praised directly.
Prelinsa also couldn’t help but smile at that.
“Camilla has a fire sword too,” she mentioned to the children.
Upon hearing this, the children excitedly gathered around Camilla.
“For real?! Show us! Show us!” The lycan boy exclaimed.
“That’s your cue,” Prelinsa said. “Let me take those skewers for you.”
Camilla looked down at the children, before handing the skewers to Prelinsa.
“Alright. Keep a safe distance, okay?”
----------------------------------------
Before everyone knew it, the festival came to a close. Night passed, and soon the next morning was upon Sarcodes. Being relatively responsible types, Prelinsa and Camilla hadn’t stayed up the entire time. Now refreshed from a good night’s sleep, they wandered around the village, sniffing out for where Mirabelle had gone. The village was somewhat of a mess after the festivities, with litter strewn around everywhere.
Mirabelle’s scent led them to a small house, along with the scent of other women. It definitely smelled like she’d been having fun in there last night. Prelinsa knocked on the door. There was a thud, some scrambling and muffled voices, and a bunch of rustling noises from inside. After some minutes, the door opened and Mirabelle greeted them, her hair looking quite disheveled. She had some red marks on her neck.
“Hey girls,” she said, grinning.
“Mira, your shirt’s on backwards,” Camilla pointed out.
Mirabelle looked down at herself. “Oh yeah, it is!” She shut the door, and reemerged a few moments later with her shirt on the right way. Then she resumed talking as if nothing happened.
“So, you girls came to pick me up? Thanks. I was worried Arlan would show up first. That would’ve been like, super awkward,” she said.
“Look, just get ready to leave, okay?” Camilla said, putting her hands on her hips.
From inside the house, Mirabelle’s harpy escort from last night walked over and slowly embraced Mirabelle with her wings, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“Mira, are you really leaving? Can’t you just stay with us for a little bit longer~?” She pleaded.
Mirabelle kissed her back on the lips.
“Sorry, babe. I’ve got some real important stuff to do. But I’ll be back when I can, okay?”
“This place is in the middle of nowhere! It’ll take you ages to come back,” another voice protested. It was the human woman this time, who also embraced Mirabelle.
Mirabelle kissed her too. “I’m really sorry, okay? Maybe I shouldn’t have done anything with you girls after all. Then you wouldn’t end up missing me so much~”
“No, don’t say that!” The two women both said at the same time.
Camilla was losing her patience. “Argh! Stop flirting already! Just hurry up and get ready to leave!” She yelled, doing the signature Camilla thing.
“Ugh, your sister’s such a killjoy,” the harpy complained, as she shut the door in Camilla’s face. But Prelinsa and Camilla could still hear the conversation with their sharp ears.
“Right?” The human woman agreed.
“Don’t be like that, girls,” Mirabelle replied. “Cammy is still my one and only sister. If you do anything to hurt her, I won’t forgive you~”
“Okay, Mira. We’ll listen to you~”
Camilla rolled her eyes, but her tail was wagging slightly. She was happy that Mirabelle still felt that way about her.
“I don’t think we’ll get anything else done over here. Let’s go find Arlan and Rona,” Prelinsa suggested.
“Good idea.”
----------------------------------------
“…In short, hangovers are caused by a large number of factors, some of which aren’t fully understood yet,” Rona explained, as she tended to a man lying on the ground. She was wearing her priestess robes and gloves, which acted as mediums for her magic. “Healing magic can help with some of the symptoms, but with current knowledge, there’s only so much that can be done safely. Otherwise, there’s a high risk of causing injury.”
“Fascinating. So you mean to say that unless there is some breakthrough in medical science, the best solution for now is moderation,” Arlan mused, stroking his beard. “One must know their limits and avoid getting hungover in the first place.”
“Right. Most hangover remedies, even magical ones, can only deal with the symptoms. The only thing that can cure a hangover is advanced poison purification magic. Like the Ocean’s Blessing, or the Path of the Phoenix.”
“Speaking of which, here come Prelinsa and Camilla,” Arlan said.
“Hey guys,” Prelinsa said, waving.
“Hi,” Rona said, not looking up as she continued to focus on the man’s treatment.
“Prelinsa, this man is suffering from a severe hangover. Is it possible for you to aid him with your powers?” Arlan asked her.
Prelinsa scratched the back of her left ear. “Sorry. I’m not good enough with that sort of thing yet,” she admitted. “Corynn would be better at this.”
“No matter then. Perhaps this will just serve as an important reminder to not consume excessive amounts of alcohol,” Arlan remarked. “Not even Mirabelle lets herself get hangovers. I suppose she prefers to keep her mind sharp for… other activities.”
Camilla just rolled her eyes. “Mira can’t get drunk. Ocean’s Blessing, remember?”
“Ah, that is true. I had forgotten.”
“Hmph. It’s probably for the best. Imagine a drunk and horny Mira.”
“Can’t be that different,” Prelinsa remarked. “Maybe three people last night instead of two? Plus the third one gets heartbroken.”
Camilla frowned at that.
“Well. With those kinds of relationships, people have to know what they’re getting into,” Rona remarked, finishing with the treatment and standing up. “Mirabelle does her part by being honest about herself, and seeking out others who share her preferences. She can’t be blamed for causing any heartbreak.”
“Really, Rona? I thought you’d be more uptight about that sort of thing,” Camilla said, a bit surprised. “I thought elvish religions promoted ‘traditional’ families. And Mira is, well… Mira.”
“That’s true – most of our religions do promote ‘traditional’ families. But I don’t subscribe to those faiths. Everything is permitted by the Pantheon of Karn, as long as it doesn’t knowingly cause unnecessary harm or destruction,” the elf priestess replied. “I believe Mirabelle is free to enjoy herself, as long as nobody gets hurt.”
“Uh, sure. I guess that’s fair enough.”
“Indeed. Mirabelle does not even risk having children that might suffer as a result of her actions,” Arlan said. “That can be seen as an upside to her inclinations.”
“I’m sorry, Prelinsa. I know this subject makes you feel uncomfortable,” Rona added, apologetically.
Prelinsa waved it off. “Don’t worry about me – I just don’t have anything to say. And Arlan’s right, it’s not like Mirabelle is going to have kids or anything,” she remarked.
Since Prelinsa’s father had left her and Marianne, she wasn’t the most comfortable with the idea of having casual intimate relationships. To her, having a child without being prepared was one of the worst and most irresponsible things a person could possibly do. But Mirabelle couldn’t have children with the way she was approaching things, so Prelinsa was okay with it. Really, Prelinsa would be okay as long as Mirabelle was being safe about her actions.
Prelinsa was also in the camp of not having to worry about accidental kids, but this was because she couldn’t stomach the idea of going out with anyone. Her lifespan was massively increased due to the Phoenix Heart. As she continued to grow more powerful, she might well become immortal, outliving everyone except for others with Phoenix Hearts. Even elves like Rona only made it to 600 or so at the most.
This was also why Prelinsa didn’t want to pressure Camilla too much, and didn’t make any serious moves on her, despite actually having a thing for Camilla. She was secretly hoping that Camilla would either come to terms with her crush so she could get over it, or really learn the Path of the Phoenix one day and make her love possible. But neither of those things were happening yet.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar presence.
“Hey! I heard you all talking about me~” Mirabelle said, waving as she approached.
“Hey, Mira!” Prelinsa waved back.
“Oh, you’re finally here,” Camilla commented dryly. “What took you so long?”
“I’m guessing you had lots of fun last night,” Rona said.
“Sure did!” Mirabelle was practically glowing.
“Well, I’m happy for you then. As long as nobody’s feelings were hurt.”
“Come on, you know I try to be better than that!” Mirabelle protested.
“That’s true. We’ve known each other for some time now.”
Mirabelle grinned. “Right? Anyway, Arlan! How many girls did you get last night?”
As Mirabelle started to banter with Arlan, Camilla bent down to whisper to Rona.
“I didn’t know the two of you were that close. She hasn’t… tried anything on you, has she?” She asked, a bit concerned.
Rona shook her head. “Please, have some faith in your sister. She doesn’t see me that way – I look much too young for her. I’m also more than three times her age. The two of us dating would feel… immoral.”
“Oh.” Camilla made a face at that. “Elves are weird.”
“Elves often say the same of other races,” Rona observed. “But nowadays, I believe our differences are better understood. When I was much younger, it would’ve been hard to imagine us talking right now.”
“Remember that couple in the diner some years ago?” Prelinsa asked. “The elf and the ailuran?”
“I do remember,” Rona said, nodding. “Sadly, I don’t think they were dating with respect for each other’s races. But even if they made each other happy, they live on different timescales. It’s hard to make a relationship like that work.”
“Yeah. They seemed to have a lot of other issues, too,” Prelinsa agreed. “I hope they were at least able to get some help.”
“I hope so, too,” said Rona.
Prelinsa glanced at Camilla. This subject applied to her too, since she was attracted to Prelinsa. But Camilla didn’t say anything – she was lost in thought. She looked like she didn’t want to be bothered, so Prelinsa let her be.
Meanwhile, Arlan had finally managed to get Mirabelle off of him. “…Ahem. Now that we’ve reconvened, we should begin our preparations to head back to Pyrus,” he said.
“I agree,” said Rona.
Camilla just nodded blankly. She continued to stay that way, even as the party left Sarcodes and headed back to the Eastern Grand Principality of Silvermoon.