- And the next day his Skeleton was missing and the petitioner was never heard from again.

Cheerful laugh quake still night air near the border of Corelyn Country.

- Anyway, thats how brother Lucius lost his Healer License.

- No way! Our brother Lucius? - Themis shook her head. Alessia just love this kind of bizarre stories.

"Bareare's Mix" works its wonders fully restoring their physical and mental endurance. Nothing could be done about almost depleted mana reserve thou. Hopefully they won't need it anytime soon. Trying their best to ignore some strange spreading heat, they walked through darkness.

- So what should we do about this? - Alessia lift the basket, which she was still holding in her outstretched arms, a bit. The muffled sounds from there stopped some time ago.

- Well, we have our mission. Deliver the basket while avoiding headless person-su.

- Just stop with the accent, please. I mean should we really do what she say?

- She mentioned Lord Mare sending her, so we probably should.

- Ai, but what if this is another test? To see if we are smart enough not to bring some suspicious package in the middle of E-Rantel by request of some unknown weirdo? What if there is some dangerous monster or alchemical bomb in there? -

- You overthinking things again. Probably. Think we should open it? But that Lupu-sensay clearly forbade us.

- Which is even more suspicious on its own. Think it may explode if we do? - Alessia carefully put the basket down. No matter how hard she examines it she couldn't find anything strange with it appearance and make out of whatever was making noise from inside.

- Cant say why not. We-e-ell, technically we could open it without us opening it but it will my very last spell for today.

- Lets do it. As healer Lucius used to say its better safe than sorry.

Themis burst out as they walk five meters away from the pannier.

- "Summon Undead I"

Freshly summoned skeleton jog over and bow down placing its hands on the cover. Alessia step in front of Themis.

- "Fortress", "Immovable Fortress", "Resist elements".

As the third martial art was called, skeleton slowly opened the cover.

- Boom!

- Ai! T-thats not funny!

After nothing happened for a dozen of seconds bony hands plunge into the container, carefully take out its load and turn around to show it to Themis.

To her horror, it was a head of a girl so pale and perfect that she would pass as a shard of some beautiful sculpture if not for her bun of jet black hair. The head itself appear to be in horror, as she was staring at them with wide eyes behind her spectacles. No sounds were coming from her gagged mouth. Soon the head started to blush.

Several minutes passed in dead silence as two party was staring at each other and only the Skeleton was somehow able to keep his poker face. By the time he turn again and place the head back, she was already red as tomato.

- What. was. that.

- It looks like Yuri Alpha, the headmaster of E-Rantel Iron Fist Orphanage For Promising Children. Or at least her head.

- Wait, what?! You know her?!

- She brings some kids with potential for divine magic to the temple from time to time - Themis shrugged.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

- So it's a head of a head - Alessia noted sagely - No wonder that Mysterious Headhunter couldn't resist.

- And so our mission is to return the stolen head back to the head?

- Why was the head is still alive thou? And what happened to rest of a head?

- We should probably stop. It may be a serious matter. Probably.

- Yeah. But really, that head was definitely alive and my undead sense didnt react.

- I have no idea. Now that our quest make at least some sort of sense, lets move out.

- Say, Is it a delivery mission or an escort mission?

- Who cares?

- I do! I hate escort missions! You have no idea what I went through when I had to deliver some supplies from Altamura to distant Katze patrol, while following an Angel back to its summoner. The pace he moved and the things he aggroed made zero sense!

- Oh, just relax. What problem detached gagged head could possibly cause?

There was no sound coming from the basket nor any headless danger appear by the time they finally made it to the village. After dealing with the local Elder Lich administrator and having way-to-big dinner the grim duo board scheduled Soul Eater to Corelyn Harbor, from where they could wend straight to E-Rantel.

- That was so mean! Why did she use farm skeletons instead of temporary ones? It will take have a year to cover it with our orichalcum stipend!

- Maybe she wanted us to never forget her lesson. Or maybe she just toyed with us. Or maybe both.

- Still that was not fair!

- Speaking about "fair". I was wondering why could paladins use both magic and martial arts while no one else could. I was sure martial arts were calling "warriors magic" for a reason.

- He he, thats right. Our balance is pretty broken indeed. Shiver once mentioned that apparently the strongest being ever was a Paladin! Hell, just look at me! I'm only 14 yet already survive the duel with "Legendary Undead", capable of ruining nations single-handedly! And since I managed to cut third of it will probably take no more than a couple of Alessias to finish him of! Therefor it will take less than two of me to ruin one whole nation!

Themis sighed and pulled the young paladin cheeks, unable to withstand her smug look.

- Shtop! I wash jusht kidding! Pleashe!

- Back to business than. According to the Elder Lich it was Yuri Alpha herself that lend the undead and moved it to Katze. What would headmaster of an Orphanage do out there with a bunch of undead?

- Maybe just participating in our training?

- I'm afraid if we keep taking the things for their face value, we may fail once again.

- How about we just ask her?

- How about 'no'? She may be gagged for a reason. The gag may keep her alive, or she may be some sort of Banshi.

- So what could we do?

- Nothing right now, but IF custom allowed her into the city, I suggest we ask Merry about it. She was dealing with undead for hundreds years, so if anyone would know anything about this it would be her.

- Can't you message her now?

- Nope, any spell will give me mana exhaustion now.

- What else could we do?

For the rest of short journey they discussed possibilities and options without achieving anything solid. Their conversation died out only as they passed E-Rantel custom. Apparently neither basket nor anything in it was magical. Alessia take Yuri Alpha to her room while Themis went to find Merry. Luckily Merry was lazing around in the Office with couple of free hours before the next training session and agreed to help with identifying "something really strange".

Themis tell her its visual description on their way to the Temple.

- Yuri Alpha, you say? - Merry cradled her delicate chin - That's weird. I'm pretty sure I noticed her yesterday evening when browsed demihumen market for curiosities. I would probably notice if her head were missing.

- Really? - Themis let our a breath of relive - If it just some illusions cast on...something for the sake of training... Somehow it calms me down.

The Temple was just across the Office so in two minutes they knock at Alessia's door.

- Its open, come in! - Alessia was siting on her bed, still in her armor. The basket was placed in the corner and cowered with sheet.

- Woah! No way! - unexpectedly Merry rushed not to the corner but to Alessia. She leaned closely almost touching Alessia's face with her nose. - I always knew the paladins were broken, but this is ridiculous! How could you became so strong in just two days at Katze?

- I am?

- She is? - both humans frowned.

- You didnt even realise it? That's crazy! If I have to measure it you could be twice as strong as Soul Eaters now!

- Surely you are kidding me. And what about Themis? We were doing pretty much the same things in the same place at the same time.

- She is about the same as she was, maybe a bit stronger. But you...what the hell happened to you out there?

- Eh...it's a long and weird story, I dont really feel like telling all of it now. We still had our orders to fulfill.

- Hm, if you say so - Merry reluctantly turned her attention to the corner - so this the famous basket...

- Alessia is not in the mood for a weird story - Themis, who already started to pout a bit, laughed - Who the hell are you and what have you done to the real Alessia?!

Alessia smiled broadly. Maybe a bit too broadly.

"Should a smile come this close to ones ears" - before Themis could grasp the meaning of this thought Alessia pushed Merry, who almost manage to pull out her dagger, so hard that she bowled over armored cleric. The next moment they were lying onto each other with a slimy daggers at their throats.

- Shit!

- Wha..what's happening?! - apparently Themis was still a bit confused, staring at her little sister which were holding her down for some reason. She always knew that the use of "Bareare's Mix" will lead to certain trouble eventually. Could it be?

- Oh, relax you two its already over. For now...

Alessia's face started to melt. Themis finally screamed.