Sunset was near. But no village was close enough for them to reach before nightfall. Lodwin kept his distance ever since Imila had joined them, much to Veduca’s disquiet. She stopped, like she had done so plenty of times since they left Agimot, and looked back at Lodwin. Thanks to her non-human nature, she could make him out clearly despite the distance and the encroaching darkness of the night.

“I didn’t injure him, did I?”, asked Imila and walked back towards her.

“Don’t you worry, you did just bruise him”, she answered with a smile. “He managed worse.”

“Still, why does he keep his distance?”

“He probably wants to allow us to speak in private. He was a knight before the Divine Lord took over and does uphold some ideals.”

While not entirely untrue, it was dishonest enough to cause Veduca a slight pang of guilt. Luckily, Imila took her words at face value.

“I would feel better if he were to at least walk closer to us”, she remarked with a serious expression. “If bandits ambush us, we’ll have a better chance at survival if we stay close together.”

“True”, Veduca said monotone. “I’ll speak with him. Would you mind staying here for a bit?”

“Make it quick”, Imila replied with a sigh.

Veduca immediately walked back to Lodwin, who had stopped a few yards behind them. Upon getting closer, she felt even worse for allowing the innkeeper to accompany them. But she couldn’t have let him kill her. She was as much a victim of the Divine Lord as Lodwin, their situations weren’t too differed.

“I know you don’t like her, Lod,” addressed Veduca, him with a downtrodden expression. “But we made a promise.”

Lodwin immediately pointed at her.

“Okay, I made a promise. If she wins fair and square…”

Really?, he asked with a subtle gesture.

“I… Yes, I know. Without my intervention, we wouldn’t have to deal with her. But do you really think it would’ve been better for me to let you murder her? You looked like an animal when I interrupted your attack. I… I don’t want you to hurt more because you killed her while not entirely here.”

At this, his stern expression softened and became tinted by embarrassment.

“We just need to tolerate her until we arrive in Eldebourg, which isn’t that far.”

And then she wants to accompany us into the castle there, he signed with short, distinct gestures.

“I’ll tell her that she doesn’t need to do so.”

She won’t listen, he replied and looked at Imila, who watched them with as much distrust as Lodwin regarded her with.

“Perhaps I can convince her.”

With magic?

“That’s certainly possible, but I don’t like using mind-altering spells.”

What about the innkeeper with the back pain? You healed him and altered his mind.

“I-I guess I did”, replied Veduca, embarrassed. “I’m quite the hypocrite, aren’t I?”

Yes, he signed.

“You actually were supposed to tell me, I’m not.”

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Instead of signing a reply, he gently ruffled her hair, while staying mindful of her jewellery. Afterwards, he went ahead to Imila. Veduca followed him, still slightly embarrassed.

—

They walked for a long time in absolute silence. Even the densely forested area they traversed was suffocatingly quiet. There was no wind in the trees. No animals going about their daily routine. They didn’t even crossed paths with other travellers.

“This was once a busy merchant route”, said Imila, in a tone of voice that made clear she couldn’t stand the silence. “But since this so-called Divine Lord took over, everything went to hell. The country’s more dead than alive.”

“We noticed that too”, replied Veduca monotone, she wasn’t in the mood for a long conversation.

“I do wonder”, Imila continued. “What does he even want?”

“The Divine Lord?”

“Who else?”

“Power?”

“He has it already. Shouldn’t you two know more about him?”

“What gave you that idea?”, asked Veduca, surprised.

“The way you talk, and your lover acts, makes it apparent that you two have something personal against the man”, specified Imila and looked over her shoulder at Lodwin, who still walked behind them but only by a few feet.

“Lod isn’t my lover”, she replied, taken aback by the innkeeper's bluntness. “We just travel together because we have the same goal.”

Imila didn’t look convinced but ignored her statement. The silence became as thick as molasses. Veduca felt like she was about to melt into a puddle of said liquid herself.

“I still think you two are liars, considering your claims about having killed some of this Divine Lord’s monsters”, the innkeeper continued after a few minutes.

“Then why are you traveling with us?”, asked Veduca, annoyed — she started to hate that woman.

“Because I’ve nowhere else to go, and I’d rather die trying to change the things as they are than waste away. Although it’s preposterous to think about it, I want to face the Divine Lord and kill him.”

“Being honest, I’m wondering about what drives him on”, remarked Veduca thoughtful and glanced for a moment over her should at Lodwin. “I hope to ask him why he threw away his loved ones so easily. What brings a man to destroy what he holds dear? What does he gain? Was it worth it?”

“He’s an evil monster out in the meaningless pursuit of power. He’s as bad as the devil, if not worse. And just like him, he turned away from the Lord’s grace.”

“You believe strongly in God?”, asked Veduca, surprised.

“I… I don’t know”, Imila replied uncertain. “It’s difficult to believe in a God, who allows all of this to happen.”

“Difficulty but not impossible”, she remarked with a compassionate smile. “Perhaps this is just a test of faith for all of us. Like Job.”

“Job? I never understood the man. How could he remain stedfast in the face of this cruel and undeserved misery?”

“Because he believed that no matter the pain and misery he had to endure, there would come a point where all those bad things would be overcome. A point where he would be happy once more.”

“But at what price? He lost not only his fortune but also his family. No matter if he found someone new, the pain will always remain. It will hunt you down in the dead of night and cause you to lay awake until morning.”

Veduca thought about Imila’s words for some time. During which she looked over at Lodwin, who seemed lost in thought. Still, somehow, she felt like he was listening and most likely remembering what he had lost.

More than once had she wondered about what fate God had in store for him. And more than once had she wondered why God had allowed all of this to happen. Especially since the Divine Lord’s demon seemed to be of a kind unknown to the world. This didn’t bode well.

Suddenly, there was a shift in the air. It was a subtle yet open one and easily recognisable. Veduca stopped and looked over at Lodwin, who had noticed the change too. After all, Azazel couldn’t hide from them. Only Imila remained oblivious, but she stopped as she noticed them falling behind.

“I think we should search for a suitable place to stay the night”, Veduca suggested with what she hopped to be as carefree as possible. “A clearing or the like.”

“If we walk half an hour longer, we arrive at an old hunting hut”, Imila explained as she walked up to them. “It used to belong to the local Lord, but since the Divine lord took over it hasn’t seen any use. It should still offer enough space and a relatively intact roof for all three of us.”

“Lodwin?”, Veduca asked and turned to him.

I don’t care, he signed, glaring at a point between the trees.

Veduca followed his gaze and caught a glimpse of a warm glow. Tense, she looked over at the innkeeper, who watched them with clear suspicion. She hadn’t noticed, but it was a question of time, especially since the sun had already set and the bluish twilight grew dimmer with every passing second.

“Have you seen him?”, she asked Lodwin in a hushed voice.

He nodded ever so slightly.

“He’ll wait.”

Hopefully.

“Lod has no objections”, said Veduca, as she walked with him towards Imila.

“Good because I wouldn’t have considered his objection anyway”, she replied and moved ahead with determined steps.

Veduca looked after her with a tense expression and cursed her own meddling. At the same time, Lodwin gently brushed her hand and signed her that he couldn’t stand her.

“I think I start to know what you mean”, she replied and followed the innkeeper with Lodwin beside her.