Chapter 43 | The Unaccounted 3
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“Ha! Ha! Ha! This is like old times! Isn’t it, Reinold?” Alan shouted as the group walked deeper into the forest outside Riverside.
“Yes, it is. But I’m sure you’ve become louder and more flamboyant since back then,” Reinold said a smile.
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Nonsense! This mighty voice only speaks the truth! Reinold, it’s good to find you haven’t gone soft on me yet!”
As he said in the meeting a few days ago, Captain Louis was leading a party into the forest to set up traps for the Devil Slime. Joining him were a few militiamen along with a few volunteers including Alan, Lycus, Reinold, and Tasha. Although a lot has happened in the past week, this small task seemed like a return what normalcy they had left.
Compared to the explosion and the horde, the Devil Slime became insignificant.
When Tasha volunteered, Reinold had to ask why she wanted to join on the hunt. “I want to be of use,” she said with determined eyes.
What she said had a slightly different purpose after hearing from Samuel about the meeting. This wasn’t an ordinary patrol, she learned. Since she volunteered, she’d go and mark the new trap locations for Alisha.
“Okay, we can set up an area of traps around here,” Captain Louis said. He stopped at a sparse area of the forest and handed equipment out to everyone. They spread out and worked in groups so they could defend themselves from monsters. Tasha, Lycus, and Reinold were one group.
Lycus casted a unique spiritual spell into these crystals the day before and thought to use them for the traps. They were made from holy magic and were designed to trap Dungeon Masters within a seal. As soon as the unique aura of the Dungeon Master enters the circle of mana wax, the trap would spring and encircle it.
While Tasha and Lycus were setting the traps, Reinold was keeping watch for monsters.
“Reinold,” Lycus called to him. “What made you come out here? I thought you were done with this kind of stuff.”
Reinold didn’t like what Lycus was implying, “What? Don’t want me around?”
“No, it’s just that, on our last mission…”
“I want to protect Riverside,” said Reinold. “And it’s been a while since I did something like this.”
“All these years, I haven’t been able to get a straight answer from you. Was it because of what happened to Yuli when you got back?”
Reinold gave a reluctant look and shook his head no.
“What happened to Yuli?” Tasha asked.
Reinold had warned Lycus not to speak of it. The fewer people who knew the truth, the better it was at keeping it a secret from the Imperials. Despite that, he had the feeling that he could trust Tasha. He was well-aware of what happened when the Devil Slime attacked the Alton convoy. But she also helped a lot with the injuries from the refugees and the battle. Her healing skills and kindness had brought back her damaged reputation.
Lycus spoke in a whisper to Tasha, “Yuli’s mother was killed when Reinold was away.”
“She was killed?! Why?” She exclaimed. Reinold turned to her with a frightening stare. Tasha sat down and shrunk herself into the dirt.
“She had Yuli. It was punishable by death. They hung her in the town square. However, they never found the child or who the father was,” Lycus explained. “The official story was that the Altons had Yuli but had her raised by some close relatives for a few years.”
“I never knew… I would like to continue supporting Yuli. Is there anything I can do, Reinold?”
Reinold thought about it and relented. It seemed she truly wanted to repent for what she did. “Just be her friend and protect her. You’ve done a lot already.”
“Yes, you have. Going on patrols and volunteering at the hospital. Now, you’re helping us catch the Devil Slime,” Lycus agreed.
Reinold and the others defended against a few monsters and the traps were set one after another until it was dark.
“You were amazing, Tasha,” Lycus said to Tasha as they arrived back in town.
“It wasn’t much…” Tasha felt she didn’t deserve much credit. “Just a few monsters and a scratch or two.”
“Still, your ability with organic magic surpasses my own. How about you join our party?”
“What?! Me?! You and Sir Alan are heroes! For me to impose myself on you…”
“No, it’s not a bother at all and you heard Reinold, he doesn’t want to come back to freelancing. Besides, we’re in need of a mage,” Lycus gave a caring smile with a casual tone to appeal to her and make himself less intimidating.
“But I can’t leave Riverside right now…”
“We don’t need to leave. We’re hunting the Devil Slime so it’s fine until Samuel recovers.”
“I can’t even compare to you guys!”
“You’re not a bother, really,” Lycus was soft and took her hand in his own to comfort her. “It may be a little frightening to get an offer like this but you should believe in your abilities.”
“Lycus, I…”
Alan then came bursting down the street, “You can feel safe now Riverside citizens! As your heroes, Alan Locke and Lycus Myst have commenced operations to save you from the dreaded Devil Slime! Sleep soundly as our legendary presence will protect you! Ha! Ha! Ha!”
The two were surprised the townsfolk actually started to cheer for Alan. It was unreal but Alan and Lycus’ strength was well known so this display wasn’t at all unwarranted.
Lycus was nervous as he turned back to Tasha as the cheers of the crowd welcomed their hero. Her calmed expression was now comprised of stress and anxiety
“…I NEED TO THINK ABOUT IT!!!” She screamed in a panic and ran away.
Lycus was dumbfounded and his mood soured as Alan took his shoulder and pulled him into the center of attention. “Ha! Ha! Ha! Lycus, come here and meet our adoring public!”
“You scared off our mage, Alan.”
“Huh? What was that, Lycus?” Alan couldn’t hear what he said over the crowd.
“…”
***
Commander Dustin went to the scene of the incident and saw the surviving two traffickers being taken away by his men for questioning. The treatment for their wounds was minimal so they probably won’t die in interrogation. His soldiers were very disciplined. Dustin expected Jeromy to be here as this was a major led to the traffickers but he was strangely absent.
However, Jeromy did arrive at the scene earlier than Dustin with Selina. Elise directed them upstairs where Alisha and Yuli were waiting.
“Are you both alright?” Selina said with concern in her voice.
“Yes, we are,” Elise said. “Although it seems Yuli was too excited to get into danger.”
Yuli pouted as her aunt cradled her protectively in her arms as they sat together, “I was not in danger.”
Selina broke into a small smile and patronizingly said, “I am sure you were not.”
Yuli wasn’t happy with her aunt’s impression of her needing protection but it couldn’t be helped. The elves of the Sune family sat together on the coach as Jeromy and Alisha took opposite seats around the coffee table.
Alisha said with a smile directed to Jeromy, “I don’t think we officially met.”
“My name is Sir Jeromy Powle, Captain of the Mercenary Guild.”
“Sir? I thought you were a noble lord.”
“I am. Just an honorary title offered to me when I was starting out. I suppose it stuck.”
“Oh. I see. My name is Alisha, Devil Slime of the Coren Hill Dungeon. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”
‘’I have. I must say that you were the last thing I expected upon my return. Jack told me a lot about you,” Jeromy smiled kindly at her.
“And my offer to you?” Alisha got straight to the point and Jeromy didn’t like that. He was ready to present her a counter offer of a lower rank. The offer Alisha made was ridiculous. Although he didn’t know what Nolan would decide, he couldn’t possibly agree to this.
Stolen story; please report.
There were three conditions Alisha requested upon joining the Phoenix. They were demanding but she wanted to be taken seriously and cement her position. To do this, there was no backing down. First was the exchange of Phoenix’s sensitive information to her. This was impossible because they didn’t know if they could trust her. Nolan was always afraid of Guardian spies within the ranks. Alisha’s great potential also carried suspicion.
The second condition was also impossible because there was no way they could let one of their members move on their own in such a dangerous environment. They just had a friendly-fire incident. The chain of command was very important in keeping themselves hidden and effective as an organization.
The third condition about meeting Nolan was more do-able but difficult still.
“Yes. That too,” Jeromy said those words with difficulty. His tone gave Alisha the answer she didn’t want to hear. “I am one within the leadership of the Phoenix and Commanding General of our militia. Within the Phoenix, we act as a unit—as a family. If you cannot listen to my orders or the orders of others, you can put all of us in danger.”
“So that’s your stance on the matter?”
“It’s non-negotiable.”
Alisha stepped up closer to Jeromy and met his gaze as she arched her head up. “You don’t know what I’m capable of but you will,” she smiled as if amused by his response. “Please sit. I have a solution for our trafficking problem. I’d like to explain.”
Humoring her, Jeromy sat down but stayed firm on his decision. The strange tension in the room made everyone else uneasy. Alisha sat in her seat and spoke, “First of all, I have to apologize to you, Yuli. I got you involved in something that made your father upset and I’m sorry. It was my mistake.”
Yuli shook her head, “There is no need to apologize, I was the one who went with it despite knowing my father would likely yell at you. If I had done the responsible thing, you would not have gotten in trouble.”
“In any case, I would like to apologize because my plan for the refugees hasn’t changed,” Alisha empathized her determination to oppose Benas’ decision which surprised both Elise and Yuli. “I don’t care about what your father says. The people in the triage needs help and I don’t intend to break my promise.”
“You cannot go against Lord Benas,” Elise explained. “He is the person helping you the most. You cannot betray his trust like this.”
“I’m not betraying anyone. The Empire will take care of the refugees and that is exactly why they will fail.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know how but the traffickers are planning to abduct the refugees.”
“I was told as such from Lord Benas,” Jeromy added. “They are likely targets because they had no recourse in the Empire if they fell out of the system, especially the elves. But how do you know?”
“My slimes around town retracted the steps of kidnappers tonight to their safehouse in Riverside. I know where the remaining traffickers are and what they’re planning.”
This was her power. Jeromy was beginning to understand.
“They’re planning on attacking them as they make their way to the hospital in Viennera for treatment. That’s when I’ll make my opportunity and give the refugees the choice to come with me for their treatment.”
The room went silent for a moment, taking in the severity of Alisha’s words.
“You don’t need to worry about me. I am already a criminal in the eyes of the Empire.”
“I do not like it,” Yuli said, “I do not like how you do not seem to care about yourself since you are wanted by authorities. We care about you!”
Elise asked, “If that was the plan of those men, why did they try to abduct a girl from a tavern?”
“That’s because she’s the mayor's daughter,” said Jeromy. “They’d probably hold her captive and pressure the mayor to give them information like the route they’ll likely take or something similar.”
“Do you really think the Mayor is a person who can be extorted like that?”
“Yes,” Jeromy and Alisha both said together. They looked at each other for a moment but knew they were thinking about different things.
“It’s his daughter,” Jeromy tried to explain as kindly as possible. “He’d do anything for his family. That’s just the man that he is.”
Alisha explained her viewpoint, “She was an extort-able weakness the traffickers have tried to capitalize on. Not just that, the situation with the Imperials makes it clear that he loves his family and his people but never takes the initiative. Without Lord Alton, the mayor would’ve listened to anyone with a mouth. Criminals know these sorts of patterns and know the people who they could target the most. The mayor is exactly that kind of man. A coward.”
The room went silent again, everyone glaring at Alisha.
“What?” Alisha looked at her friends with confusion.
When it became obvious Alisha wasn’t going to figure out what she did wrong, Elise spoke up, “You hardly know the man and you passed judgment on him with such conviction. You are being mean to the man the people of Riverside elected.”
“Was I wrong in my assessment?”
“That is not the issue here. Your ‘assessment’ of such character has no merit. Although as elves we feel the emotions of others very strongly, we still need to talk to people.”
Alisha wanted to move on and dismissed their concern about her, “In any case, I need Jeromy and Selina to ensure the safety of the refugees. And I need Aunt Elise’s connections once they’re out of Imperial custody.”
“What do I need to do?” Yuli asked.
“Your blessing as the daughter of Benas Alton is good enough.”
“Is that all?”
“You can rely on us so that the refugees can live good and productive lives. If you haven’t asked me, I won’t have bothered with any of this. Keep doing what you’ve been doing at the triage. It means a lot that you’re there.”
Jeromy added, “As the daughter of the Merchant Lord, it’ll leave a good impression on the townsfolk.”
“Okay, I will!” Yuli exclaimed with determination.
“Jeromy? You’re agreeing with my plan?” Alisha asked him.
“I am. There are some finer details to hash out but there’s nothing wrong with your plan,” Jeromy said and made his decision on the spot.
Alisha was surprised that he was just going along with what she was suggesting especially when he just scolded her for her lack of commitment. But Alisha’s plan was a solid one especially because she knew how and when the traffickers were going to strike.
The meeting became a briefing on an operation on how to take down the trafficking organization in Riverside. Jeromy needed them to be brought to justice for the checkpoints to be lifted and for the Association to reassert their authority over their trade.
In two days, the traffickers would make their move and try to bribe the mayor with the threat of hurting his daughter to move the town militia patrols away from their escape route. So, Jeromy and the others needed to coerce the mayor first by ensuring his daughter’s safety and therefore his cooperation. Although the result with the traffickers kidnapping the refugees would be the same, this will ensure the mayor wouldn’t be usurped by Dustin under the gist of cooperation.
Next, while making sure they don’t hurt anyone along the way, the traffickers would stuff the refugees in containers in stagecoaches and ride to the southern checkpoint towards Gillesport. After the traffickers bribe the Imperials to skip the search, they’d be on their way to another hideout and hopefully to the other trafficking victims. If everything ran smoothly, they’d then raid the two locations and arrest or kill them all.
It was a good plan to effectively kill the criminal organization while allowing Alisha to work her healing magic on them without prying eyes. This was good, Alisha thought. People were listening to what she wanted to say and appreciated what she could contribute. This was the feeling Alisha wanted to experience in her old life before she was killed.
After the meeting, Elsie pulled Alisha to the side to talk to her alone. “I’m concerned about you, Alisha.”
“I’m sorry that I’ve caused any undue concern but I’m fine. My plan will work. The refugees will be safe,” she tried to put her at ease about the risks but this wasn’t what Elise was referring to.
“Do you always assess people like that? Over the last few months, I noticed you making judgments on the people in the tavern. At first, I thought you were joking but it also happened when you noticed the man who was going to attack the mayor’s daughter.”
“Doesn’t everyone assess the people you see? I’m the same way.”
“No, Alisha. Not like you do. You notice even the small details in the voices and mannerisms of people no matter how important the person is to you. Why do you do that?”
Alisha wasn’t aware this was a problem but was aware of it nonetheless, “…Ever since I was a child, I’ve always been observant. My time on Earth wasn’t pleasant and I was ‘socially-challenged’ when I was younger. I wasn’t very good at socializing because I had trouble picking up on social norms for communication. It got so bad that I was bullied at my schools for it. I had no professionals to teach me how to interact so I had to teach myself. I also had visionary and auditory issues so it was very hard. I’m not like other people. I don’t magically know what to say or what to do when it concerns relationships.
“I had to learn it by observing and making judgments on how I should act in certain situations. To make conversations more natural, I have to use cues from other situations to predict what will happen. Every single time I have an interaction with someone, I have to go through this process in my head to communicate properly.”
“I am sorry for what you had to go through,” Elise said while patting her head. Honestly, what Alisha said sounded like normal human communication but her perspective was maybe because she was an elf. But from what she learned herself from humans, talking wasn’t something that regular people had to think about in so much detail. It was the same for every humanoid on Theia. “I do not know what to say about your condition but you admit that it is a problem.”
Resisting the tears in her eyes, Alisha responded while making a difficult face, “It’s not something I can turn off. If I stop thinking, how will I understand what other people are thinking? People will hate me...”
“But that is also the wall you set between other people.”
“Huh?”
“You are overanalyzing people and you never get too close to people you do not judge to be in good character, all without even speaking to them. I think this is because you do not want to get hurt. Alisha, I want for you to trust more people other than your family.”
Just like Reinold said, they considered her part of their family. Wasn’t she just a friend and a guest at their house? At what point did they become family? She remained confused and didn’t know what she meant. She never encountered this situation before. “Family?” She asked.
“Family.”
“Okay… So, I don’t want to get hurt by other people that I have no real reason to distrust... But name one time me overanalyzing was a bad thing!” Alisha didn’t understand at all so Elise wanted to use this opportunity to enlighten her.
“The rapist you noticed a few weeks ago.” There was such a freelancer in the tavern a few weeks ago.
“How is that a bad thing? He had semen all over his clothing for weeks and he conducted in very suspicious activity with the women in the bar. No big deal. It’s like how I got the traffickers.”
“But they were just stains on clothing and many people around here have dirty clothing. You analyzed the stains of the tavern patrons for what?”
“I wanted to see if they killed people…recently. Everyone is usually so touchy with me…”
“Also, the traffickers could just have easily been two people leaving the bar and the guy fancied her. It does not say that those who follow people out of bars are going to commit a crime. How many people have you followed out of the tavern?”
“…I refuse to answer that question.” It was true that Guide pointed the incident out to her but it was Alisha’s direction to observe the tavern, inside and outside for information she could very much hear every night on her own. Her Monster Sight also kept her surroundings observed under her watch twenty-four seven.
“And I am sure you have theories on why Reinold left his freelancer party or how my sister died even when you should accept our privacy on these issues.”
“Of course, I do have a few—” She stopped midway when she saw through Elise’s intentions and she sulked. “Please stop teasing me…You made your point.”
Alisha always thought that she was smarter than the average person, enough to compete with graduate school students. She had an amazing memory and could see a solution to any problem thrown her way. It was always like this. She had no problem seeing through every person she interacted with even before reincarnating here.
She used every clue she could find about a person and create a profile of the person in her mind with an emphasis placed on possible future actions. Based on past actions and interactions, a person’s actions could be easily predicted and managed.
This was what everyone did, Alisha thought. How else could people know who to trust?
But she overdid it.
Samantha used to call her Sherlock when she was annoyed by Cayden’s deductions.
“I will try… to not be so… overly critical of others,” Alisha answered, emphasize on the word ‘try.’
“And yourself,” Elise corrected and waited for Alisha to answer her.
“…And myself. Okay?”
“Okay.”