“I saved you because of my promise to the seers, nothing less and nothing more. But as a gentleman, you should know how to return the favor.” The tension in the air grew tense after Meyara said all that. She could see how the men’s eyes glared disapprovingly at her. However, she was too fiery to carry out her plan to realize that she had to stop talking. “Now you know that my friend and I are not just ordinary teenagers. We can destroy you whenever we want, so be wise in your decisions.”

“Cut it out, kid!” The loose-tongued man quipped. “What do you mean we owe you? You being able to breathe until now is a form of our kindness!”

Approval responses immediately resounded. Frostfell's men, who could still speak, protested against Meyara. Adriel, who had been nervous all this time, stood up to her, but Meyara didn't feel afraid at all. It was as if all of this was in her plan, and not just a coincidence. It was as if she already had a list containing a collection of next steps that she could carry out one by one as she pleased.

“Listen, kid … uh, what's your name again? Mira?" Galen asked after he ordered his men to stop making noise.

“Meyara,” answered the girl with a little hiss. Felt offended that the man didn't even remember her name.

“Okay, Meyara, and … whatever your friend's name is. I understand that you’re a great mage who has chased away an unknown monster that was actually just a wild animal with excess power. But you have no right to demand anything from us ‘cause it was you who suddenly came and threatened our peace in the first place."

Adriel snorted, his annoyance overpowering his fear. “Peace? You guys are missing persons and we are the unlucky officers tasked with doing the drudgery!”

“See? I told you, Galen! Our plan worked! Those so-called holy seers couldn't even see us from the dirty lake!”

“Shut your damn mouth for a second!” Galen looked very depressed, either because of what had just happened or because he was too tired from the commotion. He was busy going here and there checking on his injured men. Skillfully bandaging and supporting parts of the body that he might suspect were fractured before returning to face Meyara. “Here's the deal. Well, thanks for your help, at least we can still survive even though some of us were already dying before you drove the beast away. Now you guys go! We’ll pretend that none of this ever happened.”

“Nuh-uh. I don't need that. I told you, I've made a deal with the seers. See this pattern?” Meyara showed an agreement pattern on the back of her hand which she had previously covered with a thick cloth. Pretend it's an old wound that shouldn't be opened. “Even though the consequences of not keeping a promise mean nothing to me, it's better to avoid it, right? Don't you think so?"

Galen frowned, his eyes focused on the glowing pattern. A resigned sigh finally left his lips once he realized there was no point in arguing with a stubborn and reckless teenage girl. One look at her, he knew that Meyara would do anything to achieve her goal.

Even now he was stunned to see how a young man who looked much stronger obeyed Meyara's every wish. The young man only acted after being ordered by her. Galen knew better than to fight a losing battle.

In the end, the dark brown-haired man took off and shook off his thick jacket in front of Meyara, showing that he was no longer hiding any weapons, then stood in front of the girl while raising both hands. “Tell me what your plan is. I guarantee, everyone here will follow your wishes.”

Meyara smiled with satisfaction. "Good choice. Isn't it that easy—"

"On one condition," Galen continued. He looked around, meeting the eyes of his men who were looking at him in disappointment. “Please make sure we’re all safe, at least until we make it through this place.”

"Damn it! We don't need protection from little kids!”

"We've come a long way to get here, Galen!"

"We can't stop!"

"Shut up!" Galen shouted so loud his throat could hurt. But for the first time, Meyara was stunned to see the deep concern radiating from the brown-skinned man. “No more arguments. Now just obey my orders if you still want to live!”

Eventually, Meyara realized that the group of men in front of her were not just a boss and his lackeys. There was a strong brotherhood and bond between them. However, it was not easy to manage many strong-will mature men. Galen probably took on the role of an authoritarian boss to make things easier for them.

After all, there must be a reason why seers loved them so much. There was no way the seers would be so concerned about them if the men didn't mean anything to them.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Very touching," Meyara said after silence took over the atmosphere once again. “Because I already have a contract agreement, I can’t make a new one before completing it. So, I'll only take your word for it, Galen."

Galen twitched when he heard how Meyara called him casually like that. He definitely didn't like it one bit, but couldn't say anything about it.

"Now can you all stay still so me and my friend here can treat you?”

Without the need for Meyara to tell him, Adriel immediately handed some of his vials to her secretly. He understood that no one should realize that Meyara didn’t have any abilities at the moment. Therefore, he helped her to treat patients with his powers.

First of all, the patient was taken to a hut which was a bit run down. The more seriously injured people were placed in a slightly more closed and warm room, while the others just sat in rows, leaning against the wooden walls. Galen insisted on being treated last. While waiting, he kept pacing around, occasionally monitoring the progress of the treatment and checking the condition of his friends closely.

After smearing several people's wounds with Adriel's potion, Meyara approached Galen and stood beside the man. Her body looks much smaller than the adult man, but the look in Meyara's eyes was no less intimidating.

“You definitely know what one of your men said to me a while ago.”

Galen seemed reluctant to respond to Meyara. He was silent while covering part of his face with his hands for a few moments. Meyara almost repeated her question when he finally spoke.

"What do you want to know? I thought you knew everything.”

Meyara hummed while nodding her head. "Almost everything. But I don't know how you can end your own life for a short time."

“There’s always a way if you look close enough. The universe has provided more than we need.”

Something tugged at Meyara's heart when she heard the familiarity of Galen's answer. The girl reflexively looked at Adriel who was still busy giving treatment. The memory of how the young man had said more or less the same sentence back in Deterville made Meyara a little uncomfortable.

What's wrong with the people around her? Why did they all seem to be working together to teach Meyara that there really was more to life without magic?

Meyara refused to admit it. Her desire to learn more about the world was none other than because she wanted to return as a mage who was stronger than before. Nothing less than that.

"Don’t talk too much. Just tell me how you faked your death, or what poison you drank.” She demanded. Her tone left no room for further pleasantries. There was a hint of sadness etched on her face.

“Lily of the valley.”

Meyara threw her head back and laughed mockingly. “Uh-huh. Now stop joking and tell me the truth.”

Galen simply shrugged his shoulders. "If you don't believe me, that's fine." He immediately approached one of his friends who was cursing in pain. His friend almost kicked Adriel who was still trying to force him to drink a concentrated potion.

"You can't be serious!" Meyara trailed behind Galen with explosive emotions. Treading relentlessly onto poor ground. “Those lousy flowers will only make you nauseous and that's not something a simple potion can't cure!”

"Stomach ache, vomiting, rash, and dizziness that makes my head spinned so hard," Galen added calmly. “And if by then you don't stop taking it, your heartbeat will stop forever. If you get help immediately, the heart will start beating again after a few seconds. It was only a moment, but that time was enough to deceive the Lake of the Lost."

Meyara still didn't accept his explanation. The girl continued to grumble while Galen crouched beside Adriel who was starting to have difficulty standing due to exhaustion. Galen pulled Adriel to ask him to rest, but he stopped immediately and stared at the young man.

"I've seen you before," he said suddenly. “Several times. Near Everford.”

Adriel froze in place. His eyes were glued to the ground, reluctant to look back at Galen.

“Huh? No way. He rarely comes out of Deterville.” Meyara answered for him. "You must have mistaken him for someone else. Right, Adriel?"

“R-right,” Adriel stuttered out, “w-we don't even know where Everford is. After this, we … we will meet with the leader of Dawnlake who might be able to take us to … uh, water ride through the Everford river.”

"Is that true?" Galen looked at him suspiciously. Especially after seeing how Adriel started to look like he was having trouble breathing and was very tense.

Not only Galen, Meyara also noticed the young man's agitated expression. She rushed to squat beside him. Suspicion began to grow in her mind, but she said nothing and just watched the two men's conversation.

"Odd, but I'm pretty sure I’m right. The vial with the simple pattern on the cap you brought is also exactly the same as the one that guy had dropped in Everford. About … hmm, four years ago?"

All of a sudden Adriel took a sharp breath and fell down. Meyara, who was shocked, immediately grabbed both of his shoulders, but Adriel let go while shaking his head.

“I-I'm tired. I think that's enough for tonight," said the young man while massaging his own temples. “Your people should be fine, but I'll check on them again after we get back to Frostfell.”

Suspicious. Those were the only word that crossed Meyara's head when Adriel stepped away and rested a few meters from her. She felt that there was something Adriel was hiding, something she should have been aware of but could not exactly point her finger on it.

However, the mention of Frostfell made her aware that there was Eva who was likely awaiting their arrival anxiously . Meyara looked at the pattern on her hand once more before calling Galen.

“Put your story on hold for later. We’re returning to Frostfell now.”

***