"How am I supposed to handle this, Anne? I realize I'm somewhat lacking when it comes to planning," Eschell lamented, as Anne methodically nixed her scatterbrained schemes, leading the young girl to sulk unusually.
"Don't fret, miss. You'll understand when you're my age," Anne consoled, patting Eschell's head with a soothing pace. "Instead of fretting over the nebulous future, why not join me in a game of house, just like old times?"
"Anne, you're not ill, are you?" Eschell's vigilance spiked, but then she noticed they had wandered into an alleyway.
"What's going on, Anne?" The girl's voice dropped to a whisper.
"The men after you, miss, they're close. Time to scream for help," Anne's voice retained its calmness.
Feeling the footsteps quicken behind her, Eschell evoked a primal human instinct, delivering a shrill cry with all the clarity of a fourteen-year-old girl, "Help! Someone, help me!"
Anne yanked Eschell into a corner of the alley and, with a forceful pull, they crammed together out of sight. Anne then hollered too, "Help, oh mercy! Murder!"
Their screams got the desired effect. The footsteps hastened, intent on a swift resolution, but just as the assailants closed in within five meters, a squad of soldiers burst into the mouth of the alley, shouting commands, "Stand down! Drop your weapons!" as they drew their standard-issue swords, forming a barrier in front of the two seemingly helpless ladies.
Preferring to avoid a scene, the lead assassin exchanged a glance with his companions, making a swift decision. They sprang from the alley walls and ascended onto the rooftops, disappearing with agility.
The patrol captain watched their fleeting shadows with an impressed murmur, "They were quite the experts."
As the assassins vanished over the rooftops, Anne quietly slipped her exquisite wand back into hiding, unnoticed.
With the turmoil settled, the patrol turned to the two sobbing beauties, their hearts softening with pity. With awkward reassurance, they offered, "You two alright, ladies?"
Between sobs and wiped tears, Anne replied, "We were just passing through to visit family—knew nothing of those men. Why us?"
The patrolmen blushed at the indirect blame aimed at their slack security.
"You ladies may not know this, but there's been trouble up north, causing a stir in the capital these last few days. Some folks see it as a chance to fish in troubled waters, make a quick profit. Our Ente Town's usually quite safe, mind you."
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
While the connection between turmoil in the north and Ente Town's security was tenuous, the captain had to deflect blame from his watch onto the nebulous conflict up north.
After brief questioning, Eschell and Anne managed to leave the patrol and the undesired confines of Ente Town behind them.
"Anne, about earlier..." Eschell couldn't contain her curiosity. The maid's recent maneuverings had been baffling, to say the least.
"It's nothing to worry about, miss—just a little trickery to determine the allegiance of our pursuers," Anne reassured softly.
"What do you mean? Weren't they sent by the king?" Eschell felt overwhelmed, as if her brain was short-circuiting.
"They were from the Southern Territory," Anne stated with certainty.
"What? The South? How can that be?" The hapless girl's jaw dropped in shock.
"Because when the patrol arrived, they chose to flee instead of continuing their pursuit," Anne explained. "Had they been from the capital, they wouldn't have been deterred by mere guards; they'd have claimed their authority and taken us into custody. Their need for secrecy suggests they weren't sent by the king."
"And as for the East," Anne continued after a pause. "The East always hedges its bets and wouldn't opt for such a cutthroat approach, so it can only be the work of the Southern Territory."
"How did you know the patrol would come, then?" Clearly, the girl's line of inquiry was far from over.
"Observation and patterns," answered Anne tersely, letting a hint of coldness enter her voice.
"Right," murmured Eschell, bowing her head. "I'm sorry, Anne. Am I being too naive?"
"Not at all, miss," Anne replied as she abruptly halted, causing Eschell to stop in her tracks and look around. From the woods ahead emerged three cloaked figures garbed in black, their appearance a stark contrast, though it was only noon, suggesting a dark omen.
Eschell glanced behind; three men with daggers were approaching; the alley's ambushers had shed their commoner disguises, replaced by an aura of subtle lethality that choked her breath.
The central figure stepped forward, stopping ten paces away. "Miss Eschell, would you please come with us?"
At that moment, Eschell's muscles tensed involuntarily with fright, "You're not going to kill me?"
"Kill you? Oh no, the Duke of the South merely wishes to extend an invitation as a concerned relative for a brief stay. I'm sure your grandfather and father would understand," the man responded cheerfully, brandishing his dagger aloft, sending slashes of sword energy ripping into the sky—signal flares through the forest.
Eschell knew that he was calling for backup, her stomach flipping with anxiety, "If I go with you, will Anne be spared?"
"Anne?" The man sounded puzzled, but his confusion dissipated on sighting the maid, "Apologies, but the duke has invited only you."
"That's all I need to know then," Eschell steadied herself, slowing her racing heart with deep breaths. Reaching behind, she drew her delicate staff, its blue gemstone glinting in the light. Pointing it towards the shrouded figures, she summoned every ounce of bravery, "The bloodline of Arwin does not cling to life through betrayal and cowardice."
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Currently available intel (dead serious):
(Includes some fan-created content, headcanons, and stitching-together solely for narrative purposes. Enjoy!)
Lower-tier monsters: Zombies, Slimes, Skeletons, Goblins. Their level cap is thirty, and it is generally impossible for them to break through (though there are exceptions).
Goblins and Slimes are all indigenous demonic beings.
Skeletons and Zombies come in two types: transformed (from other living beings) and indigenous (spawning naturally). However, there's no discrimination between these branches within their kind.