Far in the distance, a solitary figure watched the group of friends through a pair of binoculars. Her keen eyes were sharply focused on them, her sight heightened thanks to the innate skills on her gadget.
She stood tall on the rooftop of a grand bell tower, her long maid’s dress fluttering wildly in the desert wind. If someone saw her, they would undoubtedly be surprised and concerned at her choice of attire. After all, being so heavily dressed under the blazing sun had to be uncomfortable, to say the least.
Even so, she remained expressionless, her impassive demeanor showing she felt no discomfort despite the harsh environment. It was Escarlata, one of the L’adariels’ most trusted maids, who had been tasked with keeping an eye not only on Selorien, but also on Ascalon.
“Why can’t I be there with them?” She reproached, her lips pouting cutely. It was quite the contrast to her earlier expression.
Escarlata recalled vividly what had brought her to Starugnia, an event that had transpired mere days ago.
Ron, one of the Headquarters spokesman, had suddenly paid a visit to the L’adariel household, apparently to discuss urgent business with the family head. Theoldorien received Ron with a mix of suspicion and intrigue, and invited him into an office where they could converse discreetly.
As one of the maids in charge of Theoldorien’s protection, Escarlata had been present, listening intently to their conversation—though that was a part of her duties, and not just mere curiosity.
The lower ranked maids were instructed to distract themselves from any discussion between Theoldorien and his business partners, but it was different when it came to the higher ranked ones.
Theoldorien himself trusted their advice, but also wanted a failsafe in case he were to forget an important conversation, or worse. He was old, and had many enemies, after all.
“So what brings you here today, Ron?” Theoldorien asked in a clear, authoritative tone, his sharp stare fixed on the guest.
“I apologize for the sudden visit, but we had no time to make an appointment.” Ron replied, bowing slightly. Theoldorien nodded, encouraging him to continue. “I would like to request your assistance with a matter involving your grandson.” Ron concluded, waiting to see the old elf’s reaction.
“What do you mean, exactly?” Theoldorien questioned, arching an eyebrow.
“As you know, he’s been accompanied by a wanderer.” Ron explained. “And we’ve been monitoring him, just in case.” He paused, while Theoldorien waited patiently.
“But it seems they’re leaving the city, and we can’t replicate the same strategy we’ve been using to keep tabs on him—not outside of New Lumingard.” Exclaimed Ron, leaning forward in his seat. Theoldorien let out a thoughtful ‘hmmm’, clearly interested in the matter.
“We spoke with Lucio Cormante, their Guildmaster, and he agreed to remove them from their Guild to see if that would dissuade them from traveling.” Ron sighed, a hint of regret in his words. “But we can’t rely solely on that.” He added, his eyes shifting toward Escarlata, then back to Theoldorien.
“We would like to request the help of your maids.” Ron stated, finally revealing the main reason for his visit.
“Smart decision.” Theoldorien spoke with pride. “Especially using my grandson as bait.” The elf smiled mischievously, and Ron bowed slightly.
“But even Escarlata here was put to shame by this wanderer.” Theoldorien added, and Ron’s expression darkened. To be fair, he was kind of expecting that, but it was still discouraging. Surprisingly, the maid was the one to speak up next.
“If I may, Master Theoldorien.” She said with a courteous tone.
“This is rare. Speak.” Theoldorien replied, knowing that Escarlata wasn’t one to suddenly interject in their meetings.
“I have gauged Asc-ehem, the wanderer’s range, and I’m confident that I can monitor him unnoticed now.” Escarlata explained, her expression remaining unchanged.
“Hmmm. I see, you’ve been busy while escorting Selorien, eh? I’m impressed.” The maid bowed as Theoldorien replied with a bold smile, while Ron felt like hope was rekindled.
“Alright, you go. Take all the precautions you need, and keep my grandson safe.” Theoldorien’s order echoed through the room, prompting Ron to let out a sigh of relief. “But Ron, know this: if my grandson wasn’t involved, I would have asked for compensation.” The old elf exclaimed, a sly grin on his face.
Ron chuckled with clear nervousness, and the meeting concluded not long afterward. Once the visitor was gone, Escarlata spoke to Theoldorien once more.
“What about the demon girl?” She asked, facing the elf with a serious stare.
“Don’t bother. I don’t want to lose one of the Caretakers to that damned wanderer.” Theoldorien replied with an irritated tone, his eyes burning with deep anger. Escarlata bowed profusely, and excused herself from the room.
Back in the present, the maid sighed in resignation. She had spoken with confidence before, but monitoring the group as they journeyed had proven to be harder than expected.
To begin with, Escarlata had to take a different train in order to keep her distance from the group. She even had to sprint through the carriages to the very end of the vehicle when it suddenly stopped, due to Ascalon’s train blocking the way.
At least, she had managed to catch a glimpse of the knight’s distant fight, and squealed in excitement all the way through. Thankfully, she had resorted to stealth in order to not appear indecorous to the other passengers.
Aside from having to maintain a ridiculous distance from them, Escarlata also felt… jealous, so to say. At first, it was only Lilithra who hovered around Ascalon like a fly, but now there was also a cow! Two other girls were clinging to Ascalon all the time—or so it appeared in her mind—and she had to watch from afar as those wenches enjoyed his presence.
“Unfair…” She whispered, stomping with her right foot slightly, though the force was enough to make the rooftop tiles crack. “Oh, pardon me.” Murmured Escarlata as she quickly vanished from the bell tower, swiftly changing locations.
Now standing atop a towering windcatcher, Escarlata sighed with frustration, knowing that she had to keep her distance unless absolutely necessary. It was fortunate that the shady broker had such a hidden lair; eliminating him had been pretty simple.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
That other Loreno fellow seemed like more of a threat. But well, she could always go and get rid of him after her targets left the area. What worried her was what she had managed to learn from reading their lips—the existence of a dungeon, and the possibility that they might venture into it.
If they did, she wouldn’t be able to follow them without exposing her presence, since most dungeons were far smaller than cities, making it nearly impossible for her to remain unnoticed as she tailed them.
Once again, a sigh escaped her lips, as her conflicting thoughts clashed—torn between her orders, her obsessive behavior, and the damned mysteries of the city. For now, she had to keep watching from afar and think carefully about her next steps.
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The group, oblivious to the watchful maid, walked under the relentless sun until it decided to finally hide behind the horizon, leaving the stage to the incoming night. They had wasted a lot of time getting lost and getting weird looks when asking for the lower district, which was probably baffling to the average citizen.
After all, why would a tourist want to go to such a place? Ascalon rationalized their reactions as they waved goodbye to the last person they had asked.
“They keep telling us to keep away from there, but don’t even tell us where we're supposed to not go! What if we were travelers and just stumbled there?!” Lilithra exclaimed with clear frustration, slumping her shoulders.
Selorien laughed at her words, amused by the thought, while Lyra softly patted her back. “It’s okay, we’ll get there!” She said with confidence, smiling reassuringly. Ascalon chuckled and joined in, patting Lilithra’s head.
“Stop it~!” Lilithra complained sheepishly, her cheeks reddening in response.
“It’s getting late, so maybe we’ll find more willing people now!” Selorien chimed in, his face showing a mischievous grin.
“Are you implying we get robbed?” Lilithra retorted, frowning at the elf.
“Robbed? Us? Even if Ascalon wasn’t around, I doubt the average thug would put up much of a fight, heh.” Selorien added, his grin deepening.
“Ugh you know full well that most people are above average nowadays…” Said Lilithra with a sigh, while Selorien tilted his head.
“Touché.” He exclaimed, conceding Lilithra’s point.
“Well, I propose we leave that matter for tomorrow.” Ascalon suddenly interjected, and everyone turned to him. “As much as I want to find Sir Levi, I do not want to press further and risk any of you getting injured.” He declared, reflecting on how they had been on the move the whole day.
It was getting dark, and they were in an unfamiliar city. Even if Ascalon was exceptionally strong, he didn’t want them to forget what he had told them before, the day they had trained: one must always be wary—though Lyra wasn’t present at the time, so she wouldn’t know.
The rest understood his words, but Lilithra and Selorien shifted their concern toward Lyra. She looked at them and smiled shyly before speaking up. “Don’t worry about me! We ca-” Lyra started speaking, but as she was about to finish, she was startled by a loud whistle coming from the distance.
“Damn, look at that rack!” A voice echoed through the mostly empty street, as a pair of bulky-looking guys approached. They were both quite tall, but the one who spoke stood out the most.
He had long brown hair braided into large dreadlocks, his face showing a lecherous grin. The man wore no shirt, only a pair of white, baggy harem pants. But what stood out from his appearance were the big, elephant-like ears that flopped at both sides of his head.
“Heey~ you girls enjoying the city? We can show you some neat places if you ditch these two!” The other man spoke, brimming with confidence—though he looked more fearless than confident.
“Ew!” Lilithra blurted out as he got closer.
He had short black hair, combed to one side, and his face’s handsome features were on par with Selorien’s. His body was well-built, but he had no significant racial features in comparison to his companion. Unlike him, he did wear a stylish vest over his torso, alongside his own set of harem pants.
Both men looked at Lyra with clear ill intentions, their eyes fixated on her chest area. She shrank back, clearly uncomfortable with the situation, as a figure approached them from behind.
“Ah, you were right, Selorien! Our guides have arrived!” Ascalon suddenly blurted out, looming over the newly arrived pair with a menacing smile on his face. Selorien couldn’t help but chuckle, the tension leaving the rest of the group instantly as both men turned around to face Ascalon.
“Huh? What do you m-” One of the thugs began to ask, but his words were cut out as Ascalon slapped him across the cheek. The handsome fellow flew through the air, spinning multiple times before crashing to the ground a good distance away.
“Ah…” Ascalon murmured, realizing he had put more force into the slap than he had intended. The other thug stepped back in surprise, before frowning with anger and lunging at Ascalon with a punch directed toward his face.
Ascalon met the attack by simply placing a hand on the way, the force of the punch echoing through the street—though he remained unfazed. The thug widened his eyes in disbelief, knowing that his half-Elephantid heritage had blessed him with enormous strength from birth, yet the man before him didn’t even budge before his might.
“Please, grab your friend and go.” Ascalon declared, his voice booming with authority and leaving no room for complaints. The man’s elephant ears dropped slightly, as he realized he was biting more than he could chew.
With reluctance in his steps, he walked away and picked up his friend effortlessly, turning back one more time to glance at Ascalon before fleeing into the dark streets. At the same time, Selorien burst out laughing. “Oh man… poor guy!” He managed to say as he clutched his stomach.
“Smart, though.” Ascalon replied, his eye focused on the distance.
“Ah, but we should’ve asked them about the lower districts!” Selorien exclaimed as realization hit him.
“Ha, do not worry about that.” Ascalon stated with a smirk, brimming with confidence while Selorien gazed at him with curiosity. The knight had a plan in mind, though it was just a gamble for the moment. At the same time the guys conversed, Lilithra approached Lyra with a worried expression.
“Are you okay?” She asked, and Lyra nodded energetically.
“Yes!” The cat girl exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Lilithra felt like she could relate, as she too thought it was really cool to see Ascalon in action.
As murmurs from passersby reached their ears, the group decided it was a good time to change locations, so they set out in search of lodgings.
It didn’t take long for them to find a nice hotel, their journey made easier by the cool, refreshing night air. The establishment was bustling with travelers, and the atmosphere felt really cheerful.
Some of the travelers were passengers from their train, and upon quickly recognizing Ascalon and his group, they eagerly tried to engage in conversation. After some awkward mingling, the group managed to get away from the crowd, and booked a few rooms to rest for the night—one for the girls and one for the guys, as they needed some privacy after days spent in the same train cabin.
On the girls’ side, Lilithra and Lyra took turns in the shower and then changed into more comfortable sleeping clothes. The unfairness of the world was presented to Lilithra once again, as she saw Lyra’s ample chest bulging under an old shirt she used as a pajama.
Lyra didn’t notice the girl’s envious stare and climbed onto a bed, her exhaustion causing her to quickly drift into sleep, even when she had planned to chat with Lilithra for a while.
Lilithra followed Lyra’s lead, lying down on her own bed. Looking at the ceiling, she patted her own modest chest as she held back a tear. “Damn it!” She muttered under her breath, clenching her fists. She wasn’t ready to give up on her dreams! But for now, it was time to rest, too.
On the boy's side, Selorien fell asleep immediately, clearly tired from a whole day of marching under the sun. Ascalon watched the elf’s body sprawled all over his bed and chuckled as he opened a window.
Without hesitation, Ascalon leaped out into the night, his figure darting swiftly through the streets. His objective was a pair of presences he had kept tabs on—the two thugs he had let go earlier.
It was time to put his plan into motion!