22 Chapter 22 - Setting Out

" Brother! "

Ana waved at Zio from afar. A wide smile surfaced on her face; a smile that never fails to warms his heart. He increased his pace, going after the both of them.

" Oh? That was fast... and noisy. " Bella looked at Zio from the edge of her eyes. Her expression confuses him, as if she was expecting something.

" I heard it too. What happened, brother? What was that noise? "

" Yeah, um... I ran into quite the accident. But it's okay now. "

" Then... what is that? " Ana pointed at Zio’s left hand, and he quickly realized that he was being careless. His sister saw the bloodstain on his bracer. Now he has to think of an excuse.

" Pay it no mind, sweet Ana. He probably just ran into a couple of wild dogs" Bella trying to had Zio covered.

" Wild dogs? down here? How come I never seen any of them? "

" O-Of course you never saw them, they are dangerous! There's no way I would let them get near you! "

Zio wondered whether it would do the trick on Ana. And of course, it wouldn’t. His sister is a bright kid after all. She seems to always know when something isn't right, and she always sulks whenever her brother hid the truth from her, just like she is now.

" Come on now, little sugar. Don't pout. " Zio took her back from Bella, carrying her in his arms while keep walking forward.

" All that matters is I'm here with you... am I wrong? " Zio poked Ana’s cheeks and played with her hair, but she turns the other way instead. Breaking the older brother’s heart harder than anything.

" A-Ah, I know! Since I won't be back for a while, what about I'll bring back some sweets, hmm? Is there anything that you want? Blackcurrant? Apple? Pear? "

Ana’s head slightly moved. Zio thinks that he had managed to reel in the fish. A brother will always know his sister’s weak spot. As for Ana, her love for sweets has always been the answer.

" Or perhaps... Ginseng? " Ana bites her brother’s ear as soon as he spelled the word. She despises ginseng with all her heart, even if it was made into sweets. Because her hatred towards ginseng is much greater than her love for sweets.

" Hmph. Well then, I think... Lemon... might be okay... "

" What!? Lemon!? *Sobbing* I remembered the first time you taste a lemon! I thought it was number two on your 'hate list'! You really have grown! "

Zio’s heart was not ready to see his little Ana growing up. His eyes all teared up as he smooched her endlessly. She truly is, the only sweet that Zio needs.

" Alright attention please, you babies. This is my nest. " While Zio was busy wiping his eyes, Bella suddenly stopped before a wall. But it wasn't just a wall. Zio immediately recognized the smell and feeling.

" Metal? "

Bella took out a little, stick-like object from under the wall. A metal bar that can be easily mistaken as a mere water pipe. She then inserted the bar into a hole on the wall, before inserting another stick into the bar, acting as a handle.

" Zio, this is tiring... can't you help? "

Zio has no choice but to sigh a little. After putting Ana down, he put his hand on the bar and let his muscular arms do the work. *Creak* After a few spins, the handle got stuck.

" Eeh? What did you do? You broke it. "

" I didn't! You dumb- "

" Brother! Bad words are bad! "

Zio forgot that Ana was there. But that was because he really didn’t make any mistake. It seems that the problem came from the mechanics inside the wall.

" This must be ill-maintained. "

" Eh? No way! I always smeared it every week! "

" With? "

" Umm... Water? "

As he thought, Bella’s stupidity knows no bound. But Zio cannot say anything or Ana will scold him again, so he decided to do a facepalm in silence instead. Seeing her partner’s gesture, the red-haired woman awkwardly grins while scratching her head, like she has realized her mistake.

*Creak* Suddenly, the wall is folding up, even though no one touched the bar. Zio stands in front of Ana, unsheathing his sword. Because one will never know what could possibly come out from beyond the wall. Being careful never hurts.

" Bel... la...? "

" Steve! "

A tiny, womanly figure came out from behind the wall. Her black hair and pale skin that contrast to each other is somehow breath-taking. The girl has this vibe of a people with caste. Though she really looks harmless, but then again, one can never be too careful.

" Eek! I-Is that a s-s-sword? I-I'm s-sorry, I-I don't have anything...! "

" Zio! " Bella glared at Zio. She's telling him to put back his sword. And this time, he did as she says.

They finally make it inside. It wasn't much of a shelter, but at least it's decent and safe. Zio thought that maybe he should've already taken Bella’s offer a long time ago to look after Ana.

" What do you think? Comfier than yours, right? We even have a bed right here, though might not be the best... You should've let Ana to stay with us after all. "

" Hmph, no way in hell. I doubt Ana will grow into a proper woman with you around. "

Actually, that's not the case. It's just that, Zio can't stand the idea of being far away from Ana. Because anxiety will kill him before any sword do.

After they cleared the misunderstanding. Zio found out that Bella and Steve have known each other even before he and Ana came into this sewage. So, he can conclude that she's somehow trustable, at least to some extent. But still, there's something he needs to confirm.

" Steve... you are a noble, aren't you? "

Just as Stefany is a timid person, she keeps looking down and averting Zio’s eyes. It seems that she didn't want to answer his question, even though he can force her to do so by pressing her around. But he knew that it is improper, as they were here to ask for her favor in the first place.

" Zio... Everyone has their own to keep. " Bella speak up in the timid girl’s place.

" N-No... I-It's... okay. I... I just- " Before Stefany can finish her sentence, Ana rubs her hair and hugged her. Which makes a sight that truly makes Zio look even more like a villain.

" ...Y-You're right, I'm sorry. That was rude of me. "

" Brother, I think she's okay. "

Surprisingly, Ana already accepted Stefany in her circle. That was much quicker than Zio had expected, and makes his suspicion of her gradually fades away. ‘Maybe she's really harmless after all’, he thought to himself. He is starting to feel that he might be able to trust Ana to her.

" Very well, then. "

Zio grabbed his bag and took out his purse. He gave Stefany a quarter of his savings as a payment in advance for taking care of Ana. It was plenty of Elrins, enough to cover a month of living expenses.

" I look forward to your cooperation. "

" T-This is too much, s-sir Zio... "

" Feed her well, clean the bed, bath her two times a day, and combs her hair three times a day, after the bath and before sleep. Also, don't forget to take her for a walk on weekends especially in the morning, and make sure you return before dark. Always wear a robe wherever you go, stay away from quiet alleys and- "

" Alright, stop stop! It will take forever if this continues. "

Bella cut Zio in when he wasn't even half-done talking about the stuff that Stefany has to remember. She then stood up and pack her things, getting herself ready to set out.

" Don't worry, Steve knows her thing. I have also taught her how to survive out there. "

Bella is trying to comfort Zio, but he kept silent instead. He can't do much but hoping that she taught her well. After that, He also gets back on his feet, stretching his body that is stiff as hell, as he hasn't got plenty of rest recently.

" Ana, remember what I've taught you and be a good girl, okay? We'll be back in four days. "

Zio rubbed Ana's hair and kissed her cheek, before hugging her gently. Hugging her for like a minute, or two, or three. Like he doesn't even know what to do next.

" Ehm, how long are you going to hug her. "

" I knew it... I don't want to be apart from you after all! " Zio sobbed hard like he really means it.

" Huft... praise the goddess. Come on now, we don't have much time left! " Bella forcefully pulled Zio away from Ana, dragging him outside the room.

" Close the door, Steve! "

" Y-Yes! "

" Take care, brother! I love you! "

" Anaaa...! "