Familiarity

Karlos sat on the familiar oak chair in his room, his luscious blonde hair cleaned of dirt and flowing down his back.

He took out the purple hair clip from his pocket. It glimmered under the candlelight, resembling two hooves shaped into an 'X'. Karlos closed his eyes and remembered the first time he had received it.

His mother had returned from a trip to the Western continent and had bought it for him. The town she had received it from called the symbol a 'Fawohodie', a representation of independence and freedom. Ever since she passed away, it was the one thing that reminded him of his mother. It was something precious to him, and he wore it every day he could. 

"..." Karlos stared at the hair clip for a few seconds before styling his hair.

A few moments earlier, Karlos washed himself and had his wounds treated by Gisthûs. He was glad. Everyone seemed to be okay, and nobody was excessively hurt.

Pulling on his long golden hair, he struggled to form a ponytail due to only being able to use one hand. Eventually, after trying a trick he had learned from Sêlafrien, he managed to style one that reached down to his shoulder blades, tying it with the purple hair clip.

Looking at his wounds, the cave grass he had used to bandage himself earlier had been replaced with proper padding and plaster, the wounds on his body and leg having been sealed with egg whites. Gisthûs had applied a variety of medicines and herbs to his wounds and Karlos could feel the pain in his broken bones slowly dissipating.

"Young Master, come out for dinner!" He heard Sêlafrien call out from the hallway, the lively chatter of men and women softly permeating throughout the walls.

He flinched at the sudden exclamation, but resolved his nerves.

"...Alright!" Karlos checked himself one last time and put on his casual wear, a silk shirt with a blue vest.

Opening the door to his room, he was immediately hit with the smell of cooking from downstairs. Ale, meats, and the smell of fresh fruit flowed through the air, reaching every corner of the manor.

"Ah, everyone!" A rowdy middle-aged man spotted Karlos on the second floor, drawing the attention of everyone in the hall. "Karlos is here!"

Walking down the steps, Karlos saw familiar and new faces alike, with villagers from all around Anafang having a feast at the long tables.

"Dauerte lang genug, we'd thought you'd never come out!"

"Hey, Karlos! Try this meat, it's grilled to perfection!"

"Come, come! You're just in time for the cheers!" A shopkeeper Karlos recognized ushered him to a fancy seat, obviously reserved for him.

Cheers? The whole village was attacked by monsters, what is there to be joyful about? The boisterous atmosphere infected Karlos, he felt uncomfortable, but ate some fruit regardless.

Taking a strawberry from the basket, he popped one into his mouth and savoured the sweetness and slight sourness of the fruit, warmly energizing his nerves and striking him awake. It did taste oddly muddy though, likely from the dirty water they could only use after the well was blocked off by Rasselbocks.

"People, people!" Alphonse rung a small bell near the hall entrance. 

Everyone suddenly stopped their chatter and put down the food in their hands. Karlos saw every person turn their head and stare at the old man with a striking mustache and gray hair.

"Villagers of Anafang! Tonight, we celebrate our survival, and the dismantling of Egris! Prost!"

"Prost!" Every person in the hall clinked their cups.

Dismantling of Egris? The Holy Kingdom of Egris? Karlos had briefly heard from a villager earlier, but he wasn't told the specifics of how and why everyone from the village was at his manor. Looking around at the crowd, who was beginning to cheer and applaud, he found Sêlafrien in a corner sipping liquor.

Walking over, he whispered.

"Excuse me, Sêlafrien..."

The woman directed her piercing black eyes over to Karlos, who held some strawberries in his hands.

"Oh, Young Master, is something the matter?"

"Can you tell me exactly what happened after I left? From the beginning..."

Sêlafrien rested her head on her palm, contemplating for a moment. "I was working in the basement cellar for most of the incident, so I won't be the most reliable... You should ask Dittmar. He was in the village and led everyone here."

Dittmar was a young man, slightly older than Karlos, and one of his few servants and friends. He had dirty brown hair that reached his shoulders and parted down the middle, accentuating his light brown eyes. He was relatively average looking for noble standards, but was known to be a playboy among the villagers as a commoner.

The rumors are all fabrications, though. As the steward, he was responsible for finance and logistics, being the most reliable man to manage the manor, he certainly had no time to fool around with women. Besides, he explicitly stated he was one to believe in 'true love', saving himself for when he finds 'the one'

As one might expect, he was an avid fan of romance novels found in the library, sneaking one into his documents every time he left.

Karlos walked through the lively crowd, avoiding the splashing of alcohol and crumbs of food from all directions before reaching a secluded part of the hall.

Next to one of the pillars, Karlos spotted Dittmar being crowded with multiple village girls, anxiously trying to leave.

"I still have some documents I need to complete, so if you all would be so kind as to come back later..."

One woman with maroon hair raised her leather cup and spoke in a drunken slur. "Com on, yoo hannsome li'l thin'... 'hic'... Juzz won cup, why don'sha...?"

The girl next to her elbowed the drunk, interjecting with a sloshed speech of her own. "Hey, ugly... 'Hic'... hag. He wuz speakin' t' me, yoo rodden pomegranate-haired wensh... 'Hic'"

"Küzz meinen Arssh!1 Yoo... 'Hic'... Yoo havve benner luck kissin' a cow 'an any man, yoo mongrel!"

"Oh, pipe down yoo two!" Once again, a woman cut between the both of them and drunkenly spilled alcohol over the ground. "Yer both sooo unpleasan thad only shickens wooud wanna sleep wiss yoo weichei2!"

Dittmar spotted Karlos and awkwardly slipped away from the fighting women, who were spouting Schilden profanities and spilling liquor, quickly running over to the young man with blonde hair.

"Karlos! I'm so glad you're safe... Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine for now, I had my wounds treated by Gisthûs." Karlos led Dittmar to an empty table and sat down, muting out the chatter of the hall.

"Are you alright? I heard from Sêlafrien that you were in the village at the time of the attack."

Dittmar shuffled in his chair, worriedly looking down at the table.

"It was terrible, Karlos. I was just running an errand for Ailean and bought some eggs, when suddenly..." 

Dittmar was unresponsive for a moment. His gaze was shaky and his breathing accelerating.

"It's fine if you don't want to remember any of it." Karlos reassured him. "I'm sure it was terrible..."

Dittmar stroked his hair back and took a deep breath.

"'Hoo...' No, it's fine." He took a strawberry from the basket on the table and refocused his attention.

"While I was shopping, a horde of Rasselbocks suddenly flew over our walls and killed the village guards at the gate."

So that was why I didn't see any of them when I arrived... Karlos grimaced. He had hopes that the guards, who he saw practically every time he entered and left Anafang, were still alive.

But the monsters were cruel.

"After that, they began a rampage on the village, targeting everyone who couldn't run away in time. Eventually, the Tiôrden from the west of the village led a few others and fought off the initial onslaught, giving us enough time for some of us to escape, and for me to lead everyone to the manor."

Dittmar wiped his eyes and straightened his back, holding back on his tears. "Most of the village was killed, but everyone you see here is trying to be as positive as possible, waiting for support from a nearby city."

Karlos held out his hand, stopping Dittmar's explanation. "Hold on.

About earlier and what you just said... What's happening to Egris? What do you mean that it's getting dismantled?"

Dittmar raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you heard? the old Tiôrden told us everything, about their plot."

"No, I haven't had time to talk to everyone in the manor, I didn't even know he was alive." Karlos was surprised. An old man like that somehow survived an entire horde of Rasselbocks? Just how terrifying are the Tiôrden?

Dittmar took a sip of water, since he didn't like the taste of liquor, and rested his chin on his hand.

"Well... He was badly injured during the fight. He's resting in one of the rooms now, but right before he fell asleep, he told us that because the Holy Kingdom of Egris was still affiliated with the Hatra Empire, multiple cities sent dozens of Alpha Rasselbocks to eradicate the entire kingdom."

What? Just because Egris was involved with Hatra on a technicality, they've decided to completely destroy it? That doesn't make sense, and besides...

"How could the entire kingdom be destroyed with just some monsters? We fought off a colony with the few Tiôrden we have, right? the Holy Kingdom is sure to have the support of the Church as well..."

Dittmar nodded. "You're completely right. It doesn't completely make sense, but it doesn't matter if the Kingdom was destroyed or not."

"What do you mean?"

Pulling back his brown hair, Dittmar looked to the crowd. "Based on what the Tiôrden told us, the colony that attacked our village is likely a remnant of the attack on Egris. If this is true, the factions involved could publicly defame Egris as being unreliable in its defence, unable to ward off even Rasselbocks, which aren't considered particularly strong monsters."

Well, if you compare them to Lysandra, they're definitely weaker... We would've stood no chance against multiple gorgons...

"This extends to the church as well. As you know, Schildernte largely opposes the Hatran religions, and wants to adopt new ideologies... If they could villainize Egris, and by extension, the Primordial Mother Church, the factions involved could effectively convince the people of Schildernte of the Church's incompetence, and eradicate the biggest opposing power in the country."

"But what would they do about believers in the Allmother? They surely make up a significant portion of the population..."

The Allmother is the deity that the Church of the Primordial Mother and the Hatra Empire believe in. She is said to be the origin of all existence and the guide of all light in the darkness, raising each believer like a mother would a child.

"Thats what we're not sure of just yet." Dittmar shook his head. "Keep in mind, this is all information from an old man in a small village, we can't be sure of everything."

"The point is… Regardless if Egris still exists or not, the fact that Anafang was attacked means that the kingdom failed to sufficiently protect us, and therefore opens an excuse for the other cities in that it could be deemed incompetent. Therefore, 'dismantled'"

"… Does this mean… We may be involved in a war?" Karlos cautiously questioned.

"Maybe, maybe not. Even if everything we've been told is a lie, the fact that we were attacked at all could mean conflict with the cities and kingdoms. We just have to see what happens from here."

Karlos stared at the strawberries on the table, an unknown emotion swirling across his lake-blue eyes.

"…Why is everyone so happy?"

"Hm?" Dittmar put down the strawberry in his hand.

"If we're this close to the threat of war, then why is everyone celebrating?"

"…You and I are from Egris, so we wouldn't exactly understand…" Dittmar squinted in the direction of the Holy Kingdom.

"…But to these villagers, Egris has long been a source of despair. Whether it was the dumping of unwanted waste or cutting of supplies, Egris is infamous across this village for despising us."

Karlos was stunned. "W-What? Why have I never heard about this?"

Dittmar's face twisted into pity and and sighed. "That's because the villagers never had the heart to tell you."

"I know about all of this because of my position as steward, but the villagers had legitimately hated you out of spite when you first arrived at Anafang, all because you were not only from Egris, but also a noble.

You were lucky miss Kassel had befriended you and showed the villagers that you were truly a kind person, but there are multiple times where villagers would curse Egris under their breath. If not for your showing of character, your life may have been in danger."

Karlos suddenly felt an immense chill down his spine. He had always felt slightly awkward when he arrived at Anafang, but he never expected to be antagonized as much as this.

Dittmar, noticing Karlos's worried expression, pushed a basket of strawberries over to the young man.

"There's no need for worry, Karlos. I'm sure you know this, but Alphonse was an Anafang villager too. He worked his way up to working for us and he initially had his doubts about you as well.

But now… He and all the other villagers think of you not as a noble of Egris, but just the 'Fanciest person in Anafang'… Isn't that swell?"

Karlos felt a pressure leave his shoulders, a small chuckle escaping him.

"What kind of ridiculous title is that…?"

The two young men laughed for a bit and continued talking, fully immersing themselves within the chatter and cheers of the rest of the hall.

Eventually, the celebrations ended and people were each assigned to specific places within the manor.

Karlos found Alphonse and his other servants around the long table in the kitchen, finished cleaning the hall.

"Hello, Young Master." Sêlafrien greeted him. "Care for a cup of tea?"

"Thank you, that…"

Karlos paused.

He suddenly realized something off.

Why has nobody asked me where I've been?

"…Karlos, is something wrong?"

Ailean handed the young man a few biscuits and some inferior tea, imported from the western continent.

The tea itself was of low quality because their manor could only bring in so much revenue, they…

No, the tea is not important right now. The entire village was attacked by monsters, so they surely would pressure me with questions, right?

"…Is there something you would like to tell us?" Sêlafrien gently asked Karlos, her piercing eyes reducing to a soft gaze.

"…Yes." Karlos regained his composure and tried to ignore his doubts.

"I was exploring a cave with miss Kassel, and we were attacked by a large animal…"

"Kassel, she…"

Karlos couldn't say it. He couldn't say what had happened no matter how hard he tried, the words just got stuck in his mouth.

"…Well, something happened with Kassel, but I was saved by someone."

"Someone from the cave? I don't recall any villagers living that far out into the forest…?" Sêlafrien listened to Karlos as she set down the napkins and other necessities.

"This person… Uh…"

He braced himself.

"Isn't human."

'SLAM'

Alphonse widened his eyes and slammed his hands onto the table. "Sir, are you saying you were helped by a monster? That's preposterous!"

A few other servants had also dropped their biscuits on the table, barely holding onto their leather teacups.

"No, that's…" Karlos scrambled to find an excuse, but came up empty.

There was no getting out of this situation, is there?

"Her name is Lysandra, and she may be a gorgon, but she protected me! She even wore a blindfold so I don't… turn…"

Ah… This all makes me sound like I'm insane, doesn't it?

Karlos had stopped talking. He waited in silence as he anxiously observed the reactions of his servants, especially the woman with jet-black eyes and the old man with an iconic mustache.

"…Alright" Eventually, Sêlafrien broke the silence.

"If you believe this monster is… Friendly, Young Master, I trust you."

Alphonse instantly objected. "Sêlafrien! It doesn't matter if it's the kindest saint in the world! A monster is always bloodthirsty and dangerous, don't tell me you think otherwise…?"

Sêlafrien refuted with her piercing gaze once more. "Karlos Lippe is the Young Master. As a man who values loyalty, surely you of all people aren't suggesting doubting his words?"

Karlos was at a loss while watching the interaction. While the two were arguing, he could see where the other servants stood on the matter.

Gisthûs was opposed on the matter. He trusted Karlos, but he trusted himself more. All he ever wanted was to study medicine, and he knew very well just how deadly monsters could be.

Ailean supported Karlos. Despite his pride, he looked up to the young man and was willing to follow him wherever he went, including Anafang.

"Excuse me… Young Master…" Anne spoke up. She was a young woman with blonde hair tied into braids and gray eyes. She usually assisted Sêlafrien with making the rooms and was responsible for much of the laundry.

"You mentioned something happened with miss Kassel… Was she... killed by this monster?"

Everyone in the room instantly tensed up. The unsure gazes darting between each person before eventually landing on Karlos.

"She…"

Karlos was disoriented.

In a way, Lysandra had killed Kassel, but he was also partially responsible. But would it make it okay if it was all in self-defence? At what point-

"No. She saved me. Kassel had caused her own death."

"…Alright."

The silence was deafening. Karlos almost hoped someone would ask what happened, but the lack of questioning confused him.

Eventually, Karlos stood up "…Please follow me."

Everyone stood as well, with Alphonse being the last to move.

Heading to the front entrance, Karlos felt the cold door knob and took a deep breath.

'Creak'

He lit a candle and stepped onto doorway, embracing the cold wind of nighttime.

Looking in the direction of the flower beds, he called out.

"Lysandra?"

A silver shimmer reflected nearby, the hissing of multiple snakes slowly approached the group.

It must've been around 7 hours since he entered the manor. Karlos felt guilty having forgot about the gorgon for… Some reason?

He put it to the back of his mind. It must've slipped his mind, he was exhausted, after all

Eventually, when she was close enough, he took another deep breath.

"This… is Lysandra." He hesitantly introduced the silver gorgon wearing a blindfold.

"She saved me when I was in the cavern, and-"

"Karlos."

The young man paused and looked at the gorgon.

Lysandra pursed her lips slightly and slowly spoke.

"Who are you speaking to?"