8 The Holy Guard Joined the Mission (Miwa)

After Aurora excused herself to nap, Chiki and I helped to arrange things for the arrival of the Holy Guard. Everyone was engaged in some task. Chiki and I were left to convey Kenten's orders regarding the evening meal. Fortunately, the innkeeper and his staff made that a very simple process.

Chiki was very concerned about the Holy Guard joining us, as he thought their extra firepower would be overkill when a regular combat unit would suffice. He was worried about overcommitting our forces on a single mission, especially if some other crisis emerged. And if it wasn't overkill, then what surprise lay in wait for us this time?

I told him that Kenten had made the determination, and it was our job to follow through. Chiki still didn't seem very convinced. "You're not at least a little worried that we're leaving ourselves wide open for an attack elsewhere?" Chiki pressed.

"No," I said. "We'll be fine."

He left it alone for a while after that. It was typical for him to be rather taciturn, but it wasn't typical for him to look so worried. For a moment, I wondered if maybe he had sensed something I had missed.

But we had handled everything just fine so far, and we should both be recovered enough in the morning to use our most powerful abilities again. I didn't see any sense in overthinking the mission. In the end, it always came down to the same formula: find the threat, neutralize the threat with appropriate force. Rest. Repeat. Yes, we would be fine.

Later that night, as we gathered at the inn, Kenten made a brief speech in which he thanked the Holy Guard for coming to our assistance. Some of the inn's staff were on hand, already serving drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Chiki seemed disinterested. If he planned to stay sharp, then I didn't see any harm in indulging a bit. I gladly accepted a goblet of wine and one of each of the hors d'oeuvres that passed my way.

Isander, Ankha of the Holy Guard, thanked Kenten for the welcome and introduced Inoio, the interim second-in-command. Toshio, he informed us, was busy with another mission in the Empire of Clar. I recognized Inoio as one of the regular Holy Guard members and was a little surprised to see him filling in for Toshio. He had never really stood out that much to me before.

At the announcement, Chiki cut me a sideways glance and raised an eyebrow. If Toshio had been dispatched on some other business, then perhaps Chiki had been onto something earlier about some attack back home. I decided not to dwell on it and put any lingering doubt out of my mind. Toshio's mission was his; this was ours. And if Isander thought Inoio was the best man for the job, then I would trust his judgment.

Inoio announced that he would accompany Fuin and a small contingent of other Holy Guard members to magically seal the area around the visible part of town and the Holy Guard's small encampment just at the edge of town. That would keep us safe for the night at least. It was imperative to complete that task as soon as possible.

They departed and set to work. While they were gone, Isander shared with us some vaguely ominous report and promised to share the full details once Inoio and Fuin had returned. Fortunately, they weren't gone for long. Perhaps half an hour passed before they came back to the inn and reported success.

Inoio and Isander intended to spend the night at the inn, and the rest of the Holy Guard would stand watch outside. The heretics would almost certainly discover the seal at some point, and then they would be planning a counterattack. We would have to act early in the morning

"Is everyone accounted for, Kenten?" Isander asked. Kenten assured him we were all present. "Good," Isander said. "Then, let's head to the dining room. I have a report to deliver."

In the dining room, the table had already been set. Kenten offered a toast to Isander second-in-command.

We all clinked our goblets, and feeling at ease about our mission, I made an effort to individually toast everyone. It took three attempts to make contact with Yoten's goblet across the table. Chiki, who was seated to my left, offered a grim smile as I toasted him.

"Don't tell me you're still worried," I whispered. He shook his head, but there wasn't much conviction in the gesture. Aurora, who was seated to my right, was making a clear effort to listen to Chiki and me and to ignore Kellen-san, the one other Holy Guard member who was present. He was a low-level member who had been brought along to deal with various administrative and menial tasks. I had never spoken with him much, but I distinctly recall conversations with him being quite dull.

"Thank you again, Kenten," Isander said, as the toasts and side conversations died down. "And thank you as well to our gracious host." He raised his goblet toward the innkeeper, who was busy talking with staff in the back of the room.

"It's no problem at all," the innkeeper said. "Thank you for taking care of Esperia."

"It's our duty," Isander said. "Kenten, would you like me to deliver the orders?"

"No, I'll do it," Kenten said as he stood as well.

"As you wish," Isander said.

"Mayor," Kenten said, addressing the innkeeper, "Isander and I have discussed our plan of action."

The food arrived, interrupting him. He thanked the staff and then continued.

"We would appreciate you gathering the townsfolk and escorting them out along its southern border," Kenten said. "We believe this to be the safest route. Unfortunately, this does mean rousing people in the middle of the night, but it's the best plan. Be as discreet as you can."

"Of course," the innkeeper said. "We can begin at once, if you don't mind bussing your own table?"

"Not at all," Isander chimed in. "We all know how to do that, and we have members who I'm sure even know how to wash a dish." He smiled. I heard some grumbling from Kellen.

"That would be most appreciated," the innkeeper replied. He clapped his hands and ordered the staff to join him in the lobby to discuss an evacuation plan. They exited the dining room, and Kenten and Isander retook their seats. Within minutes, we had the inn to ourselves.

"So what of this news you mentioned from King Asami?" Kenten pressed.

"It's not good, I'm afraid," Isander replied. "You, of course, know that the Crown Prince has been training with Saint Shen-san?"

"Yes, of course," Kenten said. "Is his training not going well?"

"His initiation is going reasonably well for it being some obscure, backwater faith," Inoio interjected. I could feel Aurora tense up beside me.

Kenten cleared his throat. "Inoio-san," he said. "You were away sealing the town with Fuin, so you didn't get the full introductions. Allow me to introduce you to Miss Aurora-san, Shard of Truth, adept of the Faith of Mysteries, disciple of Saint Shen-san." He motioned toward Aurora.

"Oh!" exclaimed Inoio. "Apologies Miss Aurora-san! It's just that your faith is still so new, you know? Not many of us are familiar…" He rambled for a moment, and Aurora, with impressive restraint, nodded encouragingly. "I meant no offense…" Inoio said.

"None taken," Aurora growled. Inoio awkwardly took a large gulp of wine and helped himself to the bottle.

"I'm afraid the Prince's training has hit something of a snag," Isander said. "It seems that he is infected with miasma."

"The Crown Prince is a heretic!?" Kenten said.

"No, no," Isander assured him. "Saint Shen has determined that the boy is being contaminated by a heretic."

"But that would have to be someone close to him, right?" Kenten asked.

"Yes, someone in the royal court," Isander replied. "But we don't yet know who. Saint Shen-san is working on it. He's hopeful he can get to the bottom of it."

"You can count on Shen," Aurora said. "If there's a heretic in the court, he will find him out."

"I only hope he can do it soon," Isander said. "For now, he's just doing his best to guide the Prince through conducting low-level purifications on himself. I fear if they don't find the culprit soon, the Prince will become a fallen."

"Grim news, indeed," Kenten said. "Is Toshio's mission in any way related?"

"No, it's separate mission for the Claran Empire's third prince," Isander said.

"I see. Well, whatever the nature of his mission, I wish him success," Kenten said.

"And the same for ours," Isander replied. He raised his goblet for another toast, and everyone joined in. I didn't bother trying to clink everyone's goblet this time.

Several conversations picked up from that point. Chiki seemed less concerned about our mission than earlier, but he was still worried about the illusion and what it may be hiding.

I assured him that with the forces of our two units combined, we were more than equipped to handle anything the heretics threw at us, even if we had to take on a whole town full of them.

Besides, we had rested plenty and should all have our most powerful spells and abilities at our disposal. If the battle got too out of hand, we could draw the heretics into the open, and I would take to the sky to rain down a hail of arrows from above. Everything was in our favor.

"Besides the lack of tactical advantage," Chiki said. "The heretics know the terrain, and we're going in blind."

"Not totally blind," I said. "Aurora can see through their illusions. The heretics don't know we have that ability. They'll be caught off guard."

"I suppose you're right," Chiki admitted. After a moment, he added, "Don't worry about me. I'll have tactics and backup plans all sorted out by the morning."

The conversation eventually turned to lighter topics. I poured myself some more wine, but Chiki still refused to accept even a sip.

After a short while, I turned to say something to Aurora, only to notice Kellen beginning to pour a drink in her empty goblet. His hand was caressing her arm, and he had scooted right up against her on the bench. From across the table, Yoten was giving Kellen a wild-eyed stare of astonishment.

"Aurora!" I said loudly, intentionally effecting a harsh tone meant more for Kellen than for her. "Would you like me to get you another drink? Perhaps one of the other kinds of wine?"

I was leaning forward and hovering close to her. I could feel the heat rising up my body as I fought back a wave of anger.

"No, actually, I'm fine," she replied. Her eyes were pleading with me to get Kellen to back off. The dunce had been rather gracelessly flirting with her, it seemed. Yoten was shaking his head in dismay.

Aurora gently lifted Kellen's hand from her arm and set it on the table. He had a look in his eyes like she had just shot an arrow through him. Aurora backed away from the table and withdrew several feet away. I slowly finished off the last of my drink, my gaze piercing straight into Kellen, who held my stare, but seemed to shrink into his seat.

I smiled, but not with my eyes, as I set my goblet down. I never broke eye contact with Kellen, even as I spoke with Aurora.

"Are you ready to head back to our room?" I asked her. She assented. "Let's go, then," I said, finally looking away from Kellen and standing up.

On the way back to our room, I apologized to her. She asked me what I was apologizing for. I looked over my shoulder at Kellen, who was now gulping a goblet full of wine, and shook my head. I didn't say another word until we were back in the room.

Once I had closed the door, Aurora sat on her bed. I contemplated sitting next to her and then decided against it. She looked uncomfortable, and I realized perhaps my tone at the table had been too harsh. I decided to sit on my own bed, facing her.

"I'm sorry if I seemed overly-aggressive," I said.

Aurora nodded, but didn't say anything. A long silence passed.

"Of course," I said, "you're in no way bound to me. I understand that. It's just—"

"Wait, wait, wait," she interrupted. "What are you talking about?"

"You flirting with Kellen," I said. "I won't pretend it didn't anger me, but—"

"Stop! I wasn't flirting with Kellen at all! Exactly what kind of woman do you think I am?"

"Uh, I…"

"We slept together just last night! And you think I would be flirting with another man the next day? Right in front of you, no less?"

"Well, why didn't you tell him to stop?" I shot back.

"Because his unit just got here to help us, and I was trying not to be rude." She flung her arms out to her sides, fingers splayed out on both hands. After looking at me incredulously for a moment, she sat up straight and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, I can't believe no one tried to stop him," I grumbled.

"They tried to give him hints, but he wasn't getting it," she said. "Ino-sama and Yoten-sama blatantly stared him down, and Ijil-sama kept motioning toward you, hoping Kellen would get the hint. He didn't."

"I didn't notice any of that either," I confessed, beginning to feel a bit embarrassed.

"You were so wrapped up in your conversation with Chiki," she said. "You might have noticed if you'd slowed down with the wine."

That one stung, but I grit my teeth and decided to let it go. Aurora wouldn't even look at me. Her head was turned to the side, facing the door.

"I can't believe you thought I would be attracted to someone like Kellen," she said. She laughed under her breath. "When I mentioned how well you all fight, he turned squeamish. Why would you think I'd be interested in him?"

"I said I didn't hear any of that," I growled, feeling irritated.

Aurora slapped her hands onto her thighs and stood abruptly. "I need to get cleaned up and ready for bed," she said, picking up her pajamas.

"Why don't you just teleport them onto you?" I asked.

She paused. "Because I'd like to be alone for a minute." She jerked the door open and stormed away.

"Way to go, Miwa…" I said aloud. I let out a deep sigh. I had intended to defuse the situation by letting her know I wasn't jealous. So much for that plan. I guess the problem was that I really was, though.

Frustrated, I walked across the room and peeled my shirt off. I dropped it onto the chair in the corner, pulled the covers back on my bed, and climbed inside. It seemed everything I said was going to come out wrong or just make matters worse, so I decided it was best to give up and go to sleep.

Aurora was gone for a long while. At least half an hour must have passed. When she finally crept back into the room, she was quiet. She must have assumed I was asleep.

For a full minute, she stood in the darkness, holding her clothes. After a few moments, I felt like it would be best for me to say something, but I couldn't think of any way to deescalate the situation. Then too much time had passed, and it felt it would have been awkward to say anything at all. Finally, she dropped her clothes onto the dresser and crawled into her bed as quietly as she could.

She tossed and turned for a few minutes, and again, I contemplated saying something, but again decided against it. I assumed she would have to fall asleep soon. We had a long, difficult day ahead of us in the morning. Eventually, the intensity of the day must have caught up to her, and she lay still and began quietly snoring. I must have fallen asleep shortly after.

During the night, however, I awoke several times, and every time, Aurora was sound asleep. After the third time I woke up, I slipped out of the room and walked downstairs to sit in the darkness.

I stared out the window and contemplated the magical seal surrounding us. Fuin had assured us it would be strong enough to hold for the night. The mayor wasn't around. He was probably on the southern side of town right now, quietly evacuating everyone.

I drank at least four glasses of water and realized I probably should have had just a little bit less wine. Well, Chiki did try to warn me. Just in case, in the morning, I would ask Ino to cleanse me to avoid the possibility of a hangover.

The more I thought about the argument following dinner, the more baffled I became. My thoughts were interrupted by wildcat's squeal in the night as it seized its prey. One quick yelp, and the prey went silent. I smiled. Now that, I understood. This introspection wasn't so much like me. I'd never pursued a guildmate before, though.

Women I'd never have to meet again? Sure.

Women who hardly understood my work at all? Definitely.

Aurora was certainly different from any of them, though. She wasn't overacting her role as a guild member by either behaving like a man or a vixen. She found some balance between remaining feminine, yet still being one of the elite fighters. Before Aurora, I'd never encountered a woman in a guild who was my type.

Plus, Fuwama really seemed to like her. He's never been as serious as Kintama, but I don't think he's ever so naturally taken to someone else before. I think that if he could, he would have taken orders directly from Aurora. I shook my head. What a goofy cat.

I downed another glass of water and listened for more sounds of nocturnal predators. Nothing stirred, and I took the silence as my cue to return to bed. Aurora was out cold, and I was perplexed by how she could sleep so soundly while on a mission and not be caught off guard and killed in her sleep.