Calm before the storm

Andrew's heartfelt smile and his unexpected reply to Cecil's ranting cause her nails to dig into the wooden table. She's not all too happy with how Andrew is avoiding the problem at hand.

"If you understand, then at least-!" Cecil's shout is cut off by Drew. If she says any more, it would put her in danger.

"But I can't ask you or Erize to help me. I mean, you two are the few friends I have. I can't guarantee your safety or Erize's if things go south.

I also don't have a clue how I'm going to redeem myself but don't worry, I have people that-"

It's then that Drew realizes as he's speaking that even though he can't rely on Cecil and Erize, there are other people he could, people that have already reached out their hand to help him.

A vivid image of a certain white-haired demon appears in Drew's mind and because of a smile of her's that he saw this morning, Drew's cheeks slowly turn flush as his mouth curves into an awkward but cheery grin.

"-that would be more than willing to help me lighten the burden on my shoulders," Drew finally gives Cecil an answer that would settle not just her nerves but her worrying heart.

It's always been her fear that Andrew would find himself becoming a scapegoat to people that would not see the value in his sacrifices.

Letting out a long and heavy sigh, Cecil sits back down to relax her throbbing nerves. Andrew could tell just how close he was to having a Cecil grenade in his hands, but thankfully he somehow managed to defuse her.

"Drew, I still want to help you, but now I'm alright with not being able to directly support you," Cecil says finally relenting.

"Thank you, for trusting me. Oh and, can you tell Erize about what I said?" Drew requests to Cecil since he's worried that the guilt is eating up Erize.

"I'm telling her even if you didn't ask, dumbass," Cecil says with the usual venom that she has for Drew.

"Thanks-"

"BUT, I refuse the idea of not helping you at all so in my end I'm going to attempt and put in a good word for you and that witch to the 12 councils." With a smile on her face, Cecil proposes an idea that Drew couldn't stop her from doing even if he tells her to.

The feeling that she still won against Drew only serves to stroke Cecil's evergrowing ego.

"I can't stop you can I? Fine, but wouldn't you need nobles to back you up on this?

Speaking of, this reminds me of a time you used your status as a noble to help Erize." Drew resigns to his defeat against Cecil with a sigh.

Even though he's going to worry about Cecil's safety, Drew reminds himself that he's causing the same amount of anxiety to her and Erize.

'All's fair, is that right? I wonder, even if this is your way of wanting to help me it feels as though you're also helping me with my guilt. Thank you, Cecil.' Drew, with a beaming grin on his face, looks at Cecil who's so proud of herself.

"Heeh~? I mean it's only natural! It's just because you and Erize are helpless commoners that I just couldn't bear the sight of you two stumbling in the dark, cruel, and selfish world of nobles!" Cecil acts up her noble persona by speaking in a conceited tone.

Her narcissism begins to show as she puts her gloved hand against the plateaus that she calls her chest and as she holds her head high, she bursts into a fit of over-the-top laughter.

"Anyways, I think that's everything I need to know. Also, until the company of knights arrives you're going to be held here, understand?" Cecil informs Drew before getting up from her chair and walking towards the door.

"Oh and one last thing, Sigmund is going to be the one leading the company of knights to Aspen, and he looks pretty angry." If Cecil wasn't already hinting for Drew to make his getaway before 3 days, she throws him another just for good measure.

"I hope I don't see him then," Drew replies laughing nervously as he breaks into a cold sweat. His nonchalance isn't convincing to Cecil at all. "But hey Cecil since you said-"

"You're on your own with Sigmund, I'm not helping you with that," Cecil huffs angrily as she leaves the room, slamming the door close behind her so hard that it looks as though the hinges are about to come loose.

The moment Cecil left the room, Andrew immediately begins contemplating his means of escape. The room, unfortunately, didn't have any windows due to where it's situated, and tapping the walls only gives Drew an idea of how thick they are.

"They're built to eat cannon fire," Drew bitterly comments as he continues to look around his cramp room that only gives him enough room to pace around.

Suddenly someone knocks at the door, causing Andrew to stop and sit back down on his chair. Unsurprisingly the one who enters the room is Dr. Leiger who's still in his full plague doctor outfit.

"Good day, I hope you don't mind that I'm about to ask you some questions, Sir Andrew," Leiger says while sitting down in front of Drew and putting his gloved and intertwined hands on the table while his cane rests on the side.

"Not at all, but in turn, can I ask you a few things?" Drew politely asks. He wants to draw his own conclusion about Leiger and see if Adela's words have weight to them or simply ring hollow.

"Of course, it's only fair. Forgive me if I sound frank but, why did you save that witch?" Leiger leans his head forward by a little. There's a genuine curiosity to the doctor's question.

"I believe that it's unfair for her to have died by the stake for something like that. Nobody got hurt after all," Andrew answers.

The goggles in Leiger's mask gleam and reflect Drew's stoic expression.

"Sir Andrew, Erize and you were injured upon confrontation with the witch, yes? If so, it's natural for people to fear someone like that, but I see your point. Ah, I'm so sorry. Where are my manners?" Leiger's hands reach up to his head to remove his top hat as well as unstrap and take off his mask.

Andrew sees the face of a middle-aged man with short dark hair and small blue eyes with wrinkles around their sides. Leiger isn't what Andrew imagined him to be at all. He looks like any face in the crowd as there's nothing distinct other than what he wears, his appearance would blend seamlessly into the crowd.

Leiger's completely normal to Drew's eyes, and that unsettles him further because if Adela's words are true then the face Leiger bears now isn't his, it's one of his patients.

"There, now we can continue. Anyways, can you save your questions for when I'm done? I promise to answer any of them that you may have. Now for my next question, do you believe that Melissa Arfox is the Cerulean Witch?" Leiger asks as he sets down his mask on the table.

That question reminds Drew of Adela, his not so fond memory of their encounter on that cold and frightening evening. Drew digs into his pocket if he still has the parchment and to his relief he still does.

"I'm not so sure, doctor. But, I heard from my first encounter with her that the reason she terrorized Mires is to smoke out the Cerulean Witch."

"I see, and how did she assume that the Cerulean Witch is in the capital?"

"I have no clue, doctor, but if it means anything she did assume me to be the Cerulean Witch."

Leiger stares at Drew for a moment before breaking into a chuckle and holding his chest as he begins to hack and cough immediately right after laughing at what Drew said.

"What a weird witch, no? So tell me, Sir Andrew, where is the witch now?" Leiger smiles at Andrew hoping to get a straight answer from the young man.

And a straight answer he does get.

"I'm not telling you, doctor." Drew grins.

"Ha-ha! It was a good attempt no? Now, I'm a man of my honor. I'll answer any question you may have to the best of my knowledge," Leiger confidently claims as he continues to smile at Andrew.

The grin on Drew's face quickly fades away along with his snide reply to the doctor.

"Alright, can you tell me what this is, doctor?" Taking out the parchment from his pocket, Andrew slams it onto the table to show Leiger the magic circle drawn on it.

The doctor is slightly taken aback by what Drew is showing him. He stares at the parchment and wants to say a few things to Drew, but as a man who honors his word, he will need to answer Drew's question first.

"My, this is a magic circle that lets me check the condition of my patients-"

"If the circle's just for your patients then you wouldn't need one right, doctor?" Andrew cuts Leiger off with his stare growing sharp.

"Well, yes of course," Leiger replies smiling.

"Then you wouldn't mind showing me your back?" Andrew asks causing a shift in Leiger to ensue. The doctor before him is now staring at him with a hint of displeasure which Drew takes is the face of a man who just got caught redhanded.

However, the doctor's displeased gaze melts away upon hearing a knocking on the door. That irritates Drew as Leiger now has the means to excuse himself, and he does. The doctor gets up from his seat but before walking to the door he makes sure that Drew isn't left hanging in the air.

"You caught me, Sir Andrew. I don't know who your source is but it seems I've been found out, but what will you do with that information? You can't leave." Leiger's smile returns as another round of knocking begins.

"Dr. Marques! We found the location of the witch, she's staying in a manor tucked in the forest!" A soldier says following up from the knocking on the door.

"We've already sent soldiers to try and capture the witch, but Dr. Marques, I've been informed that Cpt. Hagurd Alcays is one of the people in the manor, what do we do?" The stream of comments from outside the door is bringing dread to Drew's heart while Leiger is calmly putting his mask and tophat back on.

"Capture him, I've been told by the people of Aspen of his antics as of late. Dealing with witches is heretical and he'll be deemed as a witch-sympathizer. He will hang for his actions," Leiger declares as he opens the door seeing soldiers just outside of it.

Leiger turns his head to glance over at Drew.

"Farewell, Sir Andrew, I hope that I answered all of your questions."