Chapter 44: Keeper of the Home

We're on our way back to the castle seeing as the sun has reached low enough to pass the wall. Emeri will start working again the moment she returns, today being the one break she gets for the next few days. 

'It makes me feel bad that she used it all her free time to keep me company.' 

Shortly after leaving the Eastern District, we notice a crowd of people outside a building, many people murmuring about hearing loud noises from inside. The nervous look on Emeri's face tells me she knows what's going on, but she tries to drag me away, saying, "W-we should go before..." 

But before she could finish speaking,  someone gets thrown through the door, landing on the pavement with a bloody nose. "Damn you... you crazy...!" 

'Wham!' Before he could utter the profanity, part of a broken chair hit the guy's face. 

Coming through the shattered door is a woman in armor I recognize to be of a Keeper's. "Now now. This wouldn't happen if you didn't break the law on illegal substance possession, not to mention attempting to sell them." 

She walks closer with every word till she's right up to the man with a disciplining tone. "Did you really think you could bypass the Keeper of Trade just because you sold your goods in your own home? No, doing something that sneaky, while not explicitly stated under the laws as illegal, will only make your punishments worse in the eyes of the Keeper of Right. After all, a loophole is just an unintended illegal act." 

Her voice was a mocking tone, as though the man were simply an unruly child knowingly doing what he shouldn't. That is until she used her boot to step on his face. 

"From selling stuff outside the market, selling illegal goods, resisting arrest when caught red-handed, and the cherry of harassing remarks: You just keep digging and digging and digging your grave till you're no longer allowed to see the light of day again." 

The orange Keeper keeps putting pressure into her shoe, the guy groans of pain getting louder as she lists off all the charges being put on his head. 

That is until her partner, the Keeper to confiscate illegal arms, exits shortly after subduing the accomplices. "Alright, that's enough Relle (R-ell). If you keep enacting personal justice, those charges will be dropped." 

With the sound of his voice ringing in my ear, I now understand why Emeri wanted to lead me away from here.

The Keeper in Orange, Relle, gets off the criminal's head as she happily turns to her partner. "Oh no worries Hektr. The only charge that could possibly drop is the charges on harassment made towards me. And I'm fine with those being dropped, so long as I get the satisfaction of kicking his teeth in as collateral." 

Her foot stomps on the ground next to the beaten guy's head, the man's body tensing up at almost getting stomped on. 

Keeper of Arms, Hektr shrugs at his partner's usual antics, common enough he gave up stopping her unless the self-serving punishments go too far. But Relle looked content with the current attitude of the man who was keeping his mouth shut and began heading back to Hektr only to spot Emeri out of the corner of her eye.

"Emeri! Did you come to check up on me? Why thank you!" She runs over and hugs Emeri tightly as her face gets buried between the two mounds called Relle's chest I began recognizing the real reason Emeri wanted to run. 'Hektr was just an unwelcomed bonus.' 

Emeri eventually escapes the hug she couldn't break out of, making me question if this Keeper's strength is far worse than the one Emeri first gave Veda.

"It was a coincidence! I was just on my way to the Castle for the end of my break!" 

Relle glances at me, staring for a second before a grin widens uncomfortably so as she comes to her own conclusion. "Were you going on a date with another girl while I wasn't looking? Did you finally give up on finding a man?" 

Emeri is flushed with embarrassment as she hastily rights the wrong conclusion her coworker jumped to. "I'm not into girls! She's just a friend! Veda Deidura! The one mentioned last meeting with Serci! Huff... I was taking my day off to show her around before she leaves tomorrow." 

Relle nods her head, letting Emeri go off on her rant before apologizing. "Sorry sorry, I thought you gave up on finding a good man considering the never-ending irreprehensible men are in this Kingdom." 

The first thought that came to mind was definitely Lejer but Relle gestures at the people being dragged out through the broken-down doorframe by Knights with an orange and red sash around their wastes.   

Emeri is still embarrassed as she sets things straight one more time. "I-I'm not looking for love any time soon. I work far too often to be worrying about love." 

I would've believed that was an excuse had Relle not started nodding her head in understanding. "I get it, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try finding someone you can retire with. Humans are creatures that need to find a significant other, and even if you're part elf, you are still as much part human. <3"  < p>

Relle gives Emeri a softer hug that Emeri doesn't push off this time. 

"You should finish up your part soon," shouts Hektr. "We still have five more residents to check before sundown!" 

Relle lets go of Emeri but before she heads back she looks over to me. "Sorry I couldn't get to have a conversation with you too but do come meet me the next time you come visit and we can get to know each other better." 

Relle heads back to do her work, leaving both me and Emeri left to continue heading for the castle. 

"She seems like a nice person," I say. 

"She isn't a terrible person." Emeri responds. "Even if she became the Keeper of the Home, she is very sweet. Though she can be a bit too touchy feely." 

'Touchy feely' coming from the 'Big sis' is ironic.'

'But... "Despite being the Keeper of the Home"?' 

"Is the Keeper of the Home a terrible position?" 

"Well..." Emeri thinks about how to explain it. "Let's answer that with a hypothetical: Would you have considered her to be a terrible person if we didn't provoke the Orc? If we didn't find the artifacts? If your home wasn't destroyed. But instead, one day, Relle shows up to do a search, finds your grandfather's Counter Blade, and takes it in the name of the kingdom of Siltria as the only found artifact in the valley?" 

That image in my mind... I understood where she was coming from. 

She nods as the look on my face answers for me. "That's how it is for most. The Keeper of the Home is the one person with permission to find the skeletons in their closet. She's the Keeper who learns of the secrets in everyone's life by exploring your personal space, the place you call home. And because of that, it causes many to grow defensive. Then, before long, the resentment increases, all aimed at one person, the Keeper of the Home. It's always difficult to fill that role because of the weight behind it, and yet, Relle has held it for longer than I've had the position of Keeper." 

'A very brutal cost for that kind of power.'

"Do you know why Relle took it? That position hated by the majority?" 

She slowly shakes her head, "She has said it's because she wants to, but from what I've seen. I think it's because she wants to be hated." 

Confusion took over my face. "Wait what? Why would she want to be hated?" 

Emeri tries to think of how to explain it, "When she's working, she has had many fights take place, just about always ending with her punching someone in the face. About 3 times a week, at least."

"But why I think she wants to be hated is because of the one time I went with her into the city. No matter where we went, there were always men who would look at her a... 'certain way'." 

That wasn't the answer I was expecting. It seems so small a reason for wanting to be hated... 'And yet...' 

"Veda?" 

I'm snapped out of the daze. I shake off the feeling that was throbbing up from my chest as I try to play off the look I must've been giving from the feeling I never knew I had, bottling it back deep inside where it can't be seen. "I see... I guess I can understand the need to release growing contempt." 

Emeri's face changed to that of concern, "Veda? Have you...?" 

I only then recognize how inconsistent that is with the narrative of Veda living alone with her Grandfather and Brother, and quickly try to rein in what I just said. "W-what I meant was 'I can understand how she needs to release that anger!' I don't know much about that 'certain way' that men look at women, but I have gotten angry with my brother and grandfather multiple times before and would often cast spells at some trees to let off steam!" 

I try reassuring her, reminding her I haven't had any experience with the outside world. But even though that's technically true due to my amnesia, she doesn't seem completely convinced. 

The most I could do was try to change the subject, reminding her of the short time we had left. "We should head back soon. You need to work and I need to be ready to leave tomorrow. 

If I was alone, I would've welcomed opening whatever bottled up feelings spread through me in an attempt to help understand who I was, or even where I've been. But in front of other people, especially someone as worried about me as Emeri, are the worst times to be taking off the mask.

Afterwards, Emeri didn't pry. But the silence between the two of us after was... painful