Gluttons, guards and gifts

"You freaking glutton." Farah, whose green hair was glistening with water, placed her hands on her hips and glared at the two of them. "You literally finished every last pancake meant for me, Dia!"

"But that was Aunt Lumine's doing…"

"She's staring out of the window, and she ate quite a few earlier. Come on, Dia. Really?" Farah sighed. "Never mind. I'll get Lloyd to make more. He'll definitely be happy to know that there are people who love his food this much. Do you want more?"

Lumine's voice floated over. "I'll like some, thank you."

Dia, who had only nabbed a single pancake in that high-speed pastry scuffle, nodded. "Me too."

"You gluttons." Rolling her eyes, Farah sat back into her own seat, and started leafing through papers. "Right, there's actually a small festival held later at night. Do you two want to go?"

"I'm good," said the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings. "Child, you should go. Understand what the common people are like. It should broaden your mind a bit."

"Me?" Dia blinked. "But you're not going…"

"Something dark is afoot here," said Aunt Lumine. "Best for me to keep an eye out on the area around here. If I'm busy stuffing my face with delicacies, there's no way I'll be able to do that."

"Something dark?" Farah replied. "What do you mean, dark? Are you referring to…?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." The tetra-folder turned back from the window, and the orange light danced around her figure. For a moment, Dia could swear that her aunt had turned into a being of mist, but that had to be a trick of the light, because she looked the same a moment later. "But since I'm here and partaking of your hospitality, I will help you protect your territory in the time that I'm here. Many currents are whirling around the destinations chosen by Ruler Istrel's tour, and you can never be too careful."

"In that case, allow me to thank you in advance," said Farah, before turning to Dia. "Well, it'll be nice if I had a bodyguard with me, so…"

Dia perked up immediately. "Alright, I'm in."

"That was fast…"

"You, who have always been useful to the Moon Lords, can't understand the feeling of being utterly useless. Other than training a few people, I literally laze around the whole day. Even Claud and Lily actually do some proper work. I'm just waiting for something to happen so that I can beat it down." Dia folded her arms. "I'm just happy to be useful."

"You're quite the simple person, aren't you?"

"Are you insulting me?" Dia rolled her eyes. "No, it just feels like I'm freeloading off you guys, so…"

"You understate the importance of your work," Farah replied. "Look. The military is generally useless most of the time. Other than providing some guards, there is literally no reason to have a huge army all the time. However, every territory would still maintain a professional force, even though it takes up resources. Do you know why?"

"I know what you're getting at," said Dia. "And I naturally understand the reason why. It's just that there's a divide between what the heart feels and what the mind knows. My mind understands that I'm doing probably important work by training you guys up, but my heart isn't saying the same thing."

"What a conundrum."

"This child has always been this odd," said Aunt Lumine. "Please, do not give her much heed. There is a tendency for her mind to think one thing, her heart to feel another, and her mouth to spout something completely different."

"…I've stopped doing that recently, aunt."

"So it seems. But you just stopped yourself from vocalising it," said Aunt Lumine, before turning back to Farah. "But yes, you should really get a bodyguard. Or a whole bunch of them."

"I don't have that much money, unfortunately. It'll just be the two of us." Farah stretched. "Well, time's running out on us. Do let me finish this bunch of papers first, and then we can discuss the other, smaller details. Is that fine?"

"Go ahead." The dignified Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings sniffed the air. "Pancakes are here, it seems!"

Dia wanted to slap her forehead, but the soothing scent of pancakes carried by the two twins made her think otherwise. There were more important things to do, after all, and before long, the aunt and niece pair were nibbling on their own sweet pastries.

The minutes began to meld into a nice, long blur, and before Dia knew it, night had fallen.

"Right," said Dia. "Night has fallen. Are your people really going to hold a festival under this abnormally dark night? Really?"

"Well, it's harvest festival. They've already made preparations for it too," said Farah. "I am told that a lot of lamps and torches have been lit up for the past two days, banishing the shadows and keeping the dark at bay. It should be safe enough."

Dia took out a few artefacts that were hanging off her person and handed them to Farah. "Here. Use these."

"These are…"

"Lent to you for the purposes of your protection. You now owe me a favour," Dia replied, placing an emphasis on the word 'lent'. Farah was a proud person, and rightfully so, given her achievements. However, this meant that she was unlikely to accept charity from anyone easily, unless things came to a head, so exchanges like these were necessary.

"Thank you, Dia." Farah smiled. "I owe you one."

"You two kids have fun outside," said Aunt Lumine. "Don't worry. With me around, everything will be fine. But do be careful out there. I can't help you if you happen to be the first victim of something nasty."

"You sound certain that something's definitely going to happen."

"In the Dark, all is laid bare," she replied. "This is the time when the darkest thoughts find liberation, when good men, once suppressed, turn to evil. Countess, turn your mind to the Nobility Information Space and take a look at the reports in Nihila."

"The what?"

"None of your business" —Aunt Lumine lowered her voice to a small whisper— "yet."

Dia, however, could guess that the Nobility Information Space was the thing that high nobles used to communicate across vast differences. Her father had talked about it more than once in a veiled manner, and in the Moon Lords' discussions, there had been discussions about these information spaces too.

They just didn't bring up the official name. That was all.

"She's now accessing the Nobility Information Space," said the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings. "You can tell by how her eyes are glazed over, as well as how she doesn't seem to be paying attention to the surroundings."

Dia grunted. "At times like this, I should be paying lots of attention to my surroundings."

"Yes. You pick up on things like these fast, dear child." A faint light flickered in her aunt's life. "Your adaptability has served you magnificently thus far."

"Saved my life a few times, probably." Dia looked down.

"Your family would be proud if they knew." Aunt Lumine glanced at Farah, verified that she was still accessing the information space, and then murmured, "They had no choice in that matter. Your brother could flee, but everyone knew he had Future Sight. They would never let him get away, and in the off-chance he did, your father would suffer for it. But you weren't particularly outstanding. They could fob a lie, tell the Emperor's investigators that you hid some talents and treasures that belied their expectations."

Dia lowered her head. "The Emperor…"

"Is still angered. He is attempting to draw out the true murderer by acting on the false clues given, waiting for an opening to appear." Dia's aunt sighed. "Fortunately, he is currently concerned with hunting down the true murderer of his sworn brother."

"I see."

"Do not lose hope," said Aunt Lumine, her voice now a whisper. "Your father had to make do with whatever was available to him at that moment. Please, do not blame him for it. He has an entire dukedom relying on him."

"I understand." Dia took a deep breath. She knew. After so many clues, she had roughly guessed it, but her father truly had no choice.

"Stay alive, and well. That's all you need to do. Treat this as a vacation, and learn more about being a normal person." Her aunt patted her shoulder, before placing a small ring in her hand.

"What's this?"

"It's your last resort. Use this only after you've exhausted every other skill and means."

"Including…"

"Yes. Including those two." Aunt Lumine patted her shoulder. "Only when you face an enemy that you truly cannot defeat are you to use this."

"What does it do?"

"Upon activation, you will gain the mana reserve of a penta-folder for ten minutes. It would also raise your Mana Control Proficiency by an entire rank, although you probably won't need that need that."

"Penta—"

"Mm." Aunt Lumine smiled. "After that, you'll have to fill it up, although you'll probably take an entire century. The ring's what really matters, though. It's an artefact from the Third Godsfall, so I can't give you a second or a third one."

"That's plenty already," Dia replied.

"Good that you have such a mindset."

She glanced at Farah, who was on the verge of stirring. "Well, I shall take my leave now. Do enjoy your tour of Farah County."

With that, she left the dining hall.