Chapter 12: Double Agent Equals Treaty

Toshirou lay on the queen-sized bed deep in thought about his next plan of action. Processing the information gotten about Min-ji and Min-ae, it was clear to him that the two communities had some sort of unspoken history between them. Why no one else apart from Min-ae would want to get the Thessalonica was baffling to him, especially if the artefact possessed as much power as indicated. There was something amiss from that tale he was told by the elders but even if he probed too much, they wouldn't tell him anything. This was getting on his nerves. There was only one to get the truth, he'll have to go to Min-ae and hear their side of the story.

"Haaah.." He sighed. "What a drag."

His company had been given a room in the palace to stay in for the meantime. A spacious room with wooden walls which had two queen-sized beds. One for him and Joel and the other for the girl.

'That's right, the girl.'

He hadn't yet interrogated her. All he knew was that she was a captive from the Min-ae village. She was a lead, his only in fact, before going there. She wasn't in the room with him. Sung-nim had taken her away at his request to get her a change of clothes which was met by little to no protest by the girl.

The girl, Huijin, hadn't said a word ever since agreeing to help him. She's been as silent as a graveyard, with her ruby eyes flickering from him to Joel from time to time. Joel had tried and was still trying to make small talk with her. Toshirou had to admit, the boy was much braver than he.

Toshirou's mind travelled to the inhuman treatment of the girl. She wasn't any more than fifteen years old, but she had been torn from her kinsmen, tortured, taken to a land not her own, deprived of the basic necessities of life, imprisoned and turned into a slave, plus his acting of a superior to her, Toshirou realized one thing; he was a dick!

Why did he do all that? Acting all stuck-up and superior. She was a teenager just like him, and a girl to boot. If she was in his world, she would have been his beloved kouhai. She was younger than him, had a cute petite face with beautiful ruby eyes. Though she was not so much in the chest area, the rest of her body made up quite nicely for her.

'Gaah! What am I thinking?! I'm not a pervert, I'm just admiring her figure, yeah just her figure. But in reality, I'm really just scum. Treating her like she was a slave, acting like her saviour. I'm not a saviour, I'm just... a pathetic man. I have to apologize... and soon.'

Rolling over on his stomach, he sunk his head into the pillow with the intention of resting his eyes for a while. The day's events had worn him out a lot. Though he said a week to complete the quest, he didn't want to be here more than five days. He couldn't afford to let his guard down, it wasn't like The Fugitive where he could allow himself to get comfortable. Now that he thought about it, he noticed that the space surrounding the palace and even within the throne room was alarmingly disturbing. Though he can't see air, he did notice slight distortions in the space. He passed it off as his imagination adjusting to a new environment, but it was still unsettling. The people here could not be trusted, that much was certain.

However, just this once he would rest. He had set some minor traps in case of intruders. The only ones who could bypass it was Joel, Huijin and Sung-nim. The traps depend on their weight and a gamble. He, Toshirou, had reasoned that no one else was supposed to come to his room, as he wasn't expecting any visitors except for Sung-nim. Using his ability as a Manipulator, he had tweaked the floorboard at the entrance of the room just a bit. Using divine energy to sap some of the nutrients of the wood, leaving it weakened and a slight mishap could break it. He adjusted the hardness to the weight, or rather, to the estimated weight of Joel, Sung-nim and Huijin, so that anyone who was even a little bit heavier than the assumed estimate would fall into the ground. It didn't matter who it was, the end result would be the same.

He suddenly felt extra weight on his bed and his nose caught the scent of fresh flowers.

'What is that? It smells good.'

A small whisper made his ears tingle.

"How can I service you, master?"

'The hell?!!'

He quickly sat upright on the bed. The sight he met with his eyes was something that would be engraved into his skull for a quite a while.

Huijin lay on his bed, her dark pink hair flowing over her shoulder revealing her smooth pale neck. The white nightdress she wore was almost see-through, exposing lace bra and panties. Her red ruby eyes remained dull as ever but glinted with a hint of seductiveness in it. Her thin pink lips were glossy and parted open just a little.

She looked up at Toshirou, her eyes not leaving his for a second.

"Master."

He gulped. Oh he gulped so heavily. He clasped his hand around her shoulder and held her upright at arm's length.

With his head lowered and his gaze away from her, he held her firmly and spoke to her in a low voice.

"Stop forcing yourself, Huijin."

Her eyes opened.

Slowly, heartbreakingly, her freshly cleaned face began to contort in pain. Small streams of liquid flowed from her eyes. She carefully wrapped her arms around Toshirou and began to sob her heart out.

Toshirou didn't move and allowed her to do as she wished in understanding.

He knew how it was like to be torn from your family, sent to another man's land knowing no one. It was scary, lonely, and most of all frightening.

She was afraid, all the front she had put up was just a ruse. She wanted to go home, to see her people once more, but her hopes had been dashed. Seven months had passed and yet no one had come to save her. All except this stranger with beautiful cobalt blue eyes. Was it right for her to hate her kinsmen? Was it right to help this unknown man who set her free to destroy her own village, her place of birth? She didn't know what to do anymore. Her mind was in so much turmoil.

"I'm not in any position to say this but it's up to you to determine whether or not you want to help me. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do, so don't beat yourself up."

Her sniffles began to subside. Quiet sobs escaped her lips as she held onto him, embracing him with all of her strength.

"I also have to apologize, Huijin. I treated you like scum earlier. I shouldn't have done that, at all. Treating someone like a slave is something I shouldn't have done and will never do again. I didn't do it because I wanted to. I did it because I had to act tough, to show those people that I'm not someone to be taken advantage of. Please, I ask for your forgiveness, Huijin."

His words surprised her. He was far more down-to-earth than anyone she had ever met, including her own people. His eyes held seas of stories of tribulation and sorrow, and yet had this innocence in them that captivated her. He was around her age, possibly a year older, but everything about him made him seem much older. She felt she could trust him, and she was willing to put all her faith in him.

"I want to help you." She spoke softly.

Toshirou's gaze drifted to the girl hugging him. His features softened her words.

"Are you sure?"

"Hm." She hummed in agreement. "But call me by my given name, Raynell."

"Alright. You can depend on both me and Joel, cause we'll protect you. So stick with me till the end, Raynell."

Wiping the tears off her eyes, she looked at him with a smile plastered on her pretty face.

"I will... Mas- Aosaki-san."

"It's Toshirou, not Aosaki, just Toshirou."

"Thank you, Toshirou-san."

"Yeah, but Raynell?"

"Yes?"

"My arms are numb, they're giving out."

"Oh, I'm- mph!"

He fell on top of her. Toshirou just realized two things. One, never again is he going to hold out his arms for that long and two, the position he was in right now was rather awkward as Raynell was buried under him and his entire frame covered her.

"Um, Toshirou-san?"

"I know, I'm sorry but I can't move my limbs. Could you do me a favor?"

"Yes, of course."

"Please, push me over. I seriously can't move and it hurts when I try to."

As she was about to do so, the door swung wide open. Joel came into the room excitedly, holding up something like a scroll in his right hand.

"Toshirou-nii, I've got it- oh?'

The silence between them was extremely awkward. Joel knew Raynell had left earlier for their room, but he didn't expect that they would do something like this. At least they were supposed to get married first!

"Gomen'nasai!"

He scurried out of the room, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

'I am going to kill that kid.' Toshirou sighed at the misunderstanding. He should've known something like this was going to happen sooner or later.

"Toshirou-san?"

"It's okay Raynell, just help me with my arms."

Carefully, she held his hands and moved them over to the other side of the bed, placing him on his back with his arms spread out in front of him.

"Thanks." Toshirou said.

Raynell nodded her head and lifted herself off the bed.

"Get some sleep, we have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow." He said to her.

"What about Joel-san?"

Toshirou hesitated for a second just trying to imagine what kind of pain he would put the cheeky kid through.

"He'll... be fine." Toshirou replied, curtly.

Something about the way he said it made Raynell to feel some sort of sympathy for the purple-haired boy.

"The other bed is for you, Raynell. So get some sleep."

Toshirou rose up from the bed, no longer feeling sleepy with all the events that just took place and put on his dark blue jacket. While stretching out his arms as if clarifying the absence of the numbness in his arms, he walked over to the door and opened it.

"What about you, Toshirou-san?"

Holding the handle on the door, he said to her. "Me? Don't worry. I just have some business to take care of. You don't have to worry about anything, just go to bed, okay?"

"Mm, okay." Raynell said.

Toshirou paused as he was about to walk out the door.

"Raynell?"

"Yes?"

"Try to smile. Coming from me it might not mean much but the world is far more beautiful than what you've seen. Sometime, someday, you'll see the best of what this world has to offer. All it takes is a little patience, endurance, and a bit of stupidity to be honest. Sometimes, we just have to play the fool to get what we want, but that doesn't mean we're fools. No, on the contrary, it means we know how exactly to get what we want. So don't worry, for as long as you are with me, I'll take care of you with everything I've got. Alright?"

Slowly, the corner of her lips curved upwards into a huge smile, a stark contrast with the monotone expression she kept up till now.

"Yes... I believe you, Toshirou-san. You too... try and smile as well." Raynell said.

"Hmmm, maybe I just might." Toshirou replied with a small grin before walking out of the room and shutting the door gently.

'Thank you for everything, Toshirou-san.'

...

The massive door of the building opened wide open, leading to the interior of the palace where a throne sat at the head of the room and court warriors surrounding it.

A figure walked through the door, on the red carpet that ran from the entrance to the throne on the higher steps.

The figure's head was adorned with a silver crown with rubies around it, eyes were a silver shade of white that complimented long dark brown hair that reached the figure's back. The person wore a black robe that reached the floor, with the collar made from white fur, providing a soft and comfortable feel.

As the figure approached the throne, the warriors stood by each side of the red carpet and all brought down their heads in reverence to this great person.

"Hail Dae Chun-ja!!"

"Hail!!!"

The figure climbed the steps and sat elegantly on the golden throne. An enormous white tiger with black stripes laid down at the foot of the throne, seemingly at sleep.

The figure pet its head making it purr in content without stirring in the slightest.

A black-haired warrior clad in black and white kimono, with a staff hung on his back came forward before the figure. Around the wrists of the warrior, there was a black metal braclet which extended from his wrist to his arms and a sliver chain was connected from the braclet to his fingers.

"Hail Dae Chun-ja!"

"What do you have for me, Ji-hoon?" The figure asked.

"The reports from the land of Min-ji. It would appear that our enemies have requested the assistance of the adventurers from Thaimes."

"The adventurers from Thaimes? How sure are you of this information?"

"One hundred percent, my lord."

"I see. Is it the adventurer known as Enel?" The figure asked.

"No, my lord. It appears that the adventurer, Enel, was taken out before he could partake in the quest." The warrior called Ji-hoon replied.

"Enel was defeated?"

"Yes, my lord."

"That was certainly unexpected. By whose hands exactly was Enel defeated?"

"By mine!"

The tiger rose its head and growled loudly at hearing the unfamiliar voice. Every warrior, including Ji-hoon, stood on high alert, trying to locate where the strange voice had come from. The figure rose up from the throne in awareness of the strange presence in their midst.

"Who are you?!! Show yourself!!"

A stone flew down and hit the head of one of the warriors.

"Up there!!"

A stranger sat on the stylized balcony three floors higher from the ground floor. Dressed in a pitch black robe with a hood covering his face, the stranger sat with his legs crossed playing with a small pebble in his right hand.

All the warriors pointed their spears at him, the tiger fully arose and faced upwards, baring its sharpened fangs against the unwelcome guest

"How did you get into the palace!!!" One of the warriors shouted.

"Come down from there if you want your life to be spared!!!" Another said.

The stranger sighed deeply and looked down on all of them. The pressure in the room suddenly increased and all the warriors were finding it hard to maintain their stance. He threw the pebble at them, and it pierced through the ground with a loud breaking sound.

"I'm surprised you could bypass the defenses outside. You must be no ordinary man." Dae Chun-ja spoke to the stranger, looking up at him.

"And I'm surprised the Feudal lord of Min-ae is a woman. It certainly came as a shock to me." The stranger replied.

Dae Chun-ja pursed her lips in amusement and let out a chuckle in light of the current circumstances.

"Ignoring the comment just made, for our soldiers to be so easily defeated, you definitely are a man worthy of my time." Dae said.

"A slight mistake there, your highness. It's not that I'm strong, it's just that your men were so weak it was almost sickening." The stranger replied easily.

"How dare you talk to our lord so casually?!!! Get down from there and pay respect to our lord!!!"

In a flash, faster than the eye can see, the stranger took out a broadsword and slashed it at them.

A powerful gust of wind emanated from the action. The windows of the palace shattered and the massive door swung wide open. The wind was so strong it pushed the warriors back, sending them flying into the walls of the palace. The Feudal lord, however, stood her ground in the same spot in the midst of her warriors flying away all around her. She calmly pet the head of her tiger and waved her arm, dispelling the wind in an instant.

"Didn't even flinch, huh. Well that's a Feudal lord for you, quite beautiful too." The stranger spoke admiringly.

"I can see how you easily defeated my men. I guess you're not all talk after all." Dae replied, her silver white eyes shone excitedly at the prospect of someone so strong visiting her palace.

"But if I may, what do want with Min-ae?" She asked.

Becoming serious, the stranger replied with a monotone voice, "Stay away from Min-ji."

"So you're their mercenary?" She asked, more of a statement than a question.

"Adventurer. Though Mercenary doesn't sound too bad if you really want me to destroy your village and its people."

"Destroy my village, and my people?"— she laughed— "Please don't be cocky, Mr Adventurer."

"Right now, there are a hundred and three people who are under my surveillance. When I give the signal, each and every one of them will be beheaded."— the stranger made a 'whoosh' sound and waved his hand across his neck— "They'll all die."

She stopped laughing. With a deadly look on her pretty face, she stared into the eyes of the stranger. Whether it was a bluff or not, it didn't matter. The lives of her people came first and she would allow no one to endanger them.

"Your bluffing." She said simply.

If the information given to her was correct, there should be no time for this man to create a trap for one hundred and three people, especially if he just arrived a few hours ago. It looked like the stranger didn't know about her secret intelligence so everything was still according to her plan.

The stranger sighed.

"Too bad."

<<BANG!!!>>

Multiple bangs were heard. The bangs came from the village but were so audible they could be heard from the palace. The bangs were accompanied with loud screams. Cries of people in pain and danger.

She made a mistake. In that moment, she realized the blood of one hundred and three people had just been successfully shed.

It was so sudden and unexpected that the Feudal lord couldn't think straight. What just happened? Had a hundred of her people just been actually killed? Who is this stranger? How could he just murder one hundred and three people in cold blood for the sake of a quest that painted her and her people as the bad guys? Her thoughts were jumbled up. As painful as it was, she did not allow herself to be shaken and faced the stranger head-on.

"What do you want?" She asked him.

"Leave Min-ji alone. That is all I ask."

She sighed heavily. "Do you want to know why we continuously attack Min-ji?"

"The Thessalonica." The stranger simply said.

"That's right. It belonged to my ancestors but Min-ji took it away from our land. Do you want to know what they want to use it for?"

"Enlighten me."

"They plan to forge a divine weapon in exchange for the lives of my people."

Now this was something new to the stranger.

"You are aware of Enel, the adventurer originally hired to take this quest?"

"I beat him myself." The stranger said.

"We have been tailing his movements. The agreement between him and Min-ji is to eliminate my people and in return, they'll forge a divine weapon for him."

'I knew something was up with Min-ji. Those elders have some sort of hidden plan up their sleeve. I don't think Yeong-ji-san knows this yet. Damn! This is getting too complicated.'

"Is everything you said true? Do not lie to me, Dae Chun-ja."

"I swear on His Majesty that everything is true." She replied.

The stranger lifted himself up from the balcony and jumped down to the ground floor in front of the Feudal lord, the height which he jumped did not phase him in the slightest.

"I'll be in touch, Dae-san." He said to her. "You'll provide me with every piece of information I need. I'm not taking no for an answer."

Sensing her hesitation, he addressed her. "Do not worry, none of your people are dead. Each and every one of them is still alive."

"But the cries from earlier?"

"Grrrr!!!"

She pet her tiger again to restrain it.

"It was all a ruse. I cannot kill innocent people in cold blood. This is between you and Yeong-ji-san. I am simply a mediator between you two. You can rest assured that the lives of your people won't be in danger."

The relief that washed over her almost knocked her off her feet. Her chest lightened with a relieved sigh.

"Thank you, Adventurer." She said.

"No need to thank me. I am simply doing what I want. But if you must know, they do want me to destroy your village, Dae-san."

"And are you going to?" Her silver white eyes bore into the hidden face of the stranger.

"No, I'm not." Said the stranger. "There's still one piece of information missing and once I get it, everything will end."

"I see." Dae replied.

"I can see that you're a great woman, but you've failed in just one aspect."

Dae was curious to know what he meant.

"You failed to protect the life of Raynell Huijin."

Her silver eyes widened in shock. She could not believe what her ears were hearing. Raynell? Raynell Huijin? Was this some kind of sick joke? The Raynell whose head was put on a stake by the warriors of Min-ji? She was still alive? How? And why didn't her secret intelligence know this?!

"I take it from your expression that you didn't know she was alive. Raynell must be someone important if you could remember her out of the many villagers in Min-ae." The stranger said.

"No... I had no idea and yes, Raynell is my surrogate daughter." Dae replied, heartbroken.

"Then you must be glad to know that she is in my custody. I'm taking care of her till I can find a good place for her. If her birth home isn't good enough, I'll take her to my guild. That's the only trustworthy place I know."

"If only the world had more kind people like you. But I must decline, now that I am assured of her state of being, I'm going to bring my daughter back to her village. She's been gone far too long. I can't begin to imagine the torture those animals have put her through."

Dae grasped the hilt of the sword on her waist tightly. She would avenge her daughter and definitely bring her home, no matter the cost.

"Your resolve is firm. I like that. With that we can come to an agreement. Lay off off Min-ji for a while, till I give my signal. There might not be need for bloodshed if you do."

"Do I have your word?" Dae asked.

"Yes indeed." He replied. "All I ask is to be patient. Raynell is someone I care about as well."

A strong gust of wind enveloped them, making Dae to cover her eyes with the back of her palm.

"Later, Dae Chun-ja."

The wind dispersed, with the stranger disappearing as well.

Dae Chun-ja looked up a while, then brought her head low and walked over to her throne.

Her soldiers had recovered from the blast earlier but could not interfer in the conversation between the stranger and their queen.

"My lord, should we go after him?" One if the warriors asked.

"Only if you want your life to be wasted." She replied bluntly.

Petting the head of the striped tiger, she issued a decree to all the warriors in the palace and the village at large.

"Listen all warriors of Min-ae, gather yourselves together in preparation for war! Do not attack our enemies, but wait for the instruction from our visitor! We have formed an alliance, and we will take back what was ours."

She stood up from the throne and lifted her fist into the air. All the warriors followed her motion and lifted up their weapons too.

"Brace yourselves men! The Thessalonica shall return to its rightful place!!"

All the soldiers uttered battle cries in accordance with the words spoken by Dae.

'Mother's coming, Raynell. I promise you.'