53 - Cautionary Tale, Part 3

Amoria strolled joyfully through the market, turning into a narrow alleyway.

Suddenly, the same guard who had hit on her while she was with Van began to follow her, his expression unreadable.

Amoria halted in the shadows of the alleyway.

"Just come out. I don't have time for this," she sighed.

"Alright, alright..." he chuckled, stepping out of the darkness.

"Well, well, well, Miss Veil... All alone," he muttered as he approached.

At first glance, one might underestimate Amoria. Despite her gentle appearance, she was stronger than most, having traveled with Magus. She held more cards than she let on.

"Ugh," Amoria rolled her eyes and tossed a coin bag towards the 'thug'. "Here. I put in a little extra for your effort," she murmured disdainfully. He caught the coin purse and examined its contents.

"Thank you, miss. As always, it was a pleasure..." he replied, rubbing his bruised back from her earlier attack.

He began to giggle as he counted the coins.

"Anything else you wanted to discuss?" she asked impatiently.

"No, no... It's just funny, that's all. Seeing how far you're going to impress that kid. I couldn't help but laugh," he added. Amoria's fingers twitched slightly. "The only thing he found flawed about me is my teeth, and he clung to it... Isn't that cute? It's like his first time dissing anyone, in a desperate attempt to defend this oh-so-gentle lady," he jeered.

Amoria took a deep breath and looked up at the clear sky above the trashed alleyway.

"Ahh... Mr. Henry. Former Knight of the famed First Battalion..." she addressed him.

"You see, normally, I'd actually try to hurt you for saying something like that to me," she began, turning around with a smile. "But when you opened your mouth just now, I could tell someone had already spoon-fed you with shit earlier today, from all the way over here. It seems he hadn't clung to it for no reason." She smiled again, but it never reached her deadpan eyes.

The man twitched slightly. "... And she's funny too," he added.

"As for me wanting him to see me one way or another... That's my business. As always." She continued walking down the alleyway.

"So scary..." he called playfully as she walked away.

A moment later, he pondered. "She did call that kid Van... And that kid... Looks... awfully similar to—..." he muttered, thinking while walking away. "Ah..! That means..." He realized, a lightbulb going off in his mind.

"Meaty is finally back after all this time..." he murmured, a joyful snicker stretching across his lips.

------------------

"Have you calmed down a bit?" Marcy casually asked, her deep red eyes facing forward as she led Cerille out of the pool area by her surprisingly delicate ear.

"Y-yes... Yes...! I'm sorry, Aunt Marcy...!" Cerille cried, while Van and Anne walked side by side, unable to suppress a slight pity for the girl.

"So, you were childhood friends then?" Van asked.

With a soft exhale, Anne replied, "Yeah. But that's as far as I'll say."

"Fair enough," Van replied casually.

"That aside," she continued, "you owe me some explanations, Van. What was that all about?" Anne corrected herself, glancing at the agonized Cerille. "You flipped out when you heard who her father is."

"I... heard something from my old man about him," Van started, clearing his throat. He then glanced at Anne's curious expression as she leaned in, "... But that's as far as I'll say," he added slyly.

"Man, you're really immature," she scoffed. "Why the hell am I even hanging out with you still?"

Van chuckled lightly as they continued walking.

Meanwhile, Marcy and Cerille had their own conversation...

"What won't you ever do again?" Marcy pressed.

"Mindlessly pull my sword out...!! Mindlessly pull my sword out in public...!! I had no idea he was your acquaintance, Aunt... Please, I've learned my lesson..!!" Cerille cried.

"OH? So, if he WASN'T my acquaintance, you wouldn't be sorry!?" Marcy's voice boomed as she pulled harder on her ear.

"A-AH... That's not what I meant...! Any potential threat needs to be treated as such..!! I HAD NO CHOICE...!!" Cerille protested.

Marcy looked at Cerille with a soft, sympathetic frown. "Is that what you'd have said to that girl's family after accidentally killing her?" she asked, her grip on Cerille's ear loosening.

Cerille lowered her gaze, speechless.

Marcy sighed deeply, noticing her contemplative pause, and let go of her entirely.

"I'll forgive you this once. Just be mindful of your peers. No one's going to console you at a passerby's funeral."

Cerille straightened herself and looked at Marcy.

"Alright... And, Aunt Marcy, may I ask the identity of this boy?" she asked, her gaze determined.

Marcy hesitated.

"Aunt...?" Cerille pressed, noticing Marcy's lack of response.

"Ahh... It's gonna come out at some point," Marcy said loudly, scratching her head in frustration. "He's Va—"

Just then, Cerille's attention darted elsewhere. She carefully placed her palm on her ear, not because it hurt.

Marcy narrowed her eyes as she watched her.

"Something's wrong with her?" Van asked, noticing Cerille's sudden movement.

"Oh," Anne answered, glancing at Cerille, "she's probably talking to someone through [Vibration]." The statement caused Van to raise his eyebrow.

"You're not from the Capital, so you wouldn't know. It's a magical apparatus my late father developed that allows people to contact each other from afar in a snap; all you need is two pieces of the same magical vibration, which can be tuned by a C-Rank Magician. Apply your magic, and you can talk from really far. It's been commercialized only recently, so not many people have it."

Van looked at Anne, his expression deadpan and resigned.

"W-what is it...?" she asked, a little weirded out by his lack of response and gaze. "You're creeping me out..."

'Dude invented the walkie-talkie and called it [Vibration]... At least call it by its proper name. Don't you have some respect for our founding fathers!?' Van thought, his eyebrow frozen upwards.

"I understand. I shall use your teleportation stone then, SIR!" Cerille called, straightening her posture and turning her attention to Marcy.

"I need to go now, Aunt! There's a mission and—"

"I know." Marcy firmly stated, "I heard about it. I'd appreciate if that guy didn't put his daughter through something like that... But I ain't one to tell others how to raise their kids," She said, clicking her tongue in frustration at Cerille.

"... Right," Cerille acknowledged weakly as she looked away, pulling a stone from her waist pocket.

"Be careful," Marcy added, her voice slightly softer as Cerille crushed the stone. Cerille nodded as she dissipated into thin air, leaving Anne, Van, and Marcy alone.

'That thing she just used was a teleportation stone, right? Even with all my travels, I've only come across five of them, including the one Magus had. Must be quite the mission to use something so valuable,' Van thought, slightly narrowing his eyes.

"Anne," Marcy called firmly, "go to your house. I heard what happened at the pool, so someone here needs scolding." She glanced at Van.

Anne immediately perked up, her shoulders tightening.

"Uh, m-mom, we kinda decided to—" Anne muttered, glancing between Van and her mother.

"ANNE. Now." Marcy ordered, her arms folded and glaring.

"... Fine," Anne said, giving Van a final glance before walking away with a slight slouch, leaving Van and Marcy alone.

"Is she fine?" Van asked.

"You've been with her," Marcy replied. "You tell me." She signaled him to walk with her, and he complied without issue.

"Well, I wasn't the only one who got trashed at the pool, let's just say," Van admitted.

"Don't be pulling my leg now. My Anne? Bullied? She'd tear at any bastard's skull if they tried," Marcy stated firmly.

"... You think so?" Van asked.

Marcy sighed. "She might be a bit awkward, something she got from me, but she wouldn't let anyone step on her, no matter what."

"Well, the kids around her make her a hot topic. The fact you made it there and that you know what happened with Nickelson's daughter, I thought you were aware," Van said.

"Speaking of which... How did you know we were there?" he added.

Marcy looked at him for a few seconds, her expression contemplative.

"I came here to tell you news about the Quest," she started after a small pause. "Got good news... and bad news." Her voice trailed off, her eyes darkening a little.

"What about Anne? I think it's a little more pressing than—"

"I'll talk to her," Marcy snapped. "She's my daughter, not yours," she added hurriedly.

Van kept his gaze squarely on Marcy, remaining silent.

"Got a problem with that?" she said, her tone slightly more aggressive. Yet to Van, she seemed to be holding herself back for some reason.

Nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel a small twitch in his abdomen at Marcy's words.

'I suppose asking her why she doesn't live with her daughter, or telling Marcy that I'm her kid's uncle is why I care wouldn't be smart,'

'Or even right, for that matter,'

"No. I don't. I overstepped my boundaries, sorry. What's the details about the quest?" he replied casually, his gaze momentarily cast downwards.

"Good news..." she started with a sigh. "It was..." she stuttered, "...an S-Rank Quest that came out a few hours ago. Enough pay to maintain a castle and 15 souls living in it for a year in luxury."

"Bad news, the Royal Knights seized the quest due to its nature and changed the Quest's Rank to Mythical about an hour ago," she said, looking to the sky and sighing deeply once more.

Van tilted his head. "What...? Mythical...!?"

"Yes..." she said, trying to stop herself from shivering.

'She must've not wanted Anne to see her like that,' Van thought briefly as he scrutinized Marcy.

"When they came by and seized it, they then sent the entire 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions with over 1000 Royal Knights... and every A-Rank Adventurer and above willing to volunteer after giving it that Ranking." She cleared her throat. "We're on the brink of an emergency, actually. Something that most likely far exceeds Arutol or anything we've ever faced... Our party included, Van; now that Magus isn't here." She murmured, her voice barely a whisper.

"What was it?!" Van asked.

"It was..." She took a deep, shaky breath. "Supreme demonic pressure detected just south of here. Moving at incredible speeds... Towards the Capital," she murmured, looking sideways with a deep frown, her muscles tensing slightly.

"I contacted the girls just a few moments before I arrived... We should be ready to move out ourselves in—" Marcy continued.

But her voice faded into the background for Van.

His face paled, yet his heart pounded with excitement and a sense of longing he hadn't realized was this intense.

'Could it be...' he gasped, looking to the south.

'Alicia...!'

"... Van?" Marcy muttered, noticing him frozen, his expression hidden as he glanced southward.

"I'll pay you back, Marcy."

"For what..?" she asked, puzzled.

"For the gear I'm going to take from your guild," he said, before creating a sudden supersonic boom and sprinting towards the guild's storage area. The force he took off was so powerful, it caused Marcy to tumble slightly.