A Dull Blade's Shine Pt. VI

We were sitting in Puell's office, he served Maev and I tea as we spoke.

"So, you're claiming that you saw her come visit, put to sleep those miscreants, drink my liquor which YOU served, and disappeared up the stairs- in that order?" Puell asked as he had his arms crossed, sitting on his rather large chair.

He seems pretty angry that I served her liquor, oops.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his chin, the tufts of his goatee swirled with his thick fingers.

"I believe you- it's something Ofelia would do." He grunted.

"R-Really?" I sighed in relief, at least he believes me.

"Aye, as she is an oracle, she has an ability exclusive to the kingdom's oracles to teleport to predetermined locations, as long as they've visited that area once before."

"So that explains it." I said, talk about an overpowered ability; I wonder if I could absorb that power? Well, IF I can anyway.

But I do wonder why my [reflection] and [absorption] skills didn't prompt when she did that trick with the staircase-

And more so whatever she meant about Faustus, calling his magic on me 'shoddy'. Could she really bypass my magic immunity?

I'm just glad she wasn't outright hostile with me, especially after seeing the crest- she likely knows what I really am then too.

"I-I see..." Maev said, she looked very confused.

"Well! Did you get the report from her while you were talking together, Kai?" What a trooper, she knows how to roll with the punches.

"Well, we did talk- but she didn't give it to me." I showed her the empty sheet I had in my hand.

"She said that she's already 'given what she was asked of'." I recounted.

"Hmmm, odd." Puell spoke.

"Ofelia is many things, mainly a notorious leech, and a lazy good-for-nothing..." Woah watch your words there guild master, I wouldn't want to piss of the lady who can teleport 'anywhere' if she could hear you right now.

"But she never shirks on her oracle duties." He stated confidently.

"Whatever she has given to you is exactly that- that being 'the' report." He motioned to the empty sheet.

He scratched his head.

"But forgive me, I am no good for riddles and the sort- so it is up to you understand what she meant by this." He sheepishly reclined into his chair.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to tell Miss Lorica that."

I gave the empty sheet a good, hard look- hoping that whatever it was, I could make out whatever she meant by it.

It was the same sheet that Lorica had given to me from the original report, so it was the same paper.

Even with activating [absorption] nothing happened, so there was no magic imbued into the document.

I guess it really is just the weird lady giving me a riddle.

'lady' being a strained concept to me now, with her really just being a kid with a giant fancy hat.

"Well, it's fortunate that you had seen her- at least we know she had given this on purpose." Maev added in.

"With that, I believe we should make our way to Verdin- it's just shy a few hours from sunset now, so he should be returning home to his stead by now." Maev clapped her hands together.

"Ah, you're visiting Verdin? Mm, do you mind if you took this with you for him? It's a parcel from his boy." Puell sifted through a cabinet in his large desk and took out a small, brown envelope tied in string and laid out in front of me.

"Corso sent something? Ah, wonderful!" She grabbed the envelope from the table with gusto as she held it gingerly in her hands.

"Aye, the branch bordering Nimia's shoulder has boasted good-" He stopped himself short, as he looked at me.

"Agh, hear me ramble on, you two should be heading off now before it gets too late." He said with a hurried, tense expression.

"You're right, we should." Maev replied, she had the envelope tightly held in her hand now, it seemed defensive.

"So we shall, then." I said, taking the hint at face value.

...

"Crush my throat if I cross ye- take care." Puell bowed and waved as he closed the guild house's door behind us, we were now back in the center of Rezabel.

Betting that as this was agriculture-centric town, I was right on the money that at this time of day- the town would largely be dead. As everyone was likely taking their midday siesta, finishing up after work. A lot of people were napping in broad daylight as Maev and I walked down the dirt road in and out of town, from where I rode in earlier today.

Yet even still, as we walked through, I still feel eyes on me as I walked by, yet I found it harder to pinpoint now with everyone looking as though they were 'just' sleeping.

This whole town feels like a bundle of nerves, people are jumpy- and Maev is no exception.

She was carrying the envelope strangely, keeping it still as she made sure to not rustle it as much as she could with every step she took.

"Want me to hold it?" I asked, I pointed to the envelope.

"No, no- it's fine, you already have those documents of your own to carry, Kai." She brushed me off with a cheery smile.

"We walk down the path for a quarter mile and take a right into the field- it's then a straight path to Verdin's homestead." She abruptly mentioned with a stiff arm forward pointing ahead, I guess she's desperate to get me to forget about whatever it was that the envelope might or might not have.

"Is that so." I replied.

As we walked ahead, I took this as an opportunity to ask some more questions to Maev.

"So, did you grow up here in Rezabel, Maev?" I asked.

"No, I didn't- I was a refugee who immigrated here at the latter half of the Usurpation."

"My mother had died from trying to birth my brother, and so I was left alone here."

"I'm sorry to hear that, I shouldn't have asked."

"Nn-nn, you're okay- I don't mind, it feels like old history to me now."

"Almost as if someone else were telling me about it, it doesn't pain me like it once used to."

"And I think that's because of Lord Saleos' mercy being the cause of that." She hummed delightfully.

"Lord Saleos' mercy?"

"Yes, his mercy- before and after the war, he took it upon himself to take in war orphans to work for him in his manor."

"Offering room and board for simple work, it was as if a hero had given children like me a strong back to rely on."

"Well- I heard that he only hires girls to be his labor, not men."

"That's not true- that's not true at all." She said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"As to why there aren't men in his manor, boys in general really..."

She bit her lip.

"Is because they were often forcefully conscripted to fight for either side, if they were caught by a visiting army coming into Rezabel."

"But I thought Rezabel was a neutral-zone, why was there forced conscription occurring?"

"Because they did it, right under the Lord's watchful eye-..."

"I remember seeing them, as they were rallied up like rats in droves at the gates of the town in the blanket of moonlight."

"The promise of food, money, maybe even a home for their ailing parents or siblings."

"Soldiers dressed in the Sanctum's garments, they- they promised, they promised." her voice quivered.

She stopped as she looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Look, Maev, you don't have to-"

"No, no- it's alright, it's history, history cannot hurt me anymore." She gave a heavy sigh, her hands trembling.

"*Ahem* They disappeared, a great many of them, they became the boys of dusk; disappearing with the wake of dawn." Her eyes were dull.

"After such an incident, fearing that they would mimic his goodwill in vain, Lord Saleos did not take in any orphaned boys or young men in general for that matter to protect them."

"To prevent them from falling for another scheme like that ever again."

"It is why, I believe in Lord Saleos, and for the kind of man he is." Her crestfallen face disappeared with the appearance of a hopeful look.

She rode her hand atop of the reddish-brown wheat that was growing next to us.

"Did he ever fight? For the war that is?"

"No, from what I know he did not."

"Lord Saleos is a good, peaceful man- the only fighting he's ever done is the training he was likely put through when he was a young boy."

"That being what Madam Lorica has told me anyway."

I guess that explains why he had a sword- and also why he wasn't too good at it either.

"So, he wouldn't fight for Rezabel?"

"..." Maev went silent, but she didn't look angry- instead she looked pensive.

"Yes- I believe so he would." She said, but it sounded unsure.

"But it's unneeded, as Lord Saleos has a way of preventing war to occur in his lands, it's as if Ahriman himself has blessed him with that ability."

"He had gotten the armies to not harm him or his people, and as we're deep into the kingdom, Humans never invade us."

"Blessed with peace and the bounty of the wheat, Lord Saleos is truly a wonderful man." She hummed happily once more.

"Are these questions for your Lady, Kai?" Maev asked me, abandoning her hum with a cold look at me instead.

"No, no- I'm just curious, as I've told you I'm from the steppe; I know next to nothing about the inner-kingdom."

"Well if you're telling the truth, then I believe you!" She giggled as she looked east of her.

"I believe we're arriving near the splitting path, then it should be a short walk to Verdin's."

The twin-suns were showing hues of orange as we walked a bit more ahead, then leaving for the split path.

It continued to be a silent walk- but that was fine.

As what Maev's told me so far- I have a lot to sit and think about now.

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