Kris's Intervention

"Go take a look outside, will ya? You can't miss my carriage. Maybe seeing it will change your mind. I am the financier of a member of the High Church. I assure you that you won't remember what being poor feels like," the man says.

"Let her go, sir," the waiter pleads again.

This is starting to piss me off. People who wave their wealth around ostentatiously to abuse their power are their own level of scum. I know what I am talking about since half of the people working directly below me are like that.

I turn to Lohikaarmi and whisper, "Go find his carriage and burn it to a crisp. Don't get caught."

"Yes, Master," she says and retreats to the door.

I then walk over to the situation and put my hand on the man's shoulder. He looks up at me.

"Listen to him, crud," I say, "sleazeballs like you don't have the right to insist."

"Who the hell are you? Do you have any idea who you are talking to?" He says.

"Not at all, and I couldn't care less. Now scat before I break your collarbone to make sure you can never grab anyone's hand ever again," I say and put force into my hand squeezing on his shoulder.

CRACK!

Oops, might have put in a bit more force than I had wanted. His bone is fragile.

"Ah!" He groans as his face twists in pain and lets go of the elf's hand.

"That's what I thought."

I release my grasp, and he bends over to tend to his pained shoulder.

"T-Thank you," the elf says to me.

"Thank you, sir," the waiter adds.

Upon a closer look, he is a dashing young man.

"Are you two together?" I ask.

The waiter looks surprised by the question. He looks away and clears his throat. The girl yelps quietly. Both of their faces are glowing. It's kind of reminding me of Faye.

"N-No," the elf says.

What the hell is this?

"Cunt!" The man shouts with his face on the table, "Wait until I report this to my boss!"

Just at that moment, Lohikaarmi comes back from outside. I look over to her, and she nods. That was fast.

"Yeah, we will see about that," I say and leave the scene.

Faye and Astra catch up to me.

"I appreciate you doing that, Kris," Faye says, "I didn't want to see her… getting hurt."

"Well, saving damsels in distress has kind of become my specialty now, but that man, he really pisses me off," I say.

Faye smiles.

"Kris, you can't just go around hurting people like that. You don't know what you will get yourself into," Astra warns.

"Nobody tells me what I can or can not do. If you want to fight me, then bring it. I'd like to see them take down the Dragon Queen."

Speaking of whom, she is already waiting for us beside the staircase.

Astra sighs.

"When did Lohikaarmi get here? Where was she?" Faye asks.

"Don't worry about it," I say and pat Lohikaarmi on the back. I can feel residual heat coming from her lips.

We climb up the flights of stairs to our floor and walk to the end of the hallway. Moonlight and candlelight illuminate the dark and wooden interior.

As I pass Connor's room to get into mine, I hear a strange sound coming from inside.

It sounds like… a bed repeatedly creaking and faint moaning. Oh, I see. So, this is what they were retiring early to do. Ugh, maybe they are not the kind of people to have ulterior motives.

"What are they doing?" Faye asks.

Astra giggles. She gestures Faye to bend down and whispers something into her ear.

Faye's cheeks become tomatoes. She lets out a quiet squeal.

"H-H-How do you know that? K-Kris, what have you been teaching your sister?" Faye asks.

"Nothing, Faye. She has learned nothing," I say with a sigh and walk into our room.

"Also, Lohikaarmi," I turn around and say, "Do not take any orders from Astra until tomorrow morning, got it?"

"Yes, Master."

"What?" Faye exclaims, "What has she been doing?"

"Nothing, and I'd like it to stay that way."

"Why do you have to be so mean?" Astra whines.

"Just go to bed, Astra. By the looks of it, any more of this will give Faye a heatstroke," I say.

"M-Me?"

"Just, ignore what I said. Let's sleep."

"Shall we do what the nice couple are doing across the hall?" Astra asks.

"I've warned you, Astra. You are sleeping on the floor tonight."

"No!" She yells and tackles me onto the bed. For some reason, I can't resist her strength.

"Alright, alright, calm down. Just go to sleep already."

"Fine," Astra says and rolls off my body.

Faye closes the door behind her and Lohikaarmi and goes over to their bed.

"Can I blow out the candle?" Faye asks after sitting down.

"Sure."

With a breeze, the room is now dark. Not soon after, Astra falls asleep and slaps her arm onto my chest.

Our journey will likely come to an end soon. Cisca's situation is less than desirable, but I suppose I can only do with what I am given.

When Faye has also begun quietly snoring, I feel a hand on my shoulder and hear a whisper.

"Master, I have something to show you."

It's Lohikaarmi. She conjures a flame out from her fingertip and lights up her face. I didn't know she can do that.

"What is it?" I ask and sit up on the bed. Astra's arm falls down, and she flips over to assume a new position.

"Follow me."

"Alright."

Carefully, I get off the bed while trying to not move Astra, and I leave the room with Lohikaarmi.

She gently closes the door when we are both out in the hallway.

Connor and his wife are still going at it.

"What is it?" I ask again.

"I found a secret compartment in the financier's carriage. I thought Master might want to take a look."

"Alright, show me it."

Lohikaarmi leads me back down to the first floor and out of the inn. The financier is no longer here, but the waiter and waitress both are. They give me a nod as I walk past.

The evening air is cold. No stars tonight. The mist is pretty thick up there. Only one window on the third floor has light coming from behind, and it's not hard to guess whose it is. I look over at the carriage lot, and Lohikaarmi has done her job well. One of the carriages is no more but a charred skeleton and pile of ashes.

Lohikaarmi brings me to our carriage, and she takes out a box from within.

"I found this under the coach seat," Lohikaarmi says.

"Alright, open it."

There is a lock latching onto the lid, but it's not stopping us. Lohikaarmi rips it off with her bare hand and lifts the lid.

There is a pile of paper in the box, and a piece of metal weighs them down. It looks like….

"A platinum slab," I mutter.