Gina

While Gina was alone, Noah waited outside. After Reese left, it was his turn to lean on the windowsill, the night air chilling. Servants lit the corridor's wall torches, and soon the castle was ablaze with light once more.

A poet with a bitter expression approached.

"Does Lady Gina need some music for comfort?" he asked, cradling a five-stringed lyre.

Noah glanced into the room, silent.

"Play outside, that would be best."

The poet cradled the lyre's neck, strumming its strings. The music, though simple, was clear and melodious.

"How did the crisis unfold?" Noah asked him, "I mean, the whole process." He was still missing a piece of the puzzle, someone who could help him reconstruct the events.

"I was chatting with a stable boy downstairs, then we heard this terrible noise, maybe some animal shrieking. The boy pointed towards the wall, shouted, and ran. I knew something was wrong, so I dashed inside. Lord Ganiel told me to grab a weapon and fight, but what could I do! I hid in a wardrobe until everything quieted down," the poet recounted, still shaken.

"Where's the stable boy now?"

"The guards said he went mad, took him away," the poet shook his head.

"This was a demon attack," Noah affirmed. "There's surely more behind it."

"Speaking of which, you're the demon hunter people talk about?" The poet was curious, "Mind if I write a poem about you? Your deeds seem like a good subject."

"A poem..." Noah was intrigued, "What do people say?"

"They say you're fierce with a blade, that you charge into danger alone, turning the tide of battle," the poet recited with a lilt, "like a hero."

"A hero..." Noah pondered, "Seems fitting. But tell me, Mr. Poet, what really makes a hero?"

"I guess a hero does what others cannot, worthy of admiration and thanks," the poet stroked his stubbly chin.

"I see." Noah felt reassured, as if he had accomplished something meaningful.

"Shall we go in?" Ines crossed the corridor heading towards the bedroom.

"Until next time," Noah bid the poet farewell.

They entered Lord Reine's bedroom where the guards had already dragged away the monsters' corpses, but the bloodstains were not yet cleaned, leaving the room reeking.

To Noah's surprise, Gina was recovering faster than he had anticipated. Wrapped in a blanket, she sat on the bed. When she looked up at them, her demeanor had calmed considerably, though a hint of lingering fear remained in her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Noah kept his distance, his tone full of regret, "...we were too late."

"Those monsters... were they demons?" Gina's face was filled with anger.

"Yes," Noah confirmed. "...They feed on us."

"Where did they come from?"

"Many in the city are connected to this attack," Noah decided to be forthright, given the private setting and Gina's trust. "I'm going to investigate the Thieves Guild, and the temple."

"They wanted to kill me..." Gina's lips tightened, "...Father will be furious when he finds out."

"Lord Reine will certainly return to eradicate this evil," Noah thought.

"No," Gina shook her head, standing taller than Noah now, "Father has more important matters. The noble council summoned him with urgent messages... I don't want him to worry about this."

"But this is a dangerous matter, we need troops and reliable warriors," Noah tried to explain.

"You were supposed to prevent this," Gina rebuked, "You're a demon hunter; you should have foreseen this threat."

"Something like this will never happen again," Noah promised, "but the chapel is currently in its most defenseless, vulnerable state. We need manpower and funds."

"I understand. You must arm yourselves quickly," Gina's tone was more mature than her appearance suggested, "I'll have my brother write to Rocher to come, and have Reese recruit new soldiers, forming militias locally." She stepped down from the bed, uncaring of the bloodstains she trod upon, and retrieved an iron coffer from a side cabinet to hand to Noah.

"This is..." Noah held the heavy coffer.

"Father's private savings. You saved me, and this is your due," Gina spoke calmly.

"Thank you very much," Noah was surprised.

"...But if the demons cause such chaos again... I will be very disappointed," Gina fixed Noah with a serious gaze, "I thought you'd make up for the shortcomings of the winged demon incident, learning enough from it."

"...I will spare no effort to find that witch," Noah affirmed.

"Gina? Gina?" a voice called—Ganiel's.

Donning a gray shirt, Ganiel appeared, looking for his sister. He seemed much improved, color returning to his face.

Hearing her brother's calls and approaching footsteps, Gina reverted to her younger, more innocent self, sitting on the bed and wiping her tears.

"Oh, sister," Ganiel approached with heartfelt concern, "Are you alright?"

Gina sadly shook her head.

"The monsters were so frightening," she whispered, her eyes welling up until she burst into tears.

Ines dabbed Gina's tears with a handkerchief, and Gina turned to embrace her. Like soothing a child, Ines gently rocked her, kissing her forehead.

"Noah," Ganiel approached, wrapping his arms around Noah's shoulders in a brotherly hug, "You saved my life and everyone else's."

"It seems the potion worked," Noah retrieved the remaining third of the purple salve from Ganiel's hand.

"I was already slipping into darkness, hearing the call of the gods of the Meimen Hall, ascending towards the sky. But then my consciousness settled, and I could feel my body's weight again. The pain from the wounds faded quickly. I survived, thanks to you!" Ganiel spoke with exhilaration.

"Your robust health always gave you a good chance," Noah nodded.

"The guards don't know what they're doing, unable to handle even a few beasts. I need to strengthen their training, spend every penny to gather mercenaries," Ganiel was dissatisfied.

"Yes, the city needs bolstered defenses, and so do the rural areas," Noah actually wanted them to raid the temple directly, but it was clearly difficult.

"I couldn't agree more," Ganiel nodded, turning to Gina, "We need to pray at the shrine, Gina, will you join us?"

"I'll be there in a moment, sob..." Gina's hair spread chaotically in Ines's arms, her expression frail.

"It's alright, we'll start when you're ready," Ganiel nodded and walked away.

Gina watched her brother's retreating figure until he was out of sight, then turned back to Noah, stepping out from Ines's embrace.

"...There's something that bothers me," she wiped her tears.

"What is it?" Noah was puzzled.

"The demons attacked, but they didn't kill me or my brother. Then you arrived and resolved the situation. The poet outside is praising you as a hero, and he will even compose a poem about you. You'll gain fame quickly. Oh, what am I saying? Isn't that natural?" Gina spoke softly.

The atmosphere in the room became tense.

"Hah, if I were you, I'd have similar suspicions," Gladius crowed, "Such convenient timing! A show where the hunter appears, and the witch flees. Although this time, it truly wasn't so... But I think it's a suitable method! From now on, you should keep a demon of your own, let them run amok, and then you heroically resolve the crisis. No danger at all, hunters gain fame, demons get their fill of souls, how comfortable!"

Gina suspected I was in collusion with the demons. The thought cast a shadow over Noah's heart.

Ines glanced at Noah, then turned to Gina.

"Are you doubting us?" Ines's tone was incredulous, "If we were truly malicious, why not just kill you? Why not just loot this place, raze the castle to the ground, open Lord Reine's prideful treasury, and take everything inside? Wouldn't that be far more than what we've got now?"

"If you did that, my father would risk defying the council's orders to return early and regain control," Gina said.

"...I don't understand," Ines sighed mockingly, "I'll never understand the thoughts of nobility."

"Excuse me, consider it paranoia," Gina walked away from the room.

Why would she become this way... Noah watched Gina's retreating figure.

"Fool," Gladius taunted, "Which do you find harder to accept?—that her nature was always so and her previous innocence was a facade; or that she was truly innocent but has become guarded and suspicious after being abducted by the witch?"

"Both are hard to accept," Noah sighed.

"I feel uncomfortable," Ines complained, "Is she really suspicious of us, or is she just throwing out wild guesses? I saved her! If it weren't for me, how would she have survived?"

"That doesn't matter now," Noah shook his head, "What's important is this is the first step since the chapel's reconstruction. Despite the difficulties, we've successfully averted a crisis."

"Mmhmm," Ines looked at the iron coffer in Noah's hands, "How much is in there?"

Money. Noah opened a corner of the coffer, revealing a glint of gold that quickened his pulse.

"Lord Reine's gold," Noah stashed the coffer in his bag, "We'll talk about it back at the chapel."

They followed the direction the people were moving, nearing the castle's shrine.

The shrine was nestled in a beautiful chamber made of stone, housing a statue of the Lomen sky god Adwar, imposing and vague of face, surrounded by cloud and mist patterns signifying His immeasurable power. In life, Adwar was Lomen's king, posthumously worshipped, becoming Lomen's first deity. He constructed the grand Meimen Hall in the heavens, to welcome the ascended spirits, holding the highest authority among the gods.

Everyone knelt before the shrine, gazing at the statue in silent prayer. The nobles were at the center, while servants and others were at the edges, all looking devout and solemn.

After such an attack, people indeed needed a spiritual anchor to comfort their hearts. Noah and Ines arrived late, only able to pray near the entrance.

They looked upon the statue and the divine patterns.

"Great Adwar," Noah thought, "if You really exist, protect this world and keep the demons out."

"Why don't you consider our feelings for once? Where do we go to feed if we can't come in?" Gladius ranted.

Noah ignored this and continued to stare at the godly image.

The candles flickered, the light dimmed, and everything was cast into a hazy shadow. Was it an illusion? Noah's eyes widened.

The statue of the sky god began to bleed black.