Meander

While arrangements were being made to meet with the Braven Enlil, Vahn and Eva continued to shadow Asuna from within the void.

As could be expected from someone with such a powerful fate, Asuna was a magnet for trouble, but, after four years of training, there weren't a lot of people who could hope to harm her. After all, she was immune to external magic, and, if she entered the State of Nothingness, the vast majority of physical attacks would simply phase through her.

Though she was far from the level of Grandmaster, Asuna could enter into the State of Nothingness even faster than Vahn. It was like there was a switch in her mind that she could toggle at her leisure, so, even if you somehow managed to bypass her incredible perception, catching her off guard was virtually impossible...

Unaware of Asuna's capabilities, a number of people had targetted her during the relatively short stint into Zephyrian territory. It was actually a little ridiculous to see so many groups try to approach her in such a short period of time, as, for the most part, criminal activity wasn't that common above the Cloud Sea.

The heart of Zephyria was heavily policed by the Skyfarers Association, and, though every Merchant was either affiliated with a criminal organization or a famous band of Sky Pirates, they worked hard to prevent people from making a scene on their turf. If egregious crimes were perpetrated in their territory it would negatively impact business, so, whenever an incident occurred, those involved in the altercation would face a 'very' severe punishment. This was well-known amongst the residents of Zephyria, so, to see so many people targetting Asuna, Vahn and Eva couldn't help but feel a little exasperated...

Fortunately, even after a group tracked Asuna for nearly a half-hour before attempting to intercept her along her path, she was able to deal with it easily. At nearly the exact same moment the group tossed a net toward her, one specialized in sealing magical power, Asuna's figure became a realistic afterimage until the net simply passed through her. By the time it hit the ground, every member of the offending party was nursing various degrees of injury, the majority of which would leave them crippled for life without proper treatment.

Though some might consider it excessive, Vahn had taught Asuna to target and crush the joints of her opponents to quickly take them out of the fight. The fact they were targetting a child was more than enough reason to cripple them, so, even if it was somewhat perturbing to see her completely shatter someone's knee or elbow, it was their fault for pursuing such a path in life. If she didn't have the power to protect herself, her end would have been far more tragic than their life as a cripple, so, in a way, they actually got off easy compared to what Vahn or Eva would have done to them...

---

After exploring for nearly five hours, Asuna was beginning to get a little bored. There were a lot of interesting things to see and do, but, without someone to experience them with, it all seemed like a waste of time. She would normally walk around with Vahn or go bounding from rooftop to rooftop with Fenrir, so, now that she was left to her own devices, Asuna's interest and intrigue were rapidly dwindling.

Fortunately, just as she was thinking about calling out to them, Vahn and Eva appeared out of thin air, the former with his usual smile while the latter had a slightly incredulous expression on her face as she said, "You're a real magnet for trouble, you know that?"

With her mood improving considerably the moment Vahn and Eva appeared, Asuna adopted a wry, slightly mischievous, smile as she answered, "I wore this outfit to try and stand out, but this isn't the kind of attention I expected. Ahahahaha..."

Somewhat amused by Asuna's remark, Vahn issued a light chuckle of his own before asking, "Were you able to enjoy yourself today?"

Without having to think about her answer, Asuna bobbed her head a few times before answering, "I like the layout and this land. Though it isn't the same as Ostia, a city above the clouds is pretty cool. The people seem vibrant and full of vitality. If not for the ruffians and scoundrels that call this place home, it would be a wonderful country to live in..."

As the last few words left her lips, Asuna's expression subtly shifted, her brows furrowing slightly as she asked, "I don't understand, Vahn...what compels people to try and make a living by exploiting and taking advantage of others? I even noticed boys and girls younger than me with vicious looks on their faces, each eager to cause harm to another person without cause..."

Hearing Asuna's question, Eva's expression turned a little complex. Vahn's, however, remained calm and placid as he softly explained, "More often than not, they simply don't know any better. They are born in an environment where it is considered 'normal' to behave like that, and, unless they want to become victims themselves, they victimize others. It takes a lot of courage to break free from such a cycle...more courage than most have..."

Before letting his words trail off, Vahn began to lightly pat Asuna's head, causing her eyes to squint contentedly. The conflict she was feeling rapidly melted away, but, unwilling to just leave the matter lying, Vahn added, "The more important thing we can do is enable those at the rungs of society by establishing a system that allows them to overcome their initial standing. We can provide them the opportunity for education and pressure those in power to implement laws that prevent those with malicious intentions from acting freely. It won't be easy, but, so long as you never give up trying to make the world a better place, it will gradually become one..."

Though she had heard similar words hundreds of times in the past, Asuna answered with an 'Nn' in response to Vahn's usual spiel. She was already well-aware of her own responsibilities as someone with both status and power; so, rather than feel upset by the behaviors of other people, she actually just wanted him to pat her head...

After caressing Asuna's silky-smooth hair for a short while, Vahn retracted his hand, turning to Eva as he said, "Let's get something to eat before heading back. Arrangements for our stay have already been made so we can return whenever we want. We'll probably go visit the Great Spirit of Wind in the morning, but, based on what the Admiral has said, winning him over might not be that easy."

Curious about what he meant, Eva tilted her head slightly, asking, "Oh? Are you surprised that the most whimsical Great Spirit is difficult to deal with~?"

Before responding to Eva's words, Vahn lightly chuckled before grabbing both her's and Asuna's hands. Then, while walking towards a nearby tavern, he answered, "Meeting with him won't be an issue. If Arika wants to win his favor, however, she'll need to complete a challenge. Brave Enlil seems to enjoy testing people by sending them on random quests or asking them to hunt down rare and valuable treasures. Since there is a pretty important race coming up, there is a fair chance Arika will be asked to participate. I imagine she would enjoy that quite a bit, so, depending on how things go, we'll either stick around in Zephyria for a few weeks or travel to another country until the race is scheduled to begin. I'm leaning towards the latter as I don't really want to get caught idling around after spending so much time in Ariadne."

Understanding Vahn's concerns, Eva nodded her head, adding, "I'm actually surprised that none of our enemies have tried to interfere with us until now. At the very least, I expected a group from the Immortal Killers to come and track us down. This is the longest period I've gone without having to repel a group of would-be assassins or crazed zealots. It actually feels a little strange not to have a large group of people hunting me..."

Despite being one of the strongest existences in the entire verse, Eva had constantly been pursued over the years by various different groups. The most fervent were the organizations that believed it went against the natural order for anyone to obtain immortality. They were a bunch of lunatics that spared no expense to track down and eliminate anyone that had obtained immortality, even if their target might be a child or a victim of someone else's experimentation.

Eva had wiped out a number of powerful organizations over the years, but, despite her best efforts, it didn't take long for a replacement organization to take root. At this point, her bounty was so high that you could effectively build your own country if you managed to successfully kill or capture her, so, no matter how many people she killed, there would always be someone hunting her down...

In response to Eva's utterance, Vahn gently squeezed her hand with his own, a gentle smile on his face as he said, "Even if they come, we will repel them together. I don't think there is any reason to worry though. So long as we continue acting in an open and above-board manner, I doubt anyone will suspect you are the legendary Dark Evangel. We're also escorting two Princesses of Vespertatia, so, even if they suspect something, they would have to measure their actions and find proof before taking action..."

Though Eva wanted to caution Vahn about underestimating their enemies, the last four years had taught her that he really wasn't. Rather, his power was just that great, and, compared to how strong she was four years ago, her own had increased exponentially. It was hard to discern just how strong she had become, but, if she went all out, Eva was confident she would be able to wipe the floor with most of her past enemies. In fact, if it weren't for Vahn's presence, she would have already gone off to seek revenge against various individuals and organizations...

As various figures flashed across her mind, Eva did her best to simply ignore them as she rested her head against Vahn's shoulder. Though she wouldn't allow him to fight her battles for her, she wasn't going to insist that he leave everything to her either. They now walked the same path, and, while it was difficult for her to completely open her heart to him, Eva couldn't imagine ever returning to her life of solitude. She might not be able to admit it openly, but she had already decided to follow him for as long as he would allow.

Feeling Eva's head rest against his shoulder, Vahn gave the top of her head a kiss as he led her and Asuna into the nearby tavern. Their entrance drew a lot of attention, but, compared to when Asuna was alone, nobody tried to bar their passage. The moment anyone even considered such a course of action, they would spontaneously feel an existential dread descend upon them, so, even though the trio took their time to eat, none were bold enough to disturb their meal...

---

A few hours after the Custos Rosea had docked within the private port of the Skyfarers Association, a group of rather roguish individuals casually sauntered over as if they were approaching their own vessel. They had already lined the pockets of a number of officials, and, though Arika's Airfish stood out quite a bit, its design was considered 'childish' or 'silly' by most. Thus, despite a fair amount of attention earlier in the day, most people had quickly lost interest in the peculiar goldfish-like vessel.

Though a number of Skyfarers prided themselves on being decent and respectable Transports and Treasure Hunters, a very large portion of their number was made up of Sky Pirates who had decided to 'go legit'. Despite this, they still had a fair number of vices, so, after observing Arika's ship for the entire afternoon, determining it wasn't guarded, they decided to take advantage of an easy mark. It was clear, at least in their eyes, that the Princess was lacking in experience, so, out of consideration, they had decided to teach her a lesson about leaving her property unguarded.

While leaving half their group to watch the surroundings, the other half leaped onto the deck of the Custos Rosea before the leading figure, a woman with tanned skin and several scars covering much of her toned body, pulled out a series of bells. These were relatively common magical tools that had the ability to detect hidden magic circles and traps. Though they would break after a few uses, most competent groups carried a number of the mass-produced magic tools with them...

Noticing the bell in her hand remained silent, the leader of the group had an incredulous look on her face as she remarked to her nearby companions, "This Princess is even greener than I thought. Unless they have the ability to conceal their traps and barriers from detection, it seems this ship is without even basic security. Unbelievable."

Hearing the woman's remark, the group was split between laughing, jeering, and prematurely celebrating an easy haul. One man, a lanky figure with mouse-like traits, even descended into the interior of the ship in order to try and loot a few choice goods before his actions could be noticed. This was pretty common among Sky Pirates, and, unless you were caught in the act, most Captains turned a blind eye in order to keep morale high.

Though many noticed their companion's scheme, most had the wherewithal to turn to the woman, waiting for her decision. At times like this, it was generally best to rely on instinct, but, even after several seconds of tense silence, the woman couldn't feel anything wrong with the current situation. She couldn't sense anything other than the engine, and, based on how silent it was after the first crewman descended, it didn't seem like there were any mechanical traps lying in wait for them...

After nearly half a minute of silence, the woman ultimately shook her head before adopting a fierce look as she said, "Strip it bare. We won't scuttle the ship, but we'll take everything inside. Make sure to leave all the important systems intact or else the Association might come breathing down our necks."

Hearing their Vice-Captain's orders, the men and women aboard the deck became excited as they made their way into the interior of the ship. They then began to spread out to target different parts of the ship, but, before anyone could make it more than a few steps, they were stopped when one of the people attempting to enter the cargo hold exclaimed, "Thomas!? What the fuck!?"

Having descended after everyone else, the Vice-Captain was the closest to the stairs leading into the cargo hold, so, before anyone else could inquire, she asked, "Johnny, what did you find!?" in a barking tone. Unfortunately, the only answer to her question was a tense silence that descended upon the entire group like a pressure front. Then, followed by a light tapping sound, a figure with long white hair and glimmering golden eyes appeared from within the depths of the ship...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Everything is better when you are with people you enjoy being around','Eva is eager for vengeance...','Petrified, both literally and figuratively xD...')

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