Chapter 20 - Arche's Sister

"In the benevolent light of Gaia, please bestow your blessings to shelter with sacred radiance..." Stella clasped the holy icon with both hands, sitting at the edge of a small bed, chanting the Divine Magic blessing spell.

A soft white aura gently floated over the slender figures of Ureirika and Kuuderika, as the divine faith magic took effect. These two girls, who had endured so much suffering, embraced each other tightly and fell asleep. The tight corners of their mouths relaxed, and their pale faces gradually showed a hint of rosy color.

Stella sighed, a touch of sorrow appearing in her beautiful hazel eyes. She picked up a woolen blanket and covered the twin girls, then gently tucked in the corners of the blanket.

"How are they?" EeDeChi, sitting on a chair, asked as Stella finished her work. "Are they cured?"

EeDeChi had a strong talent in Arcane Magic, having previously learned a high-tier group healing spell. However, she was completely clueless when it came to the Divine Magic blessing spell that comforted people's spirits, so she could only watch Stella cast the spell alone.

Rubbing the holy icon in her hands anxiously, Stella replied, "Their physical injuries have healed, and some internal wounds have been treated as well. But the mental torment they've endured is too deep. I can't completely soothe the wounds in their hearts. We need a higher-tier Divine Magic blessing spell to completely dispel the shadows in their hearts."

She lowered her head with a hint of self-blame. "I'm still too weak."

"It's okay, you've done a great job. Thanks to you, their spirits have stabilized, and there will be opportunities for further healing in the future."

Such encouraging words naturally didn't come from EeDeChi's mouth, but from Sean, who patted Stella's shoulder to comfort her.

Barrett, leaning back in a soft chair, watched the scene with boredom, lazily shifting his body.

As a senior adventurer who had been through the ups and downs of the adventure industry for nearly twenty years, he had seen many situations where both humans and gods will feel angry. 

Right now, he was only worried whether the imperial law enforcement officers would come knocking on their door.

They were currently on the second floor of an inn in the capital city, occupying four adjoining single rooms.

The money for accommodation were handled by Sean. After leaving the burning Julina's Forbidden Paradise, Barrett persuaded EeDeChi to cover her face and, in the dead of night, brought the twin girls and EeDeChi into the inn, presumably without being noticed.

"Why is this world so dark? Even such young children can fall victim." EeDeChi stood up from the chair and walked out of the room indignantly.

"This world is just like that," Barrett shrugged. "This is a legitimate business. Captain, next time you go out as a bandit, you'd better cover your face. Otherwise, if you kill people, set fires, and leave survivors, you'll definitely be wanted. It will only bring trouble to us."

"Young man, watch your words. How can I be a bandit? Did I steal anything?" EeDeChi retorted loudly.

Barrett nodded towards the two little girls curled up together asleep on the bed. "Didn't you steal two children?"

The twin girls on the bed slept soundly, cuddling each other like little cats, their golden hair entwined, their petite bodies gently rising and falling with each breath, pitiful yet adorable.

EeDeChi snorted coldly. "In feudal societies with backward productivity, the existence of the sex industry does have some rationality, but forcing minors of this age into prostitution is definitely illegal!"

"What are productivity and feudal society?" Sean and Stella asked curiously. The captain uttered a string of words that they only half understood, but seemed to make a lot of sense, arousing their great interest.

Barrett had been with EeDeChi the longest, so he could understand a few sentences. He shook his head and said, "This is not illegal. The Empire revised the law five months ago, stipulating that as long as they're female, regardless of age, they can be sold. Even young girls are the same. Don't believe me? Ask Stella. She's from the Empire. Ask her if this is true."

Stella nodded. "Indeed, it's true. Since the Empire became a subsidiary of the Sorcerer Kingdom, the Emperor has lifted many restrictions on industries."

Upon hearing this, EeDeChi's face turned cold as ice. "It seems I need to have a word with the Emperor of the Baharuth Empire and impart some wisdom of the elders to him. Where does the Emperor live?" she asked Barrett.

Barrett pointed outside the window. "In the middle of the capital, under the tallest spire, is the castle."

Looking out the window, even though it was late at night, a blurry magical light outlined the shape of a tower in the night sky. She had seen this towering square spire during the day, thinking it was just a landmark building, but she didn't expect the Emperor's palace to be right under the tower.

EeDeChi walked towards the window, about to jump out onto the window sill. Sean hurriedly grabbed her, looking nervous. "Captain, what are you trying to do?"

EeDeChi shook off his hand. "Of course, I'm going to see the Emperor."

Barrett, who had been pointing the way, also ran over to hold EeDeChi back. "Captain, calm down. You'll get into big trouble like this! Let's go later..."

Amidst the struggle, Ureirika and Kuuderika, who were sleeping in bed, were awakened.

One of the girls looked at the arguing people in front of the bed, her frail body trembling. With a tearful voice, she said, "Sister... sister..." The other girl still had dull eyes, just clinging tightly to her sister.

Seeing the twin girls wake up, EeDeChi no longer insisted on jumping out the window. She approached the two little girls wrapped in blankets on the bed, trying to put on a kind expression. "Be good, don't be afraid. Sister is here, no one will hurt you. Let's go home, what are your parents' names? Where do you live?"

The little girl burst into tears, saying, "We don't want to go home, we don't want to find our parents, we want to find our sister..."

Stella walked up, bent down, and gently supported the thin shoulders of the little girl, comforting her.

...

EeDeChi, Barrett, and Sean waited outside the door. After a few minutes, Stella, with a worried expression on her face, pushed open the door, gently walked out, and closed the door again.

Regarding the disposition of the twin loli, the four of them had previously agreed to send them back to their original parents' home, as they couldn't bring these little girls along on their adventures. So, it was just a matter of asking where the little girls' family was. However, looking at Stella's complexion now, it seemed that things weren't going smoothly.

"They don't want to go home. They said their parents treated them badly, but their sister treated them well, so they want to find their biological sister. By the way, their sister is also an adventurer," Stella explained briefly.

This made sense, only irresponsible parents would let their daughters fall into the brothel. Perhaps it was the parents who sold these twin girls.

"In that case, let's find their sister quickly. Since she's an adventurer, we can check at the Adventurer's Guild. We're an adventurer team, not an orphanage. We can't take these two burdens with us on missions in the future," Barrett said briskly.

EeDeChi gave him a fierce glare, making Barrett's heart race. But EeDeChi also admitted that Barrett's words were rough but reasonable. They would have many difficult battles ahead.

"But," Stella sighed, "their sister is Arche Eeb Rile Furt. She hasn't returned for a long time after taking on a mission. It seems she disappeared while exploring the Great Tomb of Nazarick on the Empire's border."