Chapter 339

The arrival in Carne was unremarkable. "It's a busy place." Zesshi said as their horses clip-clopped on through the street. The main road was paved, but the noise of construction, despite being distant, was thunderous.

"Yeah." Brain said a little louder than he needed to, while Layali who rode in front of him, covered her ears. "It'll get quieter when we get into the middle of the city… this is happening over a lot of the places we're going to see. I can find some work for the day pretty easy, though we don't need it just yet, I'd rather have a nest egg just in case."

"You won't need it." Zesshi answered him.

Brain glanced over Layali's head. "I'm sorry?"

"I said, you won't need it." Zesshi repeated herself, "I asked you for a favor, and assuming my friends are as reliable as I think, today I fulfill it."

"A favor… what are-" Brain stopped when the memory tickled his mind and he raised his blue eyebrows, "You mean that thing about trusting you with something you would… not make a mistake about?"

"I said 'not screw up' but… yes, thank you for putting it nicely." The half-elf was quiet until they made it deeper into the city and the noise began to die down, the buildings were a mix of wood and stone, but more importantly the place was thoroughly, absurdly clean, and filled with all manner of different races going around seemingly indifferent to one another. Had there been anything left of her old views, they would have died halfway down that street.

When it was quieter Zesshi said, "We haven't been together all that long… not really. But you did more for me than you had to… I'm grateful for that, even… to know the hard things. So I'm going to pay you back, and pay for the rest of the trip to Arwintar."

"And… how will you do that exactly?" Brain asked the question, and Zesshi's face became smug, her nose tilted slightly into the air.

"I'll have you know that being a Black Scripture member pays very well. And I never spend a damn thing. So I used one of my connections to reach out to a friend who will do things without letting anybody know." Zesshi's smug look didn't vanish when she finished speaking, and she waited for Brain to show gratitude or surprise or… anything positive.

"And… how do you know he will actually be discreet, or that your way of reaching out to him will be discreet?" Brain asked the question as gently as he could, but he absentmindedly rested his left hand protectively on Layali's back.

Zesshi could only frown at that. "Why wouldn't they?"

Brain looked at Zesshi and asked, "How much did you request?"

"All of it. I mean," she scratched her head, "I figured it would be easier if I just had my wealth moved with me so we could draw what we wanted, and it'll be routed through the merchant guild halls."

"Zesshi… you used a government contact… didn't you?" Brain asked, he tensed his legs against the flanks of his pale horse, and true to his unfortunate expectations, Zesshi answered an offhand…

"Yes, of course. How else was I going to make the request? It's a long way to Kami Miyako for me to just shout, you know." She gave him a playful smile, and Brain could only say, as kindly as he could.

"Zesshi, thank you… but I wish you hadn't done this. I can find honest work here and there and we can sleep outside a little more, it hasn't-" He stopped before saying 'hurt us yet' as he recalled the piercing shriek Layali gave out when she was struck by the monster. "Never mind… just… don't reach out to them again. Promise me." Brain insisted, he leaned over slightly just when her mouth opened to object.

She closed her lips. 'It's just a message from me to Cenna, what's the problem?' She wondered, and watching the way he slightly winced when he breathed, she recalled the violent kick she'd given to his chest, and answered him, "I promise. I won't contact them again."

"So… what're we doing, anyway?" Layali looked up between the two of them.

"There's a guild I need to go to, if Cenna did what he's supposed to, then I have some things waiting for me, if not here, then at our next stop, either way, our whole journey to Arwintar is covered and everything will work out." Zesshi answered with a tiny reassuring smile down at the tiny half elf.

Far from giving a return smile, Layali went rigid and clung more tightly to the horse as if afraid she'd be pulled off of it. "If we need money, I can work. It's not like I don't know how, I served my father's family and siblings for a long time. Besides, wherever you put me… I know how it goes." She said as she stroked the mane of the pale horse. "I won't be their real daughter, so I'll have to work and earn my keep. Even if they're nice… they won't want me for long if I won't work so…"

Brain and Zesshi caught each other's eyes. In this they agreed, 'It won't be so again.'

The common thought ran between the two, and Brain patted Layali's head to quiet her before she went on too long. "No, that's not how it will be. If we can't find a nice family… we'll find a safe institution, I hear the ones in the Kingdom of Nazarick are really good."

"I'll even leave some extra for your care, I can afford it." Zesshi said, "You'll get good food and a bed of your own, no more monsters coming after you. It'll be fine. I'll pay enough to give you a good life growing up, and Raymond told me they were even offering apprenticeships to promising children, so you'll have a guaranteed job when you get older. This… isn't the sort of life you should have. Just wandering aimlessly with no security? I don't know much about the outside world but, that much even I can see." Zesshi said, and tried not to look down at what she knew were tears of frustration in Layali's eyes.