Aradul Sea of Tears

Fern Village

Eliz rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed deeply as a group of people bowed before her and called her Boss. Holm chuckled. "It seems you have fans, my lady," he remarked.

She sighed again. Not that she was entirely against them, but what was she supposed to do with them now? She didn't have room for that many people. And in truth, she didn't really feel like taking strangers to Shannon. Eliz opened her eyes and looked at them. "Why did you want to follow me?" she wanted to know.

Sil straightened up and raised her hands, clenched into fists. "You were absolutely amazing! The way you handled the villagers! Confident, dominant, bossy! It was so amazing!"

Eliz rubbed the end of her nose again. Does this woman have any brain? Hold on... She quickly opened her eyes and looked towards Grash, who was sunbathing on the roof of the carriage. He sensed her gaze, so he rolled over to look at her and raised his eyebrows questioningly. Eliz wondered if brainlessness was some common trait among all members of the feline race.

"Ah? Well, thanks. But is that why you want to follow me? You should find a better reason." Eliz waved a dismissive hand.

Sil shook her head quickly until her hair and ears flopped to the side. "This is a good enough reason! We're just a small gang in a small, boring village, and we've always wanted to belong to a bigger organization, but no one just met our standards. You're perfect!"

Eliz put a finger to her temple, hearing Raiana giggle weakly. "Wait. Who do you think we are?" Eliz wanted to know.

"Villains?"

"Gangsters?"

"Badass criminals?"

"Big Boss?"

"The ruler of the underworld?"

The group started to make suggestions, and now she could hear Fraril coughing too, but Eliz could clearly hear him covering his laughter again. Eliz understood that she had made such an impression, but she hadn't expected to just be named like that.

Standing up straight, she put one hand at her hip and touched her chest with the other while she proudly and arrogantly spoke. "I am Elizabeth Von Roseblood. Daughter of the Duke Von Roseblood. I am an aristocrat, not a criminal."

Sil and the others stared at her for a moment before they turned and put their heads together, whispering about something. After a moment, Sil turned around and gave Eliz a thumbs up. "Never mind! You were amazing anyway. One mistake doesn't change our minds!"

Eliz couldn't resist anymore and smacked her forehead. Who the hell are these people! She thought before frowning sternly at them. "Okay. If you insist, you can follow me. But not now. You're going into my territory; can either of you read a map? I'll show you where it is, and that's where you'll go. But I warn you...." One by one she looked them over. "You will listen. My word is law. If I ever even smell a whiff of treachery or deceit, I will have your hands cut off and let the crows peck your eyes out alive, is that clear?" Eliz tried to deter them further, but her words had the opposite effect.

Sil and the others' eyes lit up with excitement. "Did you hear that? Like a real boss!"

"Ooh! It gives me the creeps! Look!"

"Beautiful and terrifying! That's how a badass boss should be!"

"Guys hold me! I think I'm in love!"

Eliz looked them over again and realized that some of them were still teenagers. Only Sil and two others could be considered adults. She realized that this bunch of wannabe criminals had some strange illusions about how real crime and criminals worked. Could it be that when they were kids, they were lied to about crime? But they're mostly adults now. Could they be so dumb they haven't seen through it yet?

"Hmm..." Eliz looked at them thoughtfully. She had a hunch that things weren't that simple. Could there be a reason why they suddenly wanted to leave the village and just take it as a reason and a place to go? Eliz glanced briefly at Mimic and then back at Sil and her gang. She had her suspicions. But it didn't matter for now; she could take a closer look when they were all at the Blue Rose estate.

"Stop messing around and get the map," Eliz interrupted their foolishness and waved her hand. They soon brought her a map, and she marked the location of the Blue Rose estate on the map, telling them to get there. She gave them that as their first task. If they could get there under their power, they would be worthy to serve her.

After all, Eliz didn't want any incompetent people. Their potential wasn't anything she particularly cared about either, except maybe Sil, who had the potential to be a Monster Tamer. If they couldn't make it to the Blue Rose Estate on their own, they had no right to be there.

With that, she dismissed them and returned to Mimic, whom she led outside the village and ordered to make himself invisible and follow them. Eliz was tempted to try to fly through, but she wanted to wait on that. Instead, she got into the carriage where Alarr and Fraril were sitting. Alarr stared unmoving out the window, and Fraril had his arms folded across his chest and looked as if he were asleep with his eyes closed. But Eliz noticed his ears twitching, and so did the corners of his mouth.

"Are you amusing yourself at my account?" Eliz asked, frowning. Alarr didn't answer, but propped his elbow on the window and covered his mouth with his fingers without stopping to look out the window.

Fraril was already beginning to smile openly. "More than enough."

*****

Western Road

They continued on their way, leaving Fern village behind. All Eliz wanted was the herbs, and she wanted nothing more to do with them. Eliz wouldn't mind running into similar opportunities to set up a steady supply of consumables; just next time, it might not be so dangerous. How about a nice dirty band of bandits they could eliminate?

'Oh, you don't want to give us a reward? Never mind... Mimic, sit on the mayor's house! Whoops!'

Eliz had a little fun with her fantasies but soon began to focus on more important matters again. Along the way, she had a discussion with Fraril and Alarr about how to approach the light elves. They probably wouldn't be too welcoming at first; after all, this is where they protect the World Tree. And Shannon isn't able to communicate, so she won't be able to stand up for them either.

Eliz had planned to try the easy way first, but if that didn't work, she had an ace up her sleeve, after all. She knew the secrets of the elves. If all else failed, she would blackmail them. Surely, they wouldn't want their secret of longevity to become public.

Alarr glanced at Lady Elizabeth at one point and froze a little when he saw her dreamy look and rather wicked smile. Alarr was beginning to understand a little of his lady's nature and found that kind of smile to mean that she was thinking or planning something a little shady. Indeed, what a strange employer he had obtained.

The journey passed uneventfully. Occasionally, they saw some monsters in the distance, but nothing and no one bothered them. If they could, they stopped for the night in a village or simply camped out in the open. Eliz was still practicing her mana control and had begun to learn basic dagger use from Alobel. Eliz wanted to grasp some basics before she got into proper training on Blue Rose.

At the end of the fourth day, they saw mountain peaks in the distance that were decorated with snow caps and really resembled dragon's teeth in a way. The Dragon's Teeth Mountains, where the World Tree Shannon and her light elves were supposed to be hiding.

Eliz leaned out the window and looked into the distance. She could feel it getting a little cooler as they approached the mountains, but it was more refreshing than uncomfortable so far. "Wow! Beautiful!" Eliz exclaimed, her eyes shining. She had never seen mountains like this before, and it was a beautiful sight.

At sunset, they stopped again; the mountains were quite close, but there was nothing resembling a settlement anywhere in sight. So everyone had to dress a little more because, even though it was pleasant during the day, it started to get colder as night fell.

Naturally, mana users could protect themselves with their mana, but it would be a waste when it wasn't necessary to use it. It was better to simply dress more. "I would have thought it would be warmer in the west since we're closer to the sea. But it doesn't seem to matter when we're near the mountains," Eliz muttered to herself as Alobela carefully adjusted her fur collar with the warm cloak around her neck.

"If we were to cross the mountains and wander further, it would start warming up again quickly. After another week of travel, we would reach the Sea of Aradul," Alobela replied calmly.

Eliz blinked. "The Aradul Sea? Interesting name. I don't remember it from the books. Why is it called that?" Eliz pretended not to remember. She might be able to navigate maps, but geography itself wasn't her strong suit.

Alobela finished adjusting her cloak and handed Eliz her gloves. "It is said that Aradul was the first Giant. So tall he could touch the clouds, and the mountains were his chairs. Legend has it that Aradul was the only Giant in the world after his birth; after a while, he began to feel lonely and abandoned. He had no one in the world. His grief consumed him until he began to cry; he cried so long and hard that his tears became a sea of tears. The Sea of Aradul is also known as the Aradul Sea of Tears." Alobela finished speaking and left.

Eliz wanted to stop her because she was interested in the legend. She wanted to know how things had turned out with Aradul. Why did she suddenly stop talking?! But Alobela had gone to take care of dinner for everyone, so Eliz paused and with a sigh let Alobela do her job in peace.

When the camp was ready, everyone sat around the fire and waited for Alobela to finish cooking. Eliz took advantage of the moment and turned to Holm, who was the most knowledgeable one there.

"Tell me how Aradul turned out after his tears formed the sea. What happened to him?"

Holm was taken aback by the sudden question, so he didn't answer for a moment, collecting his thoughts first and remembering what he knew about it. "Ehm. All right. It is said that the God of Light took pity on him and gave him the ability to change his size. Because of that, he was able to shrink to normal size and was finally able to make friends and find love," Holm explained.

Eliz was disappointed. The legend sounded interesting, but she hadn't thought it would end up like that... normal.

"Oh," Eliz just said.

Holm noticed her disappointment and scratched behind a round ear, somehow feeling bad that the young lady was disappointed by the story. He thought again. "Well, there's more to it than that," he started the story again. He felt that since Lady Elizabeth had asked him, he should satisfy her curiosity.

"Aradul, after getting the opportunity to shrink himself, soon made friends with a few people and went out to sea with for adventure. He crossed the Aradul Sea and reached an unexplored continent. The new continent is now called the Alabaster Kingdom. It's a place of sun, sand, and glass. It is said that Aradul found there his love and wife Leopet with whom he had many children. These children could change size after their father and had strong bodies. But none of them could ever be as big as the First Giant Aradul. It is said that all of his Giant children could barely reach their father's knees." Holm moved his hands as he narrated, hinting at size, his narrative seemed all the more interesting, and Eliz listened with interest.

"What is the Alabaster Kingdom like?" Eliz asked; she had never read about the kingdom in the story, so anything she didn't know from the story interested her.

"I've never been there. But they say the country is run differently there than here. The people there walk around in loose clothing and are afraid of the Ifrit that live there," Holm replied, still trying to pull something he could say about Alabaster's kingdom from his memory.

Eliz wondered. In truth, it sounded a bit like Egypt or Morocco to her. She wondered if they had Djinn there too. "Are there Djinn?" She asked what was on her mind.

Holm nodded. "Yes. I think they're part of the Elemental race. They're somewhat unpredictable. People seek them out because Djinn can lead people to treasure. But it's very dangerous. Djinn are vicious creatures by nature, and they will either actually lead you to the treasure, or they will lead you to your grave. The chances are equal. People try anyway."

Eliz smiled. That didn't exactly sound like the Djinn from Aladdin's Lamp granting wishes. "Thanks, Holm." Eliz nodded at him; it was good to have educated people around to tell her about things that interested her.

Soon, Alobela brought food, and they all talked quietly around the campfire. Mimic remained shrouded in illusion, but Eliz sent him to go hunting. Still, she forbade him to eat humans and other intelligent races; if he didn't know what it was, he shouldn't eat it.

Eliz wasn't worried about what she was going to feed him when they were at the Blue Rose estate. There's supposed to be a lot of monsters around.

After a while, she shifted her thoughts to meeting the Light Elves soon. She had to wonder how things would go. Shannon had warned her that the guard she would meet was a perverted hermit. She hoped the sharp ear didn't do anything over the line; she would hate for the first encounter to end with the Draikini hermit ending up a pitiful pile of butchered meat.

They all gradually made their way to bed. A watch was divided, with Alarr naturally taking the first, standing with his back to the fire so that the light wouldn't consume his field of vision and keeping a careful watch over the camp.

Eliz looked around and, after a moment, headed towards him. She stood at his side and peered into the darkness around the camp. "Something wrong, lady?" Alarr asked in his raspy voice.

"No. All is well." Eliz replied, wondering how to deny the call. As far as she knew, unless things were about plans, safety, and the like, Alarr didn't talk much. "How do you like working for me so far?" She asked finally.

Alarr didn't look at her and considered the answer for a moment. "It's different."

"Different how?"

Alarr frowned. "You're not exactly a normal aristocrat. Actually... you don't even come across as a normal person."

Eliz had to chuckle, because she hadn't expected such honesty from Alarr. "I see. So how do you think a normal person, an aristocrat, should act?"

Alarr turned his head and glanced at her sideways only briefly before he withdrew his gaze again. "Arrogantly."

"I do that."

"You take advantage of your position."

"I do that, too."

"Judging others by your own standards."

"I think I do that too?"

The corners of Alarr's lips twitched as Eliz answered. "Yes, you do," he agreed.

"Hmm. What else?" Eliz nodded, smiling a little as he had yet to see a single instance where she hadn't acted like a normal aristocrat.

"You hide behind others in times of danger," Alarr continued with examples.

Eliz thought about it, then nodded. "Actually, that's what I do too. After all, I hired you to protect me. And more than once, someone had to carry me. I guess that counts."

Alarr sighed and was silent for a long moment. Finally, Eliz laughed. "So, actually, from what you listed, I'm a normal aristocrat."

"No," Alarr shook his head. "It's different."

Eliz raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How?"

"I can't say yet. I haven't seen enough yet," Alarr answered bluntly.

Eliz laughed again. "Do you want to see more? Just follow me, and you'll see more than enough."

Alarr looked at Eliz again, staring at her. "I'll do that for now. Go to sleep, my lady."

Eliz was enjoying the conversation quite a bit, so she didn't want to. Alarr wasn't much of a talker, but he was pretty easy to talk to when it came down to it.

"But your voice sounds like a great lullaby to me." Eliz couldn't help but make another allusion to his voice.

Alarr frowned and turned away. "Go to sleep; you're disturbing my watch."

Eliz grinned. "Good, good. I'm going. Good night, Alarr." She turned and made her way to the carriage where Eliz was sleeping. Eliz was pleased; it seemed Alarr had opened up a little more to her after all.

Alarr watched her leave and looked away only after he saw that she had safely entered the carriage.