"Bria!" I throw my arms around the girl and she laughs.
The endlands was cold around this time of the year. I was dressed in furs, and Daisy was dressed in something equally warm. Bria is dressed in something lighter because she's more used to the cold than I am, and I don't miss how her eyes sharpen at the sight of me visiting her.
"It's nice seeing Crysta." She pats my back lightly and I let go. "What brings you here?"
"Crystals." I deadpan.
Bria pauses for a second and bursts into laughter. "We don't have crystals here!"
"But you guys have mountains and abandoned caves!" I pull off the outer layer of my outfit and my skirt falls to the ground. I have a pair of warm trousers underneath, and there's a sword resting from my waist. I pick up the skirt and Daisy helps me pack it into the luggage.
"W-we have abandoned caves here?"
"Not sure but I mean who's to stop me from looking for some here?" I shrug. "I'm going off on an adventure this time. I'll stay with you for 2-3 days when I come back... if I come back that is-"
"Crystalia don't die on me!" Bria sobs. I smile at her.
"No no," I smile. "It's quite alright. I'll come back in one piece and alive for you."
Bria cried a bit more before sending me away that day. I love her, but I bet she was going to send monsters after me or something...
I wasn't wrong. There were significantly more monsters than I expected. I did discover one thing though, Daisy is impressively good at killing monsters, and it was like she was trained to kill... in more ways than one.
"Dinner's ready," Daisy smiles.
"Daisy, did you train in assassination or something?" I sweat as she hands me a bowl.
"Did you forget?" Daisy hums. "The entrance requirements are incredibly strict on applicants. It's only suitable for retired knights and the children you train underground,"
The underground children. Crystalia had taken them in when she was around 15 after fooling around with her dad one day. The slums of the capital were always putrid, and the nobles had never worked on improving the conditions there. Over thousands of children die there every year. They steal, snatch, fight, and kill just for a bite of rotten food. It was horrifying.
Crystalia had felt bad for the kids at first, so she snuck there to feed them once a week. Once a week eventually became three times a week, and then eventually the children had opened up to the young girl. Ever since then, she had visited them whenever to send them to noblemen's places to gain insider information on others.
The training itself wasn't much since the children were in a natural state of fighting and sneaking, for food, but the children had been trained to kill if something went wrong. They were incredibly sharp, and there was never any worry about being discovered. Though... the children were still kids, so they enjoyed doing things that every other child did. Crystalia had read to them every time she visited, and she taught them plenty of games. Children were still children after all.
"And then...?" I tilt my head.
"Training is two years. The first year, we train to kill, to lie, and then to do the best housework." Dairy hums. "and then after the two years, we train against the imperial knights themselves. If we get hit less than five times, then we can pass the physical part. Then we have to serve under pressuring situations and not falter. Training to become a Villarreal maid is like training for a guild."
"Ah..." I remembered putting in some harsh training for the servants.
"After all of that, we take a magic pledge to remain loyal to you all forever. If you tell me not to tell something, then I am completely unable to say anything related to the matter. Ah and also, all the weapons in the house can't pierce Villarreal skin." Daisy drinks her soup and grabs more. "Your family also has a magic sphere up around the mansion."
"they whAt?" I blink at her. "Doesn't it cost thousands of gold to keep a magic spell active in a regular house? Not to mention that I live in a mansion."
"Your family earns lots from the mana stone business," Daisy smiles. For some reason, she scares me now- "Not to mention how your mother earns plenty from being the Sun's blessed one."
She wasn't wrong though. Mom was a sun's blessed one, and since she had been the high priestess for around ten years, on top of being blessed, she's given money by the temple each year from the offerings. Mother runs a cave, the only cave in the empire that was discovered to have an abundant source of mana stones. Mom ran a monopoly basically.
Father wasn't blessed, but he was a designer far beyond his time. His fashion shakes high society each time a new design is out. He had green eyes, and he knew fabrics better than a tailor themselves. Perhaps that was why father had earned plenty from his business.
Considering both of my parents and how much they earned, it would be a surprise if I was lacking in anything. I had starry eyes and highlighted hair. I am amongst the few who are blessed by both deities. Black hair itself was rare, and starry eyes were even more so. Not to mention natural gold highlights were even more of an enigma. Crystalia had everything I had ever wanted.
"Speaking of which, considering that my mom is blessed by the Sun, how come I'm blessed by the moon and the sun?" I blink at Daisy. "Isn't it a rule for only one deity to bless one person?"
"It's not a rule. It's more of a 'I'm not blessing the same person as you' type beat," Daisy recalls. "They avoid blessing the same person half out of not as much pressure, half out of they don't seem to see eye to eye on most people. The sun's blessed ones are much more bright, and the moon's blessed ones are more... mysterious per say."
"I see..."
"More soup?" Daisy holds her hand out for the bowl.
"No no! It's ok haha," I smile.
"How many days do you reckon it'll take?"
"Two days if I move at night," I smile. "Here are the coordinates on where to meet me. See you in four days,"
And with that, I head off on my own.