The frigid wind was freezing Leona down to the bone, even with the thick blanket covering most of her body, she could still feel the chill permeating through the fabric. The weather felt odd however, it didn't feel that cold when they were at the cavern and there was a snow storm happening back then, but here right next to the capital felt like it was much colder than it should be.
'Is this the witch's curse that I've read so much about in the books back in the mansion?'
Leona thought for herself as she tried her best to keep her body warm by shrinking even more against the seat.
The witch's curse. Some scholars described that within the Londrian capital the aspect of ice mana was so strong that it could freeze still water in a glass in a matter of just a few minutes. The tactician was well aware of that but the amount of cold she was feeling felt like the scholars did a poor job in describing just how bad it really was.
"Miss Crossford, I think it would be better if you went to the passenger's side. It's about to get very cold from now on."
"I-I-I'm feeling it in my bones."
The soldier had a worried look as he turned to face her.
"Right, I should've given this to you from the beginning." He handed her a small glass mug protected by thin strips of brass going around the cylindrical vial, it had a tightly sealed lid made of the same material strapped to a leather chain for easy carrying. "Drink it when you feel you can't stand the cold."
Inside of the glass, there was a bright thick reddish liquid that sloshed around whenever the vehicle shook, it had a strange dull glow to it as if it had mana imbued into the fluid.
"What is this?"
"Warm up drink rations. They give us these when we head out of base."
"Oh I can't take something you need."
"Don't worry about it, I was supposed to drink it but this new uniform they made us protect very well from the cold already."
It was noticeable that even though his uniform's fabric was considerably thinner, he was faring much better than herself against the cold weather. After taking a look at just how little clothing he seemed to be using, she decided to take the drink.
"Then… I'll gladly take it, thank you."
She reached for the glass vial and it felt strangely warm to the touch as if the concoction was just brewed a while ago. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the lid was open by using a small latch on top of the vial and with a surprising pop the lid opened and revealed a sweet aroma coming off from inside. It reminded her of the herbal tea that Adele used to make her on cold days back in the mansion.
Without hesitation she pressed the edge of the round glass against her lips and began to slowly drink the concoction. The milky texture made her think if it was made of the dairy product, but once she sloshed the beverage inside her mouth there was no hint of it, instead a scent of herbs and a strong taste of berries filled her mouth. It was a pleasant feeling that soothed her cold body from inside out, but oddly enough it wasn't as if she had ingested a warm liquid, it felt more like the warmth was spreading through another way.
It was much more effective than when she had tea back in the mansion. Before long, she wasn't being affected too much by the cold.
"Wait… this drink is actually miraculous."
She spoke in surprise after seeing just how potent the concoction really was.
"The head scientist created it in order to protect us soldiers from the cold. Some may be able to survive in this harsh weather but not all have the blessing so it's quite unfortunate to have to work under this brutal cold."
"Scientist?"
The nomenclature wasn't familiar to her, if anything many of the things the soldiers and her newly befriended ally spoke of didn't make much sense to her.
"Yeah, we call the people who create these inventions scientists. It was thanks to them that most of us didn't die from the cold. I heard the weather here is far harsher than anywhere else anyone has ever been before."
She scratched the side of her head.
"Interesting. I noticed there is something strange with the mana around these parts, it feels… stagnant. I'm surprised these inventions can help ward off its effects on the body with a tasty drink on top of that."
She handed the glass vial back to the soldier who put it back on a satchel on his waist belt.
"I'm glad I could show you some gratitude, Miss Crossford."
"I think you've done more than just show gratitude…" She thought she knew his name but only after all this time she realized she had never asked his name. "I'm sorry I know it is rather late, but what is your name?"
"Oh right, I went on and on and never told you my name did I?" He offered his right hand to a handshake. "Henry Zio, sergeant of the seventh division platoon at your disposal."
She returned his firm handshake, even through the thick gloves it was possible to tell just how tough he was by simply holding his hand as it was considerably bigger than the tactician's.
"You already know my name, but for the sake of formality I'll say again. Leona Crossford, heir of the Crossford family back in Arcadia." After the handshake, she returned to her position on the seat and asked. "I never heard of any of the words you and captain Oliver said before. Second lieu- what was it?"
"You must mean lieutenant. Those are ranks within the Londrian army. She ranks above me but below the Captain. We all have responsibilities regarding the soldiers working under us, but as a field officer, Captain Oliver answers for all of us if we mess up."
"That sounds awfully complicated, but I can see the reasoning behind it."
She began to think Arcadia was awfully behind in terms of research and knowledge. While they had to train knights to fight with swords, Londria had soldiers who could kill at range with much less training. It felt somewhat frustrating but it was how technology worked, the northern kingdom wasn't especially keen in sharing their discoveries, but so too was Arcadia and therefore they had major differences in the arcane and technological field.
"Miss Crossford, I hope you don't mind me asking out of curiosity but have you heard of a priestess named Neiliel from the church of the light?"
Leona blinked a few times before slowly turning to face him, Henry's eyes were still on the road while he waited for an answer.
"I'm sorry, but I must have misheard you. Who were you asking me about?"
"Neiliel, she should be a priestess now, she always wanted to help the children in need but combat wasn't really her thing so to raise money to aid the less fortunate she became a priestess."
A bitter cold sensation of guilt stung through her heart, that name wasn't one she was expecting to hear after all the time that had passed. She held responsibility for what happened, due to her inability to assess the situation properly. It had cost other's lives, in a way she felt like it was her reckoning.
"You don't mind me asking what your relationship with her was, right?"
He glanced sideways at her before chuckling.
"Oh, not at all. After all, I'm her older brother, maybe not by blood, but I'm still her sibling."
His earnest reply made her feel even more guilty than surprised. She in fact never knew Neiliel's last name, but the soldier's reply made it clear that he was indeed related to her in some way.
"I see…"
She swallowed dry.
From a strategic point of view, revealing her death could cause a number of problems depending on how he would react. If he attacked her there was little she could do if not take his life with a close range spell, on the other hand, making him hold a grudge against her or become suspicious was another gamble she wasn't willing to take.
"Why the question though? I assume Miss Crossford knows my sister then?"
She was hesitant, but as if someone was holding her shoulders with a gentle squeeze, she found strength to face the soldier and tell him the truth.
"Your sister, Neiliel. She died near the Crossford state due to wounds caused by an attack of geocytes. She fought to protect our party, but we couldn't save her."
She could tell he was surprised by the wide open eyes staring at her but then he simply turned again to look to the road ahead of them. He glanced down before taking a deep breath as he asked.
"Did she suffer?" Leona slowly shook her head. "Then I think she passed on doing what she wanted. Even before when we lived together in Londria, she never wanted anything to do with politics or the military, all she ever wanted was to spread peace to those in need. I'm sure if your cause wasn't just she wouldn't have laid down her life for it. I know it must have been hard but thank you for telling me in all your earnest."
"I truly am sorry, if I planned ahead a bit more we could've avoided her death and others that were with me, but I was naive to think the dangers could be averted because we were in such a large group of people. The sense of safety left me complacent and it cost her life."
"You learned from your mistake and are still pressing on with your duty, I don't think you should feel ashamed of your past. After all, what already happened can't be changed."
"Mmm." She agreed with a slow nod, while it was true that she did learn a lot from the unwanted practical experience, it cost her a great deal of allies and when her spirit was almost broken, the memories of her fallen comrades kept her going alongside the loyal knight and ever dependant assassin. "I'm simply lucky to have the allies that I do."
He chuckled, it seemed like he was reminiscing of good memories as even a faint smile could be seen through the cloth mask.
"I know what it is to have people you can depend on. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this but make sure to cherish them. If only I had insisted for her to continue her priestess work here instead of going all the way to Arcadia… but then again, if not for her I wouldn't have the chance to meet such a famous individual like yourself."
"I appreciate your words but I'm not sure why I'm famous in the first place."
"The title of tactician aside, the surname Crossford almost brings a tear to my eye, it was thanks to your family that we could end the war peacefully. Much innocent blood was spilled in the name of hatred." He slowly steered the vehicle out of the way of a boulder that was in the middle of the road. They were steadily getting closer to the capital as its outer walls were becoming visible in the horizon. "Peace forged by communication and understanding… while idealistic, I honestly believe it is possible."
"Even with fierce devouts of the church of light?"
She was gambling with that sentence, there was no way to be sure if he was already influenced by it or just a bystander in that mess.
"Well…" He seemed a bit in an uncomfortable situation when she mentioned the church. His fingers kept opening and closing around the steering wheel, as he glanced back at the door behind his seat a few times before leaning closer to Leona and whispering. "Personally speaking, I'd rather not have the church in our kingdom. It was because of the goddess that this war went on as long as it did in the first place. But don't tell others I told you this. Some of the other soldiers can get very personal regarding this."
"I see, thank you for sharing this. While I'm not against religion. The ideals of the church are too extreme to be helpful. Even in Arcadia, knights were constantly needed to quell the rage of its followers. It even went as far as assaulting a demi-human in broad daylight."
"In all honesty, I wish we could just work together with them. I know the Crossford family have been working on that ever since the war ended but with you being here without an official escort tells me something went wrong down there."
Leona nodded.
"There was a power struggle with another family and I was forced to flee the kingdom. But my goal hasn't changed, in order to fight the death angel menace, humans and demons must cooperate if we wish to survive yet another cataclysm."
"It's heartwarming to know that Miss Crossford, but I must warn you. In Londria, not everyone agrees with the unison of demons and men, if anything the church made their perception of them worse."
"Hmm… I'll take extra care when we reach the city. I thank you for telling me in advance."
"It's the least I can do."
They were about to reach the fortified gates when a deafening roar echoed from somewhere behind them.
"What was that?!"
Leona looked around as she couldn't tell exactly where the sound came from, but upon looking at Henry she had an answer she wasn't expecting.
"It's another one of them…" He looked at Leona as if pleading for help. "...another death angel."