—Cole POV—
Finishing off the rest of the main forces and a few stragglers, I returned to Ciri and Ghislane to see how they fared. Finding them patiently waiting for me, they immediately requested that I clean them up with magic. Covered in blood, guts, and gore the two complained that they felt sticky and had bone fragments poking them in uncomfortable places. Agreeing to help them, I snapped my fingers and made them squeaky clean.
"That feels better.", Ciri sighed, blissfully, "Thanks, Cole!"
"Yes thank you.", Ghislane agreed, checking her blade for any damage, "That was a very impressive display you put on just a moment ago."
"Thank you, I hope this will keep any enemies away from Italica for a long time to come.", I chuckled, switching topics, "So, who ended up winning your bet?"
"Five hundred and eighty-seven kills!", Ciri remarked, giving me a thumbs up.
"Seven hundred and ninety-four kills.", Ghislane stated, with a smug smirk, "Why are you acting so happy about it?"
"Well, considering that you are faster, stronger, and more skilled with a blade I think I did great.", Ciri told her, "I can graciously accept my defeat today, there is always next time."
Understanding Ciri's point of view, Ghislane was impressed that she did not try to make excuses about her loss. Instead of harassing Ciri, as she would have with Paul, Ghislane offered to train her during their downtime. Immediately accepting the offer, Ciri shook hands with Ghislane sealing the deal.
"Excuse me!", a woman called out from atop the wall, "Are you the gentleman who came to the Lord's Mansion earlier?"
Looking back at the wall, we saw one of Countess' Warrior Rabbit maids waving at us. Noticing that it was Delilah, I teleported the three of us onto the wall causing her to stumble backwards from us in shock. Instinctively reaching for her hidden dagger, she stopped just short of drawing as she knew it would not end well for her.
"Please give me a warning before you do that next time.", she laughed, trying to hide her actions just a moment ago.
"To answer your question, yes we are the people who stopped by your Master's mansion.", I acknowledged, "I presume that the Head Maid has agreed to let me meet with the Countess?"
"That is correct, she sent me to fetch you.", Delilah replied, turning to leave, "Please follow me, I will be your escort."
Accepting her offer, the three of us followed her down to street level. Discovering that no healers or temple staff members had arrived yet, I let out an annoyed groan.
"Hold on a moment, let me take care of these people.", I said, calmly approaching the former hostages, "All of you, please stand still for a moment. This will only tickle a bit."
Using Healing Magic on them, I mended all the physical trauma they had endured up till now. Coughing up mouthfuls of black blood, bile, and mucus, everyone began feeling better than they had in years. Burning the biological waste away with fire, I did a once-over on everyone to ensure nothing was overlooked.
"Excuse me…Mister…", a young boy asked, stepping forward with his toddler sister, "Are we safe here?"
"Of course you are, all of you are under my protection now.", I assured the boy, with a smile, "No man, monster, or deity will lay a finger on you again. You have my word."
Feeling the certainty in my tone, the child began choking up as he began to cry. Joining him soon afterward, the others began crying and holding one another as the stress they had been bottling up came pouring out. Having lost everything they knew because of Cedric, all of them were terrified by what the future may bring them.
"It will be alright, I will make sure you have food to eat, a roof over your head, and a warm bed to sleep in.", I told the boy and his sister, "You are safe now."
Giving the two of them a warm hug, I pulled out some snacks for them to eat. Keeping things light, as they had not eaten in days, I gave them some fruit and vegetables to munch on. Passing out food to the others as well, they graciously accepted the offer thanking me repeatedly. Showing up just as I finished passing out food, the guards tripped over one another as the healers and temple staff rounded the corner.
"We…we brought them like you asked!", one of the guards shrieked, expecting me to smite them down.
"Good, the enemy has been completely eradicated…not a single one of them escaped.", I proclaimed, loudly, "Take these people to a temple so they can rest. Once you are done, go home and rest…you have done well."
Patting their shoulders as I walked by, the men thanked us for saving the city.
"Mister, will we see you again?", the boy called out.
"I will find you after I meet with the Countess.", I told him, with a smile.
Hanging back for a moment, taking in everything she had seen, Delilah chased after me insisting that I let her lead. Assuring her that I knew the way there, she begrudgingly fell in line with Ciri and Ghislane.
"So…are you his lovers or wives?", Delilah inquired, with a mischievous grin.
"Neither, we are his traveling companions.", Ghislane corrected her.
"Not with a ten-foot pole.", Ciri said, in a playful tone.
"I see, so what world are you from?", Delilah asked, trying to gather as much information as she could.
Looking to me for approval, Ciri and Ghislane did not want to divulge anything that could cause problems. Giving my blessing, as it did not matter here, the three began chatting amongst themselves while following me.
—A Short Time Later—
Abruptly cutting the conversation short as we strolled up to the mansion, Delilah ran ahead of me as the Head Maid was watching from the window. Giving Kaine an apologetic smile and shrug, we could tell she was not happy about her presumed slacking off. Quickly opening the door for us, the Warrior Rabbit led us upstairs to the study where Myui and Kaine were waiting.
"Is it normal to have the guest lead you to your Master's Mansion?", Kaine inquired, staring Delilah down.
"No ma'am!", Delilah said, standing at attention.
"You are dismissed…we will discuss this later tonight.", Kaine remarked, in a dark tone.
"Y…yes ma'am!", Delilah shrieked, scurrying out of the room as fast as her legs could carry her.
Closing the door behind her, Kaine let out a sigh and apologized for her behavior.
"Delilah knows better than to make our guests walk here without a proper guide.", Kaine stated, lowering her head, "My apologies for rudeness."
"It is no problem, I am sure she will give you all the information my comrades gave her later.", I chuckled, already knowing this was mostly an act.
Looking at me with a fake confused look, she attempted to assure me that was not the case but I asked her to stop lying about it. Telling her I knew all about the family's top-class intelligence network, Kaine's expression changed realizing there was no use in hiding it now.
"Your intelligence network is the main reason I came here. I need to determine where Cedric is, and the status of your Gods and their Apostles.", I explained, "Is that something you have on hand, or will you need some time?"
Looking at Myui for her input, the young girl nodded her head in approval.
"To the best of our knowledge, the Gods were slain by the deity you call Cedric.", Kaine acknowledged, "As for the Apostles, all of them have gone into hiding to mend their wounds. A few months ago they attempted to fight him together and were brutally beaten down. It was because of their loss that we are now at each other's throats. Those men you killed were all former Imperial and Formal soldiers…"
"I see, do you know where they are recovering?", I pressed her.
"You said you were after Cedric earlier…why are you concerned about the Apostles?", Kaine asked, wary of any ulterior motives.
"As you well know, the slain deities were responsible for maintaining this world. As they are dead…your world will slowly fall into chaos before being swallowed by darkness.", I told her, "I plan on bestowing upon them the rights and authority that their patrons once held. They can then maintain the balance allowing all of you to continue living in peace."
Understanding what I was getting at, Kaine acknowledged the perils they faced without the gods maintaining things. Wanting to return to normality as soon as possible, she let me know they were hiding out in the Imperial Capital.
"The Emperor accepted them in under the requirement that they help maintain the peace and safety of the city. They have avoided all this mess because of that while the rest of us must hide in our cities praying that we will live to see tomorrow.", Kaine said, gripping her apron tightly.
"That can easily be addressed.", I assured her, "From this moment on, Italica is under my protection. Anyone who attacks its people will face my wrath and be eradicated from existence. All I ask is that you help those that come here seeking shelter and safety."
"As much as I would like to help, our food stores were depleted three days ago. The only food left in the city are the pigeons and rats…they are no more than a mouthful of meat at best.", Myui told us, much to the dismay of the Head Maid, "Can you-"
"Please do not worry about it!", Kaine interjected, "We will figure something out on our own, you have already done more than can ever repay you for. It would be inappropriate of us to ask more of you now."
"No, I can assist you with your food situation. I will repair your fields and give you supplies to keep you stocked till harvest comes.", I said, rising from my seat, "If you feel the need to repay me, just pass it along to the refugees. They will need it more than I ever will. Now then, take me to your Storehouse so I can restock your shelves."