"THREE DAYS! IF YOU DON'T SHOW UP IN THREE DAYS, THESE TRAITORS WILL BE EXECUTED! YOU HEAR US, HERO OF HEALING?!" He heard them loud and clear. The red-haired man Jioral soldiers were looking for watched them through one of many windows. They were trying to lure him out with his fellow villagers, and Keyaruga knew better than to let these filth have it their way. Even though the man decided to usurp Jioral instead of razing it to rubble, any such cruelty would make the transfer of power more and more bloody. The avenger was ready to kill. Although not now.
"Kureha, I have a task for you."
"What is it?" The swordswoman replied obediently. With the way Freia looked at her, Keyaru could feel the fencer's anxiety. I knew what I was doing when I took that weapon of mass destruction with me, after all.
"See these people? My acquaintances. These bastards took them from the village of Alban. Go on and find out how it happened. " First, the man required intel. Then, he could act accordingly.
"Yessir!" With this, Silver Death saluted the healer with her right arm put to her chest.
"Good. Your equipment is in this dresser." Keyaru pointed at the wall. "Be careful."
"And don't do anything rash, Kureha." The Hero of Magic strictly warned her. "They may be worse than animals, but we can't have your new allegiance revealed now." With that said, the princess approached Setsuna to have a little talk. Something about a raid? Oh, Freia. You can only have it your way until I allow it.
"Let me help you with your armor." The hero offered help to the swordswoman, although he wouldn't wait for Kureha to accept his assistance. "Are you worried?"
"Should I not be? They failed to reach you, so instead they threatened you with a bunch of innocent people!" The Swordmaster replied, as the man tightened the belts of her sole gauntlet.
"Don't you remember? I killed Flare, so you can do whatever you want with me." He said it, and that hurt the silver-haired fighter. But not enough to break her resolve.
"Even if you did, that would be your responsibility alone! And this? What would the other countries say when they see what Jioral does with its own village?"
"Hm, welcome to my world, Kureha. I'm sure they'll come up with some convoluted pretext." The red-eyed lad grinned.
"At this point, everything you say is possible. I shall inspect this, but now…" With her cuirass fastened, Silver Death took her short sword and turned to her savior. She hugged him and gently kissed his lips. "As much as I would like to stay, I have to go... How can I contact you from now on?"
"Well, it seems we'll have to stay in this inn for a while. Come here, just don't draw any unwanted attention. And if something happens, I'll send you a letter with the alias "Kurt"." The healer explained, as the fencer got on her feet.
"Have you learned your lesson, "Lord" Keyaruga?" Kureha smirked upon hearing the name of the healer's foster father. He… was not among the captured on the streets. Neither was Anna.
"I'm not in the mood for jokes."
"My… apologies." The armored warrior stepped toward the door. "I'll try my best."
"Then I wish you good luck." And with that, Silver Death left the room. She would become his agent, an informant among the enemy ranks, and a formidable combat ally. And although the healer was happy with what he got, the same couldn't be said about Freia.
"You seem to be in a good relationship with her, my lord. I clearly expected you to ruin Jioral entirely. Could it be that you lied to her?" The sorceress wondered, sitting right next to her man.
"I need her to save the world. Also, I can say the same thing about you. You knew Setsuna could hear you, so you put up a wind barrier. While I do appreciate your progress in arcane arts, I do think you're hiding something from me." Keyaruga said, putting a pouch with fifty coins on the table. "I may have gotten leverage over Kureha with my plan of usurpation, but in the end, it's nothing more than tendering a garden. You don't burn it whole to eradicate a few worms. My methods are more... point-like." His tone was ominous. The hero knew exactly what Freia needed but wouldn't hand it to her yet; instead he was now irritatingly rubbing the bag of money against the wood.
"What would you like from me?" Freia asked cautiously, while the she-wolf wisely pretended to ignore the heroes.
"Truth. I won't ask what you told Kureha, but I need to know what you spent my coins on. And trust me, I may be tolerant, but if anything, I like you for being honest and genuine. You understand me?" He asked, hugging the sorceress's shoulder. Yet, she felt no warmth from it. "So, what would it be?"
"Haa… It's… I… I paid to learn about Norn! Flare's sister! If you had me kill Flare, I had to know if she was coming for us. And…" And you learned more about yourself, my poor girl? "And it may prove useful with my masquerade..." The pink-haired girl explained, as if apologizing. This wasn't enough for Keyaruga, so his fingers almost gouged inside her skin.
"And what about her?"
"She's in Capital! She'll go after us! And she had Bloodbringer open a portal. To your village, probably!.." As much as the magician desired to cover that until the right time came, silence was not an option anymore. "I think… your village was attacked by her orders!"
"I see." The lad felt her tremble. Either the memories were flowing back or, what was more likely, Freia learned about her true persona through simple logic. And if that's the case, "Do not fear, my dear Flare, your little sister will survive." He whispered menacingly. First, the caster was shivering. Now she was in a stupor. With her single secret revealed so blatantly, the princess felt desperate.
"I… not…"
"Relax, I was just joking!" Keyaruga gently kissed his toy on the cheek. "You were doing it for our sake, didn't you?"
"Ha-ha… I did, my lord. After all, I'm but your humble attendant!" She said shakily, but with a smile. The lad may have loved her, but at the end of the day, he also had leverage over her as well. Just like Kureha, Freia was at his mercy all along.
"Good. Setsuna, you want to ask me something?" The healer wondered, moving a chair to his side with the power of the wind while his right hand was gallantly patting the anxious sorceress.
"Uh-huh. Your village. If Kureha say it's safe, we go save it?" The ice warrior asked, sitting next to the red-haired lad.
"No, that's highly unlikely. Either way, I will save my people. Although, if Jioral utilizes one of their Champions, even I might be in trouble.." The man elaborated, thinking of Bloodbringer. At some point, that… thing disappeared from Jioral, just to be replaced by Gard the Gryphon Rider. But before that, he spilled so much blood, it could flood the sea.
"If master do, they go after ice wolves?" To think you'd be so worried about my people. You're a kind soul, Setsuna.
"I don't think they could survive in the wild. I will save them. And… even if I don't, their sacrifice wouldn't be in vain." The hero reflected upon his choice while exclaiming. He didn't doubt he could just murder all the knights, and while that would save the villagers, the impact wouldn't be that great. So…
"What you want to do?" The gray-haired girl asked, watching Freia slowly calm down. The huntress had her guesses, but would not interfere in the convoluted relationships of the two heroes. Well, more than she already did with her mere presence.
"My intuition tells me that they're throwing tinder around. All I have to do is to throw a spark. If people get to know that the shield of humanity kills innocent humans, the flame of hundreds of riots will lighten our path to the throne." The red-eyed lad said, putting the sorceress' head on his shoulder. He liked seeing her suffer from the inner conflict. She knew she was the woman her beloved allegedly murdered, with her own sister on the hunt for them. Keyaruga thought that he looked like a cat, playing with a discombobulated mouse. And even if it was true, the healer couldn't help but see himself in Freia. The same lost soul, desperate to find its place in the world. I can help you, my dear. "Here. Take the money and the next time you visit your informant, ask for Reeharoze Thalio Jioral. She's Flare's mother. Or, well, was, until dying."
The caster couldn't believe what she saw, heard, and felt. The prince, however fake that title was, had once again stolen the princess' heart with his silent acceptance.
"Thank you, my lord. I… How can I thank you?"
"Just help me through it all, Freia." He replied, but the only thing the girl truly heard was his call for rescue. Although briefly, the armor plates once again crumbled from Keyaru's broken soul.
"By the way…" Now, having rejuvenated the princess back to her high spirit, the lad was free to do whatever he wanted. For example, revealing his... "Just to be fair. This is my true face."
"You cute, master." Setsuna voiced her verdict, touching the boy's cheeks with her hands.
"And what do you think, Freia?"
"This face…" For the princess, that was the figure of both her victim, torturer, judge and executioner. But along with that, that was the genuine visage of her beloved. "It's somehow arousing, actually."
While the caster tried to pick up the right words, her comrade with a tail had already dropped her top to reveal the miniature breasts. With the true passion in her aquamarine eyes, the she-wolf now had her master rubbing her nipples.
"Hey, Setty! Why?.. That's unfair!" Yes, despite the sheer chaos and numerous omissions in their relationship, Freia loved her prince. So much so, that she would rather… leave him to be happy with another. "I'm sorry, my lord. I have to go… Hah?" Before she tried to stand up, his hand grabbed hers, stopping her from getting the money.
"You can go, Freia. Or you can stay here with us for now." Keyaru made an ultimate offer with a warm, genuine smile on his young face. Even with him being hugged by the naked huntress, the princess just…
"I can't take it anymore! Let me in already!" She just tossed away her corset and then embraced Keyaru and Setsuna. Even though this warm and pure moment was doomed to drown in lust, she would cherish it forever.