"They sure are taking their sweet time," Larkin muttered, squinting in the direction where Xain, the angel, and the demon had disappeared.
"They are, aren't they?" Zee replied, also staring in the same direction before turning to Larkin. "How did you two get here, by the way?"
Larkin looked at her, puzzled. "Using the steamstrider," he replied in a confused tone.
Zee shook her head. "I know that, but how did you learn to drive it?" she asked, knowing full well that he didn't know how to drive.
Larkin scratched his head. "Oh, that. Well, the priest was tellin' me how to do it when we were ridin' together," he explained.
Zee tilted her head in surprise. "The priest knows how to drive?"
Larkin nodded. "It surprised me too, but it worked, and I learned how to drive... a little tiny bit," he said, sounding proud of himself.
Suddenly, they saw Marcus walking up to them, leaning on Lance for support. The razorhoove made slow and delicate movements, surprisingly gentle for a creature of its size, helping Marcus stand.
"What happened to my men that were stationed on the road to here?" Marcus asked, looking at Larkin.
"If yer talkin' about the fellas with the razorhooves, then they're fine, just knocked out by the good ole priest along with their razorhooves," Larkin answered as Lance let out a huff through his nose, clearly upset that his pack had lost.
"It seems I have another person to thank. I'm glad they're fine. They were just following me and Lance, doing their jobs. They don't deserve to be treated harshly. Only I do," Marcus said with a wheeze, still very injured.
Zee, seeing his condition, called out to Even. "Can't you heal him?" she asked.
Even turned to her with an annoyed expression. "Why the fuck should I—" he began but stopped as Grace glared at him. "Uh, I mean, I'm all outta mana, and even if I had some mana, his injuries are way beyond me. Healing someone else ain't as easy as healing yourself," he explained.
Mar turned to Mincs. "Can you do anything about it?" he asked.
Mincs looked surprised. "Me?" she asked, pointing at herself.
"Yes, you healed yourself, didn't you? That means you can use water magic, right?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Eh, I... that wasn't water magic," Mincs admitted, stuttering slightly.
"Then what was that?" he asked, staring at the area where she had been stabbed.
"My body just does that when I'm near dead. It's not something I control," she explained.
Grace, having her eyes on Mincs, saw her thoughts and thought to herself, *Hmm, that's an interesting hereditary ability. I wonder which family it's from.*
"What about you?" Elanor asked Dash.
Dash crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and made a thoughtful face. After a moment, he exclaimed, "Hmm, I can't!" with a dumb grin.
"Then why did you make a thoughtful face?" Elanor yelled, his annoyance evident.
Grace turned to Verandez. "How about you? Can you summon something to heal baldy?"
Verandez shook his head, looking down at the ground. "I could, but all my summoning crystals got used up," he admitted, clearly disappointed in himself.
"What are you good for?" she exclaimed, making him flinch back.
"I'm sorry for being useless!" Verandez cried out.
Marcus raised his hand, trying to calm everyone. "Don't worry about healing me. I'm retiring anyway."
The mercenaries looked surprised. "Wait, you're retiring?" Mincs asked.
Marcus nodded. "But why?" Mar asked, while Even added, "I mean, we don't mind—less competition for us—but this seems a bit sudden."
Marcus let out a sigh. "Even if I were to get healed, I wouldn't be able to function the same way I once did. And even if I could... I'm getting old, too old for this mercenary business. And after today," he petted Lance's fur, "I don't want to do something this dangerous again."
He then took off the Magi-Slayer from his hip, scabbard and all, and held it out to Zee. "Take it. It won't be all that useful to me now."
Zee took the curved blade into her hands, a mix of respect and gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you. I'll put it to good use," she promised.
Marcus nodded, turning to Lance and climbing onto his back with effort. "Well, it's time for me to go. I have to disband The Razorcharge Company," he said as Lance started moving. "I wish you the best of luck protecting your human," he added, passing by Zee, who felt a blush creeping up her cheeks at the words 'your human'.
"I doubt our paths will cross again, but if they do, I hope it's under better circumstances," Marcus said to all of them before riding off.
"What's with the old bastard trying to act cool?" Even muttered, annoyed.
"Don't be like that," Mincs said, smacking him on the back.
"Ow!" he exclaimed.
"I taught you to be respectful to your elders, Jakel," she said, crossing her arms and giving him a stern look.
"No, you didn't!" Even protested, rubbing his back in pain before letting out a sigh. "And don't call me that name anymore. Call me by my actual name, Even Mathers."
Both Mincs and Mar looked surprised. "Eh? What do you mean? Your family will hunt you down if you do that, remember?" Mincs asked.
Mar nodded in agreement. "What Mincs is saying is right. That's the entire point of our nicknames."
Even let out a long, tired sigh and rubbed the back of his head. "I don't care anymore. I'm tired of running and hiding. If they try to find me, let 'em. I'm gonna show them what they lost by throwing me out," he declared, his voice a mix of conviction and anger.
Mincs and Mar shared a look before turning back to Even. "Okay," Mincs said with a smile, "If you're doing that, then..." Mar added, stepping closer to Even.
"We won't use our nicknames either!" Mincs declared, putting her arms around Even, surprising him.
"From now on, we're Dirk Alhime," Dirk announced proudly.
"And Lia Ambrose! And we're going to teach that punk family of yours a lesson!" Lia declared, her voice full of determination.
Even looked away from them, unsure how to react. "Whatever," he muttered, trying to hide his emotions.
"Well, they're having a moment," Grace commented casually, observing their exchange. She then caught movement from the corner of her eye. "And they're back," she remarked, turning to see Xain, the angel, and the demon returning, with the angel and demon looking revitalized and better than ever.