"With this, moving around should be a breeze now..."
Solis, humming a tune of contentment, led the two horses by their leashes, her mood visibly lifted.
Her joy was due in part to a serendipitous encounter on her way back from purchasing medicine for Reaper: she had found her previously lost horse.
Initially, she was a bit skeptical whether it was indeed hers. However, after some quick checking, a peculiar weird smiling emoji branded on its hind confirmed its identity.
It seemed their Contractor's whimsical idea to mark the horse had proven unexpectedly beneficial.
"Mmm~!"
As she approached their campsite, a strange noise arrested her attention. The sound seemed to emanate from the tent, sparking a surge of concern within Solis.
Before she could call their Contractor out and ask what's happening, she heard the noise again.
They're... He didn't took advantage of Reaper while I'm away, didn't he?
Fuelled by a mix of worry and indignation, Solis quickened her pace toward the tent.
"Contractor... I can't take it anymore~"
"Just hold on... You need to finish before Solis returns, or else~"
"But..."
Ripping the tent open, Solis thrust her head inside, her voice erupting in shock and dismay.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO HER!!!"
And with that exclamation, a fresh wave of misunderstanding had occured.
***
A brief moment passed~
"Solis~! Contractor is bullying me!"
Solis, perplexed and slightly agitated, shot a look at both of them. "What the hell is going on here?" she demanded, her gaze darting between the two.
Saber, assuming a defensive posture with his arms crossed, offered his explanation. "I was merely feeding her, as per your instructions before you departed," he clarified.
Yet, Solis remained puzzled, prompting further inquiry. "But what about those moaning sound earlier?"
"Not sure with her..."
Saber shrugged, gesturing towards Reaper, who looked visibly distressed, tears welling up in her eyes as she sought solace in Solis' embrace. "He's forcing me to eat so much!" she whimpered.
Silence fell over Solis as she processed the scene.
Saber, trying to lighten the mood, gave a slight chuckle. "C'mon, I was just teasing... I wouldn't want this situation come to waste. It's rare to see her this way—more vulnerable, less hostile. Her acting like this instead of her usual is more preferable. It's refreshing!"
"...so you're taking advantage of her?" Solis accused, skepticism lacing her voice.
"I'm not! Geez... I'm not the bad guy here. Can you blame me for this jokes? This is almost a lifetime opportunity!" Saber countered, hoping to ease the tension.
Solis fell into a contemplative silence before Saber gently nudged the conversation. "Think about it. Isn't it better this way?"
"That..."
With that pointed out, Solis conceded after a moment.
Grinning mischievously, Saber spoke with a whispering tone.
"Right?"
"... right."
Their attention gradually shifted back to Reaper.
"So why don't we enjoy this both while it last~"
Solis nodded at his words.
"Wait... Dont~!"
...
..
.
A day later.
While they were continuing their journey on horse, Saber looked at Reaper with a forced expression.
"Reap—"
"Just die," she snapped, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Saber turned quiet. Solis, who was the one controlling the horse she and Reaper was using, chuckled awkwardly.
"You, shut up," Reaper grumbled, pinching Solis' cheek in mock annoyance.
Solis offered no resistance, letting Reaper vent her frustrations until she calmed down.
As they rode on, Solis broached a subject that had been on her mind. "Why aren't we heading northeast as planned?" she inquired, peeking over at Saber from the side of her view.
He paused before replying, "We're making a detour to a specific city first."
"To where?" Solis prodded further.
Saber's lips twisted into a knowing smirk. "To the city of swords..."
A place with deep connections to Junior's past.
"Tiamata."
Towards his home city.
***
(Saber POV)
Tiamata, also famously known as the City of Swords.
It is the city Saber grew up with. The noble that took him there when he was a child was from a viscount family of the Ashbern Kingdom.
His foster father was a famous General from the Kingdom that had trained him on using swords ever since he was a child.
The novel didn't mentioned much about him, but I heard that guy was a bit abusive.
There were even times when Saber will get a flashback or dream about him getting beaten up just for losing a fight with his foster siblings.
Nonetheless, the main reason why I'm coming over there is not because I want to erase the Gladiolus Family... But to find a Holy Sword.
"Why do you want to go there anyway?" Solis asked, prompting me to turn my attention back to her direction.
"Have you perhaps heard the Holy Sword, Arcadia?"
"Arcadia...?" Solis thought for a bit, "Are we going there for a quick sightseeing? What if the Waves of Calamity suddenly appear while we're traveling?"
"You don't have to worry about that... We'll only stay there for two days before leaving. Though, It doesn't matter if the Calamity were to appear since I'm planning to let it happen."
Solis suddenly halted her horse. When I turned my direction to face her, I saw her expression puzzled as she looked at me.
"Huh? Weren't we heading to the Avalon Kingdom to assist with the Waves?" she questioned.
"I don't do things unless they benefit me," I replied casually.
"But I thought you enjoyed helping people... Like last time," she countered.
"Hmm... I didn't do it for them, but for Reina. If she hadn't asked me to intervene, I would have let them die," I explained indifferently.
"Isn't that cruel?" Solis remarked.
"Cruelty is subjective. If you want to label me as such, go ahead. But I'm sure there are others who would agree," I retorted, cocking my head to the side as I met her gaze squarely. She seemed to have quickly understood what I was trying to convey as she turned silent.
However—
"...This is why I don't trust murderers," Reaper interjected suddenly, causing my eyebrows to raise... Seriously, did she just say that to me?
"This is probably why you don't trust yourself either," I teased lightly, chuckling. Reaper glared in response.
"But don't lump me into your category... I don't kill for profit or orders; I do it for my own satisfaction, with convenient justifications."
"Are you some kind of psycho?" Reaper questioned, sarcastically.
Resting my chin on my fingers, I chuckled softly.
"Psychopaths lack empathy. If they kill, it's because someone is in their way or deemed expendable."
I've encountered numerous insane people in my past life, enough to recognize the difference between psychopaths and sociopaths after spending a day with them.
Let's not include those crazy yanderes...
Yanderes are much more scary than psychos. Unlike yanderes, psychopath won't touch you unless you hit them first. Yanderes, however, will do anything for LOVE.
This is why LOVE is a scary thing.
Amused, Reaper smirked at me. "Oh really...? Then what sets you apart from a psychopath?"
With a smile, I replied confidently.
"That's simple..."
Drawing from my past experiences,
"If I were a psychopath, you'd be dead."