Bossia recalled a name. She was very sure of the answer, there was no need to question it.
"It was that guy named Jose. Jose entrusted you to protect him," she said. "I also asked others. They said you were friends with him."
Bossia naturally waited for Rahol to respond. The familiar mocking expression slowly crept back onto his face.
"What are you waiting for? Go back and watch over Bassario. Someone might really steal him away in this Shawlt while. I've already told you the reason, if you keep asking, it's not about caring for him, it's just gossip."
He regretted saying too much. Bossia indeed didn't want to push further. Rahol had once quickly approached her secrets, but in the end, left her a chance to hide herself, now she should reciprocate with the same action. She prepared to leave, taking two steps back; before she could turn around, Rahol spoke again.
"I'm sick of looking after this ungrateful kid. Are you really planning to stay here forever?"
Bossia shook her head.
"Think about it, take him away. I can't guarantee he'll listen to you, that's between you two, but you get my point."
"I'll try. What about you?"
"Me? That's a strange question. Mind your own business, maybe also his. After all, I'm the elder..."
Before he could finish the sentence, Rahol looked past Bossia's back. She turned around. Bassario was walking towards them. He frowned, his steps seemed a bit unsteady. As he got closer to her, his gaze softened, but when he looked at Rahol, it became tense— even showing some hostility.
"Bassario, as the captain, I order you to take this woman away. She's been pestering me enough."
"I didn't..." Bossia choked halfway through. She didn't know what she was planning to deny.
"What, still not clear-headed?" Rahol continued. "I have other things to do. You two find a quiet place to share the joy of coming out alive."
"I'm very clear-headed," Bassario said. "I also remember what I saw."
"You've completely lost face, making such a mistake in the depths of the battlefield. I don't care what you think, just don't let it happen again. Of course, I'm speaking for Marliss, and for our Miss Agnes."
Rahol's tone and expression had completely returned to normal. He didn't care that this would obviously intensify Bassario's hostility.
"Why did you stop me from going in at that time?" Bassario asked.
"Just look at your performance after going in. My judgment was correct, the problem is with Agnes. She's too lenient with you, not willing to go against your disobedience..."
Using me to dodge the question again! Bossia had a strong urge to retort, but before she could find the words, Bassario spoke first.
"This has nothing to do with her. I don't need you to tell me what I shouldn't do."
"You need it, you really do. Don't forget, I'm the captain. In fact, until we return to the fortress, I always will be. I order you both to disappear from my sight now."
"What I will see has nothing to do with you."
"Don't throw a tantrum here, in front of me. I've been a nanny all day, I need Marliss to at least increase my pay by thirty percent."
"Don't mind him," Bossia said, grabbing one of Bassario's arms. Bassario didn't pull away, but took another step forward, getting closer to Rahol.
"What do you want?" Rahol said. "Lost face in front of your woman, now looking for trouble with me to regain some?"
"Stop it! You..." Bossia had to raise her voice. She realized that Rahol's personality was almost self-destructive, not in terms of combat, but in using rude or insulting words to obscure his true intentions, while making the other party misunderstand. She believed Rahol also had a desire to earn trust, otherwise he wouldn't have said those past events, but for some reason, this desire was buried deep when facing Bassario.
"That cowardly look, if Jose saw it..."
Proactively mentioning Jose made Rahol's self-destructive behavior more apparent. Bossia thought that Bassario must know Jose had entrusted Rahol to take care of him, but he was unwilling to accept it. The hand holding Bassario lost some strength; she gradually felt there was no room for her to intervene in this unnecessary conflict.
"You have no right to say his name," Bassario said.
"Normally, you could use that to scare me, but not today. You fainted on the battlefield and left behind the sword he gave you. Luckily, I brought it up here. What, you didn't notice? Not surprising, I suppose you went mad suddenly and couldn't remember. If I were Jose, how should I punish you, kid...?"
"I'll say it one last time, don't mention him in front of me."
Although not in a fighting stance, Bassario had already pointed his sword at Rahol. Rahol drew his weapon and struck the sword pointed at him to the side. Before Bassario could counterattack, Rahol made a move: he turned the blade to the back.
For the next few minutes, Bossia could only watch from the side. Judging by the force and speed they used, it should have been a deadly fight, but they never attacked each other's vital points with hatred. Instead, they aimed to put the other at a disadvantage and disarm them. From the beginning, Rahol was on the defensive, showing a rare calm amidst the clashing blades. Bassario's attacks were large, as if he were still fighting a Qiraji bug larger than a human, not hiding his anger at all.
Initially, Bossia felt embarrassed for not being able to intervene and couldn't shout loudly to draw too much attention. Gradually, she understood that this scene was a choice shared by Bassario and Rahol. They weren't fighting for her, so she had no reason to intervene. Regardless, she still hoped the two would stop soon. For reasons she didn't yet understand, Bassario rejected Rahol's protection, while Rahol responded to Bassario's resistance with insulting words.
Rahol held his defense, not seizing obvious opportunities to attack. Bossia once thought it was because of a mocking attitude that Rahol didn't want to give his all until she realized the simple fact: Rahol was clearly outmatched by Bassario in both skill and strength. Even with Bassario's longer sword swings, his attack speed still exceeded Rahol's. Defense was the only option. If it were a real fight to the death, Rahol couldn't last half the time. Perhaps it was simply an age issue.
Bossia didn't believe Rahol was unaware of the power gap between them. Even so, he insisted on provoking Bassario, as if he had a purpose only he could understand.
Bassario forced Rahol against the rock wall, delivering the final slash. From Bossia's perspective, it looked like he would really strike Rahol's neck and collarbone. In the end, the sword tip fell on the rock, and the blade stopped above Rahol's right shoulder.
"Drop your sword," Bassario said.
"You've already won."
"Drop it."
Bassario's sword slowly pressed down. Rahol threw down his weapon.
With the clouds in the sky moving, the area under the rock wall was almost devoid of moonlight. Bossia knew she shouldn't get too close, but she could only vaguely see their silhouettes, making her very uneasy.
"What did you think when you saw those things?" Rahol continued.
"None of your business."
"If it were me, at three years old...I wouldn't remember. I think you don't want to remember either, you just can't control it. Jose once said your memory..."
The sentence was cut off. Bossia guessed Bassario must have pressed the sword down again, interrupting Rahol. No matter how awkward her position was, she could only approach. She couldn't watch the situation continue to spiral out of control.
"You still think I killed Jose," Rahol said.
"He wouldn't commit suicide."
"That's the truth. He killed the two Twilight Cultists who gave birth to him, then killed himself."
"I don't believe it."
"You'd better believe it, Bassario. You were only twelve then. You couldn't know what all the adults were thinking."
"That night, you went to the cell where those two were held. It's no secret."
"I opened the door for Jose because he said he wanted to meet them. At first, I waited outside. By the time I rushed in, it was too late to help. That's the truth."
"Why did you hide after his death and not show up for several days?"
"I had something important to do."
"Bullshit. No one knew where you went. How many times have I asked you to tell the truth?"
"The truth...you want me to tell you now?"
"Speak."
"Lower your sword first. I think you've had enough fun."
"No."
Bossia stepped forward, grabbing Bassario's sword-wielding arm without hesitation and pulling it away. The stance no longer mattered; she was certain Bassario was doing something wrong. Her interference somewhat awakened him. He looked at her, lowered his arm, and took two steps back.
Rahol wiped his shoulder with his left hand, and both Bossia and Bassario could smell some blood.
"In those days, I left the fortress to privately bury his ashes. Yes, I buried him in a place."
"Where? The desert can't..."
"There's an area without Qiraji. You probably haven't been there yet. The Crystal Valley to the northwest."
Bassario remained silent. No denial or protest.
"When I rushed into the cell, Jose had already killed the two and was about to kill himself. He understood it was a disgraceful death. He finally told me to make sure others quickly see you as separate from him. See, I didn't manage...you insisted on taking out that bug-bone sword that should be destroyed and using it yourself. I can't encourage that because I saw how he ended himself and must respect his wishes. Of course, I also took advantage of a loophole in his last words because he didn't say I couldn't make him a grave."
"But it's been sixteen years. You should have told me."
"Look at your attitude towards me, you brat. Just for that, I shouldn't have told you. Making him a grave was my decision. I'm not as kind as Jose. You've treated me as an enemy for sixteen years."
Bossia recalled the conversation between her and Bassario after first meeting Rahol. "Are you friends with him?"—Probably quite the opposite.
"Take me to see him," Bassario said.
"Is that how you ask a favor?" Rahol looked at Bossia, then at Bassario. "Alright. I think the time has come. I haven't been to the Crystal Valley in a long time. Let's leave the team temporarily and take a detour. This is the first and last time."
Bossia didn't want to appear too arrogant, but she vaguely felt that Rahol's willingness to speak had something to do with her earlier willingness to take Bassario out of Silithus.