"Cady, can I ask you something?" Taylor approached me, her gaze curious yet cautious. I turned to look at her, nodding absently as my mind wandered elsewhere. "So I was trying to do what you did before with your aura, but my prosthetics can't handle it. Is it my control?" she asked, her voice laced with a hint of frustration.
"Yeah… focus on one spot and release your aura," I murmured, barely paying attention.
Harold managed to get what he wanted, and with that, everything wrapped up quickly. The city was relatively back to normal, though the air still carried the lingering tension of what had transpired. We spent the entire day helping the townsfolk clean up and get back on their feet. Harold put up a double barrier around the area and sent a messenger bird to the magic association for reinforcements. He handled things in his usual efficient way, but something about it just grated on me.
'This is all Elton's fault.'
As the day wore on, we searched the town to ensure no undead were missed. There was little thrill in it; I didn't even feel the rush of satisfaction that usually came with dispatching these creatures. My mind was elsewhere, too frustrated to enjoy the hunt. I felt… restless. Detached.
"Focus on one point, okay," Taylor repeated to herself, nodding as if to reinforce her determination, before turning to leave. I glanced around and noticed the princess standing awkwardly by the corner, watching me with an uncertain expression. I just wanted to finish feeding Bean and find a quiet place to sleep.
She looked away when our eyes met, but she didn't leave. Ignoring her, I returned my attention to Bean, watching him eat.
"Um…" She finally spoke, drawing my attention back to her. "About the other day, I'm sorry if I said something wrong."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her startled expression.
"I thought… maybe you were angry with me for something I said," she replied, shifting uncomfortably.
"Cady is always angry, don't worry—it's not you," Cato chimed in, walking in with an amused grin. He leaned toward her, whispering something that made her eyes widen slightly before she nodded.
"That makes more sense… so I was right, then," she said, her shoulders relaxing.
Cato straightened up, turning serious. "I think we should leave early tomorrow. If those mages arrive before we're gone, it'll be troublesome."
"Agreed. We'll leave first thing in the morning," I replied.
"Good plan." He gave a quick nod before leaving us.
The princess remained, her gaze fixated on me. She seemed hesitant, as if weighing her next words carefully.
"Do you still have something to say?" I asked, my patience waning.
"Can you… teach me to control my aura?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm not a trainer," I replied curtly, already turning to leave.
"Please." There was a quiet desperation in her tone.
"Asking twice won't change my answer," I said flatly.
"How about three times?" she countered with a weak smile, trying to soften me. I sighed, already growing weary of the conversation, and made to walk away.
"I… I'm really scared of you, but I'm using all my courage to ask you this," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I don't want to be a burden. I want to be reliable, like my brother and the others."
"Touching," I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes as I moved past her.
"Wait!" she called, making me stop. I turned, feeling a slight tug of annoyance.
In one swift motion, I drew a dagger and infused it with aura, watching her eyes widen as she took a step back. "Watch," I said, letting the aura pulse through the blade before handing it to her. "When you can do the same, we'll talk."
She took the dagger with a small, triumphant smile, oblivious to the fact that she'd struggle to replicate it. Without proper lessons, she'd likely fail. Cato might have learned to control his aura, but he had been taught.
"You'll have to figure it out on your own," I added, turning away as she nodded, clearly undeterred.
'At least that's off my back,' I thought, only to be met with Cato's knowing smirk as he fell into step beside me.
"Sly," he remarked with a chuckle.
"What?" I shot back, but he only shook his head, the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes.
…
By dawn, we were packed and ready to leave. The townspeople had shown their gratitude in every way possible, and I was more than ready to move on.
"We're approaching the border city soon. What's our plan when we get there?" Harold asked as we made our way out of the town.
"We…" I started to respond, but something felt off. I glanced around, noticing the eerie silence. It was empty.
"I trapped them in a barrier," Harold said, answering the question that had been forming in my mind.
"Oh."
"So?" he pressed, watching me expectantly.
"What?"
"What's the plan?" he repeated.
"We go our separate ways," I replied, watching his expression carefully. There was no surprise—he had expected this answer.
"Weren't we supposed to find the one responsible for all of this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That depends on how things play out," I said, feeling a growing frustration. Everything seemed to be moving at a glacial pace.
"That depends on whether you manage to avoid getting yourself killed first," he retorted, riding off without another word.
I clicked my tongue in annoyance, urging Bean to pick up speed. Just… irritating. Everything about this situation was grating on me, making my patience fray faster than usual.
I was becoming restless, impatient. Why hadn't we run into him yet? It felt as if we had been traveling for an eternity, even though it had only been a little over a month… almost two months, to be precise.
'Where is that fool?'
I'll break his head when I see him, did he get lost or something? Why haven't I run into him?
If he dared get turned to an undead I'll kill him. He wouldn't dare.
Now I'm bothered, did that dimwit not notice that those things kill people when they bite them. But he's not that slow to not notice.
I'm so annoyed and frustrated, I don't know what to do. I want to punch something, or someone… Elton or Harold, whoever offers me their face.
I looked at Harold and tsked. Why does he annoy me so much?
'This is all Elton's fault.'