“What’s that sound?” Keeping the reins in my hands, I hugged my shoulders to stop my shivering.

The night wind was unusually cold, perhaps because we were now in a different area.

“Crying,” said Hilde. She was riding behind me on Sabre, her arms around my waist.

Riding in front of us, Felix nodded as his scarf fluttered. “I concur.”

I twisted my face into a confused frown. “Why are you two okay with this? We’re in the middle of a rocky desert at night. The sound of crying isn’t exactly what you’d expect to hear.”

“My, my, is little Kari afraid of ghosts?” asked Lyla, whose decapitated head sat snugly between my thighs.

“O-Of course not! It’s just… don’t you find it unnerving?”

“Only if you believe in spirits and whatnot.”

“What if it’s some kinda monster? I’ve seen enough weird crap during our journey to believe anything, with you topping the list.”

“Don’t call a lady weird crap!” Lyla bit my thigh.

I wasn’t worried at all because her tiny little mouth couldn’t possibly hurt me through my new thick leather pants, wait, shit, “That hurts! Stop!!!”

I forgot about the tiny homunculus’s abnormal strength, which apparently enhanced her jaw muscles too.

“Hmph!” Lyla spat into the sand below us. “Disgusting. I ended up losing that skirmish.”

“Says you!” I checked my inner thigh for bleeding. Fortunately, the sturdy leather stopped her teeth from cutting into the skin, but I was sure I’d be seeing a nasty bruise on my leg later.

The wind carried the wailing sound across the rocky plains, this time with more volume, causing my hairs to stand on end.

“Can I go back to my bag now?” asked Lyla.

“Ha! So you were afraid too! You were so insistent about getting some fresh air that I put you on my lap, now you chicken out after teasing me like that.”

“Don’t be daft, boy. I merely want to avoid getting my hair wet when you inevitably piss your pants.”

“You’ve been trembling the entire time. Are you cold?” Hilde shifted her body, pressing her breasts onto my back, an innocent attempt to keep me warm.

“N-No, I mean, y-yeah, I’m very cold, absolutely freezing.”

The stoic Valmaz warrior took that as a request to help warm me up, so she pressed her body even closer and exhaled hot breaths on my reddened ear.

“That’s it, put me in the bag now!” Lyla thrashed around by bending her neck side to side.

“Calm down, I’m not gonna wet myself.”

“Not the problem. The thing poking the back of my head is about to push me off the saddle.”

“...Uh, sorry.” I returned Lyla to her bag and hung her on the saddle hook.

“Still, what is that strange wailing?” asked Felix. “There should not be any settlements nearby.”

“Hm, I’ve heard something like this before,” said Hilde.

I sighed while scratching my head. “You could’ve said something sooner. What is it?”

“It sounds like your crying in Aurum.”

I almost fell off Sabre. “Wha-, you-, t-that was supposed to be a secret!!!”

“Huh? You never said it was.”

I present to you Hilde, the paragon of common sense.

“Oho, care to elaborate, Hilde?” asked Lyla’s illusion, floating beside us with a mischievous grin.

“After escaping from the knights, we were holding hands behind an alley-”

“Stop, stop, stop!” I twisted to face Hilde, her nose mere inches from mine. “I said it was a secret just now, right!?”

Hilde formed a tiny smile. “Just kidding.”

Apparently, I’d taken over as the clown of our group. Felix was slacking off too much. Maybe I should expel him from my tutelage?

“Master, I found the source of the eerie noise.”

But then again, he did things like this from time to time. That, and we’d get lost the minute he stopped pathfinding for us.

A tall tree rose up from just beyond the small hill of rocks as we approached Felix. Gray leaves trailed down on vines strewn all over its outstretched branches. As a gust caressed the petrified pillar, the rustling of dried leaves followed by an unnerving wail wafted into the desert air.

Lyla’s illusion floated past Felix and hovered near the tree. “A weeping willow. Quite a rare find.”

I urged Sabre to bring us closer to the plant. With the true identity of the crying revealed, my fear vanished just like that. I wanted to laugh at my childishness, but Lyla and even Hilde had done enough of that already.

Tiny holes riddled the trunk and the branches of the willow. The wailing sound appeared to be caused by the wind passing through the holes, creating a deep whistling noise.

The word “fascinating” naturally fell from my lips.

“I have never seen anything like it,” said Felix. “How about you, Miss Hilde?”

She shook her head, eyes closed.

“That’s only natural,” said Lyla. “Many thought them to be extinct. People used to think the powder made from the burned ash of weeping willows cured illnesses or even improved virility. They were cut down until almost none were left.”

Looking beyond the small hill, I saw a few more willows dotting the landscape. “Is there any truth to those claims?”

“No idea. I’ve never gotten my hands on any.”

My eyes met with hers for a brief moment.

The floating Lyla flashed a smirk. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

I returned her smile before jumping down from Sabre. With a purple-garbed ghost floating behind me, I started chipping off chunks of the willow’s trunk with a knife. It was much harder than I thought, causing my palm to ache from the impact and friction.

“Mages,” spat out Hilde, followed by a disgusted groan. “Can’t even leave trees alone.”

“Master, is it okay to damage such a rare specimen?”

“Felix, what is more evil than taking action that can eternally eliminate a unique species from the world?”

“Tarnation!” He held his head in both hands. “I have been reminded of my ineptitude once again! You truly are a master villain! May I join you in this nefarious activity!?”

Well, chipping off a bit of wood from the trunk wouldn’t really harm it, but I didn’t need to tell him that.

“Even Felix has fallen…” Hilde slumped her shoulders as she watched me and Felix carve out a small chunk from the tree.

As we prepared a place to burn the wood to ash, another wail reverberated across the desert.

“Did you hear that?” asked Hilde.

Without looking at her, I replied, “You mean the crying? It’s just the weeping willows.”

“...There’s no wind.”

My fingers stopped. I focused my attention on my skin. There was no breeze, much less a gust strong enough to trigger the whistling. Moreover, I was sitting right next to one, but the sound appeared to be coming from farther away.

I gulped down a glob of saliva as I tried to pinpoint the source of the sound. It appeared to be coming from the farthest tree from us. The crying was faint but undoubtedly there. Expanding the range of my anima, I tried to sense if anyone was there.

A terrible pain gnawed at my heart, forcing me to lean on the tree trunk for support.

Clutching at my chest, I forced myself upright. “Someone’s there, behind that tree.” I pointed to the horizon.

“Are you okay, boy?”

“It’s just feedback from my ani-”

Wait. I’d felt strong feedback from negative emotions before, but that greatly lessened from distance. What kind of agony must that person be experiencing for me to topple over from so far away?

“We need to help!” I reflexively began running on the stony ground, forgetting that mounting Sabre and galloping there would be much faster.

The rest of my party followed behind me, unsure what I intended to do. Upon reaching the farthest willow, I circled around and found a woman huddled by the thick roots protruding from the rocks. She was bawling completely unrestrained, like a lost child. Several layers of ornately embroidered cloth were wrapped around her waist and draped over her head and shoulders, an attire quite common among nomadic tribes. The traveling merchants I’d bought my leather pants from also wore similar outfits. I couldn’t see her face because she was bowed to the tree trunk.

The misery emanating from her was abnormal. It felt like a viscous wall of slime surrounding her body. Gritting my teeth, I made my way closer.

“Excuse me,” I said as softly as I could, “how can I help?”

I hadn’t asked if she was alright because she clearly wasn’t. The only questioned that mattered was whether I was needed here or not. Unfortunately, my question fell on deaf ears, not surprising considering how loud her cries were.

Knowing that my whispers would only be drowned out by her crying, and shouting at a despairing person wasn’t exactly the best idea, I opted to tap her on the shoulder to get her attention. The moment I touched her clothes, she jumped up in surprise, hitting my nose with the back of her head in the process.

“Gwah!” I fell backward, my vision white from the sudden headbutt.

Hilde jumped off Sabre and landed beside me, sword drawn, but I raised a hand to stop her.

“It was an accident! Don’t hurt her!”

The woman scurried backward, her butt still on the ground. “W-Who are you people!?”

The moonlight illuminated her well-sculpted face. A young woman barely in her twenties, her face tainted by fear and confusion, trembled before us.

“We’re just travelers! Please don’t be afraid.”

“B-But…” The young woman’s eyes focused on Hilde’s naked blade.

“Hilde, she’s terrified. Please.”

After glancing at my face, the Valmaz warrior expertly sheathed her sword in one swift motion and backed away from the trembling woman.

“See? We mean you no harm. We just heard someone crying and came to see if we could help.”

The woman’s face reddened like a ripe tomato. “Sorry for showing you such an embarrassing sight!” She made a few shallow bows, probably a gesture of apology in her culture, and looked away in shame.

“No, it’s okay.” I raised both hands in front of me to stem her apologies. “No one got hurt.” The moment I said that, blood came pouring out my nose and dribbled down my lips and chin.

“That looks like it hurts a lot, Master.”

No shit, genius.

“I’m so sorry!!!” The woman continued her serial bowing, her black straight cut fringe flapping up and down as she did so. “You can hit me back if it makes you feel any better!” She was about to kneel down when I put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“Please, no need for apologies. This is nothing.”

“Use this.” Hilde tossed me a small brown rag.

I immediately used it to wipe away the blood on my face and then pinched my nose to stop the bleeding. “Where are my manners.” Noticing the ridiculous high pitched voice that came out, I removed the rag from my face. “My name is Kari, and these are my companions Hilde and Felix.”

I didn’t think naming myself to a nomad woman would matter in the greater scheme of things. The chances of Richter meeting her was slim to none. Hilde never liked fake names anyway, including the one she had chosen herself.

“My name is Nadya. Nice to meet you.”

Her accent was quite strong, but I had no trouble understanding her common tongue.

Blood began dripping from my nose again. Spurred by that, she jogged towards me with a worried expression and reached for my face. I instinctively flinched to parry her hand but soon realized it wasn’t an attack. Getting through my admittedly pathetic guard, she gently touched my nose. The throbbing pain instantly vanished. The bleeding, however, didn’t stop.

“...What did you do just now?”

The pain was completely gone, even the annoyance I felt from getting hit. If she’d used healing magic, the damage would’ve been repaired as well, but that wasn’t the case.

The young woman’s eyes swam around as she fumbled for words. “Th-that’s…”

“None of your business!” The annoyed shout came from a short distance away.

A small group led by an old woman with a craggly wooden cane marched over to us. Distracted by Nadya, I hadn’t noticed at all, but Felix had apparently seen them coming. Judging from his lack of tension, he probably didn’t see them as a threat, at least to our particularly powerful party.

The old woman, garbed in similar albeit lighter clothing to Nadya, came forward, separating herself from the crowd of people. Some of them carried torches, which made the dark desert glow orange. I usually tossed small light balls to illuminate our path, so we never needed torches.

The old woman bowed. “Lady Nadya, please come back with us to the caravan.”

Her tone was surprisingly mild, even pleading. From the deep wrinkles on her face, I’d expected her to be more stern. The stinging glare she sent our way made it clear her kindness was reserved to Nadya.

“Yes, of course.” Nadya made her way to the old woman’s side and then turned to face us. “A hundred apologies for the trouble I caused. I have to return home now. Please be safe on your journey.”

As they turned to leave, I called out to the old woman. “Actually, we would like to ask a favor, Madam. We are travelers from the South. We have come a long way, and our supplies are running low. Would it be alright to join your caravan for the night and maybe sell us some food and water?”

The old lady scowled. “Our caravan does not take in strangers. I’m afraid you’ll have to find someone else to trade with.”

Nadya tugged on the old woman’s sash and whispered something in her ear.

“But Lady Nadya-”

Another tug.

Heaving a deep sigh, the old woman slumped her shoulders and faced us again. “Lady Nadya has decided to invite your party to stay with our caravan for the night. The night is cold in these lands, and none of you seem to be dressed for it. Follow us.”

“We appreciate the kindness.”

We climbed back up on Sabre and followed the group as they headed back to the caravan.

“Didn’t we just restock yesterday?” asked Hilde.

“Yeah, Kari was even bragging about his new pants like a kid,” said Lyla.

I narrowed my eyes as I watched the group of nomads climb up a gentle sloping rock. “We’re not going there to resupply.”

“I knew it!” shouted Felix. “You must have a diabolical plan to deprive them of their livelihood and then kidnap Lady Nadya to make into your fourth wife!”

“I’m not that rotten! And what do you mean fourth wife!?”

Felix began counting with his fingers. “There is Miss Hilde, Miss Violetta, Miss Annie, and now Miss Nadya.”

“Violetta is just a head, Annie is my sister, and I met Nadya just a minute ago!”

Hilde jabbed a thumb into my ribs, causing me to jerk sideways. “I don’t remember becoming your wife either.”

Hey, I thought I could get away with it.

“So, what’s the real reason behind this detour?” asked Lyla’s illusion, floating upside down in front of my face this time.

“Nadya used some sort of magic on me earlier.” I glanced at her skirt, amazed at how it stayed down, or up, despite her vertical orientation.

“You’re not gonna see my undergarments, if that’s what you’re wondering. This is just an illusion. I can make my skirt stay at whatever position I want.”

I waved my hand. “Who cares about a brat’s undies? More importantly, didn’t you feel anything from her earlier?”

“Nope. I was too busy laughing at your bloody nose.”

“That so?” I flicked her nose, or at least the protrusion that seemed like her nose, through the bag, not that I thought it’d do any damage to her.

“That hurt! Don’t flick my exposed spine. So petty.”

“Not falling for that one.”

Lyla clicked her tongue. “You’re growing more cunning by the day. You’re no fun to tease anymore.”

“I have a good teacher.”

“I’m flattered. So, what kind of spell was it?”

“I don’t think it’s a spell. It happened too fast. She didn’t chant anything either. It was probably an anima activation.”

“Intriguing. What did it do exactly?”

“It erased the pain from my nose injury, including the annoyance I felt at the time. It felt like the wound never happened, but the cut inside my nose kept bleeding.”

“...Never heard of anything like it. The world is vast.” Lyla shrugged. “There’s bound to be a few things I don’t know about.”

“Nadya also has an incredible amount of suffering swirling inside her. I’d probably go insane if I stayed with her for a long time.”

“You think she has a curse similar to yours?” asked Hilde.

“A curse, huh?”

It was typical of the mage-hating Hilde to phrase it that way. She likely thought of her own anima and magic as curses as well. I still hadn’t heard the story behind that prejudice, but I’d gotten used to it enough not to get hurt by her comments.

Stroking my chin, I said, “Maybe. In any case, It’s worth taking a look at. I find it odd how a young woman held such clout over an elder of their community. There’s something more going on here.”

“What do you hope to achieve, boy? We should be on our way. This is none of our business, like that child said.”

I quickly realized she meant the elderly woman. Compared to the immortal Lamia, even an aging tribe elder would be classified as young. Heeding her words was probably in the best interest of our group.

“I…”

“We should go to the caravan,” said Hilde. “It’s cold tonight. I want a warm bed.”

Since when did Hilde ever care about such a thing? Luxury was far removed from her lifestyle philosophy. She could go without beds or baths, to my dismay, indefinitely as far as I knew.

Could she be doing this for me?

My motive was to learn more about Nadya’s anima in hopes of gaining some insight about my own. From my analysis, her ability allowed her to take away not only physical pain but also mental anguish. Physical damage aside, emotional distress was not readily visible to the five senses, thus removing them either had to be automatic or…

Nadya could be like me. Maybe she could sense emotions, allowing her to rip them away, like tearing specific pages off a book. The immense amount of suffering whirling inside her supported that possibility. That level of pain was not something one could accumulate by oneself. It was highly probable that she’d been influenced by other people’s emotions, possibly those from her caravan. If so, I might be able to learn something about my own anima and origin from her.

Hilde likely hadn’t thought that far, but maybe she had sensed my desire to go and given me a push.

I fixed my gaze on Hilde and nodded. “I agree. Sleeping in a larger camp is safer too. We can focus on experimenting on the willow wood better if we don’t have to worry about getting attacked.”

“Fair point. Have it your way.” Lyla’s illusion twirled the other way and vanished.

I smiled at Hilde, grateful for her consideration. In response, she merely tilted her head like a fawn, batting her eyes in wonder.

***

Nadya’s caravan, a nomadic community called Romm, consisted of more than a hundred people and several herds of animals. It was the largest caravan I’d encountered so far, but according to Felix, groups of that scale were not uncommon in the north. They brought along workhorses, sheep, and even several flightless birds I’d never seen before, all herded by tiny yet boisterous dogs with thick light brown fur and perky ears.

The welcome we received could not be called friendly. Even the frosty desert sand felt warmer than the glares of Nadya’s people. Nadya herself seemed to treat us as guests, so everyone else reluctantly followed along. My guess about her holding a great amount of power in the caravan turned out to be correct. But that brought up an even bigger mystery. Why?

Nadya and the old woman, who never introduced herself, led us to a small tent made from pelt at the edge of the camp. Three people barely fit into the space, but fortunately, I was small, and Lyla was just a head. Sabre was tied to one of the tent poles, much like the other workhorses used by the members of the caravan. After informing us that she would come to visit again tomorrow morning, Nadya subtly waved her hand and left, followed by the grumpy elder who didn’t miss the chance to scowl at us one more time.

Typical of the efficient survivor, Hilde prioritized rest and commandeered a corner of the tent to sleep. Felix rushed off saying he’d hunt for dinner. Having left my luggage in the tent, I left alone to look for firewood to cook whatever Felix brought back and burn the chunk of weeping willow I got earlier. Lyla had wanted to come, but I had declined, saying it’d be a pain to carry her around while gathering fuel.

Using ignis to create a fire would be easier, provided I could find someone with enough anger to channel, but I’d rather not use magic in front of strangers. While magic was no secret, it was still a revered or loathed activity that drew attention whenever exhibited.

One thing I noticed about the small camps I’d passed was how energetic everyone seemed to be. Smiles plastered on their faces, the people cheerfully prepared dinner, washed the dishes, or chatted with neighbors. The vibrance was completely different from the one we faced upon entering the camp.

After reaching the more densely populated inner ring of the camp, I noticed a particularly large campfire in the middle of about ten large tents. The gathering was quite exuberant, with men, women, and children singing and dancing in a circle. A pile of dried firewood stood a few feet from the flames. The chances of me finding pocti or a tree that wasn’t nearly extinct anywhere nearby was slim, so I decided to ask if the locals could share a few pieces.

Walking over to the one in charge of the flames, I meekly raised a hand. “Excuse me.”

“Huh? Oh, you’re with the strangers...” The look of mild surprise on his face transformed into vile disgust as he spoke. “What do you want?”

“I was just wondering if I could ask for some firewood…”

“Of course you can.” He smiled.

Surprised by the positive reaction, I reflexively smiled as well. “That’s very generous-”

“Doesn’t mean I’ll give you any.” Holding his stomach, he laughed as if he wanted to vomit his guts onto the floor.

The people around us who heard my request followed suit. Soon, the boisterous singing turned into laughter, all of which directed at me.

Afraid of letting things escalate, I decided to slink away from the campfire and find another source of firewood, but the locals didn’t allow that. The man I had initially asked stepped in my way and showed no sign of moving. As I tried to walk around him, another man, a shorter yet bulkier one, cut off my path.

Shit, why did things always have to go the hard way?

“Sorry, I don’t want any trouble. Can you please let me pass? I promise I won’t bother you anymore.”

“Too late, stranger,” said the dwarf-like man. “Your very presence is already a bother to us, but then you had to go and run your mouth.”

I hadn’t even completed two sentences before they confronted me. How was that running my mouth? Of course, saying that out loud would only lead to more problems, so I decided to simply keep apologizing.

“I’m sorry. Really. I’ll get out of your way, so please just let me through.” I failed to keep my rising irritation from seeping into my tone.

Another man, this time almost as tall as Richter, stepped forward and looked down at me. “Got some spunk eh?” He grabbed my collar with one hand and slightly lifted me up, causing me to tiptoe to keep my balance. “Not only do ya dare trick Lady Nadya into letting ya stay the night in our camp, ya even have the guts to walk around like ya own the place? Let’s see how much guts ya really have!” With a motion not even half Hilde’s speed, he plunged his fist into my gut.

The blow hurt, but that was it. I’d seen it coming and flexed my abdomen before it hit. Not only that, I’d been taking attacks from giant beasts, trained knights, and even an immortal witch recently. A body blow from a taller than average nomad was like a slap on the wrist.

Noticing my lack of reaction, he grumbled and coiled up for another blow.

“What’s going on here?” asked a voice I knew very well.

“Hilde, it’s okay, we’re just horsing around,” I quickly replied.

She stood about twenty paces from us, her expression sharp as a freshly smithed blade. Her hand rested on the hilt of her short sword, ready to draw at a moment’s notice. “That’s not what it looks like to me.”

Surprised by the intruder, the tall nomad loosened his grip on my shirt. I took that chance to slip away and run to Hilde. I stood in front of her, faced the group of men, and raised both hands in an attempt to appease them.

“Take it easy now. We really don’t want any trouble.” I turned my head to the side and whispered to Hilde, “We’re getting out of here. Starting a fight will get us kicked out of the camp. Make sure not to provoke or hurt the locals, okay?”

She reluctantly nodded.

I released a small sigh of relief upon seeing her agreement. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“Violetta asked me to tell you to bring clean water and a stone bowl.”

Lyla probably wanted to leach some of the willow ash later. Using a stone bowl was probably a precaution against contamination, which was more of a risk with wooden or clay containers. Getting a stone bowl in such a hostile community was a tall order, but that was a much smaller problem than the one at hand.

The three stooges marched closer to us with a comedically menacing gait. The tall one took the lead and headed directly towards me. Before I could move, Hilde had already slipped in between me and the men, as if to protect me. She knew I didn’t want to use magic, since that was the only reason I’d let a bunch of untrained men beat up on me. That said, it was never a nice feeling being powerless in front of the one you wanted to protect the most.

“Hiding behind a woman? Ha!” The tall man guffawed, dragging everyone in the campfire into a fit of laughter. He leaned over to Hilde’s face, peering at her features, and then ran his eyes all over her body. “Yer a looker, ain’t ya? I’d tell ya to ditch the brat and come with us, but we ain’t got no appetite for strangers!”

Laughter roared around us. The flames danced in tune to the trembling air, as if mocking my weakness. I shot Hilde a look, pleading with her not to lose her cool. Understanding my intention, she said nothing, but the disdainful glint in her eyes still caught the men's attention.

The short one crossed his arms and exaggeratedly raised an eyebrow. “What’s with that look? Who do you think you are? We’re doing you a favor by letting you stay with us. You need to be taught a lesson!”

“Now that’s an idea.” The man in charge of the fire snickered as he extended his hand towards Hilde’s shoulder.

So much for a warm bed tonight. I just hoped Hilde wouldn’t kill anyone.

She grimaced as the man touched her skin, her body frozen in place. His fingers began moving lasciviously along the curve of her shoulder.

What?

Why wasn’t she fighting back?

Why was she letting that man touch her..?

I didn’t get it.

I didn’t understand at all.

What was she doing just standing there?

Hit him! Kick him! Heck, go ahead and slice him apart!

Hilde turned away from me, from them, her face filled with disgust. Her fists trembled as the man’s fingers slid across her white skin, soiling it with his invisible stench.

Oh right.

This was my fault.

I had asked her not to provoke or hurt the locals. Knowing Hilde’s penchant for taking things to the extreme, she was holding back because of my careless words.

The man slid his palm onto Hilde’s left breast.

Something snapped.

Inside me.

Swirling fury engulfed my innards, starting from my lungs, and felt like it would burst out from every pore of my body.

The campfire suddenly fizzled out, but the surroundings shone much brighter. The confused men looked at each other, unsure of what had happened. Seconds later, they began panting heavily while holding their throats.

“Kari, stop!” shouted Hilde as she grabbed my shoulders.

Her voice brought me back to my senses. A swirling sphere of hellfire floated just above us, sucking in all the breathable air from our surroundings. I hadn’t noticed because I’d been holding my breath the entire time. The campfire had been drained of its fuel and snuffed out by the fiery furnace hovering directly above the men. One command from me would send it crashing down, incinerating them until not even ashes remained.

But that would render Hilde’s patience for naught, so I released the spell, banishing the midnight sun and surrendering the area to darkness once again.

Since they didn’t have the wits to look above them the entire time, the three men were still unaware of exactly what happened. The onlookers surrounding us were a different story.

“D-D-Demon child!!!”

“That boy is the devil spawn!!!”

“Run!!! The Son of Vangya has come!!!”

Come on now, if you had gone so far as to call me a demon, at least stop treating me like a kid.

The locals completely vacated the area in panic. From the barely comprehensible screams, the three men finally picked up on what almost happened to them and joined the evacuation.

Hilde sent me an accusatory look. “I thought we weren’t supposed to provoke the locals?”

“...It just happened. I’m sorry.”

“That’s not what I…” She made a bitter expression, as if she swallowed a bug. Her features twisted around a few more times before she settled on simply looking away from me. “I mean... thank you.”

“No, Hilde. It was my fault. I should’ve handled this by myself. Then you wouldn’t have been shamed like that…”

“Shamed? What do you mean?” She tilted her head with a blank expression, typical of her.

“What’s with that look? Weren’t you... hurt when he touched you?”

“Not at all. I’m not that fragile.”

“That’s not what I mean. I’m referring to, you know, purity… and stuff...” My voice gradually trailed off.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Then why were you trembling when he touched you?”

“I was ticklish, but I felt like I’d lose if I showed my weakness to them, so I did my best to hold it in.”

“...Ticklish?”

She nodded.

“Let me get this straight, I almost burned three people to a crisp because you felt ticklish.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“There are so many things wrong with this conversation I don’t even.”

“You are so confusing.”

“That’s my line!!!”

***

“””We’re so sorry!””” The three men pressed their fists together and went down on one knee.

That was apparently a display of profound regret in the Romm culture. It was the pose I had stopped Nadya from taking after she headbutted my nose.

I casually waved a hand. “Uh, it’s okay, really. I also went overboard. Please get up.”

We’d expected to be driven out of the caravan because of the commotion. Instead, we’d been called to the chief’s tent the next morning and asked to witness an apology from the three stooges. They stared at us in regret, their backs to Nadya, who sat in a throne of embroidered blankets and pillows. She almost disappeared in the sea of gold, red, purple threads, which closely matched her dress and scarf. I’d deduced that Nadya was an important person to the caravan, but I hadn’t thought she’d be the top dog.

The three men got up and repeated the action towards Nadya. She gave them a nod before sending them on their way. They continued apologizing as they passed us on the way out of the absurdly large tent. I checked their emotions out of habit, and it appeared they meant every word.

I found that odd. They wanted us gone just hours before. Now they were sincerely repenting for their behavior. Did Nadya have that much of an influence on them? Or did she do something else..?

“I apologize for the bad treatment on behalf of my people,” said Nadya. “What they did was inexcusable.”

“It’s really not a big deal. No one got hurt, just tickled at worst.”

“Tickled?”

“Nevermind.” I shot a dissatisfied look at Hilde, who stood to my left.

Without noticing my gaze, Hilde just kept looking at Nadya, as if trying to mentally unravel the layers of fabric enshrining the chieftain.

“As a sign of apology, I’d like to invite you to share a meal with me in this tent. It is almost noon, after all.”

The old woman from yesterday jerked in surprise. “Lady Nadya! We can’t let strangers-”

Nadya nonchalantly raised a hand. “It’s fine. The Romm always make amends for even the smallest mistakes. That is what you taught me, Mala.”

Pressing her lips into a straight line, Mala gulped down any further objections. The twitching wrinkles on her cheeks gave away that she was still unconvinced.

Nadya replaced her stiff expression with a gentle smile. “Please ask the servants to bring food inside.”

Mala reluctantly nodded and left the tent, leaving only Nadya and my party inside.

“Sorry about Mala.” Nadya curled her lips into an apologetic smile, her eyes narrowed to almost closed. “She means well, but sometimes she can be overprotective. Please, take a seat.”

Looking around, I didn’t see any chairs, Seeing my confusion, Nadya subtly guided me with her eyes. She focused on the pillows lined up in two parallel rows on the thick, elaborately embroidered carpet. Upon realizing what she meant, I walked over to the pillow closest to her and took a seat. Hilde and Felix followed my example, choosing to sit on the same row as I did. Naturally, we had left Lyla in our tent, with Sabre on guard duty outside.

A few seconds of awkward silence ticked by. I felt pressured to say something, so I just spat out the first thing that came to mind.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why was the chief of a caravan crying behind a tree in the middle of the night?”

“...I wasn’t expecting such a bold question.” Nadya chuckled.

Neither was I.

“Sorry, that kinda just slipped out.”

“No worries. As for the answer, well, as you can see, I’m in a position where things can be… stressful. Sometimes I just need to let things out. The weeping willows drown out my crying, so I chose that spot.”

Her demeanor seemed a lot more regal than yesterday, when she was bowing her head repeatedly like a mother bird feeding its chicks. The fancy clothes and the fabric throne might have something to do with that change, but simply being in your own territory brought out a different side to people.

“I see. Sorry for prying.”

“Don’t be. It’s nice being able to talk to new faces. As you probably know by now, we don’t welcome strangers into the caravan.”

“Then why did you let us in?”

“...I’m not sure. Maybe it was because you saw me in that sorry state. I felt like I needed to explain myself, at least. So really, you asking about it saved me the trouble of bringing it up.” Contrary to the confidence in her previous reply, she shyly dipped her head and twiddled her thumbs. “So, um, would it be too much to ask you for a favor?”

“Not at all. What can we do for you?”

“Can you tell me your stories?”

“Stories? About what?”

“Of your experiences. You are travelers, right? It should be a good way to pass time until lunch is ready.” A pleading glint flashed in her eyes as she leaned forward, eager to hear my response.

Her request seemed easy enough. All I had to do was remove anything incriminating from our rather dramatic adventure so far.

“Okay. I just so happen to have a few good stories up my sleeve.”

“Master! May I have the honor of telling Lady Nadya of your valiant adventures?”

“Huh? Well…” Seeing the desperation on his face, I shrugged in resignation. “Sure. Go ahead.”

Despite how dumb he sometimes acted, I knew Felix was careful about our identities, a trait I wished Hilde had.

“Thank you for the honor, Master!” Felix excitedly turned his body towards Nadya and spread his arms wide open. “I shall now begin the tale of how I met Master Kari and bore witness to his villainous feats!”

“V-Villainous?” mumbled Nadya.

Startled by the opening, I hurriedly tried to correct him. “Felix, I think you used the wrong word there-”

“Take heed and tremble! I first met Master in a small town in the sandy desert, where he was sinking his claws into a young girl barely past the bloom of childhood. With his mastery of words and deception, he enamored the little lady in violet-”

“Okay, that’s enough!” I scrambled past Hilde and closed Felix’s mouth with both hands. “He was joking, Chief Nadya.”

“Nadya is fine. I never would’ve guessed Felix had such a great sense of humor. I mean, you always looks so serious.”

I laughed forcefully, trying to muddle the conversation. “Yeah, he is such a clown, really. I’ll take over telling the story now, if that’s fine with you.” I kept up with my hollow laughter just to survive the awkwardness.

“Yes, please. I’m very excited to hear about your travels. There isn’t much to do for entertainment around here.”

I began telling her about our battles against a giant lizard, giant sand fishes, two giant scorpions, and a giant dragon, all the while thinking we should probably stop fighting giants for the sake of longer lives. I didn’t talk about the conflicts with other people to avoid revealing our connection to Arthas and to prevent us from appearing dangerous.

Nadya clapped her hands like a little girl as I ended my tale. “What an amazing story! It’s almost too fantastic to believe!”

Tell me about it.

“I do have a question, though, Kari.”

“Ask away.”

“You didn’t mention anything about the young girl you enamored. What’s the story behind that?”

“L-Like I said, that was just Felix’s joke!”

Nadya pressed her closed hand on her upper lip as she laughed boisterously at my expense. I couldn’t help but blush upon realizing she was just teasing me. A certain beheaded witch’s grin flashed in my mind. What was it with older women? Was it their hobby to make fun of younger males?

“Excuse me, Lady Nadya,” said a voice coming from beyond the tent flaps.

“Come in. We’ve been waiting.”

Several women carrying baskets of bread and fruit flooded in, followed by a muscular man with a whole roasted lamb on a long metal skewer balancing on his shoulder. Two more women entered, this time bringing pots of various sizes. Judging from the strong aroma, they contained heavily spiced soups or stews. The last one to enter brought in a tall teapot made of clay and undecorated cups enough for everyone dining in the tent.

All of the food was placed on the carpet in front of Nadya. The roasted lamb rested on a bed of three large round dried leaves, its head facing me directly. It looked a bit creepy, with its eyes meeting mine, causing me to barely notice the various other dishes placed around it. As the carpet filled with food, the servers left the tent with hurried steps, as if not wanting to associate with us visitors. The last server left after preparing tea for each of us.

I gave my cup a sip. “Sweet. And delicious.”

Hilde nodded. “Very good.”

Did she have a sweet tooth? I took a mental note of that unexpected information.

With a smile, Nadya lowered her cup. “I’m glad you like it. We use dried fruits we barter from other caravans to flavor our tea.”

Thinking back, it seemed most of the decor didn’t have one common theme. The simple clay teapot and bread baskets clashed with the intricacy of the carpets, probably because they were bought from different communities with different traditions and aesthetics.

I looked side to side, taking in the extravagant spread. “You really didn’t have to prepare such a feast for us.”

“Oh, no.” She made a bitter smile. “This is the normal amount they serve me daily. Unfortunately, I don’t really have a say in it. Mala insists that the chief should eat like one. I’m glad I don’t have to force myself to eat too much today.”

Though always covered by layers of fabric, Nadya didn’t seem overweight in the least. Her slim face seemed to be on the unhealthy side, actually, with very faint wrinkles uncommon in younger women.

With practiced grace, Nadya picked up a knife and leaned towards the lamb. Then she grabbed the lamb’s balls and sliced them off in one fluid motion. Before I could blink, she split the balls apart and placed one of them on my plate. The other testicle went on her own dish.

“Eat up! It’s our tradition to give that part to the most important person in the room. I usually eat both of them, but as my valued guests, this is a good chance for you, the party leader, to try some of our cooking.”

I looked at the light brown egg-shaped hunk of meat on my plate. It was about the size of my fist and had reddish veins running all over it. Needless to say, I wasn’t looking forward to putting any of it in my mouth.

“This is reserved for the most important person, right? I really don’t think I should be the one to have it…”

“Then I’ll take it.” Hilde stabbed her own knife into the center of the ball and proceeded to scarf down huge bites.

On my other side, Nadya was happily chewing on a small bite of the lamb testicle. Sandwiched between two young women eating balls, I didn’t know whether to feel excited, disgusted, or emasculated.

The meal, which turned out to be the best one I’d had since leaving Arthas, ended with no notable incidents. I particularly liked the gora, a flightless bird with very large yet tender thighs, stewed with dried berries and spices. It went really well with the feathery bread and the fluffy herbed rice.

After bidding Nadya goodbye, we went back to our tent and rested our bodies. I reported everything I heard to Lyla and asked for her opinion.

“Smells fishy.” Lyla closed her eyes and went into deep thought.

“Must be Kari,” said Hilde. “I just took a bath last night.”

“That’s not what she meant.” I sighed. “And why is it always me? What about Felix?”

Lyla chuckled. “They do say people pick on the person they like.”

“T-They do say that. Yes.” I peeked at Hilde, who was lying in the corner of the tent, without turning my head.

Not realizing why I was fidgeting like a shy toddler, she looked at me and blinked several times, still keeping her stoic expression. It was my mistake to expect more of a reaction from the queen of density. Then she dropped a brick on me.

“I do like Kari.”

As a smile threatened to float on my face, she dropped another.

“As a companion.”

I sighed.

Whatever.

I didn’t care anymore.

Without answering her, I focused on Lyla again and crossed my arms. “The entire conflict with those three stooges is fishy. The people of this caravan are so cheerful, but the moment they see us, their attitudes completely change.”

Lyla opened her eyes and met my gaze. “Maybe that’s just because they’re afraid of strangers.”

“Then their sudden change in attitude inside Nadya’s tent wouldn’t make sense. Fear and disdain don’t vanish just like that.”

“...You think Nadya may have erased their negative feelings, just like she did to you.”

I nodded. “I don’t have proof. If I can confirm this, I’d be able to confront Nadya and ask her about her power. It may be related to mine. Even if it isn’t, I’d still like to know how such an amazing ability works. Just imagine how many people she could help.”

“You of all people know that great power always comes at a terrible price.”

I couldn’t utter a word of denial, seeing as the one warning me was an immortal head. Even excluding that, I had my fair share of problems due to my anima.

Lyla raised an eyebrow and curved her lips into an impatient frown. “So, how do you plan on getting proof?”

“I can gather information for you, Master,” said Felix.

“We don’t even know where to look. Even with your skills, moving around aimlessly will increase your chances of getting caught.”

He slumped his shoulders and hid half his face in his scarf. “That is true.”

“Any other ideas?” I asked, looking to everyone in the room but mostly relying on our most senior member.

“Just use the invisibility spell,” said Lyla. “And take me with you. I can do simple illusions if the need arises.”

“But I don’t have the emotion to channel for the spell.”

“Do I have to tell you everything?” She snorted in irritation.

“You mean I have to do that again? No way. My sister isn’t here, and messing with Hilde is out of the question.”

“Then use Felix.”

That option had not visited my mind at all. It was brilliant, but I tried my best not to show how impressed I was on my face. Lyla’s smug grin told me I failed.

Hearing his name, Felix perked up. “How can I be of service?”

“Nah, leave this one to me.” I crafted a mellow smile. “I don’t think we should depend on you too much just because you’re such an upstanding person.”

“U-Upstanding person?”

“I mean, you’ve been leading the way in our travels, procuring food and supplies, and assisting in battles. No matter how you look at it, those are good deeds.”

“B-But I did all that so I can learn the ways of evil from you...”

“Huh? I thought you were joking about that. I mean, you haven’t done anything evil at all.”

That was a lie. Due to my anima, I knew he was dead serious about his stupid dream of becoming a legendary thief and scoundrel. I could also sense the spike in his embarrassment, but he needed one more push to serve as fuel for my spell.

“But I attacked those knights!”

“Those knights who took my sister and Hilde hostage? You didn’t even kill any of them.”

“...I also took Miss Annie hostage.” His eyes swam around as beads of sweat trickled down his wrinkled brow. “And… and even helped defeat a small girl, even if she is a witch...”

“But that was for Annie’s own good. You knew that, which was why you cooperated. And Lyla is as evil as they come, so she deserved the beating.” Ignoring Lyla’s glare, I slammed the final nail into the coffin. “Gotta say, you were downright heroic when you faced off against the dragon alone. Face it, Felix.” I gave him a thumbs up and winked. “You’re one hell of a good guy.”

“Tarnation!!!” He grabbed his red hair and fell to his knees, realizing he had been acting contrary to his goal the entire journey.

I felt sorry for him, but his absurd approach to life was better off fixed anyway, not that I thought this incident would be enough to do that.

Channel.

Felix’s shame.

There wasn’t enough. I had to use another process to increase the intensity.

Amplify.

According to Lyla, the amplify process was unique to me. It was delicately intertwined with my ability to channel emotions. The problem was, amplify was very hard to control. The incidents when I burned the forest in Arthas and mutilated the giant lizard were proof of that.

Lyla had warned me that volatile emotions were the bane of battle. Intense emotions needed to be harnessed, and sudden amplification made that very difficult. For example, if I amplified wrath during combat, I would feel those emotions as well, clouding my judgment. That could lead to me taking rash actions, ending in my demise. It was a double-edged sword that had to be used wisely and sparingly. Now was such a time.

After determining I had reached enough emotional intensity to complete the spell, I squeezed out the words from my cheeks, which burned in shame. “Turn truth into lies. Away from prying eyes. Indispectus!”

In a blink of an eye, I vanished from everyone’s view, including mine. It was uncanny, really, making me doubt my own senses.

“Take me with you,” said Lyla. “I wanna take a look around the camp too.”

“You do know if I carry you around, you’ll look like a floating head and terrify anyone we encounter right?”

“Are you daft, boy? I will cast an illusion to hide myself, duh.”

“Ahh, my arms are tired. Maybe I should just kick you like a ball as we investigate the area…”

Lyla’s cute lips bent into a sharp pout. “Sorry for calling you daft. Please carry me, my dear student Kari.”

Satisfied with my abuse of power, I gently cradled her head, making sure her eyes faced forward. I waved goodbye to Hilde and Felix but felt silly after leaving the tent because I realized they couldn’t see me.

Lyla’s illusions targeted areas or people directly, so we had to move slowly to avoid running into people she didn’t manipulate beforehand. We went around the nearby tents, but most of them were empty. It was a little strange for so many people to be out at this time of night. As we went closer to the middle of camp, we noticed many people walking outside. Most of them seemed to be heading in the same direction.

“This is beyond suspicious,” whispered Lyla.

“That’s the direction to Nadya’s tent.”

“Since when did you fix your sense of direction?”

“I didn’t. There’s just a tall pillar with a flag visible from here. Maybe there’s an event or something?”

“That Nadya didn’t mention at all?”

“...That is strange. Normally, she’d tell us if something big is gonna happen within her caravan. Even if it’s just so we don’t get in the way.”

“Secrets are proof of a guilty conscience.”

“Not sure if that’s convincing or unbelievable coming from you.”

“Shut it.”

A surprised yelp came from behind us. I reflexively swung my head and saw a little boy, around seven years old, staring at us, or more specifically, at Lyla’s floating head.

Lyla clicked her tongue. “I didn’t notice.”

“M-M-Monster..!” The boy fell to the ground, like a puppet with its strings cut.

“H-He fainted in terror.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Talk about lucky.”

Lyla spat on the boy’s back.

“What the hell are you doing!?”

“The brat called this beauty a monster. He should be glad I didn’t burn away his eyes and tongue.”

“I bet you would’ve done it if you could…”

After losing her body, Lyla could no longer use her trademark heat blast. In fact, her vessel was too small to contain the fuel she needed for most magic, at least according to her.

Fortunately, no one had been alerted by the small incident. We continued following the crowd of people from the shadows until we reached the clearing in front of Nadya’s tent. I took cover behind a nearby rock and observed the situation. A long line of people extended from the tent’s front flaps and winded across the empty space like a long snake.

“Don’t talk. I’m using an illusion to speak directly to your mind. While I’d like to take a peek at what’s inside, I can’t fool so many people with my limited mana. You’ll have to go alone.”

I nodded and carefully laid Lyla on the ground, making sure to create a nest of her hair to act as a cushion for her gaping neck. While carefully avoiding the hordes of people outside, I snuck into the tent.

The sight that welcomed me was surprisingly normal.

Nadya was in her usual spot on top of the mound of colorful fabrics and pillows. Mala stood close to her side with a grumpy expression. A middle-aged couple was kneeling down in front of them with their fists together, the same pose the three stooges made during their apology. The main difference was the unending torrent of tears the couple shed.

Was it some kind of religious ritual?

Without warning, Nadya collapsed to the ground.

I almost instinctively ran towards her but caught myself. Even though I was invisible, the sound I made would alert the people inside the tent. Mala crouched down and helped Nadya up. However, a drastic change could be seen on her face. Deep creases on her brow and around her lips showed her intense suffering. A hushed sniffling escaped her gritted teeth as tears rolled down her cheeks, wetting her scarf. Even stranger, the middle-aged couple stopped crying and expressed their thanks with refreshed faces.

“It can’t be,” I unconsciously whispered, forgetting that it could’ve exposed me. Expanding the reach of my anima, I checked the emotions of both parties. Unsurprisingly, their expressions perfectly reflected their emotional state. I almost hurled upon feeling the intense sense of loss assaulting Nadya.

The peculiar scene repeated itself many times that night. Sometimes Nadya barely winced. Sometimes she clutched at her chest to endure the pain. I stopped checking after the first ten people, knowing I wouldn’t last.

This was why Nadya was crying behind a weeping willow.

This was why she carried suffering beyond what one lifetime could accumulate.

This… was wrong.

Completely wrong.

Forcing one person to bear the burden of a hundred.

That shouldn’t be allowed to continue.

I rushed out of the tent while biting my lip in indignation, not caring that my spectre left a few drops of blood on the crimson carpet.