Chapter 60 - The Lost Shiva (1)

Archie went out of the stronghold. Noticing the glaring sun, he covered his eyes only to see a sad little figure near the stairs. He could recognize the little black cat-ears the little girl had.

“Kioko, what are you doing here?” asked Archie.

Kioko turned to him. “Big brother, did Brother Joshua go to heaven too?”

“No he didn’t,” said Archie, kneeling on one knee. “He just went away with someone.”

“But he didn’t say goodbye to Kioko. Does Big Brother Joshua hate Kioko?”

“How could he?” Archie said softly. “He just had to leave in a hurry. So he didn’t have time to say goodbye. Do you miss him?”

She nodded her little head. “When Big Sister isn’t there. Big Brother would play with me. He would also bake me delicious bread. I miss him.”

Archie opened his mouth. He tried finding something to say but he closed his mouth instead. He just sat near the stairs and stared at the sky. “If he ever comes back here, I’ll tell you.”

“When will he come back?”

“I don’t know.”

She frowned deeply. She hugged her knees as she looked at the distant space. Archie wanted to say something to cheer her up. But he could hear someone approaching. Seeing the person, he stood up. “You should take care of your little sister. She’s quite sad.”

“I see.” Leiko nodded her head. She patted Kioko’s head and took her back to the stronghold. Archie watched her go. She didn’t say anything nor Archie wanted to speak to Leiko. He was already aware that no matter what he says. He could never agree with her. She was right. But Archie finds her ‘right’ rather heartbreaking.

But what can he do? He already tried and that got him having a bad relationship with her. She hates humans. And him being righteous made her dislike him.

Really, what a mess, Archie thought. He walked down the stairs. He then went to where the Templar’s called him and went there. Along the way, he met soldiers, peddlers, and civilians who have already known him. Archie didn’t like the attention but what he did during the siege made him famous.

So he had to greet a lot of people. After walking through various streets, cutting to alleys, he arrived in the blue-district where the Templar’s have begun operating. With the permission of the Warlord of the City, they have constructed their own base here.

They surrounded the base with their own. Archie could see the Templars fanatically training. Each time he comes here he would see them training obsessively. There was a trainer that was leading them. He wore robes and armor, while completely being armed to the teeth.

He didn’t have time to admire them so he went to where he was supposed to go. It was a repaired building and inside the building was the Justicar of the Thorn Cross Legion. He sat on a wooden chair, facing piles of documents that sat up a big table.

The Justicar noticed Archie’s presence. He laid his pen down and stared at him with bland eyes. “So you’ve finally come?”

“Yes, you needed me?” said Archie, folding his arms.

“Maybe, I’ve called you here for a favor.”

“A favor?” said Archie.

“Yes, a favor. You see, we cannot trust the Lord Enforcer of this town. We have met on many battlefields, either as allies or foe. So how could we ever have a healthy relationship with Shig of the Red Garb? Who is a Cornus?”

“And so you call a simple Captain?”

“A simple captain?” the Justicar chuckled. “You are quite humble aren’t you?”

“But that’s the truth.”

“Yes indeed, maybe you are just a Captain. But you are the Captain who fell down that giant warship. You fought alongside the lady named Cassia and are Heroes of this City. That is an impressive feat.”

“So?” Archie lent back. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to come with us on a mission.”

“I am not joining the Templars,” said Archie.

“Join? You misunderstand. We do not let anyone join our order that easily. You are not a citizen of the Holy Midland, and thus you have no place in our order unless you want to move to the Holy Midland and become its citizen. You see, we only want your help. You are a good soldier and those runes of yours can help us.”

Archie frowned. “Are you after them?”

“Oh please, don’t make that face. We are not after your runes. We, the Thorn Cross only need our faith and zeal. We shall not blaspheme our God with such heresy. It should be destroyed.” The Justicar glared coldly.

Archie took a step back. The Justicar then said. “But do not worry we shall not confiscate those runes of yours. They have been very helpful to you and like I’ve said. We need your help.”

Archie could not understand. “Why would you need the help of someone like me? You have an army of Templars and four-legged dragons. What could I do that you Templars couldn’t do?”

“A lot, you see, the Warlord doesn’t trust us. That is understandable, and we need someone to accompany and observe us in this mission. You see, we could not bring the Lord Enforcer of the City. And we the Templar’s could not possibly accept someone that belongs to the Werecat tribe. My men would lynch her at the spot. So having no choice, we’ve decided to pick you, the Hero of Avilla to come with us in good faith with the Warlord.”

Archie’s brows narrowed even further. “I don’t understand why you would need me. Exactly what is this mission that you are referring to?”

The Justicar stood up. “Do you really believe that the Bali and the Cagan forces would spend such large amount of resources and risk them all just for a single city? They didn’t come here just for the City. They’ve come here looking for something that could change the tides of war. And that something has been found recently.”

The Justicar produced a map and laid it out on the table. Archie looked at the map and saw that there was a location marked. “What you see right now is the location of the ruins of those beyond us. The place where the Bali and Cagan forces wanted to have, and we finally found it.”