The Holy Son of the Black God hiccupped as he finished his fifth bottle of booze, but other than that, there were absolutely no hints of any inebriation whatsoever. “Still, are we really going to send you there alone?”

Dia nibbled at the fried prawn and nodded. “That was what I was thinking, but to be honest, we can all just move together. Huddle around a nearby rock and have you use both skills, and after you’re done turning everyone into a trembling mess, the two of us would then swoop in and grab the carts.”

“Okay, but why aren’t we using that?”

“It’s a bit too suspicious, to be honest,” Dia replied, thinking of the many eyes that had been staring at them. “Three people walk out of the inn, and a few hours later, a mine has been robbed, with its workers scared. And it’s harder to move in a group than when alone.”

“But wouldn’t the problem still persist if you move alone and something happens afterwards?”

“Yes, but the crux of the matter lies in how my departure does not necessarily equate to an outbreak of mass hysteria in the lifestone mines,” Dia replied. “I can walk out every day and stay in the public eye while mass hysteria breaks out, thereby proving that I had absolutely nothing to do with it. However, if the three of us go out, it’ll be a bit obvious to anyone paying attention to how you’re using skills in conjunction.”

“In other words, we can’t all go out to create an alibi,” said Risti. “Is that what you’re trying to say?”

“Kinda, I guess.” Dia rolled onto the bed and yawned. “In fact, we can start making a few waves now. We create a few incidents and everything, and make sure that I’m apparently innocent while people go mad with fear.”

“Now?” Nero asked. “But I haven’t finished my drinks yet!”

“Fine, after you’re done. Tell me when you’re ready, so I can go and create an alibi for myself,” said Dia. “Risti, you come along too. I want there to be rumours of hysteria that aren’t linked to us. Something like ‘You travellers came at a bad time’.”

“Shouldn’t we then have hung around outside to conduct a few sessions first, then?” Risti asked.

“But we’ll be uncomfortable that way,” Dia replied. “Don’t worry, if we start now, it won’t affect us. As a rule of thumbs, the bad guys don’t strike until the day after their arrival.”

“We’re the bad guys now?”

“All in perspective, really,” Dia replied. “At least we aren’t throwing spears to seal the fates of those who have been totally frightened. We’re just exploiting this opening to steal lifestones.”

“We should also target the convoys that are carrying lifestones back to the barony or the county,” Nero suggested.

“True. Since it’s you who’s using the Black God’s Gaze, the skill affects all in your vision, rather than a single target,” Risti mused. “And a convoy is indeed smaller than an entire mine, plus you don’t need to see underground.”

“Exactly. You two can head out and then rob the convoy with ease, right? I think it’s a lot easier than trying to rob an entire mine too,” said Nero. “And attacking a convoy would mean that those lifestones have been sorted out for you two.”

Dia nodded. “I suppose it’s better than attacking a mine.”

“Besides,” added Nero, “if we need to cause an incident that would draw Count Daybreak, I can incapacitate every mine worker I see…if we keep this up for a few months and disable a mine every day, we should have fulfilled Count Nightfall’s request.”

“It’s quite the petty request, now that I think about it.” Risti folded her arms. “Harass Count Daybreak and his territory…you’d think he would ask us to assassinate that fellow for all he’s done, right?”

“Maybe he doesn’t want to flip the tables just yet,” Dia replied. “And besides, we’re doing all this to lure the count out of his palace, and enrich ourselves in the process. I’m sure a few good minutes of being frightened into subservience will count in Nightfall’s book as a perfect harassment.”

She cackled.

“…Did the stress get to her?” Nero asked.

“She has been spending her entire life as Princess Dia’s double. Do allow her some slack…a few bouts of villainous laughter here and there is fine, really.” Risti sighed. “Besides, didn’t you notice? She’s very keen about playing the bad guy.”

“Wait, really?”

“I am?”

Risti looked at Dia. “I think you’re using this chance to blow off some stress, right? Schwarz says that doing bad things generates a thrill of sorts, and clearly, the thought of simply doing all these things is enough to increase your excitement.”

Folding her arms, Dia pondered on Risti’s words for a moment. Sure, she was a bit proactive about discussing their plan — okay, quite proactive, but that was beside the point — but to equate that as subscribing to the thrill of being bad was a bit too presumptuous.

“You’re overanalysing my mentality,” Dia replied. “It’s just our first time carrying out something like this, so I’m understandably nervous. Even if we have Nero here, we’re trying to stir up trouble against a count — a tri-folder — and there are likely to be more of them sitting around.”

“Very possible, yes.” Nero clicked his teeth. “The gulf between a tri-folder and a tetra-folder is vast. It’s hard to put it in words, but you can consider it to be a true evolution away from regular human beings.”

“Everyone keeps saying that nowadays,” Risti muttered. “Like it’s going outta style or something. At any rate, though, there shouldn’t be a tetra-folder sitting around here. If there was one, Farah County would probably be swallowed up by now.”

Dia narrowed her eyes. “Well, for insurance’s sake, I suppose we should do something to impede the sudden appearance of tetra-folders from Daybreak County.”

“We’re already doing that…anyway, the two of us are going to listen to a few rumours,” said Risti. “You take this skillstrip and cause some mass panic here and there. It’ll be a daily routine for us from now on.”

“Alright.” Nero smiled. “It’ll be fun to try this out too. Debilitating everyone in a huge area of effect sounds really awesome, and it’s not something that would cause many problems either.”

“Wait. Can you lower the intensity of the fear?” Dia asked.

“Lower the intensity?” Nero grinned. “Right, you guys did find yourself on the receiving end before. How bad is it?”

Risti forced out a smile. “It was quite horrifying.”

“Yeah. We nearly died too. We were paralysed by fear and everything, and if I didn’t use a defensive artefact…”

Dia fell silent. It hadn’t seemed like much back then, but if the two of them had indeed died that night, they wouldn’t have caught the murderer this easily. The likelihood of someone discovering that it was the Third Bearer of Destiny would have fallen, and perhaps no one would have taken this many precautions against the enemy back then.

What would have happened next?

“Dia?” Risti poked her arm. “You looked distracted. Something wrong?”

“I was simply wondering what would have happened if we were killed back then,” Dia replied. “Somehow, I get the feeling that us stopping the murderer back then led to the Third’s death, one way or another.”

“And with it, the current situation?” Risti rubbed her nose. “While there’s really no point in revisiting the past, I suppose it’ll make for a good conversation topic while we’re building an alibi.”

She got up. “Let’s go down and talk about this fascinating alternate history while Nero does the hard work.”

“That makes me really sad, for some reason.”

“I’ll be sure to bring some booze when we’re done,” Risti added.

“And now I’m really happy, even though I could buy more bottles by myself easily,” Nero replied. “What’s with this odd state of fluctuating emotions? A lesser man than me could have died from this!”

“Stop this melodrama.” Risti yawned and rolled her eyes. “Now, if you please, we’re going off to make up a good alibi. We’ll bring a few bottles back for you, although you seem to prefer the idea of someone buying you drinks over drinking itself at times..."

“There’s value in the act, okay?” Nero got up. “I’ll be in my room. You two can come back in thirty minutes or so; I’ll be done by then.”

“Might stay out a bit longer to order some food and drinks for you,” Risti replied.

“Then I’m definitely going to work a bit harder.” Nero licked his lips. “I’m going to scare those miners into not working for the next few days!”

“Don’t overdo it…”