Shortly after Braith and Tasha left for Blake’s Bar, Flora left her room. Although she saw their carriage leave through her window, she still cautiously crept her way downstairs. She made her way down as stealthily as she could, and if a third party were to observe her, it would be like watching a child pretending they were in a spy movie. Which is to say, she was not moving particularly sneakily, she was just being quiet and slow.
Eventually, she reached the bottom floor, which, due to the staff and other people coming and going, would have made it impossible to escape the inn without being seen. However, that wasn’t her intent. She went through the front doors rather normally and looked around her. Yes, these were the same clean and lively streets she had seen before, but being alone did give it a different air to it. It was almost as if it were a bit chillier than usual, and her vision also seemed to be slightly obscured, as if a light fog was rolling in. However, she tightly shut her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, the cool breeze wisping across her cheeks felt a bit warmer and she could clearly see around her.
She then turned to begin heading in the direction of her destination, but before she took two steps away from the inn, the front doors opened and Pascal came striding outside. He immediately spotted Flora and called out to her.
“Miss Flora! Was there perhaps a change of plans? Mister Braith said he would only be traveling with Miss Tasha.” However, despite being caught so soon, this was of no concern to her. In truth, her attempt at leaving stealthily had nothing to do with fearing getting caught. She was just feeling nervous earlier, and subconsciously moved in that way to calm herself.
“Oh, um, no, it’s not like that. I actually wanted to go somewhere else,” Flora explained.
“Is that so? Where would you like to go? If it’s some distance away, I will summon another carriage.”
“No, it’s not that far away. Do you remember the training grounds you mentioned the other day? I just wanted to go there.” Pascal reflected for a second to remember the exact conversation. Then, he nodded.
“Yes, I recall.” Pascal then looked at Flora a bit closer. He had noticed her bow and quiver the first time they met, but he clearly didn’t think that meant she was some trained warrior. However, after the conversation he had with Braith earlier that day, he was starting to doubt whether his initial appraisals of the three of them were way off. “It won’t take long to walk there, but it would still be more convenient to take a carriage.”
The truth was that Pascal wanted them to go together because this could provide a valuable opportunity to obtain more information about these three travelers.
“Oh, no, that’s alright. I’m fine with going on foot. Um, it’s good exercise.” Flora did not refuse Pascal’s offer because she knew his true intentions, but merely not to impose upon him as she only understood the offer to be Pascal wanting to be polite and accommodating. Of course, Pascal could not know that, and assumed that he was refused because she was treating interactions with him with caution, as was clearly the case with Braith. However, Pascal quickly thought of something else.
“Oh, well, I can understand that. Then, let me walk with you. After all, although I did say you were free to use them, I still need to let them know.” This was true, but Pascal could have just as easily sent anyone else or even taken a carriage by himself.
“Oh, um, okay.” Pascal quietly smiled to himself. Flora, oblivious to Pascal’s hidden intentions, faced towards the direction of the training grounds owned by the Merchants’ Guild. Although, in this case, her obliviousness was not due to a completely trusting nature, but because she simply perceived Pascal as harmless. “Um, just so you know, I was planning to jog there,” she said after quickly turning around again.
“Oh, yes, of course. You did say you wanted the exercise. Let’s jog there, together.” Pascal had the build of a stereotypical office manager, but he figured he could at least keep pace with a fourteen year old well enough to still hold a conversation with her. He was wrong. Flora was very weak compared to either Braith or Tasha, but was much more fit than the average girl her age, having trained for years now. Even in her armour, and while carrying her equipment, Pascal could barely keep pace with her, with his own attire giving him no significant advantage either. Throughout the run, he was simply unable to catch his breath long enough to attempt a probing conversation.
After their short jog, they arrived at the training grounds owned by the Merchants’ Guild. As Pascal took a few moments to recover from his exhaustion, he saw Flora calmly catching her breath a few paces away. As Pascal continued to pant heavily as Flora paced around slowly, he felt a bit of admiration. It wasn’t admiration for their difference in fitness, as he would probably start feeling depressed if he thought on that for too long, but in how expertly she managed to avoid a conversation with him, or so he thought was Flora’s intent. Yes, Braith and his companions are clearly a secretive and professional bunch. They were clearly not some ordinary rogues or bandits, Pascal thought.
After fully recovering, Pascal led the way and let the staff know that Flora would be using the training grounds and that Braith and Tasha would also be allowed to use them. Now, despite what one would think, Tasha didn’t care much for the training grounds, because when Pascal had brought them up before, he mentioned they were exclusively for training use of weapons. They were not used for sparring or training guards how to fight in live combat. As such, although they were generally called training grounds, it was really just an enclosed field with training dummies and targets that could be placed at varying ranges.
Pascal briefly considered trying to stay longer to try and get information again, but although he was not a fighting man, he knew it was taboo for someone other than a mentor, student or practice partner to observe someone else’s training. Pascal took his leave, and to Flora’s surprise, she had the space all to herself.
Flora started by firing three arrows at each target at the archery range, hitting consecutive bull’s eyes. Clearly, Flora’s skills had not dulled in the least bit despite the lack of any training in the past month. However, she felt no great satisfaction at this realization. She sat down on the grass, alone, like she had done many times in the past back when she practiced at her grandfather’s cottage. She took out an arrow and started fiddling with it, vaguely recalling the time when Braith and Tasha promised to help her enter Eden.
That had been the one of the most significant moments in Flora’s life, and at the time, as nerve wracking as the premise was, a small part of her truly believed there was a chance that she- no, they were going to do something amazing. Well, something amazing did happen, but in the end, did anything really change for Flora?
Flora shook her head at her own thoughts. No, of course things have changed for her. Even though she did not fully become Gaia’s vessel, she still gained the magic of the Nature Clan Farseers. And it was no ordinary magic either. Despite her initial disappointment in not having the more common body enhancing magic or the rarer earth manipulation magic, she gained the very rare healing type of Nature Clan magic. Something that made her special and unique even when compared next to the powerhouses of Braith and Tasha.
Flora stopped fiddling with her arrow, and then reached for the small braid of hair that Braith tied for her that morning. The same kind of braid that he had been tying for her ever since he promised to when they were leaving Brennan. Flora took solace in how seriously Braith took his promises, and it was the reason she wasn’t that bothered by what Braith did to her in Ironshield. Even though there was no actual risk to her life, she fought as if her very life was at stake during Braith’s test in the alleyway. Most people would have been very upset about being tested in such a manner, and not unreasonably so, either. However, Flora, ended up rationalizing to herself that such a trial was necessary, and truly ended up feeling a mix of relief and gratitude. She consistently felt inferior to Braith and Tasha, and she reasoned to herself that such a trial was necessary to prove her worth.
Her spirits were actually lifted quite a bit after somehow overcoming that test, and though she still felt inferior to them, she also felt much more deserving of being treated like a true companion. That was, however, until the morning they left the capital.
******************************************************************************************************************************
It was early in the morning in Ironshield’s palace. Dawn was at least an hour away, and naturally, except for guards on the night shift, almost everyone was asleep. Flora was soundly sleeping in her guestroom when a shadowy figure silently stopped outside the door to her room. At first, the figure just stood there for a moment, completely motionless. In the dead silence, Flora continued to sleep.
But then, Flora suddenly awoke. The figure outside made no movements, and neither it nor anything else made any noises to disturb her slumber. However, Flora had her eyes wide open, panic in her face. She tried to focus on her surroundings, but couldn’t make out anything in the darkness. Multiple thoughts raced through her mind as she quickly considered what she needed to do. This was bad, very bad, she thought. There was something dangerous nearby, possibly very close by. However, just as quickly as the sudden sense of danger came, it went away just as quickly. This was unlike the other times when she had sensed something was wrong. She had accurately warned Braith and Tasha of some impending threat before, and that ongoing sense of danger had always lingered up until the point it came face to face with them. But, this time, it just disappeared.
As Flora continued to lie in bed, still trying to come to terms with whether or not what she sensed was real or not, she heard a knock on her door. Flora unconsciously swallowed. She lay still, waiting for any other cue to come. Another knock came, and this time, there was a voice.
“Miss Flora, if you are currently awake, would you mind please coming to the door?” It was a slightly muffled voice that seemed to belong to a young man. Flora recognized that voice as belonging to Sir Decius, and that realization did little to make her feel reassured. On the surface, he seemed quite friendly, and Flora knew it was wrong to judge someone on the way they dressed or what their occupation was, but she just felt there was something different about him. Even his voice seemed a bit uncanny to her. However, after getting over her trepidation, she responded nonetheless.
“Sir Decius? Um, just a moment, please.” Flora pushed her blanket off and sat up on the bed. Her eyes were more accustomed to the darkness now, and she could now see the candle on its saucer on the table by her bed. She struck a match, lit the handle, and then carried it with her over to the door. When she opened her door a crack, she was surprised to see that Sir Decius did not have his own lightsource. In fact, he was quite hard to make out, as he was dressed in his usual black-dyed armour, black cloak and black cowl.
“Oh, I think you could have taken a bit more time to get ready,” Sir Decius commented, his eyes showing some slight bemusement at Flora, who was only wearing pajamas, which Leonora had personally provided to her. Flora read his line of sight, and clumsily moved behind her door in embarrassment. Or, at least, she felt that there must be some embarrassment mixed somewhere in her nervousness and apprehension. Following through with norms, Flora asked for some time to change and Decius obliged. She put on some robes to cover herself and then invited Decius into her room. Well, that last part wasn’t exactly within social norms, but Flora was not experienced in most manners of etiquette.
Decius closed the door behind him and then took a seat at the small table in her room. Flora sat opposite him and then set the candle down on the table. It was only after taking a seat, that Flora had finally started realizing just how strange and potentially dangerous of a situation this was. However, Decius spoke before she could do anything else.
“Did my knocking wake you up?”
“Um, no, it didn’t…I was already awake.” Decius smiled at Flora with his eyes.
“Is that so? Nevertheless, I apologize for disturbing you at this time. However, as you are to leave today, I feared that this may be the last time we meet for quite some time.”
“Um, I see.” It was rare for Flora, but she felt it might not be the worst thing if this truly was the last time they met. “So, what is it that you want to say…or do?” Flora’s nervousness was starting to mount again.
“Oh, miss Flora, I assure you, it’s not something that you should be feeling so concerned about.” Flora did not immediately believe his words. “You see, I just wanted to present you with a gift before you leave.”
“A gift?” Flora asked. Nothing in Decius’ eyes gave away any hint of what he meant by that.
“Yes, consider it an early birthday present.” Flora froze up. Decius’ eyes just smiled at her. Flora seemed to be trying to concentrate on something, and eventually, her stiffness faded away, apparently being content with whatever results she obtained.
“I appreciate it, but, um, I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“Well, of course, I am not doing it out of necessity,” Decius began, his tone much lighter now, “Please also think of it as a token of friendship.” Flora was clearly confused by Decius’ reasoning. “I’m quite fond of you, and I would very much like to meet you and Sir Braith again.” Flora tried to make sense of the following words, but when she couldn’t come to a definite conclusion, she decided to be a bit more blunt with her words than usual.
“I’m sorry, I don’t really know what you mean. Um…I guess I could see why you would be fond of Mr. Braith, but…we’ve only spoken with each other once before.”
“That is true. And, I would like to apologize again for my squire’s rudeness. If it helps, you could also consider the gift as compensation for that as well. Oh, actually, maybe I could even give you something extra on top of that.”
“Oh, no, no, please don’t do that,” Flora waved her hands defensively, now completely caught up in Decius’ pace. “If you have to give me something, just whatever you had in mind is enough. Ah, but, maybe it would be better if you gave it to Mr. Braith, instead? You, um…I think you’re more interested in him, after all.”
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“No, miss Flora. This particular gift is meant for you, and you alone. Although, since it is to be yours, I wouldn’t mind if you would like to give it to one of your companions, instead. Although, I wouldn’t recommend it.” Flora waited for Decius to elaborate, but he said nothing.
The candle’s flame suddenly flickered in such a way that the scythe on his back casted just a slightly more prominent shadow, which briefly distracted Flora from watching Decius’ eyes. In that instant, Decius’ arm was outstretched over the table, holding a dagger pointed directly at Flora. Despite the swiftness of his movement, the candle’s flame hardly flickered at all. Flora, still processing the situation, noted an egg-shaped brand at the base of the dagger, indicating it was a masterwork human weapon.
“...Sir Decius?” Flora finally asked with great hesitation, seemingly realizing the apparent danger she was in.
“My gift to you, miss Flora,” Decius said calmly. He pulled back his arm and took out a small sheath for the dagger with his other hand. After sheathing it, he presented the dagger to her with both of his hands.
“Um… thank you, Sir Decius, but I don’t need it. I… can see it must be very valuable, and I don’t think I deserve such a gift from you.” Decius remained motionless, the dagger still presented to her in his outstretched hands. After a moment, Decius set the sheathed dagger down on the table, and left one hand on top of it.
“Miss Flora, a good archer would also have an offhand weapon.” Decius slid the sheathed dagger across the table. “If you need another reason…I think Sir Braith would also like it if you had more means to protect yourself.” Flora found herself agreeing with Decius’ last point, but she also thought it a bit strange that he would bring that up. Although, maybe this was Decius’ angle this whole time. As Flora pondered on her response, she thought she saw Decius smiling at her underneath his mask.
“W- were you watching us?” Flora asked hesitantly, heavily questioning Decius’ supposed gesture of good will.
“Let’s just say I am aware of certain things.” Decius then let out a strange laugh. “Certain things that are worth remembering for a lot of reasons. And not just because it’s not the sort of thing you’d expect to happen in an alleyway.” Decius’ words eliminated any doubt about whether he was only making guesses. For the first time, Decius thought Flora actually seemed upset. Her expression was somewhat scrunched up, and she put her hand down on the dagger that he slid over. It wasn’t quite a slam, but it was very different from the way she would gently handle most things. She slid the dagger back over towards Decius.
“I’ve heard enough, Sir Decius. I think you should leave now…please.” Decius let out another strange laugh.
“Now, that’s funny. Is that you actually being angry? Well, not much to see, but at least I know it’s possible for you now.” Decius’ eyes smiled at her, clearly showing no intention to get up from his seat. Flora stared at him, but it still fell short of a full-on glare.
“Please leave, Sir Decius.” Flora probably meant it as a demand, but her tone still made it sound more like a request. Decius was bemused with the situation. Based on what he had observed so far, this was definitely outside the normal range of her reactions. Decius quickly went over the multitude of reasons for it, and settled on the one that would be most likely to provoke a greater reaction from her, regardless if it was true.
“So, I take it that I’m not the sort who’s worth keeping up appearances with?” Unexpectedly for Decius, any vigour shown in Flora’s face immediately disappeared. Now, it was replaced with a sullen look.
“Um…I’m sorry. I’m, um…I’m sure you were only doing your job. I think I misunderstood you there. Please, just take back your gift.” Flora picked up the sheathed dagger and presented it back to Decius in both hands like he did earlier. Through his extensive experience in reading expressions, Decius believed she was being genuinely apologetic. This amused him even further.
“Oh, no worries at all!” Decius responded cheerfully, which was still quite off putting. He pushed Tasha’s hands away from him. “Truth be told, I do think I may have gone a bit too far with my provocations as well.” Flora, perhaps back to her usual self, seemed to take his words at face value. She set the dagger back down on the table. “Perhaps, like our mutual friend, Sir Braith, I wanted to test you as well. After all, I never thought I would have the opportunity to meet with Sir Hiram’s only granddaughter.” Decius’ reveal was so shocking, that the comment about Braith was completely missed by Flora.
“H- how…um…I mean, did someone tell you?” The constant surprises so far were starting to take a toll on Flora’s mentality, and her heart rate was spiking along with her rising nervousness.
“Well, I’ve obviously received the news from someone,” Decius responded, his tone still uncomfortably cherry. “Anyways, that’s not important. What is important is your confirmation. To be honest, there was still a tiny part of me that was not sure about that. After all, if that were true…well, that just makes Sir Braith and his daughter even more interesting.”
“Um, you- uh, do you know if he’s okay?!” Flora’s question, which was almost akin to an outburst, surprised Decius again. Who told you? Who else knows? Why are you bringing this up to me now? Those were the sort of questions he expected. Is this girl really not putting on a facade? To ask me a question like that in this kind of situation, does she really care that much more about others than herself?
“...I don’t know what you mean,” Decius responded after an unusual pause. “I take it that something has happened to him that prompted you to travel with the others. Something very different than your desire for adventure and travel.” Flora’s pleading eyes just stared at him in confusion. “My information only confirmed, well, led to the confirmation of your identity. I was going to personally ask for the reasons for it from you myself, but I suppose that would be inappropriate now.” Decius actually sounded suddenly empathetic, but those who knew him well would question if it was just his usual quick acting.
“Oh…” Flora looked down, and slowly and clumsily slumped into her chair. As Braith had already figured out before when they were out in the city, this was something that had been on her mind, but she had bottled up her feelings on the matter so as not to cause any troubles or worries for anyone else. But, Leonora’s talk, Braith’s test, and Decius’ provocations finally unsealed them, at least for a moment. Flora put her hands into her face, futilely attempting to hide her vulnerability, and Decius just sat there, possibly in respectful silence. However, eventually, either out of impatience or as an attempt of reassurance, Decius spoke up.
“I can tell you that out of the information I have received, there wasn't any news about any problems concerning him. Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any problems, since information gathering takes time. Although, given when you departed, that may at least indicate that there is nothing significant to report, at least as far as the Nature Clan is concerned.” Flora perked up slightly, and rubbed her eyes a bit before straightening up in her seat.
“I see…um, yeah, I guess no news is better than bad news… thanks.” Flora gave Decius a small awkward smile, showing some appreciation for what she believed was a genuine attempt to comfort her. “Oh,” Flora’s eyes suddenly had more clarity, “um, please don’t tell Mr. Braith or Tasha about this.”
“About what, exactly?” Decius was confused again, which both annoyed and amused him.
“That… um, that I’m still really worried about him… and um, yeah. I don’t want to burden them with anything.” Decius took a moment to confirm for himself that Flora was being genuine.
“Ah, that’s alright. We all have feelings we want to keep to ourselves.” Flora nodded appreciatively. “For a second, I was actually doubting if you were talking about your grandfather’s identity. Sir Hiram would have told them who he was if he was going to entrust you with them, and as skilled as sir Braith is, there’s no way he could defeat or successfully deceive the Fae Knight and kidnap you or something like that.”
“Oh, no, I definitely wasn’t taken away! Grandpa was the one who wanted me to escape with them,” Flora answered in a hurry, disregarding everything else Decius said.
“Escape?” Decius asked. Flora hesitated. Flora didn’t know how much Decius knew, but it seemed like he wasn’t aware of any of the details of what happened in the Nature Clan.
“Um… it’s nothing. Please forget I said that.” Flora’s puppy-like eyes shone clearly even in the dimly lit room. Decius knew that there was probably some very juicy information if he continued to prod, and if he really wanted to know…
“Alright.” Decius reined in his own desires, perhaps feeling sorry for this young girl. Or, more realistically, he did so after calculating the potential costs and benefits. “I won’t ask you anything else about that.” Flora let out a sigh of relief from Decius’ reassurance.
“Thank you, Sir Decius.” Flora opened up her mouth again, seeming to want to continue, but then she closed it again, perhaps thinking better of what to say.
“Was there something you wanted to say to me? Or ask me?”
“Um, no, nothing.”
“Are you sure? There are some limits to what I can share with you, but I can assure you that I have access to quite a lot of information. I can’t search up anything for you before you leave, but you can ask me about anything else.” Flora shook her head. Decius pretended to look disappointed. Then, he picked up the dagger. “You could even ask me to show you the proper way to handle this.” Flora’s immediate thought was to protest again, but she stopped herself. Flora slowly reached for the dagger, but then suddenly stopped again.
“Um… are you sure you still want to give this to me?”
“Of course. If you were worried about me giving this up, know that I have spares.” Flora remained still. “Do you question whether you can use it well?” Flora didn’t respond nor move. Decius unsheathed the dagger and held it in one hand, showing the way he gripped clearly next to the candle. Then, he quickly cut through the candle. The top half separated from the bottom, but he nimbly put the dagger underneath the top half, holding it steady, the flame only slightly flickering. He then lined up the separated halves with the dagger still holding up the top half, and suddenly withdrew the dagger, resulting in the two halves cleanly stacked on top of each other again. He then smoothly rotated the dagger around in his hand in various ways. Then, he dropped the sheath, and showed the different grips with his other hand.
Decius quietly smirked to himself, noticing that Flora was paying close attention, her eyes almost mesmerized with his display. Then, he held the dagger in a reverse grip, and quickly stabbed into the table, or at least it would have if he did not stop the very instant the tip of the dagger made contact with the wood, not even leaving a scratch on the table’s surface. Then, he threw the dagger straight up in the air, but very lightly so. He caught it midair with this other hand, and repeated the motion, almost as if he were juggling it. Then, after catching the dagger repeatedly in different ways, he did the same thrust that he did before, but much slower now so that Flora could see it. Finally, he retracted his arm, and made a slight wind up motion. He followed through with his motion, as if he were going to throw the dagger, and then repeated it with his other arm.
“It might take you a bit longer to learn how to throw it.” Decius said while sheathing the dagger again. He had intended that to be a joke since despite his performance, he didn’t think it was possible to master his moves just from watching. He just wanted her to have more confidence in the weapon. “But, it will at least be easier than learning to use a scythe, and the threat alone is sometimes sufficient.” Once more, Decius presented the dagger to Flora. After another moment of hesitation, Flora took the dagger from him.
“Thanks… um, I’ll practice with it when I’m alone.” Decius took that to mean that he should keep quiet about this exchange. He was planning to do so anyways, so that wasn’t an issue. What Flora really meant by it, though, was that she didn’t want Braith or Flora to see her practicing and constantly failing.
“Good. I hope it serves you well in the future. You might need it if you ever run into some troublesome folks again.”
“Well… yeah. Um, not that I think I will end up making a huge difference or anything,” Flora spoke up as if she had to suddenly retract an insulting statement. “Mr. Braith and Tasha will still definitely be the heroes.” There was such a thing as being too humble, and Decius thought that Flora had passed that point a mile ago. However, he also thought there was no point in putting any time into arguing with her.
“Well, there are many useful ways to help. I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
“Yes, I need to stay out of their way, support them when I can, and make sure I’m not a burden when we’re attacked.” Decius didn’t think Flora really understood what he meant, but he decided to just let it go. Besides, he needed to leave soon, anyways.
“Well, just always remember to pay attention to your surroundings.” Decius was just about ready to leave now after giving this generic piece of advice, but stopped just as he got up from his seat and was about to turn around. “Oh, I really should give you something a little extra. I did promise to, after all.”
“Oh, that’s alright, Sir Decius. This dagger is already plenty.”
“No, that’s a birthday present for my little friend. I also need to make things right on my squire’s account.”
“It’s fine, Sir Decius. You were both only doing your job.” Flora got up from her seat as well and was now right next to him, gesturing that it was okay for him to just leave now. Suddenly, Decius leaned in close, his face now right next to the left side of Flora’s face.
“Now, please don’t refuse me again, miss Flora,” Decius said, his voice the same as it was at the beginning now. “How about some information? If you can’t think of what to ask, that’s fine. I can tell you something that may be very relevant to you and Sir Braith.”
“Huh? Oh, um, th- then you should tell it to Mr. Braith,” Flora stammered out as she moved away from Decius. Decius grabbed her by the arm and leaned in close again.
“Oh, I wouldn’t mind telling him if he asked, but I don’t think he will. Nor do I think he will care to want to know.” Flora tried to pull away, but Decius held firm.
“Th- then, I don’t need to hear it either.”
“It’s about Ragnarok. The assailants that attacked the palace.” Flora stopped struggling. Without moving her head, she glanced at Decius. Decius let go of Flora’s arm, and now stood a slightly more comfortable distance away from her.
“You can tell Sir Braith later if you want, but try to keep this a secret. It’s not the sort of information we want flying around since it also concerns affairs in the palace.” Upon hearing those words, Flora was about to protest again, but then Decius suddenly covered up her mouth with one hand. However, he did not do so in an overtly aggressive way. If Flora really wanted to, she could have pulled away. She did not do so, and just stared at Decius. “We don’t know what their motivation was, but we know they are extremely committed to whatever their cause or goals are. The Harbingers were meant to interrogate them, but by the time we arrived, they were all already dead. We investigated the bodies and found out that almost all of them died from poison. Specifically, it was a poison made using black mountain lilies, also known as Warrior’s Resolve. It has the effect of greatly reducing one’s sense of pain and fear, as well stimulating the body to reduce the feeling of exhaustion. However, it becomes fatal if it is not treated with an antidote in a timely manner, depending on its purity. It was something that was sometimes used in the past when warriors were prepared to fight to the very last man with no thought of retreat. However, its production has been banned in every nation for a long time now because it was also used to force slaves and prisoners to fight.” Flora’s eyes widened before speaking muffled words into Decius’ hand. Decius pulled his hand back.
“Uh, um, does that mean that they attacked the palace because they were forced to?” Flora asked, a bit out of breath.
“Unlikely. At least one of them would have said something to that effect if that were the case, but none of the guards heard anything like that from them while they were imprisoned. Anyways, there’s something else important about that. Warrior’s Resolve kills you faster if the purity is higher, although it would come with the benefit of slightly increased fighting performance. We had our apothecary look into it, and he determined it was very high purity, to the point in which it would kill you after a single day. However, creating a large quantity of such high purity Warrior’s Resolve means they have a very highly skilled apothecary, or maybe even an alchemist. They also most likely have a laboratory since even an alchemist could not feasibly produce such a large quantity using only basic tools. Well, not unless they had at least a dozen of them working year-round.”
“Wait, you keep saying there was so much poison. How many assassins were there?”
“Including their apparent leader, Tarras the Mountain Cleaver, a total of forty-seven armed assailants infiltrated the palace. Forty-four of them were captured, and all forty-four of them are now dead.” Flora was stunned by that revelation. Only seven people had initially entered the dining room they were in. “Also, do call them assailants, or some other word instead of assassin. Assassins wouldn’t have so heavily relied on brute force like they did, and if they were trained assassins, they would have killed themselves using a much faster-acting poison, instead of Warrior’s Resolve.”
“Oh, um, okay…”
“Ah, but I suppose at least someone had a good idea since they were able to infiltrate the palace guards. Ah, and to be clear, I tell you all of this so that, if nothing else, you are aware of how determined and dangerous these people may be. After all, their leader, as well as two others, managed to escape the capital before we arrived. It’s not a certainty, but Sir Braith may be a potential target in the future.” Flora looked positively horrified.
“Th- then, we have to tell Mr. Braith about this right away!” Decius kept his expression still, but it almost felt like he cocked an eyebrow at her.
“I believe Sir Braith, more than anyone else, is aware of the kind of person he fought against and the risk of encountering them again.” Based on his first meeting with Braith, Decius assumed that Braith would have clearly considered this already and made at least some preparations, even if he didn’t care to know all the details about what happened in the palace.
“Oh, um… oh, of course,” Flora responded, his tone clearly showing that she also thought it was dumb thought. Braith put his life on the line fighting against Tarras, so of course he would think about him. Also, given that he got in their way, if not outright retaliation, he would at least be noticed by them. This is what both Decius and Flora confidently believed. “Yes, of course Braith knows to be careful. Yes, I see…” Flora clutched at the dagger tightly. “I see why you really came here now. I’m the weakest of the group, so, of course, I’m the one who needs to work the hardest as we continue to travel together.” Decius gave a slight nod, as if that actually was his main motivation. “Thank you again, Sir Decius! I will do my best!” Flora opened and closed her mouth again, considering whether or not to continue speaking.
“Yes?” Decius asked, when she still said nothing more. Flora thought for a moment before making her decision.
“I don’t want to speak badly about others, but, um, I think they were just mistaken. Um, P- I mean, people have been saying some… things about you and the Harbingers, but, I can see that you are a good person, Sir Decius.” Flora gave a little bow. “I’m sorry that I was also thinking less of you until now.” Flora couldn’t see it while bowing, but there was a slight twitch from Decius. When Flora raised her head again, Decius laughed.
“Oh, miss Flora,” he began with putting his arms on Flora’s shoulders, “You really shouldn’t say such things. You might end up causing some serious misunderstandings.” Flora just looked back at him without saying anything. “But, I guess that’s okay, you should be able to get away with it.” Decius patted her on the head, and Flora, confused by the sudden act, did not respond. Decius then quickly glanced behind him towards the closed door. “Hmmm, unfortunately, I’ll be needing to leave now.” Decius turned around and strode towards the door. “Hopefully I shall be seeing you again, my little friend. Oh, and when you see your grandfather again, please don’t let him know about today.” Decius gave one last laugh. “Or, at least make sure to put in a good word for me first.” Then, he finally left.
After Decius left, Flora put away the dagger and then looked between the curtains to her window. It was still the middle of the night, and she finally felt exhausted. The strange meeting kept her awake, but now that it was just her, she could barely keep her eyes open. She tiredly went over to lock her dock and then returned to her bed after taking off her robe and setting the candle saucer back onto her bedside table. She blew out the flame and then lay in bed and thought about what she would do in the future. Yes, there will be a lot of work to do. She now felt like the confidence she had felt after Braith’s test was overblown now, and the reality was that there was actually a lot more that needed to be done before she could be a true companion to him and Tasha. However, she only felt it right that she needed to put in even more work and effort than before. Of course that needed to be so. How could a lowly girl like her…who only…
Flora fell asleep amidst her incomplete thoughts.
