Everyone around was stunned; some were frightened by such brutality, while others wondered if they could possibly face that man. Silvyr, the captain, quickly signaled for the guards to collect the body, ending the combat.
"I will arrange for a new overseer for the servants. For now, I ask that you all rest and do not cause any more trouble. I'm off to a meeting with the commander." Light and Triss nodded in agreement, offering their apologies for the incident. The captain soon departed, leaving Light concerned as he turned to Triss.
"Where's Lara?" he asked.
"Other servants took her to tend to her wounds" Triss replied, her tone soft as she tried to convey calm. "She's safe now, but she'll need time to recover." Knowing where she was, Triss guided Light to an infirmary.
The environment was simple but functional, with beds arranged along the walls and medical tables in each corner. The air was filled with the scent of medicinal herbs and remedies, mixed with a faint touch of iron.
Lara lay on one of the beds, covered with a clean cloth, her wounds being tended to by a young healer working with dedication. Light approached the bed with a worried expression.
"How is she?" he asked the healer.
"She's fine; it's just a few superficial wounds. She'll soon be able to return to her duties" the healer responded.
Light briefly pondered these words. "No, she's injured, and there's no overseer. Let her rest for now. Inform her companions of this." The nurse thought about protesting but, with the memory of the brutal scene still fresh, she chose to agree silently and continued tending to the wounds.
The more severe injuries were treated with nature's mana, which had regenerative properties, while minor wounds were cared for with herbs and bandages.
'Even though her injuries are considered minor, she's being treated with both bandages and magic…' Light thought.
All this time, Lara remained quiet, her gaze lowered. Light smiled gently at her and asked, "Is something wrong, miss?" The people around them briefly paused, casting suspicious glances.
Still with her eyes downcast, she responded in a weak voice, "I've caused you more trouble…" Triss, standing beside Light, felt slightly stressed—what did she mean by "you"? Was it not both of them?
"Don't worry about that; it was just a…" Light paused, searching for the right word. "A very small incident…"
"As you know, I am a servant of the Angel of Justice; I couldn't allow such a thing to happen in front of me."
"Angel of Justice…" Again, the people around them glanced over, casting strange looks. Light, feeling their stares, quickly glared back, intimidating them.
"Yes, Azrael is also the Angel of Justice…" Lara seemed to recall various bits of information, a small smile forming on her face.
"It's a bit strange…"
"I was about to die when a messenger of the Angel of Death approached me, and now he treats me—a mere servant, worthless for anything—as if I were a lady." Light often tried to forget Azrael's other side; after all, the title "Angel of Justice" sounded much nobler than "Angel of Death," and it also brought back memories of the other prisoner who was with him.
"Tell me, Light" she said with a resolute look in her eyes. "Am I dead? Is this the afterlife?" He began to laugh, startling the fragile girl.
"Of course not!" The two continued to talk, and Lara shared part of her story.
Her parents had died very early due to disobeying absurd military orders. At the time, Lara was still a small child, and she was left an orphan, forced to live on the streets. Her relatives didn't want to associate with her, as she was the daughter of traitors.
She survived on scraps of food that people threw away, taking pleasure in the girl's suffering, but it was often not enough. To supplement her meager diet, Lara ventured out of the city in search of wild fruits and small animals, though these areas were scarce and fraught with danger.
As Lara grew older, her options for survival dwindled. The choice was brutal: prostitution or starvation. The former option presented itself far too early…
Remembering her parents' teachings, she resisted, resulting in numerous assaults against her. While she slept on the streets, guards approached her with a cruel proposal: join a deadly expedition or be killed on the spot…
The choice was obvious, and despite the constant mistreatment—both for her lineage and her status as a street dweller—she at least had proper food and had gained weight in recent months.
Light listened to all of this, holding back tears, but eventually, he couldn't resist anymore. He embraced the girl, vowing never to let her go through anything like that again. Even Triss was slightly moved.
When Lara finally felt better, they both stood up and went to a nearby river where they were fetching water, the area constantly monitored for the threat of sea monsters.
"You can't always be with me, can you?" Lara asked, her tone melancholic.
Light looked at her with a hint of sadness. The truth was, he couldn't. There were only three ways to protect her.
The first was to take her far away from that world. The staircase was comfortable, with no dangers beyond being spacious and modern. She could live comfortably in a luxurious hotel with a television, room service, and a hot bath.
The second option was to take her along with him as he traversed the various worlds in search of relics for Azrael. In such a situation, protecting her would be extremely challenging, especially since he couldn't even protect himself and had already died in the first world.
The third option… depended almost entirely on her. She could ascend and become an Initiate like the others of her kind. The problem, of course, was that mana didn't respect street dwellers or servants. So, the only way for her to grow strong and defend herself would be to become fallen.
She would have to deny the beliefs she had been taught, go against her people's teachings, and submit to the profane. For her, no ritual was necessary; she just needed to change her mindset and attempt to dominate by force the mana.
The third and second options had good synergy; perhaps he could consider both at the same time.
"Don't worry about it…" Light said, taking a deep breath. "For now, I can't take you with me—not like this. But if you want, I can teach you how to be strong, how to dominate over everything and everyone."
She looked at him, a bit shocked. His words implied something very serious. But she quickly composed herself, no longer wishing to suffer.
"Please, teach me how to dominate the world."