"Can you take your hand off me, Elisabeth?" asked annoyed Laudis.
"Ahh, how did you know it was me?" she replied with disappointment.
"Your hands are slightly rougher than typical women's. You should consider buying gloves or some kind of cream."
"Hey, you shouldn't say mean things to a girl, you know?"
"By the way why are you here, are you lost?"
"NO! I'm here to collect the books ordered by king. Also you could at least say goodbye to me in person..."
"You are the only friend I have..." she whispered.
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
"Who is that young lady you are talking to, kid?" said Dantenium, carrying bags filled with food.
"Hm? You bought something for yourself? Let me see..." the man continued.
"No, don't look. It's nothing importan—" the youth replied, trying to take his bag away.
"Three liters, three liters of damn booze... And you wanted to drink it all by yourself?! I knew you were a bit off, but you're freaking crazy!"
"It's not for drinking, old man. I need to use it against the vampires."
"You want to drink alcohol with them? They don't tolerate it, you know? I don't understand, you've said you know basic things about them."
"I need to burn them! Not drink with them! Can't you use your brain for once?"
The librarian looked at them with curiosity. She very rarely left the library, so that kind of scene was unusual for her.
"And you are?" wondered Elisabeth, looking at the crimson-haired male. He was holding two bottles of liquor and jumping around the youth.
"Oh yes, I apologize for my ignorance. Would you mind sharing your name?" he responded, kissing her right hand.
"E—Elisabeth..." the woman murmured, blushing slightly.
"Don't let his appearance fool you. He is frequent client of brothels," the boy whispered to her.
"Ahh, so disappointing..."
"Don't listen to him, it doesn't matter what he said. We can still get to know each othe—"
"Can you leave her alone, you bastard?" the hooded man asked with grumbling voice.
"That voice... Haven't I met you?" the kid wondered, looking at the masked figure.
"Laudis? It's me, Leon Becker!" he shook his hand vigorously, taking off his hood.
"Why do you wear it?"
"I hate the sun. I prefer quiet and dark spaces. Besides you are Dantenium, right? Do you remember me? I was the previous applicant, though I didn't complete the third trial. On the other hand I see he actually done it, nice work."
"Leon Becker... Yes, you were pretty promising. Sadly your confidence ate you up," the Crusader replied, remembering him.
"Who did he pick?" asked surprised Laudis.
"Udania, of course she completely obliterated him. If only he picked someone else... After all he was a heavy weight boxing Champion of Luxaria. He just couldn't get close to her and in no time she completely exhausted him."
"Mhm..."
"What about you, who did you choose?" the cook wondered.
"The old hag besides me. He had resorted to use a spell, so I wouldn't cut his head off."
The librarian and the boxer went silent. They thought he was joking. After all, how could he force the Warrior of Hades to use magic.
"He isn't lying... Nonetheless, we should get going. I've met with Gladius and he instructed me to gather up at twelve. It was nice seeing you, but we have to leave you. Bye," the man said, dragging the youth with him.
Both of them walked through the market during its peak hours. Of course Dantenium didn't care for anyone, so he pushed everyone aside. Laudis was following him, giving him clear path. The smell of freshly baked bread coming from the nearby stand caught their attention. Yet despite it, they didn't bother to slow down. After a short while they arrived at the scene. Solisia and Udania were already dressed in the typical Carolan outfit. It consisted of a long, white robe and a head covering in the same colour.
"You at least bought the right colour," said Laudis, looking at them.
"What do you mean by right colour?" asked disoriented Solisia.
"Actually the salesman asked us if we were married. I thought he was trying to hit on us, but it makes sense. He gave us white clothes instead of light blue," replied Udania.
"Carolans are known to emphisise their traditions. A shadow of the past. Precisely a shadow of their greatness and religion. Today, there isn't any major congregation, only small gatherings of foreigners. Immigrants from Luxaris recently opened a temple of Believers of Olympus. Nothing big, just a small chapel in the capital between houses. But before the revolution, that changed the political system from monarchy to democracy it actually had one. It was a nameless sect deriving from the Mount Olmypus. It didn't have any religious leader. This faith was brought up with migration around second century V.E.. They believed in the Ares' supremacy, causing their imperialistic aspirations. In their prime they covered around forty percent of Mundusia. Nonetheless the faith was slowly pushed aside with the downfall of the empire, caused by the last king's poor reign. The famines spread all across the kingdom. People had enough, the final monarch — Monchedius was executed in the 473 V.E.. Nowadays some holidays and customs are still practised, but in the different, secular form," the youth explained. Despite his steady voice and neutral expression you could tell that he was passionate about it.
"How the hell do you know such stuff?!" the girl responded in shock.
"I read books. Most people throw them away, when they are a gift. One librarian taught me how to do it, then I started consuming every text that I laid my hands on. I hate reading, but I have to read. There isn't anyone reliable, but the writings are at least the least subjective."
"Okay. Nonetheless, you actually don't look awful in it, Solisia. Don't you agree, Laudis?" stated Dantenium, looking at them.
"I guess you look okay," the boy agreed.
"Is that all you can say? Don't you see my beauty?" the girl replied, standing up. She circled around him, supposedly mocking him but not entirely. A part of her wanted to be complimented.
"You look really cute."
"W—What?" she murmured, shocked. Her face was blushing.
"Is that what you wanted to hear? Then, I'm going to order a dinner. Don't mind me."
"Ha! He got you here! I'm starting to enjoy his company, maybe he won't be pain in the ass," the crimson-haired man responded, laughing.
"Why didn't you say anything to me, hm!" whispered Udania, disappointed.
"What did he buy?" the woman continued.
"Three liters of alcohol, cigarettes, leather, needle and threads. Pretty basic stuff," he said with a smirk.
"Yeah.. Basic stuff...'"
The boy sat alone with his meal. The Crusaders looked at him, surprised.
"Hm? Why did he sit in the different place? There is one chair lef—"
"It's occupied as you can see," the mysterious man replied. He was wearing a black hat, a white shirt, grey trousers, and a leather belt. His face was hidden beneath the head covering. He was smoking a cigar, the smell caught everyone's attention.
'Oh, shit! I didn't notice his presence, his magic skills aren't of an amateur. I couldn't even sense when he entered the place. He can mask his mana emissions almost perfectly. Just now he released a part of it and I felt the tingling inside my body. In one on one combat I might be able to wi— No! Forget, I need to play it safe. The civilians are there,' thought Dantenium, looking at him.
When you took a better look at him you could actually see his released mana. The dark red aura around him was like a mist, a physical embodiment of spiritual power.
"Who are you?!" the girl asked, reaching for her flail.
"Stop it," the Crusader whispered, taking her hand.
"Calm down or I will slaughter the whole place down. My name is Lucius Pyronium. Better known as the West Dragon. I'm here just for a favour. Can I have a chat with the newbie? If you deny my offer you shall face the consequences. So how's this?"
"What is the purpose of the dialogue?" asked Gladius, laying a hand on his left shoulder.
"Confidential. The only thing I can is that I didn't come here for myself. I'm representation of my anonymous client."
"You have five minutes, then you have to leave the town. If you come again I will chop your head off," the captain responded with a deep voice.
The rest of Crusaders looked at him marvelled. Calm and patient captain became irritated and enraged. Almost like he took off his mask or perhaps put another one on. They knew something was off between those two.
"As you say, my g—"
"One more word and I will take my words back!" he said, pulling his sword from its sheath. The blade was millimeters from his neck.
"Understood."
The threat sat next to the youth. The boy ignored his presence overwhelming. He had been exposed to magic for less than two weeks. Even so, he could tell the man was far beyond his reach. He wanted to say something, but his body was filled with distress. His right hand was twitching and his breathing wasn't rhythmical. The kid decided to look at him after some time. A sinister smile and a moustache welcomed him. Now, he was holding the cigar in his right hand. Almost like he respected him.
"Do you need something?" asked Laudis, avoiding unnecessary eye contact.
"Subject's name — Laudis. Last name unknown. Born on 02/07/576 V.E.. Since the age of seven the subject was living on the streets of Luxaris, precisely village nearby the capital — Tempshire. Current occupation — Crusader of the Vampires. Parents unknown, as well as the events up to the age of seven. Possible memory lost or a fraud with unexplainable motives. Now, my client has a specific request for you. In your first campaign you have to decapitate one member of your band. Of course I meant you have to chop their head off, any other way of killing won't be accepted. If you neglect the request you will be held accountable and thus executed," replied Lucius, reading from a document. He was calm, yet persistent. His presence was too much for the kid, he had to take a deep breath just to respond.
"I—I can't share this information w—with no one, right?"
"Indeed. You don't have to answer me. I'm just a messenger, a reminder. I am the West Dragon, Lucius Pyronium. You will do as you wish. Farewell, Laudis..."
The West Dragon left the tavern, only the Crusaders were observing him. The rest of customers didn't even notice him. Laudis was left in shock, his mind troubled with too many thoughts to comprehend. The boy covered his face with hands to focus more on the problem. Both choices were tragic, kill or be killed. There wasn't any good option to pick. For the first time Laudis felt fear to the extent of vomiting. The table was covered in the unfavourable substance. The smell was terrible. People were wondering what he had eaten, but they were very mistaken. He cleared the table with wet cloth. After it rest joined him.
"What he said to you?" asked Gladius, looking at frightened boy.
"N—Nothing important," he replied, trying to have a sip of water. His hand were still shaking, causing him to spill part of the cup.
"You can't answer, can you? I understand, after all I expected as much. Listen whatever he says, just ignore it. I know it sounds crazy, he probably said some crazy shit to scare you off. I know him for a very long time, he is dangerous, but careful. He wouldn't try to do anything he said to you. If you still don't believe me I will train you, so you will be able to fight him off. You can wonder how can you defeat him if he is so strong. Good question. I can't guarantee you anything, but if you try you can actually beat him with some luck. He might be looking strong, but he is around as powerful as Gluttony at best. So you know, you will have to fight stronger opponents. Just for your knowledge."
"Okay. I think I calmed down. As long as I train with you I won't finalise the request. Nonetheless, do we have everything for our journey?"
"Yes, now all you have to do is wait."
"I understand, I will rest in my room for the rest of the day. When are we departing?"
"Six a.m.."
"All right. I better off get going, bye for now."
Laudis left them. He spent the rest of the day packing stuff up and thinking about the interaction. He was lying on the bed, yet his body was far from resting. The stress didn't go away, it just stopped manifesting.
'I knew that there are monsters beyond my imagination, yet he was unexpected. Hispresencegave me an ick and his sinister voice was unnatural. Also Gladius said he can be as strong as Gluttony... at best... If that's the strength of third weakest Upper Hand then the King of Vampires must be a true beast. Damn, I've never felt so bad. I need to sleep it over. I have to talk to Will...' thought Laudis, trying to go asleep. After twenty minutes he was finally sleeping, but to his surprise he didn't meet the entity.
It was half past five when he woke up. The boy picked his stuff up and returned the key to the innkeeper. The morning breeze caused him to wear the black jacket. The sun was still hidden behind the clouds. Everyone was ready, standing outside the tavern. They were wearing jackets and coats, five horses awaited them.
"Are you ready, Laudis?" asked Gladius, attaching his luggage to the animal.
"I guess so. We are riding there on horses?" the kid wondered, looking at the calm creatures. He petted his horse, they were really nice. Despite loving meat, he loved animals. Unlike humans, they couldn't lie.
"We are leaving them on the border, then we are changing to camels. They resist the hot temperature better, though they are slower. Nonetheless, we have an advantage."
"What do you mean by it?"
"Divine Blessing: Endless Stamina," the captain marked the transport with an oil. A flash of white light came from the mark, their eyes widened.
"Oh, I see..."
The town full of vendors, yet without any real empathy. It has the highest rates of theft for a reason. Dantenium took out the compass, he directed them at North. It was better to travel mostly on Luxaris' land, after all they were a part of their special forces. The Crusaders left the Tempshire, alone without parting with anyone.