In the middle of the night, the two women from Tiriga swapped watch duty with Tae and Zetto.
Alice was the first one in the Messenger's party to wake up. She got up, quietly grabbed the map, and tiptoed outside so as not to wake Tae and Maghra, who were still sleeping soundly. The zombie made her way to the Messenger's tent.
"Zetto, are you awake?" she asked softly, in a gentle voice.
"Yes, you can come in," he replied with a calm, welcoming tone.
"Hope I'm not intruding," she said as she stepped into his tent.
Zetto was sitting on his bedding, staring blankly at the grass. When the zombie came in, he looked up at her with a smile.
"I figure you're here to talk about our next move," he said, his eyes shifting to the map.
"Exactly! Tour guide Alice needs to negotiate the details with the organizer!" she declared with exaggerated pride, and both of them burst out laughing. "But, back to the serious stuff…" The zombie sat down next to him and unrolled the map. "We've got two options. If we stick to the official roads, we should reach the border in about twelve days. There's also a shortcut, but… it goes through the shadiest part of all Atoria. Caravans get attacked by bandits all the time there, and the law basically doesn't exist… I don't get how the authorities still haven't dealt with it."
"If it's just bandit territory, we should be able to handle them," Zetto said casually.
"Unfortunately, no. That's not the main problem. The place is crawling with slave traders and people who hunt for new slaves," Meime cut in, walking straight into the tent without asking.
Alice jumped at the sudden intrusion and the tigress's deep, resonant voice, almost dropping the map.
"No offense, but what are you doing here, miss?" Zetto asked, baffled.
"I'm not a 'miss.' Call me by my name – or Auntie, like everyone else does. First of all, I promised Gerai I'd keep an eye on whether you stay loyal to Tae. When I saw this zombie heading to your tent at the crack of dawn, I started getting suspicious."
"What the hell?! Suspecting us of something like that?!" Alice snapped, offended. "Besides, doing that with a zombie would be beyond weird!"
"Oh, trust me, sweetheart, I've seen plenty of strange things in my life."
"Do I really look like the kind of scumbag who'd cheat that easily?" Zetto asked in disbelief.
"You're quite a handsome guy. And those long, white hairs of yours? Bet you've already turned more than a few heads," she said with a teasing smile. "No kidding, Tae really scored herself a fine catch." Meime grinned and laughed, then sat down next to Alice without asking. Looking at the map, her expression grew serious. "The shorter route goes through the estates of that bastard, Kahima. If we go the way Alice marked" – the tigress woman traced a claw along the map – "we'll pass through Heren, Sain, Demer, and finally Karai. All of those small towns belong to that fat, disgusting pig and are infamous for being hell for beast-people."
"I didn't even know that," Alice said, looking at Meime in surprise.
"Because you're not one of us. Sorry if that sounded harsh, but it's the truth. While our beloved Princess Lareine was still alive, slave raids to sell beast-people into slavery happened all over the country, right under her nose. The current king has long been involved in some pretty shady business, all to fatten his own pockets. You guys have no idea how much money there is to be made from it." She grimaced at the city names on the map, full of hate. "If we go there, we'll probably be under attack constantly – but on the other hand, we might save someone."
"The princess would've known about this for sure!" Alice said upset. "She definitely would…"
"Unfortunately, even though she was noble and sensitive like no other ruler, she was cut off from the rest of the court. And most nobles make sure their shady dealings never see the light of day. Lareine's kindness got her killed," Meime said, sighing heavily, clearly filled with sorrow.
"Th-then… what do we do, Zetto?" Alice asked, her voice uncertain.
"We take the shorter route," he said firmly. If Tae had been even a little less lucky in life, she could've ended up the same way – in the hands of some… I don't even want to think about it, it makes me want to throw up. "I'll tear them apart from the inside."
"I like your enthusiasm, but this is a large organization with a well-organized structure. How exactly do you plan to do that?" Meime asked.
"It's also about delivering a message they won't forget. On the way, we'll get a small fourth wagon and two more horses. They'll be useful so the people we save can travel with us."
"Come on, we've got plenty of space already," Tiriga said.
"I don't want you all packed in so tightly for the whole journey. There's already a lot of you."
"So our first stop is Heren," Alice said hesitantly. "Two days' travel from here."
"Yes. Sain is another two days' travel from Heren, Demer a day from Sain, and Karai a day from Demer and half a day from the border. Taking this shortcut, we'll leave Atoria in six and a half days instead of twelve."
"So it's settled," Zetto said, standing up. "Meime, tell the rest of Tiriga about our decision. Alice, come on. Let's talk about it with the rest of the team."
Meime smiled.
"I think they'll be happy. Some of them will start hoping to see long-lost relatives again," she said, standing up as well.
I hope reality doesn't crush those dreams too soon. I wish them the best, but I've already learned a lot about how terrible this country is, Zetto thought bitterly.
"Yes. Let's hope someone's there."
Alice and Zetto walked over to the tent. Tae and Maghra had woken up, Tae was already dressed and ready, while Maghra was just putting on a new dress, this time emerald-colored, though the cut was the same as the previous one.
"Zetto!" Maghra tried to run to him for a hug, but Tae gave her a sharp "hands off" look. The dog-girl's tail wagged so hard it created a small breeze inside the tent.
"Have you figured everything out?" Tae asked.
Zetto looked deep into her eyes, filled with love, determination, and worry. Slowly, the tigress started recognizing the feelings behind his seemingly calm, unshakable gaze.
"Yes," the Messenger said. "We're taking the shortcut."
"The shortcut?" Maghra said, surprised. "But those cities are terrible, awful places! That's where I was sold, and then… then…" Her lips trembled, and tears began running down her cheeks. She wiped them with her hands, but still cried like a child. Alice moved closer to comfort her, and Maghra, wagging her tail, hugged her tightly.
"That's exactly why we're going there – to stop the same kind of trauma from happening to others."
Tae looked at Zetto, captivated and full of admiration.
"I never imagined one person could do so much for us. And I'm not just talking about Tiriga, but all the other oppressed races too."
"There's no need to make my role sound so important," he said with a humble, shy smile "I just help as best I can."
"You're modest as always," Alice said, patting Maghra on the head . "Most people in your place would have chosen the safer, longer option."
"Maybe it's just recklessness mixed up with a desire to help, haha. We can't split up, so I'll have to defend you and rescue the slaves at the same time. I just hope I can pull this off."
Zetto felt Tae's hand holding his as she moved closer while he spoke.
"Remember, you're not alone. You have me, Alice, and Maghra, and the rest of Tiriga will protect their children to the last drop of blood."
Right, I almost forgot that again.
If you were alone for too long, it's hard to get used to not having everything on your shoulders and not having to bear the full weight of the situation by yourself anymore.
Still, part of me doesn't want to burden them with a responsibility that should fall only on me – the responsibility of the choices I've made.
Right now, my actions will affect them directly, no matter whether I make a good or bad decision.
I'm glad they want to help me.
Just knowing that is enough.
Zetto smiled at Tae, then at the rest of the team.
"You're right, Tae. We're in this together. I guess I spent too long in that other world living without anyone's help, so it's hard to accept it now," he said after a moment. Tae gripped his hand gently but firmly.
Meime entered Zetto's team tent, announcing that she had shared the decision with everyone. The kids were happy about the shorter journey, and fortunately, among the adults, there was no anger or misunderstanding. A few thanked Zetto for his efforts, which Meime passed on.
When Meime finished speaking, Zetto nodded at her and then said:
"Thanks for the words of courage. Since everything's settled, I guess it's time to get moving."
"Yeah, it's about time we hit the road," Meime replied.
It took them less than an hour to break camp and hitch the horses again.
Once the sun was fully up and warming the sky, they set off along the new, planned route.
The Tiriga were full of hope that they'd be reunited with lost relatives and loved ones, while Zetto himself was filled with uncertainty – wondering if he could accomplish the tasks he'd set for himself to protect the people he promised to lead to a better place and save new ones from a cruel fate.
Even though his rank as the Messenger and The Transgression Suit made him nearly invincible, doubts about whether he'd made the right choice took hold of his mind.
After all, sometimes even a single, tiny mistake can bring down entire nations.