A New Beginning

ALICIA ASCALON ASHBORN

After yesterday’s nightly trip on the cart and being escorted to a nice hotel. Both I and Regis found ourselves relieved from the hassle of touring through the whole town to find a place for us to stay after we were too tired and that too in the middle of the night.

After Regis slept beside me like a baby through the night as we shared the same room and bed, like we did back in the elven palace. The only difference was that the bed and room was smaller in size to a princess’s room.

Though on the contrary Regis was excited after she took a bath and slept close to me. Fortunately the hotel had a bathtub which otherwise would have been difficult to find. We were glad that Caige so generously showed us the way to such a fine inn.

The morning hit us early but we needed to make arrangement for our recurring tour to the port city from this Plum town. It appeared to be an unusually peaceful place at night, but something gloomy about it was extant in the air. And the de facto of the people was never to speak about it.

First, we needed to get to the place that provided travelling services and book ourselves a seat in one of the carts heading to our destination. And the next thing on our list was to get us some food.

I and Regis headed out in search for the places and complete our two objectives for the day.

Outside the hotel, we unexpectedly encountered a familiar face waiting outside leaning on the front wall of a dilapidated building.

“You both are early risers. I expected you two to take longer than this.” It was Maia, the demi-human.

“Maia why are you here?” Regis asked as Maia started approaching us and before she could give some time for her to explain herself for tailing us in the morning.

“Isn’t it given. I am here to help. You want to find a travelling cart to the port. Don’t you? So, why look anywhere else.” Maia said with confidence as she pointed at herself. In truth she was offering us to help and give us a tour of the town.

“I see…” Regis said with hesitation but she let go off the suspicion inside her already. With yesterday’s incidence anyone could have considered that Maia could be here to swindle us this time after targeting the merchant.

I looked a bit around and couldn’t help but ask, “Where is Caige? Aren’t you two supposed to be together.” From yesterday’s events I could conclude one thing unchanging and that was the friendship or the deep bond of trust between Maia and Caige. I thought they would be always joined by hip the way they acted and moved together.

“She is currently busy with some prior engagement, otherwise she would have been here?” Maia shifting her head to the right as if trying to hide her face under her small bangs and spoke in a dull voice.

“Is there a problem?” I asked. Also making Regis worried at the same time for raising such a question out of nowhere.

“⸺What?... What? Are you talking about. Instead, this whole idea was of Caige and she is the one who planned all of this.” Maia voiced herself strongly.

So she thinks I cannot tell or just be fooled that easily. I might not be a mind-reader or adept at such social skills. But with my mystic eyes and unique skill, I could see the unstable fluctuation in her magic.

And these fluctuations are pretty strong in a demi-human’s body especially when their beast powers were linked to their feelings. And right now, Maia appeared to be afraid unlike the strong fighting warrior we saw yesterday; who was now trying to suppress and submit herself in doing things which she did not want to.

Absence of Caige further supported my point. But because it was their personal life, I saw it fit to not make her force into coming out with her problem or state.

Because what if I could not really help and all I could be able to give them was unguarded sympathy.

Taking pity on someone instead of helping was always against my beliefs. It was one of the things I despised others for doing so in my previous life.

“So, Maia why don’t you take us to the place you would recommend to anyone.”

“Then follow me.” Maia turned around and announced herself as our tour guide.

We went through a great number of streets, which were mostly filled with people who looked exceedingly down-hearted. Unlike the first time I visited a place the capital city of Elf-Empire.

This place lacked in all kinds of economic activities. The shops were mostly empty and even the groceries, fruits and vegetables store sold costly ingredients that too stale. It was a far cry from the happy picture I imagined the town to be.

“That would be fifty silver coins for two seats to the port town of Gilde from this town. The wagon leaves early tomorrow in the morning so be on time you two girls. No room for late-comers because a single minute could cost us our lives on the road.” The man laughed who offered us place in his wagon for giving us a ride to the port city of Gilde. Though he seemed awfully condescending about the plight of late comers.

Travelling through a cart was a much safer way as we could stay on road and not get distracted on the way as we got stranded from the previous route. Ahem. possibly I would avoid getting into the details on the matter. And Regis paid for our tickets because I had only the precious Crown gold coins on me, so in monetary terms I was pretty much useless.

I needed to learn a way to earn money fast.

“Where would you like to go next?” Maia asked in a hurry as if every minute passing by was slowly chipping of a day from her life.

“I would really like to eat something.” Regis requested for a proper breakfast.

“I know of a good place that serves pancakes here.” Maia said wondering.

“Regis we must go, right now.” I accepted Maia’s first suggestion.

“As far as I remember they make pancakes early if we don’t hurry either they will be over or become soggy.” Maia added.

“I don’t know I have never eaten pancakes.” Regis said to me a bit confused and unable to decide. Perhaps in a new place she might be susceptible to trying new kinds of dishes.

“You don’t understand Regis but the power of pancakes is something not to be trifled with. I don’t dare to say but I find elven food quite paltry.” After all most of their dishes were simple boiled leaf and vegetables with little to no spices.

“Fine, if you say so I will try. Let’s get going.”

“Ah! You truly are my friend for understanding me!” I held Regis hands excitedly as we headed off to our breakfast table.

Within few minutes we were sitting on the table waiting for our order.

“Maia, aren’t you going to eat something.” I asked seeing that she hasn’t ordered anything.

“I will just take something from the nearby food stall. The food here is expensive but you two should be able to afford it.”

“What if you can join us on pancakes as a thanks for helping us?” I proposed.

“I wann..nn… I refuse to eat. I just know that its needlessly going to be an extravagant pancake. Or, so Caige says. I totally want to try this.” Words of Maia kept contradicting themselves as she could not deny the temptation of her powerful nose and she threw the towel in the end.

“Hiiihi…” I smirked. Knowing that I just needed to give a little small push to her to have my way.

“No, that’s wrong. I mean, I don’t want to eat. I just know it is one of those delicious food that never actually makes you full. I can’t fight this sudden urge, somebody help me… Caige…” Maia reaffirmed her decision and fell into a self-constrained fight zone. At the same time having a clash of urges and fought the raging storm of desire in her belly.

I could more or less relate to her since I too was usually caught in such insecurities when I had way too less money to spend even on my daily necessities items. I actually felt bad for putting her in such a tight spot.

“So, what if you can order as many plates as you want. That would be fine Regis?”

“Yeah, I think we can easily afford another person’s meal easily.” Regis too was thankful for Maia’s help as we two were new in the town and wanted to do something for her in return. Regis was too under the spell of the irrefutable sweetness pancake.

“But…” Maia still held some apprehension. What if she got addicted to this soft looking sweet dish and couldn’t live without it. As I had said before the power of pancakes are not something to be trifled with.

“Maia if you want to brainstorm ideas to earn more you would need carbohydrates.” I advised Maia.

“Ah! That makes sense.”

“I also think that a part of a budget should go in food to ensure we have enough energy for the rest of the day.” Regis backed me up though she seemed to be preaching one of Will’s military guidance.

“That totally makes sense.” Maia nodded.

“Gwah… How did this happen? This food is really delicious. I and Caige should next time try this too.” Saying that Maia became overwhelmed as she took a larger bite from her ninth plate of pancake. Her eyes sparkled as she enjoyed every mouthful of it.

“Why do I feel like I have been tricked into spending more.” Regis complained as she held her light money bag.

‘Is this just another one of this human girl’s schemes to best me which Caige was talking about? To get me addicted of this fancy food and get back at us for what we did yesterday. Am I really that gullible… but these pancakes are really tasty. I think I can go for twenty more plates.’ Maia thought to herself.

“Don’t worry I still have got my purse.” I tried to add up our resources to make the journey comfortable.

“Don’t even start talking about that. It can get us in a lot of trouble. Are you really thinking about this at all or you just don’t have any sense at all…”

“Are you trying to say something good about me Regis…” I asked excitedly.

“Ah! As a friend I think it’s my moral obligation to never admit that my friend is kind of useless when it comes to defining common sense.” Regis chewed on her pancakes as she took a larger bite.

“Is that what you were trying to say.” Somehow, I felt sad when Regis said this because I was trying my best to not let myself be scared or distant from people this time but face everything head on.

“No…” Regis stared at my depressed face, trying to change the topic at the same time, “Oh look at that adorable strawberry on my spoon and the last time I checked you liked them. Here…. Alicia take a bite.”

Chomp! Chomp!

I think I can let it forgo this time.

“You two are kind of weird.” Maia said comparing her friendship with Caige with ours.

“Listen I am not weird she is… you get that… Just listen closely if you get close to Alicia, she will work her wiles and trap you in some crazy situation. And the instant I let myself get sucked into her world, my own world is turned upside down.” Regis exclaimed pointing her spoon at Maia. Maybe she did not like someone calling us weird.

“That really reminds me of someone I am so close to…” Maia chuckled as she fell ghastly silent at the same time.

Remembering something on spot of how she needed to collect twenty-five thousand Crown gold to save Caige and all the kids at orphanage.

Maia put down her spoon on the table and in a voice not of her usual cheerful self she asked, “Do you want to look around the town more?”

We finished our meal and so Maia took us for the second round around the town. However there were not many things to see here except for the town square that was a bit busy with transporting goods to different cities. In between I and Regis would try something new to eat but nothing special caught our attention.

Buildings that needed renovations, and lack of civic amenities. There was no town hall for people to issue complaints, but rather the whole place was jam-packed with lot of dark small alleys that lead us all to what the grumpy merchant referred to as slums.

“Can you two just wait here for a moment, I will be back in a few minutes.” Maia too brought us to one such alleyway where even under the brightest sun apparently no light reached the ground.

“Alicia should we really be waiting here.”

“Maybe Maia just didn’t want us to keep us standing under the sun or leave us alone in a foreign place.” I did not doubt Maia’s intention in the least as I saw her heading into the slums.

“If you say so and is just being considerate of us.”

***

ORPHANAGE

“Sister, I am back.” Maia called out from the gates of orphanage.

Just across the streets in the slum and at the end of the road, there was a huge plot of land that no one wanted because of its infertility.

And so it was finally given to a group of church sisters who wanted to look after the children in this town and established a small orphanage.

They might had been the very few who cared about homeless children in the town, who until then were previously kidnapped, sold to slave traders or put to forced labour in secret illegal mines. This town was unforgiving to anyone, who had money and specially to those who did not.

Stealing from the rich and poor was considered the same thing. What separated the have and have-nots here was not something tangible as money which could be as worthless as alloys and paper in face of superficiality like absolute power.

But the difference was laid down on the basis of fear. The one who ruled on other’s fears stood at the top while the rest fell to the bottom, thinking as long as they were serving the strong their well-being would be guaranteed.

Maia too was once a part of such a broken system, but then her fate changed when she met Caige.

Caige was a fearless girl ready to put up a fight against anyone who tried to control her. Or snatch away anything she thought that should have belonged to her, including her own freedom.

Her dream was something as simple and short whenever she said, “I am going to make the world my own territory someday.”

And Maia like a fool, followed her in that very dream and her footsteps. Doing everything we could to bring us one step closer to our dream.

“Maia, where have you been all the night? All the other sisters were worried for you.” A woman came running outside, her hands trembling as she opened the gate for me which usually was left open.

“Where are the other kids in the orphanage?” Maia asked, as she could not find anyone outside playing which they enjoyed doing the most at this hour.

“All the kids, they were taken away? Do you know something what could have happened? Some men in the morning showed up and snatched them all.” The sister put her hands on Maia whose eyes widened in shock.

Her ears bent lower, as her breath became heavy. Her throat parched.

She could not believe what she was hearing but could not deny the facts at the same time.

Because now she knew, that every kid in the orphanage was taken as hostage or for whatever reason by the Dalton Gang.

‘Was it because I was too late, in paying off the amount? But I have still got some time left until the sun is down. Did I hurry up with the plans and made wrong decision with Caige. No! Caige can never be wrong. It’s all the fault of those bandits, they lied to me about the children’s safety. Form the start they had already wanted to kidnap them.’ Maia concluded as eating the pancakes and having a hearty breakfast paid off.

‘That’s why they separated me and Caige.’ A final realization struck Maia.

The Dalton brothers knew alone, Maia wouldn’t be able to do anything. But for what reason they could kidnap the children of orphanage, Maia did not know?

The only bargaining chip Maia had left was to offer them twenty-five thousand Crown Gold coins. And the rest she still hadn’t been able to figure out their true intentions.

‘There’s no choice. I have to absolutely do this, even if Caige would come to hate me for not following our rules!’ Maia said to herself as she checked the sharpness of her blades hidden under her leg’s tight clothing.

“Maia, you shouldn’t be doing this on your own? Stay here. I know we can’t do much, but we sisters have been trying to raise money to keep you all safe. Just getting us through by a day is hard enough. If you try to do something dangerous now… I don’t know what will I do without you kids being here.” The sister caressed my cheeks and I felt homesick.

‘I have been on so many travels with Caige, that I had forgotten about all of this.’ Maia was overpowered by her own conflicting emotions. But she had to decide for one.

Maia was petrified, seeing her guardian heart-broken.

Sisters at the orphanage had always worked themselves hard to the bone. Taking all kinds of odd jobs they would to bring the most meager food. But even a small bite miraculously filled their bellies as long as the sisters fed it to them with their own hands.

Maia and Caige never really wanted anyone of them to get hurt? They were a family!

‘And no matter what I am going to save them.’

Maia held Sister’s hands tightly and gently brushing them off from my cheeks, she smiled and reassured her.

“Don’t worry, the kids would return safe and I am going to bring them back”

Before the Sister could speak anything or resist Maia from pushing her away.

Maia transformed into her beast form and escaping from her grasp, she vanished in thin air. Jumping high in the sky and reaching the rooftop of the topmost building there.

***

DARK ALLEY

“Alicia should we be heading back to our room. I don’t feel safe here.”

“Isn’t it mysterious we are alone here and yet it feels like we are being watched from everywhere continuously.” Alicia promulgated her thoughts to Regis. She had always read in novels of such places being danger red spots.

Mafia drug dealings, the thrilling chase in which a detective catches a murderer or planning of a growing revolution and revolt of anarchists. All of them begins and originates from such dark alleyways.

Glorious histories and so many possibilities stemming from just one singular place.

“Did you really needed to spell that out aloud.” Regis said as she was set off by her words and took a few steps back in fear and trepidation. Even Alicia could feel the air becoming heavy.

And in the next movement something like a red lightning drowning in an aura of energetic magic particles dropped from the top of the building at the same spot where Regis stood.

As the wind cleared the consequent dust smoke. Maia stood there in her frantic beast transformed body.

To be exact it was something even more ferocious than her previous transformations which Alicia and Regis had seen. Her nails grew up like iron-claws. Her hairs perked up as if charged with electricity and her movements too would have been described nothing less than that.

But most important of all the two were left wondering as to why Maia held a knife to Regis’s throat, and made her immobile by stretching her hand at the back.

“What are you doing Maia? Is this some kind of a joke.” Regis asked in an uncomfortable manner while Alicia stared at the incogitable scene unfolding in front of her.

Alicia felt detached for all the times she had spent with Maia and her feelings for her were left empty, suddenly dropping to nothing.

This incomprehensible change was occurring inside Alicia for the first time. But seeing someone attack Regis like this even as a joke, and by the time Alicia thought she should ask Maia for an explanation… it did not matter to her anymore.

Because what Maia had done was simply unforgivable in Alicia’s eyes.

Maia jumping form the rooftop to another had appeared above the shadows of the two persons she had left in waiting.

She planned to attack Regis from back because she had a bow on her previously and according to Caige’s information she could be dangerous with that. As for the human girl, despite Maia’s beast transformation she could not sense any magic or deduce combative strength from her fragile looking body.

Hence the best way would be to first hold Regis capture and threaten Alicia into making her hand over the money as she also appeared to be the owner.

Maia perfectly executed the plan, while the two had their guard down.

“I am sorry, but there’s no time to explain. I want you to hand over all the money you have, to me right now.” Maia shouted angrily, trying to cover her own hesitation and guilt which seeped in through her words.

Because Maia’s demands all sounded more of a request than an actual threat.

“Is that what you want. Then you should have just simply asked.” An icy cold voice leaked form Alicia’s mouth.

“⸺Huh!” Maia was left astounded as to how Alicia was calm despite her threat but listening to her inhuman voice, she was frightened herself.

The grip on her knife tightened almost instinctively out of fear of those reverberating words in her ears. And just before the blade would have touched Regis’s skin for real and draw out a drop of blood… it almost happened instantly… all wrapped up in a blink of an eye.

Maia’s senses dulled.

And eyes blanked. The earth under her feet vanished at the same time.

The next moment she knew she was being crushed to the ground under an invisible force. Her backbone left with a splitting pain and her legs and hands were heavy as if turned into stone.

Regis had vanished from her grip. And Maia was spooked to smell the scent of the place, confirming she was not in the alleyway anymore.

‘But how is this even possible? When exactly⸺?’ Maia shuddered at the thought.

“Alicia where are we?” Regis said in shock as she had already forgotten that a moment ago, she was attacked by Maia, who was but now pinned to the ground by Alicia’s magic.

“Well, this is the place where I actually keep all my money.” Alicia said felicitously.

“Huh… I might be just dreaming. Probably I will wake up back in the hotel.” Regis giggled pretending to now sleep walk around. Simply, because what she was seeing around herself was that unimaginable or out of the world.

“Gwahaaahaaaa…”

A roar suddenly woke Regis from her dreamland as the person surrendered on ground tried to resist the heavy force. But it was all in vain against Alicia’s advanced gravitational magic and Alicia was holding herself back by not crushing Maia’s bones.

She could not even move a limb, rather the gravity in Maia’s vicinity was so strong that the blood in her veins stopped flowing and she was forced to return back to her normal state.

Regis who still could not believe her eyes walking around the huge dark room but the luminescence illuminating it at the same time was eye-blinding. The yellow fiery blaze form all the shinning large gold coins had riled her to the state of being called gold-sick.

“Maia look up.”

Maia heard the same chilling voice that set her adrift and panicked. No matter how much she tried she couldn’t move. But Alicia’s words were commanding enough that Maia was enforced to look up.

No matter how much Maia stared at the human girl in the white figure, she could not feel any strength radiating from her, which should have been otherwise easily possible for her to size up anyone’s strength with her beast senses.

It was one of Maia’s strength to know when to put up a fight and when to fight with an escape.

But all her experiences had failed her right now and the domineering presence from Alicia had left her stumped and in a miserable state. She was slowly being crushed under the own heaviness of her body. A little more and either her blood vessels could have burst open or she would have fainted.

Maia moved her head and she was shocked even further, to the extent that with the gravitation magic now lifted up from her, she was frozen at the spot.

She was in a new black room, she never recognized as the denizen of Plum town. There was not a place in existence in the town that she wouldn’t have known.

But this place was foreign to her. And even more so was the characteristic shine of the dazzling large gold coins that filled the room.

Even the greatest pirate’s lost treasure on an island would pale in comparison to the infinite number of gold coins that showered here.

At first one could define the place to be a perfect black square room with no doors. The point of entry was the first mystery to begin with, as Alicia and the Royal Demon Family were the only one who had access to this particular space which was embedded inside the Royal Demon’s family crest which Alicia had on the back of her palm hidden under the glove, she wore on top of it.

But the purpose of the mystery and this huge space was clear at a glance.

To store and keep safe the impossible amount of valuable gold coins of highest rank.

The amount of gold coins here was vast beyond imagining. The only word for the sight was marvel.

Regis and Maia both at first tried to evaluate how much gold coin would have been present in the place with their sharp and sensitive eyes, but in the next instant they despaired as they couldn’t surmise the actual number.

There was fear and wariness in Maia’s eyes because she could have only ever dreamt of discovering an amphora filled of gold coins under her bed but never chanced upon such a mighty treasure trove of gold.

“You can take one thing form here that you think you really want.” As Alicia spoke to Maia, she was smiling faintly.

It was the continuation of what she’d really wanted to say, the talk that had failed just a while ago when Maia used Regis as a bargain. But instead, she was offered this wealth and everything in front of her for free.

“Can I really take anything?” Maia was astounded by Alicia’s outrageous offer, but she did not had time to fiddle around with motives and reasons.

All she needed was a confirmation and she knew she could have bought back the freedom of Caige and the kids at the orphanage with this money. More so she could have lived the life of a king if she had this amount at her hand. Both her and Caige’s dream would have finally come true if only she had this.

“Are you some kind of royalty to have this much money with you?” Maia asked impertinently.

“Not me? But Regis is.” Alicia directed her eyes at Regis who with her open eyes still walked like a blind-folded person in the room of gold.

“Really?” Maia could not tell it was a lie or not by seeing Regis in a hypnotised state and gold-sick.

“Then I will be taking twenty-five thousand Crown gold. Please.” Maia wanted no less, no more. She really had no greed, or the luxury of dwelling in it when Caige’s life was at stake. And she didn’t knew how long it had been or how long will it take for her to reach the hideout.

“Is that all you needed. Huh!” Alicia seemed disappointed even with the things she offered for Maia to have. But she instead of questioning her intention twisted her fingers round and a small pocket bag appeared in front of her which she had instantly made using her magic and [Equivalent Exchange] skill.

Next using her telekinetic skill, Alicia formed a vortex of exact twenty-five gold coins and shoved it inside the bag which too came with an extra-dimensional storage for making it easy for Maia to carry the money round.

“Wowww….” The bag flew in the air and reached and fell into Maia’s hand who watched at the valuable item with a gasp.

“I promise I will pay you back all the money when I return.” Maia said as she couldn’t be more grateful. She didn’t knew how she would pay back this debt of her.

Whether it meant that she would have to sell herself and force herself to labour all day she wanted to pay Alicia back for her generosity. Even if it meant she would have to give up on her dream and work under Alicia like a salve if she enforced it on her in exchange of the gold.

“There’s no need to hurry, you can pay me back anytime you want.” Alicia said softly as the view of the black room vanished like it was some kind of hallucination but the bag still remained in Maia’s hands. They found themselves back in that alleyway.

Giving a final look at Alicia’s expressionless face under the mask she really couldn’t know what Alicia was thinking. She wondered whether Caige would have been able to tell about it or not, either. Maia took off at full speed without looking back.

After a few seconds had passed. Alicia obscurely stared at the dusty air which blew around, when she unknowingly blurted out her thoughts, “Regis do you think money can buy someone’s freedom or friendship. If it was possible I would have done it a long time ago.”

Alicia still remembered of how she was always bullied at school for pocket money, and no matter how much money she was asked to bring by the three delinquents they would always end up asking for more. The cycle never ended as long as they wanted money, Sachi was chained to do so, her freedom snatched away. She had no other option, because she did not wanted to make her own life difficult furthermore.

But right now, she was free and could live her life in a way she saw fit, all thanks to people she had met. She has always learned more and more to express herself.

“Alicia I really did not understood why she had to do this?” Regis who had bubbled out from her mirage was now anxious about the whole event.

“Caige do you remember seeing the merchant in the town anywhere with his shop?”

“Not at all.”

“Even within the town you must have noticed how low was the number of young kids.”

“That’s true most of them were either adults. Children were sparse almost none at all. But what are you getting at?”

Alicia put up a search magic around the whole town and made sure that her assertions were right. And so did Al, confirmed them for her. There were no traces of the merchant in the town despite his yesterday’s peevishness.

Then Alicia also checked the demography of the town by comparing the age and strength of their soul cores and found the inference matching. Even the orphanage was empty in the direction in which Maia went.

Alicia’s inquisitive mind, could only pinpoint it to the bandits which Caige and Maia were helping the other merchants to avoid them.

“Regis I think I forgot to tell Maia the debt plan. Of how she can actually pay me back in instalments.”

“Is that really necessary. Didn’t you say she can pay anytime.”

“Yes that was until a moment ago. But now her life is in danger.”

“What are you saying? How can you know that and should we really be getting into this mess after we have helped her out a lot already? We do have to catch tomorrow’s cart? Don’t forget this journey is for your sake?” Regis stood against my decision.

“Just think about it Regis if she was to die before she pays me back she would be in my eternal debt. So until I save her, I don’t want her soul coming to scare me off.” Alicia alleged.

“Is that how it really works?” Regis who didn’t knew much about debts became shaky.

“At least that’s what the granny at the confectionery in my neigbourhood said to me. I am not sure but since you were with me, I think you are not safe either. Her ghost could even come to haunt you.”

“Something still seems wrong about that? But I am scared now…” Regis seemed to be really scared of ghosts and staying alone at nights. It was obvious with how she would snuck into Alicia’s bedsheet in the middle of their sleep.

So, do you want to get haunted by an indebted ghost?” Alicia asked in an ominous manner.

“I don’t want to get haunted by a ghost.” Regis replied exhaustively exactly repeating after Alicia.

“Don’t worry I will take care of everything and we can still catch up with her even now. So, let’s do our best and see that it doesn’t really happen.” Alicia sounded enthusiastic.

“Thank you Alicia for saving me again… And I am sorry that you have to trouble yourself again because it was so easy for someone to get at my back?”

“Regis. I am thankful to you for saving me. Otherwise, I think if I had been the one who was attacked, there wouldn’t had been anyone left to trouble ourselves with.”

Alicia calm disposition for the first time was unnerving for Regis and her odd way of putting those words; she did not wanted to interpret them whatsoever.

Regis could rarely understand what Alicia always tried to do, but no matter what she had already decided to believe in her and be together with her on her adventures forever.

***