The hero is now gone, but I’m still here, now what? (Undergoing editing)

Karsten stepped into the airway of Vulnaza's capital, behind her, the ride she had just gotten out of took to the skies, the only sign of its presence ever being there being the gust of wind it had left behind during its departure.

 

It didn't take long for another flying carriage to drop down in its place and seeing this, Karsten stopped looking around the airway to walk to a nearby line of carriages, these were ground-based and were either pulled by a stallion or a basilisk.

 

Karsten neared the first of the vehicles waiting in line and greeted the coachman with a bow, the man in turn tipped his hat at her.

 

“Is there anyone else riding inside?” Karsten's question was, in most instances, something of an enigma as usually, only nobles would ask such a thing, and not commonly either, as nobles have private carriages of their own.

 

Karsten doesn't, but she does have money, and so, the coachman, clearly sensing that his client is someone with status- Karsten doesn't, of course, unless being the adviser of Neophyte counts, - as well as money, shook his head in response, "no ma'am,"

 

The ‘ma'am’ was a good sign, Karsten smiled, “then please take me to the cathedral, alone,”

 

The coachman gestured for Karsten to go in and she did so; the interior of the carriage was nice, the seats were cushioned with soft wool and topped with silk, windows with panels that could be opened and closed, as well as a tiny candle on a table at the center of it providing light.

 

Karsten took a seat, idly closing the window all the while, and then took out her book as the carriage smoothly rode out of the airway.

 

She had flipped through 5 pages worth of holy texts when the coachman told her that they had arrived and not wanting to waste time, Karsten grabbed the bag of CC she had on her person and paid the standard fare with a generous tip in thanks for the man's willingness to drive with no other passenger.

 

Once out, Karsten eyed the bustling plaza full of people from different lives with stories of their own to tell, to the side, by a cafe, sat a band that played music, a flipped over hat placed in front of them for donations. They played well and since she had cash to spare, she walked over and dropped a few coins.

 

It got the man playing the lute to nod gratefully at her, “thanks love,”

 

Karsten merely nodded, offering no other reaction. She was a servant of the Goddess, and piousness comes before carnal desires, that she knew well.

 

What she didn't know was why Neophyte flashed at the forefront of her mind just now.

 

Karsten ignored the intrusive thought and went on to walk to the cathedral, it was- as most cathedrals dedicated to the Goddess often are, - large, with walls made from stone blocks stacked atop one another.

 

Up top, three bell towers proudly stood, their towering forms casting shadows over the plaza, at the center of the towers were glass windows, tinted and colored, depicting artwork of the Goddess.

 

Karsten closed her eyes and lightly prayed before heading inside the church proper.

 

Tiles of varying colors were what made up the floor, they were designed in such a way that they formed a budding flower when viewed from above, with blue, yellows, and greys spilling across the ground in a cascading shape.

 

Karsten turned her eyes away from the ground and towards the altar at the center, it was afternoon so the church was empty, and yet the old man robed in white standing over the room didn't seem to mind the lack of presence and he continued to read passages of holy texts.

 

Karsten didn't know him, but from the way he had his eyes focused on the parchment placed atop the altar, she could tell that he was dedicated in his service to the Goddess.

 

Well, every priest out there is dedicated in their work, choosing to go through various tasks day to day and adhere to rules and virtuous laws that would leave most people feeling wanting of vices but they stayed pure.

 

And to Karsten, that is the biggest and greatest way they can contribute with their work to the Goddess.

 

Her heart clenched and she randomly thought of Neophyte again but she shook those thoughts off, instead, she focused on what she was going to do and called out to the priest, “hello,”

 

The man turned away from what he was reading and faced Karsten, and she in turn observed his wrinkled face and his wisened expression, “hello, young one, what brings you to the cathedral in this hour?”

 

She bowed as the priest's smooth voice stopped echoing within the halls, “I am here to help,” she answered honestly, “financially, if you want, but I am also willing to be put in service for the Goddess,”

 

“Hmm…” Karsten looked up to see the priest pulling on his beard, “our hands are full, fortunately,” he said with humor filled mirth, “but we have urchins, servants, and priests working on them so I'm afraid I don't have anything to give you,”

 

“It's fine,” Karsten answered, “uhm, is there a booth for Ears here?”

 

“Yes,” the man nodded, “are you an ear?”

 

“Mhmm.” Karsten showed her wrist, revealing a golden bracelet interlaid with silver.

 

“Ah, I see,” the priest gestured for Karsten to follow him, and as they walked, he tried to make small talk, “I haven't seen you around here before,”

 

“I just got here,” Karsten turned away from the angelic statue she was observing to meet the man's gaze, “I came from Pledge Academy,”

 

 “Ah,” the priest said in realization, “how's the Saintess?”

 

Karsten found herself smiling, “she is well,” her heart felt a bit tight at the thought of Neophyte but she did her best to ensure it didn't show on her face, “and is possibly one of the most capable Prophecies we've had to date,”

 

“I believe that,” the priest didn't sound offended despite, most likely, being with the rest of the priests and servants in believing all Saintesses are the same, “after all, she did get her visions at such a young age, did she not?”

 

“Mhmm.” Karsten nodded but kept her silence.

 

“It was not a mistake, young one,” they both knew what the priest was talking about even if he didn't say it out loud, “and the Goddess has plans for everyone, no matter how mysterious they may be,”

 

“I know,” Karsten said in honest agreement, “it does hurt her though,”

 

“Being haunted by the past is normal for those with mistakes,” the priest calmly said, “you are an ear, are you not?”

 

Karsten looked away, “I- I am,”

 

“Then maybe you should talk to her, see what binds her and if possible, free her from her worries,” it was the most expected reply in this particular scenario but Karsten felt as though the man meant every word, “after all, it is our duty to help those in ails no?”

 

Karsten kept her silence, only nodding.

 

She didn't know how she can help Neo, if she even could, and she considered that tutoring her with political topics was enough but what if it wasn't?

 

Karsten's thoughts were filled with nothing but Neophyte- her ails,  that is, - for the rest of their walk.

 

When they got to the booth, the priest said a few words of farewell- “here we are, please be careful who you listen to,” - and then headed back the way they came, presumably so that he could continue with his reading of the holy texts in preparation for his mass later tonight, an event that he has mentioned to Karsten when they were making their way here.

 

She wasn't going, as such a thing isn't really mandatory even if you're a servant of the church- at least not to pledge bearing ones, - so she wasn't losing anything by not going.

 

Karsten went into the booth and was greeted by a familiar scene of a single chair built into black walls, it was dark, and it only got worse when she closed the door behind her. Now stuck with nothing but the light of her own hair, Karsten stared at the thin wall made of wire mesh and waited for someone to come.

 

No one did. As always, she was alone; a state that she hated the first few times she had experienced it but she eventually got used to it.

 

Karsten took out her book of holy texts and started reading.

 

After a while, she put it down and called her Pledge.

 

Light flowed out of her body and for a split second, it illuminated the booth, washing it in yellow much like the sun, and the source wasn't that far off; the ball of fire in front of Karsten stood in place for a second before thinning into a needle-sized strand and flowing up to the skies.

 

When she felt her Pledge touch the skies, Karsten closed her eyes and focused on the thick bubble of Light that was Lucille, it was a strange sight and one that, through her Pledge's senses, Karsten felt attracted to, not dissimilar to that of a moth to a flame.

 

The heroine and her team were deep into the forest now, slowly making their way even deeper, from time to time, they would encounter a monster or two, but those were quickly dispatched.

 

It seems that Laceresta's training was paying off.

 

Karsten recalled her Pledge and went on to wait for someone to come for another minute, once her wait passed, she closed her eyes, brought her hands together, and prayed.

 

A few minutes later, she got out of the booth feeling refreshed.

 

Karsten made her way out of the church and walked to the bank, after taking out enough money to feed the orphanage and then some, she went on and bought a few bags of bread and brought it back to the church. Or rather, to the building constructed directly to the side of it.

 

The orphanage was well maintained, its brick walls were free from vines, and the flower pots placed on the window still weren't overflowing with roots and infested with insects. All were good signs as that would mean that the caretakers here weren't lax in their duties, or if they were, then the janitor was doing a good job.

 

Karsten passed through the door, a bag of bread hidden underneath her robes.

 

She looked around as she wiped her shoes on the doormat, noting that the interior walls were well polished, they even reflected the flickering candle light in some areas. The floor too was much in the same pristine state and it looked like it was rubbed with oil.

 

Looked. Karsten didn't actually slip when she stepped onto it. No oil had been used.

 

One of the kids noticed her coming because a head popped out of a room three doors away from the entrance of the hall- he was a young boy, with black hair, brown skin, and eyes that matched the color of the mop of hair on his head. He smiled, revealing that he had a single tooth missing on the front.

 

Then he went back into the room and seconds later, several more heads popped out, with the youngest looking pointing at her accusingly, “hey! I never saw you here before!”

 

That was the start, and soon, several doors opened and more heads popped out, this time though it weren't just orphans but the caretakers as well.

 

Karsten looked at all of them as they filed into the hall.

 

There were three caretakers in total, all were women and they stood side by side, filling up the hall.

 

The one on the left looked young, she had red hair and a pudgy looking face, the one in the middle was a bit older, middle aged or so, with black hair that fell to her shoulders, and the last one, the one on the right, was the same age as the woman on the middle, though she had brown hair instead of black.

 

The one in the middle stepped forward and bowed, “servant,”

 

“Please rise, I don't like formalities when I'm inside of an orphanage,” Karsten's voice earned a pitch, which, compared to the squealing of the kids when she brought out the bread hidden underneath her robes, was nothing. “I brought food and if there's something that you require, please say so, I am here to help,”

 

The woman took it with grace and a smile, “thank you,” she bowed, “and I don't know if I'm allowed to say this-”

 

“You are,” Karsten cut her off, hoping that it would get her to say any problems she was hiding.

 

“- okay, then uhm, we currently lack bedding as well as clothes, our cleaning supplies are running low, and charcoal-”

 

The red haired woman stepped forward and whispered something in her colleague's ear, “you shouldn't ask for everything!” 

 

Even though it was meant to be a whisper, Karsten caught it easily, she waved them off, “it's fine, I'm here to help, it's under her majesty Neophyte's orders,”

 

“The Everlast?” The red haired woman paused at her scolding to say that. Karsten nodded, “huh,”

 

“Is the princess here?!” One of the kids yelled out only to be hit in the head by a much older teen.

 

“Don't scream like that,” he said with a shake of his head.

 

Karsten watched the interaction with a cold gaze but she decided it was none of her business and the older orphans scolding younger ones is natural… right as long as it doesn't go out of hand to the point of abusing their seniority.

 

Looking back to the caretakers, Karsten saw that they looked angry, which was good. She stepped forward and flashed the card Neophyte had given her for their “hunt”, “please, I have more than enough so don't worry about the possible cost,”

 

The three caretakers looked at each other, “if you say so…”

 

And what followed next was a list of all the missing and or needed things that the orphanage didn't have the finances to buy, which ranged from the aforementioned problems of clothes, beddings, cleaning materials, and charcoal to pans, wooden planks, as well as buckets.

 

Karsten made sure to buy all of them and by the end, she left the orphanage in a much better state than it was.

 

Neophyte would be happy of what she did, that Karsten was sure of.

 

Now to the rest of the Kingdom.