Thief of Time

There weren’t too many people when Dia and Lily arrived at Triple-D, which was to be expected. Most work had to be done under the sun, because the Moons were unpredictable, and had tremendous effects on the night. For instance, if the red moon of strife, Percuti, was the only one shining on that day, people would be more prone to conflict when in groups. Things like construction just wouldn’t work, and even essential people like guards would have to operate alone.

Of course, if their work already involved bloodshed to begin with, like soldiers or bandits on a raid, then it would be far easier. However, the main point was that as a rule of thumb, no one wanted to work at night, under the light of the Moons…or lack thereof. Even if one was indoors, the Moons’ light still had some effect, but it was far less problematic than say, if someone was outside.

Incidentally, this was the origin of scholars parading themselves under Plota, the blue moon of wisdom, while making really profound statements about society.

Finding a nice seat near the bar, Dia greeted the barkeeper. “Hello, master.”

“Good afternoon to you. My men are working day and night for the intelligence you need, but as expected, Tot is a crafty one.”

“It’s okay,” Dia replied. “I’m here for a different purpose today.”

“Oh?”

“I’m here to learn about the legends and stories of Licencia. The storyteller’s going to come today, right? It’ll be great for me to focus on things like that,” Dia replied. “Besides, I always wanted to learn more about the more…romantic sides of things.”

“Ah, a woman after my heart.” The bartender poured out a cup of apple juice and slid it over to Dia. “On the house. As for you, do you want a drink?”

Lily shuddered.

“Get Lily some apple juice, then.”

“Isolde?!”

“Don’t worry,” Dia replied. “The master’s apple juice is really nice. You should spend some time savouring it.”

“You aren’t lying to me, are you?” Lily asked. “If it tastes bad, you’re going to drink it, got it?”

The bartender laughed. “The sober love my apple juice. The saddened love my alcohol. And the wise love my food.”

Dia raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying that your chef’s cooking is great? Now that’s a challenge I don’t mind trying.”

“Isolde?! Did he put anything in the apple juice?” Lily asked, placing a palm on her shoulder. “I can dispel it! Purification!”

Before Dia could do anything, Lily had already used one of her skills. The bartender winced as the light faded, and Dia reached out to her ears. “I obviously tested the drink for poison, right? I’m not an idiot.”

She took a silver needle and a thin glass rod, before rolling them at Lily. “See? There’s nothing on it!”

The bartender drew close. “True. Such an arrangement would complement each other. You can consider using some wood from the Elysia tree to test for mana-based poisons too. Small strips. If you see some inscriptions on them, it means that there’s mana in your food. That said, this method's less useful, since some meals and drinks use mana to taste better.”

“And does your apple juice have mana inside?”

“Nope. A hundred percent pure apple juice, of the most premium apples one can get in the Umbra Sovereignty…although I think the name might change to 'Istrel Sovereignty' very soon.” The bartender shrugged. “Duke Istrel must be really happy, all things considered.”

“Well, he is the son of Ruler Umbra, after all. I’m not sure if happy’s the right word to use, though.” Dia shook his head.

“Well, their father-son relations were rather strained, so…” The bartender shrugged. “But Ruler Umbra only had one child, so no matter what, Duke Istrel was bound to inherit his territories in the end. Emperor Grandis has already set the succession in stone too.”

Dia murmured something in agreement, and then sipped from the glass. The velvety apple juice slid down her throat, a cooling sensation that was more than capable of beating the heat.

“See?” she said, after seeing Lily empty her glass in one gulp. “Nice, wasn’t it?”

Lily made a little gurgle, and Dia turned away from her. “I suspect she wants another glass. For me…get me your signature dish. I’m interested in seeing if the wise truly love your food.”

“There’s a reason why my bar’s always packed at night, missy.” Turning to the door inside the counter area, he yelled, “One signature!”

“Coming right up, boss!”

Turning back, he drummed his fingers on the counter. “I wonder what mister Colidra’s going to bring back for us. I heard he went out to find stories regarding the local thieves four days ago. He’s probably going to touch on a few well-known legends, and then some of the newer thieves that recently made a name.”

“All in response to Master Thief Tot, right?” Dia rubbed her neck. “Seems like he’s a really hot figure now.”

“Of course. It is tradition to thank whoever gave you intel if you capture your target. For someone as important as Tot, only something like a small barony would be a suitable gift,” said the bartender. “Or you risk the Moons’ curse.”

“The curse of ingratitude, right? It’s quite the legend…”

“What curse of ingratitude?” Lily asked.

“Three thousand years ago, the predecessor to Duke Lustre — the dukedom to the east of Istrel — attained the blessings of the Moons. With skill, wisdom and luck, Duke Tsuku defeated all other claimants to the position of Duke, even defeating Emperor Grandis’ chosen. The Emperor, who was gracious even in defeat, let it slide, but warned Duke Tsuku that he should honour his promise to the Moons.”

Dia closed her eyes for a moment. “But Duke Tsuku was arrogant. Having perceived his victory against the other claimants as a victory against Emperor Grandis himself, the duke took Emperor Grandis’ words as an order, which he wanted to defy.”

“And so he defied it,” said the barkeeper. “On the day of his ascension, he did not thank the Moons for their blessing, and even reviled them. Within the next week, his dukedom crumbled from within, as key personnel all over were possessed by madness. Thus began the Period of Warring Fiefs.”

Lily exhaled slowly. “What happened in the end?”

“Wars between minor warlords broke out. Within their number was a warlord who, before embarking on his journey, prostrated to the Moons and pled for forgiveness.” The bartender smiled. “He won. And with it, created a law within his dukedom that promises to the Moons are also promises made to his person.”

Dia nodded. “That man was the first-generation Duke Lustre. And from then on, all from his lineage were blessed with incomparable talent and beauty.”

“Like Princess Dia! I see, I see.” Lily nodded. “Thank you, Isolde. Your words earlier on were truly correct. I can’t wait to share this with Risti and Farah.”

“Now that you mention it,” said the bartender, “all of you look like—”

“Yeah, we know,” said Dia. “We’re fans of hers.”

“Huh. And here I thought you guys were quadruplets…” The barkeeper shook his head dejectedly. “I heard that Princess Dia’s in the Istrel Dukedom now, though. She escaped arrest and everything. Apparently, she cleaved through the Lustre army, crushed every gate in her way into tiny stones, and slaughtered her way through the Emperor’s men.”

“That’s probably a lie, right?” Dia asked. She couldn’t quite believe how her very peaceful escape had been twisted into a battle of epic proportions, especially since she definitely didn’t leave any carnage in the wake of her escape.

“Who knows? But the rumours about Duke Lustre going into shock’s definitely a lie, though.” The bartender nodded his head sagely. “After all, he made an appearance for the next three days looking very healthy, while denouncing his daughter.”

“Denouncing?”

“Yeah. Basically, it was a statement that said that it was her negligence, and therefore his, that the last Pure Life Gem of the Sovereignty was stolen by Tot. Apparently, she was guarding a vault of strategic resources and all, but she fell asleep on the job,” said the bartender.

“That’s not possible,” said Lily.

You tell him, girl! In fact—

“In fact,” continued Lily, “she was still in the Lustre Dukedom at the time of the theft. I don’t know who it was, but I know that she was patronising some cake shops when the theft occurred.”

“Really?” the bartender asked.

“I’m never wrong when it comes to her,” said Lily. Pulling out a piece of paper, she slid it over to the bartender. “She was at…”

Dia peeked over Lily’s shoulder, and her eyes widened. Even she herself didn’t remember all the shops she had went to on that day, but…this was…

Shivering slightly, she edged away from Lily. This wasn’t the first time something as inane as this had happened in front of her, but on the bright side…

On the bright side…

Well, on the bright side, there was at least someone who could testify about her innocence. She had little doubt about whether those trails would be covered up or not, but if the Shadows of Grandis ever caught her, these things could at least count for something to Emperor Grandis, who was clearly sincere in rooting out Ruler Umbra’s murderer.

She sighed and looked around, just in time to see a familiar face enter Triple-D.

Claud.