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“It would seem that you have made good progress with Nivia,” said Lilian, who was watching over the entrance of a cave atop a small hill alongside Erin.

Erin frowned. “Where did that come from?”

Lilian giggled. “From the night before until this morning, I have never seen her so cheery. Something must have happened between the two of you.”

Erin’s frown deepened. “Do we have to talk about that now?”

Lilian shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

“You don’t see why not? That cave right there is the hideout for around dozens of bandits. And there’s only a quarter of a mile between us and that cave.”

“We are already as vigilant as we can be. Besides, Nivia will give us the signal if something’s off.”

“We can talk about it later.”

“I think not, sweetheart. This isn’t something we can talk about with Nivia here. She would be far too awkward around us if she heard us.”

Erin sighed. “What do you want to know?”

“Just the gist. Did you and Nivia do something while you two were alone?”

“We fought and killed the bandits, though it’s more of a one-sided slaughter.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all.”

“Surely there must be something else.”

“We talked about our feelings. We laid our hearts bare to each other. We didn’t copulate in the middle of the woods if that’s what you’re curious about.”

“Hmm, indeed. That is my curiosity. I see… So you two just talked?”

“That’s what I have been telling you.”

“Nivia and I talked before, about her feelings, extensively at that. No progress has ever been made. She still remained stubborn and… dishonest with herself. But I suppose that one group session helped a lot in making her honest, wouldn’t you say?”

“Given who she is, there must have been a lot of expectations placed on her. A strict upbringing.”

“I would say it’s quite the opposite. She has too much freedom. She’s not a prude because of her upbringing. That would be the stories’ fault.”

“Stories?”

“Stories from our village elders. They have seen the outside world. Quite a few of them were once adventurers. Nivia was always so eager to listen to their stories. Those stories seemed to have formed the expectations that she set on herself. A Fae must always be proud and graceful, the elders would always say. But of course, it’s not an actual saying amongst the Fae but it stuck with Nivia.”

“She’s quite the free spirit.”

Lilian tittered. “And you tamed her.”

“...Tame is a strong word.”

“Only something strong can keep her in check.”

“She’s not an animal.”

Lilian’s smile turned wry. “Oh, dearie, you have no idea just how much trouble she had caused just because she can’t hold her tongue. Before she met you, she was always so eager to prove herself. She would snarl at anyone who dares to look down on her, even at nobles. But because she’s a Fae, she gets to keep her head, though she did set the whole town against us. Fun times.”

“That’s… interesting to know.”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it.”

Before Erin could probe further, there was a chirp that quickly echoed from the trees. It was from Nivia, signalling a development. A bandit appeared from the cave, strolling in a leisurely manner. His eyes were only on the path ahead, throwing caution to the wind in regards to his surroundings.

“Amateur,” Erin muttered.

“Could be a false mark. Goblins have been known to do that, to lull unsuspecting adventurers into their abode.”

“They are bandits.”

“Bandits, goblins, they aren’t that different. They pillage and they rape the small folks in villages.”

Erin took a whiff of the air and she grimaced. “Urgh! Are they averse to cleaning themselves or something? Even a wild dog smells better than them.”

“Do you smell anything feminine on them?”

“No, I don’t. Just shit and blood. They must have sold all of their captives.”

“Well, then. We don’t need to keep waiting now, do we? Why are we even being this cautious in the first place?”

“I no longer have the System. Even the weakest can kill me if I’m not careful.”

“Ah, right. There’s that. It’s very inconvenient.”

“It would be the opposite if my opponent is in the higher levels.”

“Oh, I hope there won’t be any.”

“If there is, let me handle them.”

“Naturally.”

The two then made their way down from the hill. Erin simply hopped off from the ledge while Lilian slid down using her Nature Magic. Together, they approached the unsuspecting bandit who was preparing to relieve himself in a bush. Once they were close enough, Lilian manipulated the roots around the bandit’s feet to wrap themselves around him. Before the bandit could scream, the roots tugged and the bandit fell face first on the ground. Erin swooped in and pierced her sword into the bandit’s head.

There was another chirp from the trees. Erin and Lilian ran for cover without a moment’s hesitation. Two bandits emerged from the cave. Both were shirtless. One was light-skinned while the other was dark-skinned. They looked around. They were searching for something, or someone. Erin presumed they were looking for the one who came out to relieve himself.

The two bandits saw something in the bushes, but they couldn’t be sure. They drew their swords and approached the bush carefully. Once they were close enough, Erin sprang into action. She flew past the first like an arrow that was shot past. The second didn’t even have time to react. He barely even recognised Erin’s presence. The winds whistled along with a faint streak of silver. The heads of the two bandits rolled off their necks and their bodies crumbled to the ground shortly after.

“Were you an assassin in the past?” Lilian asked as she came out of her hiding spot.

“I have been in wars and battles. They aren’t always fought on an open field. In fact, it’s seldom on an open field. It was always either forests or towns. The paths are narrow. There isn’t a lot of space for movements. Loud and brash would not get you anywhere. Being silent, quick, and precise is how I have survived and thrived.”

“You have been through a lot, my dear. It’s a miracle that your heart is still intact.”

“My heart is intact because I have not opened it. I kept it close and it would have stayed close if I hadn’t met Lyra or any of you. Besides, that was a long time ago. Whatever grievances I had with my past, there’s no longer any.”

“As you say, Erin. Now, shall we proceed?”

“You’re coming with?”

“Of course. Do you intend to leave me out of the action like last night?”

“It was just a precaution.”

“A needless one. We have Nivia watching over us. I can provide support for you if I come with you. I am no stranger to massacre and bloodshed if you are not aware.”

Erin didn’t argue. She had heard of Lilian’s exploit from Nivia. She was hesitant but she relented. It was not good for her to be overly protective. With a gesturing nudge of her head, the two stepped into the cave.

Their strides were wide but they made little sound. As they trod deeper, the pungent smell grew stronger. The scent of blood filled the air, muddled with the heavy odour of liquor and spirits. The smell grew so strong to the point that it felt like they were drowning in it.

“If there are any villagers remaining, I doubt they would still be alive,” Lilian whispered. “It smells like a battlefield in there.”

“The liquor scent is heavy and thick. The last time I smelled this kind of liquor was in the city of Sephrodia Valley and that’s in the golden district. Liquor from the common folks is light in scent and the taste is watered down. The bandits either stole from nobles or…”

“The bandit you interrogated spoke the truth. They sold the villagers to some wealthy merchant. It could even be a noble.”

“This province belongs to the capital. Whoever this noble or merchant is, they are very likely from the capital, unless some merchant or noble from faraway would come all this way just to buy some villagers from a nameless village.”

“I don’t like the sound of this. Twice I have encountered such a thing and both times, the reason was the same.”

“What was the reason?”

“Demons. The villagers were used for some kind of ritual.”

“What are the chances of them simply being sold off as slave laborers or as personal whores?”

“Very unlikely. It would be too easily exposed. If they want slaves, they would just put the village in debt. No, these villagers were sold off for demonic purposes. I stake my life on it.”

“In that case, we’ll leave one or two alive.”

“Not a problem.” Lilian traced her fingers along the wall as they trod deeper into the cave. The wall started sprouting vines which then started sprouting buds. Before they could bloom, Lilian plucked the buds.

“What are those?” Erin had to ask.

“Lullaby,” Lilian answered and tossed the bud into the cave’s depths where the bandits were.

Erin heard a faint sound of an explosion. It was a soft explosion but it was enough to send the bandits into a panic. She could hear them screaming about some green smoke that was now filling the rooms. “Poison?” she glanced at the Dryad.

“Nothing fatal. Just enough to dull their senses. It has no effect on us.”

“Us?”

“Faerie-kin. Of course, it’s ineffective to those who have Poison Resistance.”

Then, they heard shouting. It was filled with rage. They stumbled as they charged out of their rooms in a haste and into the passage that led to the outside. And of course, they bumped into Erin and Lilian.

“What the— Who are you two!?” one of the three bandits roared. “Did you do this!?”

“Are you the leader?” Erin asked.

Two of the bandits frowned deeply while one had a mild reaction.

Erin cut down the two who frowned and crippled the one who reacted mildly. The bandit’s reaction was no longer mild after he had his legs hacked off. The bandit’s scream attracted more of the bandits from within. The bandits that came running to the scream were all in no condition to fight. They could barely walk straight.

“Allow me,” Lilian said and stepped forward. She waved her arm at the confused bandits.

The bandits looked at Lilian weirdly. They couldn’t comprehend her actions, though they never did with any of their victims or enemies. They only know how to kill, steal, drink, and fuck. It was in their interest to understand or comprehend anything. And so, they drew their weapons and charged at Lilian.

The vines on the walls had grown exponentially. Thorns had also sprouted and these thorns were shot out from the vines. The moment they struck the bandits, they all went limp and collapsed to the ground. They were twitching and frothing from the mouth as they just laid there, unmoving.

“What did you do?” Erin questioned.

“Oh, I paralysed them.”

“Why?”

“Punishment,” Lilian said with a bright smile. “Killing them like you is just… too merciful. Given what they have done, they need to suffer.”

Erin nodded wryly without a remark and turned to the bandit who was clutching his fresh stump that was missing a leg. “You must be the leader.”

“I-I’m not!” The bandit was quick to deny. The pain had come and gone. Numbness took over.

Erin shrugged. “Well, not like it matters. You just need to tell me what you know about the person who bought the villagers from you.”

“I’ll tell! I’ll tell! J-just let me go! I won’t cause—”

“Silence,” Erin said but to the bandit, it felt like a roar that struck his soul directly. “Speak only when I ask you a question. Understand?”

The bandit nodded.

Erin smiled and her tails began exuding a pink mist.