"What are our plans, master?" Zamira and Constantine were walking rejoin the streets of the Town of Loup, heading back to Andre's apartment.
Zamira merely wanted to know what would be his next code of action, that way she'd act accordingly.
Walking around, still wearing her same clothes, she felt as light as a feather, her breastplates removed, her butt free of constrain, her body was wiggling in freedom with every move, surely to be a bother in combat, but so far she simply felt comfortable.
Having had his fair share of ogling, Constantine started to think what his priorities were.
"I want to investigate and learn as much as I can, my priority is to increase my magic rank, but I have no idea how to do so." Increasing one's strength was paramount and he came to realise too soon how advantageous magic was in front of an opponent, even more than one's skill with the sword.
The more he increased Aurelianne's 'cult' he saw sure trouble would arise and strength would be needed.
"If that's the case, I'd recommend that you head to the capital, that's where the pinnacle of human magic is practiced, but..."
"But?"
"I might not be able to go with you, the capital is for magus and influential people... I won't be allowed entry." She said, dejected but also expectant.
"Then we're not going until you're ready, I'm not in a rush."
"Master..." Her expectations had been met and Zamira felt happy, she'd give it her all to be accepted in the capital by sheer prowess, that was their next destiny.
As they walked the pair was stopped by a sudden calling.
"Mr and Mrs! You're mercenaries, right? Would you like some flowers?"
It was a young girl with fair body, wearing torn rags and a cloak, she had long hair that reached her back, it was in disarray.
Her appearance placed her in between fifteen and eighteen, while the most prominent characteristic of hers, aside from several scars in her face, was that eyepatch that Constantine couldn't take his eyes from.
In all right, to him she was 'beautiful' sadly, that wasn't the case for everyone else.
...
The flowers were red in colour and slightly shiny, similar to a sunflower but dark red in tonality, when Zamira saw them she was awed at first glance.
"Those are no common flowers." Constantine analysed the girl's product, those flowers he had never seen before.
"That's sulfur grass, girl, why aren't you selling this in the pharmacy?"Zamira questioned with a frown.
The girl looked away with apparent irritation before answering with a pout, "They want to take it for cheap, I risked my life to get them, I can't sell them cheaply!"
"Oh?" Constantine gave this girl a deep look, she is roughly in her fifteen years of age, an eye patch in one eye, several scars in her face, her countenance concealed a beauty beneath the surface, her hair was light auburn and she was coated in a dense layer of dust.
'How hard do kids have it in this world...' Constantine sighed in sadness.
[Human kids to be precise...]
"What's your name, girl?"
"My name is Raki! Mr-" the girl trailed, clearly indicating that she wanted to know his name too.
"Constantine."
"Mr Constantine, aren't you too weak to be a mercenary? and this lady here..." The girl analysed the two of them and the more she saw them, the more convinced she was they were liars, if not for Zamira's sword in her back she wouldn't believe it, clearly that sword is quite valuable.
"How can you tell whether I am weak or not?" The conqueror's eyes twitched.
"Big brother, with that body I don't think you would be able to lift me up the ground! Much less be a mercenary." She mocked him slightly only to close her mouth the next second after the deed was done, seemingly realising that they're 'customers'.
"Naughty girl, I'll have you know I can even lift up mountain sized horses!"
[I dare you... see how that karma meter multiplies]
'You're on, once I become a god, we will see.'
Constantine's comment which wasn't an intentional joke had the little girl giggling,
this was perhaps the only customer that had stopped to talk to her like this.
"Anyway, what uses are there for this grass, Zamira?"
"Alchemists use it to produce a powder of sorts that can momentarily increase physical strength, it is usually found deep inside the forest, I am surprised you could find one of them and survive, girl."
"I was lucky, madam-"
"Just call me Zamira."
"Madam Zamira, this one was located at the outskirts of the Lindom Forest, I was collecting common flowers when I saw it, but I briefly managed to run a member of the scarred cult along the way... as you can see, not for free." The girl pointed at her face with a sad expression, the scars were recent.
'How can any of those bastards scar the face of a girl like this!?'
Constantine was determined to slaughter any of them members of this cult that he saw, they were extremely vile to the point of no redemption.
"And what happened to your eye?"
"T-That was a fight that I lost... are you interested in my flowers, Sir?" She moved the topic away, not desiring to carry on recalling her grievances, a truly mature thought to have for a teenage girl like her.
"I'll buy everything you have."
!!!
"S-Sir you must be-!" She wanted to reproach him for increasing her expectations, but the moment she saw the gold coin, she knew he wasn't joking.
"I want everything..." It wasn't merely a gift, Constantine wanted to study this 'sulfur grass' for himself.
"Sir you don't have to!" She tried to reject at first, convinced that he was doing it out of pity.
'So you still hold pride, Raki...'
"Just give me all those flowers girl, and keep the change, we're too wealthy and I don't have any lower coins than this!" He spoke with a certain degree of disdain that surprised even Zamira.
Ultimately, the girl decided to give away the flowers.
'If I don't do it like this, you won't accept it...' He could see himself in this girl,
on her own, risking her life for some flowers, rejecting to sell her effort short and still holding pride amidst the constant blows.
He took the flowers and they disposed themselves to leave, but then he felt the girl pull on his sleeve with a complicated gaze.
"S-Sir could I ask for a favour?"
"What is it?"
"Could you accompany me to the exchange shop? If I appear on my own, with a gold coin..."
He didn't need to be explained to understand what her worries were, and once more, he applauded the girl's shrewdness.
"Sure." He nodded towards Zamira and the two of them helped the girl change her golden coin for several bags of copper coins and silver coins.
"Where is your house?"
"It is this way!" Raki understood that he wanted to take her to her house and decided to accept, feeling confident.
They arrived at a slump of sorts after a few minutes of walking in which Raki remained silent with a happy expression in her face.
"M-My daughter..."
"Father!"
They entered the humble house and found a man laying on a bad, he looked young but his countenance recalled them of a man in his deathbed.
Raki embraced her father tightly, even allowing the bags of copper coins to fall on the ground.
The man was covered in a quilt and laying on the bed, he extended one of his arms forward to hug the girl as they shared a moment.
Then, his gaze settled on Constantine and Zamira, with a threat.
"W-What do you want with my daughter!?"
"Father, they're customers, they helped me!"
Raki tried to diffuse the situation swiftly and after a brief explanation, the man understood yet still regarded Constantine with dubiousness.
"Now that my daughter has the change, she can pay you back... she doesn't need to owe you anything." The man spoke solemnly only for Constantine to sigh and look at Raki.
"Could you leave us alone for a moment, Raki?"
"..." Raki looked at her father who nodded before leaving the room.
"Are you stupid?" Those were Constantine's first harsh and cold words that left Zamira and the man breathless.
"What did you say!?"
"I am asking you if you are stupid... your daughter had a streak of luck yet you deny it to her... you're struck with Rotborn."
The man but his lips and moved the quilt away, what remained was something that even Constantine couldn't expect.
Except for his right arm, the man was missing all of his limbs as a hideous stench resurfaced.
Zamira bit her lips, this sight wasn't surprising.
"That's the last stage of rotborn, you don't have more than a month to leave, sir..." That's all she could say in resignation.
"If that's the case, even more so, fool! Why will you deny your daughter's luck!?"
"Are you expecting me to deliver my daughter right into your or anyone's claws!? E-Even if I can't protect her like in the past... even if I'm now a coward that can do nothing but look how his beloved daughter goes out and comes with an additional scar every day, I AM STILL HER FATHER!" In the eyes of this man, there were tears that Constantine couldn't help but look at.
"Even so, if you're about to die, shouldn't you think for her future? I don't have any Ill intentions with the girl and I don't plan to take the money back either."
"..."
"You want someone dependable to leave her with..."
"..."
'Zebellia, the blessing of my goddess to heal.'
[That is not strong enough to heal limbs back... moreover you can only use it once until you drastically increase the amount of believers... are you sure you want to use it on him?]
'...'
"There are no dependable hands in this town... everyone is for their own gain, my daughter hasn't made it into the mercenaries at this age... everyone refuses to teach her how to defend herself... with her looks, she's also not a good candidate for marriage, I fear for her life."
"I will train your daughter..."
!!!
"A-Are you a mercenary?" He looked at Constantine up and down, surely he's jesting.
But when Constantine raised up his hand to lit up a flame, everything changed.
'Magus!'
"I will train her until she's strong enough to defend herself... sorry, but I can't save you, I can't save everyone I meet..." Constantine said with solemness, the best way to help people is to erase the cause of the collective suffering.
Helping every single individual is a waste of time and resources, the best he can do is tackle the main issue, Rotborn.
pαпᵈα-noνɐ1·сoМ And doing so while using Aurelianne's name is perfect advertisement to the Life Goddess, effectively accomplishing his 'job' as a champion.
"... Please, take care of my daughter... me and my dead wife will be in gratitude with you for a thousand lives."
That's all he could say, the man left his daughter in someone else' care.
With all the bitterness in his heart, he decided to trust.
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