The Sword Saint's Second Life As a Fox Girl-6-6 Emerging scars

The mornings as of late had been colder than usual. Winter was still months away but it was the season that would follow. The signs of the dreaded cold had already begun to rear its ugly head. It also served as a warning to those who were unprepared.

Erin saw those signs as she trekked through the sparse forest alone while passing by countless nameless villages. At this point, the whole land was starting to feel like a small town with scattered blocks. Each village was no further than a mile or two from one another. It was understandable that they built so close together. It would deter the bandits and outlaws, but that was only their wishful thinking. These nameless villages were now empty. Not a person in sight.

She smelled blood here and there. People died but not a lot. These villages were just like the others. The inhabitants were taken. Erin had assumed it to be the work of another group of bandits but the horseshoe and wheel tracks said otherwise. The patterns of the wheel tracks were too comprehensible. And the horses have shoes. The clues all pointed to luxury, something unlikely for bandits to possess. Mercenaries would be the likelier suspects.

As Erin walked deeper into the forest, she sensed a presence just ahead of her. Instead of raising her guard, she loosened her vigilance. Her lips curled naturally into a smile of relief.

“It’s already my turn?” Aedan asked when he saw Erin approaching. He rose from the boulder he was sitting on and walked up to Erin.

Erin crossed her arms as they came face to face. “You don’t look very happy to see me,” she said.

Aedan frowned. “It’s only been… a few days and it’s not like we were far apart from each other.”

“I have been lonely.”

Aedan’s frown deepened. “...Did you eat something you shouldn’t have?”

“It's more like I haven’t eaten something I should have.” Her eyes wandered below his waist.

“Erin, you’re scaring me here. You’re no doppelganger, so… what happened?”

Erin chuckled. “I’m just playing. But truthfully, I miss you,” she said and threw her arms around Aedan. “Aera misses you too and so does Nivia.”

“I miss you too.” Aedan smiled wryly and returned the hug. “Say, you have gotten better at controlling your lust. I don’t feel anything from you.”

They parted from the embrace.

“I told you it wouldn’t take long. So, why are we here?”

“There’s a hill just up ahead. We can see the capital from there.”

And they began making their way to the hill.

“I talked with a few travelling merchants.”

“Anything of interest?”

“Plenty of stuff but none of any importance to us, except for one thing. Something’s happening in the capital, something different from usual. They said the Faiths were involved, including the Ruvans. I doubt it’s about you. They wouldn’t dare to attempt such a feat in the capital. In which case, the other reasoning could only be—”

“Demons. Yes, I have heard.”

Aedan raised an eyebrow. “From who?”

“And an old friend of yours, or so she claims.”

“An old friend and it’s a she…” Aedan mused. “That doesn’t exactly shorten the list.”

“An Elf. A Dark Elf, to be precise.”

“Ah. So it’s her, Titania…”

“Hmm. She speaks truly then.”

“She’s still here… after all these years.”

“Is there a reason that she shouldn’t be?”

“Look around us. There’s nothing here. And it’s so close to the capital. Any other Fae would have moved far away from here. But she remained. How curious.”

“I’m more curious as to how you two were acquainted.”

Aedan shrugged. “Same as how you met Lyra, Nivia, or Siv. It’s by chance. We enjoyed each other’s company. We compared our wits on many occasions. She’s a friend. We could have been more if I wasn’t so different back then. I was power-hungry and tremendously less sympathetic than I am now. We just… drifted apart.”

“So… do you want to go and see her?”

Aedan shook his head. “It’s best that I don’t. Some things are better left unresolved.”

“What are you afraid of?”

“Everything… My past is a nightmare maelstrom. I have no wish to revisit it any time soon.” Aedan sighed. “Enough about me. What did she tell you about the current situation in the capital?”

“She suspects Demons are involved and I suspect the abductions of these villagers are somehow connected.”

“When people start disappearing out of nowhere, they are either being kidnapped to be sold off as slaves or to be used as sacrifices in a dark ritual. The capital has no lack of slaves.”

“There are slaves here in the heart of the kingdom itself despite slavery being illegal?”

“They are not actually slaves. Just people who are debt-ridden and being forced to work as slaves to pay off their dues. In a way, they are no different than slaves. They might be even worse than slaves. Well, anything else?”

“She requested my service in dealing with the supposed evil in the capital.”

“Requested your service? She’s paying you?”

“There’s remuneration and I have already received the initial payment.”

“Oh?” Aedan blinked. “That’s very like her. So, what did she pay you with?”

Erin smirked and conjured a lightdrop in her palm.

Aedan was stunned. His gaze froze on Erin. “You stupid bitch…”

“Whoa… that was uncalled for.”

“It’s impossible for her to teach you the conventional and normal way. Which means, she must have shoved all the knowledge into you with a spell. I have tried such a way before. Agony doesn't even begin to describe the level of pain I felt. Please don’t tell me that you—”

“There was no agony or any tremendous pain, surprisingly. There was a prick but that was all.”

“Surprisingly? You agree to this knowing the possible agony you would experience? Have you gone mad?”

“Do I have to answer? You should know me well enough by now.”

“...I do.”

“We don’t have time for us to be taking things slow. Spirits are crucial in combating the Demons. Besides, all’s well, ends well.”

Aedan sighed.

Soon, they reached the foot of the hill. It was a steep climb to the top but Erin and Aedan made the climb in just a short duration without any difficulties.

“Whoa…” Erin gasped in awe. “That’s the capital?”

The city that spread out before her sight was akin to Sephrodia Valley but on a much larger and grander scale. There were numerous buildings that stood over a few storeys tall and they were built on hills. She could see airships and flying mounts hovering above the city. There were layers of walls that surrounded the capital. The walls seemed to serve as a divide among the classes.

The divide was clear from afar. The nobles, the serfs, the wealthy, the peasants, and the vagrants, all of them seemed to have been assigned to certain portions of the city. The difference was day and night. The peasants and the vagrants resided in the outer layers while the wealthy and the serfs were in the middle layers. The nobles and the royalty were in the innermost layer.

“It’s something, isn’t it?” Aedan muttered.

“It looks… amazing. It looks very beautiful and pleasant to the eye, but I shudder to think about the cost. Many people must have died during its construction. All for the sake of… what? To satisfy the vanity and ego of nobles? I’m surprised that Spirits even lingered around here.”

“Most likely because of the Fae who resided in the capital. There’s a handful of them.”

“Adventurers?”

“Most of them are… officials. They are there to serve as ambassadors.”

“Ambassadors? I don’t know that word.”

“They are officials appointed by the Faerie Queen herself to serve as representatives of their own kind in foreign lands to protect the Fae’s interest and well-being.”

“And how many of them are there?”

“Less than fifty.” freewёbnoνel.com

“There’s not a lot of them and they are supposed to be the majority of the Fae in the capital. That doesn’t sound very comforting or reassuring.”

“If there’s any huge changes since the last time I was here, there are three High Elves here. They are the heads of the embassy. They are protected by the elite guards of the Fae, the Tempest Blades. A single Tempest Blade can match the strength of a hundred foot soldiers. They may be few but they are far from being at a disadvantage.”

“Wait. Wouldn’t they be aware of any demonic activities in the capital?”

“Even if they are, they can do nothing. They are there to protect the Fae, not to solve the kingdom’s problems. However, I’m sure they will be able to provide plenty of aid. Also, you have the recognition of House Valdrun. No one will come troubling us in the capital as long as we don’t go looking for trouble ourselves.”

Erin snickered. “Given my disposition, troubling times ahead, indeed.”

Aedan sighed and rolled his eyes.

****

The sound of metal clangour reverberated throughout the estate. The clangour was heavy, yet sharp and light, as if two heavy objects were clashing together but bounced off in the next split second. If one followed the unusual noise, it would lead them to the courtyard behind the main house where two individuals were crossing swords.

One sword was as large as the individual itself, standing over seven feet tall in a suit of steel armour. The armoured combatant was no knight, at least he didn’t look like one. The armour suit he wore bore no similarity to that of a knight’s, only its material. If cast in a shadow, its silhouette would make one think of a humanoid beast.

The other sword was of a much normal scale but the man behind the sword was anything but normal. He stood a foot shorter than his opponent but he was no less taller in his own right. He wore no armour but a simple pair of trousers. Every other part of him was bare to the elements. In the face of his intimidating opponent, he showed no exhaustion or distress. He calmly received the blows and parried them without much effort.

The scale of the battle was tilting to neither side. It might have been a draw but no one would ever know as the battle came to an abrupt end with the intrusion of a haggard and dishevelled man came running into the courtyard.

The armoured individual immediately ceased its offence and defaulted to a resting stance with precise movements. Meanwhile, the man tossed aside his sword and turned to face the sudden guest.

“I trust you come bearing important news,” the man said with a glare that seemed to promise harm if his spar was halted for some trifling matter.

“I do have important news, My Lord,” the dishevelled man answered in a tone that he barely kept from shaking.

“Well, say it.”

“It has been more than a day now since we last heard from the bandits. It is unusual for them.”

“Bandits are fickle.”

“Not these ones, My Lord. They know full well they will get nothing in return if they are late. They love their liquor and opium too much.”

“Patrols?”

“No reports about any patrols in that area. If anything, they might have crossed paths with some high-level righteous adventurers.”

“Fuck…” the man uttered under his breath. “Right when we are nearing completion and this happens… What of the High Lord?”

“The High Lord denies any knowledge of it and he has no intention of intervening unless you would offer something as compensation.”

The man snorted. “Send the Hounds. Search for the culprit and find out what they have learned, and destroy all evidence. The bandits are not the toughest bunch with their minds. They would definitely talk if they were tortured.”

“Y-yes, My Lord.” The dishevelled man nodded.

“Go, now.”

The dishevelled man nodded once more and quickly made himself scarce.

After the dishevelled man was truly gone, the man turned his attention back to the armoured individual, who had been still and silently for the entire duration.

“Not long now, Katya… Not long now.”