A couple of days had passed after Sephtis, and I left Connery Village. We were now only one stop away from Eleos City. Had it not been for Eveleen letting me take both horses, it would have taken much longer.
While on the journey, I was teaching Sephtis some of my combat techniques as I had promised, and just as he insisted, Sephtis didn't let me down.
Despite his build being much larger than mine, which wasn't what I had in mind when creating my techniques, he was still able to change them to suit himself. Much less without changing the actual techniques themselves, they were still almost exact copies.
"Hm, it's going to start getting dark soon. We should pick up the pace in order to get to the next city in time," I commented, looking up at the sky to see the setting sun.
"Good thing it isn't far from here…" Sephtis commented, but paused upon seeing my confused look, "Oh! I've been through here before. It was a long time ago, I hadn't settled into a village yet, I was just wandering."
"Ho? You must have quite a few fun stories then, want to share some when we get a place to sleep for the night?" I asked, smiling. I've been wanting to get to know Sephtis more, especially since he wasn't mentioned in the novel, and he just presented me the perfect opportunity to.
"I-I wouldn't mind! So long as I can get to know teacher better, I can tell you as much as you want to know!" He beamed, his tail wagging behind him.
Ever since I started teaching Sephtis, he has started to call me teacher. I wasn't sure about it at first, but I eventually got used to it, though it still pangs my heart a little bit when I hear him call me that.
'I guess it's not as bad as the other things I've been called…' I thought, shivering in my boots at remembering all the nicknames Llyr had given me.
"Great! I suppose you and I will have to search for a fireplace or inn, then once we reach town, hahaha!" I laughed, commanding my horse to go faster so that we can reach the next city soon.
Though lagging behind a little, Sephtis soon caught up next to me, causing me to laugh as his expression became one of challenge. I quickened my horse, expecting his duel to see who was going to reach the gates first.
"You are on, Sephtis!" I laughed cheerfully, smiling with my teeth. This was probably the freest I've ever felt since coming to this god forsaken world.
There were no subordinates around me to whom I had to act tough around, no obsessive maniacs, and no gods dictating my every move; it felt amazing. The only person here was Sephtis, who didn't know who I was, nor what I had done in the past.
If I had to be honest with myself, I hadn't even gotten this feeling on earth… except for before I joined the military and snuck out with Akihito, Yasuo, and Keiji.
After Yasuo and Keiji passed, I didn't have any more feelings of true freedom. While I got to talk to Akihito occasionally, I was still held down by the weight of my position.
Akihito, being a government official, and I, being a high-ranking military personnel, there were always eyes on us, even when it was just the two of us. So, until now, I was stuck keeping up appearances.
"Hahahaha! This feels so good!" Sephtis laughed cheerfully from behind me, head back and eyes closed as he enjoyed the wind whipping behind us as we galloped away.
"Yeah, yeah, it does," I responded with a smile, but this one was full of longing. I wished that Yasuo, Keiji, and Akihito were here with me to also enjoy it, but I knew that just wasn't possible.
"Look! There's the city's walls in the distance!" Sephtis pointed out, coming up beside me with the brightest smile I'd ever seen, one I'd seen on Llyr before…When he looked at me.
'...There is no fucking way I realised this when I'm with this adorable doofus…ARGH!' Those thoughts were quickly swept away as we got closer and I noticed something beyond the city's walls…no, even on the city walls.
"...Fire? Sephtis, pick up the pace, something is wrong," I ordered, making my poor horse go faster than I had made it before, my cloak waving in the wind behind me as my hood almost fell off.
"Right! Mmm, I smell blood, lots of it," He responded, sniffing the air as we got closer. When we were almost at the gates, he hid his tail in his cloak, not wanting to be identified just yet, as he also put his hood up.
Now, just a few feet in front of the gates, the two of us could see bodies lying lifelessly on the ground, blood pouring from them. Judging from the armour they wore, we could tell the bodies were an assortment of guards and adventurers.
"Oh dear…Sephtis, look for anyone still breathing! If there is anyone still alive, maybe they could tell us what's going on," I ordered, serious mode being turned on.
"Understood!" Sephtis dismounted his horse, holding the reins as his ears perked up through his hood to hear if anyone was still breathing.
In this sort of matter, were-people's hearing was much better than that of elves. Since almost all were-species were omnivores and carnivores, their hearing was most accustomed to sensing the movement and breath of others.
As Sephtis was listening for any signs of life in the bodies sprawled on the ground, I was listening for any signs of struggle. Unfortunately, but also fortunately, I was able to hear screams coming from inside the city, as well as laughter.
'Laughter? That's not a good sign…' Hearing that, I had a guess of who, or what, was behind this.
"Teacher, over here!" Sephtis shouted, crouching near a person dressed in the attire of a tank class adventurer.
Going over to the two, I dismounted my horse, crouching down to check on the tank. "Are you alright, sir?" I asked, grabbing my handkerchief and pressing on a wound that was still heavily bleeding.
"Ugh, heheh, I fucking wish- UGH!" He laughed before groaning in pain, then coughing up a lot of blood.
"Please, sir, try to conserve your strength," I suggested, pressing harder in the still bleeding wound. "Could you please take a few deep breaths and tell us what happened here?"
"Mmm, right…" He groaned, taking a few deep breaths before continuing, "It was like any normal day, my party and I were in the guild, looking at what jobs to take on next. That was, until the alarms blared, signalling that demons had attacked the gates, out of nowhere at that- Agh!"
The tank started hacking up blood again, then took a few deep breaths. He was clearly on the verge of death, considering the amount of blood he had lost.
"Here, take this. If you feel better after, then please continue," I insisted, opening a healing potion and holding it to his mouth for him, where he then drank.
"Ehm! Thank you. As I was saying, cough, the demons came out of nowhere! My party and I, along with other adventurers and their parties, tried to help the guards by fending them off, but it was too late, and the demons were too strong," he recalled, taking deep breaths as the pain lessened from the potion.
"I see…then it's good to assume the fire and screams I'm hearing are being caused by them," I pondered for a second, thinking of what to do.
"Please, sirs, help this city. My younger sister, Lior, her home is here. If you manage to save her before it's too late, I will forever be in your debt!" The tank begged, grabbing my hand in newfound determination.
"Heh, of course we'll help, you can count on us!" I lightly squeezed his hand in reassurance, looking at him with a smile, "Sephtis, help me lean him against that boulder over there!"
"Alright!" Sephtis exclaimed, taking one of his arms over his shoulder as I took the other, as we tried to help him stand up to move him out of sight, he stopped us.
"Wait! I wish to come with you!" The man exclaimed, refusing to get up, "I know that I seem like I'll be a burden, but I can be of help! I know my way around the city; I can guide you where you need to go."
"...Fine, but if you end up getting in the way, don't be surprised if we end up dumping you in an alleyway," I said harshly. There was no wavering in my voice, as I was completely serious.
"Of course, I, Lorenzo, Leader of the Adventuring party formally known as the 'Golden Light', will do my best to assist you!" Lorenzo announced, through his helmet, a look of determination showed.
"..." I simply smiled at him, then turned to Sephtis with a serious look, "Have him ride on your horse with you, if we run into any demons, I'll take care of them."
"Are you sure? I want to help as much as I can," Sephtis replied, frowning a little at the disappointment of having Lorenzo accompany him as added weight.
"I'm sure, just make sure Lorenzo is settled alright and doesn't accidentally fall off the horse," I replied, keeping a monotone voice as I walked the two of them over to Sephtis' horse.
"Thank you both, truly. And please don't pay me any mind, just think of me as a bag behind you," Lorenzo smiled guiltily, both feeling bad and grateful about accompanying us.
"Mm, if that is how you want it to be, then I likely won't pay you any attention," Sephtis said coldly, surprising me in a way, but by his expression, I could tell he was slightly hurt.
Perhaps he thought I considered him dead weight in the upcoming battles and was in a bad mood because of it; either way, I wasn't too sure on what was going on in his head at the moment.
"Here, Lorenzo," I interjected, handing him another healing potion as he mounted the horse after Sephtis, "While the bleeding stopped, the wound hasn't disappeared; it should with this one. However, if it doesn't, there is another one in Sephtis' bag."
Lorenzo nodded as I patted him on the arm, then walked over and mounted my horse. Looking back at the two of them, Lorenzo was adjusting his armour, and Sephtis was looking at me with a poutish frown.
Turning my head away, shaking my head and chuckling, the three of us started making our way through the city.
***
The harbour was bustling, and the sounds of merchants were heard, yelling out sales to try and gain customers. Hooves of horses were heard as guards on horseback made their rounds, making sure not to let any potential criminals slip away. Captains and crew mates tended to their ships, making sure to take good care of them so as not to have them rust and fall apart.
In the middle of all this was a hooded man, searching for a ride to take him where his journey would lead him next. Or, rather, where the goal of his journey would end up.
He wasn't sure where exactly he was headed, but he knew the general direction. All he needed was a ship and people willing to accommodate him till he knew where to get off at.
Finally, he reached the managing station of the Haurbor. This was where all boats docking and leaving were recorded, as well as their next destinations.
"Pardon me," He said, his voice was the most elegant the desk manager had ever heard, "Are there any boats currently docked that are headed west?"
"Mph, whos askn'?" The manager asked, chewing on a piece of weed that looked like a piece of hay. He tipped his hat up to get a closer look at the figure, but raised his eyes when he saw the hood and cloak, "If you are a beggar, go away, this harbour has no need for stowaways."
"Stowaways? Good Sir, I am no stowaway," The cloaked figure reassured, furrowing his hidden brows, but his tone clearly displaying that he was displeased at the manager's comment.
"Then state your name and business, and if you serve to have a good reason, then I may be of service, but if not…You may just have to be on your way," The manager gave a cheeky smirk as the hidden guards around the station seemed to flash their blades in their general direction.
"My name and business…? Hm, I think this will be enough to serve as an answer," The man scoffed, raising his cloak enough for only the desk manager to see his coldly pissed off handsome face.
"Y-Your maj-!?" The desk manager started to say in his startled state as he rushed to get up and bow, but was stopped at Llyr hushing him with a finger to his mouth. The manager swallowed his spit and smiled awkwardly, "S-So, what was it that you were asking for again…good sir?"