After days of sunny weather, clouds came. They were the advent of rain. For those out in the elements, the weather was an awful way to end a truly cursed week.
Aureum was tired, sore, and now she could add cold and soaked onto everything.
It fell without mercy all day. Sometimes it was a faint drizzle, and other times it was a downpour.
During an especially bad hour, they sought shelter instead of continuing to trudge through it. Two large trees half fallen against each other offered some. It barely served, but the sudden strength of the rain meant they couldn't be choosy.
Gemmo was wrapped in a dry blanket from the ring and squished between Hiems and Aureum.
"Will you be adding an umbrella to the list of things we need from Ariolus?" Hiems asked.
"Well, we've got cookware, shoes, a tent, the fluffiest bed, the tenderest chicken of the city, and…"
Aureum counted off the things.
"I think a scandalous dress was on there as well," Hiems said.
"Ah, you would remember that. But I'm pretty sure I said it was a gorgeous dress."
"…my mistake," Hiems said.
"No," she said, "I said scandalous the first time. But now I'm leaning towards gorgeous."
It was becoming a joke. The list of things they would get once they reached the city was just growing and growing.
It was a theoretical list, so all things were allowed. The fact that talking about such things was a joke instead of a taboo subject meant that Aureum and Hiems felt hope.
They might make it.
But the rain had stopped them for now.
Not that they had ever been fast. Actually, they had been so slow already that the rain didn't matter.
"No, for the umbrella," Aureum said. "Instead of that, I'll just finally get you a cloak that isn't rags."
"…I haven't worn rags in a while… Actually, I'm wearing a few right now, aren't I?"
They both were. At least their ragged clothes were cleaner. That was one good thing that could be said about the cold rain.
"New clothes too…" Aureum said, thinking out loud. "Is there anything we don't need?"
We'll also need a doctor for Hiems.
All of that would take money. They had the pearl from the beast, but it wasn't strong enough to be worth much. Same for its hide. Not enough to pay for a serious amount of medicine anyways.
Hopefully, what was left from Nivis' ill-considered engagement ring would cover everything, but… it would run out eventually. Maybe soon.
Aureum hadn't bothered counting, but she should have. She had no idea if all the money she'd put into the ring was still there, or if the Hidden Manor had decided she didn't need some of it.
Aureum looked out over the rain. It was so heavy it was hard to see even the trees clearly. If they still had pursuers, maybe they would walk right by in this light.
Money is a problem that can wait, she thought.
"Are you feeling alright?" Aureum asked Hiems.
"I'm fine. There's no need to worry about me," he replied.
"…"
She obviously didn't believe that. But his illness was caused by internal factors. Maybe, as long as he was stable, the rain wouldn't tip the scales.
Thousands of drops of rain fell with each moment. The cold dampness was mostly kept out by her cloak and the man and boy beside her. Her worries drifted away.
For a long stretch of moments, it felt like they had been washed clean in the rain.
Then, there was a white flash of light.
"There'll be thunder," Hiems said.
It took many moments, but the ground shook with the sound of it. It cracked with such force Aureum felt it in her body. Gemmo sat up but didn't cry.
"Should we go?" Aureum asked.
"Where?" Hiems said. "Do you sense any place safe?"
"No. But this isn't safe either."
"Running around in the rain would be worse," Hiems said. "It was far off. If the next one feels closer, we'll move."
"That's one of the things I can't stand about you," Aureum said.
"I don't think it's personal to me," Hiems said. "Do you like it when anybody tells you what to do?"
"Most of the time, people might explain themselves," Aureum said. "You never do."
The rain fell against every leaf and blade of grass that was uncovered.
"I thought I did?" Hiems said. "I thought my actions made my intent clear…"
Aureum scoffed.
"I don't even know what you want from me," she said. "Do you want marriage? …I don't think you'd go to all this just for one night."
Hiems was shocked into silence. What had been calm was shattered, and he found himself trying to sort through the pieces before he made a reply.
Aureum blinked as she looked ahead at the forest. Like a dull knife, the words she'd kept for too long had slipped out and cut her at the worst possible moment.
It was too late to slide them back. So Aureum continued the cut.
"…I don't know if I can even give marriage to you," Aureum squeezed out.
This was the answer Aureum had found.
She liked Hiems. And she could trust him with her life when it came down to it.
But she couldn't marry him.
Her words were quiet, but Hiems was close enough to hear her.
"Is it because I disgust you?!" He asked.
"Not really," Aureum said.
She knew he was talking about his face, and what did disgust him about her wasn't his face. She felt him relax before he tensed again.
"Do I scare you?" He asked.
"…Probably not in the way you expect," Aureum said.
"Can you explain?"
It felt like breathing was hard for Aureum, but she tried to speak.
"I… I think I'm scared of trusting you," she managed.
He'll probably think it's because of him.
But Aureum felt it was probably because of herself. Not that his actions didn't deserve that.
A thought had come to her, with all this walking across all kinds of dirt. Maybe the reason she liked Hiems, the reason her heart had taken a shine to him, was because he was the worst choice to trust.
Almost as if she'd made no choice at all.
"May I ask why?" Hiems said turning to look at her.
It felt much too close, but Aureum had nowhere to go. She didn't even know where else she wanted to go.
"If you don't know why you're mad at not being chased, I don't know why I'm scared of trusting you," Aureum said.
Hiems waited, but Aureum was completely out of brash words.
The ones she'd spoken already had broken all her bravado.
"Then. Can I still. Pursue?"
He spoke with halts between his words, and still his first choice of words was completely lacking.
"Pursue?" Aureum repeated. "What?"
Hiems shifted closer.
"Am I still allowed to be near you, and can I hold your hand?"
"You want to hold my hand, that's it?"
"For now. What I'm asking for is the right to hold your hand and the right to earn your trust."
"That's it?" Aureum repeated herself.
"…Yes…"
It was Hiems turn for his voice to be quiet. She thought about it.
It was better than she had expected.
She hadn't planned this, but from the moment the words were out, she was imagining horror scenarios.
Where he either left her there or demanded the night and then left her there. It didn't matter that that had never happened to her and didn't follow logic. It was the melodramatic imaginings incited by panic.
Hiems, with his reaction, had put all those to rest. He had once again shown his true colors.
Aureum reached out and took his hand.
"You might regret wasting your time," Aureum said.
"Shouldn't your own wasted time be your bigger concern?"
Aureum found herself smiling.
He caught me.
After all, if she didn't care about him, why would she worry about him wasting his time?
For Hiems' part, he wasn't so confident he caught her. In his reality, faked concern is often another method of rejection.
But he endured for clarity, and he was fortunate. He could see it in her eyes.
She's took my hand, he thought.
"Don't twist my words into whatever you want!"
Aureum turned away first, but it was far too late. And she was still smiling.
The pale light of lightning washed over them again.
They turned their heads towards it.
The thunder shook through them much quicker this time. Hiems picked up Gemmo as Aureum went to grab for him.
"No," Aureum said, holding out her hands for Gemmo.
"Just for the last stretch," Hiems said. "You need to focus on finding us any shelter you couldn't find before."
"Ugh. Fine."
Aureum allowed the loss. It was pouring down, and the lightning wasn't about to disappear.
Immediately, they were soaked again in moments.
They didn't dash out into the downpour. There was little chance they could outrun lightning and thunder. They had to be smart.
Aureum felt her fingers start to feel numb in minutes as she reached out and tried to separate the wind from all of the water to find a safe shelter.
But her heart was still warm.
———————————————————
The next few days passed quicker for the little trio. Fear was being left behind, and much like a scorched forest, it felt like there might be new hints of growth.
Not for everyone did the days continue to pass quickly. In the Hidden Manor, a little girl's days continued to drag. For the lord of the manor as well, the days went by in unbearable fashion. Both had very different days and very different worries.
Vitreum hated parts of the education she had to get for her own good, and her grandfather was absent often now. So she was bored. Especially without Aureum or Mendax. She sometimes worried about them. But she didn't hear anything about them.
She stared at that stone slab a few times in the night. The little girl was scared even this communication would let them get caught. So she never wrote a word.
She wasn't alone. She often had Aes nearby.
He just wasn't the same, though he was good in his own way. Mostly, she did her studies or her mana practice or was dragged into a large game of tag with the servants.
Vitreum loved the last one. She was being kept very busy by design.
Meanwhile, Lord Maledic managed the stay of the "delegation" from Nix. They even reopened the old dining hall, even though the delegation couldn't fill an eighth of it. It kept them a bit more out of the way.
Not that it kept them from being trouble.
There came a knock at Maledic's door.
"My Lord, Canes Nix is here to see you again—
"Let him come," Maledic said.
The maid in yellow gave a half-bow and left. Soon, Canes entered.
Maledic kept his silence, making Canes wait.
And wait, Canes did. He stood to the side of the door much like an ornament for at least a whole hour.
Despite Lord Maledic's innermost desire for the younger man to break propriety so he had an excuse to send him away, Canes waited in perfect patience and peace.
Finally, Lord Maledic's wish for him to get out of his room so he could truly work won out over his other desires.
"What is it you need?" Maledic said, putting down his quill.
"We would like different rooms," Canes said.
"Why, what is it this time?" Maledic said.
This was the eighth time in two days they had requested different rooms.
The reasons were all nonsense. At first it was that they were cramped, so they requested more rooms. Then it was that the air was too moist for one of them, who had gotten sick.
The sick man became much of their excuse for everything.
The room was too dirty, the food was too dry, and the bed was too hard. It went on, and on, and on.
Maledic had sent a doctor, with only the best of intentions, of course. And questioned the man when he returned.
"He's truly ill?" Maledic had asked.
"Yes, my Lord," the doctor had said. "Although the timing is suspicious, the symptoms and the illness are real."
"They must have poisoned him themselves," Maledic said. "Any evidence of it?"
"None," the little portly man replied.
"Well, at least with no obvious signs they can't pin it on us. Thank you, you've done your work."
Now, in the present, Maledic wished he had asked the doctor if he could nudge the man into the next life.
The lord shook his head to clear his thoughts.
"We think sunlight would help our ailing friend, and fresh air. Do you have a room with bigger windows?"
Maledic, the ancient Maledic who had seen it all before, sighed right in front of this diplomatic guest.
The truth is the rooms they had two room changes ago had the largest windows. Yet, they had argued about the rooms being too breezy.
"I'm sorry, but I won't be able to carry out your request," Maledic said. "Our little manor is but a simple entity, and we've already given you our best. If you need, I can send for our doctor again."
Maybe the doctor would be sent with extra orders this time.
"Oh, no," Canes said. "We wouldn't want to trouble you so much. Thank you again for your humble hospitality. Despite the troubles, we've had a grand stay."
Maledic wanted to spit, but Canes bowed and left before he got the option. The ancient man gave an even deeper sigh till even the wheelchair beneath him creaked.
Canes returned to his men in quick order.
"Are we moving again?"
Many of them stood to attention, waiting. Except for the ill man. He lay in bed. His condition only worsened from being moved so much. Canes didn't spare a glance for him.
"No, it seems Lord Maledic has had enough of our nonsense."
They all relaxed. A few had some dry chuckles.
"It's about time," one of the men said.
Canes understood their confusion. In Nix, nonsense like this would never stand.
"Things are different here," he said. "Back home, the mightiness and strength of a house is what you want to show off. Here, it's the beauty and hospitality of your home you brag about."
Especially for the good lord Maledic.
He smiled a bit wider to himself. Canes had waited an hour and watched Maledic at work in his study for the entirety of it.
The First Ascended Sorcerer of Aeternitus… was doing his own bookkeeping.
For someone of such standing, that was a choice, not a necessity. Canes had chosen the right tool for the job.
From the moment Maledic had hosted all twenty of his men without asking for the majority to remain outside, Canes had a few guesses as to where Lord Maledic's pride lay. Thus, he had acted as he saw fit to distract the lord.
He got it right in one shot.
Still feels like a waste of time.
His smile slipped a little.
"Any word from the five I sent off?" Canes asked.
"Not yet, sir!"
"Too soon yet…" Canes said.
He would much rather be out hunting than this, but it remained his duty.