Chapter 206: of Demon Desires: A Night on the Road

After finishing talking with us, Thea returned to her group of travellers. It was quite an… interesting experience… Talking with her… She didn’t seem to have her things… how to say it… in order…

“Hey, Sis. Wouldn’t it be smart… to also ask the others in our group?”

“Yes… I think so.”

For some inexplicable reason, Thea had only asked us about the whereabouts of her brother. Granted, with the extreme lack of information and her unwillingness to show her face, I would be amazed if anyone could help her out. Unless, of course, her brother was just as… eccentric.

Suddenly, the whole thing seemed a little more realistic…

“It’s not our problem,” interjected Greyward, who had kept silent until now.

“I mean it isn’t but…

“If she decided that only asking you is enough, then that’s that. You shouldn’t worry about every stranger’s problems.”

“... I guess so.”

I felt a little bad about calling someone whose name I already knew a stranger. We only spoke for a few minutes, though, so it really wasn’t wrong to call her that.

“Well, we might hear from her again sometime.”

“Nn… Assuming, she doesn’t forget it.”

“...”

Karen smiled wryly, likely because she could very well imagine that happening.

“But a curse to make her forget a specific person. Mr Greyward, do curses like that really exist?”

“You’re asking the wrong person there, Yumi. At least, I never met someone who was afflicted by a curse like that.”

“Nn…”

“However, I have seen people forget specific things. Things they usually didn’t want to remember.”

Greyward’s expression dimmed as he continued to speak.

“Recruits that couldn’t stand the nature of our work.”

“...”

Ahhh… That was… indeed something I could very much understand. It had to be a shock for any normal person. Whether it was to see someone dying or to kill someone. Neither were things that could be easy on the mind. At least, it hadn’t been on mine.

“Puking your stomach empty is still one of the milder situations,” added Greyward with a smirk.

“...”

That wasn’t very relieving to hear.

“Does it happen that often?” asked Karen, bringing the topic back on track.

“Occasionally. The Black Guards never recruited a lot of people so we rarely had to deal with a situation like this. We were rather picky, you could say.”

“I see.”

“Korwen probably has to deal with it far more often. I don’t even want to imagine it, to be honest.”

He visibly shuddered at the thought of it. He didn’t want to deal with that, huh?

“I just hope he doesn’t relegate that work to me when he gathers new recruits again.”

He shrugged his shoulders before continuing.

“Either way, I can’t judge whether it’s a curse or not. Wouldn’t be surprised if such a thing was possible for it, though.”

“Huh…”

In other words, he didn’t rule out that it wasn’t a curse but just the result of her… situation. A trauma.

But if it’s not a curse, then whatever was the trigger for her to forget… can’t be anything good…

I shook my head, forcing myself to stop thinking about it. As Greyward had already said, this was basically a stranger’s problem. I wouldn’t turn her away if she asked for help but, truth be told, we already had more than enough on our plate. I couldn’t add another person’s issues to that list.

“I guess we won’t know for sure. Oh well… Mr Greyward, how long will our break be?”

“The break? Mmm… Only a short while. Enough to drink something and grab a bite, I’d say.”

“I see.”

So, not very long.

“But grabbing a bite sounds like a good idea. Sis, did we have any of the Cucus bread left?”

“Yes, we do. We brought enough for the way back as well, after all.”

“Ah, right.”

That had been the whole point of it, after all.

“Tsk, no love for our wonderful rations, you two?”

“”No.””

Wonderful? That had to be a joke. They were edible and the dried fruits that always came with them were definitely nice. But everything else was far from wonderful. At least, it wasn’t bad. Just… not very tasty.

Meanwhile, Greyward scratched the back of his head, a little surprised at our denial.

“Are they really that bad? I know they’re not as good as proper food but as far as rations go, it’s still pretty decent.”

“Just because it is decent doesn’t make it good. Least of all wonderful.”

“Right, right.”

Karen nodded in agreement, making Greyward only all the more surprised.

“They’re edible but if I have the chance to eat something better, I’d definitely go for it.”

“I see… Mhm, but even if you say that this is already the best we can manage… That bread you girls brought along isn’t something we can prepare in masses.”

“Nn? I mean, it does require a bit of effort to make but…”

The ingredients weren’t particularly expensive and after that, most of the time was spent baking…

“... I guess it could be hard to bake large amounts the day prior.”

“Right? Rations keep a long time but that bread would have to be prepared a day or two before you move out. A small group like ours could deal still manage but imagine if half the Dragon Knights had to move out. Plus, they would have to do all the other preparations as well.”

“Ahhh… I can see that being a problem.”

And you couldn’t leave it all to the women in charge of cooking. They also had dinner and other duties to take care of. It would be difficult to balance all that while baking the bread.

“It’s a logistical problem that’s a bit difficult to fix. It’s not impossible but in general, not many would appreciate the extra effort during preparation.”

“Nn, I think I understand.”

Next to me, Karen nodded as well.

“That said, nobody is going to stop you if you are doing it on your own. That’s your thing. At least, I can’t imagine Korwen prohibiting that.”

“Well, I don’t he would either.”

As long as it wasn’t bothering the others, of course.

“Captain?”

Right at that moment, a mercenary appeared from behind the wagon, calling out to Greyward.

“What’s the matter?”

“The others brought out the food and drinks and they asked if ya wanna join us.”

“I’ll come in a bit. And tell them not to get wasted, we still have to move today.”

“Will do.”

And the mercenary disappeared as quickly as he had come.

“You heard him. What about you two? Want to join as well?”

“Nn…”

I glanced over to Karen who, as expected, didn’t seem very enthusiastic.

“No, I think we’ll eat on our own. Maybe with Lily and Rina.”

“Got it. Then, have a nice meal.”

“You too.”

We parted with Greyward, watching as he joined the other mercenaries, his comrades.

“Let’s get back, too, Yumi.”

“Nn.”

I glanced towards the travellers for the last time. Several of them were busy making a campfire now, likely to take a break and let their oxen rest. They were sitting off to the side, watching the whole procedure. I guess she wasn’t being paid for helping out there…

Speaking of which, those oxen are different from the waroxen, aren’t they? I kind of missed the opportunity to ask…

Well, another timer then. After al,...

It’s break time now!

After parting with Greyward, we returned to our wagon to have a light meal. Lily and Rina had, at some point, disappeared into their wagon so we decided not to disturb them and eat without them. And so, we had our meal with just the two of us, which was perfectly fine by me since we could spend some time together, just the two of us, until the end of our break.

As for what happened after our break… Well, we parted with the travellers that were still resting and continued our small journey back. By the time the sun had gone down, we arrived at the border again. Much to the surprise of the border guards. After all, they didn’t expect us to come back this soon. Neither did we…

“Okay, that’s it. Yumi, how does it look on your side?”

“Nn, everything good.”

I gave Karen a thumbs up, indicating I was done as well.

“Great.”

Karen’s shoulders slumped in relief. All things said she had to be pretty exhausted as well.

“Thanks, girlies. Without ya, the whole thing would’ve taken all night.”

“Nn, no worries.”

“Are ya sure ya don’t wanna join?”

“We are.”

“I see… Well, if ya change ya mind, ya two are always welcome.”

“Nn.”

The mercenary, sporting a slightly guilty smile, saw us off as Karen and I returned to our wagon. Really, he didn’t need to feel guilty about it.

“Yumi, are you really sure? You like to drink, don’t you?”

“Nn, I do. But I’m tired and I don’t think we need to repeat yesterday, do we?”

“That’s true, I guess.”

Also, Karen was clearly tired. I didn’t want to force my drunken self on her today. And I was sure I’d end up drunk. Well, I was sure some of the mercenaries would end up with a hangover tomorrow morning. Including a certain fluffy girl who, despite her insistence this morning,  hadn’t learnt her lesson. Maybe another hangover would help with that.

Rather than all that trouble, I just wanted to get back to our wagon and sleep.

“Let’s get back and get ready to sleep.”

“Mm.”

We left the drinking party behind and disappeared into our small mobile home.

“The day’s finally over.”

I let myself fall facedown onto the bed, all the tension of the day leaving me in this single moment.

“Yumi, that’s bad manners…”

“Nn.”

Right after Karen scolded me, the bed wobbled. Karen, despite scolding me, had done the same and let herself fall on the bed. She smiled at me when she saw me glancing over.

“Just for today.”

“Hehe. Sure.”

Yes, just for today, it was fine.

“Haaa… Today was really tiring. I didn’t think steering a wagon was this exhausting.”

“Nn. I can imagine.”

As a beginner, having gotten only a bit of instruction, she was tensed up most of the time, watching closely what was happening. Of course, nothing actually happened. At least, in my eyes.

“You’ll get used to it with time. And then it won’t be that bad anymore.”

“I hope so…”

“And then you can teach me as well, so we can swap out.”

“Mmm… I don’t know if I can teach you.”

“I’m sure you can.”

In the worst case, we could always ask Lily again. Not that I thought it would be necessary.

“I’ll try… But first, I have to get used to it.”

“Nn.”

That would only come with time and practice. Though, I had to wonder how often we’d get the chance to move around with our wagon in the near future. Probably not that often.

“Haaa… Yumi, let’s get out of the armour.”

“Nn…”

Next to me, Karen forced herself up and began to take off the few pieces of armour. Following her example, I did the same, literally forcing myself up for the last feat of the day.

“Already much better.”

Karen stretched her arms and twisted her waist a few times.

“Stiff?”

“Yes… Let me guess, you don’t feel stiff.”

“Sorry.”

Not by choice. Though, even if I had the choice, I’d stay like this. In that sense, I understood her frustration.

“Give me some of that squishiness.”

“I don’t think I can.”

“At least get rid of my stiffness.”

“Don’t be unreasonable, Sis.”

“Haaa… Unfortunate.”

Karen slumped back onto the bed and curled up, not minding her manners anymore. Quite a rare sight.

“I wonder if I become squishier as well with time. Because of, you know, being with you.”

“... I honestly don’t know.”

“Mm… I don’t know if I would want that or not.”

“Didn’t you say earlier something like you didn’t want to?”

“...”

I think that was mostly in regards to my lack of strength, but still.

“I kind of do and kind of don’t. It’s… complicated?”

“Nn, I understand.”

It had its conveniences and inconveniences.

“Haaa… Either way… Hey, Yumi.”

“Nn?”

“... Do we still have to report to Mr Captain?”

“...”

Now that she mentioned that…

“I think we do.”

“...”

“Want me to do that while you take a rest?”

“Uhhh...”

Karen grimaced, clearly fighting with herself over accepting or refusing my offer.

“Sis, take a break and I’ll deal with it.”

“... Are you sure?”

“Nn.”

“... Sorry.”

“Don’t mind it.”

She deserved a rest. She always did so much for me.

“But don’t you need Mr Yuu?”

“... I guess I do, don’t I? Well, I can guess where he is, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

I’d bet he was with the other mercenaries outside, joining them in making merry. Even if he couldn’t drink alcohol… He couldn’t, right?

“Are you sure I shouldn’t—”

“You stay on the bed, Sis.”

I gently stopped Karen from getting up. Really, was I that unreliable that she couldn’t let me out of her sight for just a few minutes?

Let’s see… last time I was attacked by Yumelia… and before that…

Yeah, I probably wasn’t reliable when left alone… But it was just fetching Mr Yuu and the other mercenaries were there, too. And, really… I had undergone at least a bit of training under Merim. I could at least run away… probably.

No, why am I assuming that something’s going to happen? I’m just going to fetch Mr Yuu!

Either way, I would manage that short time.

“... I can’t help but worry.”

“Come on, Sis. Trust in me a little bit.”

“... I’ll try.”

She was trying, huh? Well, better than nothing.

“I’ll get and look for him. You lie down and rest, okay?”

“... Okay.”

I smiled at Karen to reassure her. After confirming that she stayed in bed, I left the wagon and went outside.

It’s a little cold.

With the sun gone, it had cooled down quite a bit. Maybe it was just my imagination but it felt like the temperature in general has gone down in the past few days and weeks.

Good thing it doesn’t really bother me. Let’s look for Mr Yuu.

Our impromptu camp wasn’t very big with only six wagons and a few dozen people. At least, not compared to the whole band camping out. The mercenaries had gathered behind a wagon. They had lit a campfire, gathered around it and laughed, talked and drank. Since there was a wagon between us and them, not a lot of noise reached our wagon. A surprising consideration of them that I only now realised.

“Hey, guys, look who’s come!”

“Oh, Yumi! Come to join after all?”

“What’s this? The princess came without her knight?”

The moment they spotted me, I was greeted warmly by all the men. However… Princess? Knight? Did that refer to me and Karen?

“Something wrong, Yumi?” asked Greyward, interrupting the others.

“Nn, I was looking for Mr Yuu. I’d like to borrow him for a moment.”

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“Mr Yuu… Well, he’s there, but…”

Greyward looked towards the other side of the round. One of the men lifted a mug towards me. At first, I wanted to say that I didn’t want any alcohol but… that wasn’t why he presented it to me. After staring at the mug for a few seconds, I closed my eyes for another few, before opening them again. However, the scene in front of me stayed the same.

“... I am not sure what I am seeing there right now. Why is Mr Yuu inside the mug?”

“He wanted ta drink with us.”

“...”

“So we got ‘im a mug an’ all.”

“And that’s why he is… swimming inside?”

“He’s drinking! No swimming!”

“... Sure.”

However, was Mr Yuu as hammered as this mercenary was? If so… I had a problem.

“Ya can take ‘im with ya! But bring ‘im back, ya hear?”

“Uhh, sure…”

Just before I tried to receive the mug containing Mr Yuu, the latter stirred, jumping up and saluting… towards the wagon. Nobody was there. Then he slumped back into the mug, not moving.

“... Actually, nevermind that. Mr Yuu doesn’t look like he can help me.”

“Eh? He looks fine ta me? Lil’ sloppy.”

“... It’s fine. It’s not urgent.”

“Huh, if ya say so.”

The mercenary put the mug with Mr Yuu back on the ground before bringing his attention to his own mug of ale.

What do I do now? Mr Yuu… is clearly out of commission. How in the hell can a doll get drunk anyway? Ugh… No matter…

If I called upon the dolls from the camp, Korwen would probably freak out again. That wasn’t an option either.

Guess I have to make a new doll…

Not really any other choice left.

“Mr Greyward, do we have a piece of wood we don’t need?”

“Wood? That’s one odd request… Though, I can guess why you ask. Check that wagon over there, there should be some firewood in the back. Does that work?”

“Nn, that’s fine.”

Fortunately, I wasn’t very picky about the type of wood as long as I could use it to make dolls.

“Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

I bid the others a good night and went to the wagon Greyward pointed me to. The inside was dark… Good thing I could see in the dark.

“Wood… Wood… Oh, it must be this.”

A pile of small wooden logs, just big enough for firewood. It seemed that someone had already taken something from the pile recently since a few pieces were scattered on the ground. Probably the fire outside.

“Okay… That should be enough. I don’t think I’ll need more than three, do I?”

I could always come back for more anyway.

Let’s go back to Sis.

With my bounty in my arms, I left the wagon and went back.

“There we go. Sis, I’m back.”

“Welcome back, Yumi.”

“Nn.”

Karen was still on the bed. She had gotten comfortable under the blanket. Glad to see she was properly resting. However, she eyed the firewood in my arms with suspicion. Not surprising…

“... Why are you carrying wood, Yumi? Didn’t you want to fetch Mr Yuu?”

“He was… unavailable.”

“... Unavailable?”

“Let’s say that I am curious whether a doll can have a hangover after swimming in a mug with ale.”

“...”

Seriously, what kind of doll managed to get drunk? Or rather, what kind of doll was swimming inside a mug in the first place?

“So, brought some wood to make a new doll.”

“I see… I leave you out of sight for just a few moments and this happens…”

“Hey, that would have happened even if you had come along. This was outside of my control.”

“... Really?”

“Really.”

Who would expect such a situation? Seriously, who would?

“I see… Do you need help?”

“No, I can manage. Don’t worry.”

“...”

She was eyeing me with suspicion again…

“By the way, Sis. When I went to the mercenaries they said you were my ‘Knight.’”

“A knight?”

“Nn. My knight.”

“A knight… Then, you are the princess?”

“... Apparently so.”

Karen chuckled, amused. Glad to see it cheered her up.

“So, my dear knight, you have to rest properly so you can protect me come tomorrow once more.”

“Hehe, very well, my princess. I’ll try to.”

“Nn, that’s good.”

I nodded, glad to see Karen behaving.

“Then, I’ll make a doll and report to the captain.”

“Okay.”

With the firewood still in my arms, I fetched a mana orb and a few of the remaining tiny mana crystals we had left over. Then, I carried all of this to the desk and spread it out there.

Well then… it’s been a while since I last made a doll, hasn’t it?

Apart from the initial few batches, I didn’t make any new ones. They somehow increased their numbers on their own. That’s also part of the reason why I had never made any additional dolls. After all, there were more than enough of them at all times.

Now then… first, I form the wood…

Manipulating mana had become far more familiar to me since the last time I did this. As such, it was probably only to be expected that it went far smoother now. I also wasn’t entirely dependent on this vague feeling of instinct anymore either. A very welcome change.

“Hmhmhmmm…”

Humming a small tune, I formed the clay-like wood into the shape of a doll. This was… something I still hadn’t gotten better at. Really… It wasn’t very pretty but it served my purpose for now.

… Well, I can try to smooth it out a little more.

I would feel bad for the doll if it was too… malformed.

Okay, that’s good enough I think.

After having confirmed that the form was more or less good, I picked up a small mana crystal and fed it mana, until it grew to the size of my thumb’s nail. I pushed the crystal into the still soft doll and fed it a little more mana, before using my magic to animate the doll as a whole.

“There. It’s finished.”

I gently put the doll down on the desk, watching it as it did its first clumsy movements. The doll’s arms moved wildly up and down, slowly smoothing out its movements. Then it did the same for its legs. Once everything moved properly, the doll turned toward me and saluted.

“It’s saluting. Where do they learn how to salute…”

And why was it the first thing they did towards me? Was there a particular reason for that? I had no idea…

“Are you done already, Yumi?”

“Nn. Take a look.”

I stepped to the side, allowing Karen to get a look at the doll standing on top of the desk. The doll, noticing that it was watched by a new person, immediately saluted again, this time towards Karen.

“It’s saluting.”

“It is.”

Karen was probably just as confused as I was…

“Do you like salutes, Yumi?”

“Err… If you asked me whether I like them or not, I think I’d say I like them but…”

I wouldn’t miss them either if there were none.

“I see…”

“... Anyway, I’ll go and report to the captain now.”

“Okay.”

I picked up the doll and disappeared into the tentacle room. Now was the time of truth… Could this doll, that I had just created, find Korwen? It had never met him after all…

Guess only one way to find out.

Standing in front of the tiny portal, I connected it with the fort and opened it.

“Okay, doll, I need you to find the captain. Can you do that? Do you know who you have to look for?”

The doll stared at me—at least I think it did—then turned to the tentacle door, nodding.

“... I’m counting on you.”

I helped the doll through the door and watched it disappear into the darkness.

Time to wait…

Hopefully, the doll would manage it… Maybe it could consult with the other dolls? They… communicated with each other, right?

This is a little nerve-racking… Oh!  Can hear steps!

Not long after the doll had disappeared, steps echoed through the hallway and the room’s door opened.

“Captain.”

“Yumi. Mh? Alone today?”

Korwen tried to peek past me first thing, looking for Karen.

“Sis is a little exhausted so I told her to rest.”

“Huh… How rare, seeing you two apart.”

“Is it… rare?”

“Sure is. Since that incident with Yumelia, Karen has been following you like a chick after its mother. I barely see you two apart anymore.”

“...”

Well, we were together most of the time, yes…

“Well, if you are fine with that, just ignore me.”

He shrugged his shoulders, indicating he had no intention of meddling further.

“More importantly, your report, if you would.”

“Nn.”

I straightened my back and reported everything that had happened since we had left the town. Admittedly, that wasn’t much, but just relaying that nothing of note had happened was important as well. Of course, I did tell him about the travellers we met.

“A mercenary woman in full armour hiding her face?”

“Nn.”

“Looking for her brother? About whom she has basically no information?”

“Nn.”

“That’s… certainly a little eccentric.”

“It is…”

No two ways about it. It was odd beyond words.

“But it does match with what I heard.”

“Nn? Heard?”

“Do you remember the bandits in the fort?”

“Of course.”

Hard to forget them this quickly.

“We investigated who might be responsible for cleaning up the fort. And the only clue we got was an odd knight woman that had been in town. Sounds a little too coincidental, doesn’t it? If she walks around in full armour, it’d be easy to mistake her for a knight.”

“I see… Wait, then she was the one who killed all the bandits?”

“Seems likely, at least.”

“That’s… pretty amazing.”

There had been by no means few of them in the fort. The number of corpses we found was staggering.

“The most interesting part, if you ask me, is still how they all died by their own weapons. If she really was the one who killed them, she’s very skilled. Skilled enough I might want to recruit her.”

“Huh…”

“However, I don’t think I can handle another oddball on that level, so I’ll refrain.”

“...”

He glanced at me meaningfully. That was directed at me, right? It was, wasn’t it? Was I that bad? I guess I was.

“Should she turn up I’ll try to have a talk with her, too. But if she’s as… forgetful as you say she is, that’s probably not likely.”

“Ahahaha…”

Hard to deny that.

“Either way, nothing else happened?”

“No. We arrived at the border without a problem. We should be back tomorrow.”

“Good. It’ll be reassuring if you all are back…”

“Nn? Did something happen?”

“The paper stacks are raising.”

“I think we might take a little longer.”

“Get your asses back.”

Ugh… I didn’t mind that type of work but…

“Don’t worry, that was a joke. We’re not doing anything currently that could grow the paper stacks to a level that I can’t deal with it anymore.”

“That’s good news.”

I sighed a breath of relief.

“I will count on you if they raise too high, though.”

“Nn, that’s fine.”

“Well, for now, just make sure you all come back safely.”

“Nn.”

We’d try our best.

“Then, if there’s nothing, I wish you a good night.”

“Nn, good night, captain.”

“Give my regards to Karen.”

“Will do.”

I saluted Korwen and watched him leave. After confirming he was gone, I helped the doll climb back into the tentacle room and closed the portal.

“Nn, and that’s that.”

Report done. Now I could join Karen in bed.”

“Sis, I’m done.”

“Mm… Good work.”

Oh, someone had really gotten comfy already.

“Sleeping already?”

“I’m not.”

“Hehehe.”

I giggled at the sight of Karen hugging the blanket. Throwing off my clothes—all of them, of course—I climbed into the bed and under the blanket, joining Karen.

“Ah, it’s Yumi.”

“Nn.”

I nestled next to Karen, hugging her. Her arm wrapped around me and pulled me into her embrace.

“Caught you.”

“Oh no, what should I do?”

“Mmm… Sleep with me.”

“Well, can’t be helped.”

Giggling again, I nuzzled against Karen’s warm body. This was where I belonged.

“Nn… I love this.”

“Ehehe, glad to hear that.”

“Nn.”

After such an exhausting and mostly frustrating day, being in Karen’s arms was a welcome comfort.

“I think I’ll sleep well tonight.”

“Same for me.”

“It was tiring.”

“It was.”

When I looked up at Karen, I found her peering down at me with a smile.

“Shall we sleep?”

“Nn.”

“Then, sweet dreams, my little princess.”

“Nn, thank you, my dear knight. You too.”

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