Chapter 33: Chapter 32 – Purple Rain V

Another week passes by, and on a windy, overcast noon everyone in the mansion is gathered around the hallway entrance. Xal and Shanii stand next to each other, close to the door, with Rosaria helping him with his clothing. He's wearing a long brown shirt, its hem loosely hanging past the waist, and baggy black pants with leggings folded into long, black boots. He has a black cloak with a neck portion that serves as a mask for his lower face, and a heavy pauldron made out of thick leather, with three buckled pockets and a silver mesh on the surface, all held together by a buckled strap that goes around his shoulders.

「... and that should be the last of it」 she mutters, standing up close to him.

Shanii looks dissatisfied, as if she has something to say, but no one pays her any mind when Rosaria hugs Xal and gets on her toes to give him a small peck on his cheek. She casts a quick glance to her right, where their visitor is standing. With a brief smirk, she moves to his lips and forces her tongue inside his mouth. She kisses him in an ostentatious manner, making loud smacking noises as they exchange spit and intertwine their tongues.

「Mffmm ❤ mmmm ❤」

「W-wwaaahh」 Percibell, who has been standing a few meters away, lets one hand go of a large bag she is holding, and tries to hide her face in embarrassment while peeking through her fingers.

Shanii clasps her palms together and starts quickly muttering a prayer with closed eyes.

Satisfied, Rosaria lets go with a smile and turns around with hands held behind her back.

「What the hell did you do that here for?」 Xal growls while shaking his head.

The princess spots Percibell's embarrassed face and gives her a wink and a mischievous smile, before responding with, 「A safe-travels kiss. Absolutely necessary. Who knows how long it'll be before I see you again」

She walks up close to the praying Shanii, and interrupts her by pointing her index finger, touching the woman's chest.

「You are not to touch him, understand?」 she hisses, stressing every word while staring her directly in the eyes.

「Algandshavali, with Goddess's grace and strength, I shall keep my title chaste your highness,」 Shanii says while dipping her head.

Going back to Xal, Rosaria hugs him once more, this time with a frown and tears gathering in her eyes, and rests her head on his shoulder. He reciprocates and strokes her hair.

They stay like that for a few minutes until Rosaria mumbles quietly to him, 「Please stay safe, Xal. If you get your urges, resist them. Come back to me in one piece, or I'll be the one finding you.」

「I will don't worry. I'm more worried about you... Run away if it seems impossible... but I trust that you can do this」

Rosaria looks up at him and tussles his hair, 「You look like a hobo」 she lightly laughs, 「It has become so long, we should've cut it」 she adds.

Noticing hissly smile, she moves the locks of his bangs aside, properly revealing his golden-brown eyes, before circling behind him and dragging his hair back to make a small ponytail.

Meanwhile, Xal looks at Percibell, standing on her own, before he orders, 「Don't let something happen to her. Come, give me the bag.」

Percibell nods anxiously while looking down. She steps forward carefully, trying hard not to drop the bag. With Rosaria having let go of Xal, the maid hands it over, straining to lift it up above her hips.

Taking two steps back, she fidgets for a moment before closing her fists and looking up at him with an eager expression.

「What?」 Xal asks with furrowed brows.

「Ah- uhm- no... nothing.」 Percibell quickly glances around awkwardly and scratches her neck, a tinge of disappointment showing on her face.

「Do you... want a hug? You should just say so.」 Xal asks, amused, before walking up to her, his hands wrapping around her waist and lifting her up.

「Yaa..! Wa-wait...!」 the elf yelps.

Having her legs lifted from the floor, Percibell flails around in embarrassment like a fish out of water. However, after a moment of Xal's embrace, she quickly calms down and reciprocates by wrapping her arms and legs around him and resting her head into his neck with a smile on her face.

Both Rosaria and Shanii giggle, looking on in amusement.

Before being let down, the maid moves her mouth close to his ear and whispers something inaudible to anyone but him, making Xal tremble and stare wide-eyed into the distance for a few seconds.

§§§

The sky turns slate as the clouds swoop over Wilderness. The dark pewter-colored, almost black, swirling masses hover over the forest like a cloak.

「They have come out...!」 A girly voice shakes. She takes a step back, and dry branches rustle and crack under her feet.

Three figures stand behind trees, on a hill overlooking the murky plains. A gust of wind sweeps past them, bringing the girl's dark hair over her face. Sweeping them to the side, she reveals her very light purple skin, matching her purple eyes. Her face, torso, arms and legs all look distinctly human, but there is something in her gaze that suggests an otherworldly, forbidden presence, hiding behind the pupil

To her side, a forty-years-old man, human in his entirety, fixes a scarf flapping around on his neck. His eyes are dark brown and look sharp, the corners flanked by distinct crow's feet on his dark skin. Grooves that could have only been gouged by a sharp tool run down left side of his face, making it much more imposing than the right. Were it not for the unfortunate, disfiguring mishaps — and the slightly crooked nose — he could have been a head-turner. Despite the age, his medium, lean body is accentuated by his layered light armor, the long legs making him look more like a noble than a mercenary. Still, he found his looks worked to his advantage.

Behind them, stepping around, almost as if chasing something in tighter and tighter circles, is a female catkin. Crouching every now and then, only to leap back up on her feet and hide behind a tree from an imaginary observer, looking restless. Her pale skin is contrasted with dark purple, almost black hair that reaches down to her neck. Two cat ears protrude from underneath, twitching. When she hears the twig snap under the girl's foot, she immediately pauses her imaginary chase and turns to her, instinctively fixating her yellow feline eyes.

The girl's light purple cheeks pale and she falls backward, collapsing on the dirty ground with a sigh.

「Alright. You did a good job, Neli'ia.」 The older man says, 「Sorry for making you do this for so long.」

He looks at her, making sure she's fine before switching his attention to the feline woman who began stretching on all fours, shifting her buttocks up high.

「Kerri, how many people do you smell?」 He interrupts her stretch.

「Nya...」 Jerking up and down, Kerri sniffs the air, then starts running around. Nosing through the grass, she lifts her nose to the sky and takes a deep breath before sniffing in confusion. 「Nya—two... hyumans...?」

The man raises an eyebrow, his voice raspy and impatient, 「Why so vague about it? Any indication of the Hero?」

Kerri flicks her tail back and forth across the grass before putting her nose back to the ground again.

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Neli'ia attempts to raise her upper body but finds no strength left in her.

「Wait, Derian... It's hard... hard to tell... there's some kind... of barrier... no princess but...」 she says breathlessly, struggling to stay coherent.

「A barrier even outside the property!?」 Derian exclaims, face shifting between shock and worry. He clicks his tongue and prompts Neli'ia to continue, 「But what?」

「I don't know... one of them feels...」 the girl pauses to think deeply for a moment.

「Feels what? What did I teach you, about being clear and decisive, Neli'ia?」 Derian asks impatiently.

「But I don't know how to describe it. One of them feels... like a storm, but also like water... water that is safe, yet dangerous...」 she takes a moment to think some more before continuing, 「At times gentle... At times fierce... It's warm yet cool.」

She pauses briefly, staring up at the crowns of trees, before saying, 「I have never felt like this before...」

Derian sighs. He gazes at Kerri who has started to groom herself.

「Ok, here's what we do. Kerri, you have the smell on them correct?」

「Nyess!」 Kerri replies, licking her palm.

「Alright, let's go over it one last time then. Kerri, you tail these guys. Figure out if—」

「Yes, yes, I remember, check if the Hero is amyong them,」 Kerri interrupts and yawns.

Derian gives her a suspicious look before enunciating his words, 「Ok good, remember, keep on your toes,」 he takes a moment to look at her pose, 「and I don't mean just literally... don't get caught.」

Kerri springs up on her two legs and gives him a military salute, 「Nyaa!」

Derian sighs, 「Kerri, I'm not joking. We don't know their abilities, so don't risk it. Focus on our objective.」

Neli'ia jerks up and steals the attention. 「Hey, they are leaving, hurry up,」 she tells them, scrambling back on her feet.

Derian turns around to look into the far distance before saying, 「Alright, me and Neli'ia will stay here in case more come out. We need to confirm the Princess' whereabouts as well.」

Neli'ia looks at him defiantly.

She steps forward and meets his gaze without blinking even once when he turns around to look at her. She lowers her tone and steps up close to him so that only Derian can hear her.

「Shouldn't I go with Kerri? These two... They don't feel that strong...? Besides, think how defenseless they are, maybe we could just go in and swoop them up?」 she protests.

Derian gives her a concerned look, one a parent would give to his child.

「No! Too risky,」 he tells her while shaking his head.

「Remember what I taught you. Confirm your surroundings before acting. Also, that unpleasant feeling you described has me a bit worried,」 Derian says with a hint of fondness for the girl in his otherwise cold, uncaring eyes.

Neli'ia stomps her feet and whips her head away in a display of annoyance, 「Hmph!」

Derian smirks while she isn't looking.

「Don't worry though. Looks like they are headed for C's domain, Kerri should be able to track them while keeping her distance, she's good at that. I need you here to do the same.」

Neli'ia wanders away for a while before she grunts begrudgingly in agreement.

「Nel?」

「Yeah, yeah, I got it,」 she says in a half-hearted attempt to hide her bitterness.

「Good, now let's go, we need to find a new hiding place,」 Derian says.

Kerri jumps up high into the air and grabs onto a sturdy branch, while Derian and Neli'ia head in an opposite direction.

The trees grow denser in front of Neli'ia and Derian as they head downhill, thickening the already dark shadows that plague their surroundings.

The two keep moving through the dark precisely, silently and swiftly, in anticipation of a powerful opponent — other than the unlikely run-in with Hero, they could run into drakelings, who have been prowling around the area in greater numbers recently, for apparently no reason. Or giant black owls, always perched up high above and ready to strike straight down, faster than a falling arrow, or even the Princess and the elf themselves.

They have to be prepared.

When they reach a narrow path, they hide behind a trunk of a thick old oak and quietly confer.

「Am I the only one that feels that tingling feeling under my skin? You know, like when you feel something bad is about to happen? I've been feeling that for weeks, ever since we arrived,」 Neli'ia says in a low whisper.

「I feel it too,」 Derian nods in agreement. The two look around each other. The dark grove is dead-silent.

「When we get back, let's ask the others.」

「...Yeah.」

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