B9 - Chapter 31: Honest Company

Viola darted between the trees, deftly evading the countless humanoid monsters trying to catch her. She twisted her body aside, slipping out of reach as one of their long, leathery hands swung around a nearby branch.

A stirring in the wind warned her of another attacker, and she instantly ducked, narrowly avoiding a tackle from behind.

The perpetrator, a hairy ape with matte orange fur, twisted in midair to glare at her as it plummeted through the canopy. Viola answered its glare with a quick grin before darting toward the next tree.

The furious tribe followed.

That was all she needed from them.

Viola flew left, right, up, and down, remaining close enough to tempt them while never allowing their grasping hands to reach her. Whenever one of the primates began to lose interest, she dipped closer to the canopy, drawing it back into pursuit.

Finally, with another burst of speed, Viola swept downward, leading the howling mass through the canopy and directly toward the trap waiting below.

Grent, the team's Bone Mage, stood in the middle of the clearing, his towering figure an irresistible target. The first creatures dropped around him in a metaphorical tide, and dozens more followed close behind.

But if the sight of so many enemies bothered him, Grent didn't show it. On the contrary, his loud bellow seemed full of anticipation as he charged straight into their midst.

His confidence proved to be not unfounded as their attacks glanced off his bone armor like pebbles thrown against a castle. Meanwhile, every swing of his arms sent another beast crashing to the ground, never to rise again.

It was one of the most extreme displays of sheer physical dominance Viola had ever seen.

But that didn't mean he had the highest kill count in the group. That honor definitely belonged to the two Fire Mages who joined in a moment later, Bernard and Irina, whose combination spell covered both offense and defense to a terrifying degree. Looking at their burning forms was almost as bad as staring directly into the sun.

The creatures soon found themselves trapped between Grent's fists and a rapidly closing wall of fire. Panic spread through their ranks. Several tried to flee back into the canopy, only for Viola to drive them down again with carefully placed bursts of wind.

And then there was the leader, Sebastian.

He neither drew everyone's attention nor felled enemies by the dozens. Yet he was still the one Viola watched most closely.

His ability to appear wherever he was needed was almost prodigious. She didn't know if it was his own Skill or one his mount possessed, but he somehow managed to single-handedly shore up every one of the team's shortcomings.

When several creatures broke through the flames, Sebastian intercepted them before they could reach Bernard. When Grent disappeared beneath a mountain of hairy bodies, the Summoner's winged lion tore an entire tree from the ground and swept the creatures aside with its trunk.

Thanks to those small interventions, the encounter ended quickly and without a single injury among the teammates.

The moment the last of the primates fell, Grent let out a loud cheer, despite being bent over and trying to catch his breath.

"Did you see that, Fay?" he called toward the air. "I told you I could handle them all."

Viola, who had introduced herself to the group as Fay, floated down to hover in front of him. "No thanks to you, big guy," she teased. "If it hadn't been for the boss collapsing that tree at the end, you'd have drowned in monkey butt."

Grent's mouth opened and closed a few times, but he seemed to lack a smart retort. "So what?" he said after a moment. "Isn't that how a team is supposed to work?"

To that, Viola had nothing to say.

Grent was absolutely right. It had been her role to guide the tribe into position and his to become the most obvious target on the battlefield. Meanwhile, the others supported him from behind the scenes.

In that regard, the boisterous giant had done his job fabulously, drawing the attention of nearly the entire tribe.

"Save the bickering for the road, you two," Sebastian called from ahead. "Time is crucial right now."

Grent sprang into action immediately, and Viola wasn't far behind. But they were still the last to get to work. The two Fire Mages hadn't paused for even a moment after the battle, immediately setting about harvesting their prey.

All in all, there had to be at least five dozen bodies lying around. Unfortunately, many of their valuable hands had been burned or crushed beyond recognition during the fighting.

Grent still had a greedy gleam in his eyes upon seeing how many remained intact.

"Lucky..." he muttered, a sharp blade already protruding from his wrist as he got to work.

Viola drew the bone knife he had made for her and began cutting the dark, leathery hands from the nearest corpse. She was already far more practiced than before, and any apprehension she might have felt about such gruesome work had gone out the window the moment she heard that she would receive a fair cut for every usable specimen she brought in.

From what the others had told her, the thick hide made excellent material for gloves and sold for a high price.

There was no talking as everyone worked as quickly as they could. They all knew that a battlefield such as this would attract an endless number of scavengers, and they didn't want to still be there when that happened.

But with all of them working together, or rather, against one another, the entire cleanup didn't take more than a few minutes.

"...Fourteen," Viola called as she handed her satchel to Sebastian.

He took it, counted the hands, and wrote the amount in his ledger without question. Beside it, he added the exact sum she was owed.

Even as an outsider to the party, Viola didn't have to worry about being cheated. Every one of her contributions was meticulously tallied, with a price jotted down beside it.

It put her mind at ease and once again made her appreciate her foresight in sticking with this group.

After everyone handed in their share of the spoils, they continued onward for the rest of the afternoon. Only when the sky began to darken did Sebastian finally call for a halt.

Viola floated down beside the others, who had gathered in the middle of a small clearing.

"Should I go scout?" she asked.

Sebastian gave her a look. "...What for?"

Viola tilted her head, equally confused. "A cave? A hollow tree? A suitable spot to spend the night?"

Sebastian's expression shifted from confusion to something that almost resembled pity. He pointed toward the ground beside him. "Just relax. There is nothing in this part of the forest that can threaten us."

Viola hesitated. Words like these sounded more like overconfidence than something that could actually reassure her. "I've heard of an Archmage who went missing here."

At her words, Grent began to chuckle, and even the two lovers couldn't hide their smiles.

"Is that really something to laugh about?" Viola asked, miffed by the group's reaction.

Sebastian, the only one who had kept a straight face, shook his head. "Of course it wouldn't be," he said, "...if it were true."

"What do you mean?"

"An Archmage went missing," he explained, "is a phrase we mercenaries like to use when negotiating for higher pay. Sometimes, the rumor continues to spread long after the contract is over."

Viola crossed her arms. "And how can you be so sure that is the case here?"

"If it weren't, do you think the Association would be unaware?" Sebastian asked pointedly. "Do you think we'd even dare to come here?"

Viola had nothing to say to that.

Naturally, if there actually was something dangerous enough to make an Archmage disappear, the Mercenary Association would know about it. Their information network was second to none.

"Let's make camp," Sebastian ordered. "I'd rather continue this conversation with a cup of tea in my hands."

"...Or something stronger," Grent called, already on his way to retrieve the large tent from the back of Sebastian's mount.

In less than half an hour, the small clearing had been transformed into a cozy campsite, complete with a large bonfire in the center. Half a dozen skewers stacked with juicy meat sizzled over the flames.

The group sat around the fire, watching the meat slowly turn golden brown.

"Say..." Irina began from the tree stump beside Viola. "How come you came here despite believing the rumors about the Archmage?"

At her question, every member of the group perked up.

Viola remained silent, staring fixedly into the flames. Inwardly, however, her mind was working furiously to come up with an explanation.

"You don't have to answer if it's too personal," Irina continued after a moment. "But you don't seem like a reckless person, so I was curious about what made you take such a risk..."

For a while, the only sounds were the crackling of the campfire and the occasional hiss of fat dripping into the flames.

"I..." Viola began. "I had a disagreement with my family."

There was no point in hiding the fact that she was a native. Her accent must have long since given her away, and from her age and magical proficiency, the group had likely already guessed that she belonged to a Mage family.

That much was fine, as long as they didn't figure out which house, exactly, she belonged to. But with her hair caked in dirt and hidden under her hood, there was almost no risk of being exposed.

"What sort of disagreement?" Irina asked, her voice growing more serious. "You wouldn't happen to be a fugitive, would you?"

Viola sighed. "In a sense, I suppose I am..."

Irina's face hardened, but it was Sebastian who spoke.

"Care to explain that?" he prompted.

"I didn't agree with their choice of marriage partner, so I ran away."

Almost immediately, the tension around the fire dissipated. Irina's expression, which had turned stony, softened as she once again looked at Viola with almost motherly affection.

Sebastian, however, remained silent.

"To flee into the Grimmgar..." Irina muttered, her voice full of sorrow. "What sort of creature did your family try to force on you?"

Viola nodded eagerly. She wasn't about to miss this chance to trash-talk her suitors. "...You wouldn't believe it, sister," she began. "He was five times my age."

"Oh my." Irina lifted a hand to her mouth.

"...Despite that, he was so cowardly that he couldn't even meet my eyes when we talked!"

Irina audibly gasped, as if scandalized, though Viola could see that she was barely holding herself back from asking for more. Clearly, this woman had a taste for gossip.

Beside her, Bernard quietly turned the skewers.

"Sounds charming," he muttered.

Irina shot him a glare. "This isn't funny."

"I didn't say it was."

"Is your family likely to come after you?" Sebastian asked, cutting through the exchange.

Viola's smile faded slightly. "They might."

"How much trouble are we talking about?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Viola assured him. "I don't expect you to hide me or fight my family. We only travel in the same direction for a while."

Sebastian studied her across the flames.

"If someone asks," Viola continued, "you found a lone traveler in the forest. That's all you know, because that's all I've told you."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Sebastian's mouth. "Fair enough."

After that, the conversation flowed more freely, as if an invisible barrier had been broken. It also allowed Viola to learn more about this rather impressive group.

After all, it wasn't every day that one encountered an adventurer team composed entirely of powerful Mages, and Viola found herself intrigued by this strangely honest and close-knit party.

Grent had met Sebastian first, though neither of them would explain the circumstances without contradicting the other. Bernard and Irina had joined later and had apparently been arguing with each other long before they became a couple.

Bernard spoke far less than the others, but every dry remark he made sent Grent into fits of laughter and earned him another glare from Irina.

For the first time since leaving Windspitz, Viola found herself relaxing.

But more than anything else, she was interested in the destination of their journey.

"You said you were heading for Tradespire?" she prompted when the conversation entered a momentary lull.

"Why? Want to join?" Grent drawled, his tongue now noticeably looser after a few drinks.

"Who can say..." Viola shot back. "Not like I have anything going on now that I'm not getting married..."

"A toast to that!" Grent called as he raised his cup.

"But I won't waste my time on scraps," Viola continued. "I have standards."

The giant chuckled. "Standards? When we found you, you were hunched in a corner, gnawing on some stringy meat. Compared to that, working for House Hohenheim is a thousand times better."

Viola made a surprised face, though inwardly, she could barely hide her smile at having guided the conversation exactly where she wanted it to go.

"...House Hohenheim? As in Ezekiel von Hohenheim?" she asked, feigning shock. "Don't tell me you have an agreement with that Lord?"

It was Sebastian who answered with a shake of his head. "What agreement could the likes of us possibly have with the Star of Fortune? It's an open recruitment, nothing more."

"Recruitment? Didn't you say you were fleeing Arkanheim because you didn't want to be drawn into politics?"

"No politics," Sebastian refuted. "It's a simple job, like any other. No oaths, no tests of loyalty, and best of all, no long-term contracts. Just honest work for honest pay."

At his words, Viola saw the others nod along.

"What sort of work?" she probed.

"Our kind of work," Grent answered from the side, pointing toward the satchels and bags stacked near the fire.

Viola rolled her eyes. "Monster hunting? What sort of monsters could there even be in Tradespire?"

Sebastian shook his head. "That's just the gathering point, where the applicants are vetted. For the real job, we'd be sent somewhere else..."

Viola's eyes gleamed.

This was an even better opportunity than she had anticipated. If she could just make it to Tradespire, the Hohenheim family's network might be able to send her beyond her family's reach.

"...What place?" she asked absentmindedly, already making plans on how she might join that open recruitment without getting recognized.

But the answer struck her like a blow.

"Rukia," Grent answered. "Word is, those poor sods barely survived the war. From what we've heard, the Hohenheim family is practically hemorrhaging gold to make sure they even have a fighting chance to see another spring."

The smile fell from Viola's face as if she had been punched.

Rukia...

The mere name conjured visions of burning villages filled with the screams of terrified women and children, forests consumed by flames, and skies choked with ash.

Beside her, Irina punched Grent. He immediately shrank into himself, seemingly aware of his mistake.

"It's not your fault, Fay," Irina said softly. "You don't control the Empire's decisions, do you? The responsibility for that lies solely with the Emperor and the Four Great Families..."

Viola forced herself to nod.

Somehow, that blow had landed even harder.