Chapter 104: Almost Captured

"I've got it," Rein thought to himself as he came up with an idea to escape being found.

"Raxo, you said your house has the big tree growing out of it, yeah?" He asked as he looked over to the dark horizon, which was filled with artificial lights, seeing the outline of the large tree towering over the rest of the buildings.

"Yeah?" She affirmed in a confused tone.

"Anyone home?" He made sure.

"Mom should be in the backyard getting medicine for dad. We grow our own—" 

"Perfect. On 3, everyone grab on onto a part of my exposed skin. Xenia too," he commanded as he propped Saphrilla down and picked up Raxo's red inverse ring, which she had put on the ground so that she could heal Xenia.

"1…" He counted, winding up his arm, getting ready to throw the ring.

"H-hold on! You're gonna throw it?! Why?!" Raxo frantically stood up in a panic.

"2…" He released the ring from his hand, sending it flying through the sky, seeing it sparkle against the city lights, falling straight into the backyard of the Tincer estate.

"Exposed skin you said? Man, that's only your neck and hands, and I know damn well I'm not grabbing onto your hand," Quint remarked as he got ready to touch his neck along with Raxo, who was still confused.

Saphrilla got ready to hold his hand as Rein shuffled over to Xenia, grabbing onto her arm as he closed his eyes, focusing his energy on the ring as he heard the elevator shaft approach, then start stopping as it reached their floor. Sweat began slowly creeping down his forehead as he heard the loud beep from the elevator, the doors beginning to open. Suddenly, he opened his eyes with great focus and shouted the number.

"3!"

"Freeze! In the name of the Ki—… Huh?" The leader of the guard group that came to arrest Rein stood there in confusion, scratching his head at the empty room.

"Sir! There's nobody here!" One of the other soldiers observed.

"I can see that, dumbass. Hm, I could have sworn I heard somebody out here… Men! Search every house and establishment in the city! This criminal who put his and her majesty in danger must be found and captured! A description of his appearance has been provided. Use it in your searches!" The leader commanded as the rest of the soldiers stiffened up, putting their hands on their foreheads in a salute.

"Sir yes sir!"

At the Tincer estate…

"*sigh*, Darling's been a little too excited ever since Raxo's gotten back… He's worrying himself sick. Though, I can't say I'm any different," Raxo's mother talked to herself as she picked the medicinal herbs from their garden, her heart in turmoil as she worried about the safety of her daughter and her friends.

Suddenly, she saw a shining red glow in the sky, falling straight down into a bush in the garden.

"Hm? What's that?" She inspected it closer as she saw its red glimmer through the bush.

Then, 5 teenagers suddenly appeared out of nowhere into the bush, rustling around as they landed.

Rein appeared, landing on his feet along with Saphrilla, who was holding his hand. Xenia landed in her sleeping position as she was before, and Quint and Raxo landed with their butts on the ground, Raxo coughing as she wasn't expecting teleportation.

"Holy shit! Did we just teleport through space?! Wow, it hurts less than I would've thought," she remarked in jubilation as she heard a cough under her.

"You've done it before. I literally saw you walk through the teleportation device from the gulf to Zacrozir," Rein remarked, making her remember in a sudden bolt of revelation.

"Oh, right..."

"Hey, Raxo… Mind gettin' off of me?" The muffled sound of Quint's voice emerged from under her as she turned around to face him, her embarrassed face the same color as her hair.

"What do you think you're doin' down there!" She instantly stood up and kicked him in the face, which she instantly regretted as she did it on an impulse.

After the situation had died down, the group entered the house through the back door and explained the situation briefly to Raxo's mother and the maid, Diana. Though Rein didn't mention anything that Ginald recounted to Saphrilla, he did tell them about what he did to her and Xenia, and the fate that he had ultimately met. He did twist the story slightly, saying that Ginald had killed himself rather than Rein killing him so that the rest of the group would accept the story. At that point, Xenia had just barely started to regain consciousness, which allowed her to hear Rein's altered story.

As Rein finished the story, Saphrilla extended a request.

"Ma'am, I would like to talk to Mr. Tincer in private. Would that be okay?" She sternly asked with maximum politeness, bowing down while doing so.

"Saphrilla…" Rein looked at her sternly, which made her tense up slightly, then he sighed and smiled warmly, which made her smile with joy as well.

"What's up Saph? Got something important to ask him?" Raxo inquired, to which Saphrilla nodded earnestly.

"Oh my, it looks like you're serious, sweetie. Of course you can," Raxo's mother allowed.

Diana led Saphrilla up the stairs and into Alen's room, who was lying down on his bed in a sickly sprawl. He didn't even notice as the door opened and closed, never mind the little kid who entered.

"Damn my luck… Even in illness, I can't catch a break… Where's Voron when you need 'em…" Alen muttered to himself as he lay there on the bed.

"*ahem*, Mr. Alen?" She interrupted the conversation he was having with himself, turning his attention to her as she stood at the door.

"Huh?" His eyes widened as he saw Saphrilla on the door, reminding him of someone she resembled.

"Uriel..?" He uttered as his vision came into focus, realizing that he had just addressed a little girl as his friend's wife.

"O-oh, sorry about that missy, I mistook you for someone," he apologized as he sat up in his bed.

"No, it is alright. It is only natural you would mistake me for my mother," she stated, to which Alen retained a surprised face, tears beginning to flow out of his eyes.

"No way… You're Saphrilla Xilris, aren't you? Hahaha… The last time I saw you, you were this big," he held out his hands parallel to one another to indicate a size, which slightly annoyed Saprhilla.

"Yes, enough with the long-lost uncle charade. Everybody constantly says the same things upon a reunion. I have heard that very same line 19 times now," she stated as she took a seat beside his bed, her statement-making him laugh as his tears continued flowing.

"I never thought I would be talking to Voron again, much less his daughter… It's truly an honor," he bowed his head down to her in greeting.

"There is no need to be so formal. I am not here on my father's behalf, so you may treat me as an ordinary guest," she statedd.

"No… The first thing I should be doing… Is apologizing…" Alen dejectedly spoke as he kept his head down.

"Apologize?" Saphrilla sounded.

"Yes. Your mother… You probably already know the reason for her death… She read the book forbidden by the church," Alen informed, to which Saphrilla nodded.

"I… Ignorantly led her, and nearly her husband to their deaths… When the church told me to call them over, I never could have imagined what for… What a fool I was… Nothing I can do can atone for the mistake I made…" He continued bowing his head down as he sincerely apologized, Saphrilla setting a hand on his head to lift it up.

"Do not apologize, sir. None of it was your fault. Nobody has ever had the authority to defy the church, not even King Fredric and Emperor Naar. Who knows what tragedies would have befallen your family had you not heeded their request. Therefore, I do not blame you for any of it," Saphrilla spoke mercifully.

"Yes… That might be so… But it doesn't mean that I couldn't have done something… Something so that my dear friend would have faith in me…"

"My father? If anything, it was his incapability to protect mother that we should be blaming," Saphrilla remarked.

"No… Neither he nor I have forgiven me for what happened that day," he spoke regretfully.

"My father may be an idiot, but he is not that stupid. I am positive that he has already forgiven you, even if he has not shown it. If it is anyone that he blames, then it is himself. It is in his nature to do so. The reason he has been avoiding all contact with you… Has something to do with me," she informed, which made Alen raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Something to do with you?" He asked as he suddenly heard a loud knock on the front door, the sound reaching all the way to his room.

"Who could that be at this hour?" Alen asked himself as he heard footsteps swiftly approaching his room.

"Hey! What are you doing here old man?!" They heard Rein remark from the distance as Alen's room door flew open, a black-haired elf walking through.

"V—... Voron?" Alen uttered as he saw the familiar coffee-stained work robe.

"Alen…"