Chapter 22 - 19

Ash

Ash watched Kaori as she took the letter and read it over again.

"What?" She stared down at the paper in disbelief. Satsuhiro walked up to her. Ash sat back, looking on with a growing level of confusion. Is this some kind of trick?

"B-But, this doesn't make sense," Kaori stated. "My parents were fine when I left."

She looked to Satsuhiro, hoping for some sort of answer. The older Savior hummed to himself.

"There aren't many diseases that would act like this overnight. This is about as shady as anything else Varcon's done recently."

Kaori turned away from him, looking back down at the paper.

"What are you saying?" She asked with a tangible sense of dread.

"I'm saying this may be deeper than untimely illness," Satsuhiro replied and Ash watched as anguish appeared on Kaori's face. But, soon, determination replaced it.

"I'm going back to Jade." She said, with the courier outside nodding. "Whatever this is, I need to make sure my parents are alright."

"Very well," the courier declared, "let me know when you wish to leave."

"Yeah." Kaori nodded to him and he walked away, toward his horse. Kaori looked back at Satsuhiro and the rest, grim and anxious. "I... Maybe it's nothing too serious. Still, I want to see them."

"Do as you will." Satsuhiro shrugged. "It's your family. If you want to make sure they're safe, go ahead."

Ash thought at that moment what she imagined Satsuhiro was wondering too. If that's even true.

Kaori still couldn't be trusted after all, in their eyes at least. Obviously, this was all sorts of shady, but there was always the chance that this was some sort of ruse. Whatever trap this could be, she guessed that neither she or Satsuhiro wanted any part of it.

"Okay." Kaori resolved herself so quickly that it nearly stunned Ash, but the half-demon found herself indifferent to this.

"I'll come back after I've checked on them. To keep training and all."

No one gave her a reply. Kaori took a deep breath as she turned and walked out of the farm, or maybe she was just that scared for her family that she didn't care about the group too much right now.

Warm winds entered through the open door leading to the field, almost as a reminder of what Ash knew she should have been doing by now.

"... May as well get to training." She stated.

"If we keep this pace up, we should finish attuning you in about a week," Satsuhiro replied. "Let's get to it."

"Alright."

With that, their plans were set.

---

Varcon

Knowing that Kaori would be arriving any second now, he tried to make sure everything was in place. He had discarded the Milk of the Dreamer he'd used, and in case things went wrong, he had a cup full of water holding what remained of the Red Tear since, of course, he hadn't used all of it before.

With this, he thought, I should be able to keep Kaori away from the demon for at least a moment. Enough time to maybe get her out on a mission or find something else that can distract her.

In front of him, he could see Kaori's parents both on two separate small beds, with sunlight bathing them from a nearby window. Their chests raised and lowered slowly as they slept. Varcon didn't know if they would ever wake again, and he didn't care.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Your holiness." A deacon called out. "The Savior has arrived."

Hm. Already? She must be even more desperate to see them than I anticipated. Varcon spoke a brief prayer to Magia and stood up. He exited the room and walked out into the church's glorious main hall, where a nervous Kaori had her arms crossed and was keeping her head low. Then, she saw Varcon.

The expression she gave him made Varcon flinch. She looked untrusting, skeptical. It was exactly the wrong kind of look that she should have given him. She should have been grateful, happy. Instead, the look he had just received was almost as if she were asking "did you do anything?"

Varcon was deeply offended.

This is how you look at the person who fed you power? He asked in his mind but quickly cast the thought away. No. She is simply nervous about her family. Surely, she is not directing this dreadful expression at me, but at the situation.

"Kaori, greetings. It is a shame we must meet again so soon due to this."

"Where are they?" She asked, desperately. Varcon held back a scowl when he heard the curt way she spoke.

"... Come." He replied, again, not allowing his ego to be hurt.

He took her through the narrow halls, past a few sympathetic priests, before arriving at the quaint room where her parents were located. Kaori nearly knocked Varcon down as she ran past him, to their beds.

"W-What? Are they...? What's happening to them?"

Her tone had basically just said, "what did you do to them?" Varcon was fairly close to losing his self-control. Instead, though, he cast a sorrowful glance at the two adults.

"I believe they may have been poisoned."

"What?" Kaori asked. Varcon nodded.

He had thought of this before she arrived. He needed some sort of a scapegoat, of course. Someone to take the blame, who would want to harm Kaori on some level. It didn't take much thought really to get to the conclusion he reached. There was, after all, one group of people Kaori had been in conflict with recently, one composed of an arrogant old Savior and a whore of a half-demon.

"I believe it may have been the hybrid's group." When Kaori looked at him with the rawest confusion he'd received in years, he quickly added, "the older Savior, specifically, maybe."

"What?" Kaori's tone was sharp. It was almost like she wasn't asking him what he had said, but rather if he truly wanted to say it. Like she was daring him to repeat that sentence.

And, of course, because Varcon wouldn't back down after such a dare, he did.

"Recently, you fought the hybrid. Surely, they were not too happy about the out-"

Kaori interrupted him.

"I fought her because you told me to." Kaori almost accused him. Varcon tried to repress it, but a glare slipped past him.

"And," he continued with emphasis, "you exposed her laziness to the public. Humiliated her. Think about it," he shrugged. "Revenge cannot be too outlandish of an idea for them, right?"

"Sure, but to go after my family?" Kaori asked, baffled.

"I've seen citizens do worse for less," Varcon told her. "Someone like her, that type of resentment must not be uncommon."

"You... You can't be serious." Kaori stated and Varcon nearly growled.

"Are you..." He had been about to ask "are you doubting me?" But, he'd stopped himself. Instead, he asked. "Are you absolutely certain that they're above such a thing? It's a demon we're talking about here."

"A half-demon." Kaori clarified.

"A demon nonetheless." Varcon shrugged. "Such a creature is capable of any sort of treachery, Kaori. You cannot trust a word she says. She would use everything at her disposal to confuse and manipulate you." He declared. "And it seems that she's seduced the older Savior into doing the same, somehow."

"Are you actually accusing them?" Kaori asked.

"It only makes sense." He took a step back. "However, I understand if this feels like a lot to take in. Think about it, that is all I ask of you."

Kaori shook her head. Varcon felt his heart pounding against his chest. She was silent for a second. Varcon couldn't tell what was going through her mind. Just in case though, he quickly reached for the cup.

"Some water?" He asked, passing it over to her. The Savior raised a brow.

She took the cup but started inspecting it. First, she looked at the liquid, as if searching for something else. Then, she put the surface to her nose and sniffed, holding it in front of her for a moment. Varcon was truly internally enraged at this point.

Does she no longer trust me? He wondered. However, when the liquid seemed to pass whatever test she'd tried to put it through, she took a small sip.

"Thanks." And she gave it back. He smiled. That sip was all that was needed.

"... Will they be okay?" She asked, with a much softer voice. Before, Varcon would have found it endearing, but now, after she'd disrespected him multiple times like this, he was numb to it.

"Possibly." He replied.

"What does that mean?" Kaori asked.

"Whatever poison they have been afflicted with," he stated, "it is specific. It is a sleeping poison. Those are unique, you see? There is not much magic in the world potent enough to cure it."

He lied. Even intermediate-level Light magic could cure this affliction. She didn't need to know that though.

"I... What can be done?" She asked. "Is there anything I can do for them?"

He walked up to her, putting on his fatherly tone.

"Pray. Pray to Lumina, Magia, Alkoth. Any deity. The gods listen to us as intently as we read the words of their scriptures. If you ask for their aid, they shall give it to you."

Kaori looked away. After a moment, she put her hands together and closed her eyes.

Varcon sneered at her.

What a disappointing weapon. Instead of obedience, she gives me doubt. As if I have not been looking out for Magia's interests my whole life. Who is she to question me!? He gritted his teeth. What has she done!? She's nothing but an amateur. I've saved so many wounded men and women, I've helped heal the greatest warriors Jade has seen, I've had to deliver their cruel fates to their families after they perish. I have seen and done so much more than her, and she finds it in her to question me?

Someone like her... Just a tool. She should know her place. At times like these, punishment is to be given. Even a tool must be disciplined.

As he considered that thought, a desire for petty vengeance flowed through his veins. Maybe he'd do something about this later.

---

Ash

Ash toiled for hours, trying as hard as she could to increase her Strength and her Dexterity. She continued chopping wood, she did reflex-based practice with Keiko, and she continued shooting makeshift targets with Lust's bow form. Eventually, she was able to get her Strength to 7 and her Dexterity to the same amount. She wasn't satisfied with that yet though. She wanted all of her physical attributes to be at 10 before she went on that mission.

However, as she shot her bow outside, she heard Satsuhiro call out to her.

"The alchemist's letter is here."

Ash turned around, transforming Lust back into cube-form. She walked back into the farm and found Metsumi giving her daughter some snacks while Keiko and Satsuhiro sat on the opposite piece of furniture. Ash put a hand on her hip.

"So?" She asked.

"Ah... Alright." Satsuhiro folded the letter and crossed his arms. "According to the alchemist, there's a concoction that can be made that not only shows the presence of Red Tear in a person but also gives them their lost memories. They included the necessary ingredients in the envelope, along with some... Mundane instructions. Alchemy isn't really my thing, but I could probably make this thing given a few hours."

"Hm. Well, kinda sucks that Kaori left like that, huh?"

"Yes," Satsuhiro told her. "But this is a bit too important to just wait on."

"So what are you going to do?" Ash asked.

"I'll ride to Jade again. Deliver this to her myself. Sending a letter isn't the best idea if Varcon actually did mind control her. He'd never let her receive it. And, if she's actually working with Varcon to screw you in some way, I'll likely be fine."

"Shit. So what do I do?" Ash asked.

"Well, I suppose you can just keep training. I can do this alone, there's no need to interrupt your progression any more than we've done so far."

She pictured what could happen at that moment. Giving the strange drink to Kaori and proving that her will had been tampered with, or alternatively, that Kaori had indeed planned to kill her. Ash felt like either revelation would be too much to wait on.

"... No." Ash suddenly said.

"Hm?"

"Nah, I'm going." She walked up to Satsuhiro.

"Why?" He asked.

"I'm not gonna be able to focus on my training if I don't see the answer myself. I'll be thinking about it every minute of the day until you get back. No one can work like that, right?"

"Maybe so, but..."

"What?" Ash crossed her arms.

"Well, first of all, it could be dangerous for you if Kaori isn't who she says she is. Second, self-control appears to be an issue to you, Ash. If you get an answer you weren't ready to hear, are you sure you can keep your emotions contained?" Satsuhiro asked.

"I'll stay behind you," Ash told him. "Could they actually take you on if they wanted to ambush us or something?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Then it's fine. And yeah, I'll try to keep my cool too. Come on, let's go."

Satsuhiro rolled his eyes.

"Fine then."