"Where are we!? You glasses-wearing bastard!"
"Calm down, Lady Rachel," Thomas smirked calmly, his eyes on the furious Rachel held by Richard. Meanwhile, Morrigan watched them from behind, thoughtfully.
It wasn’t just Morrigan. Rachel had also brought Richard along. Thomas had explained to Morrigan that he thought Rachel and Richard, children of Wargan Warlord Rahul, would make good servants.
Though this angered Morrigan, all she could do was be upset. This would likely end in conflict. Her forehead furrowed with frustration.
"I only wanted to bring you along. After all, you have enough potential to become my Lady’s slaves," Thomas almost mocked, his lips curling as he teased Rachel.
"You-!" Rachel tried to lunge at Thomas, but Richard restrained her. "Rachel, we should hear the explanations first. Calm down."
"Tch, whatever," Rachel spat on the ground and shot a harsh glare at Thomas. Ignoring the blue-eyed woman, Thomas turned to Richard.
"Why did you bring us here? Or more precisely, why did you teleport us?" Richard asked diplomatically, and Thomas appreciated his composure, smiling lightly. "As I said, my Lady will be without servants for a long time. That’s why I brought you."
"One moment, Thomas," Morrigan interjected, her expression stern. Thomas turned to face his Lady as she continued with a hint of concern in her voice, "Where is Maria?"
"Maria?" Thomas quickly responded without keeping Morrigan waiting. "I sent Maria to her uncle. He’s a wealthy and decent man. She should be in good hands."
As Morrigan relaxed, Richard frowned at Thomas.
"Apologies, Rachel. I didn’t know Thomas would bring you," Morrigan intervened, her tone apologetic.
Rachel sighed and then looked at Morrigan. "It’s fine, Morrigan. We understand you. What we’re concerned about is our father’s reaction."
As Morrigan became curious, Rachel glanced at Richard. When she saw him nod in approval, she continued calmly but with a hint of frustration. "Our father wanted us to watch over and monitor Saint Alice. But now?"
Rachel paused for a moment and looked at Thomas. "Now we’ve been taken elsewhere by some fool."
Despite Rachel’s piercing and threatening glare, Thomas simply grinned smugly and adjusted his glasses. Meanwhile, Richard observed Morrigan closely.
"The kingdom is now in a civil war," Richard said as he turned to Rachel. "I don’t think our father will be focusing on Saint Alice anymore."
"Why?"
Hearing Morrigan’s question, Rachel smirked slightly. It wasn’t a normal smile; it was the savage grin often described in books about barbarians.
"Now that the kingdom is in a civil war, the War Council will surely mobilize to attack the Holy Mary Kingdom once again," Richard said, clearly proud of his own wit. "And the excuse they’ll use will be us. Claiming that we’ve been killed, they’ll start the war."
"So, you’re saying..." Morrigan narrowed her eyes as Richard continued. "Yes, the Wargans will go to war once again."
"Your father must be worried about you," Morrigan said calmly. Rachel laughed in response. "Worried? About us? You must be joking."
Morrigan was surprised at Rachel’s expression. Rachel stopped laughing and explained, "We had six siblings before us. Do you know what happened to them?"
"What happened?" Morrigan asked. Rachel calmly replied, "They died. All for different reasons. Two in war, two couldn’t handle the intense training, one died from illness, and the last one was killed by our father for being weak-willed."
"Are you serious?" Morrigan could only stand there, mouth agape. Rachel laughed at her expression and continued to explain. "Wargan culture doesn’t tolerate weakness, doesn’t tolerate weak wills, doesn’t tolerate cowards..."
"We’re in the south of the continent. This is the place Heka deemed suitable for us," Thomas explained. "According to Heka, this is where Lady Morrigan will begin her journey toward her destiny."
"My destiny?" Morrigan asked in surprise. Thomas nodded, his eyes calm. "My Lady’s destiny lies to the west. There, new things await you."
"First of all, who is this Heka bastard, and what is Morrigan’s destiny?" Rachel questioned, and Thomas turned to her. "Heka could be called the greatest Seer in this world. Although we’re not close friends, we’re acquainted."
"Did you get the talisman you used to enter the church from this Heka guy?"
Morrigan asked calmly. She had seen the charm that allowed Seth and Thomas to move freely in the Church. It looked interesting and very valuable.
Thomas nodded. "Yes, Heka is also a collector and a very powerful master of Magic."
"I see, my fate, huh?" Although Morrigan didn’t believe much in these fate nonsense, she could still accept it. "Is my fate good or bad?"
"I believe it’s good, my Lady," Thomas explained calmly. "You are Morrigan, the Saint of the oldest existing ancient God. Even fate should bow before you."
"What do you mean by ’Saint’?" Richard asked with a slight hint of confusion on his face. He turned to Morrigan and then to Thomas in surprise.
"You don’t know?" A wicked smile appeared on Thomas’ lips. He dramatically raised his hands, as if pointing at a unique Goddess. "My Lady is the Saint of the God of Darkness, the most powerful of all Gods."
"Impossible!" Rachel immediately denied. "Isn’t the God of Darkness a fictional character created by the Church?!"
Before Thomas could answer, Morrigan replied instead. "Thomas is telling the truth, Rachel. I am alive thanks to his blessing. If it weren’t for him, I would’ve been killed by the Church long ago."
These were Morrigan’s true feelings. Even in the Academy, her teachers no longer treated her rudely. For the first time in many years, Morrigan had made friends. Despite sometimes being annoying, Morrigan still saw Thomas as a loyal friend.
Many people, including Maria, had taught her what it felt like to live as a human. Morrigan was certain that this was all because of the God of Darkness. Every night before going to sleep, she would thank the God for this.
Rachel looked at Morrigan quietly for a while. "I see. I believe you."
"Really?" Morrigan asked in surprise. Rachel squeezed Morrigan’s cheeks and whined, captivated by her sweetness. "How could someone like you lie, Morrigan? Of course, I’ll believe you."
"Thank you," Morrigan said calmly, a faint smile on her lips.
"And please stop playing with my cheeks, please." Morrigan said in discomfort. Rachel apologized and let go of her cheeks.
"Now that you’re done talking, let’s continue," Thomas said. He looked at Morrigan. "We will strengthen my Lady as soon as possible."
"I can teach her how to use a sword," Rachel volunteered. Then Richard raised his hand to help as well. "I can teach her theoretical knowledge."
Seeing the two Wargan youths so eager to help Morrigan, Thomas’ lips curled in a sarcastic smile. "It’s nice to see your enthusiasm. In the end, you’ll make excellent servants-"
Before Thomas could finish, a sharp punch to the stomach from Morrigan made him cough. His face twisted in fake pain, and he chuckled softly. "That hurt, my Lady."
"You deserved it," Morrigan said calmly as Rachel laughed. Then, without wasting any more time, the group of four quickly gathered wood and, with Thomas’ help, started building a simple wooden house.
Morrigan lit the fire, Rachel gathered plants for bedding, and Richard and Thomas worked together to quickly turn the forest into a livable area.
In the end, they built a training ground, a house, and a garden. Time passed swiftly as everyone enjoyed roasted venison with satisfaction.
Without further delay, as night fell, they went to their grass beds to sleep.