583. Demi-Humanitarianism

583. Demi-Humanitarianism

On the eve of that night, the grim reaper stalked the streets of the ruins of Puritas. The territory where the vagrants conglomerated, and where the Cult of the Mad Slippers called home once belonged to the 8th Order.

The 8th Order was a House that focused on the trade and economic stability of Puritas. Of course, their methods involved bloodied hands and drawn swords rather than pen and paper.

The Order’s of Puritas went as follows according to information Frost gathered from various inns and taverns of this province.

The 1st Order was Puritas itself.

The 2nd Order – The Knights of the Pale, who were Puritas’ most loyal hounds and zealous fighting force.

The 3rd Order – The Watchers; a massive surveillance House that oversaw the rest of the Orders.

The 4th Order – Deliverance; a courier-based House that also dealt with internal and external affairs diplomatically as Puritas’ missionaries.

The 5th Order – The Cross of Flames, the purifiers of heretics that carried fire-based weaponry to torch down settlements that were deemed impure.

The 6th Order – Written Hail, the House that served as Puritas’ judiciary system. They were the ones who accused the innocent of the sin of eating the forbidden fruit; who carried scrolls of blood carrying the nonsensical sins of those they had already predefined as evil.

The 7th Order – Pale Memento; a House that managed the records of the dead and their disposal. It is unknown how connected they were to the Corpse Snatchers, or as Frost guessed, the Memento Mori.

The 8th Order – The Central Exchange; was Puritas’ economic powerhouse and where trade mostly occurred within and beyond the kingdom. This was why vagrants flocked to this place. Even after its death the purpose it once served continued to live on in perpetuity.

The 9th Order – Sword of Puritas; the main fighting force of Puritas that consisted of nobility and the conscripted masses. Multiple specialized forces were also involved within the 9th Order, such as assassins, spies, mercenaries, etcetera.

The 10th Order – Crystal Pale; a magic-oriented House that had no real focus other than research and development, both for civil and military purposes. They were also highly involved in the experimentations of Healers in their efforts to find the secrets of Healing magic as well as the management of all slaves.

The 11th Order – Calm Water; Puritas’ naval House that prevented Demonic incursions from the southern seas.

The 12th Order – Pale Feather Atelier; a House that developed and distributed weapons based on their Minor Gift. It was not currently known if truly they possessed a Minor Gift or was one comparable to that of the Beholders. Additionally, its effects were not properly understood, but it likely was what made so many revere the words of the King.

And finally, the 13th Order – An unnamed, secret Order that was never disclosed to the public. In fact, there were only twelve territories split between the Orders rather than thirteen.

It was said that they were the King of Purita’s advisory council. Others claimed that they were the true rulers of Puritas. There was no one truth, but as Frost accumulated more and more information from the mouths of a hundred criminal vagrants, she came to a consensus.

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The 13th Order were seen as the unnamed traitors of Puritas, who had backstabbed them some twenty to thirty years ago. The timing of the loss of Paradise could not be a coincidence, so Frost had to wonder just who the 13th Order were.

* * *

The immediate 10-kilometer vicinity of the palace was cleansed in mere hours. Missing folks was so common here that no one batted an eye even when the inns were left entirely abandoned. It was no cause for major alarm right now. Furthermore, such things weren’t usually reported since there was no representative of law enforcement here.

Not only that, but it would be disadvantageous for one to spread the news of a threat. The best course of action was to simply leave and let it trouble others. Frost thrived in these conditions, because she could exercise her judgement on whoever happened to cross her path without repercussion.

Then, to convince them that it was safe to drink, she scooped water with her hand and drank from it.

“Tasty~ You won’t find cleaner water anyway else! I can keep cleaning it, so don’t worry. I’m sorry I don’t have any cups on me. Maybe I should’ve taken some with me. Then again, my storage’s already full of food and ‘that’.”

Her refreshed face whetted their appetite.

Though to begin with, they would have drunk from it anyway regardless of if it was clean or not. She was not given any thanks, not that she needed it from them.

All she wanted to do was look after them since they had been neglected for so long.

“Miss Human. Are you our new master?” A young girl timidly asked as she approached Frost, bowing like she was already her slave.

“Not at all.” Frost knelt to wipe the debris from her cheeks with a thumb, right before patting her head. “I’m just here to help you.”

“How come? You’re a human. Why would you help us if not to make us yours?” She asked again, unable to comprehend her act of kindness like it was the first time she had ever been given unconditional love.

“Because it’s something I want to do. But I can see why it looks scary to you.”

Other Demi-humans gathered around her infants. They were still curious creatures despite being Shells. In fact, curiosity was a characteristic that was amplified when one became a Shell, as if they were yearning to reclaim the emotions they had lost.

Seeing them gather like this painfully reminded her of Nav’s condition.

“’What if she’s trying to take advantage of us?’, ‘What if it’s a trap?’, ‘How long will this kindness last for?’.”

Frost read this from their blank faces and dull eyes. Not a single speck of light shone in those colorless voids. Even those with the most vibrant eyes were ominously dull.

“Telling you that I am is one thing, but showing you is another. I know how hard it is to gain your trust. I think it’s better if you think of me doing this out of selfishness. That’s why I won’t ask for anything in return.”

“... that makes you more suspicious.” A young man said.

“I thought so too.” Frost sighed, smiling in response.

“You won’t deny it? How come?” He asked, confused by her confession.

“Because I’d look like a liar. Isn’t it enough? You’ve been lied to for a long time, right?”

“Since the start...”

They moved their gazes away as they focused on eating. Expressing how they felt in response to her words was impossible. But Frost could feel a palpable sense of relief as the same girl’s tail began to brush against her legs.

Well, it’s fine like this as well. I’m not after their gratitude to begin with. I Just can’t stand to leave them alone.