1775-1776 eng

1775 Knight Commander

It was already getting dark when Sunny and Nephis returned to the Brilliant Emporium.

The rest of the dinner in the upscale restaurant had been uneventful. They had agreed to turn their pretend relationship into a real one — or at least try to. However, neither of them wanted for their first actual date to happen right there and then, in a place carefully prepared by someone else to create a false impression of how they felt about each other.

Sunny wanted to be the one making plans, at least, considering that he was the person who had invited Nephis on a date.

So, they enjoyed the food and discussed the play, both failing to hold back an occasional smile. Then, Nephis walked him home. Neither talked much on the way, but the silence wasn't awkward. Instead, it was comfortable and pleasant, full of unspoken potential.

Finally, they reached the quiet street where the Brilliant Emporium was located. The lake was just beyond the cottage.

Sunny and Nephis stopped near the porch. The sun was rolling behind the horizon, washing the world in the fiery blaze of its last rays. All throughout Bastion, shadows crawled from the dark corners, shrouding the city in twilight. Sunny was standing in the shade cast by the walls of the cottage, while Nephis was in the light, her striking grey eyes reflecting the splendor of the sunset.

She smiled faintly.

"...I will see you soon, then. Thank you for today, Master Sunless."

He bowed elegantly and answered with a smile of his own:

"I'll be counting the days until our next meeting, Lady Nephis."

She hesitated for a moment, then took a step back. The cascading sunlight shone radiantly behind her, forming into two beautiful white wings.

Nephis was ready to return to her heavenly palace. Before that, however...

She lingered, then suddenly took a step forward and stopped right in front of Sunny. Before he could understand what was happening, Nephis

raised her hands, placed them on his shoulders, and pulled him into a tight hug.

Sunny's eyes widened. He was so startled by her actions that his mind refused to process what was happening. He just knew that he felt a lot of things... the warmth of her touch, the firmness of her embrace, the softness of her body...

A few moments later, Nephis let him go and drew back. Sunny looked at her dazedly.

"What... was that for?"

She met his gaze and smiled slightly.

"Just something I've been wanting to do."

With that, she bent down a little.

Her soft lips touched his cheek lightly, which made Sunny's whole body shudder. The spot where she had kissed him seemed to be on fire. No, his entire being was.

'Damn it... she can sense exactly what kind of reaction she's having on me, can't she? That's... that's unfair!'

Nephis looked him in the eyes for a moment, then chuckled.

"And that is just something for you to think about while you are counting days!"

She backed away, then turned and pushed herself off the ground. Soon, her graceful figure disappeared in the radiance of the setting sun.

Sunny belatedly raised a hand and covered his burning cheek. Some time later, a heavy sigh escaped from his lips.

'She's either very cruel... or doesn't understand passion nearly as well as she thinks she does...'

A cold shower. That was what he needed now!

Turning around, Sunny hid a wide smile behind his hand and walked toward the door.

That... had been really unexpected.

'No, but when did she become so cool?'

Humming a simple melody, he entered the Brilliant Emporium. Sunny was so lost in thought that he didn't notice someone standing there, looking at him with wide eyes.

He only came to his senses when he heard them speak.

...Wow.

Startled, Sunny finally noticed Aiko, who had been wiping the tables near the street side windows.

'Crap.'

Had she seen it all?

The petite girl stared at Sunny for a few moments, then slowly extended a tiny fist and raised her thumb.

"Boss... I admire you, boss! Good job! You work so fast!"

Sunny's expression collapsed.

He remained silent for a split second, then said in an even tone:

"Aiko, come here. Don't worry, I'll make it quick. It won't hurt at all..."

Soon, the sounds of something overturning and falling to the floor could be heard inside the Brilliant Emporium.

***

Nephis landed gracefully on the emerald grass of the Ivory Island. Her wings disappeared, and with them, the pain tormenting her receded, as well.

She took a deep breath, raised her head slightly, and headed to the tower. There were Fire Keepers busy with various errands here and there, and even more of them inside the great pagoda.

She answered to their greetings with curt nods, her face the usual inexpressive mask of steady confidence.

Just like that, she reached her personal quarters on the highest level of the Ivory Tower, entered them, and closed the door behind her.

A moment later, Nephis let out a shaky breath, leaned on the door, and covered her face with both hands.

Her cheeks turned an alarming shade of red all of a sudden.

"Ah! What did I do?! I'm crazy! I've actually lost my mind!"

Her voice was full of torment.

She was in the middle of having a miniature breakdown when a soft hand patted her reassuringly on the shoulder.

Nephis flinched and looked up, finally noticing Cassie, who was standing there with a bright smile on the delicate face.

The smile slowly turned into a grin.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Neph. I think you did great!"

'Oh, gods... Cassie saw it all, didn't she?'

Nephis was suddenly mortified.

The blind seer remained mercifully quiet for a few moments, then added in a familiar deadpan tone:

"And that is just something for you to think about while you are counting days... ah, what a line! Even I was almost seduced, poor Master Sunless must have collapsed into a puddle as soon as you left... I didn't know you had it in you..."

A low groan escaped from Neph's mouth.

"It's... it's all your fault, you wicked woman! If you hadn't been whispering into my ear, I would not have... I would have... it wouldn't have happened this way!"

Cassie squeezed her shoulder one more time and laughed.

"What? What are you blaming me for? I think it all went well..."

Nephis closed her eyes.

'Why am I reacting so strongly? There's a damn war approaching. There are more important things to worry about!'

She had been glad to be distracted from her burdensome responsibilities in the morning.

Who knew she would be a little bit too distracted by evening?

'Ah... I'm in trouble...'

***

Unbeknownst to Sunny and Nephis, there were more repercussions to their actions that day.

Across the lake from the Brilliant Emporium, in the depths of the Castle, the elders of Clan Valor were having a strategic meeting. They, too, were preparing for war.

At some point, the door opened, and a short report was placed in front of a regal middle-aged woman. She read it briefly and sighed.

An old man with harsh eyes and a grey beard looked at her sternly.

"What is it?"

The woman pursed her lips.

"There is another report on Changing Star and that... Mongrel person. It appears that the girl is truly taken with him."

The rest of the elders all showed a reaction, most of them displaying some sign of displeasure.

The stern old man shook his head.

"That won't do. She doesn't have to offer herself for a strategic marriage, but spending time frivolously with some nobody... a princess of Valor can't be tied to a person with no background. This concerns the prestige of our great clan."

The woman raised an eyebrow.

"What do you suggest we do? Reprimand her? Or remove the man from the picture? These are delicate matters. Will you take responsibility?"

There was a long silence in the chamber, with no one daring to speak. Eventually, the silence was broken by a frustrated sigh.

Everyone turned to look at a beautiful young woman with striking vermilion eyes who sat at the head of the table.

Morgan looked at the elders with a frown, then shook her head dejectedly and said:

"Why are you creating a problem out of nothing? Do you have a lot of time to waste?"

She glared at them for a few moments, then leaned back.

"I agree, Nephis can't be seen dating a nobody. So, what's the problem? Let's just knight that guy and be done with it. He won't be a nobody if we make him a Knight of Valor, will he? Hell, we can even put him in charge of some soldiers. There, problem solved."

The elders simply stared at her incredulously.

Morgan smiled.

"I see there are no objections. Let's proceed with this plan, then. Now, about the issue with Saint Thane, he'll be arriving soon..."

And that...

Was how Sunny became an honorary Knight Commander of the Great Clan Valor.

Even if he did not know it yet.

1776 Working Dead

'So tired...'

Rain was sprawled on her threadbare sleeping bag, staring at the slanted roof of her modest tent. Outside, the noises of the construction camp were churning like a sea, just as loud as they had been throughout the day despite the late hour.

Out here, the work did not stop when the darkness fell. For a very particular reason.

Rain had finished her long shift as a laborer, so her muscles were sore. Later, she crawled into her tent ready to pass out from fatigue, but instead of resting, she spent several hours arduously circulating her essence in an attempt to form a soul core. That was something she did every night, and although there were no signs of Awakening yet, the number of tiny grains she had created was growing steadily.

Rain had only stopped after becoming completely exhausted. And now, she couldn't fall asleep because of the noise outside.

'Ah, damnation... I really need to get out of this place...'

The construction of the Eastern Road was progressing at a startling pace. She had to stay hidden among the road crews for a while, but that did not mean that she had to remain in the main camp. There were other assignments available for those daring enough to take them — scouting parties, advanced camps, subjugation troops, and so on.

It was just that the number of slots for these jobs was limited, and young mundane girls were not exactly at the top of the list for tough tasks.

Still, she wanted to leave the main construction camp as soon as possible. It was not only cramped and noisy, but also a bit creepy.

That was because mundane laborers were not the only ones building the road. In fact, most of the work was being done...

By the dead.

Rain had not heard about anything like that happening in other construction crews, but the Eastern Road was special. Clan Song wanted it built very fast, for some reason, and so, the Queen had sent her personal servants to assist the builders.

The dead were dutiful workers. They never complained, never grew tired. They didn't need water or food. They just continued to build the road silently, without sleep or rest. Their frozen faces were calm and empty... men and women, young and old. Plenty of Nightmare Creatures were among them, as well, their monstrous eyes devoid of the usual frenzy.

Every time Rain left her tent early in the morning and saw the silent corpses working diligently in the dim light of dawn, she couldn't help but feel like she was in a strange, cold hell.

It was indeed very creepy... but people were very adaptable creatures. She observed the other laborers grow accustomed to the company of the dead with great speed.

She could understand them well. After all, the Queen's servants were doing the hard work that the laborers would have had to do themselves otherwise. The dead were also quiet, solemn, and never hurt anyone. All in all, as far as colleagues went, they weren't bad at all.

The unique culture of the Song Domain played a part in the speed with which the laborers had adapted to their presence, as well. Working side by side with the dead could have been terrifying if their origin was mysterious and sinister. But they had been sent by the Queen, and the Queen was revered and beloved by the citizens of her kingdom.

So, anything that had come from the Queen was seen in a positive light. Anyway...

"What the hell are you doing? Be quiet!"

Giving up her attempts to fall asleep, Rain turned her head and hissed at the darkness.

The darkness, which had been humming a joyful melody, grew silent.

Her teacher was in a strange mood these days. He was way too carefree and cheerful, even by his standards.

The ancient fiend must have felt at home in the company of creepy corpses. Rain couldn't explain the sudden shift in his behavior any other way.

The darkness remained silent for a while, then sighed reproachfully.

"You are such a killjoy."

Rain stared in the direction of the voice with indignation.

"Teacher... your poor student is trying to sleep here. After working a long, arduous shift in the cold. And being fed tasteless slop by the camp wardens. Can't you go hum somewhere else?"

He chuckled.

"I can. But I don't want to... that woman is there, and she might see me."

Rain frowned.

'That woman?'

Was he talking about Saint Seishan, the overseer of the camp? Teacher seemed to be wary of the Queen's daughter...

Which was a bit strange. Ki Song did not have biological children, but she had raised many orphan girls. Among them, seven were now Saints, each possessing enchanting beauty and startling powers. The Queen's daughters were venerated and loved by the people of the Song Domain almost as much as their mother was.

Rain's teacher did not show any reaction at the mention of the more famous of them, like Beastmaster or Silent Stalker, even joking about having had questionable relationships with them... but the more obscure of the Queen's daughters, Song Seishan, caused him to behave strangely.

Rain sighed.

"Why? What did you do... no, let me guess. Did you abandon her at the altar? It was something like that, wasn't it?"

Her teacher laughed quietly.

"What? No, nothing like that... it's just that when I was a young shadow, and she was going around devouring naughty youths, we crossed paths a few times, and it seemed like she was able to see me."

Rain did not know what to say.

'Can he at least try to be consistent with his lies? He said on multiple occasions that he's thousands of years old... so how could Saint Seishan have been there when that bastard was young? And what is that about devouring youths? I can believe that he has devoured a fair share of children, but Lady Seishan? Ridiculous!'

She sighed.

"In any case. Stop humming and let me sleep. I need to get up early if I want to snatch an assignment at one of the advanced camps... I hear they'll be establishing a new one this week."

Her teacher scoffed.

"Fine, fine. Go to sleep, then. Oh, and by the way... don't worry. I managed to get a message to your family in Ravenheart. They know that you're safe. Well... that you are alive, at least."

Rain's eyes widened in the darkness.

"Really?"

He sighed.

"Really."

A smile appeared on her lips, and a palpable sense of relief spread in her chest. A heavy burden that she had been carrying was suddenly gone.

Her poor parents must have been so worried!

"Really, really?"

Her teacher cursed quietly.

"Yes! Listen... I am a very honest person. The most honest person in two worlds, even! When have I ever lied to you?"

She laughed quietly and turned on her side, finally closing her eyes.

'Yeah, sure... that statement is full of holes. Not only are you the most brazen liar I have ever met, it's even a question if you are a person.'

Rain relaxed, feeling sleep finally starting to envelop her mind in a soft embrace.

'But it's alright... tonight, I'll forgive you... thank you, teacher!'

Relieved and warmed by the news he had shared, she peacefully fell asleep.

Tomorrow, she was going to find away to leave the main camp.