It had been a rough first day on my own.
I got attacked by a rich, overweight noble who used young women as guards, and to make things worse, the carriage had already left without me.
I had to wait for it to be sent back since the girls had already taken it first.
By the time I reached the accommodation we had stayed the night, my arms ached and my shirt clung to my skin in ways I didn't want to think about.
Somehow, what I had bought when I was in town was still in good shape.
Miraculously.
I stepped into the waiting area and froze.
Eimira was sitting there.
'Maybe she was waiting for me?' I thought.
I smiled."...Nah."
Our eyes met.
She stood immediately and walked toward me, slowing when she noticed the way I clutched my abdomen.
"Hi, there." I said, forcing a grin. "Sorry for the late delivery."
Her eyes narrowed.
She slowly removed my hand and saw my clothes stained with blood.
She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.
"What happened to you?" She asked, her words slightly muffled.
"Well— I was heading back from Bartho's restaurant when I got into a little altercation with a Noble."
Her expression hardened.
"What? How?"
"His daughter kept following me, trying to get me to marry her." I frowned, remembering the whole thing. "I think she also got the guy I saw earlier into trouble as well."
"How did you get the wound though?" She took what I had with me, and pushed me to a chair. "Take a seat first."
I took my seat, grunting slightly in the process.
Eimira sat beside me."So?"
"So, the dad saw both of us and he thought I was trying to kidnap his daughter, and he told his guards to attack me."
"And how'd you manage to get out of it?" She asked.
"Oh, I actually fought all five of his guards." My face twisted in disgust. "Though I found out there were just a bunch of young females. Tsk."
"That's weird. More importantly…" She said, looking at my blood soaked tunic. "How did you manage not to pass out after bleeding this much?"
I chuckled nervously. "It's just a scratch…"
I looked up and saw familiar figures approaching.
Feona and the others.
"Oh, he's finally back." Feona said, stopping as she noticed my tunic.
"Wow." Ryona chuckled. "Seems the Captain's husband got caught in something."
"What happened?" Chichi asked.
Tabbi stepped closer and examined me.
"You bled… a lot." She said.
"Yeah, his face looks a bit pale." Ryona added.
"I'll go get our healer." Chichi said before darting off.
I watched, my vision getting a bit blurred. Everyone hoovered around me, worried.
It felt… strange.
Once, there had been someone who cared for me like this.
I remembered a song.
A soft hum.
Hands that carried warmth.
But the face…
I can't remember the face.
'Who was she?'
A loud voice cut through the room
"How can a random street vermin beat up my guards like that?"
I looked up.
The Noble.
That same fat pig and his daughter who followed closely behind him.
A surge of rage filled me. My vision became clear.
He noticed Eimira and he immediately changed his tone.
"Captain Eimira…" He said with a forced smile. "What a pleasant surprise."
Eimira stared at him. "Count Tharn…"
He chuckled nervously.
"Haha… this here, is my daughter." He dragged his daughter forward. "She was recently appointed Captain."
His daughter stepped forward and gave a formal salute.
"My name is Erin. First daughter from the Wisteria Family. Captain of—"
She stopped.
Her eyes widened when she saw me.
"You!" She pointed at me. "Why are you here?"
"Ah! This bastard pig." Tharn cursed, in Terraka tongue.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Eimira spoke.
"So you're saying… you were the one who attacked him."
"The bastard tried to kidnap my daughter!"
"The hell, I did not." I muttered.
Tharn ignored me.
"How much did you pay for him?" He continued, looking at Eimira. "He's quite strong. I'll offer double— no triple the price of what you paid for him."
His smile turned cruel. "Though, I'd like to teach him a lesson. Let's see how well his body can handle poison."
That was the moment Eimira snapped.
Her left eye glowed green.
A violent gust of wind exploded through the room.
Chairs slid across the floor. Tables flipped. Papers scattered like birds in a storm.
Outside, the sky darkened.
"How dare you…" Eimira said, the wind echoing her words.
The wind intensified.
Tharn's face turned pale.
"W-what do you mean someone close— he's just a peas—"
"Silence!"
Eimira's voice thundered.
She raised her hand.
The wind followed, and lifted the noble straight off the floor.
People scrambled for cover. Some ran. Others clung to pillars so as not to get thrown across the room.
"You, Count Tharn. Are a disgrace to the Legendary Vanguards. Maybe it's fine you were put in your place."
Eimira's words came out cold, and sharp.
Erin suddenly dropped to her knees.
"I'm sorry." She said, bowing deeply. "Please forgive me father!"
Eimira didn't move. Her hand remained raised.
The storm continued to rage.
"Zandren!" Feona called out. "Stop her."
I turned. "What, how?"
Ryona nudged me."She's your wife—"
"No she's not." I cut her off.
"Yes she is."
"No she's not."
"If you guys don't stop Ei now, she'll kill the count." Tabbi yelled.
Feona pushed me forward. "Just go to her. I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"Arghh…" I groaned.
I stepped forward.
Seeing Eimira in that state, being angry on my behalf.
It felt familiar.
I moved closer.
"Eimira…"
I lowered her hand.
"It's fine."
The wind slowly faded.
I pulled her closer, hugging her from behind.
"I'm fine, I promise." I whispered into her ear.
The noble dropped onto a table with a heavy crash.
Eimira swayed. "Tsk. Why did you stop me?"
I helped her into a chair.
"There we go." I answered with a smile.
I looked around.
It was a mess. Chairs scattered. Tables flipped, and food wrappers everywhere.
I sighed.
"Well… there goes lunch." I turned to Eimira. "Now I look forward to dinner."
She giggled,softly. "I'll treat you to it."
Erin stepped up. "Allow us, The Wisterians, to treat you to dinner tonight, at our place."
"That won't be necessary." Eimira said coldly. "You'd just poison us all."
Erin laughed. "The Supreme Commander would wipe us out."
She walked up to her father, helping him up to his feet, with assists from her servants. She called in her guards to help carry him out.
"Once again, we apologize." She turned to me. "And I apologise to you uh—"
She paused for a moment.
"Zandren…" she said,"I'm sorry for the trouble I caused for you, Zandren." she said with a bow. "Please reconsider the invitation."
They left the room with their heads lowered.
Somehow I felt bad for Erin, for having a father like that.
Moments later, Chichi arrived with the healer.
"It got cold, and I heard crashes." Chichi said. "What happened?"
"Well in summary, we met the Noble that got Zandren stabbed." Ryona explained.
"He offered to buy Eimira's boy." Feona added
"And Captain got mad." Tabbi said.
Ryona gestured around with her hands. "And this happened."
Chichi blinked.
"Well... That's quite the summary."
I exhaled.
"Oh, yeah." Chichi pushed the healer she brought forward. "Here's Cira, she's going to heal you."
Chichi pushed me into a chair. "Seat, and take off your clothes."
"Wouldn't it be better if we did this somewhere more privately." I asked, slowly lifting my shirt.
"What are you? A kid?" Ryona said. "Lift up your shirt and stop whining like a lil whuss."
'Y'all are girls, what else would you expect?' I thought.
I lifted my shirt.
Cold air hit my skin.
"So how does it look?" Eimira asked.
"Uhh.. there's an issue—" Cira answered.
"What?"
"T-There's no wound opening…"
"What?"
I looked down at my stomach.
The hole was gone.The flesh had closed.
All that remained was a thin scar.