“Oh. Well...”
They exchanged information, but since Al didn’t know much, all he could tell Toshisaka was his plan to save Eshantel’s citizens.
“So the Empire is working behind the scenes... Kanon’s been acting weird since his meeting with them...”
Toshisaka stared at Al as he repeated what he’d learned.
“Wh-What?! Wait, are you actually into...”
“I knew you were queer!”
“No, I’m not! Why are you instantly jumping to the same conclusion?!”
“Hey, I’m just paying back what I got from your lover.”
“We’re married. Being on the same wavelength is only natural.”
“Then why are you totally out of sync on this?! Honestly, it’s a bit disturbing!”
Al found Toshisaka rather sensitive after their brief interaction.
“I was simply wondering why Your Majesty reminds me of him so much!”
Toshisaka let out a deep sigh. He seemed rather tired; perhaps he had a lot of pressure weighing on him.
“Could you stop with that lukewarm stare of yours?”
He didn’t even have the energy to appreciate Al’s friendliness.
“At any rate, our goals are the same. I would like to ask the two of you to help save Eshantel’s citizens.”
With that, their discussion was finally back on track, though a single question still remained unanswered.
“Did you get permission from Kanon?”
The Inquisitor’s command was absolute for his warriors, but from the looks of it, Toshisaka was acting on his own. He took a deep breath.
“I took some time off...” he whispered.
Taking some time off could only mean...
“Did you... leave the army?”
That was the only plausible explanation. It seemed like his swollen cheeks were indeed due to a slap.
“My loyalty towards the Inquisitor is unwavering, however! I pride myself on being a warrior of Eshantel! But... But... I want the old Inquisitor back as soon as possible.”
He gently slapped his own cheeks.
“Our previous meeting confirmed that this would be our best time to act.”
Everyone could see the determination in his eyes.
“So, can I ask to join the quest to save our people?”
Toshisaka took a step forward. Al instinctively jumped back due to the sheer amount of determination radiating from him, but Toshisaka pushed forward.
“I am a warrior of Eshantel. I cannot let an unrelated party, be it a good friend of the Inquisitor or anyone else, to save our people without lending my help!”
“Well, you did lead us out of that forest...”
Overwhelmed by his will, Al nodded.
“I’m against it.”
Feena jumped between the two.
“I think we should do it. He could lead us directly to Eshantel.”
But Feena kept shaking her head.
“We’re on our pre-marriage honeymoon...”
“That’s why?!”
Al covered his face with his hand, but he knew Feena was stubborn as a mule when it came to such things.
“Umm... I won’t disturb you at all... Ah! I heard that your love only gets stronger when you overcome an obstacle, so... may I join you?”
Feena crossed her arms and thought deeply.
“That could fuel our love!”
Her innermost thoughts were, unfortunately, audible to everyone in close proximity.
“I guess you can join, but do your best as fuel!” she decreed, like a merciful goddess extending a helping hand.
“Crap, I didn’t think they’d be this quick.”
They’d followed Toshisaka through Mistwood under the cover of the night. By dawn, they’d arrived at the edge of the dangerous woods overlooking the coastland town of Sanda, west of Eshantel’s capital. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the time to mourn the heart-wrenching sight of the devastated, burnt fields.
“I thought they were departing later tonight...” Feena whispered, confirming Al’s suspicions.
Despite the information they had, however, Eshantel’s citizens had already been shoved onto the ships visible in the distance.
“What should we do? The docks won’t have enough cover for a surprise attack.”
Al partly answered his own question. Their operation wasn’t risky solely due to the lack of cover; abominations could easily prowl behind the rubble.
“Al, should I use illusion magic to disguise us?”
He considered Feena’s proposal.
We’re still far away from the harbor, so a single spell won’t cover our tracks the whole way. What should we do?
Shortly after that, he came up with a solution.
“I’ll act as a decoy. You two take over the ship during the commotion.”
Al was ready to implement his strategy, but...
Toshisaka caught Al by the arm and gave a hearty smile. “No. If anything goes wrong, I should take the blame.”
“Toshisaka...”
“Don’t tell me that it’s dangerous; I’m well aware. Danger is the nature of our mission. But even if it’s in ruins, this is still my hometown. I’m probably better at hiding myself than Your Majesty is.”
He couldn’t argue with that.
Feena agreed with Toshisaka’s plan and began preparing to depart. “Al, we have to move.”
“Haah, okay, but be careful! Kanon will have my head if I let you get a single scratch!” Al said jokingly, but Toshisaka cast his eyes down.
“That won’t happen. One cannot return to being a warrior after leaving their position.” he replied with a bitter smile.
In that instant, Al came up with an idea to help him.
“Then come live with us! We’re not exactly wealthy, so you might get a severe pay cut, but I can guarantee a place to stay and warm food on your table every day! Feena also lives there, so once we resolve this situation, I’m sure Kanon will come over every now and then,” Al said, sharing his plan.
They’d only spent a day together, but Al already considered them friends.
“No offense, but Your Majesty is quite the dreamer.”
Toshisaka felt slightly embarrassed.
“You can just call me Al. Think about my proposal once we’re finished here, okay?”
With the planning over, they started getting ready to act.
“I’ll create a distraction on the other side of the harbor.
Toshisaka finished his preparations and left to carry out his duty.
“Ah, Toshisaka. I hate to ask you this, but if you run into any abominations...”
“I know. I’ll simply run around as a decoy to catch their attention. I won’t kill anyone.”