A few hours earlier…
"So, why exactly did you agree to come along?" Alice asked, taking a sip from her cup of tea.
Davi just shrugged. "I was bored."
"You were bored?" Alice raised an eyebrow.
"Yep."
"Hmm."
Alice glanced out the window, watching the forest go by. She resided in the back of a metal carriage that was forged out of iron. Up front, Suits, her lackey, controlled a pair of steel horses, which he had created out of his metal magic. The carriage was meant to be filled with all sorts of crates; however, thanks to Davi being present, there was plenty of room, as he simply shoved them all into his vault.
As for why he was here, it truly was because he didn't have anything else to do. Both Ken and Olivia were gone, along with the captain and Pock. Ragna and Falco both left on a mission, and so, with nothing better to do, Davi decided to go help Alice with another supply run.
He wasn't alone either. Sieg wasn't in the carriage, but Davi knew his brother was close by, following quietly in the forest, just out of sight.
"You're so strange," Alice grunted. "You didn't even ask for payment."
"Would you have paid me if I asked for it?"
"Well, no, but most people still demand a reward." The woman snorted.
Davi hummed. "Maybe." He quietly watched the trees begin to fade as a nearby town started to come into view. "Then again, when it comes to this place, I think I would have done this job for free no matter what. After all, I already failed them once."
The town in question wasn't very big. It had a medium-sized brick wall that circled around it and a pair of large wooden doors that were open. In the past, this place had been a winter wasteland, with dead crops everywhere, but now various farmers worked the fields, growing wheat. Everyone stopped when they saw the approaching carriage.
Daisy Town had changed a lot. Davi hoped that it would be for the better. It was his first time coming back to the town where he had battled the snake—the place where Garon had died.
Several guards all stood in the town square along with the baron. The old man was as small and frail as Davi remembered, and he shook as he felt the ominous mana that rolled off the carriage.
When it did stop, Davi, Alice, and Suits all got out. The baron's eyes widened when he saw Davi. "Y-You. W-Why are you back here?" The old man asked in shock as he stared up at Davi.
"You've been here before?" Alice shot Davi a look.
"Yep." Davi gave the baron a thumbs-up. "Yo, it's been a while. Remember me? I'm the Knight that saved you guys-"
"Our savior has returned!"
"Huh?"
Alice and Suits both watched in a stunned silence as several people suddenly swarmed Davi. Davi also looked confused as he was forcefully picked up and tossed into the air, the people cheering him on, but he allowed them to do as they pleased.
"H-How do you guys know Davi?" Alice demanded.
The baron let out a nervous chuckle. "He saved our town. If not for him, we'd have been doomed. Not to mention, he avenged Garon, our best and bravest warrior. That man was a saint, someone who could do no wrong, yet he tragically died. This kind Knight took it upon himself not only to slay the monster that killed Garon, but also to free several of our citizens who had been kidnapped. And he did it all without asking for a single reward or demanding anything in return from us. Hell, he wasn't even a real Arcane Knight at the time. How could we not view someone like that as a hero?"
'It's very loud.' Davi thought to himself. When he did finally manage to get put down, he was still swarmed by the massive crowd as they all tried to get his attention. He did what he did best, and that was to keep his mouth shut and not actually say anything.
"We watched the exam livestream! You were so badass! Did you kick that Battery guy's ass?"
'Not yet.'
"Do you remember me? My daughter was one of the people you saved. She's still early on in her mutation and has gotten to live a normal life so far. Because of you, she isn't dead or a full monster yet."
'You're welcome, I guess? How do I respond to this?'
"Will you marry my daughter?"
'...Maybe.'
"Did you come back to help us again?"
'Sure. Why not?'
"Now that you're a real Arcane Knight, have you gotten even stronger?"
'I hope.'
Alice pinched her nose. When she had decided to pay a visit to Daisy, it was supposed to be a quick supply drop. A while back, several of Daisy's people, specifically young women, were all transformed into mutants. When a person begins the process of turning into a magical mutant, it can't be undone, no matter what. It can be slowed, however.
The process to slow it is extremely expensive, requiring the consumption of several high-grade healing potions, which helps the Core remain strong enough to fight off the mutation.
It isn't much and at most will only add on an extra year before the mutation adapts to it, but that's an additional year in an already short lifespan.
"Davi, open your vault," Alice ordered. Davi did as he was told, and his shadow expanded and opened. Four crates, each nearly four feet tall and four feet wide, came spilling out. Alice popped one open, revealing that the box was full of glass vials containing a blue liquid. "There's enough in here to cover all the people who were turned into mutants, and extras as well," Alice explained. "Be sure to give it to them once a month for twelve months straight. After that, the potions won't have an effect on their Core, as the monster's Core will have adapted to that."
Everyone looked stunned, and the baron was practically slack-jawed as he stared at Alice. "R-Really? A-And you're giving this to us? J-Just like that?" He wasn't exceptionally knowledgeable when it came to potion making, but even he could tell that each bottle was a high-grade potion. The kind that would cost a small fortune for just one.
"Not for free," Alice said flatly. "I run off a favor system. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. In the future, I'll be back to ask for something in return, and I expect it to be done; otherwise, Suits here will have to get involved."
"Dat's roight. Ya fail t' pay up t' da boss lady, an' I'll be crackin' a few skulls, I will." The man in the suit cracked his knuckles and gave a smile, showing a mouth filled with crooked teeth. Suits always seemed to speak in a funny way.
"He's kidding," Davi spoke up before anyone could freak out over the man's words. "Go ahead and take the potions and give them to the girls. Where are they anyway?"
"They're in the medical ward." The baron explained. "They stay there to get treatment. Sadly, their life stopped being an easy one, but they still get to live, no matter how full of hardship it might be."
Several of the guards began to walk forward, and they took the crates one by one and began to carry them to the local hospital. Alice watched them leave, and she pulled out a card from the sleeve of her trench coat and tossed it toward the baron, who caught it. "I'm serious about that favor thing. I'll stay in touch, and I expect you to help me out when I ask for it."
The baron hesitantly pocketed the card. "I didn't really ask for the help, but sure…"
Alice gave a nod to Suits once all the crates were collected, and he got back onto the front of the carriage while she got ready to climb into the back. "This was just a quick run; we still have a few places to visit, so we'll be calling it here. Come along, Davi-"
"Actually, I was planning on staying for a bit longer," Davi admitted.
"You were?"
Davi gave a nod and looked to the hospital. "I'd like to check up on a few people while I'm here."
Alice shrugged. "Sure. You can do whatever you want. You're responsible for getting back to the guild on your own, and this wasn't an official request, so don't expect to get any Bells."
"You already said I wasn't getting paid?"
Alice's eyes narrowed, and she eventually slammed the door shut on the carriage. "I fink da boss lady's taken t' ya. She enjoys spendin' time wiv ya." Suits went to say more, but Alice hollered at him from inside the carriage. "S'me cue t' leave. Till next toime, Davi." The man in the suit muttered a spell, and the carriage as well as the steel horses all rippled, the metal bending and twisting. It came undone and reformed just as fast, facing the opposite way, and the horses began to walk, dragging the carriage outside of the town.
Davi watched the carriage leave in silence. In truth, the real reason he joined Alice was so that he could stop by this place and check up on the girls who had all been infected. Even if there wasn't anything else he could do, he at least wanted to see them.
He wanted to see what his failed actions did, so that he might not fail as badly ever again.
"Thank you for coming out here again!" Someone shook his hand.
"We're happy to see you once more!" Someone clapped him on the back.
"Those people must be good if they were traveling with you!" Someone patted his shoulder.
Davi ignored most of the points because he didn't feel all that special or like someone that was worthy of much praise.
He managed to separate himself from the crowd, and he followed one of the guards who was carrying the crates of potions.
The hospital wasn't anything fancy. It was a small building and was more like a walk-in clinic. It was also short of staff due to how rare good healing mages were. The guards dropped all the healing potions off to the stunned staff, and finally, one of the doctors led Davi further to the back.
The back of the medical ward was a special room made to monitor those inside. There was one-way glass that allowed him to see through, but no one on the other side could see him. The room past the glass was rather significant, with over a dozen beds scattered around. A massive rune was carved into the ground and ceiling, giving off a faint healing aura that did its best to slow the corruption down, even if it was just a little bit.
They all were dressed in gowns, and many had more scales than they did the last time he saw them; some were even growing a forked tongue or horns. Despite that, they were all laughing and looked happy. Their family was there as well, and they were all smiling.
For someone like Sieg, he had a while before he'd change into a mutant. He became one when he was thirteen, and he was now twenty-one. He still had about five or six years left in him before he'd entirely change. This was because he was strong. These girls weren't as strong as he was. If they were lucky, they had ten years at the most.
Only a few years left to live, yet they all smiled and were happy.
They say you don't appreciate something until it's gone, or in this case, almost gone. He wondered if the reverse was true. Would an immortal be sad? Would they have no reason to smile and be filled with sorrow?
"Do you want to enter?" The doctor asked.
"No." Davi shook his head. "I imagine they don't want to see me. After all, I'm the slowpoke that failed to save them in time."
"What are you talking about?" The doctor looked shocked by his words. "Of course, they'd want to see you. This whole town appreciates what you did."
"It wasn't enough, though. I didn't arrive on time."
"That might be true, but at least you arrived. Before you, no one came to our rescue, and who knows how long it would have been before someone else did show up. You did your best."
"It doesn't feel like it." Davi shrugged and turned his back to the glass, having seen enough. "I'm glad I got to bring the potions. And that I got to see them again as well. It helps knowing that at least I did something, no matter how little it was. Anyway, thanks for chatting with me. I feel a little better now."
The doctor watched Davi stalk away, and he couldn't help but let out a sigh as he adjusted his lab coat. "What an odd fellow. I thought the hero of our town would be happier."
Davi left the hospital and made his way through the town. He had another destination he wanted to check out before he left. Walking through the streets, he dodged in and out of the crowd of people, doing his best to ignore them. Eventually, he came to a stop in front of a familiar building.
The last time he was here, this building had belonged to a blacksmith. The entire reason he had come to Daisy was that he had been asked to drop off a crate of fish. Now, months later, the building showed signs of being abandoned. It had been completely emptied out of all the gear, and the forge looked as if it hadn't been started in quite a bit of time. Dust clung to it, even on the outside.
"What happened to the owner?" Davi asked one of the passersby on the street.
"Oh, the old blacksmith stand? Yeah, now that I think about it, it is a little odd. He went and vanished the same day you slew the snake."
"The exact same day?"
"Yeah. A lot of us wondered if he was also devoured by the snake, but we never found any traces of his mana, like we were able to with Garon. I reckon when the barrier came down, he didn't want to stick around any longer and decided to leave as soon as he could. A lot of folks were scared a similar dungeon would reappear and decided to pack up and leave. I guess he was just the first."
Davi thanked the passerby for the information, and he gazed back at the former shop. The man being gone was a little concerning. Farkiss was a monster, and there was a good chance that guy was one as well and part of the same group. Just how many monsters were out there, taking the shape of humans and pretending to be people they weren't?
It'd be helpful if he had any leads on the group that wiped out three cities and three towns. Alas, things rarely wanted to go in a favorable way for him.
At least he hadn't received any backlash from bad luck-
"You!"
Never mind.
Davi managed to turn around just in time as a bolt of fire rammed into him. The force of the attack knocked him off his feet, and his mana struggled to block the burns as he hit the ground and rolled across it. He grunted and looked up, finding himself staring into a pair of hate-filled eyes.
That's right… He had almost forgotten. The daughter of Garon, Susie Nyx, now stood before him, fire swirling around her arms.
"I'll kill you!"