Sanrovina's house had a dark interior lit dimly by a chandelier's shallow light. With how much well-maintained furniture there was, it was quite striking to see how much of a difference her house had from the outside to the inside.
Each pulse of the weak flames from the chandelier flicked the cast light on the ground, creating an eerie atmosphere that you could picture when reading a horror book.
"You can place Kaienley on the couch," said Sanrovina as she stood still beside one of the couches. Behind the couch was a staircase leading upstairs.
Sanrovina turned away from the couch and headed towards the kitchen just nearby the dining area.
With a soft exhale, Maeyurai stepped forward and lowered Kaienley down on the couch. The soft rustle of the couch's fabrics could be heard as Kaienley's weight pressed down on its surface.
"There we go, Kaienley," said Maeyurai as he stared at Kaienley's unconscious face.
His gaze locked on Kaienley's features for a good while, studying his face's structure and formation. In a way, Kaienley reminded Maeyurai of Lucia with how peaceful he looked when sleeping.
"I guess you start to look like the people you are the closest with," whispered Maeyurai under his breath, his expression contemplative and dull. "Maybe I'm becoming like Huizen now too."
A few steps could be heard, nearing Maeyurai with each tap. Then, a voice echoed.
"Who's Huizen?" asked Sanrovina. She didn't know much about Maeyurai, so she thought that now would be the best time to learn more about him. They were alone together, with the side note of Kaienley being asleep on the couch, of course.
Maeyurai turned his head to face Sanrovina and replied in a poignant tone, "Huizen is my deceased master."
"Oh," Sanrovina uttered. "I'm sorry for your loss. Do you want to tell me about it?"
Maeyurai didn't reply immediately. He seemed to be hesitating about whether or not to tell Sanrovina about it. It wasn't that he didn't want others to know, but because his loss is a reminder of how weak he is.
After a few seconds, he opened his mouth.
"My master died while protecting me from a General-Level Spawn. If only I had more time to prepare, more time to train, and maybe—just maybe—I could've left the event with my friends and master still alive."
Sanrovina doesn't reply. She kept silent, but inside her mind, there were already several thoughts connecting each piece together.
"So it is indeed you," she replied. "The Final Survivor of The Hunt, Yhodth Maeyurai."
"You know of that?" asked Maeyurai in an intrigued tone. He hadn't expected that the title given to him by a whim had already traveled to Wyumatsui Island.
"Well," said Sanrovina. "A woman who recently arrived told me about it. You are starting to become popular—only locally, though."
"Fine by me, but I'm not interested in fame," Maeyurai replied. But of course, he was secretly enjoying the fact that his name is starting to grow out.
Although the title given to him was a mask hiding a tragic experience. Out of the hundred people, only he survived, the only one who was left alive.
Even if Shienne and Mhiya were the ones who went missing, their well-being and locations are unknown—as they are currently presumed dead.
The intrigued Maeyurai shifted his weight as his gaze on Sanrovina intensified. "By the way, who told you about me?"
"That's a secret," replied immediately by Sanrovina. "Even if I did tell you, you don't even know who she is."
"Uh, okay," said Maeyurai as he glanced between the hallway and Sanrovina's face.
Because of how dark it was, Sanrovina looked like a tall entity just watching his every movement.
As he looked at Sanrovina, he opened his mouth. "You do know you look creepy, right?" teased Maeyurai with an awkward smile.
"Is that so? I don't care. Plus, you're inside my home, so I can just kick you and Kaienley out without lending a hand out to help."
"Okay, sorry," Maeyurai apologized as he took a step back with both arms raised, a gesture of resignation. "But... can you check up on Kaienley? I wish to know his condition."
Sanrovina shifted her gaze from Maeyurai to the unconscious person on her couch. "Kaienley's condition, huh? I can, but you have to do something for me."
"Do something? Like what?"
Sanrovina paused before she looked back at Maeyurai, her gaze firm.
"An errand," she said. "A very important one, at that."
An errand... Huh?
And for it to be an important one, does she trust me that much?
Or is she giving it to me because she doesn't want to do it?
"What is this errand?" Maeyurai asked after a moment of contemplation.
Sanrovina nodded when Maeyurai clarified what the errand was. "It's simple," she said. "Defeat 10 known swordsmen in Wyumatsui Island and hand me a Silver Moonflower from the Unclaimed Land."
"Simple, you say...?"
Maeyurai fell silent as he gathered his thoughts. He closed his eyes and shook his head incredulously with a sarcastic smirk.
"Absolutely not simple," he brazenly retorted as his eyes slowly cracked open. "I don't even know any swordsmen in Wyumatsui Island, much less about this Silver Moonflower you're asking me to get."
With a single hand on his waist, the other scratched the back of his head. Maeyurai hadn't expected such a troublesome errand to come across his way. A few swordsmen would've been fine, but to him, 10 was too much. He doesn't even know what a Silver Moonflower looks like!
With a reassuring voice, Sanrovina elaborated, "Don't worry, there are plenty of known swordsmen in both Yugihanata and Tahaktatsu. You only have to defeat five in the two cities, and the Silver Moonflower blooms at the center of the lake in the Untamed Land."
"All that just to check Kaienley's condition? Isn't that a little bit too much?" asked Maeyurai, confused as to why Sanrovina wanted him to defeat several people and get a rare-sounding flower.
"That's not all," Sanrovina replied. "Defeating 10 swordsmen will most definitely reduce the discrimination and narcissistic beliefs of the people in Wyumatsui Island. It'll also allow us to interrogate the people strong enough to have possibly caused the disappearance of the people here in Yugihanata or find information connected to the perpetrators."
"How does that work?"
"If you get to beat them, I'll get the news immediately. I'll make sure their guard is lowered, then attack when they're vulnerable and get information out of them."
Maeyurai's eyes narrowed at her words. "What? Okay, that's... I don't know what to say."
After speaking, Maeyurai opened his mouth to ask another question. "What is the Silver Moonflower for?"
Sanrovina doesn't reply. She headed towards the dining table and placed her palms on the vase resting on the center of the table before taking it into her hands. After a few seconds, Sanrovina opened her mouth.
"I'll tell you when you get it," she replied with a weak voice.
...
"I see," said Maeyurai. "What does it look like?"
"It's a one-foot-tall silver flower with an exotic structure. It looks venomous to touch, but it glows radiantly at night—especially in a full moon."
A flower that is one foot tall?
What could she possibly need that for?
She seems different from when I first met her. Maeyurai thought as he glanced over Sanrovina's shoulders to Kaienley behind him. I wonder what's with her.
"Are there any specific requirements I need to take note of?" Maeyurai asked, trying to deepen his understanding of the errand Sanrovina's giving him.
"Well," said Sanrovina as she placed the vase back to where it belonged, turning around to face Maeyurai. "You only have three days to do all of those."
"Three days? By that time, Kaienley should already be awake then!" Maeyurai retorted, not because it was too short of a time, but because he'd be doing an errand for nothing. He was doing this just so Kaienley would get taken care of.
But then, before Sanrovina could even say anything, Maeyurai realized something and immediately spoke up. "Oh, right. This is part of investigating the missing people."
In front, Sanrovina nodded in affirmation. "It is; that's why I told you it's important. Not only will it prove that swordsmanship is equal to all combative arts, but it'll also help us find the criminals—or possibly the organization behind the disappearance of the people."
Maeyurai kept silent, his eyes never leaving Sanrovina's face. "Right," he said, before continuing. "When do I start? And what are you going to do in the meantime?"
"You can start now or later; just make sure it's within this day so you can fit in the three-day timespan," Sanrovina answered with a firm voice. "As for me... I can provide you with information you need. But I'll be doing some work in the shadows. If you need me, just go in a secluded alleyway and say the signal: 'From the transient moon, to the everlasting sun,' and I'll come."
Maeyurai clasped his hands together, his head tilted in curiosity. "How would you know I sent that signal if you're far?"
Sanrovina brought a hand to her chin, her eyes staring at the floor, contemplating what Maeyurai just said. "You're right, I actually never did this signal thing with anyone else before. Whatever, just say it whenever you need me. If I don't come, then just leave it be."
A deadpan expression washed over Maeyurai's face.
"Ah, okay," he replied dryly. "I'll get going now then. 10 swordsmen and a single Silver Moonflower, right?"
"Yes."
"As for the duels, do I just ask and start right away?"
"Mhm, no need to change locations. Just ask and attack, and it'll start."
As Maeyurai turned to walk out of Sanrovina's house, he gave her one last glance and a nod, silently bidding farewell. Sanrovina reciprocated the nod before approaching Kaienley by the couch to check on his current condition.
The bright afternoon sunlight struck Maeyurai with a flash.
After, he started to walk in the same direction where the Horned was, tracing his steps to return to the treehouse to get his gear. Maeyurai observed his surroundings, how the people were so carefree, like nothing had happened to their surroundings.
It's strange, to say the least. Why are these people acting like they didn't hear an explosion earlier? Why don't they know about the disappearance of others? Not a single commotion.
Those two robed people... I'll try to get to the bottom of this.
Though, why 10 swordsmen? Why a flower? Why me?
Either way, this will be helpful for us. Even if it's troublesome.
Though I initially expected to explore Yugihanata and Tahaktatsu alone, I'm now left with an errand to do—given by someone whose intentions I don't even know.
Can I really trust Kaienley with Sanrovina? She does hate him, after all.
But it's not like she can do anything to Kaienley. If she does, I can just snitch on her and tell Lucia—and when that happens, Sanrovina doesn't stand a chance.
While walking, Maeyurai paused, turning around to take one last look at Sanrovina's house. He took two steps back to get a better angle, and he could see just how cursed her house looked from outside.
"That is horrible," he muttered under his breath, staring at the walls of the house as well as the slurs displayed on them. He imagined that if the Soft Loaves were to be vandalized like that… Well, who knows what would happen to the perpetrator?
Maeyurai kept still for a moment, his attention still on Sanrovina's house in the distance. After a while, he finally turned back and started walking.
Though his movement was so sudden and unprepared that he bumped into someone accidentally.
Thud!
The person that Maeyurai had bumped into fell on the ground. They seemed to have had a small figure and a weak body.
On the ground, there was a timid, blue-haired girl; her hands rested on the ground to support herself. Not to mention her vibrant skin that was practically glowing. If comparing, she had brighter skin than Kaienley.
"Eugh..." the girl moaned, her voice weak. Looking closer at her face, her eyes were darting all across the place, as if frantically searching for something.
"Ah, sorry," apologized Maeyurai in a concerned tone. He reached his hand out to help her up. "Are you okay?"
"I—I am..." the blue-haired girl replied sheepishly, taking Maeyurai's hand into hers.
Her hand was as delicate and soft as a rabbit.
She seems fragile... like she'd break easily from anything. I should be gentle.
"Sorry about that; I wasn't being careful," Maeyurai apologized again once the girl returned to her feet. "What's your name?" he asked, trying to keep the mood light.
"U—uh..." the girl stuttered, unsure of what to say. She wasn't only clumsy, but she was also socially awkward. It is a combo you'd see in a weak and fragile person.
"It's... Mitaka Euri..." she continued not long after, fiddling with the hem of her sleeve to lessen her nervousness.
A soft smile turned up on Maeyurai's face as he heard her answer.
"Nice to meet you, Euri," he greeted gently. "I am Yhodth Maeyurai."
It was awkward, with Euri being a reserved person that didn't want to hold a conversation with Maeyurai.
She had something she had to do, after all.
"I'll be going now," said Euri as she walked past Maeyurai in a haste.
And for a moment, Maeyurai glanced at the katana attached to her waist.
"A swordsman...?" he muttered under his breath.
Before Euri could leave, Maeyurai called out and said, "Hold it!"
His voice was firm and demanding, containing an aura that made Euri stop in her tracks immediately. Her blue hair bobbed as she stopped.
And when Maeyurai saw Euri's anxious face, he immediately opened his mouth.
"I challenge you to a duel!"