Conflicting Goals

Mistorm seemed to be enjoying herself as she regaled us with the story of her early

years.

"We rampaged all around the dark continent's coasts. In the end, we stole the demon

lord's ship and returned to Veronia."

"What happened next?" Rit urged her to keep going.

Mistorm's tale was both a romance of a cast-out princess meeting a pirate and an epic

adventure that spanned the world. To Rit, it must have seemed an exciting tale.

"The demon lord's ship employed technology unknown to Avalon. It was an enormous

iron battleship that used steam and magic to move. Duke Oslo couldn't hope to match

us when we returned with it. It was around that time that the goblin king was causing

panic all across Veronia. In exchange for helping maintain the peace, Geizeric was

made a noble."

I knew what came next from history. With the army at his command, Geizeric led a

coup d'e tat and defeated Mistorm's father, the king of Veronia.

"I still see it sometimes in my dreams."

Mistorm closed her eyes.

Pirates kicked open the door to the throne room.

"Misphia! You are my daughter and a princess! You would bring the royal line to ruin?!"

exclaimed the king.

Misphia did not falter, however, standing firmly by Geizeric's side.

"Father, a nation must be strong. Royalty who are only used by degenerate nobles like

Duke Oslo, who lose over half of their lands from repeated defeats, and who can't even

protect their villages from the goblin king… What value is there in royalty who cling

to their crumbling authority and bicker among themselves?"

"And what would you have me do?! I am ruler in name only! I inherited a pitiful royal

army that could not best mere bands of thieves and retainers who embezzled from the

treasury with impunity! What could anyone do in that situation?!"

"That complacency is your sin! Rather than lamenting the incompetents around you,

you should have helped those who relied on the royal family!" Misphia roared,

denouncing her parent.

The king of Veronia hung his head, crestfallen.

"I take it you know what you must do, then."

"Yes."

Misphia's father looked to Geizeric, the next Veronian king.

"You are strong, wise, and brave, Geizeric—wholly unlike myself."

"…"

"I have but one thing to say to you… Show no mercy."

"What?"

"Should you leave even one member of the royal family alive, people will rally to them

and resist. If you would be king, you must show no mercy. Benevolence breeds

revenge. Magnanimity leads to blood. That is what it means to rule."

Misphia's father drew his sword and held it to his neck.

"Geizeric, is it true that you possess the Divine Blessing of the Emperor?"

"Yes."

"Then this is only natural. How enviable. Do you know my Divine Blessing?"

"No, Misphia told me she never learned it, either."

"Indeed. Because it's not something to be shared widely. Only a select few were ever

informed. My Divine Blessing is Herbalist. From the start, I was ill-suited to the life of

a ruler… I would have rather sold medicine in a small apothecary."

A sad smile crossed the man's lips as he closed his eyes, pressed the sword to his neck,

and thrust.

The royal aides screamed. Geizeric closed his eyes in a brief show of respect for the

dead king. Heeding the late man's advice, he then slaughtered everyone still left alive.

"But we didn't kill Leonor," Mistorm said.

"The other princess of Veronia, huh?" I knew Queen Leonor. And the mention of her

brought back an unpleasant memory.

Noticing my expression, Rit asked, "Red?" She looked concerned.

"No, it's nothing." I shook my head, urging Mistorm to continue.

I trusted Mistorm, but there was no need for me to say that I had met her sibling.

"My younger sister… Leonor immediately turned over her husband Pietro to Geizeric

and pledged her loyalty to us. What would the remaining nobles think if we killed

someone who had surrendered? If they believed conceding wasn't enough to earn

mercy and forgiveness, then they would've had no choice but to fight to the last. Our

forces had overwhelmed all of the aristocrats, but if the fighting dragged on, other

countries might get involved, sensing opportunity. To quell the chaos as quickly as

possible, there was no alternative but to send Leonor to a convent."

Mistorm smiled wryly.

"The best choice would probably have been to have her assassinated in the cloister

once everything was over. Ahh, but I was naï ve. Father was right. In the end, I was

forced to leave, and Leonor took the seat next to King Geizeric."

"What? But there was more between you and Geizeric than just personal gain! He

loved you, didn't he?!" Rit argued, unable to accept it.

Mistorm shook her head.

"Geizeric's blessing is Emperor. His role is to be ruler. That doesn't end with taking the

throne. He needed a son—a prince—who would inherit both Geizeric's blood and that

of the previous royal lineage. Geizeric was an upstart, self-made noble who began as

a pirate. He required something to legitimize his offspring."

"Then why not you…?" Rit questioned.

"Three children stillborn. I nearly died with them… I couldn't bear to see my babies so

terribly silent."

Sorrowful tears formed in Rit's eyes.

No… Wait a second! I thought, realizing something.

"Isn't Prince Salius your child? He dropped in the line of succession because his

mother—you—went missing, right?"

"And that is the root of the problem plaguing Zoltan. The mistake Lilinrala and I made."

"You don't mean he's…"

"He isn't my son. Salius is a child whom Lilinrala brought in when my third baby was

born dead. He was an orphan with the same colored hair and eyes as Geizeric."

If word of that got out, it would shake Veronia to its foundation.

"Geizeric had already taken Leonor into his harem at that point, because he

desperately needed a child who would carry on the previous royal line. If Leonor had

gotten pregnant first, Lilinrala and the faction who remained from our pirating days

would have been in danger."

"So Lilinrala was disloyal to Geizeric," Yarandrala stated, visibly indignant. To a high

elf, betraying someone was more shameful than anything. She couldn't accept the

choice Lilinrala had made.

"She didn't have any other option," Mistorm defended.

"I look away for a few years, and she forgets what it means to be a high elf," Yarandrala

hissed. "I should have finished her off when she became a pirate."

She was furious.

"I understand your feelings, Yarandrala, but please don't go charging out to her ship

to take her on, okay?" I entreated.

"Mrgh." She crossed her arms and growled.

"Really, I'm begging you here!"

Yarandrala really looked like she wanted to go on a rampage…

"I can't forgive King Geizeric for being so heartless!" Rit shouted abruptly. "No matter

how strong the impulses, letting Mistorm's most bitter enemy into his bed is

unforgivable!"

"I get it, but there's not much point in arguing with Mistorm," I replied.

"If it were me, I wouldn't consider anyone other than you," Rit fired back. I had no idea

how to reply to that.

"Look, let's not get too far off the topic, all right?" I said clumsily.

Mistorm laughed at my reaction.

"Yes, yes, let's continue the story." It must have been a painful subject to revisit, but the

old woman's expression didn't appear troubled. Her time in Zoltan had turned her

experiences in Veronia into just memories. "I've already covered the biggest point

about Prince Salius and Lilinrala's relationship. Other than that…"

"Could you tell us why you left Veronia? Your positions should have been protected

with the replacement prince Lilinrala found," I stated.

"I don't know how she caught wind of it, but Leonor knew about Salius and threatened

me, demanding that I disappear. At the time, I was totally broken. I had resigned myself

to the idea that Lilinrala and I would be executed, but Salius was innocent. Even if he

wouldn't be king, I still wanted him to live in peace."

"And that's why you did as Leonor instructed?"

"Yes, I left Veronia without saying a word. That allowed Leonor to become Geizeric's

true wife and her children rose above Salius in the line of succession."

Mistorm was yet another cast-out who had found her way to Zoltan.

"I see. Now it all makes sense."

Naturally, I had my opinions about Mistorm's life, but the priority was resolving the

issue at hand.

There was no doubt that Prince Salius and his Veronian forces were searching for

Mistorm. They knew they were searching for someone with an Archmage blessing

who would've arrived in Zoltan roughly forty-five years ago, so finding Mistorm in the

holy church's records would be a simple task. Mistorm's blessing was rare and highlevel—there was no one in Zoltan with one like it. Prince Salius presumably hoped to

locate Mistorm and return her to Veronia to reclaim his position as primary candidate

for the throne.

It was a dangerous path to tread, but if he wanted to advance himself, there was little

alternative.

"But Lilinrala's goal is different."

She didn't want Mistorm returning to Veronia. Her aim was to eliminate the old

woman before Prince Salius could make contact with her.

"She's probably worried that Leonor will reveal the truth about Prince Salius if you

come back," I said.

"That's what I think, too, though I can't say for sure," Mistorm agreed.

"Demanding the holy church's registers to find you without revealing that he's

searching for a queen. It makes sense on the surface, but most everyone in Zoltan

knows the Archmage Mistorm. Prince Salius should've discovered who you were

rather quickly."

"True," Rit replied, nodding. "That's something you could figure out by looking into

normal records. You wouldn't even have to ask around."

"Let's see if we can make sense of this, then. What if the prince received a report that

the queen might be in Zoltan, so he ordered Lilinrala to find her? Lilinrala panicked,

however, because finding the queen could ruin both her and the prince," I suggested.

It certainly explained why she'd chosen a more indirect method. "After buying herself

time, Lilinrala sent those stray assassins to kill Mistorm."

"Everything starts to make sense when you put it that way," Rit said.

"Well, aren't you something?" Mistorm shook her head in amazement. "So long as

you're in Zoltan, I can retire without worry."

I smiled a bit at that. She had said the same thing to Ruti as well. Feeling like I was

comparable to Ruti nearly made me blush.

"All right. So now it's a question of what to do next," I stated.

"Mhm."

"I'll report back to Ruti, and then my job here will be done." Resolving everything

wasn't my job here. It'd be fine to entrust things to my sister.

"Hah, I see, I see. You're better at this than I was," Mistorm commented with a laugh.

"As mayor, I tried to solve everything myself. With someone like you around, Zoltan's

future looks bright."

"I've got no intention of becoming mayor," I replied.

"That's okay. You need only do what you believe is best for your home. If everyone

follows that creed, things will be fine. While I knew that myself, I still couldn't help but

try to solve issues on my own in my younger days."

It sounded like Mistorm still had a few regrets from her time as mayor.

"You're all good as you are. I can't wait to see the sort of Zoltan you build."

Mistorm appeared to be in fair spirits, but Rit and I both understood the underlying

feeling. She believed that Zoltan was in good hands without her, so she could turn

herself over to Lilinrala if the situation began to look like it would take a turn for the

worse.

"I don't want that," Rit whispered to me.

"Yeah, me neither," I responded quietly. After collecting myself, I said, "All right, that's

all for the conversation regarding Mistorm. Now Rit and I should take care of our

original goal."

Yarandrala cocked her head. "Your original goal?"

With all the excitement, I'd nearly forgotten about it myself, but we had originally

wanted to consult Yarandrala about harvesting coconuts.

"I was hoping to get your advice on something." I started to explain the situation to

Yarandrala. Mistorm smiled, evidently enjoying herself as she listened.

With the discussion finished, we all took a break.

The sun had begun to sink into the horizon, so the plan was to stay the night here and

head back to Zoltan in the morning.

Mistorm's house had been scorched in the fighting, but Tisse and Mister Crawly Wawly

were helping the old people of the village to clean it up.

"Queen Leonor, huh?" I muttered.

Rit and I were relaxing in the guest room.

"There are a lot of nasty rumors about her," Rit noted.

"She's at the center of the pro-demon lord's army faction in Veronia. Some nobles in

Avalonia call her an enemy of humanity."

Rit rested her chin on her palm. "An enemy of humanity… Most people in Loggervia

hate her, too, since she's the architect of Veronia's non-aggression pact with the demon

lord's armies."

"You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who thought well of her in Avalonia," I stated.

"But is that really all there is to her? I mean, there's no mistaking she's a terrible

woman—she drove Mistorm out of Veronia, after all. But there are different levels of

evil."

An old memory came to mind, and I grimaced. "Yeah, about that."

"By any chance, have you met her before?" Rit questioned. She must have noticed my

expression.

"I have. Before I was knighted, when I was still a squire."

Few non-Veronians had laid eyes on Queen Leonor. She was the type of queen who

focused more on dealing with the aristocrats of her own country and didn't take the

foreign stage. The best way to describe it might've been to compare her to Lilinrala.

One led the navy, and the other controlled the land-holding vassals.

Six years ago, I had gone to Veronia with the old knight I served.

Our mission was one of diplomacy and investigation.

At the time, the conflict between Veronia and Avalonia had died down some, and we

were moving toward reconciliation. The chief diplomat of Veronia favored mutual

peace, and my knight master was negotiating with him. Thus, I was tasked with

investigating the situation in Veronia and reporting back. My work was proceeding

smoothly when I ran into her.

"She looked like a doll. I couldn't imagine her being older than a teenager," I described.

Rit gawked. "Huh?! But she's Mistorm's sister, right?! She must have been nearly

seventy!"

"Undoubtedly, she used magic and alchemy to mess with her body and maintain her

appearance. The method consumes heaps of expensive magical ingredients, however."

I didn't know much about the recipe for maintaining youth beyond that, though. It was

a tightly kept secret passed down among a small group of alchemists.

"She concealed her identity and tried to lure me over to Veronia's side. I refused, of

course, but…" I trailed off.

"But?" Rit pressed, eager to hear more.

"She was furious. She revealed who she was and broke down the reconciliation talks.

Then she ordered the army to hit Avalonia with a surprise attack."

"Negotiations fell apart because she got mad?!" Rit exclaimed.

"Not only that, my superior and I were caught and almost executed," I continued.

"What?! Executing a diplomat?! That would cause a lot more than a minor diplomatic

scuffle!"

"I was really nervous. Knowing that a full-on war might break out if we died, we tried

desperately to escape. It was awful."

"If Avalonia and Veronia had started fighting, the human kingdoms would have been

destroyed in no time once the demon lord's army came," Rit said.

"I only found out later, but Lilinrala had apparently managed to pull the army back at

the border. Unfortunately, Leonor just used that to strengthen her own position by

spreading rumors that Lilinrala had become a coward in her old age."

"Hmm. I can't tell if she's brilliant or an idiot." Rit was royalty, too—the princess of

Loggervia, a nation known for its clashes with its neighbors. Thus, she understood

that there were different levels of conflict. She knew that as long as neither side went

too far, arguments did not have to end in battle. To Rit, Leonor likely seemed a fool of

a queen who nearly started a war over some tantrum.

"Anyway, it's a good thing Leonor won't be coming to Zoltan. She knows who I am, and

she's not an easy person to deal with," I remarked.

Rit narrowed her eyes. "So there are enemies even you have trouble dealing with."

"Of course there are. But I was still just a knight in training back then… I'd like to think

I could handle things better now."

"I want to hear more about that story later!"

"Sure. We can talk it over after we get back to Zoltan and the situation has calmed

down."

I hadn't told Rit much about my time with the knights. It might be nice to reminisce

about that with her. I took my bag of medicine and stood.

"Where are you going?" Rit asked.

"I was thinking of having a look at the people living here. I was a little curious before."

"Ah, yeah, it is a hidden village, after all." Rit rose from her seat, too. "Okay, then I'll be

Dr. Red's assistant."

"Ha-ha, you know I'm not a doctor."

"Don't sweat the small stuff!"

There was no dissuading her when she got like this. Rit flashed a grin, and seeing her

adorable face, I couldn't help smiling back.

After informing Tisse of what we were going to do, Rit and I headed outside. A bird

was cawing in the night somewhere. I set my sights on the home I was searching for

and knocked politely.

"Just a second." The door opened, and an old woman we had seen when we first came

to the village appeared. "Oh, if it isn't the young miss's guests. I heard quite the ruckus

earlier. Are you all right?"

"Yes, we're fine, thank you ma'am. If you don't mind me asking, are you having

difficulty with your left eye?"

She raised a hand to the spot in question and smiled wryly. "You're quite observant,

dear. It has been giving me some trouble."

"I run an apothecary, you see. And I brought some medicine that should help," I said.

"I'd love that, but even the young miss's magic couldn't heal it. Can a common curative

really do anything?" the elderly woman inquired.

"It's precisely because it's not magic that it can."

Healing spells were convenient, but their effects removed the source of a disease or

sickness. Unfortunately, even if the pathogen was removed, magic didn't repair the

internal damage caused by that pathogen. That was why it had been so crucial to treat

Tanta's white-eye early. Restoring any vision loss would require regeneration magic

once the disease had been expunged. There were few people capable of that feat,

however. The Archmage blessing that had the ability to remove pathogens couldn't do

anything more.

Medicine was different, though. A body that was unable to function properly due to

sickness could be restored to some extent by drugs made using herbs and alchemy,

though slower than a spell.

"I think the nerves in your eye have been hurt. If I'm not mistaken, your field of vision

has narrowed," I explained.

Rit retrieved a small vial out of the bag. I accepted it from her and showed it to the old

lady.

"If you use these eye drops, your sight should improve a little, and the medicine will

prevent further deterioration. Regretfully, I can't fully cure the issue, but your vision

should be as strong as anyone else's for another ten years or so."

"Oooh," the old woman marveled. "Please, come on in. No point standing around

chatting."

"Thank you both for the information. I'd like to buy those drops."

After we had gone over everything, the old woman nodded. She took the medicine that

I handed over and gave me forty quarter payrils.

"I'll come by with some more when that starts to run out," I said.

"I'd appreciate that. We don't get any traveling merchants around here, so all we can

do is have the young miss buy things we can't make ourselves."

"Is there no doctor in the village?" Rit asked.

The old woman shook her head. "We used to have old man Ruy, the ship's doctor… but

he's sailing new seas in his next life now."

"I see."

"Oh, since you're here, could you perhaps take a look at the others? There's no one but

us old folks here, and we've all got some wear and tear."

"Sure," I answered. "I was planning to visit everyone. And I'll be sure to come by once

a month to sell medicine, too."

"In that case, it may be easier to gather everyone here. A few folks are bedridden,

however. If you could examine them when you're done, that would be lovely," the old

woman said.

"Got it. I've got the time, so we'll make sure everyone receives the care they need."

With that, I set to work diagnosing villagers, selling curatives I had on hand, and taking

orders for my next visit.

Speaking with all the villages and visiting those who couldn't leave their homes ended

up taking quite a while.

"Thanks for your help, Rit. I've got plenty of experience tending to wounded people,

but dealing with the troubles of the elderly has its unique challenges."

"No problem. I only did what you told me to, though. My knowledge ends at the basic

first aid stuff I picked up as an adventurer."

"Your assistance allowed me to focus on providing the best care. Seriously, thank you,

Rit."

"Heh-heh."

"It was a lot of effort, but we sold a pretty good amount of medicine. Handling an entire

village's needs will be good for our sales," I commented.

After discovering a new group of customers, Rit and I were in high spirits. As we were

walking together, Rit suddenly asked, "Do you remember the sales numbers I

calculated when we started out?"

"Of course. The day we reunited in Zoltan is an important one to me."

"…Our sales since then have been much, much better than I would ever have guessed.

You really are amazing, Red."

"It's only because you've been by my side through it all. It wouldn't have gone nearly

as smoothly without you."

I wouldn't have solved Zoltan's oil problem were it not for Rit. My successes were all

because of her guidance.

"Thank you, Red. I'm glad I could support you."

"You know, I often wonder how to repay you," I admitted.

"Being yours is enough."

We were whispering to each other, our shoulders touching as we walked. As we

approached Mistorm's house, we noticed Bishop Shien standing out in front.

"Thank you for your hard work, Red, Rit." He had a gentle smile as he greeted us.

"Bishop Shien, how's that wound feeling?" I inquired.

"I still feel a little bit sluggish. I guess I can't be as reckless as I was in my youth." He

chuckled wryly. "You two have been examining the locals, right? You have my

gratitude."

The man who stood at the head of Zoltan's holy church bowed deeply in a show of

appreciation for two humble apothecaries. I was at a loss for words, in shock. He raised

his head to show that he was grinning.

"Because of Mistorm's secret, we couldn't tell others about this village. Still, it hurt to

know that we were forcing heroes who once saved Zoltan to live in such an

inconvenient situation. I'm truly appreciative."

"Ah, they're the Veronian pirates who came with Mistorm, then?" I said.

"Yes. Each is a champion who safeguarded Zoltan from the shadows."

Comrades from when Mistorm had sailed with Geizeric. They had given up everything

to follow Mistorm when she could no longer stay in Veronia and had remained by her

side to this day.

"They really idolize her."

"Naturally. Apparently, Mistorm kicked Geizeric and the rest of the crew into action

when she joined. The ship was teeming with mold, making it an awful place to live.

Mistorm was the one who got them to clean. She did research and worked with the

ship's cook to prepare foods necessary for long journeys. Honestly, it sounds like she

did it all. Get any one of these old timers a drink, and they'll always talk about how 'the

young miss was the best captain.'"

I smiled at the thought of Princess Misphia transforming into Mistorm sailing the seas.

It must have been a never-ending series of culture shocks.

"You know… I can hold my own in a fight well enough, but it seems that heroes are

often hidden in plain sight," Bishop Shien commented. "Just who are you, Red? Your

sister, too, for that matter."

"I'm just a simple shopkeeper running a little apothecary, and my younger sister is just

an up-and-coming medicinal herb farmer."

"It was tasteless of me to ask. My apologies," Bishop Shien replied, closing his eyes and

putting his hands together. "That you would be in Zoltan during its hour of need can

only be the work of Lord Demis. I'm eternally grateful."

The Lord Demis's work, huh? I thought. If this really was God's plan, it was a pretty

twisted one.

I laughed awkwardly to myself at that thought, but I understood this had nothing to

do with any deity's intentions. It was Ruti, Rit, Tisse, and I. We were here because of

our choices, not Demis's.