83 Knowing

Though Warp Transfers were among the most heavily regulated modes of transportation in the Runegraad Kingdom, Cairn wasn't detained when he appeared unannounced at Austral's Central Warp Terminal. High-ranking members of the Church had unique warp signatures that allowed them to transfer virtually anywhere, anytime they pleased, so while Cairn's rather 'unorthodox' appearance drew a few curious gazes, not even the Customs Officers on duty attempted to bar his passage.

'This must be what an SVIP feels like...' thought Cairn, walking through the fairly spacious Terminal, housing more than two dozen Warp Crstyals, each roughly 10m in height and surrounded by armed guards in Magitech Knight Armor. They weren't as advanced as what he had witnessed at the Institute of Magical Research, but they were an effective deterrent to all but the most powerful Freelancers and Knights.

Spotting someone he recognized seated in the Terminal's lounge area, Cairn stopped his place, briefly considering switching into his Shadowsilk Set and activating the Invisibility function. However, as it was bound to cause a scene if he suddenly vanished, he ultimately decided to make his way over to the buxom brunette nursing what he assumed to be a cup of coffee, asking, "You're not going to tell me this is a coincidence, are you?"

As she had never seen him in his [Ookami's Visage], the brunette, Yuuna, gazed up at Cairn with an expression of confusion before adopting a wry, apologetic smile and responding, "I'm sorry...Sir? But I'm currently waiting for a friend to arrive. Please leave me in peace."

Realizing that Yuuna misconstrued him as a stranger attempting to flirt with her, Cairn, thinking quickly, shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Oh, I see. Then, I'll go ahead and leave you to your business. Take care."

Raising his hand in a farewell gesture, Cairn walked past Yuuna with the intention of leaving the Terminal. Unfortunately, while she was a bit slow, Yuuna wasn't totally oblivious. Once she got her bearings and saw Cairn's profile from behind, the realization of who he was donned struck her like a bolt of lightning, causing her to panickedly cry out, "Wait!" while reaching out to grab his mantle, nearly giving him whiplash.

"I don't appreciate having someone spontaneously grab my cloak.." Cairn remarked, his right eye twitching slightly as he looked back to find Yuuna on the ground, having been pulled out of her seat by his momentum.

As she hadn't expected to be pulled along by Cairn simply walking past her, Yuuna stared at him in wide-eyed astonishment for several seconds before remarking, "You've become much stronger than the last time I saw you..."

"Here, get up," said Cairn, extending his hand to help Yuuna stand. Her tumble and shout hadn't exactly been silent, so they were garnering looks of suspicion and intrigue from several nearby guards and nearly everyone sat in the lounge, several of whom had been observing Yuuna even before Cairn's arrival.

Accepting Cairn's hand with a slightly embarrassed smile, Yuuna offered a sincere "Thank you..." before pulling against his tug to rise to her feet. She thought about using more force than was necessary but ultimately didn't need to as Cairn was still getting acclimated to his Strength growing from 50 to 100. This translated to roughly 250kgs of lifting power with a single arm, so even though he didn't pull her that hard, Cairn somehow ended up with Yuuna's back against him and his hand resting on her hip as the force of his tug caused her to spin around.

'Well, at least no one but Vira should be here to see this...' thought Cairn, taking advantage of the situation to whisper, "Let's move this discussion elsewhere..." into Yuuna's ear.

"O-Okay..." replied Yuuna, swallowing audibly. She normally wasn't this nervous around men, but with Cairn being the Champion, she was afraid she might say or do something to make him hate Elizabeth.

Ignoring the envy-filled gazes directed his way, Cairn guided Yuuna from the Terminal and into the surprisingly busy streets of Austral as he asked, "Where is the rest of your Party? I doubt you're here alone."

As she wasn't particularly fond of lying, Yuuna honestly answered, "We weren't sure which Terminal you would be arriving from, so we split up to keep an eye on those with a direct link to the Capital..."

"To what end?" asked Cairn. "I might not have told her off directly, but my correspondence with Elizabeth should have made it fairly evident I wasn't looking to team up. Not now, at least."

"It...it was a gamble..." Yuuna replied. "FreeCo sent out an emergency aid request to all Parties Ranked C or higher. We noticed you became active around the same time, so we assumed you would be coming to Austral to join the defense or assist in repelling the monster wave. Elizabeth thought you might be more open to cooperation if we joined and aided you..."

"Mmm...it's not the worst plan..." Cairn admitted, guiding Yuuna into an alleyway before releasing his hold on her arm. His actions could easily be misconstrued, but as Yuuna was sensitive to people's real intentions, she breathed a sigh of relief before adopting an apologetic smile and saying, "Elizabeth and Johnathan aren't like the other members of their family. If you give them—us a chance, we can do a lot of good together..."

"I don't doubt you believe that," said Cairn, shaking his head as he added, "But, even if she doesn't see eye to eye with her family, that doesn't really benefit me. If she aspires to take over her family and change it from the inside, for example, I would invariably be dragged into her interpersonal conflicts. My duty is to myself, the people I care about, and those in need I happen to meet in my travels. Even if her aspirations are noble, Elizabeth has no right to involve me in the politics of a family and kingdom I have no affiliation or attachment to."

Not expecting Cairn to make such a 'reasonable' argument, Yuuna found herself at a loss for words. She generally wasn't the type to think deeply about things, but Cairn's words helped her understand they weren't being fair to him by trying to involve him in matters he was actively avoiding.

Slumping her head and shoulders, Yuuna adopted a genuinely apologetic expression as she muttered a slightly sobby, "I'm sorry...". She, personally, hadn't done anything wrong, but she could tell Cairn was upset and didn't know what else to say or do.

'Oh, come on...' Cairn groaned internally. He didn't think his words were particularly harsh, but seeing Yuuna tear up and apologize made him feel like he was in the wrong. Yuuna's status made it clear she was a kind and caring person, so while he didn't regret what he had said, Cairn regretted that she had been the recipient of his reproach when it should have been saved for Elizabeth.

"Look..." said Cairn, revealing his face and scratching the back of his head with an uncomfortable expression as he added, "I didn't come to Austral to join in its defense or anything like that. My Party came here to enter the Frontier and perform search and rescue. If yours wants to join us, I'm not going to turn away extra hands. Just warn your leader that if she attempts to change my mind or sway me into getting involved with her family, that's the last we'll ever speak."

Regaining a weak smile, Yuuna sniffled and wiped a tear away from her eye, responding, "Okay, I'll tell her..." before immediately pulling out her Omni-comm to convey Cairn's warning. She didn't do it intentionally, but her inadvertently 'brazen' act left Cairn speechless, causing him to reach up and lightly slap his forehead. Then, without any suspense whatsoever, his own Omni-comm began to vibrate mere seconds after Yuuna pressed send...

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[Within the Interspatial Pouch]

"This will certainly make setting and breaking camp easier. You could fit an entire village in here..." remarked Elizabeth, her obsidian-black eyes glistening with intrigue as Cairn gave her Party a tour of the Interspatial Pouch's interior.

"Yeah, but it's a problem that we can't leave whenever we please..." said Leona, the acorn-haired Mage serving as the brains of Elizabeth's Party. She was equally amazed by the Interspatial Pouch's interior, but since it was only possible to leave while the mouth was open, there was a non-negligible chance they could be sealed inside.

"It'll be fine," assured Elizabeth, wearing a smile as she directed her gaze to Cairn and added, "Sir Cairn is in charge of this expedition, and we have no reason to come and go without his knowledge or blessing."

"Hmm...just make sure you and your people stay away from the cottage and other facilities," said Cairn. "You're free to look around, but if I catch you snooping somewhere you don't belong, this tentative partnership is over. I'm not the kind of guy who forgives betrayal."

Nodding in understanding, Elizabeth maintained her smile and replied, "I will not tell you to rest easy, but I swear on my pride that our only desire is to safeguard the innocent. By the time we return through Austral's gate, I believe you'll have seen and understood that for yourself."

"Maybe, but it never hurts to be skeptical," said Cairn, exchanging glances with the muscular, straight-faced, severely scarred Johnathan. Hounds of Baskerville were known to be the most loyal members of the family, killing machines willing to carry out virtually any order issued to them. However, as Johnathan lacked any Talents associated with murder or assassination, Cairn was willing to give the man the benefit of the doubt. Restia knew he could use more guy friends...

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After showing Elizabeth's Party around and observing them set up camp, Cairn returned to the cottage feeling mentally exhausted. His HP was full thanks to his [Shadowflame], but his MP was less than 40% after a fairly stress-filled day.

Opening the door to the cottage, Cairn was briefly caught off guard when he found Kaia and Sera sitting atop their knees on the elevated section of the entrance. Before he could make sense of the situation, the duo bowed in concert, their voices overlapping as they said, "Welcome back."

"It's good to be back...?" Cairn replied, his inflection turning his response into a question. He half-expected them to ask if he wanted to take a bath, eat a meal, or eat them, so while he was surprised, he felt a strange sense of gratification when Kaia raised her head and somewhat nervously said, "The bath is ready, and there is food prepared. But, if you would prefer to have your other needs sated first...I would be more than happy to attend you..."

Adopting a toothy smile and crossing his arms, Cairn looked to Sera and asked, "Did you put her up to this?"

Returning a vibrant smile, Sera unabashedly proclaimed, "Sir Cairn is the Lord and Master we have pledged ourselves to. Regrettably, I am unable to serve you with my body. In its place, I have decided to acquaint Sister Kaia with some of the customs and conventions of your world. I realize I may be overstepping my bounds and toeing the line of presumption, but I feel that if she can satisfy you more thoroughly using my knowledge, I will have gratified you vicariously through her..."

Though Sera's words made him feel a little 'discomfited,' Cairn knew she was being thoughtful in her own way. One of the conditions for acquiring and retaining the Saintess Class was staying a virgin, so while there was a perceptible hunger lurking in the depths of Sera's eyes, she was 'fated' for a lifetime of yearning. Cairn wouldn't allow that, of course, but, at least for the time being, he needed Sera's powers as the Saintness to preserve the things he cared about and avoid falling even deeper into Vira's clutches...

"Then it looks like I'll be enjoying some rabbit as a pre-bath, pre-dinner appetizer..." said Cairn, grinning wolfishly as he extended a hand to both girls. Then, though he assumed it made things even more difficult for Sera in the long run, he didn't turn her away when she invariably accompanied him and Kaia to their bedroom...

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