The rest of the way to Ashier was uneventful for the three of them. It was a long and boring four day trip until they were finally greeted by the great walls surrounding the city. However, as they drew closer to the main gate Ega began to take notice of something strange.

  “There’s a decent line into Ashier, huh?” Were there that many people coming into the city? Or was something else going on?

  “Oh?” Rayland said. “Haven’t you heard? A lot of knights have stationed themselves in Ashier due to people suddenly disappearing.”

  “What? Knights from the Order?”

  “Yes, apparently, it’s been happening for quite a long time, but the Lord of Ashier only started to take action after one of his mistresses had disappeared.”

  “Dousing the fire only when it gets close, huh?”

  “Just how it is with nobles. They're fine with everything underneath them burning, but once it even grazes the heel of their boots, suddenly, now it matters.” Bitterness began to stain Rayland’s voice.

  Despite that, he continued. “I’m sure you’ll be able to hold your own, but be careful, especially at night. They say that’s when most of the disappearances have been happening.”

  Ega kept Rayland's words in mind. Still, something was telling him that whoever was behind these disappearances would be related to the Mithril Blood he was hunting for. One way or another, he’d be wrapped up in this entire mess.

  As the carriage began to approach the looming gate, Ega took note of the knights standing guard. The symbol imprinted on their chestplate shone as to brag about their status. Anyone would be able to recognize the blue symbol of a sword and flame.

  Once their carriage had finally arrived at the gate, the guard leading the entire operation spoke.

  “Welcome to the city of Ashier. If I may, each of your names and the reason for your visit.”

  “Rayland, here for business as a merchant.”

  The guard looked into Rayland’s carriage, noticing the crates. “We’ll also have to do an inspection of your products.”

  “That’s alright, I’ve got nothing to hide.”

  The guard's eyes went toward Ega and Ella. However, just before Ega could say his name and reason for visiting, the guard suddenly spoke again.

  “And you must be Ega, here to hunt for more blood?”

  “How did you… Do I know you?” His eyes furrowed from being recognized. After nearly a year of wandering around the kingdom for blood, this was the first time he was recognized so quickly.

  “Not at all. Information spreads quite quickly though, especially when you create such a large ruckus in Vitir.” There was a large smile on the guard’s face as he spoke. “Are you thinking of joining the Order of Knights again? Vulf must have been your first step to—”

  “I’m just wandering around as a vagrant now.” His voice was stern, stopping the guard from saying anything more about Ega’s past.

  His name had been spreading across the kingdom long before Vulf, but it seemed like the events in Vitir had brought much more attention to his name. Single handedly bringing down an entire gang had drawn attention to him because now, they perceived him as a possible threat.

  “And if I could have the name of this child.”

  “Ella, she’s my kid.”

  “You’re… kid?” The guard paused for a second, unable to believe what he had just heard. “Ega the Blood Hunter” has a child? It had only been a few years since he had left the Order of Knights, so when did…

  “Ah… I see.” He tried to put the questions aside and focus on his job as the gatekeeper. “Then let us inspect these crates and you’ll be on your way.”

  The guards conducted the inspection quickly, opening them and simply taking a look inside before closing it up again.

  ‘Even after all of these years.’ Ega thought, remembering how complacent and lazy the knights were.

  Once all the crates were placed back onto the carriage, they were finally able to go through the gate. As they rode into the bustling city of Ashier, Rayland couldn’t help but ask a question.

  “You were part of the Order?”

  Ega didn’t answer instantly.

  “Ah, sorry. If you don’t want to answer that’s—”

  “No, it's fine. Not like I wasn’t trying to hide it or anything, but yes, I was part of the Order.”

  “Well, I won’t pry any further, but let me thank you for your service.” Rayland’s eyes were too focused on the road, leaving him unable to see the strange expression on Ega’s face.

  But Ella saw it, even if it was just for a few seconds, she noticed his somber expression. Noticing that Ella was staring, he forced himself back into a normal state of mind.

  “Do you want to train?” Ega asked, wanting to redirect Ella’s focus elsewhere.

  “Okay.” Though her voice was quiet, Ega was slightly surprised to hear her respond. Usually she would respond by nodding or shaking her head to simple questions rather than speak.

  “Let's start with carriages then.”

  Ella couldn’t use falling leaves to train her eyes all the time. To make up for it, Ega had to give her something to focus on as they traveled.

  She began to take in her new environment, the tall buildings made of wood and stone, the large groups of people moving to and from alongside all the carriages, and the mix of sounds all blending together to fill the city with emotion. However, she paid special attention to the passing carriages, trying to take in every detail so that she could answer Ega’s questions later on.

  “How many carriages just passed by us?”

  “Seven.”

  “Good, how many people in the carriages in total.”

  “Umm… ten?”

  “No, fourteen.”

  “How many horses in total?”

  Ella paused for a second, trying to estimate how many horses there were based on the carriages that passed by.

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  “Stop. Let your eyes do the work, not your head.” Noticing this, he stopped her.

  “Twelve?”

  “Eleven. Eleven horses.” He corrected her.

  Ella’s face dropped as she got the answer wrong.

  “Ha, no need to be so harsh, I couldn’t even get the first question right.” After some time, Rayland had silently joined them in on their training, treating it more like a game than anything. “Take some pride in what you’re able to do, it's impressive.”

  Rayland did have a point. Even Ega found it quite impressive that she had progressed so quickly. Though she couldn’t keep track of everything properly, being able to get a few of the questions right in just four days was almost absurd.

  It took Ega a few years to master the technique, but looking at Ella, she might be able to do it in as fast as one year.

  “You’re right, it is quite impressive…” He tried to think of some way to give her an extra push of motivation. Not really having anything on him at the moment, he decided to just give her a pat on the head. “You’re doing a good job, just keep on practicing.”

  Her expression seemed to light up a little at his words. With that little bit of motivation, she continued to train as Rayland silently followed along.

  With all the training distracting them, they had arrived at their destination soon enough. Stopping before a building with a symbol of a sword and map, Rayland turned around to face Ega and Ella.

  “Well, we’re here.” Pulling out a tiny pouch, he handed it over to Ega. “There’s your payment. I do hope to see you two again.”

  “Likewise.” Accepting the pouch, Ega jumped off the back of the carriage before helping Ella down.

  Once both of them made contact with the paved road, Ega spoke again.

  “Be safe out there.” Turning to Ella, he asked, “Why don’t you say goodbye too?”

  He could feel her uneasiness at the suggestion, but nonetheless, she pushed herself to do it.

  “G-goodbye uncle Rayland.” She barely raised her hand, still keeping it close to her chest before waving her hand goodbye.

  His face instantly lit up at the cute gesture, making him look as if he suddenly grew ten years younger.

  “Uncle…” He couldn’t help but chuckle at that word. “Thank you for that. Haven’t heard that in a while.”

  Despite his chuckle and smile, there was a bit of bitterness in his expression. It was a good type of bitterness, the type of bitterness that reminds you about the sweetness of life.

  Ega didn’t dare to try and pry or figure out what Rayland was thinking about. He left it aside, just like how Rayland had left the Order of Knights conversation aside.

  “Uncle?” He asked. “Do you even know what that means?”

  “Um… someone older than you?”

  Ega let out a sigh. Right, of course she didn’t know much. It seemed like he’d have to spend more time teaching her the more basic parts of life.

  Despite the short time that they had spent with Rayland, both Ella and Ega couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sadness to part from him. Good company was hard to find, and though the days were short, the time was precious.

  Ega had almost forgotten what it was like to travel with other people. Ever since he left the Order of Knights, he spent years by himself, going from place to place for even the smallest drop of blood. Now however…

  He looked down at Ella walking by his side. Feeling his gaze she looked back up at him.

  “People passing by.” Ega quickly said.

  Hearing that, she turned away from him and began to focus on the surroundings.

  As they continued the eye training, Ega looked around for a tavern. After some walking, he found a decent one. A wooden sign hung from the main entrance, reading “Tal’s Tavern.” Stepping inside, they were greeted by a warm atmosphere.

  It was clean and well kept and the people here seemed to behave themselves. There were no drunken ramblings going on from anyone, no spilled food or drinks, at least, not yet. One of the waitresses had spotted them and quickly came to greet the new faces.

  “Welcome! Welcome!” She walked over with a big smile on her face. “A table just for you two?”

  “That’d be correct, and if I could get some lodging here as well.”

  “Of course! I can get the owner for you in just a bit.”

  “That’d be great.”

  The waitress led them to a few of the free tables against the tavern walls and sat them down. “Is there anything you two would like?”

  “Whatever's good here. We’re new here so I don’t know the menu.”

  “I’d recommend getting the steak here. Five copper each if that’s alright with you.”

  “Then two steaks.”

  “Any drinks.”

  “One water, and if I could have a…” Ega stopped for a second, unsure if he should be ordering and drinking alcohol in front of a child.

  Was that going to be a bad influence on her? He knew it had been a bad influence on him. Seeing his master drinking alcohol all the time made him curious, and curiosity made him start quite young.

  “Two waters, just two waters is fine.” There was some restraint in his voice as he spoke.

  “Alright, I’ll bring everything out soon. Enjoy your stay!” As she walked away, Ega took notice of the concerned expression on Ella’s face.

  “Hm? What is it?”

  “Um, isn’t the food expensive? Shouldn’t we order something cheaper?”

  Ega couldn’t help smirk at her concerned words over money. “Don’t worry about it, I have enough coins.”

  “I can get something less expensive to save—”

  “Ella, let me tell you something. If there's a choice to either eat good food or bad food, no strings attached, we’re going to eat good food. I hate eating bad food and I’m sure you don’t want to either. Why do you think I always have ingredients to cook a stew in my bag?”

  She nodded her head in understanding. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a small sense of guilt for relying on Ega all the time.

  “I’ve eaten enough shi… bad food for a good part of my life already. I’m never willingly doing that again, so if I’m not doing it, you aren’t either, understood?”

  Ega could still remember the taste of all the small scraps he ate off the ground and the bits of food buried under piles of trash. The way he had to try to force it down his throat despite his body rejecting the vile thing was something he never wanted to feel again.

  “Yes… Thank you…”

  As they finished their talk, the waitress returned with two glasses of water. There was a strange, almost amused look on her face as she set the water down.

  “You have a good kid,” she whispered to Ega.

  “Ah… yeah.” He wasn’t quite sure why, but it felt strange to hear her say that.

  Their food arrived a few minutes later, a well cooked steak and red sauce with a side of potatoes. Ella marveled at the food for a few seconds, never having seen such fancy food before, even if it was just simple tavern food.

  Once she finished staring at it however, a problem arose. Ella didn’t know how to eat it. She already struggled with using a spoon, so a fork and knife was another leap in difficulty.

  Noticing this, Ega decided to just cut up the steak for her. Grabbing the plate, he quickly cut them into square pieces for Ella.

  “I’ll show you how to do it another time. Just eat for now.” Despite his words, she was intensely watching Ega handle the fork and knife.

  “Okay.”

  The both of them began to enjoy their meal, finally being able to eat something aside from stew, jerky, or bread. However, mid-way through their meal, a large ruckus began to arise in the middle of the tavern.

  “What do you mean I can’t have another!” A brown haired man rose from his chair.

  “Sir Helm, with all due respect, I don’t think you should be—” The waitress trying to handle the situation quickly ducked down to dodge a bottle flying at her face.

  The bottle crashed against the wall next to Ella and Ega. Glass shattered everywhere, and before it could land on them, Ega quickly leaned over the table and shielded Ella from the raindrops of glass.

  “I told you to give me another bottle! What’s so hard about that?”

  “Sir Helm please! If you don’t calm yourselves down, we’ll have to remove you from our tavern!”

  “Remove me? Who is going to remove me? Do you know who I—”

  “Me you bastard.” Ega had already appeared in front of Helm, wincing at the smell of alcohol all over his body. He quickly took note of the symbol belonging to the Order of Knights woven into Helm’s uniform, clicking his tongue as old memories began to arise.

  Without even another word, Helm swung at Ega, enraged that someone had actually stood up to him. Ducking the attack, Ega swiftly countered with an uppercut right at his chin. As the strike connected, the light in Helm’s eyes died out, but before his drunken body could fall to the floor, Ega grabbed the knight’s collar and began to drag him out of the tavern.

  Before he could throw him out however, a figure blocked his way. She wore a similar uniform to the knight he had just knocked unconscious, but the blue and white color scheme and high quality told him of her status; the status of a commander.

  “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Ega.” She wasn’t just any commander however, she was Hela, Ega’s old commander. “I see you’ve been doing well. Now if you don’t mind, my subordinate.”

  And here she was, standing before him as he held one of her unconscious knights in his hands.