Magi: The Tale of Faith and Hope

Djinn Equip and Assault

"I can't find him!" Faith said, jogging over to meet up with Hope and Morgiana, who had already regrouped after they split up to look for Alibaba to double check he wasn't anywhere in the hideout.

"Me neither," Hope said. 

"I couldn't find him either," Morgiana said.

"Right. I don't know what he has planned, but if he's storming the palace, we need to stop him. Or, at least, we can't let him do it alone," Hope said, already running through their options. 

"Yes," Morgiana agreed, clenching her fists.

"Good," Hope said, nodding her head. "Then you and I will go after him. Faith, I want you to go find Sinbad and tell him what's going on."

"And then I'll catch up with you," Faith said. 

"And then you'll stay here and look after Aladdin," Hope corrected her.

"Excuse me?" Faith said, thinking she must have misheard. "If you think I'm getting left out just because of a broken arm—"

"It's because we're both worried about him, and the only way I can rush off into danger is if I know he's safe with you," Hope countered. "I'm depending on you," she said with determination.

"... You..." Faith said, raising her finger to point it at her sister only to drop it. "You know I hate it when you do that."

"Thanks," Hope said, flashing her a smile. "Let's go, Morgiana!"

"Yes!" Morgiana said, taking off at top speed.

Meanwhile, in Balbadd's Inner Palace's villa, the Kou Empire's eighth princess, Ren Kougyoku, had other concerns on her mind. The soothing tea, sweet incense, and all the other familiar luxury items brought from home did nothing to distract her from them.

"Ka Koubun, how are Judar-chan's injuries?" she asked the man standing before her.

"Although I had already used my household vessel to heal him, his bones are all shattered; hence, there is still a need for some time before a full recovery," Ka Koubun reported.

"Is that so..." Kougyoku said, feeling down.

"Are you alright, princess...?" 

"Mm... Don't you find it strange, Ka Koubun? Why does a legitimate princess such as myself have to be particularly selected for this political marriage?" she asked, resting her head on her hand. "This sort of thing... they should have just let Hakuei do it instead. She's the previous emperor's daughter after all."

"Princess, Balbadd is the south seas' main trading center. This is a strategic location needed by our empire to attack the west. To obtain such a location perfectly, as well as to receive the citizens' trust, we require a legitimate princess such as you to become the queen of the country," Ka Koubun explained.

"I know that. But I went through a lot just to conquer a dungeon, as well as receiving my metal vessel... I have longed to progress down the path of a warrior... and also... I wanted to try falling in love for once..." she said wistfully, thinking of Sinbad.

"Princess..." Ka Koubun said. "This is the emperor's order. Also, your brother is attending the wedding ceremony."

"I know that!" she said, letting out a sigh of resignation. "I'm just feeling a little confused..." Her eyes were a little sad and lonely. 'According to traditions, the wedding partners are not allowed to see each other before the wedding ceremony... I wonder what kind of person King Ahbmad is... It would be good if he is someone remarkable...' she thought. 'Ah—ah... I think I'm starting to have what they call the 'marriage blues'...' She sighed again. "Speaking of my eldest brother..." she said, deciding to change the subject to avoid feeling too depressed. "Didn't I hear that he was looking for a pair of identical twins that stole a metal vessel? There were some there the other night, weren't there? At least, they appeared to be twins at a glance... I only really got a good look at one of them. Despite her plain clothes, the one with the metal vessel was uncommonly pretty, wasn't she?" It wasn't an observation that made her particularly happy. The other girl had seemed closer to Sinbad than she would have liked. "Shouldn't we mention that to him?"