"Sis, we're almost there."
Lunette heaved a sigh of relief when Shadow informed her that they were only a few minutes away from their destination. Along the way, the small party entered a complicated network of abandoned tunnels. There were many such endless tunnels close to the entrances to bewilder intruders and lead them into traps. These tunnels were one of the two reasons only Shadow, Syèl, had Kira had gone to search for Lunette.
Kira went ahead of them to search for Kashi, which left the two nimblest of the party to brave the traps to find the right route.
Lunette glanced at Zafree to her side. Their journey had taken close to an hour, and Syèl's illusion spell had dispelled, yet, surprisingly, there was no sign of the charm effect wearing off. She was honestly stunned by this and could not understand why the charm was so effective. What she forgot to take into account were the bonus effects of Suvron's Mark and her hard work.
When Kashi had Suvron's Mark, it gave him quite a few benefits, but all those paled in comparison with someone whose class and personality matched Suvron's disposition.
Although Kashi was a Dimensional Artist, to him, battle came before art. Lunette, on the other hand, genuinely loved singing. As such, she was able to squeeze out the maximum benefits possible of Suvron's Mark. The beauty aspect passively boosted her charm stat by 15%. The effects of her songs were also passively increased by 10%. Of course, she could activate the mark at a considerable cost to her mana, which would raise both percentages to 35% and 30%, respectively. Last, but certainly not least, was an added significant boost to the ease of mastery of music-related skills.
Aside from Suvron's Mark, Lunette held numerous concerts in the five weeks Kashi had been away. If warriors improved skills through fighting monsters, then bards improved their skills by playing to audiences. Just as warriors leveled faster if they fought numerous enemies, bards also did the same with broader audiences.
Lunette performed twice a week, on Tuchiel and Frochiel for those five weeks, totaling ten concerts. Due to her professionalism, aside from her first two concerts, the rest had been all been absolute sellouts. That meant she sang to a crowd of thousands at least six times.
Most of Lunette's skills had reached full mastery (just shy of Grandmaster), and she was currently the highest leveled player in their group at Lv. 118. So, it should not have been too challenging to bewitch a man like Zafree.
Lunette was only surprised because she had yet to test out the full extent of her abilities. It was like having a Lamborghini and treating it with the mentality of a mini-cooper.
"We're here."
Shadow's voice snapped Lunette back to reality. Her eyes widened with pleasant surprise as they entered a hollowed-out cave. However, before she could even let out a sound, she was tackled by Jade, who gazed at her lovingly.
"Haha, you're alive! I knew you'd survive." Jade grinned as she inspected the blushing songstress. "Those Neanderthals didn't touch you, did they?" She glanced at Shadow. "Guess not. If you were, Shadow would be covered in blood right now."
Shadow could only bend his head to hide his embarrassment. Even he was no match for Jade's earnest straightforwardness.
"Jade, how about you let the rest of us see her?" Shoko said with a laugh as she pried Jade off of Lunette. Shoko sent an apologetic glance Lunette's way as she said, "Glad you're alright. You had us worried there for a second."
Lunette smiled warmly. "I apologize for my selfishness."
Shoko waved away her apology. "No need for that." Her eyes held evident respect and admiration as she continued, "Your choice did reduce the number of enemies the rest had to face. Even if we made it on time, if you had not drawn half of their numbers with you, it is impossible to tell how high the casualties would have been."
At that moment, Asha appeared beside Shoko, a seemingly conflicted expression on her face. She said with a frustrated smile, "I came on this trip to pay back the debt I owe to the daeben. Never in a million years did I envision I would end up accruing another one—to a songstress no less. I cannot tell if the gods are tying my fate to yours or mocking me."
To everyone's surprise, Lunette frowned as she refuted vehemently, "Debt? No way! You owe us nothing!" Over Asha's shoulder, Lunette could see that the number of beast-kin had reduced. Their superior numbers meant they were the ones who took the brunt of every challenge the company faced during their expedition.
Lunette had long since made up her mind that regardless of the original reason Asha joined their rescue mission, the chetah had long since proven she was more than worthy of respect. If not for anything else, then for the very fact that she was willing to risk not only her life but also the lives of the men and women she cherished, to save someone she considers her enemy. What sort of honor did that require?
Lunette shook her head. "Any debt you think you owe us has long since been paid."
Asha's eyes widened in surprise, as a ghost of a smile tilted the corner of her lips. A smile so tiny, it escaped the notice of everyone present. "Hmm, it would seem you have grown quite a bit in this short period." Asha could not help but admire this human girl. Lunette knew Asha's desire to kill Kashi but had still tried unceasingly to gain her trust. Not only that, but Lunette declined an opportunity to have Asha owe her more debt.
The songstress' straightforward honesty had begun to influence Asha's decision. The chetah was no longer sure if killing Kashi was the right decision anymore. Maybe, just maybe, she should talk with him.
With friends like Lunette, Kashi might not be the calamity-bringer she initially thought he would be.
If Lunette knew what Asha was thinking, she might have jumped in celebration. But alas, the chetah was an expert at hiding her emotions. No one could see anything except for her usual deadpan expression.
Lunette smiled. "I suppose I have."
Jade, meanwhile, had already begun inspecting the zombified guards. "What's up with these guys?"
Lunette coughed, embarrassed, then narrated the tale of everything that had happened to her since she woke up to her eventual rescue.
"You sure had it rough," Iggy sighed.
"More like, she didn't need our help in da first place," Diegel complained with a laugh. "She coulda seduced her way outta there anytime—OW!"
Zeigfried blew on his knuckled, then smiled at Lunette. "Truly, as intelligent as you are beautiful. It's no wonder you could easily esc—OW!"
Iggy shook his head as his brothers launched into a barrage of blows. "How about Kashi? Any news on him?"
Lunette shook her head, then opened her menu screen. Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise when she saw that his name was finally not grayed out. "I think he's finally free!" Lunette exclaimed, bright eyes unable to hide her delight. She opted not to use the friend's list so everyone could listen in. Instead, she took out a Rink and tapped on it. A list of all the names whose Rinks were linked to hers hovered over the sphere.
Lunette pressed on Kashi, then waited.
Elsewhere, Kashi was just rounding up his discussions with the chiefs when he was notified of an incoming call from Lunette. A broad smile spread as Kashi took out a Rink from his inventory then answered the call. Since she specifically chose the Rink instead of the friend's list, he did not bother going to a separate corner to answer the call. "Hey, Lune," Kashi greeted with an amused chuckle. Recalling how she had berated him before, he added, "Been a while, hasn't it?"
Lunette beamed, her eyes almost watering. She never realized just how much she missed him until that moment. "It has," she acknowledged in a small voice. She hesitated, surprisingly at a loss as to what to say next, especially with everybody watching. Damn, now she wished she had first called in secret. "H-How, have you been?"
Kashi smiled wryly. He recalled his self-inflicted torture, to fighting the dragon and legion of ghouls, to getting knocked out for an entire week, then 'his interrogations,' life in the pit, and fighting Zeing. "Great." He laughed. "Life's been exciting." He paused, then asked, tone somewhat dark, "What about you? They didn't hurt you, did they?"
Lunette shook her head. "I'm fine. They didn't touch me," she lied. She wasn't sure why she did, but the words were out before she could think about it. "Everyone's here, including Asha, if you want to say hi."
Kashi started. "Asha's there!?" Sure, Kira had told him, and he believed her, but getting confirmation still shocked him.
"Yes, she is," Lunette confirmed. She hesitated, then asked, "Do you want to speak with her?"
"Of course!" Kashi replied, without hesitation. "I can't believe she came!"
Collective groans rang out in the cave, like the low grumble of a dragon. Jade voiced everyone's thoughts as she muttered in disbelief, "Idiot."
Almost like she was used to it, Lunette only passed the sphere to Asha with a wry smile.
Asha raised a brow as she accepted the sphere. Before Kashi could even greet her, she rebuked, "What kind of man cannot hold a conversation for five minutes with his woman."
Silence. Pin-drop silence.
Three seconds later, each person reacted differently as they began to show recovery from the shock. Lunette's mouth was wide open, her cheeks burning scarlet, which Jade watched with exaggerated laughter. Shoko shook her head with a wry smile, while Syèl flashed Asha a thumbs-up, completely loving the situation.
On the other side, Kashi froze as he weathered an assortment of intrigued, amused, and even a few mocking gazes from the chiefs. For the first time in the daeben's life, he was entirely blank as to what to do next. Kashi opened his mouth, but then shut it when he realized he had nothing to say.
Woman? Was Lunette his woman? Since when? How? Sure he had saved her a few times, and she had also helped him a lot. He also could not deny that apart from Kira, and to an extent Leila, Lunette was probably the person he was closest to.
Kashi's brows furrowed. But did that mean he liked her that way? He did enjoy listening to her sing. It was equal parts relaxing, inspiring, and sometimes terrifying. Wait, terrifying? Why would he find her songs terrifying? His frown deepened as his mind tethered on a memory so thin he could barely grasp it. But when he tried to reach it, the memory vanished like smoke, buried deep in his subconscious.
Kashi instinctively felt the importance of that memory, but try as he might, it would not resurface. More importantly, he began to wonder if his fascination with Lunette was borne from that subconscious memory, whatever it was. But then, that did not explain why he found her presence so important. After all, the moment she died, he felt like he had lost everything—which made absolutely no sense.
This was a virtual reality game. At worst, Lunette would log in with a brand new character. But then somehow, Kashi felt they were somehow similar. Somehow, she would not be the same 'Lunette' that he knew if she were to die. Maybe that was the real reason he was attracted to her. She lived in the virtual world. Of all the players he had met, very few were as fully immersed as she was.
Kashi finally understood. He did not know anything about love. Both his predecessors were hopeless in that aspect. But he did know that the songstress, for one reason or another, was an indispensable part of his existence. As to whether this was love or not...
"No," Kashi said, without a trace of hesitation. "She and I are not like that. There are absolutely no romantic notions between us..." Kashi could not see them, but in the cave, there was a sharp collective intake of breath. No one had expected such a cold-hearted rejection. Maybe he would have said no, but at least stammer or waver a little dammit! "...yet."
This time, Kashi could hear the explosion of "What!?" from the onlookers.
Completely ignoring the reaction, his words got, Kashi continued, "It is not impossible for such a thing to occur in the future. After all, I do admit that Lune has become more than just an important ally or friend. But, it is also true that at the moment, I do not harbor any romantic feelings."
In the cave, over twenty pairs of eyes turned to the songstress, Asha's the most pained of them all. The chetah had surmised from Lunette's frantic desires to save Kashi that they were a couple and a tight one at that. Never in her life did she think she would have caused Lunette to face such an embarrassment instead. Asha was about to apologize, but then stopped at Lunette's strange countenance.
Lunette was smiling! That's right; the young girl was just publicly rejected was smiling! And it was not a forced or pained smile either. The Lunette, who had that small smile, had never shone brighter or looked more beautiful. It was beyond mind-boggling.
But only Lunette herself knew why she was so pleased—finally, she knew. In the future, whenever someone asked her when she fell in love with Kashi, she would have an answer. It was not the numerous times he saved her, nor the few moments they had together. It wouldn't even be soon when the two of them would stand together to face the impossible.
It was right there. At the exact moment that Kashi rejected her so resolutely. That was the moment Lunette fell for him.
Why?
It was illogical, but the daeben's steadfast nature in his beliefs was one of the few things she found attractive about him. Sure, Kashi might be callous, sometimes rude even; a major airhead when it came to anything not related to fighting, but nine out of ten men would have hesitated or waited for her answer before outrightly rejecting her.
Some would calculate the chances of Lunette's agreement before giving her an answer. Many others would see it as a possible chance to corner her into an agreement. After all, not many people can say no when faced with such an expectant crowd.
But not Kashi. He was faithful to himself in a way she had never seen in anyone else. He was more than capable of betraying the entire world on a whim, but he would never betray himself. Such resoluteness was far too rare. She knew very well that if he liked her or even had the slightest interest towards her, he would have proclaimed it without hesitation.
Didn't that mean that Kashi would be more than loyal should he ever love her?
So, yes, Lunette was overjoyed. Because she finally had proof that she had chosen well. No matter what happened in the future, whether Kashi grew to love her or not, she knew he would not betray her. That in itself was far more important than fleeting romance.
Lunette laughed as she scolded Kashi, "If you have time to proclaim such nonsense, how about you reveal your situation and whatever diabolical plan you have."
Kashi was just as surprised as everyone else at her reply. But his initial shock was quickly replaced with pleased familiarity. "My plans are not diabolical. But you are right. I do have a plan." Kashi went on to relay his entire experience in Second Under, up till the meeting of the dwarves.
Asha's brows furrowed. "I am starting to believe you are the cat. How many lives do you have?"
"Just one auspicious one," Kashi replied with a short laugh. "How about you guys, how you been holding up?"
"Nothing on our end," Asha replied. "But Lunette-san had quite the adventure." She allowed Lunette to relate her own experiences during her short stay in prison.
Kashi frowned. "That is a power crystal. Different crystals have different activation methods. It looks like this one gathers mana from songs of high quality. This might be a bit troublesome. Judging by the size of that crystal, it might be strong enough to bury the entirety of Second Under. Then there's Ruse. If that guy is here, things might get even more troublesome. He's far more powerful than Froy." Kashi paused to think. "Asha, how are you and your men?"
"We have been waiting for you to be found," Asha vaguely replied. "Now that you are, I can consider our debt to paid."
"Fair enough," agreed Kashi. "But before you leave, I have a proposal for you if you are interested."
"Speak."
"Enemy of my Enemy."
Asha's brows furrowed, though a nearly indiscernible glint appeared in her eyes. "Keep talking."
2 Hours Later,
An impressive delegation totaling almost thirty in number, leisurely toured the streets of the dwarven settlements. The sight of this fearsome group, which comprised the highest of the elites which were comparable to the Summoned themselves, caused the dwarfs to shrink away in fear. Some backed up off the street, while others even ran into their homes. Whatever their decision, no dwarf dared to glance at this group carelessly. As with a wave of their hand, they were more than capable of killing off half of the population.
At the head of the delegation were two men. Both were garbed in astonishing armor, which had sashes that denoted their rank. The golden-haired, middle-aged man sported a red sash, while the brown-haired, youthful figure next to him had a purple sash.
Inside one of the houses the figures passed by, a daeben inspected the elites through a window. "I recognize Froy. Who's the other one?" Beside him, at the other side of the window, stood a commoner dwarf. Kashi had chosen to stay in this house during the procession to reduce the chance of getting caught.
The dwarf recalled the look on his elder's face when he instructed him to answer and respect this daeben. Though his eyes revealed his uncertainty, a bile-filled voice reluctantly answered, "He is called Ruse, and he is the Primate of this region."
Kashi's eyes flashed in recognition. Something of a grin spread as he remembered the bet he had made with the primate. His initial excitement suddenly cooled when he realized something was amiss. From their stroll, Kashi was positive Ruse did not know he had escaped. Or else the efforts to find him would have been much profound.
Kashi's lips curled in a sly smile as he stared at Froy's retreating back. 'Why are you hiding this from your superior? Fine, consider this our secret.' After all, this was far more convenient for Kashi. As long as Ruse remained, it seemed Froy's men would not search as openly as they had before. Perfect.
Kashi looked at the smoldering dwarf opposite him. "Those shoulder capes. Is there something behind them?" It was not like he could not feel the dwarf's hostility. In fact, for someone as sensitive as Kashi, it was like the dwarf kept slamming invisible barriers onto him. But he chose to ignore it completely. After all, hatred as deep as this usually requires several generations to cool down. It was not something he could achieve by merely striking a deal with the dwarven chiefs.
The dwarf grunted but grudgingly replied nonetheless. He explained that the ceremonial armor was usually only worn on occasions such as the inspection that was going on at the moment. Also, the sash denoted rank among the Chaos Order.
The ranks were in order: White for Laites, Yellow for Priests, Blue for Monigs, Red for Supreme Priests, Purple for Primates, Gold for Cardinals, and Black for a delegation no one knew as no one had never actually seen the wearer of the black sash.
The dwarf further explained that though there were over a million Laites, the number of Priests was just a tenth of that number. That number further decreased by another tenth for each increment. In total, there were only about fifty Primates in the entire continent, and roughly ten cardinals, none of which left the Chaos Order's hidden holy land.
When Kashi inquired as to how the dwarf knew so much, he was slightly surprised to find out the Order added the information as part of their 'sermons' to bring people under the banner of 'Lord Razznik.' After all, power is attractive. When offered an opportunity by such a thriving underground group that actively pursued chaos, how many of this world's stragglers and poor wouldn't join?
Kashi glanced at the receding delegation. Despite being humiliated and insulted several times by Froy, Kashi felt no burning desire to rush over and beat him up. Sometimes Kashi wondered if he was still missing some essential parts of fully being alive. The average human would at least have their heart quicken from a desire for revenge. Hell, even Razznik had that rage.
Kashi shook his head. No use thinking about it. Whatever the reason, he was who he was now. He once again glanced at the figures who were about to leave his sight. "Soon, I'll fulfill my promise. Don't worry," Kashi whispered.
With that, Kashi exited the house. He seemed to wander for a while, then suddenly disappeared from view.