After a very gruesome, and gory, session of duels, we are finally eligible for a break.
Well, Elin mostly.
And even that only because her stamina potions, which she was forced to chug down, started showing side effects.

 

"That wasn't all crap. Both of you got a bit better." (R)

 

Sure I did, because I was keen on avoiding dying at some point.
No idea why they thought I'd be safe from obviously fatal wounds.

 

"However, there's a lot of room for improvement. Especially Elin definitely still needs to break through that last boundary. You can do better than this." (R)

 

At this, Elin just snorts, concerningly partially blood out of her nose, but quickly averts her gaze once she got aware that Relia paid attention to this and may take action.

 

"Alright, enough killing each other for the day. You two can rest for a bit. But we're not done yet, so don't get too far." (R)

 

I settle down, away from the others, unsure what I'd do now.
My body feels weary, as all the regenerating costs me good on my energy.
However, I think right now I've got a better grasp than before on not draining people.

On the other side, this is certainly not a reason why this dagger maniac should be comfortable placing herself next to me, exactly as she does now!
This brazen act causes a stretched period of ensuing silence between us.

 

"So... you are some dead soul devourer? How is that so?" (E)

 

Eh!?
Did she really just ask me that?

 

"You seem awfully fine with this. Most people I know got rather apprehensive of me." (Y)

"I've got worse acquaintances. One who eats people alive, with or without the bones, depending on the mood. One who proclaims to be a nice person, but occasionally butchers like thirty people in a tavern. And one misleading bitch with somewhat of a torture fetish. You don't even get into the top three." (E)

 

Who the heck does she know?!

 

"Still, soul-sucking may earn you a solid place four." (E)

"I-it's not really the soul, I think. I think it's just the lifeforce." (Y)

"Ah, so you just drain the very life out of them. Well, if this doesn't make things better." (E)

"Look, I'm really sorry about what happened, but to be fair, you stabbed me in the neck." (Y)

"Pfft, okay, fair. I guess I can count this as a mutually almost caused death experience." (E)

 

Is she seriously chuckling?
That one has a weird sense of humor.

 

"Alright. But you didn't answer my earlier question. That abuser called you a revenant. What exactly can I imagine in this regard? And how is it to be like this in general?" (E)

 

She really asks me this?
Am I even allowed to tell her about what I'm capable of?
But if she's here, I'd say she got permission.
At the very least from Relia.
Also, that's the first time that someone actually seemed to care about how I'm feeling.

 

"Why do you want to know?" (Y)

"Call it curiosity. Also, I'd like to know the options." (E)

 

Options?
Well, I suppose I can tell her.

 

"I don't really think what happened to me would be easily repeated. Also, I don't recommend it. I kinda feel like my whole body is just a thing. It's detached and all wrong. At the same time, there's all that weird stuff going around with me. I'm literally dead. I can't eat, don't breathe, none of the sensations I was used to while living are there anymore. Not to forget about all that problematic magic stuff, like draining people, or raising the dead." (Y)

"Raising the dead!? For real?! You, you can bring dead people back to life!?" (E)

 

Oh no, she may have gotten the wrong impression.

 

"It's not like you think. I can't really resurrect them. Not like I was. They're more like... animated puppets. Very disturbing puppets." (Y)

"Oh, okay. Well, that's at least something. If you say 'puppets', that makes you the puppet-master, right? How many can you control at once?" (E)

"Oh, I, I do not know. I only had three orcs at once. Those did as I told them. I'm not sure if there's a limit." (Y)

"And she says that so casually. Anyway, you're aware that you could basically take over the world if there's no limit?" (E)

"What!? Why would I do that?" (Y)

"I don't know. Power? Boredom? Proving you could do it? Even those guys rebelling against our country right now don't seem to have all that great reasons. So why would you need something like this?" (E)

 

Don't you need a better reason to conquer?
Wait!
What rebellion?!

 

"Ehm, what!? I, I think you just dropped a really big thing." (Y)

"Oh, right, not everybody knows yet. Even though it's kinda obvious. Quite a number of the ruling nobles are plotting to get rid of the royals and take over, secretly being supported by our western neighbor. That was, in fact, part of the message I was sent here to deliver." (E)

"A rebellion?! A-are you even allowed to tell me this?" (Y)

"Sure. Might be in some way confidential, but they didn't bother instructing me in this regard. Also, I can't see how this information would benefit the rebels. They'd know best, right?" (E)

 

Guess she got a point?

 

"Also, you're likely pretty much a military secret yourself, so I suppose you won't defect to the other side." (E)

"H-how bad is it?" (Y)

"Well, I'd say pretty bad. Not hopeless, but particularly the capital is a battlefield of moves in the dark. The rebellion didn't officially break out yet, but they seem to be almost everywhere. If things escalate from the shady dealings, things might get ugly really quickly. In fact, that was the other part of my mission. To bring royal order to the marshall to send, hopefully loyal, troops to the capital." (E)

"Royal order?" (Y)

 

I did hear that part right, didn't I?
Even though I seriously can't tell how that could be.

 

"Oh, right. Guess I can tell you that. Not like anyone said otherwise. I'm a royal courier. Coming right from the capital with that message." (E)

 

Royal courier? 
Her?
How can that be?
Royal courier, that's a prestigious position of greatest importance and honor, and she's well...

 

"Why would they make you one?!"(Y)

"If I'd know that. Not like I fought for it. Seriously, this job brings a lot of trouble with it, and I couldn't exactly decline after the queen asked me to. Guess that shows how desperate they were for personnel. The number of people to be trusted was pretty limited around the palace." (E)

 

That it's so bad...
There were rumors, but Mum and Dad still thought I'd be better off at the capital, rather than staying here.
But coming from her, it sounds like all the rest of Rakis is just another kind of battlefield as of yet.

 

"To summarize, the overall situation is pretty unstable, and it wouldn't take a lot to topple everything. Like, for example, someone with an army of the dead. I mean, if you'd suddenly decide that you now want to conquer countries." (E)

"As I said, I won't!" (Y)

 

Is she trying to talk me into it?

 

"And as I said, reasons don't really matter. It's mostly that everyone likely thinks you could. And what would stop you?" (E)

"How about that it's wrong! You can't conquer a country just cause! And, the mere idea... that I..." (Y)

 

Seriously, I don't know my limits.
Let's think about this.
I can raise the dead.
However, there has to be a limiting factor.
One would certainly come to mind.
Which is that just as I do, those dead puppets run on magic.
So if I need to replace that stuff, surely they'll require the same.

There!
Limiting factor!
I probably can't sustain too big an army.

 

"Also, I think I got limits. This means, my undead have limits." (Y)

"Interesting. A word of advice. Don't go around telling your weaknesses to people you’ve only known for a few hours and who just moments ago stabbed you with deadly intent." (E)

 

With this, she walks off.
I knew that was intentional!
Now, Relia seems like she intends to continue training.
Oh... and she brought pigs...

 

"Time to get back into the action. And for you, Yomi, we're going to get your energy levels back up. Let's see what your max looks like. And don't you dare try to cheat again. Something like this morning won't happen again under my command!" (R)

 

Oh, damn.