Scarlett couldn’t speak for how the Followers of Ittar and their Quorum dealt with deacons who neglected their duties, but she did know that having Raimond’s assistance helped her avoid a nasty confrontation.

She hadn’t been aware of his proficiency in illusion, but his ability to conceal her and Rosa’s appearance proved a great help. A spell from him was all it took to mask their escape, and the Dawnbringers were too occupied fighting the demons flooding out of the rift to notice anything.

Supporting the unconscious Rosa, Scarlett exited the increasingly unstable interstitial space. Contrary to Scarlett’s fears, leaving the space was far less disturbing than entering it, without any sign of that eerie grey-and-white void that had pulled her in before, nor did Rosa’s departure cause any unusual reactions.

Scarlett’s primary concern now was finding safety. Raimond would maintain their cover for a while longer before making it seem as though they had made their escape, like Malachi. He had also promised to take care of Fynn when he arrived. While Scarlett was uncertain about the specifics of how he’d do that, she trusted Raimond’s ability to deliver on his promises.

As for if she trusted Raimond himself, the jury was still out on that. She always had a hard time deciphering what went through that man’s head.

At least it seemed he believed enough of her story and felt it compelling enough to collaborate with her, despite the risk it put him in. Given what Scarlett had asked Fynn to tell Raimond in order to gain the man’s help, that outcome wasn’t entirely unexpected, but she’d had some doubts. She knew Raimond was supposed to be a good person, but ‘goodness’ could manifest in various ways. She hadn’t been certain if he would approve of Rosa’s efforts to aid villagers, considering what the Tribe of Sin’s views on those serving Ittar.

There was still the possibility that Raimond was deceiving Scarlett in some fashion, but she doubted that. Nevertheless, just in case, it might be best to develop some measures for dealing with such a situation in the future.

Right now, however, she was too exhausted to think about that, and other concerns took precedence.

Concealed under a veil of invisibility that Raimond had cast on them, Scarlett and Rosa made their way through the empty streets of Crowcairn. Relying on her enchanted glasses to navigate the darkness, Scarlett struggled to move Rosa to the nearest house. Briefly leaning the bard against it, she then pulled out and consumed one of the last of Allyssa’s stamina potions.

The potion’s effect was minor, but at this point, everything helped.

Glancing down to the spot where the invisible Rosa was lying, a frown appeared on Scarlett’s brow.

In addition to everything else she needed to discuss with the woman, she intended to make sure Rosa paid her back for these inconveniences. Beyond just the physical strain and the symptoms of mana exhaustion she was experiencing, dragging the bard around like this just felt so undignified.

It was absurd that things like that were still on her mind in a situation like this, but the original’s personality traits still ran deep in certain ways.

While catching her breath, her gaze wandered over the village. In the dark, with its barren streets, open doors, and occasional abandoned family heirlooms, it looked more than simply deserted. It felt forsaken. Tracks in the dirt, tools leaning against the houses, and baskets lying toppled over in front of doors. A wooden horse doll in a window caught Scarlett’s eye, its painted gaze seeming to stare out into the night.

Her attention lingered on it for a moment.

She wasn’t sure how long the villagers had been living here—years, decades, or maybe even generations—but the evidence of their presence probably wouldn’t last even a fraction of that time. The empire would be turning this village upside down for anything related to the Tribe of Sin, and there probably wouldn’t be much left after that.

Although she knew why the Tribe established their Enclaves around the continent, she would never understand why anyone would willingly be part of them. Living as an ordinary person in enemy territory, where discovery meant death for themselves, their families, and their entire community, sounded insane. It was insane. While the empire might not be as ruthless as it had once been, it remained the Tribe and Cabal’s sworn enemy. The Tribe was aware of this, yet many of its members still embraced this risk.

Scarlett wasn’t sure whether to pity or scoff at their dogmatism.

Her attention returned to the spot in front of her where Rosa was.

How familiar was the bard with the beliefs of the people she had risked so much to save? As an imperial citizen, the woman’s knowledge of the Tribe was likely an overly simplistic one. To most imperials, they were nothing but remorseless terrorists. Although Scarlett supposed that if anyone might hold a more nuanced perspective, it would be Rosa.

Shaking her head, Scarlett knelt down to lift the woman up again, settling Rosa over her shoulder.

Dwelling on the question didn’t serve much purpose at the moment.

Shaking her head, Scarlett bent down to lift the woman once more, settling her with an arm over her shoulder. Dwelling on the matter served little purpose now. True, Scarlett had felt a persistent distaste since learning of the duke’s men’s impending assault on the village. However, the Tribe weren’t any friends of hers. Much of their suffering resulted from their own actions. The members of an Enclave would understand the inherent risks that came with it.

Lugging Rosa along with her, she made her way out of the village. As they neared the village’s edge, she paused, her gaze drawn towards the horizon. There, standing as an imposing structure of black stretching skyward, was Anguish’s citadel.

That was strange. She would have expected it to disappear by now. Even if Anguish wasn’t completely vanquished, the Vile should have lost a significant amount of her Authority and power. Scarlett doubted Malachi would have left if Anguish’s manifestation was still active, so why did the citadel linger here in the Material Realm?

…At least its presence no longer felt as ominous as it had before. The dread it once seemed to inspire had largely subsided. What exactly this meant would have to be investigated further at a later time.

Resuming their escape from Crowcairn, Scarlett soon noticed something else. To the west, where Sir Home’s encampment had been, several figures were approaching the village. Some might have been the duke’s men, but most notable was a group of mounted individuals in golden armor — more Dawnbringers. By their side ran a single figure, keeping pace with the horses on foot.

Fynn.

The group advanced towards Crowcairn, heading for the opposite side of the village. Fynn, although he shouldn’t be able to see Scarlett and Rosa due to Raimond’s invisibility spell, briefly halted, seeming to gaze in their direction.

Scarlett’s pulse quickened, but after a few seconds, the young man resumed running to catch up with the Dawnbringers, disappearing into the village.

Scarlett watched the spot where they vanished among the buildings. While Fynn sensing them wasn’t maybe that surprising, it was unexpected that he’d figure out that it was best to feign ignorance of that. Sometimes he could be more astute than one would give him credit for — a fact that Scarlett appreciated.

His presence with the Dawnbringers—likely guiding them on Raimond’s behalf—was also fortunate. Scarlett’s overall involvement in recent events couldn’t be kept under wraps, but if her retainers aided in addressing the apparent demon incursion it would help bolster her credibility.

Eventually turning away from the village, Scarlett continued on, breathing heavily under Rosa’s weight. The landscape around Crowcairn was hilly, the village itself nestled in a flatter area by a minor river to the south. Scarlett headed north, aiming to put distance between them and Crowcairn before changing direction towards Sir Home’s encampment.

After a while, she felt Rosa stir.

“Wha…?” the woman’s voice, close to Scarlett’s ear, was groggy.

Scarlett paused, turning slightly. Although she couldn’t see Rosa, she felt the bard’s head press against her shoulder.

“Rosa?” she asked, bracing herself. Even assuming what Malachi did earlier had failed, now that they were outside the interstitial space linked to the Blazes, Anguish should have diminished influence over Rosa. The Vile shouldn’t be able to speak through the woman. However, if she could, Scarlett was prepared to use Anguish’s name again. It might not be as effective the second time, but it would still have an effect.

“…Scarlett?” Rosa almost seemed to slur as she spoke, as if waking from a long sleep.

Scarlett’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “Yes, it is me.”

There was a moment of silence.

“…I’m not dreaming, am I?” Rosa eventually asked.

Scarlett shook her head. “You are not.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

A hand reached out, touching Scarlett’s arm, moving up to the shoulder, then softly poked at her chin as if to confirm her words.

“…You are not dreaming, Rosa,” Scarlett repeated, letting a tinge of irritation bleed through her voice.

“Sorry,” the bard replied in a quiet voice. “Not being able to see you threw me for a ride.”

“Deacon Abram cast an invisibility spell on us.”

“…Deacon who-now?”

“Father Abraham.”

“That’s not what you said.”

“I will explain later,” Scarlett replied briskly. “For now, we should continue on our way. Can you walk?”

“…I think so.” Rosa’s weight shifted, followed by faint sounds of movement and then a yelp. “…Okay, I might be a teensy bit dizzy. Legs feel like they forgot they’re supposed to have bones in them, as well.”

Scarlett gave a small sigh. “Lean on me if necessary.”

Despite feeling near collapse herself, at least her legs hadn’t given up on her yet.

A hand touched her shoulder as Rosa leaned on her for support, and after Scarlett had ensured that the woman wouldn’t stumble over immediately, they resumed their journey under the darkened sky. Scarlett’s mind was awash with thoughts that swirled around like a storm, and there were many things she wanted to say, but she held back, letting the silence stretch between them.

“By the by,” Rosa finally spoke, her voice ladened with fatigue. “Were you carrying me earlier?”

“No, I was not.”

“…Sure felt like it. I certainly don’t remember walking all the way out here myself.”

“That is because I dragged you here,” Scarlett stated bluntly. “As one would baggage, or a particularly recalcitrant child.”

“That stings.”

“Good.”

“This is why people call you heartless…” Rosa’s voice murmured.

Scarlett shifted her head slightly, glancing towards where Rosa should be.

She wasn’t sure why she was suddenly participating in light banter with the bard, as if avoiding what they should be discussing, however, it didn’t feel quite right to press Rosa on it now. The matter with Anguish needed attention, though, but that could wait until they were somewhere safer.

They continued in silence as they trudged onward, climbing one of the hills near Crowcairn. The frigid night air had begun to penetrate Scarlett’s clothes, and unfortunately she couldn’t spare the mana to warm herself with pyrokinesis, so she endured the chill. Rosa had it even worse, with her torn clothing exposing the Heartstone on her chest.

“…She’s talking in my head right now,” the woman suddenly said after a while. “Anguish, I mean.”

Scarlett raised an eyebrow, stealing a look in the bard’s direction. She hadn’t expected Rosa to broach the subject first. After considering the woman’s words, though, Scarlett’s expression turned to a frown. If Anguish continued to be a nuisance, she might need to invoke the Vile’s name after all and make her hurt a b—

“Don’t worry,” Rosa continued. “She can’t do much of anything right now.”

Scarlett paused. “…You mean to say you are in full control once more?”

“Well, half-and-half.” Rosa chuckled dryly. “I think I can shut her up for a bit if I want to, but I’m too tired. We’re kinda in a reverse situation from how it was back in the citadel. Pretty sure Malachi didn’t manage to snatch all of ol’ Anguish’s power, ‘Authority’, or whatever it’s called, but she did somehow block Anguish from the Blaze where most of it is. You might say Anguish’s body is still raring to go, but her mind’s stuck here with me, under lock and key.”

Scarlett’s frown deepened. This explained why Malachi didn’t seem to have minded escaping into the rift. The woman knew this was her time to act, while Anguish was unable to exert her influence over her domain.

That any fragment of Anguish still strong enough to talk remained in Rosa was perhaps not ideal, but…maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t terrible either. It depended on how permanent of a thing this was and Rosa’s control over the Vile.

Scarlett also couldn’t deny that there was a part of her that felt a twisted sense of satisfaction in imagining Anguish, a prideful demon, being imprisoned within a mortal, powerless yet conscious.

But what would Anguish’s diminished in her domain imply in the long run? Malachi likely lacked the power and Authority to rule the entire Blaze of Anguish. The other Viles had also been encroaching on Anguish’s territory, and there was no way they hadn’t noticed this whole manifestation ordeal. All six Blazes were probably in some state of turmoil at the moment.

But it wasn’t as if that was a bad thing. Scarlett preferred it that way. It meant there was less risk of the other Viles causing her any future headaches.

“…Got nothing to say to that?” Rosa asked, her voice pulling Scarlett back to the present.

Scarlett gave a slight nod. “I have plenty, but my thoughts are rather mired at the moment. Much has happened.”

“I get that.”

For a moment, Scarlett stayed quiet, contemplating whether to probe for more. “…What is Anguish saying at the moment?” she finally asked.

There were a few seconds of silence from Rosa before she answered. “You’re better off not knowing.”

“I see.” Scarlett’s lips pressed into a thin line. If Anguish could still torment Rosa like before, her absence from the Blazes wouldn’t matter much. That didn’t seem to be the case, but she didn’t know for sure. “Do you believe there is any risk of her regaining control soon?”

“No, probably not. Not unless I let her. And just so we’re clear, I don’t have any plans of doing that ever again. Besides, it’s not like she’s in a position where she could do much now even if I did.”

“That is reassuring.”

“…That’s all you got to say?”

Scarlett’s gaze now remained fixed ahead. “No, but I will leave it at that for now,” she said, choosing to end the conversation there.

As long as it was safe for the time being, the rest could be dealt with later. First, they had to make it back to the camp, regroup with Allyssa and the others, and recover from everything that happened. Scarlett likely wouldn’t be able to avoid another meeting with Raimond, where she supposed she would learn the details of whatever fabricated excuse he’d conjured up to explain events to his fellows.

Beyond that, a real, actual conversation with Rosa about a lot of things was long overdue. If possible, Scarlett also hoped to confront directly, to extract as much information as possible from the Vile.

Another lingering concern was the absence of any sort of system notification indicating the conclusion of this questline. If Rosa’s words were to be believed, Anguish was subdued and wouldn’t resurface in any dangerous fashion for now. The lack of a notification appearing to confirm that worried Scarlett, but she wasn’t sure if it was necessarily a bad sign. Since visiting that grey void, the system had seemed a bit off-kilter.

She glanced down slightly as the system window appeared before her.

[Name: Scarlett Hartford]
[Skills:
[Greater Mana Control]
[Greater Pyromancy]
[Major Pyrokinesis]
[Greater Hydromancy]
[Superior Hydrokinesis]
[̼̭̬̋̈́̒͜ ̧̘̜́ͣ͛͛ͅ� ͚̜̓͜ͅ ̢̰͚̾̏ͅ ̮̿͆̒͠�̈ ̢̾̏ͅ� ̢̰̾̏ͅ]]
[Traits:
[Dignified August]
[Supercilious]
[Cavalier]
[Callous]
[Overbearing]
[Conceited]
[Third-rate Mana Veins]]
[Mana: 413/12063]
[Points: 36]

That strange new skill was still there, though its appearance had changed slightly. It seemed to do that with each inspection.

She was still clueless about what it was. All she knew was that it was there and that it was different from the other skills. In a way, it felt like it was trying to communicate with her, though not in words. It was just a weird sensation that she couldn’t quite describe. If her suspicions were correct, though, that wasn’t the only thing it had done recently.

She couldn’t help the frown on her face deepening as she studied the new entry on her skill list, eventually dismissing the system window.

It was another concern among many, adding to the ever-growing pile of mysteries this world had presented her with. This one was probably one of the most perplexing and nebulous ones yet, but at the same time, it also offered her hints of deeper insights into the system and this world than she had gleaned in the nearly half a year she’d been here. Perhaps if she could follow where that trail led in the future, she could unveil the system’s origins and this world’s secrets.

That is, assuming it didn’t bring about some far more ominous outcome before then. She’d be foolish not to be wary of what it represented.

For now, the path ahead was uncertain, but at least she knew it meant something. And that alone was enough to make her think.