As I had thought, the party did not die down until the morning. I did not get much sleep, despite my exhaustion, but at the very least, the innkeeper was generous enough to let Dietrich and I stay there without cost.

“It’s the least I can do after what you two did for us,” said the man. “You’re welcome to stay as long as your friend needs.”

I took his offer graciously and, the next night, slept for close to twelve hours without dreaming. At least, mostly without dreaming as I thought I remembered Silva making an appearance within the sea of darkness.

But by the time I awoke, I could barely remember anything. I was rather surprised that I had managed to sleep so comfortably. Not that the beds were not soft, but they were nowhere near the quality of my own bed. Perhaps I was used to sleeping on the ground. A fact which I found somewhat disturbing. 

Even still, I felt somewhat guilty that should disaster strike, I was unconscious and helpless. Though I knew it did not matter. 

In that time, or in the days that followed, Lina did not stir once. I had planned to keep watch over her, but Dietrich insisted on staying by her side. 

“I think it’s better if I keep an eye on her, boss. You never know what might happen. And besides, you know the whole guild thing better than I do.”

I did not know what he meant by something happening to Lina, but I trusted his judgment. After all, he was right about me knowing how to navigate Justice’s guilds.

As I had originally told Lina and Dietrich, the most common task was to hunt down monsters for various ingredients. The worst beast in the area were boars, which were not particularly dangerous in comparison to other monsters, but they did take some concentration to defeat. The majority of jobs, however, required hunting down slimes by the bagfuls as they made a great foundation for potions and building materials.

Honestly, I would rather hunt a hundred boars than touch a single one of those disgusting gray blobs. I had only just gotten clean! And replaced my filthy clothes with fresh ones. But I did what I needed to do, even if it made me want to gag every time my fingers sank into their slightly warm bodies.

While the work was plentiful at first, what few artisan or labor jobs were taken by the influx of refugees from the destroyed Pleasance who were finally welcomed into the city. Jurgen had certainly run Justice into the ground, but he had inadvertently created a high demand for willing workers, which the people of Pleasance were more than happy to fill.

Same for guard positions as Ulrich and Albert purged soldiers still loyal to Jurgen. By the end, a good twenty percent were either fired or thrown in prison as more than a few tried to stage another coup, which was promptly shut down.

I kept my main focus upon gathering money for supplies. Though I also found time to slip into their town library and pour over a few of their books for an hour or so. The symbol on Lina’s back often crept its way back into my thoughts. I had to know. But my search proved fruitless. Justice’s library, while impressive for a city of their size, did not have much in the way of historical texts. It was mostly books on combat, law, and artisan crafts. Though I had a feeling that even if I searched through the greatest libraries in the world, I would still find nothing.

Lina was getting more mysterious by the day. I wished I could ask her all about it. Even if she refused to answer like she usually did, just the sound of her voice would put me at ease. 

The general atmosphere of Justice did nothing to help. While there was relief at surviving Heide’s attack, there was also a growing tenison. I could sense it, even as the people smiled and greeted me as they pretended nothing was wrong.

I had no real desire to get involved in their politics, which Ulrich agreed. 

“You’d only be puttin’ unnecessary stress on yerself,” he said, “Yer goals are a bit loftier than ours. Keep yer eyes ahead. We’ll take care of everything.”

He was right. Afterall, if I butted into local affairs without consideration for their own form of government, I’d be no better than any other noble. They needed to solve these issues themselves.

Still, it was nice to have the people of Justice eating out of my hand–or to be more accurate, I was eating out of theirs. Everytime I passed or greeted a resident, they would practically throw their food and other wares at me. It made gathering supplies easier, but it had its dangers. More than once I’d found myself ladened with gifts, only for them to fall from my hands as a poorly aimed loaf of bread beamed me in the face.I just thanked Iliana that it was not anything heavier, like a horseshoe, or a cannonball. 

The smith had decided that I, for whatever reason, desperately needed a thirty-pound iron ball on our journey. I wanted to refuse, but the man insisted and practically shoved that monstrosity into my already occupied hands and left before I could complain.That was a rather fun day, lugging that about until I could convince Dietrich to take it from me, after which he accidentally dropped it. To our utter amazement, but not my surprise, upon hitting the wooden floor of the inn, the thing split itself into two jagged halves. Though it did leave a slight dent in the floorboards. 

I now knew the face of the man from whom I would never buy a sword. Not even if I was desperate. And he seemed to be the only smith in town. How in the world anything metal remained intact around that man, I could only guess. 

On top of all that, I could not turn a corner without women and girls of all ages ambushing me with even more gifts and praise–mostly flowers and letters full of content that I did not feel comfortable sharing with Dietirch. I had no idea there could be so many women in one place. One young maiden had even snuck in a kiss to my cheek only to be pulled back by her fellow fanatics.

Some of them even managed to pluck up the courage to ask for marriage of all things–and it wasn’t just the young girls with dreams of fancy. More than a few were older and, I suspected, have had husbands of their own for several years.

 If I had received such attention from the fairer sex not even last week, I might have been tempted to accept such offers. Even if they were commoners, I was living the dream of many a young man, it was difficult not to be tempted. And yet, I found myself more irritated by their simpering than anything as concern for Lina’s well-being often pervaded any unprincely thoughts that appeared. And when those came, I found myself shooing the girls away.

What was wrong with me? I knew that I had more than earned the people’s praise by defeating Jurgen and Heide, yet I found myself enjoying their almost worshipful enthusiasm toward me less and less as each day passed. It was not just from the girl, everyone was beginning to get on my last nerve.

That’s not to say I did not enjoy some praise; it was nice to not be wrongfully scorned or arrested for one. But, upon reflection, my growing resentment towards my subjects was most likely born from an ever-increasing feeling that, despite everything I had done for them, even going so far as to lay down my very life for them,  it did not feel like it was enough. And despite Ulrich saying otherwise, I felt I had to do more.

So, against my better judgment, I wrote to my father about my journey so far, though I left crucial details out, such as Lina being the sole reason our world was not obliterated on the spot. I even wrote a few sickeningly simpering letters to the more influential nobles who were still friendly enough with the Wolfskruetz name. However, I doubted they would do anything to help their people, even if they were dying in front of them. Nobles were far too conceited for their own good. And coming from me, that meant something. 

My people were hurting. I was not blind to the going on of Justice, even as I was swarmed by my fanatics doing their best to distract me. I could see the arguments brewing at the shops as people tried to buy their wares, only to be met with shaking heads. The looks of desperate people as the demand for food and other goods was beginning to outstrip supply. 

On our third day staying at Justice, I found myself in the middle of a scuffle that erupted between a shopkeeper and two refugees, who tried to ransack his shop in desperation. 

“We have money!” cried one of the refugees, a woman, whose dress was in tatters and stained with ash. She practically threw the coins at the man, “We need food, clothes. Our children are starving.”

The man beside her, presumably her husband, began to pull her back as she clawed at the shopkeeper’s apron. But he remained stalwart as he stared down at her. “What good is money if there ain’t nothin’ to buy? You folk have already cleaned us out. I ain’t sellin’ anymore. Get outta here!”

I stared at my arms, filled with dried meats and crackers that the man had given me only minutes before. He was lying about being out of food. Either that, or he had given me more than he could afford. 

The number of refugees totaled only forty or so. The entire population of Pleasance; men, women, and children. And yet, even that small number was putting a strain on this small city. Economy was a delicate thing, any disruption, be it natural or not, could tip the entire system off balance. 

My attention returned to the couple as the wife had broken free of her husband’s pull and slapped the shopkeeper across the face. The man bared his teeth as he raised a hand to retaliate. The husband stepped past his wife to guard her, fists raised.

I could not stay quiet any longer. “That is enough!”My voice cracked through the air, sharp as a whip.  I tried to look as dignified as I could while holding a pile of assorted foods in my arm. All looked at me, I stepped forward as the crowd parted to let me. 

“This is shameful behavior!” I said.

“Rightly said, Prince Anno,” said the shopkeeper with a grin. 

“From all of you.”

The man’s face fell. “But they–” He interrupted himself as I proffered my food toward the couple. “What are you doing? Don’t give that to them! That’s my gift to you!”

“And I am allowed to do what I want.” I said haughtily. I would not have a commoner order me around. I gave the couple a gentle smile. “Take only what you need.”

“Oh, Iliana bless you, sir,” Though their smile was kind, I could see a hunger beyond their need for food shining in their eyes. The couple began to grab at the food like feral beasts. It was only a few seconds before I was nearly picked clean. 

“I said,” in as commanding a voice as I could muster, “Take only what you need. Or did you not hear me?”

Their eyes were sharp and angry as they stared up at me. “This is what we need!” said the husband.

But I could tell that he was lying. My eyes were sharp enough to pierce into the truth, which he tried to hide by looking away. His eyes darted to his wife, the debate of a forceful retreat obvious. Then the sound of hooves made his eyes lock in place somewhere between.

“You wanna take advantage of a prince’s charity?” said a gruff drawl. “Be my guest. But I ain’t responsible fer what he might do. He might put ya to death. I’d have to execute ya on the spot if he asks. Can’t stop it, even if I wanted to. He outranks me.”

Ulrich stepped into view, scraping a hoof across the cobblestone. He was flanked by Albert.

The fight left the man’s eyes as he looked at his wife in defeat. Little by little, they returned much of my food to my arms until all that was left in theirs were a few sausages, a wedge of cheese, and several rolls. 

It was as if we were watching them pluck their arm hair one strand at a time. 

A moment of silence, then the wife said, “Thank you for your kindness, my prince.” They began to turn, when I told them to stop. They did so and I indicated to Albert to pass a few more sweet rolls.

I gave them a smile, “A little something for your children.”

The couple took them, though their faces looked rather guilty. “We…uh…” the husband started. 

“We don’t have children,” finished the wife. “We were just looking for sympathy.”

“Well,” said I after a pause, “Take them anyway. Maybe you’ll think of my generosity if someone ever has to depend on you for a change.”

The couple bowed and left in a hurry, avoiding the stares of the citizens as they did so. 

“Filthy beggars!” sneered the shopkeep, folding his arms in satisfaction. 

I grunted, and turned fierce eyes upon him, “Don’t look down at them. You’re lucky you still have your home. Though if you continue to give more than you have, you might find yourself in their shoes soon enough.”

With that, I shoved the remainder of the food into his arms. He was so stunned by my action that he nearly dropped it. “How did you know?”

I smirked, “It’s not difficult to figure out.” My smirk softened into a smile, “Do not put yourselves out for my sake. Your needs come before mine. And I will not tolerate any more of your gifts. They are beneath me.” I raised my voice for the rest of the people to hear. “And that goes for all of you. Spread the word. Your gifts are worthless to Prince Anno. If any of you try to hand me something, it will end up on the ground like the garbage it is!”

Maybe I was getting a little sick of everyone sucking up to me. It made me feel too much like a noble and not enough like a prince.

“Or, perhaps,” I added, “You should give it to those who are in more need of it than me.”

Without another word, I stuck my nose in the air and walked away with an air of snootiness that better fit my father than it did me, leaving the people to stare at me in confusion. Hoofsteps sounded behind me, though I did not pay them any heed as I made my way towards the inn.

“Yer somethin’ else, Mr. Prince, you know that?” said Ulrich.

“Funny, when people say that to me, they mean it as an insult.” I looked back at him and flashed him my teeth. 

“Not me, though,” he said, “You’d be a mighty fine sheriff if it wern’t fer that swelled head o’ yers.”

“I’d like to think it keeps me in check.” I faced ahead, “Can’t allow those who are desperate to take advantage. They must know who is in charge without question.” 

I was silent as we continued to walk. We passed several people who waved to me. One young woman even tried to drop a small bushel of apples decorated with marigolds, but I quelled her with a look. Confused and hurt, the girl retreated as I continued past without looking back. 

I ignored the hurt that crept into my own chest. I had to be cold for their sake. How thoughtless of me to take from them without realizing the damage I might cause to their livelihoods. 

They were kind and charitable, but as their prince, I could no longer accept their praise or their gifts. Even if the people of Justice did what I asked and gave it to the refugees instead, charity was merely a temporary solution. Their supplies were already diminishing as Pleasance was no longer providing food to Justice. Nor was any proper trade happening with the refugees deterring travelers.

Ulrich’s hooves grew louder as he walked up and matched my pace. “You look troubled, Mr. Prince. I told ya, we can take care of things here. It’s not our first rodeo.”

I gave him a sidelong look as the image of the Sheriff performing in a rodeo popped into my head. I mentally shooed the ridiculous image away like a swarm of irksome gnats as I shook my head. “I know, but I cannot help but worry. Everyday, I feel the desire to continue on my journey. But at the same time, I cannot leave this mess behind. As their prince it is–”

Albert appeared at my other side, “It is your duty to look at the bigger picture, my prince. You did what none of us could and defeated that woman. That is all we can ask of you. The moment that Lina awakens, you need to leave and not look back.”

His tone was serious, and by the end, as commanding as mine had been. I was taken aback by his authority. Ulrich looked as impressed as a horse could be. 

“Sounds like you’ve gotta plan of some sort, Albert,” said Ulrich.

“I just might,” he said with confidence. “I see two major possibilities. One, we figure out a way to integrate those from Pleasance into Justice. We can build homes in the outskirts and they can begin to farm the land here. Or two, if the people from Pleasance are too attached to the actual land, we can begin building there. We can work out a deal between the guilds and the villagers to provide building materials from the nearby forest.”

“That might work,” said Ulrich slowly, “But you gotta be careful about destroyin’ the forest. That would disrupt the monsters and either make them angry enough to be hostile or leave and ruin any incentive for the guilds and travelers to stay.”

The wheels in my head began to turn as I thought about a solution. I shook myself. I must not get involved. Albert was right, we needed to leave. Please Lina, wake up. 

But she did not. The next day, I found myself growing impatient with her. I was tempted to shake her just to see that some semblance of life existed within her. I had not seen her stir once. 

Dietrich seemed quite calm as he sat in his favorite chair in the corner. “Have faith in her, boss,” he said. “Lina will come though.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” I said. At least not wholly. “The longer we stay, the more chance that the Hero will come after us.”

“And if he does,” he said with a confident smile, “You’ll take ‘em down, just like before!”

A part of me wanted to believe him, but unless the Hero had acquired some other companions I had no knowledge of, or he decided to come himself, our next opponent would be Silva. 

She filled my thoughts and even my dreams as a knot began to twist in my stomach. If Gertrude and Heide had become such monstrosities under the Hero’s influence, I could not imagine how he had corrupted my retainer. I did not think I could bear it. But I had to. She would be coming sooner or later. 

What I had told Lina echoed constantly in my mind. “How can you know how you truly feel about someone until they're gone?”

If my stomach was one mess of a knot, my heart was several messes. My last conversation with Lina had caused a conflict I’d not considered. I cared for Lina, but I also cared for Silva. When the time came for Silva to pursue us, what would I do? Could I find a way to protect both?

Dietrich was no help when I discussed our plan moving forward, though I did not mention Silva specifically.

“We’ll just do what we always do. Wing it.”

“Yes, but you don’t understand, if the Hero’s next attack comes–or I should say when–it would be unfortunate for the people of Justice to be caught in yet another battle.”

He looked between me and Lina, though I could tell that he was staring past us. 

“What’s wrong, my friend?” 

He gave a start, “Sorry, boss. I was just thinking. You’re right. We can’t afford to worry about collateral damage.”

“Then it’s decided. We head to Altern tonight whether Lina wakes or not, maybe even before. The sooner the better, I say.” I did not know the Altern Kingdom as well as I would have liked. The most I knew was that it was a mining kingdom ruled by King Andreas, who had a son and daughter. I did not even know their names, only their faces, as I was not privy to any of the rare meetings they attended. Altern was as small and isolationist as Cross, but they held a good amount of ore within the land. 

Dietrich stood, “I’m ready to go whenever. If you want to leave now, boss, we’re gone.”

“Good.”

There was just one last decision to make. I found bile begin to rise in my throat as I looked at my bed–or rather, what I had hidden under my mattress. 

I did my best to purge any thought of that wicked flute from my mind. As soon as I could I removed it from my pocket and tossed it in the safest place I could think and had not touched it since. Though I did sometimes think I could feel its shape as I lay atop of it.

Perhaps it was a mistake to hide it under the place I sleep, as I was pretty sure it was the source of nightmares about the Hero seeking revenge, but it was not merely the flute that concerned me, its owner was as much a target as Lina. Being a member of the Hero’s entourage, Heide would be sure to draw calamity if she were left to rot in prison alongside Jurgen. And, unlike Gertrude, she had yet to be freed from the Hero's poisonous control. It would be the height of irresponsibility if I were to know that and leave the people of Justice to the Hero’s–or Silva’s wrath. 

I sighed, “Can you get things ready for our departure?”

Dietrich gave a small salute, “On it. Got some unfinished business?”

“You could say that.” With deep disgust, I went to my bed and lifted the mattress. The flute lay innocently upon the slats. Part of me–actually, most of me–hoped that I may have flattened the thing in the night as I tossed and turned, but alas, the instrument looked pristine. I wrapped my fingers around the flute, feeling the smooth texture of the polished bone, which sent shivers down my back. But my princely resolve held out as I lifted the thing from its hiding place.

Dietrich watched this with a blank stare. “Want me to come with you, boss?”

I shook my head. “This is something that I must do alone.” 

As much as it sickened me to do so, it had to be done. Lina was the only means to purge the evil from Heide’s heart, and with her still unconscious, it would have to wait. Whether willingly or not, Heide Allinger would be our next companion.