Randia and Viena are at the side of the road, continuing their journey to the south. Since they departed from the tavern, they have been mute with each other. Only when Viena wants to relieve herself that the two exchange words. Needless to say, it's getting uncomfortable. Even though Randia is used to being accompanied by silence, for some reason he can't get over the disquieting quiet.
"Do you understand why I was being mad at you?"
"I'm sorry."
"I want you to answer, not to apologize."
"... Because somebody might overhear, and they will try to steal your medallion."
Randia stopped in his tracks to take out the medallion from his bag and give it to Viena.
"That's only a part of it."
Viena observes the medallion, rotating all the sides of it to take a good look. She's inspecting every little detail, from the material it was crafted from to the intricate etchings and epigraphs. Its lustrous sapphire reflects its glitters in her pupil and it takes her breath away now that she takes a closer look at it.
"It's beautiful."
"It is, but the true worth lies inside."
Randia swiped up the sapphire rose and it revealed a small compartment between the gem and the plate. Inside it, lies a small black fingerprint that is covered with a thin glass.
"What is this stain?"
"That is not a stain. That is Luseya's fingerprint."
"Luseya?"
"The eighth monarch of Rosmayne, Queen Luseya Rosalia."
"Wow ... So that's why the guardsmen were so scared!"
There's plenty more where the surprise came from. When Randia pours his magic, the medallion glows with a soft bluish aura that's clearly visible even to the naked eye. The light permeates through the glass as the inscription around the fingerprint glows.
"It's a mark of friendship. The ones contracted will not be able to harm each other. That translates to immunity. Not a single Rosmayne's sword will be able to hurt me."
"The ones contracted? Doesn't that mean only you can use the effect of the medallion? Then what's the point if someone were to steal it?"
"Because it also acts as a permit pass. You can go everywhere and demand to know everything that goes on in Rosmayne since you are basically beyond the law, and almost as free to do whatever you want as the queen herself."
"Hm ... Why would they make such a rule?"
"Because ...."
Randia paused midway. He isn't sure whether telling her was the right thing to do. What if he indirectly overshared many pieces of his past and one day Viena would be able to connect the dots? What will she do when she realizes whom she was traveling with all along?
"Because they deemed it necessary."
Unsatisfied by the answer, Viena raised her brow. However, Randia insisted on dropping the conversation as he ignored her and put the medallion back in his bag.
"All that you have to know, is that it's impossible to counterfeit the Titulia. Anyone who has ever seen one, or who had any idea of what it looks like will try all that they can to get their hands on it."
Randia rubbed his bag. His eyes are wary and steady, looking to the far and the near.
"No ... even when they don't know, judging by its beauty alone will evoke greed and jealousy even in the noblest heart."
"Then, doesn't that mean that it's already risky as it was when you showed it to the town guard?"
"Yeah. You're right. We'll do it another way next time."
Afterward, the two crossed villages, restocking their cured meats, hardtacks, and spices in each of them. Randia taught Viena how to haggle, how to count and estimate the need for supplies, and how to discern the good stuff from the bad. Each stop takes time, but since they are not in a hurry, Randia always allows her to process and memorize information without rushing her.
"Now go and buy us some apples," Randia gave her six rios to spend.
"Y-You're not coming?"
Seeing that Randia just staring at him silently, means that she has to do it alone. She steeled herself and walked up to the greengrocer. Her confidence is quite strong since she knows nothing can go wrong. If anything happens, Randia will be there for her.
Looking at Viena trying her best, Randia found himself staring at her with an adoring look. The shifts between serious look and awkward smile, the pondering silence, and the dancing fingers evoke the long-forgotten feeling from Randia. It was affection, and it was probably greater than he had ever experienced. A parental emotion.
He was so immersed in that new feeling, to the point that he failed to notice that there were some people slowly galloping their horses as they approached Viena. When he realized, it was already too late. The horsemen snatched the little girl and fled away from the scene as fast as possible.
"Papa! Papaa ...!"
"Viena!"
Randia makes one more mistake. He is too focused on Viena and ready to go after her as he drops his big bag. He once again, failed to notice that there was another horseman still lurking nearby. As soon as his nape is exposed, the rider gallops his horse.
"Too easy!" said the horseman as he smacked the back of Randia's neck with a powerful swing of his club.
"Kuh ...."
The mechanical forces of the impact short-circuited his spinal cord. The trauma invoked a quadriplegia, and even against Randia, it proved to be very effective. In his fading vision, he can see the alerted guards cannot stop the kidnappers. Soon, he fell unconscious.
Randia woke up almost half a day later, and he was surrounded by three people.
"He woke up! Master! The patient is awake! Master, where are you!?"
A young man dashed out the door. Judging by the looks and the necklace, he seemed to be an apprentice of some sort.
"Sir. Are you okay?"
Another one takes over and attends to Randia. He's one of the guards, probably deciding to stay after feeling responsible for what happened. He is a man with a moustache and a poor physique for a man of armour.
Randia, still having a severe headache and breathing trouble, immediately pulls himself up to sit down.
"Sir, you should stay-!"
"Go away!"
Randia brushed the guard's hands away as he gasped for air. The world started to spin around and everything went blurry. He tries to calm down and stabilize himself but it's impossible.
The thought that the kidnappers might be doing something harmful to Viena feels like driving him crazy. He knows what evil every person is capable of. His heart is feeling like it was crushed, but no matter how badly he wants to go, his body won't listen. The damage done to his nervous system is much heavier than he expected.
"You should rest for a while ... I don't even know how you managed to be awake and talking right now. Here I was getting ready to concoct some inhalants until my apprentice called me."
The master walks inside the room, carrying potions and herbs in a metal tray.
"Viena ... The kid, where is she?"
The guard and the doctor look at each other. It's clear to see that Randia is still in a very bad condition. He can't even move his eyeballs. Everything he sees is due to his heightened sense of peripheral vision.
"We are currently doing our best to find your daughter."
"I don't need you to console me. I need you to give me some information. Where they were last seen? Who are those guys? How many kidnappers are there?"
"... And what good will it do to you?"
Randia is triggered. He used his magic to create an icicle in his hand and launched it to the guard's shoulder. The icicle pierces through the bones and meat and is stuck into the wall. The guard groans in pain, and the others in the room are on edge.
"W-What are you doing?" said the apprentice.
Instead of answering, Randia creates another one, making it steady and floating in the air. As the temperature of the room drops, the tension between all parties aboard is rising.
"To think that a group of bandits can go roam so freely and take a helpless little girl in broad daylight, there must be a play under the desk between them and the local authority ... Who knows, maybe you are one of their insiders to keep an eye on me?"
"... Y-You're a fucking mage!" said the guard.
This time, Randia creates another two, totalling three icicles, ready to be sent flying. Certainly, he is not in his right mind. For with every ticking second, Viena risks losing a limb or two. That is how precarious he perceives the situation, thus resulting in great distress.
"All I want is a piece of information, and you are testing my patience. I guarantee you, that is not wise."
Randia said menacingly to the guard as the icicles grew bigger and colder. The guard eventually nodded, thinking that no good could happen if he angered Randia any further.
"And herbalist ...."
One of the icicles turns its target to the herbalist
"Y-Yes, sir?"
"Please make some Grenoia, White Margrave, and Huradin Tea. I know the required ingredients are expensive, but don't you worry. I'll pay no matter the cost."
"R-Right away!"
In less than an hour, Randia has recovered enough to conduct his own personal search for Viena. The wounded guard was healed with Velda after he shared with Randia the relevant information. Then, to wrap it up, all three of them were memory-altered by Randia using an intricate spell of Alna.
Although Randia is still in pain he even needs the help of a walking stick, he is in a time crisis and has to set out as soon as possible. Carrying his big bag, Randia walks west to find Viena in the hope that he is not too late. He tasted something he never knew existed, and he won't let it go no matter what.
