Side Joren: Clarinet B

1

After an entire day of riding on lizard back, galloping across the blistering heat of Joren’s crimson dunes, Clare finally reached her target. She wondered if it was really necessary for her and Virgilia to protect this highly valued individual from their Elesian pursuers if they were this good at getting away.

The target descended from their carriage—a simple box made of ivory wood with little to no design—and placed their hand on the giant lizard that pulled it. Simply put, Clare’s armored mount chased the target’s lizard all day until it finally ran out of energy, despite being three times in size. Or perhaps, that was precisely why.

Clare touched the neck of her own lizard and it happily growled in response. “You really are worth the price we paid for.”

“Who are you?” the target said, suddenly facing her way. “You kept yelling we’re on the same side. How do you know what side I’m on?”

“I—” the words caught in Clare’s throat. She couldn’t actually tell the target that fate sent her to help, could she?

More importantly, the target had a woman’s voice. Their frame was large and bulky, so Clare assumed otherwise, but…

The target took off the cape and veil covering most of their face and upper body. They were no doubt wearing armor that was disproportionate from the size of their head.

“I don’t sense my pursuers anymore,” the target said. “I’ve expanded the reach of my magic but nothing. I do sense one individual however, flying in circles above the desert.”

I guess Virigilia’s alright, Clare thought. I also guess she doesn’t have the same sensing ability as this person.

“That would be my partner,” Clare said. “She took care of your pursuers.”

The target narrowed their eyes. “Why? What is it to you? Who are you?”

“We’re… a concerned third party,” Clare answered. She pointed to her sword attached to her lizard’s side, then raised both hands, palms open. She slowly moved forward. “I promise you, we mean you no harm. We simply wanted to make sure you reach your destination.”

“My destination?” the target spat. “Nobody knows my destination but I!”

Dammit, Clare cursed inwardly. “We have… I belong to an organization that’s been keeping an eye on you. No, keeping an eye on this floating continent divided by the Great Bridge.”

“Organization?”

It wasn’t exactly a lie. Fate and the arbiter probably had their eyes on this world and this target. Clare had to make something up.

We really should’ve planned this better…

But time was of the essence. They had to catch their target before they fell on enemy hands.

“Yes,” Clare answered after some time. “Like I said, we’re a concerned third party. It is in our… best interest that this continent finds peace. To achieve that we decided it is extremely important that we protect you.”

The target seemed to consider her words.

Clare was terrible at lying. In fact, she wasn’t fully sure she was terrible at lying because she couldn’t remember the last time she did it.

Unless lying to oneself counted. If so, then she was really good at that. So many times she put her dreams on the side because it ‘wasn’t important’. Being depressed for the last three years would like to have a word with that lie.

Suddenly, the target unwrapped more of the veil covering their hair and—

Clare’s eyes widened.

The target had bluish-white hair, long elf-like ears, and a piece of ruby embedded on their forehead. She was exactly as Ryota described her.

“I’d like to hear more about this organization,” the woman said, the Mage Queen of the Elesian Empire. “If I like what I hear then I’d permit you to be my escort. Otherwise… I’d destroy you here and now.”