Chapter 06: Rikka

The next day,

The little beast girl was on her knees, her eyes focused dejectedly on the ground in a comically miserable pose. Standing in front of her was Shawn, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed as he stared down at her. They were in Aria’s room, while Aria herself was taking a shower to prepare for the morning prayers.

“So, you are here for the pilferage. Am I right?” he repeated her words flatly.

“Hm…” She nodded slowly.

“I see… You know this place is a holy religious temple, right? If someone tries to steal something from here, it results in…” he trailed off.

“Death,” she finished for him.

“Huh? So you are actually aware of it, then.” He walked over to a nearby fruit basket, pulled out a knife, and walked back toward her, holding it firmly in his hand.

“Hm!” Terrified, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut, waiting for him to end her life as he dropped to one knee in front of her.

Instead, a sharp snip echoed. He cut the ropes binding her hands and stood back up. Feeling the sudden release, she opened one eye and realized her hands were free. She lifted her head in sheer surprise.

“You… You are not going to kill me?” she asked.

Shawn scratched the back of his neck. “Thievery isn't a critical crime for which someone deserves death. And besides…”

Footsteps approached from the bathroom as Aria entered, wearing her usual attire for the prayers along with her signature distant smile. Shawn finished his sentence, “…the lawmaker herself chose to forgive you.”

The beast girl turned, and in her eyes, Aria was shining like a divine being. “Aria… sama…”

“Hehe…” Aria took a few steps toward them when suddenly—

Thud!

A sharp chill shot through her entire body. Her pinky toe had slammed hard against the leg of the dining table. Shaking violently and screaming silently to herself to push back the excruciating pain, she dropped to her knees.

“A… Aria… sama?” The beast girl lowered herself further, looking deeply worried before turning to Shawn, who had quickly averted his gaze, covering his mouth to hide a smirk.

“Eh?..” The girl looked back at Aria.

Once Aria finally calmed herself down, she stood up—

Thud!

This time, her head slammed right into the surface of the table. A painful moan escaped her lips as she dropped flat onto the ground.

“ARIA-SAMA!” the beast girl shrieked, rushing toward her, while Shawn clutched his stomach, desperately trying to swallow his laughter.

“Are you alright, Aria-sama?” the beast girl asked frantically.

Aria stood up, forcing a bright smile as if absolutely nothing had happened. “I am fine. This is nothing new. I often… I mean, it seems like that damn old hag, Goddess Iris, is upset with me or something.”

Did I just hear wrong, or did she really call Goddess Iris an old hag? the beast girl thought, bewildered. Maybe it's some type of divine language she uses to connect with the Goddess.

Putting that bizarre thought aside, she turned to look at Shawn, who was still trembling with laughter and clutching his stomach.

Why is he laughing? Isn't Sword Saint Aria-sama a divine, absolute being? And as far as I know, he is her attendant, so he should be the one closest to her.

While the beast girl was lost in thought, Aria walked over, waving her hands blindly through the air until she found the sofa, sitting down gracefully.

“Child, will you first tell me your name, and the cause that drove you to become a thief?”

The girl turned back to her, bowing low on her knees. “I am Rikka, a raccoon beastkin from the Marina Forest.”

“Marina Forest? Isn't that near the Verdantis Kingdom territory? You came all the way here from there?” Shawn asked in surprise, knowing it usually took around three days to reach the Verdantis Kingdom.

“Verdantis Kingdom?” Aria tilted her head, looking completely confused.

“Maybe you've heard of it, Aria… I mean, Aria-sama,” Shawn corrected himself quickly, covering up her real name. “It is our neighboring kingdom to the east.”

Aria paused, staring at him blankly as if she were hearing the name for the very first time. Seeing her utter confusion, Shawn sighed and tried to smoothly explain the details to Rikka without exposing Aria’s ignorance. “Maybe, Rikka, you might not know this—”

Rikka interrupted him. “Huh? You probably think that just because I'm from the forest I'm uneducated, but we actually get a proper education there! You don't need to explain basic geography to me.”

Shawn’s eyes narrowed as he glanced back and forth between Aria and Rikka.

So, now our supreme Sword Saint is dumber than a beast person, he thought bitterly. Well, I can’t blame her. Until recently, she was just a living killing machine, after all.

He stopped his internal rant, glanced at the still-confused Aria, and sighed. He turned back to Rikka. “Well, you might know it, but correct me if I'm wrong since I'm the one who didn't get a proper education,” he lied smoothly to save face for Aria.

“There are four major landmasses, and on each one, there is a major kingdom. The northern part, called Frosthold, is ruled by Lady Lumiara, famous for its freezing and extreme weather conditions. The southern part, Sandsreach, is ruled by King Malakor, known for its endless desert. Then there's the eastern part, Verdantis, with its rich greenery, ruled by Prince Cernan. And lastly, Aquallia, our kingdom, ruled by Princess Celestia.”

“I see… Yeah, you really know your stuff, Shawn,” Aria praised him instantly, nodding along as if she had known it all along.

Ignoring Aria entirely, Shawn turned back to the girl. “Anyway, what was the reason you came all the way here?”

“Well…” Rikka tapped her index fingers together hesitantly. “Our small village was attacked by goblin hounds. Since we are physically stronger than them, we should have been able to win, but…”

“But?” he pressed.

“I don't know how, but they possess some type of ancient weapons. They were able to defeat us all, and now, my people are working as their slaves.”

“So, you thought if you could steal a weapon like theirs, you might be able to put up a fight, huh?”

“Yes! I’ve heard stories about Aria-sama ever since I left my village. The tales say she can slash thousands of ancient beasts—even dragons—within the blink of an eye!”

“Hehe…” Aria giggled, her face puffing up with a smug expression.

“Right… Well, you came here for the Infinity Blade that Aria holds,” Shawn rationalized. “But you know that to fully utilize a weapon like that, you have to be incredibly skilled, right?”

“Well… I planned to train with it after I snatched it from here.”

Shawn let out a heavy sigh, but Aria interrupted, crossing her arms and marching over to Rikka. “We just need to get rid of the goblins, right?”

She looked down at Rikka determinedly. “Then consider it done. I will personally go with you and handle the situation.”

“Huh? Hey, what are you saying?!” Shawn panicked. “The prayers are about to start in a minute! You can't just—”

“Shut up! You worry about the most unnecessary things.” Aria extended her hand to Rikka. Though confused, Rikka accepted it, and Aria immediately dragged her toward the large open window.

“Aria-sama, I understand, but if you vanish like this, the temple will fall into utter chaos! Besides, if we exit today, we will—”

Before Shawn could even finish his sentence to stop her, Aria leaped straight out of the window, dragging Rikka with her. Shawn rushed to the ledge and looked out. Aria was already airborne, using her magic to keep Rikka floating safely right beside her.

“HEY! STOP RIGHT THERE!” Shawn roared.

Aria threw her voice back toward him, shouting, “Tell the followers I am currently meditating and need to speak with Goddess Iris! They'll understand! Bye!”

With a sudden, violent BOOM, she ignited a sonic boost. She flew off at supersonic speed, the resulting shockwave tearing through the courtyard below—rattling the trees, scattering leaves everywhere, and parting the clouds above.

Shawn slumped against the window frame, rubbing his temples. “Geez… You have no idea how hard it is to make them believe that stuff.”