Chapter 21: The Spirit of Enheim's Request (2)

The idea had apparently come from the eldest son of a duke, one that held significant control over the Crethian army at that. In the lore of MO, the Caelios house was infamous amongst the NPCs of Nefra and their gossiping dialogues. They were a do-or-be-disowned military family that excelled in their individual strength and their command over Cretho’s armed forces. A few sub-quests that branched from the main quest had also involved the family, but they were never shown in any reputable light there either.
Yet, I couldn’t recall anything resembling the name Triskeles ever existing in MO. I could only remember that the royal family held absolute control over Cretho and its overall direction. Those three houses were definitely well known, sure, but not to the extent of swaying Cretho’s entirety in any way, shape or form. And of all things, the Caelios family was now considered distinguished enough to earn a seat amongst this so-called Triskeles.
And with that possible adversary addressed, nothing but silence overtook the room once again. Eru’s downcast eyes had dropped to the point where it felt as if the small bird would fall. And as if it similarly thought the same, it finally moved—hopping—off Eru’s head and onto her right shoulder. Eru then shifted her head in reaction, and I could now see a faint and forced smile take to her face as she began rubbing the belly of the bird with her finger. Torrel was quietly observing this as he finally then decided to break the silence.

“Even if this is the situation at hand, I don’t plan on making an enemy out of one of those pesky Triskeles. It’s my duty to find some way through this without either provoking an action from them, or betraying the Spirit of Enheim.”
“...But that’s...”
“Calm your worries, Eru. That’s exactly why we’ll be having a meeting tonight to figure something out. The merchant plans on staying at the other inn near the north gate, and intends on hearing my final answer by tomorrow morning. I’ll be sure to let you know how the meeting goes after tonight, but for the meantime, I want you to take care of the inn until then—understood?”
“...Yes, Grandpa...”

Eru lifted herself from her seat, seemingly preparing to leave, but not before being stopped by Torrel’s question. He had evidently been bemused about something in particular that caught his attention.

“...By the way, what exactly is that thing on your shoulder? Some sort of bird?”

Surprised by his curiosity, Eru glanced over at Cruubi again, watching as it tilted its head slightly as it met her eyes. She smiled gently and responded.

“It’s a summoned bird by the name of Cruubi. It was created by Albel—the traveler from earlier. I was the one that name it though. Isn’t it adorable?”
“A summoning...? From that traveler? Are you sure that thing is safe to keep...?”
“Mhm. It is, but it’s not as if I’m keeping it forever or anything. It’s just with me at the moment. It’s a long story, but it even helped me earlier when I had a small incident—”
“Incident?!”

Torrel launched himself from his seat in abrupt motion as he quickly moved toward Eru, grabbing her by her shoulders with a lack of force. He eyes then started to scan her entirety—as if trying to find any issues or anything concerning on her person.

“You had another incident?! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?! Are you all right, do you still hurt anywhere—?!”
“C-calm down, Grandpa! I’m fine now. Albel and Cruubi helped me. You see, apparently this little bird has the ability to heal. So, contrary to what you may currently think of that man, he isn’t such a bad person.”
“...Are you still referring to that same lad?”

I could faintly see Eru nod in response to Torrel’s question from Cruubi’s peripheral. Torrel then began stroking his beard in thought with closed eyes, with a short sigh escaping his mouth as he extended an advice of caution to Eru.

“Just be careful, youngin’. We still don’t completely understand anything about the young lad. And the next time you have an incident, please make sure you tell me immediately, you hear...?”
“...Don’t worry, I will. Sorry, Grandpa...”

Her head then shifted back toward Cruubi’s direction, as she smiled slightly one last time before the vision became a murky mess. It then faded out completely, bringing me out of the dream-like scene and back into the present.

❖

“Albel, are you there...?” What are you even staring at...?”
“...Hm?!”

I jolted back into the present, my eyes meeting a concerned Eru who was now resting her elbows on the counter and her chin on her hands. She was slouched over slightly as Cruubi was still nested atop her head—looking around at nothing in particular.

What...? Was that some sort of shared memory with Cruubi...? It had to be, right? It definitely felt as if I was seeing everything from its perspective—its own eyes.

I couldn’t recall Cruubi’s status saying anything about a skill like the one that had activated. Yet, the voice from earlier had initiated it without my permission—something the voice called [Conjurer’s Collective]. I couldn’t even remember ever learning or creating such a skill.

And what about that vision...?

A stream of thoughts shifted and flowed swiftly, coursing through my mind like a dam had broken. In response, I couldn’t help but simply lay my head on the table in defeat as an arising headache took form. The experience alone felt hammering, but the post-reflection wasn’t exactly helping either.
Cruubi and I had met each other’s eyes earlier—simply that. And yet, the unknown skill reacted on its own with a voice I hadn’t ever heard before. A stray thought had also crossed my mind at that time about what Cruubi had potentially seen that day on Eru’s head, but that being the trigger left me rather dubious.

There’s no way that was the reason, right...? It can’t be something that simple. That wouldn’t even explain where the skill came from to being with either!

“U-um, Albel? You still haven’t answered my question yet. Well, if you’re tired, you could always just skip dinner and head back upstairs too, you know? Don’t worry, I’ll keep watch over Cruubi. This little one is safe in my hands.”
“Chirp! Chirp!”
“I wasn’t really before, but I definitely am tired now—but that’s not it. Hey, Eru, you mind if I ask you a few questions that may come off as a bit strange...?”
“...It depends. Your strange may very well be a true definition of the word after all.”
“...Listen, you...the first one isn’t so bad at least, okay?”
“So, only the first one is somewhat normal. I see. O-okay, I’m ready...”
“Ready for what...? It’s just a question, not a test. First off, I want to know how long has passed since I sat down here, at the counter?”

Looking toward her with my head still resting on the table, I was met with a furrowed brow. It seems like the question was indeed rather strange to her.

“Hmm. I’d say about...a minute or so...? Did you happen to doze off during that time or something? With your eyes open...?”
“Possibly.”
“Eeeeeh....”

Eru was slightly taken aback by my response as she then lifted herself from the counter holding a peculiar expression. I simply ignored it, paying more mind to her prior words. The vision itself hadn’t been that long or anything, possibly around ten minutes or so overall. And yet, only around a minute had even gone by outside of that said vision.

So, it really was like a dream then? From what she said, I pretty much zoned out completely too. Okay, that aside, what about the validity of the dream? Guess there’s only one way to find out. But...

With my eyes back on Eru’s figure, she still held a slightly weird expression as she began talking to Cruubi who was now in the palm of her hands.

“You have quite the strange owner, you know that, Cruubi?”
“Chirp!”
“Shh! Don’t readily agree with me so fast in front of him, it might end up making him sad...!”

A heavy sigh escaped my mouth, one loud enough that it sounded more like an audible murmur. I had already been upfront with her about who I was, so explaining even more didn’t seem like much of an issue. I had also gained insight on a problem currently unfolding in Druhwood—unintentionally that is. If what I heard from the vision was true, then something dire may soon come to pass the longer I waited. It didn’t seem like something I could just ignore either. It was time to be direct.

“Okay, Eru, now for the next question...”
“Huh? Y-you really plan on still going? Cruubi and I are ready then...!”
“Like I said, it’s just a question! Well, this one will definitely sound a lot stranger though. But before that...”

I started explaining the vision I had seen a little earlier to her. She stood, staring in disbelief to it all. I recounted the general idea of what the conversation entailed, small details involving the back room—the map and so forth. I finally then prompted my question.

“...Now, in hearing all of that, I’d like to confirm that vision with you. Is everything I said accurate at all? Or does it seem like I’m simply rambling about a fever dream that you know nothing about?”
“...”

It could have easily just been an incredibly realistic dream. Maybe I truly did fall asleep with my eyes still open, since it was a long day and all. That wouldn’t explain the new skill called [Conjurer’s Collective] though.
I quietly kept my focus on her, as her line of sight was directed at Cruubi in her hands. A short while of silence went by before she began making weird expressions at Cruubi, seemingly conversing with herself in thought before abruptly becoming the new questioner.

“...Is that all you saw...?”
“Hm? Ah, yes, that’s all I...saw?”
“...Are you completely sure about that?!”

Her voice shot forth—emphatically— with her gaze now piercing my entirety as she leaned over the counter and toward me. Taken aback, I almost fell off my stool in sudden surprise.

“...Y-yes, I’m pretty sure that’s all I saw, Eru...”
“...I see, I see. You’re more dangerous than I originally thought, Cruubi. Wait! Is that what Grandpa meant about whether it was safe to keep you or not?!”
“Huh?! What exactly are you—?”
“Here! Take it, Albel! Hurry!”

Thrusting her hands forward, Cruubi still sat rather comfortably in her palms as it tilted its head sideways at me as if it were puzzled. I was quite lost myself, more so than the bird staring at me. Not only that, her arms were slightly being drawn back to her, as she was seemingly stuck in a vicious cycle of not wanting to let go of Cruubi.

Does she want to keep it...? It definitely looks like it—wait, what is this girl even trying to do right now?!

“Eru! I think you’ve misunderstood something—!”
“Aaaaaa! Hurry! Before I give in and succumb to the idea that the risk is still worth keeping this adorable little one with me...!”
“What? Risk...? Wait, do you...”

Labeling Cruubi a risk, it then took me a few seconds to understand what she may have been implying. For whatever reason, I was able to perceive a portion of Cruubi’s past in the form of a dream-like vision. Due to this, Eru had potentially assumed that I now held ill-intentions on how I would use this new skill. I was beyond disbelief about her train of thought—especially about me.

“Listen, Eru. If you think I’m going to use Cruubi to peep on—”
“AAAAAAA! S-so the idea really did occur to you too, didn’t it?! Now I definitely can’t keep it with me!”

It took me several more minutes as I attempted to resolve this issue as quickly and properly as I could. Despite the seriousness involved with what I had found out, she was seemingly more concerned with this far more. And with the misunderstanding resolved, we finally continued.

“...So, you don’t even know how it activated in the first place...? I see.”
“That’s the gist of it. It was a random occurrence. That aside, it’s rather rude of you to assume I’d use it that way to begin with, you know?!”
“Ahaha... Sorry—wait, no! I mean, isn't that exactly what a guy would use something like that for?! Peeping and all?! Am I really in the wrong here for thinking like that?!”
“Huh?! Well...actually, you’re not that wrong. But that doesn’t automatically mean I’d use it like that! At least have a little faith in me!”
“Geh! Um, I mean, I do, but... You can never be a hundred percent sure, r-right...?”

Our back and forth continued, louder and longer, than I had expected it to as a sudden bell from the front entrance seized both of our ears and attention. More so, what had accompanied the jingle as a man’s voice spoke loudly in a disgruntled tone.

“That old man isn’t here, huh? I was hoping I could just get his answer by tonight, so I could be done with this already. But of course, I’ll still be left to wait on him. What an insufferable place...”

The uninvited man that appeared was wearing a rather lavish looking burgundy and black suit. He had gray hair, that puffed slightly in the front and a mustache that protruded outward a bit on opposite ends. To add to that, what seemed like two guards were accompanying him. You wouldn’t expect to see someone dressed as fancy as he was this far south in Cretho. By that logic, I could easily gather who he potentially was. The noble merchant, representative of the Caelios family from Nefra had suddenly entered the Mirth Oak Inn.