Volume 2 Chapter 38 - Request

***Lynett***

What in the world is he doing here?

“Big sister!”

Following her visit, the Chief Secretary led the way to the headmaster’s office. Seeing me growing restless -no one would go to the headmaster’s office with a light heart after all- she explained that I was not in trouble and that there was someone waiting for me there. Someone from the outside.

As far as I knew, the school did not allow visitors. To begin with, the Academy was located in a rather hostile region, secluded from any civilization. Very few people would care to risk such a journey just to visit a relative. It’s not like if students were hostages after all. They returned home during the holidays. So I had no idea who this visitor of mine could be. As much as I would have loved to, it was very unlikely to be my mom. My uncle or my aunt? Not a chance. And I had no other relatives. So I concluded that it must have been a mistake. However, now that I see him, I understand it’s not.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” the young boy exclaimed.

It was Axis, the child I met not so long ago in Eskor, who tried to rob me. How did he get here?

“A teacher on patrol duty found him wandering in the area,” Mrs. Kelly explained. “With all the dangerous beasts roaming around, we couldn’t let such a young child alone out there so we brought him here. Turns out he was looking for you this whole time. Do you know him?”

I nodded.

“I do. We come from the same kingdom. What is he doing here?”

“That’s what we would like to know but…” the Chief Secretary let out a long sigh, “he wouldn’t tell us.”

“I told you I came for big sister Lynett!” Axis shot.

“Anyway,” Mrs. Kelly readjusted the glasses on her nose bridge, “we’ve called for a carriage, but it will take a while for it to arrive. Since you know him, do you mind looking after him for a couple of days? The headmaster and I are quite busy, and the other staff members all have their own duties.”

And I don’t? I’m a student, I know it’s the weekend, but I also have things to do, like homework and stuff like that! Well, actually I don’t, but imagine if I did!

“Naturally, we will take that into account in your record,” she continued, “we will be more lenient for your next assessments.”

So, basically, she’s not giving me the chance to refuse.

“Alright,” I accepted. “I can do that.”

Axis came for me for a reason after all. I’m interested in what he has to say.

The severe features of Mrs. Kelly softened as she let out a sigh of relief.

“Good, if you need anything, let me know,” she said. “In the meantime, I apologize, but I’ll need you to leave the room as soon as possible. The headmaster will return soon.”

Yeah, she did seem in a hurry. I wonder if there is something wrong with the board?

As Mrs. Kelly pretty much kicked us out, I brought Axis to my room. While boys weren’t allowed in our dormitory, Axis was an exception as I had a special authorization from the Chief Secretary. Nomi hasn’t heard about it yet, though. I hope she won’t mind it too much. But seeing the big deal she made out of Cotton’s presence, she probably will, although those two situations aren’t exactly alike.

Axis followed in silence, too busy admiring the facilities of the school to utter a single word. For a boy like him, who has probably known nothing else but streets and precariousness, I can imagine how impressive it must be. He was in awe at the simple sight of the courtyard.

“Welcome back, Master,” Cottontail greeted us upon our arrival.

She was not in her fox form anymore.

“Wow!” Axis marveled at her sight. “A demi-human girl! You have two tails? That’s so cool!”

He had already seen Yoko before, but coming from a human kingdom, I guess he was still not used to seeing demi-humans.

“Axis,” I called him out. “What did you come here for?” Now that we were alone, it was time for him to explain his presence here to me.

The boy’s amazement died out as soon as he heard me. He put on a straight face again.

“Big sister, I need your help!” he explained, his expression set hard.

Yeah, I can guess that much. If he came all the way here, it must be serious.

“What is it?” I asked.

“My dad disappeared!”

…

Again…?

What the hell is wrong with his dad? He has a son, yet he keeps leaving him behind and disappears. Last time, it was the exact same story. Troy had supposedly ‘went missing’ and Axis came to me for help. Turns out he was just following Yoko around, on his own free will, like a faithful puppy. Thinking about it, didn’t Yoko leave the capital recently? Could this be related to his so-called disappearance? Maybe he followed her again? What’s his problem, is he in love with her or something?

I sighed.

“Listen Axis, I don’t think we can find your dad this time,” I tried to explain to him. “You should let it go.”

“What?! No!” the boy protested. “He’s been kidnapped!”

Yeah, I’ve heard that before. I can’t blame him, though. His dad pretty much abandoned him. It is only natural for him to be in denial.

“Alright, alright. First, how about you tell me how you got here?” I tried to divert his attention, allowing him to calm down.

“Huh? Well… I got here by unicorn,” the boy revealed.

By uni-… What the hell has he been smoking?

“It was super fast,” Axis shamelessly continued, “it took less than a day to come here!”

Right. I’m guessing it also rode a rainbow to get here, huh? And that it left a drizzle of sparkles behind it?

“Can you believe that, big sister? A unicorn!” Axis insisted. “Mr. Harri wasn’t lying!”

…Harri? Oh wait, fuck. He’s actually telling the truth. If it’s Harri we’re talking about, then it wouldn’t be weird for a unicorn to be involved. In fact, I did see him ride a unicorn before. But as a legendary type of beast, it shouldn’t have approached mortals. How did Axis find one, let alone ride it?

“Did Harri bring you to the unicorn?” I guessed.

The boy nodded.

“I came to find you, but you weren’t here,” Axis started to recount. “Mr. Harri told me you were away, out of the kingdom, and when I asked a coachman to bring me to you, he said the journey would take at least two weeks! But I didn’t have two weeks before me, it was an emergency! So Mr. Harri proposed his help. He said he knew a means of transport that would be faster than anything else, but…”

The boy marked a dramatic pause, bringing his index finger in front of his mouth.

“… it’s a secret. That was a unicorn!”

Wow. What a way to keep a secret, Axis! Well, he is a child after all. Children just can’t keep their mouth shut.

“So Harri lent you a unicorn?”

Axis nodded.

That’s weird, though. I know Harri’s chivalry code includes helping those in need, but he’s not supposed to involve himself with the others. I specifically asked him not to. So why did he do it? Why did he help Axis? It’s not like if it was a minor thing, he went as far as lending him a legendary magical beast. While not a direct proof of divinity, this is definitely not something that goes unnoticed. Yet, Harri still helped him. Which means he must have considered that the situation required it. Which means my mom was involved in the matter. Maybe it is related to my aunt's disappearance?

“Did you meet mother?” I asked.

The boy blinked at me twice, before a smile spread across his face.

“I did!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

I thought so.

“She was really beautiful!” the boy continued, “I didn’t know your mother was an elf, big sister. It was my first time seeing one! Although her ears were a bit weird...”

“Did you say anything to her?” I cut him off.

“I don’t think so?” Axis pondered. “She did say she would help me, though!”

Ah, I get it. Harri must have prevented her from getting involved in Axis' problems by sending him to me. What a hassle. So if I just send him back, he’ll probably just go back to her, huh?

“You know, if your father was kidnapped, why don’t you alert the authorities?” I suggested, returning to the main topic. I need to get rid of him. “I know they weren’t of great assistance last time, but isn’t it better to maximize your chances of finding him?”

Especially if he’s running after a Goddess.

“We can’t!” Axis flatly refused my proposition. “We can’t have the authorities involved!”

…Mmh? That’s a pretty strong reaction.

“Why not?”

The boy clenched his fists, his narrowed eyes cast down on the floor.

“Dad broke the law,” he explained, his voice full of frustration. “If the authorities learn about this, they’re not going to help him. Instead, they’ll only make things worse.”

I furrowed my brow. That’s new.

“What did he do?” I asked.

Axis seemed unwilling to answer. However, if he wanted me to help, he knew he wouldn’t have the choice but to tell me everything.

“He assaulted someone,” he eventually disclosed, with much reluctance. “He attacked someone with a knife, and when others tried to stop him, he threatened to slit his throat.”

…

WHAT?!

What the hell? Isn’t he just a criminal then?

“But they were bad people!” Axis shouted in a desperate attempt to justify his father’s actions, as he read the surprise on my face. “They deserved it!”

Well, considering this world’s customs, I can only give him the benefit of the doubt. I have met Troy before, and it’s true he didn’t seem like a guy who would do this sort of thing without a reason.

“What did they do?” I inquired, trying to get a better insight of the whole story.

“They are holding my mom hostage,” Axis promptly replied. “They’ve been asking for a ransom for months, but we don’t have money! Dad was desperate so he…”

His mom? So he does have a mom after all! And if she’s been held hostage, it’s no wonder she was never in the picture whenever I met Axis or his father. Maybe Troy didn’t go after Yoko, in the end. After all, if he went as far as threatening someone to save his wife, he must be quite in love with her. So far, Axis’ story makes sense. There is just one thing that doesn’t add up.

“Why didn’t you go to the authorities?” I questioned one more time, my eyes full of doubt. “I understand that your father crossed a line, but if what you say is true, then he had legitimate reasons to do it. The authorities would have been lenient about his actions. Besides, if your mother’s been kidnapped, that’s even more reasons to report it to them.”

“You don’t understand!” the boy got flustered. “The authorities won’t help! They can’t do anything about those people! My mom was kidnapped legally, and now, it’s my dad’s turn!”

What? What is he talking about? That doesn’t make any sense. There is no way a kidnapping would be legal. No one can be taken against their will. As archaic our society was, citizens had rights. Every subject of the kingdom had the right to be protected. For someone to be captured, it could only mean that they had lost those rights. Which means they were either a criminal, or…

Oh.

Oh, shit.

“Who are they?” I asked Axis, my voice wavering, as I just came to a conclusion. “Those people who captured your mom and your dad, who are they?”

The boy winced, grinding his teeth. His gaze lost somewhere in the room, he let a loud sigh escape from his mouth.

“Slave traders...”

Crap.

Crap, crap, crap, I fucking knew it. Those goddamn slave traders.

That’s right. In Agraal, human trafficking was allowed. So if someone, for whatever reason, lost their rights as a citizen, it would be completely legal to capture them.

Shit. This isn’t funny.

“Did you tell her?” I suddenly grabbed Axis by his shoulder. “Did you tell her anything about this?!”

“What?” The boy was startled. “Tell who?”

“My mother!” I yelled. “You said she was willing to help you! Does it mean you told her about this?”

Confused, Axis shook my hands away.

“I didn’t!”

Oh thank gods!

Considering mom’s history with slavers, I certainly don’t want her to be involved with them again. In fact, if possible, I don’t want her to even hear anything about them. She’s suffered enough. There is no need for her to bring up the painful memories of the past. It is a real relief, though. For a moment, I thought mom had agreed to help him because he told her about his circumstances. Having been a slave herself, it is possible that she wouldn’t have been able to refuse him. Now, I definitely can’t let him go back to her for help.

“How in the world did you get involved with slavers?!” I was growing a headache.

“It’s not like it was a choice!” Axis growled.

Obviously.

“We couldn’t pay back our debts, so they just took my mom! And now, they took my dad as well!”

Yeah, this is what slavers do. Taking advantage of people’s weaknesses to enslave them.

Shit. And here I thought it would be something trivial again. Slavers? I had been expecting anything but that. That is really not good.

Realizing the severity of his situation, the boy fell on his knees.

“Big sister…” he muttered. “I’m begging you, help them! Help my parents! If it’s you, you probably can do it!"

He looked up at me, his desperate eyes full of expectations.

"I know you’ve already helped me once, but if you help me just once more, I’ll do anything!" he continued, "I’ll be your servant, your shield, your puppet, anything! I’ll dedicate my entire life to you! I promise!”

As hundreds of thoughts crossed my mind, weighing the pros and cons of letting myself get involved with this matter, Axis' lowered his head. He clenched his fists tightly on his knees as he bit his lower lip.

"Please," he begged once more, worried by my lack of reaction, "they're all I have…"

Finally giving in to despair, tears started to spill from the boy’s eyes. Despite his efforts to hold them in, the tears kept falling down his face.

This is not right. Such strong words should never come out from a child’s mouth. Yet, here he is, begging me for his parents’ life. He probably knows he’s next, but he’s not thinking about himself. He’s not asking me to save him, he wants me to save his parents.

“Axis,” I called out, “how well do you know those slave traders?”

The boy looked up at me with confused, watery eyes.

“How long have they been in the business, and have they always operated in the capital?” I clarified my question.

He wiped his tears.

“I don’t know for how long exactly,” he replied, his voice still shaking from his emotions, “but their organization had the monopoly in the capital for at least these past twenty years. Because of that, no one can touch them. They’re not afraid of anything.”

That’s all I needed to know.

“You said Harri’s unicorn brought you here, right? Where is it now?”

Axis squinted his eyes, not understanding the point of my question.

“I left it outside,” he answered anyway. “Mr. Harri asked me not to get it too close to human accommodations, so I left it a bit further to look for the entrance of the Academy.”

Perfect.

“Get up,” I said.

Disoriented, the boy still complied. I shifted my gaze to Cottontail. Seemingly unconcerned and uninterested by this whole situation, she had stayed silent until now.

“Cotton,” I called.

“Yes Master,” she immediately answered.

“Let’s go.”

Without any further delay, I headed to the door. Cottontail, who had figured my intentions out, followed me without any questions. Only Axis didn’t understand what was going on.

“Where are you going?” he inquired, his eyes tight and worried.

“You wanted my help, didn’t you?” I replied. “Let’s get on with it.”

Realizing what I’ve just said, Axis’ eyes glimmered with renewed hope.

“You’re going to help me?!”

“Yes,” I told him, “so hurry up. We don’t have a minute to waste.”

The boy rushed to my side.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

To be honest, I would have normally never agreed to help him. Not that I don’t care -I feel sorry for him, I really do- but in the end, there is no way I would risk my own situation for his.

Years ago, I made a decision. I vowed to never meddle in others’ business. For as long as I, mother or brother aren’t concerned about it, I will not intervene in any matter. Because once I start getting myself involved, I won’t be able to stop. That was the one condition for me to have a somewhat normal life. But it wasn’t just about me. It was also about mom and Aoban. As my direct relatives, whatever I do, it will affect them. So I won’t take that risk. I won’t ever meddle in others’ business at the risk of putting mom and Aoban’s lives at stake. Because this is what happens when you start getting involved with others’ matters: you become a target, and so do your loved ones. I am not going to let that happen. I can take care of myself. Mom and Aoban can’t. I guess I can protect them to some extent, but ultimately, there is only so much one can do. I am not omnipotent. It only takes one second. One second of carelessness, one second of me not looking, and the tragedy happens. There is no way I would take that risk. So I will not carelessly expose them to danger by involving myself in other’s problems. No matter how selfish it is, I will turn a blind eye to everything. My priority is those two, and those two only. The others don’t matter.

This time, however, the situation is a bit different. This time, slave traders are involved. And I have a grudge against slave traders. So this isn’t about meddling in someone else’s business. This isn’t about helping anyone. This is just my own personal vendetta.

“Axis,” I called as I led the way outdoors, “those slavers, you said they were in an organization, right?”

“I did,” the boy confirmed.

“And if they’ve led the market for the past few years, they must be quite renowned, right?”

He clicked his tongue.

“They are…” he grumbled.

My lips curled to form a smirk.

“So that means they’re not hiding, right?”

“Why would they be?” Axis pointed out. “What they’re doing is not illegal. And they have a lot of wealthy clients among the nobles. Offending them would be like offending nobility, so no one would dare to tell them anything.”

Good. Then they’ll be easy to find.

After a few more moments, as we finally reached the borders of the campus, I stopped, turning around, my eyes halting on the fox girl.

“Cotton,” I called, “lead the way.”

With a single nod of the head, the girl complied and stepped forward to take the lead.

I’m not sure if it’s because of the [Contract], but she really seemed to be in tune with me. It was just like if she could read my thoughts. There was no need for me to put them into words, she just seemed to guess what I had in mind.

“Where are we going?” Axis asked.

“We’re leaving,” I replied, “we’re going back to Eskor.”

"You mean right now?" his eyes widened.

"Is that a problem?" I inquired, "I thought it was an emergency."

"No, no, it is! The sooner the better! I'm not sure when they'll leave after all, but," Axis marked a pause, looking at me, "won’t you get into trouble if you leave like that?"

I squinted my eyes at the young boy. He had so desperately tried to convince me to help him I had not expected him to worry about things like this.

"I will," I told him.

"Huh?! I-I thought so…"

As the boy's voice fell silent, I gave him a half smile.

"Which is exactly why we're not leaving through the main gate," I explained. "Cotton is leading us to where the barrier is the weakest. If we leave the Academy there, no one will know about it."

"What about your classes?" Axis inquired. "Won't people notice it if you're gone?"

"It's the weekend, Axis," I pointed out. "And we'll be back before Monday."

"You think so?"

I hope so. The Agraal kingdom wasn't located that far away from the Academy. In fact, it was one of the closest nations. However, while the kingdom had a vast territory, most of it was uninhabitable. From the steep lands to the sloughts and dense forests, only a very small part of the entire territory had been converted into settlement lands, so travelling across the kingdom was not an easy task. A few roads had been built for carriages and horses, but most of them simply skirted the inhospitable lands.

With so many detours, it was only natural that a journey there would take at least two weeks. It was even longer than a journey to another, further kingdom. However, I don’t intend to use one of those landscaped roads. We won’t be taking any detours, we will go in a straight line towards the capital. Besides, we won't be going by carriage. We'll go by unicorn. It can not only go through steep paths, it is also much faster. Much, much faster. Axis said it himself. He took less than a day to arrive here. So if I feed the magical beast some of my mana, it should take even less time. That is still a risky bet, though. I don't know how much time it'll take me to find Axis' parents, so it is best to leave as soon as possible.

"Sorry," the boy muttered as he did not receive a confirmation from me.

"It's fine," I told him. "I needed to go home anyway."

Yoko's letter was really concerning me. I wanted to use this opportunity to make sure mom was alright, and it wouldn’t hurt to go check on the Whitehearts either.

As we reached the edge of the school grounds, the forest became thicker. It was hard to notice the metal fences amidst all those bushes and trees, but they were here.

"How are we going to go past these?" Axis worried.

"We jump."

The boy drew his head backwards at my unreasonable reply. The fences were really high, at least two meters tall. It was unthinkable for a normal human being to jump above, not to mention that if they failed, they could easily impale themselves on its spiked railings. That's what he thought, at least, until Cotton proved him otherwise.

With a swift jump, the fox girl bounced back on a tree trunk above the railings, landing on the other side of the fences with ease. Naturally, I wasn't going to let Axis' try that. Without leaving him the time to be impressed, I lifted the boy up in the air with wind magic and tossed him next to Cotton, before joining them in turn. Disoriented at first, Axis quickly understood that whatever happened, it was my doing, as he saw me levitating right after him.

We were now officially no longer in the school grounds.

Cottontail looked around her, seemingly looking for something. When she finally found it, she extended her arm in front of her.

"It's here," she said, as the atmosphere seemed to deform itself at the touch of her hand.

The fox girl took a step forward, disappearing into the invisible wall.

So this is where the barrier's weakest point is, huh?

"Let's go," I told Axis.

Intimidated by the unknown magic, the boy still gave me a nod. To make sure he wouldn't get lost behind, I took his hand before following Cotton through the barrier. Maybe I'm getting used to it, but it wasn't as bad as when I first experienced it. A sudden gust of wind simply blew hot as the air around me changed. I could now see Cotton again. On the other hand, turning back, I could no longer see the Academy.

Escape successful.

Poorly tolerating the sudden change of atmosphere, Axis threw up a little.

"I'm okay..." the boy muttered, once his retchings subsided.

I extended my hand in front of me for him to take it and helped him up. Axis was still a bit shaken when he realized the scenery around him changed.

"Do you recognize this place?" I inquired.

The boy hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.

He probably won't be able to guide us to Harri's unicorn then. Well, that's fine. It’s a magical beast after all. And if there is one way to attract a magical beast, it’s mana.

I leaked out a bit of my magical power, inviting the legendary beast to come over. The unicorn wasn’t the only magical beast around, so I made sure not to let too much of my mana flow out. I didn’t want to attract all the monsters of the area after all, I only wanted Harri’s unicorn. Considering its rank, I had no doubt it would be the first one to react to my mana. It was the mount of an Original God after all, it was used to divine magical power.

As I had expected, after only a couple of minutes, the unicorn appeared before us. The stallion emerged from behind a tree, its white coat shining in the darkness and its pinkish mane flowing in the air like flames. It was ridiculously sparkly, as glossy as silk. I’m not an expert when it comes to equines so I can hardly distinguish different horses, but I’m pretty sure this is the same unicorn I saw with Harri when I first met him. It’s hard to forget such flashiness after all. I had hoped it would be a different one… I repeat, but this one looks like Barbie’s horse.

Axis, who had completely recovered from his vertigos, widened his eyes at the sigh of the magical beast.

“How…?”

“I called it,” I explained, before he could finish his sentence. “That’s the unicorn who brought you here, right?”

The boy nodded.

“Alright, get on.”

The stallion was by no means small in size, and with no saddle or bridle to help him, Axis wouldn’t have been able to get on it if not for my help. Using magic, I lifted the boy in the air, just enough so that he could climb on the unicorn and grab its mane. Once I made sure he was properly settled, I turned to Cotton.

“Can you transform back into a fox?” I asked.

“Of course.”

There was no way I could leave Cottontail behind. She just arrived and seeing how comfortable she is with wearing clothes, she is clearly not familiar with human customs. Besides, it may be because of the contract, but she already seems quite dependant on me. However, if I wanted to bring her along, she needed to become smaller. Cotton wasn’t that big. She was the size of an average ten years old child, barely smaller than me. However, if the three of us are going to mount the unicorn, we better lighten its load as much as possible. It’ll also make the journey more comfortable as we won’t be all cramped on the magical beast.

According to my request, the fox girl shrank back to her fox form. I picked her up in my arms as Axis’ jaw dropped on the floor.

“Huh?! How…?”

This time, there was no need for me to interrupt him as he cut his question short himself. At this point, he’s probably getting used to abnormalities anyway. He’s already seen a unicorn, how much more shocking can it be to see someone transform?

Letting the boy recover from his surprise, I joined him on the unicorn. I placed Cottontail between us, to make sure she wouldn’t fall off. The little fox comfortably settled in, snuggling against me.

Yeah, she’s adorable. Is this what it is like to have a pet? I’ve always wanted one. Although it wasn’t exactly planned, I don’t regret forming a [Contract] with her.

“Are you ready?” I asked Axis, who still had troubles to adapt himself.

“Yeah...” he mumbled in hesitation.

“Alright, let’s go.”

The magical beast erupted into a sprint as I supplied it with mana. I had expected its sudden start, but it was still more brutal than I thought. I had to hold on its mane very tightly so that I wouldn’t fall off, and the fact that I had never ridden a horse before didn’t help me stay still. Axis seemed much more comfortable than me.

As the thundering sounds of its hooves broke the silence of the forest, the unicorn galloped through the trees at breakneck speed. It was almost unreal how easily it advanced into the woodland, seemingly not minding the uneven earth. In no time at all, it had reached the high plains. Without any more obstructions on its path, it became even faster. I had to create an air shield so as to not let the wind whip our face.

Did Axis simply bear with it on his way here?

I didn’t really know how to interpret a horse’s body language, but its ears flat back and its hooves tearing into the barren earth, the unicorn seemed happy to have the landscape streaming past, as it let small snorts out his nostrils. I wasn’t sure if it was going in the right direction though. It just started racing as soon as I gave it mana, before I could even direct it. It was most likely running back to Harri, but I needed to make sure of that. We can’t get lost in the middle of nowhere after all.

[Map].

I inspected the map who just appeared before me, and the unicorn was indeed bringing us back to Eskor. And it was doing so very fast. If it keeps up at this pace, we’ll probably arrive in a few hours.

As I studied the map more carefully, however, trying to calculate precisely how long it would take us to reach the capital, something suddenly caught my attention.

In the northern continent, there was a marker, a cross. It indicated the emplacement of the unknown object which appeared a few weeks ago, crashing the [World System]. It had been there for quite a while now, so seeing it didn’t surprise me. No. What surprised me was its emplacement. So far, it had stayed at the exact place, somewhere in the middle of the North Continent. But now, it was further in the south.

The unknown object was on the move.