Chains and Chainbearers [Part 1]

“Blegh. This stuff sucks.” I put down the mug I’d just drank out of and winced at the taste that was still assaulting my mouth.

“Were you much of a drinker in your previous life?”

“I’m not sure, but probably not.”

Lucia had convinced me to try a strange alcoholic concoction called ‘Sireif’, which, from the way she referred to it, was probably a commonplace and popular drink here. It involved the fermentation of a plant I’d never heard of, so it was probably unique to this world.

She continued drinking the poison from her own mug without pause, having seemingly been desensitized to the vile flavor long ago.

We sat in a tavern a short distance from our inn. It was in the evening, so the establishment was quite lively with a variety of people. Some were ordinary townsfolk, enjoying drinks with friends after a long workday; others gave off a clear impression of being travelers, their worn cloaks and full bags conceding the fact that they were merely drifting through the town. I even noticed what seemed like a couple enjoying drinks together. A tavern definitely wouldn’t be my first choice of a date spot, but maybe I was the weird one.

You know, Lucia and I are probably giving off a similar impression right now. Maybe those two are actually just a Chainbearer and Chain, too. It shouldn’t matter to me what a random person might assume, but the thought that someone might mistake the two of us for a couple was slightly embarrassing. What a childish thing to be embarrassed about, jeez.

I let out a sigh directed at myself, and, for some reason, Lucia giggled. “Huh? What’re you laughing about?” My question came out sounding accusatory, because usually when she laughed like that, it was at me.

“You looked over at that couple and started to blush. You were thinking that someone might mistake us for one, were you not?”

“What? I didn’t even say anything. Am I really that readable?” I replied in defeat.

“Usually. You have a habit of letting your emotions show on your face, even if you choose not to voice them.”

“I guess, but reading my mind with that much precision? Are you sure you didn’t use a spell or something?”

“I know no spell capable of such a thing. Even if I did, one cannot exactly stealthily cast a spell, so you would have noticed.” I’d been kidding, but she gave a pragmatic response all the same.

“Anyway, will you just tell me why we’re here?” I changed the subject because I had a feeling that she’d start teasing me otherwise.

“Be patient. I told you, it’s a surprise.” Historically, Lucia’s ‘surprises’ involved getting me into a situation I’d rather avoid, so I wouldn’t say I was looking forward to this one too much.

I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could get her to accidentally reveal something if I kept pressing, but I was interrupted as I opened my mouth. “So, if—”

“Lucia!” I heard an excited exclamation to my side. I turned towards the source, but something whizzed past my vision. It kind of scared me, actually, and I jumped backwards with enough force to nearly knock my chair over. Luckily, I managed to recover in time, but that meant I was too late to stop the blur from completely pouncing onto Lucia.

I panicked at first, not fully processing what was happening, but once I saw Lucia’s unenthused expression combined with the overjoyed expression of her ‘attacker’, I had a decent idea of what had just unfolded.

The assaulter, a woman, had leapt at Lucia and wrapped their arms around her in a massive hug. She’d been running so fast that I was surprised Lucia managed to keep her balance after being struck with such an overwhelming force.

Lucia briefly patted the arms of the assailant, which was probably her way of returning the affection. The unequal response didn’t seem to bother the other woman, though, as her smile only widened throughout this exchange.

Suddenly, I heard a deep, gruff voice say something from the same direction the first stranger had arrived from. It came from a tall, well-built man. He wore a huge black cloak, and a long scar decorated his left cheek, which only further added weight to the aura of intimidation he exuded. He wore an expression of clear irritation.

Lucia’s attacker gave a reply to the man—they were speaking in a language I didn’t know, so I could only guess what they were actually saying—and she finally peeled off of Lucia. Her voice was fairly high-pitched, and even though I couldn’t understand the actual words she had said, I got the sense that she spoke in an over-the-top cutesy tone.

The next thing I knew, she had turned to me and said something. “Uhhh…” I looked at Lucia, eyes pleading. “What is she saying? Oh, and probably more importantly, who even is this?”

I heard a gasp from the woman, and when I returned my gaze to her, I saw that her eyes had widened. “No way! You speak English?” She was beaming, for some reason.

English… English! That’s its name! I remember now. I hadn’t been able to recall the name myself, but once she’d said it, I instantly knew what it meant. And the fact that she knew the term must have meant…

“It’s so nice to finally meet you!” She suddenly grabbed my right hand and clasped it with both of hers. “I’m Selina! I’m that grumpy guy’s Chain. Oh, and his name’s Alwey! He’s not as scary as he looks, promise! Erm, actually, he, like, totally can be, but I’m sure you’ll get along!” Every word of hers dripped with enthusiasm.

“N-nice to meet you. My name is L-Layn.” I already feel socially drained for the day. Lucia, can we please leave now?

“Now, Selina, calm down,” Lucia began lecturing her. “You should know well that your demeanor can be overwhelming. Look at how uncomfortable you made him.”

Selina pouted, but she still let go of my hand and said, “Sorry, Layn. It won’t happen again, promise!” She winked and stuck her tongue out in an exaggerated manner. Uh, it clearly will happen again. What’s even the point of lying when it’s so blatant?

Her disposition couldn’t have clashed more with that of the man who approached behind her. His name was Alwey, apparently.

Selina wore a full body hide suit with a black and purple color scheme, so, unlike Lucia, the only skin she exposed belonged to her head and hands. Her hazelnut-colored hair was intricately bound into a single long braid, which she had slung over her right shoulder. I assumed that, if the braid were to be undone, her hair would probably reach all the way down to her waist. She looked a little pale, but no more than I was. Since we were Chains, our bodies were fixed manifestations, so I was pretty sure we couldn’t get tanned in the sunlight even if we tried.

In all honesty, I found her quite attractive, but for some reason I couldn’t identify, I felt a little guilty about thinking that.

If I were to guess, she was probably a few years older than Lucia and me, but, given that the two of us were still young adults (or, at least, I was pretty sure I was), Selina was still relatively young herself.

Alwey’s clothing was of a similar style to Selina’s, though it was entirely black and without any of the extra flairs she had on hers. He was at least a full head taller than me, and far bulkier than I could ever dream of being. He had a bronze skin tone, and his black hair was cut short and neat. If I were to guess, he looked to be in his thirties or early forties, and he possessed an overall stoic vibe about him. A long weapon—likely a polearm of sorts—was tied to his back.

He looked down at me and started to say something before Selina cut him off. He sighed at whatever she’d told him, then glared at me.

What the hell did I do!?

Suddenly, he moved his arms in a clearly rehearsed manner—in fact, I was already moderately familiar with these movements.

“Osfen los ilten-al isnenvus-al roh.”

Ah. Now that he’d cast Osfen’s spell, we’d be able to communicate. He seemed like the type who’d jump straight to business, unlike Selina, so maybe I could actually figure what this was all about by talking with him.

“Salutations, Chain of Estellous’ Blade.” Wow. I actually heard someone say ‘salutations’ out in the wild! I didn’t know it was possible!

“H-hello, my name—”

“I know your name,” he interrupted. He spoke slowly, carefully enunciating each and every word. “You carry the same name as the others once did, ever since the time of Estellous himself.”

Selina had scurried off to collect a couple of unused chairs and brought them over to our round table. She sat in one next to Lucia, but Alwey remained standing, his harsh gaze fixed unwaveringly on me.

Um… should I say something? What does he want me to say?

I started sweating from the discomfort, but in my place, Lucia spoke up. “Alwey, sit down and properly introduce yourself. I have yet to tell him about you two, as I stated in my last letter.”

His glare did not weaken, but he followed Lucia’s command regardless.

“Very well, your highness.”

Selina had called Lucia by her name, as I did, and it seemed to be the form of address she preferred. Admittedly, I’d also called her “your highness” once or twice before, but only when joking; Alwey seemed to genuinely address her that way. Does that mean…

“I am known as Alwey Abraf, Chainbearer of the Holy Lance, Dosslusk, and the last surviving member of the Allion Royal Guard.”

He drew his face close to mine, and the sheer pressure I felt from his presence prevented me from breathing. “Today, I am here to judge your worth as her highness’ Chain.”