Chapter 79: Our hope lies with you

  The elders say you can learn a lot about a person by the room they keep. After seeing Lady Oya’s room, Ariellia can finally admit they weren’t lying. The space is much smaller than her bedroom at the castle by far, yet the old matron’s meticulous care can be seen everywhere. She managed to store many books, clothes, equipment, and drawings from the kids without letting it all descend into chaos. Despite the limited square feet, she was able to transform the space into a warm haven just like its owner. As a member of the elder race who naturally accumulate wealth over time simply by existing for as long as they do, it’s been a while since Ariellia has come across this level of humility.   

      “Why is she like that?”

   Her throat feels parch just asking the dreaded question. She finds herself rooted by the door, unable to move closer to the bed. The sight of the old matron peacefully lying in bed wouldn’t be strange if it weren’t for her cloudy eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, unwilling to close. The sight is so unnatural it makes her reluctant to cross the threshold.

“She was like this when we found her. I just came to tell her the kids are ready for prayer when I noticed something wasn’t right. No matter how many times I called…hic…she just wouldn’t respond!” Riell explains through his tears, eyes turning red from crying for so long. His usual cheerful personality completely taken by grief.

  “Oya please wake up, you can’t leave like this. What of the kids? What of the bet we made, you still haven’t given me your answer!”

   Ariellia is surprised to see Clad kneeling by Oya’s bed, clutching her stiff hand like it’s his last lifeline. His usually impressive broad frame visibly hollowed out and deflated, his shoulders shaking from frustration at his inability to save his friend. It’s a side she’s never seen on the honest, sometimes silly knight. The untold story of their long-standing friendship appears to run deeper than she initially thought.

  “I have seen this before, her soul has been eaten.”

!

The words spoken by the doll at her waist shifts everyone’s gaze to her, making her almost stumble back from the concentrated weight of their heightened emotions. Thankfully, Rei is still by her side and gives her support from behind with a firm hand on her back. His presence is enough to fortify her mind, stopping her retreat. She knows their hostility is not wholly directed at her.

“What do you mean her soul has been eaten?” Rei asks, cold eyes barely restraining the violent thoughts in his head.

“We saw cases like this on the road while traveling to face the demon lord back then as well. Bodies left intact without a single wound, people would never know what they’d encountered if it weren’t for that soulless stare. Back then, the demon army had wraiths and necromancers who could suck the life out of any living being around to fuel their magic. It is strange, Folami hated their sort with a burning passion, she went out of her way to hunt down most of their kind during the campaign. She’s been so thorough, I haven’t encountered the likes of them for many years now.” It’s hard to tell because a doll’s features can’t move but the old dragon sounds very thoughtful on the matter.

“Do you think one snuck in during the monster march?” Riell asks, his fox ears perk up, eager to hear the answer. If Jasper could give him a direction to point his blade, he would move mountains to see that Lady Oya is saved.

“I find that theory doubtful, you’ve never experienced an encounter with a wraith or necromancer. Their very aura taints the air around the vicinity, nothing can grow when they’re present, everything withers and dies. Look at the flowers by the lady’s desk, they are still in full bloom. This should not be the work of their kind.”

“Then what is it!” Hearing his last hope of vengeance denied, Riell loses his head and snaps at the doll. There is an awkward silence soon after, his twitching fox tail makes it clear he feels ashamed for the outburst but is unclear on how to fix this embarrassing mistake. Clad finally lets go of Oya’s hand, gently placing it over her chest, before patting the overwhelmed lad on the head.

“It is okay, my lady will be fine. We have weathered many storms together since our youth, she is not one to succumb to such vile tricks. Lord Dragon, is there any way to reclaim her soul?”

It goes unseen by most, but Ariellia catches the brief twitch of Anya’s brow before her expression returns to that of a mourning bystander.

“As you said Sir Clad, Lady Oya has lived for many years as a member of the elder race. It will take longer for the thief to process her soul. We may still have a chance to return it to her body.”

“What, really!” Anya looks startled, it is unknown whether she’s just overcome by joy or something else, but her big reaction draws Riell’s attention. He eyes her carefully in silence. His fox ears are sensitive to lies. Something about her response just now came off as very insincere. He’s suddenly unsure of what to believe but his instincts have never been wrong before.

“For this, I will need my precious little gem’s help.” Jasper’s next words tear him away from these uneasy thoughts.

“Me? What can I do?” Arie is startled to be pulled back to the center of the discussion.

“I’ve just been made aware that you know the ‘Soul calling’ spell.”

“Right…I do don’t I.” She suddenly feels very guilty, it’s clear from his stern tone that he isn’t pleased by her reckless use of the spell. There is only one other person and a horse that knows she recently used the spell. Since Mori-fae is keeping a low profile in the stables, she has a feeling Jasper likely learned the truth from Eren.

‘Did you rat me out?’

‘He came into the seal by himself unannounced, what was I supposed to say. If I didn’t give him a full account of your reckless actions, wouldn’t it be my soul on the chopping block.’

‘You have no honor.’

‘No, I simply wasn’t about to get incinerated by an enraged dragon for invading the body of his beloved daughter.’

‘Daughter?’

‘How else does he see you? He hardly even goes so far for his own nephew.’

“Arie?” Rei notices her unusual pause, his voice sounds worried like he’s afraid she too would lose her soul the next second.

“Yes, pardon me. I’m okay. How can I help Uncle Jasper?” She lifts the stuffed doll to eye level, giving the dragon lord the proper respect he is due. Perhaps he’ll nag a bit less when the time comes if she behaves for now.

“Simple, perform the soul calling spell on Lady Oya. At your current level you should be able to avoid making any unexpected mistakes. If the culprit hasn’t gone far, we might still have a chance of calling Lady Oya’s soul back to her body. In the storage device I gave you there should be an old artifact called ‘The Star Robe’. Wear that before performing the spell, it should boost your abilities by ten percent, that should be enough to contend with a lower-level wraith.”

“Understood” She quickly searches through the items in Jasper’s storage ring.

“I found it!” A brilliant gold outer robe appears on her body, making her brown skin glow from its radiance. Her divine appearance momentarily enchants everyone. Rei is secretly reminded of their wedding day and the luminous white dress she wore then as well.

“I’m ready!” Armed with her new robe and staff, Arie takes a decisive step towards Lady Oya’s bed. She must save the old dark elf.