WIEDERGEBURT Act II: Chapter 3

Fay didn’t really think about where she was going. She walked through Nevaria without a care for where she was, simply letting her feet take her wherever they willed. People passed her by on both sides. However, she wasn’t any paying attention. Her mind was elsewhere.

Eryk…

She thought about Eryk, the boy she had fallen in love with. Their meeting could have been considered one of good fortune. Fay had been suffering from a spiritual malady that no one seemed capable of healing, and then, just as she was on the verge of losing hope, he found her and saved her.

Turning a corner, Fay sidestepped a young boy as he ran along the road. He didn’t seem to be paying attention to where he was going. Coming through several seconds later were a pair of adults, who were calling out the boy’s name. They must have been his parents.

Fay couldn’t figure out when she had fallen in love with Eryk. It didn’t happen immediately after he saved her. She had been grateful, of course, but gratitude and love were not the same thing. Gratitude was gratitude. Love was love.

It must have been… from watching him…

Ever since they began training together, Fay had watched Eryk. His worth ethic impressed her. Eryk pushed himself harder than anyone she’d ever seen.

Not only did he work hard, but he was a genuinely good person who was willing to help her grow stronger so she could grasp her fate with her own hands. He trained her just as hard as he trained himself. Eryk never let her take her training easy, pushing her body and Spiritual Powers to the limit so she could grow stronger.

She enjoyed their conversations together. Not every talk they had was related to training. There had been times during their training where they would eat lunch and talk about inane matters. Eryk would tell her about a story he’d read, or ask her questions about herself. He seemed genuinely interested in her as a person. Fay had been able to open up to him in ways she never had with anyone else. Not only had she grown to respect him, she had grown to trust him.

A large gate several dozen meters tall stood before her, causing Fay to blink. She glanced at the large wall, made of brick and mortar, which several people patrolled the top of. Two guards stood near the still open gate, though there weren’t many people coming and going. While there were often people entering the forests surrounding Nevaria to gather some herbs and hunt wild animals, it was currently midday.

Fay walked past the guards. They didn’t stop her.

She continued walking, moving past boulders, traveling around trees. The canopy above her head blocked out most of the light, but the sun still shone through. Patterns were painted along the ground in the colors of sunlight. They moved as a stiff breeze blew through the forest, rustling the leaves.

Several minutes passed before Fay eventually came upon a clearing, the same clearing she and Eryk had been using for their latest training. She glanced around. The lines that Eryk had drawn, her exit and entry points for the Flash Step, were still etched into the ground. She wandered over to one of them. Gazing at it for a moment, she lifted her head and looked at the other one.

Then she took a step forward.

The world seemed to blur around her for barely a second before it went still again. Fay was now standing on the other line, having moved ten meters in less time than it took to blink.

“I’ve just about mastered the first stage,” Fay muttered to herself, smiling. The smile soon left, however, as her thoughts once again turned toward Eryk. “What am I going to do? How am I going to apologize?”

What Fay had said to Eryk that day during the tournament had been reprehensible. She had accused him of toying with her feelings, even though she knew that wasn’t the case at all. Fay would have liked to blame her actions on Catalyna and her callous words. Doing that, however, would have been just as irresponsible. She needed to take responsibility for her words and actions. The problem she was having was that she didn’t know what to—

Crunch.

Fay’s thoughts halted as a sound entered her ears, causing her to narrow her eyes as she stared into the forest.

“Who is there? Show yourself!”

“You’ve got a sharp pair of ears,” a sickeningly familiar voice said to her.

Fay’s eyes widened as a tall and somewhat handsome man with dark blond hair, blue eyes, and broad shoulders stepped into the clearing. He wore extravagant clothes made of silk with a steel chestplate over the top. Likewise, he had metal gauntlets and greaves on his arms and legs. In short, he looked prepared for combat.

“Grant.” Fay narrowed her eyes again as she shifted her feet across the ground. Gravel shifted under her boots. “What are you doing here? Are you stalking me?”

“Stalking?” Grant gave her a look of fake hurt, placing his hands against his chest. “How rude. I was merely wandering through the forests surrounding Nevaria when I happened upon a beautiful flower who looked like she was in pain. And so, being the kind gentleman that I am, I offered to help her.”

“I neither want nor need your help,” Fay said through narrowed eyes. “So, kindly take your help and give it to someone else.”

“Ha ha ha!” Grant placed a hand against his forehead and swept back his hair. “I thought you might say something like that. Unfortunately for you, I didn’t actually come here to lend a hand.” His glare hardened. “I’m here for revenge.”

“Revenge?” Fay furrowed her brow, but then her expression cleared. “You mean against Eryk?”

“Of course I mean against Eryk!” Grant snapped. “Who else would I mean? That arrogant peasant! Not only did he humiliate me in public, but he treats me as if I’m not even worth his time! He stole you and Kari away from me!” A light of insanity entered his eyes. “I can’t touch him or Kari! So that means I’m going to take you! I’ll steal you from him, and then I’ll break you! I’ll break your mind so bad that you’ll become my cumdump! That will be my revenge!”

Fay grimaced as she realized this man, who was growing increasingly more fervent as he spoke, had probably lost his mind. The calm facade of a noble had crumbled away. All that remained of this man was an arrogant animal who longed only to take revenge against the person he believed had wronged him.

Fear entered Fay’s mind, causing her to take a step back. It was only for a moment, though. Then she remembered something Eryk had told her. He had once said that she was stronger than Grant. He had praised her abilities, stating there were only a few people in the Spiritualist Grand Tournament who would pose a threat to her, and Grant had not been one of them.

“If you wish to kidnap me, then just try it,” Fay said, releasing her Spiritual Power and igniting her Spiritual Aura. A fiery red energy erupted from her body. The grass beneath her feet ignited. She didn’t feel the heat, but she did recognize that as a sign that she hadn’t gained complete control over her Spiritual Aura.

“Hmph!”

Grant snorted as his own Spiritual Aura erupted from around his body. It was red like hers, but Fay noticed that the red aura surrounding Grant was a little more translucent when compared to hers.

“A foolish woman who only just learned how to use her Spiritual Aura thinks she can defeat me in combat? How amusing. Let me show you the difference in our power.”

Fay took a deep breath as Grant charged at her. He moved swiftly. Fire burst underneath his feet, propelling him across the ground at a speed that would have astounded her before.

Except she knew the Flash Step now and had been extensively trained in moving quickly.

Taking a step forward, Fay disappeared seconds before Grant could attack. The young man skidded to a stop and looked around. He didn’t even see Fay as she re-appeared on his left and thrust her foot into his chest.

“Ack!”

Grant stumbled backward as he received the decisive blow. He held a hand to his chest. From the grimace he wore, she could tell he was in pain.

Fay took two steps forward, lifted her left leg, and then spun around and slammed her heel into his stomach. She retracted it quickly as the man doubled over, bile spewing from his throat as he regurgitated whatever he had for lunch that day.

Taking several steps back, Fay watched Grant as he held a hand to his stomach and shook her head in disgust. Was this really the man she’d been so afraid of?

“I’m done here,” Fay declared as she turned around and tried to walk away.

“DON’T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!!!”

The loud shout was followed by an intense wave of heat. Fay reacted on instinct, using the Flash Step to cross a distance of fifteen meters in barely a second. The area where she’d been standing was covered in a large conflagration. She didn’t know what Spiritual Technique Grant had used, but judging from the size of the fire, it was probably a C-ranked one.

“This isn’t over! This isn’t over!” Grant screamed at her, saliva spewing from his mouth.

“It is over,” Fay said as she adopted a combat stance. “You might have more Spiritual Techniques than I do, but I am still stronger than you. You can’t beat me.”

Fay wasn’t sure what she had been expecting. Certainly, she hadn’t really expected her words to make him give up. However, when Grant started laughing like a maniac, she couldn’t help but feel a little shocked.

“Maybe not,” Grant admitted, his grin containing an insanity that made her take a step back. “You seem to have really grown a lot stronger.” He tilted his head. “However, who said I was alone?”

“What?”

Fay had just enough time to let his words sink in before a powerful Spiritual Pressure erupted from behind her. She used the Flash Step again, disappearing from that spot just as something powerful slammed into the ground. The earth was demolished. A massive crater formed and cracks spread across the forest floor. Fay, who had appeared several meters from the crater, looked in and saw that what had struck the ground was a massive warhammer.

“Heh… you have some pretty good reflexes, Missy.”

A large man who looked like he could eat an entire Bovine Demon Beast whole stepped into the clearing, walked over to the crater, and picked up the warhammer. He had short brown hair, several scars lining his face, and wore slightly rusted metal armor, which clinked together as he set the hammer against his shoulder.

A mercenary…

Fay narrowed her eyes as she realized Grant had likely paid for this man’s services. In return, the man eyed her up and down. She shivered in disgust when he licked his lips.

“But damn, you sure are fine,” he said in a voice that sounded more like a growl. “I can see why this brat wants you. Maybe he’d let me take you for a ride when he’s done.”

“So long as you’re willing to wait your turn, I don’t mind letting you fuck her,” Grant said as he walked up to the man.

“That’s why I like you.” The mercenary laughed. “You pay good, and you’re willing to let me have my fun.”

Shoving aside her disgust at their conversation, Fay remained calm and assessed her situation. She was obviously at a disadvantage now. If it was just Grant or just this mercenary, she was confident in her victory, but she could not fight them both off at the same time.

She needed to retreat.

However, when Fay tried to use the Flash Step, she found that she couldn’t. What the—

“Did you think Garis here was the only person in my employ?” Grant sneered at Fay as if he’d realized what she was thinking. “I saw how that Spiritualist you fought managed to negate your ability to move really fast. It wasn’t hard finding someone who can accomplish the same thing. And now…” Licking his lips as he drew near, Grant chuckled at her. “I will take you, break you, and turn you into my willing sex slave.”

Her situation was desperate now that she could no longer use her trump card, the Flash Step. Of course, she understood that someone out there was channeling the lightning element into the ground, disrupting her ability to use the Flash Step. If she could find that person, then…

Fay bolted off in a random direction. Right now, what she needed to do was get into the forest where it would be harder for those two to attack her.

“After her!” Grant shouted as he and the mercenary charged into the forest not far behind her.

Fay wove around a tree seconds before an exceedingly powerful burst of wind slammed into it, shattering the bark. She twirled across the ground as a fireball flew toward her. The heat was enough to make her sweat, though she managed to dodge the fireball by the skin of her teeth. As she dodged fireballs and strange burst of incredibly powerful air, she sought out the lightning affinity Spiritualist who was no doubt hiding somewhere around here.

However, finding a single person within this forest while dodging fire and wind techniques was difficult if not impossible. Fay was so busy focusing on avoiding gouts of flame and sledgehammers of wind that she hardly had a chance to observe her surroundings.

Perhaps it was good luck that let her discover the location of the lightning Spiritualist. Fay had just performed a series of front flips to avoid several Spiritual Techniques. Each technique struck the ground with an intensity that rattled her bones. As she landed on her feet, she spotted a color out of the corner of her eyes that didn’t appear natural. Red was not a natural color in the forest.

Moving in a zigzg pattern that let her avoid the Spiritual Techniques from her pursuers, Fay raced toward the boulder where she saw a sheet of red fabric. The person she was seeking was behind it. They were a woman with tan skin, a scar over their right eye, and curly black hair. She seemed surprised to find Fay staring at her, but then she began to stand up.

Fay wouldn’t let her.

With her Spiritual Aura surrounding her, Fay rotated her fist in a spiral pattern as she brought it into her torso, and then thrust it out.

“HA!”

Fire erupted from her fist. It slammed into the woman, who screamed in shock and pain as she was blasted across the ground. She struck the ground. Bouncing once, she was soon rolling across the forest floor before disappearing underneath some bushes.

Fay breathed a sigh of relief. That should have—

The was no warning as the boulder that Fay was standing near suddenly exploded in a powerful gout of wind and flames. Fay screamed as she was launched into the air. Pain struck her every nerve as her body was battered by numerous fragments that ranged in size from pebbles to rocks the size of her head. Fortunately, her Spiritual Aura protected her, though it flickered out as she crashed into the ground.

Fay attempted to climb back onto her feet. However, just as she had gotten onto her hands and knees, a powerful force slammed into her. She felt a brief moment of absolute and utter agony, but it only lasted for a second, and then she felt nothing at all.

***

I looked at the book in my hand, titled The Tale of Baldur, a tragic story about a man named Baldur, who was betrayed by his adopted brother. I’d read it a couple of times myself, so I knew the contents well.

Wandering down the isles of the library, I sought out where the book belonged. It wasn’t on this isle. I traveled over to the next one, frowning as I scanned titles such as The Ax of Ukonvasara and The Epic of Idun. It didn’t take me too long to discover where this book should go and put it back in its proper place.

However, while I was working, several voices spoke in not so very hushed whispers.

“Isn’t that Eryk Veiger?”

“It is! I heard he won the Spiritualist Grand Tournament!”

“He did win. I was there when it happened. I saw the whole thing!”

“What do you think he’s doing still working in this library? I mean, he’s basically famous now, right? Does he still need to work here?”

“It does seem a bit odd, doesn’t it?”

“It’s completely bizarre. If I had won that tournament, then I…”

I sighed and stopped listening as the young boy explained how he’d ask for a bevy of beautiful women to cater to his every whim and need. A conversation like that was not one that I was interested in.

The people who were speaking were young. I’d say they were between the ages of 14 and 16. I could tell from their clothing (They wore thick wool tabards and pants that were fastened together with belts) that they were of the commoner class. They weren’t peasants like I—well, like I used to be. I couldn’t call myself a peasant anymore since I had so much valis thanks to my partnership with the Alchemist Association.

In either event, it seemed those kids had some glorified notions of what it meant to win the Spiritualist Grand Tournament. I guess I could understand their thoughts. It was true I could have asked for what that boy wanted, but I was satisfied with giving Kari her freedom and keeping Grant Leucht away from her and Fay.

I frowned for a moment as I wondered what I should do about Fay. It was obvious that giving her space might be for the best right now. At the same time, I didn’t want to leave things as they were. The idea of just sitting on my laurels and waiting out the problem rankled on my nerves. I sighed as I thought about how much trouble this situation with her was giving me.

As my mind slipped further into depression, the door to the library opened and several loud exclamations arouse from the people inside.

“It’s Princess Kari—wait! Who is that with her?!”

“Snake! Why is her lower half a snake?!”

“Wait! I think I’ve heard of this! That’s a Lamia! It’s a Lamia, isn’t it?!”

At the numerous shouts, I turned toward the door. Indeed, walking into the library was Kari and Lin, whose long, snake-like lower body was winding into the room. She was wearing different clothes than I remembered, but I thought the red outfit, which I’d seen women wearing in the Endless Desert, suited her better than Kari’s dress had.

“Darling!” Lin spotted me right away and slithered over. “Just as you asked, this princess has gone out and garbed herself in clothing. She hopes you are suitably happy and impressed with her appearance.”

“I am,” I said with a smile as I studied her. “You look really good in those clothes. I think the red suits you as well. It compliments your dark skin.” Kari wandered up to us at a much slower pace, but she was smiling. “How was shopping for new clothes?”

Lin shivered. “It was dreadful.”

I raised an eyebrow and glanced at Kari, who giggled into her hand as she explained what Lin’s reaction was about.

“I took her to a clothier that I know named Emeralda. However… that woman has a very interesting personality. After getting over her initial shock at seeing a Lamia in her store, she became enamored and wants to make Lin her dress up doll.”

“Ah.”

“This princess is not a doll for others to play with.” Lin huffed and crossed her arms. The way her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s was utterly adorable. “That woman, she pawed this princess skin and took all these measurements. The only person allowed to paw at this princess is Darling.” This fervent declaration was met with silence. Kari frowned at Lin, who suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and amended her statement. “And Big Sister. She can paw at this princess too.”

I glanced between the two as one sweat buckets and the other smiled, wondering not for the first time just what conversation they’d had this morning before we left the Imperial Royal Palace. However, much as I wanted to keep talking with them, I had work to do.

“Why don’t you two wander around and see if there are any books you want?” I suggested. “I have a bit more work to do, but I’ll be free once I finish putting all these books away.”

“Sure.” Kari tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Lin and I will head up to the second floor and wait for you to finish.”

“This princess would prefer not going up to the second floor,” Lin suddenly declared. “She hates using the stairs. They hurt her tail. She will remain down here.”

Kari and I glanced at Lin, who looked at both of us with a haughty expression, as though daring us to challenge her words. However, when I thought about it, going up the stairs did sound like a challenge for a Lamia due to their snake-like lower bodies. I also wasn’t sure the stairs could accomodate for her weight. Lamia weighed a lot more than humans.

“In that case,” Kari began, “I suppose she and I will find a place to sit down here.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “I’ll find your table when I’m done with my work.”

I began working again as Lin and Kari wandered off, the stack of books still in my hand. There were only four left: A Compendium of Old Legends, The Sacred Sword, Mjolner, and A Glorious Recantation. Fortunately, I knew where all these belonged.

As I moved about the library, seeking out the isles where these books should be placed, I felt eyes on me. I tried to ignore them at first. However, it wasn’t long before the feeling of people drilling a hole through my head with their vision caused me to become irritated. I turned toward the source. However, I could only twitch when I realized that pretty much everyone in the library was staring at me. I sighed and turned back to my work.

“Hey… was it just my imagination, or does he know that snake-girl?”

“It was not. They seemed to be very close. Did you hear how she called him ‘Darling’?”

“And Princess Kari seems to be friends with her too. How come I’ve never heard of her being friends with a snake-girl before?”

“Lamia. That girl’s species is called Lamia.”

“Whatever.”

I wondered if these people knew they weren’t being very quiet, but I didn’t care enough to ask them to quiet down. People would say whatever they wanted with little regards to the subject of their conversations. This happened everywhere. Nevaria. Midgard. Even the Dragons of the Misty Mountain Range were not immune to this sort of gossip.

It didn’t take more than two minutes to return all the books to their rightful place. Once I was finished, I sought out Kari and Lin, who I discovered near the back of the library. I immediately sensed that something was off. Kari was frowning as she looked at Lin. Meanwhile, the Lamia girl appeared displeased by something as she glared at an open book on the table.

“Is there a problem?” I asked as I walked up to them.

“A problem?” Kari gave me an uncertain smile. “Well…”

“This princess can’t understand these squiggles,” Lin declared.

I paused and thought about that for a moment. “Do Lamia not understand the language of man?”

The writing system for Nevaria was the same system used across the continent, which I found somewhat interesting since Nevaria was so far removed from the rest of the continent that no one living here even knew about the Northern Plains. It was assumed by Nevarians that we were the only group of humans left after the Catastrophe.

“We use symbols to tell stories of our past,” Lin informed me.

“You use a Hieroglyph writing system?!” Kari suddenly exclaimed in excitement.

Lin frowned at her. “This princess knows not what Hieroglyphs are, but when we want to write something down, we use symbols and pictures that represent words.”

This was actually something I didn’t know, which I believed was because Kari and I never had time to study the Lamia’s written language in my previous life. We had been too busy just surviving. In either event, this did pose a small problem.

“Kari…” I said, glancing at the golden-haired girl.

“Yes.” She nodded. “It looks like we’ll need to teach Lin how to read and write.”

Nodding, I went off and grabbed several sheets of parchment, a bottle of ink, and a quill, and then came back and sat with Kari and Lin. Uncapping the bottle, I dipped my quill into the ink and tapped it against the lip to remove excess liquid. Then I began writing down the alphabet.

“Our writing system is based on a syllable system. The letters we write are formed to represent different syllables used when speaking. There are 15,831 syllables in our language, and by combining these syllables together, we form words and sentences.”

It took me quite some time to write down all 15,831 syllables, and my hand felt like it was cramping by the time I was done. I had also used about 570 sheets of paper. Fortunately, Lin did not seem adverse to studying our language. In fact, she wore an expression of the utmost seriousness as she studied the syllables I had written down.

Kari took over for me.

“This is how we would spell your name,” she said, grabbing the quill and writing down Lin’s name. “Lin only has two syllables, ‘le’ and ‘in’, so it’s very easy to write. My name also has two syllables. ‘Ka’ and ‘ri’. Eryk’s name also has two syllables. ‘Er’ and ‘yk’. This is how you spell our names.”

Lin nodded as she watched Kari spell her name and mine. “This princess understands. Hmm… this form of writing seems a bit more complicated than the one this princess is used to, but it seems easy enough to understand.”

“It’s not very hard to learn.” Kari nodded several times. “The biggest problem is having to memorize all 15,831 syllables.”

“That is a lot,” Lin agreed.

“Anyway, let’s start simply by memorizing as many as possible and having you write them down.”

Kari had more or less taken over the lesson by this point, meaning all I did was sit there and watch them. I didn’t mind this, however. As the two of them worked hard, one to learn the language and one to teach the language, I saw the bright smile on their faces. The way Kari’s eyes would shine as she taught Lin was almost reminiscent of how she looked when she was teaching our daughter in my previous time. Lin’s face would also brighten whenever she successfully wrote down a syllable, which was represented as a symbol similar to but different from a Rune.

The sky began darkening at some point. I glanced out the window and saw the Sun painting the sky in a variety of colors as it traveled behind the Demon Beast Mountain Range.

“Looks like I need to close up.” I stood up. “I’ll do this real quick.”

The two of them told me they would wait for me, to which I nodded before beginning the task of closing the library. This mostly consisted of me traveling to tables where books were left out, putting those books away, cleaning the shelves and floor, and making sure everything was properly locked up. I finished all of my tasks in about an hour or so.

My last task of the day was locking up the library. Once the door was locked, I turned to Kari and Lin, who stood about half a meter behind me.

“I guess this means we should all head home,” I said, then looked at Kari. “I’m living in a new place. I bought a house a while back because my old place wasn’t big enough for me and Lin. It’s over this way.” I pointed north, which was in the opposite direction of the Imperial Royal Palace.

“Oh…” Kari frowned for a moment, her shoulders slumping a little. “I suppose… yes, that makes sense. I guess it was weird to think you’d be returning with me to my home.”

I scratched my head as she said this, making me realize she probably assumed Lin and I would be staying with her, but it wasn’t like we could leach off the Astralia Royal Family. What’s more, her home was on a mountain, which made it inconvenient to travel from. Still…

“Do you want to see my house?” I asked. “It’s kind of small, but…”

“You mean ‘our’ house,” Lin grumbled as she crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks. “This princess lives there too.”

Kari brightened. “I would love to.”

The three of us walked down the street, which was still a little crowded as people who worked later in the day wandered about. Like earlier this morning, we received a lot of looks thanks to Lin, and even a few people ran away from us. However, Lin and Kari didn’t seem too bothered by those reactions anymore. I assumed they’d become desensitized by this point.

As we turned a corner, a familiar figure flashed in my peripheral vision. I turned my head to find an old man with many wrinkles lining his face. He had slicked back gray hair and wore a refined black tunic and pants. The tunic had long sleeves and he was wearing gloves. It was…

“Bertrand?” I called out.

At the sound of his name being called, Bertrand stopped what he was doing and turned to us. A look of relief entered his eyes as he walked over.

“Young Master Eryk.” He bowed slightly, though his movements were more hurried and less refined than usual. “I am glad I found you.”

“Isn’t this the old man who greeted you at the front door to that big house?” asked Lin.

“This is Bertrand,” I introduced. “He’s a branch member of the Valstine Family and serves the main house as their butler. Anyway, what’s wrong? You seem anxious. What are you doing out here?”

Bertrand did indeed look anxious. His face was lined with worry, his eyes seemed to be shaking, and his normally crisp and clean uniform was covered in dirt.

“I need your help,” the man said. “Lady Fay went out for a walk early this morning after you all left and never returned.”

“You mean she’s missing?” I asked as a jolt raced through my heart. Behind me, Kari gasped.

“Indeed.” Bertrand gave me a grave nod. “While Lady Fay has always been the type to wander off on her own, she always returns at the end of the day. But she hasn’t returned. Lord Valstine has grown worried and tasked myself and several other servants with searching for her… but we haven’t had any luck.”

“Nevaria is a large city.” Kari stepped forward. “Searching the entire city is not going to be an easy task.” She turned to look at me. “I will head over to the nearest Nevarian Spiritualist headquarters and inform them that Fay is missing. If we use my authority, I can put out a city-wide search.”

“In the meantime, I am going to check out the places where I believe Fay might have gone,” I said.

Kari nodded. “I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

“Same with me,” I said.

“Thank you. Both of you.” Bertrand bowed low to us. “Please find Lady Fay for us. The entire Valstine Family will be in your debt if you do.”

“Neither myself nor Eryk are doing this to have your family in our debt,” Kari said. “I’m doing this for Fay.”

“I see.” Bertrand straightened up, smiling in a way that said he probably understood why Kari was willing to go this far. “Even if you are not doing this for the Valstine Family, if you can find her, we will still be grateful.”

Kari sighed but she didn’t offer a rebuttal. The most important issue for us to deal with right now was finding Fay.

As the three of us split up, my mind turned over with worry. I hoped Fay was all right.