Priest Krief #13

At full speed, many people moved out of the way, others screamed and even insulted, while Xitlari continued running along the sidewalk. Additionally, she was carrying the capsule with the quiritanidas, who was somewhat scared by Xitlari’s speed.

“What’s going on?! Why are you running?” asked the spiritual rhinoceros.

“It seems a video of Louis using his lava magic was uploaded, and they mentioned that he’s half-demon. People have already started acting up, and the priest will likely send someone to look for him,” Xitlari responded, then jumped onto a rooftop and continued running over the houses.

“You’re planning something, I see… And the boy, where is he?” said the spiritual rhinoceros, watching as the quiritanidas got dizzy from all of Xitlari’s movements.

“He disappeared, but I have to find him and help him with this. He would’ve done the same,” Xitlari said, showing empathy toward Louis’ situation.

“Nice character, you surprise me. In the past, I doubt you would’ve said something like that… After all, the owl is helping a lot,” commented the rhinoceros.

“Maybe… I don’t know. Being different is hard, and I think I would help anyone going through something like this… Rejection, insults, and all the evil some people have… it’s painful,” Xitlari said with sincerity and concern.

“I want to see how much more you can improve…” thought the spiritual rhinoceros.

Finally, Xitlari arrived at the agency and delivered the capsule to the research room before heading to Mei’s office.

“Mei!” she said as soon as she opened the door.

“Xitlari! Did you bring the quiritanidas already?” Mei asked in her sweet voice while looking at her communicator.

“Yes! But there’s a problem…” Xitlari said, slightly out of breath, as she entered the office and closed the door. Mern watched her from the couch, holding a cup of coffee, while Mark played with a device.

“If it’s about Louis, don’t worry. He texted me and said he’s fine, that they shouldn’t send anyone after him, he just needs some time alone to think,” Mei said with concern while waiting for a response on her communicator. “The person who posted that was a rookie reporter who probably thought it was a good idea. I’m more worried about the church, but this could be a good opportunity to talk to the priest–if he dares to come himself and doesn’t just send paladins to take Louis to the church,” she continued without stopping her communicator use.

“You’re not going to do anything? They might kill him,” Xitlari asked, worried.

“I have no influence anymore… I’m not a paladin, and his master is Rei Fordesthmans; he surely has a plan. All I can do is recommend him and find the person responsible for this,” Mei responded, crossing her arms in frustration.

“You could tell Reck,” Mern said, making his cup disappear after taking a sip.

“Of course! He could help ensure they don’t take him. I’ll tell Louis not to delay… Well, you may leave now. Let’s just hope that trash Jens doesn’t find out, or he’ll try to expel him from the kingdom,” Mei mentioned as she sent a message on her communicator.

“Are you worried about him?! That’s new,” Mark said sarcastically.

“I…! I just wanted to help him because I go through the same thing in this kingdom,” she exclaimed, trying not to get angry at Mark’s comment, then left the office.

“You just had to say something…” Mei and Mern said at the same time, staring at Mark.

“Ehmm… Sorry,” Mark said regretfully, lowering his head.

“So? What’s first? Want to train your hand pose?” asked the spiritual rhinoceros.

“Maybe Professor Maxwell knows where he might be,” Xitlari said while leaving the agency toward the Professor’s house. In the distance, Canbel could be seen showing some jewelry to a customer.

“You’re going to look for him? What for?” the rhinoceros asked, puzzled.

“Maybe for the same reason I told you… I’d like people to be more understanding of those who are different,” she responded, then heard a chime from her pocket and took out her communicator.

“Xitlari, I found Louis, he…” Kassie said as soon as Xitlari answered the call.

“Really?! Where are you?” she asked instantly, interrupting Kassie.

“Eh? Hmm… He already left. He said he’s going to train and think for a while,” Kassie responded, surprised by Xitlari’s reaction.

“I see… Do you know where he trains?” Xitlari asked, stopping as cars passed by and a few people walked beside her.

“Xitlari… Is she interested in him?! Maybe I should give her a hint… Louis went toward the eastern exit,” Kassie thought with great excitement.

“Kassie? Are you there?” Xitlari said after not hearing a response.

“Eh! Yes! I’m here. Well… He was heading east; he says there’s a perfect place to train his magic,” Kassie responded, smiling as she gave that information.

“Thank you, Kassie. See you later,” Xitlari said, ending the call and putting away her communicator.

Kassie put away her communicator and then placed her right hand on her chin. “I am great at bringing hearts together,” she said proudly with a smile as someone approached.

“Weirdo,” said the stranger before continuing on their way.

Kassie stood still for a moment, not moving a single muscle, then, with great speed, threw a water ball at the stranger before running away while people watched.

“Hey! You’ll pay for that!” the man shouted, trying to catch up to her, but Kassie started running over the rooftops, leaving him behind.

“Well, now I need to go watch a show,” she thought as she ran across the rooftops of the houses.

*West of Lyran – Church – Leaders’ Hallways*

“Sir, you can’t just cancel meetings like this. The Kingdom of Mordigan is about to cut ties,” Edgar tried to convince the priest. They walked together through a gleaming hallway, with white walls and some doors adorned with figures and plaques with names.

“I’m sick of these brats. If they want to cut ties so badly, let them! Addressing the issue of that demon in Ystir is more crucial,” the priest said angrily, walking quickly down the hall with his golden cane in his right hand.

“But sir, he’s the son of Paladin Lin Keeper! He belongs to the Keeper clan!” Edgar said as they began descending a flight of polished oak stairs.

“Yes, that’s another reason I want to get him out of Ystir immediately… If he returns to his kingdom, we won’t have a chance to remove him peacefully… So, to prevent a war, I’m getting ahead of things,” the priest replied as they reached a white door with a golden plaque at its center. Its corners were gold, and it had the figure of a woman at the top.

“You! Where is the priestess?” he asked upon entering the room and seeing the seat behind the desk empty. The room had two bookshelves filled with books behind the desk, two windows on the left, and two on the right. Next to the door where the priest entered was another desk, where a woman with glasses and pink hair tied in a lilac ponytail sat. She wore a button-up white shirt, a lilac-sleeved vest, a white skirt, white embroidered gloves, and white heeled shoes.

“She is in a meeting with paladins from the Kingdom of Centarion, sir,” the woman responded respectfully with a calm, moderate voice.

“Right…” The priest, irritated, clenched his teeth slightly. “Tell her to hold a meeting about the half-demon boy. Apparently, another one of Rei Fordesthmans lies has been exposed, and if she doesn’t believe it, tell her to check Ystir’s front page.” After saying this, the priest turned around, leaving Edgar and the woman behind. The two exchanged a quick gesture: touching two fingers to their eyes and then pointing at each other.

Edgar left and closed the door, following the priest. “Sir, wouldn’t it be better to send paladins to retrieve the boy?” Edgar asked, watching the priest, who was biting his index fingernail angrily.

“Demon. And I’d rather do it myself. You’re coming with me,” the priest responded, emphasizing how to refer to Louis and stopping his nail-biting.

“U-understood, sir,” Edgar replied, hesitant but knowing he had no choice but to obey.

The priest was about to reach two large doors made of oak with many golden details. "Open the door... It’s time to leave."

After Edgar opened the door, a white carriage with golden edges and silver wheels, with a red crystal in the middle of each wheel, awaited them outside. This carriage was powered by an engine and two propellers on the back. It didn’t have a single metallic horse; it was like a combination of a car and a carriage, capable of carrying eight people.

*Kingdom of Ystir - Eastern Gate*

"Where will I find him?" said Xitlari, looking around at the eastern exit, with two of her jackets on top of each other. The one she wore on top had a hood.

"Maybe you need the owl. Change," said the spiritual rhinoceros, lightly tapping Xitlari’s cheek with its horn.

"Good idea." Xitlari made several hand gestures rapidly, and the rhinoceros transformed into the spiritual owl.

"Hello again! Let’s see... If you’re going to look for Louis, you could ask a man named Marti. He might know something," said the spiritual owl with joy and confidence in its words.

"Sure... You’re right, but I don’t really get along with people," Xitlari said, trying to guess.

"The last time you talked to Marti, you were fine... You were the one who wanted to find him, right?" The owl flew above Xitlari’s head and then settled a little in her hair.

"Hey... get off my head," Xitlari exclaimed, a bit uncomfortable with the owl perched there.

"Don’t you like it? Sorry then, but I deserve to be here. I’m helping you find him," the owl replied, determined not to get down.

"Fine... Marti! Are you here?!" she shouted while approaching the carriages.

The drivers stepped back a bit, except one, who approached Xitlari.

"Hello... Eh... What do you need me for this time?" asked Marti, a little uncomfortable but more confident.

"Did you take Louis anywhere?" she replied, noticing the looks from the others.

"Ah... Yes, to a cave that’s a bit far from here, heading northwest. Do you need me to take you there?" he said, somewhat relieved, though his discomfort was still noticeable.

"No, I’ll go by motorcycle... Have you seen Louis’s video?" she mentioned, heading toward the warehouse but turning back to ask the question.

"Of course... In fact, I was present when he fought those three guys... If you’re asking about the other thing, honestly, I don’t think so. And if it’s true... It doesn’t matter what others say, he seems like a really good guy, young to be a paladin, but good." Marti touched his head with his right hand. His words were sincere and to the point.

"Got it," Xitlari said, raising her thumb with her right hand. Then, she took the four-wheeled motorcycle from the warehouse and headed toward the cave.

"You’re getting better, but you seem very cold when you speak," said the spiritual owl without difficulty, even though the motorcycle was going at high speed.

"I still think I like being who I am... With few friends, there’s no need to worry or do things like what I’m doing," Xitlari said sincerely while driving toward the cave.

Surprised by her words, the owl said: "Do you feel like you’re forced to do this?"

"No, not at all... I feel it’s the right thing, and if I want to be better, I need to change, but part of me doesn’t want to, maybe out of fear," she responded, with a flicker of fear in her eyes, but also with the spark of someone wanting to improve.

The owl stayed thinking about Xitlari’s words... After that small conversation and a few kilometers traveled, Xitlari found the cave Marti mentioned.

"Do you see him?" Xitlari stopped near the cave to confirm he was there.

"Yes, I see his aura inside. It seems like he’s training, just as he said," said the spiritual owl after taking a moment to use its vision.

"Good." Xitlari got off the motorcycle and headed toward the cave entrance. Before entering, she felt a sudden increase in heat. She took off the extra jacket she had on and carried it in her left arm. Upon entering the cave, she stopped when she saw Louis surrounded by lava as he lowered his temperature at will, creating some hot stone pillars and then smashing them with a single blow.

"Incredible..." she murmured, then noticed her hands trembling a little. "He won’t hurt me, don’t be afraid!" she thought, then said:

"Louis!".

"Xi... Xitlari... What are you doing here?" Louis expressed, surprised to see her, immediately absorbing all the lava with his hands.

"I wanted... to see you... Are you okay?" Xitlari said, a little nervous.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"See me? Me?" Louis thought, even more surprised. "Eh, yeah, I’m fine. How did you find me?".

"Kassie told me you were going east, and your friend Marti gave me the directions to... your training cave," she replied, approaching after Louis absorbed all the lava.

"Kassie... Jeh..." Louis murmured with a slight smile.

"Honestly... You worried me a little. I thought you’d leave the kingdom because some people wouldn’t accept you... or most of them. So... I wanted to help you because I know what it’s like to be rejected by everyone," she said sincerely, with a bit of difficulty getting the words out, glancing away slightly.

"I understand... If there’s a next time, I’ll write to you too so you don’t worry," Louis mentioned, accepting that it was only about that matter. "Though it’s a bit hard to write to her," he thought. "You shouldn’t have worried. I already have experience with this and... knew this would happen sooner or later."

"Sure, that’s true... Will you keep training?" she asked, remembering Louis’s story and heading toward the cave exit.

"No, I think that’s enough. I need to go back and talk to the professor about what I could do. He might give me ideas or a solution," Louis replied, following her.

"Hmmm... I think there’s a place I want you to know. Will you come?" she said, turning around to then leave the cave and get on the motorcycle.

"Sure, that sounds amazing... Hey, you parked the motorcycle," he said as he exited the cave.

"I liked it a lot. Get on and don’t fall," Xitlari joked, starting the motorcycle and waiting for him.

"Haha, of course not..." Louis got on the motorcycle and held onto Xitlari’s shoulders. Then, they began their journey back to the Kingdom of Ystir.

Upon reaching the eastern gate, Xitlari had Louis enter with her to store the motorcycle in the warehouse.

"Take off your coat and put on this jacket. I brought it for you so no one would recognize you. It might be a little big," she said, handing him the jacket after placing a tarp over the motorcycle.

"Thanks." Louis took off his coat, leaving only his blue compression shirt, which was long-sleeved. "Could you hold it?" he said, handing her the coat to put on the jacket. Xitlari, without saying a word, took it and gave him the jacket.

"Done. Do you think no one will recognize me?" he asked after finishing putting it on.

"I think it’s fine," commented the spiritual owl.

"Yeah. Lower your head a bit so no one sees your face, and that’s it. *Sigh* It would be easier if Ann were here, she could take you without anyone seeing you," she replied, lowering his head a bit.

"She’s checking Mei’s mine with Ririam, right? We could run across the rooftops," Louis suggested while looking outside through the warehouse door.

"Yeah, we could do that... Jeh, you know? When I used to get mad, my father always raced with me to make me forget everything. I think that’s why I raced with you when... I judged you wrongly," she mentioned with affection for the memory that came to mind, but feeling a bit bad about her last words.

"My father was always teaching me things. I wish I had spent more time with him, but you know... Well, let’s try it. Maybe no one will recognize me," he said, trying to share something that turned sad, then preparing to leave the warehouse.

They both headed for the exit. Louis was perfectly camouflaged thanks to the jacket, and Xitlari carried the folded coat hidden in her jacket. They walked slowly, trying not to be noticed. It seemed that no one had recognized them.

"It looks like it worked," Louis whispered.

"Wow! I see you found Paladin Louis!" said Marti upon seeing them. Immediately, Xitlari lunged at him and covered his mouth, hiding from the carriage drivers passing by the eastern gate.

"Why are you talking? Everything was fine! No one had recognized us!" Xitlari replied, lowering her voice and lifting Marti by his shirt.

"Sorry! I just wanted to say hi! Don’t kill me, please!" he exclaimed, almost in tears.

"Don’t hit him, Xitlari," the spiritual owl added.

"No one’s going to do that, Marti... Hurry, pretend you were talking on a communicator and confused the names," Louis commented, trying to hide his face and lowering his voice when he saw a driver approaching.

"Hello, sorry, I meant Lotis, not Louis, hahaha. I'm glad you found him!... Huh? What's wrong, buddy?" Marti tried to do what Louis told him, convincing the approaching driver.

"Nothing, I thought something happened to you," the driver hinted, stepping away from Marti.

"It worked! Now we just need to..." Louis said before realizing they had many people to their right. Instantly, both of them ran and jumped onto the roof of a house, starting to run without looking back.

"Was that the paladin Louis?" a woman asked. "Looks like it," a man answered. "What was he doing with the four-armed girl?" another asked (they still hadn't seen the news).

"We made it inside! Now follow me," Xitlari exclaimed as she kept running across the rooftops of the houses, sometimes jumping to get to the next one.

"Okay," Louis said, matching Xitlari's pace while holding the hood of his jacket to keep the wind from blowing it back.

As they ran, some people watched them curiously when they saw two others running across the rooftops. "I guess running on rooftops is in fashion now," a lady said.

After a long run, they finally arrived, stopping on the roof of a two-story building.

"Hey, how far did we run? This is the southwest area, right?" Louis asked, a little out of breath.

"Right here, it's the place. You coming down?" Xitlari answered, a bit tired as well, then climbed down from the roof. Louis followed her, and Xitlari entered the place. "Come on in".

Louis entered the place, a little confused, observing how well-kept it was.

"Hello! Is anyone here?" Xitlari said cheerfully, a smile on her face.

"Xitlari!" the children yelled, running toward her with excitement, laughter, and enthusiasm.

Xitlari crouched down and placed Louis' folded coat on her right leg. "Hello, everyone! I'm so happy to see you! How have you all been?" Xitlari hugged all the children she could with her four arms.

"Very well," answered a boy with black hair, wearing a red long-sleeve shirt, black shorts, and sandals. "Why didn't you visit us last week?" replied a girl with a white ribbon in her brown hair. She wore a pink dress and pink shoes with a star decoration. She crossed her arms in disappointment.

Louis watched them with a smile on his face. "It's the first time I've seen her this happy... She's so beautiful," Louis thought, blushing a little.

"I've been very busy. Mei had some missions for me. Want me to tell you one?" Xitlari answered, patting the girl's head.

"Who's he?" asked a blonde boy. He was wearing a green shirt with a cat design, gray shorts, and reddish shoes.

"His eye is blue!" one said in surprise.

"And red! Just like his hair," another added.

"Is he your boyfriend?" asked the girl with the white ribbon.

"Uh! I..." Louis said nervously, blushing, almost unable to say anything.

"No, he's my partner. In fact, he's a paladin," Xitlari answered calmly, while the owl focused on thinking.

"A paladin! Let's go!" shouted the girl, and instantly, all the children rushed to Louis.

"O... hey, wait!" Louis didn't know what to do as the children completely surrounded him.

"Hey, have you fought a criminal?" asked the blonde boy. "Do you use a sword?" asked another with enthusiasm. "Can you use magic?" commented another.

"Xitlari! Back again, but this time not alone, huh? That's not your jacket," said Lily, appearing and hugging Xitlari, while the children continued asking Louis questions, and he tried to answer what he could.

"We have a problem. Someone posted a video of him using his lava magic and mentioning he's half demon," Xitlari said after returning the hug.

"Oh, no... Are you hiding him?" Lily was surprised and worried about the details.

"No, we arrived without being recognized. I just wanted to show him a place where no one would judge him... and where he would get a lot of attention," Xitlari replied, then saw the children had surrounded Louis and couldn't help but smile.

"Oh... then he'll be fine here," she said, holding back laughter as she looked at him too.

"Now that I think about it, I'll tell Mei we're here so she can let Reck know," she said, taking out her communicator.

Meanwhile, in the west of Lyran, the carriage the priest and Edgar were in was speeding toward Ystir, apparently on autopilot, as no one was driving.

"We're almost at Ystir, sir," Edgar was keeping an eye on the road, while the priest was deep in thought, not paying much attention to what Edgar was saying.

"If the kid refuses, I might have the chance to kill him. The important thing is to find him alone. It would be best if he accepted, then I could kill him on the way... I'll take the opportunity to get rid of Edgar too. He knows too much. I'll just blame the demon, say it tried to attack me and Edgar jumped in to save me. Simple and easy. The lands of Ystir... must be kept in order!" the priest thought, emotionless, glancing at Edgar while planning to kill him too. "I hope there are no inconveniences...".

Back at the orphanage, Louis was looking out the window as Xitlari told the children a story.

"Hello, I didn’t introduce myself. My name is Lily," she said, approaching Louis from behind.

"Nice to meet you, Louis A. Keeper," Louis responded respectfully, turning around and slightly bowing his head.

"Oh, no need for formalities. Come, sit down," Lily sat down and offered Louis a seat next to her.

"You… know about me, right?" Louis asked after sitting down and thinking for a moment whether to ask or not.

"Of course, enough," she replied, without elaborating.

"Aren’t you afraid or concerned? I want to know... what do you think?" Louis seemed worried and doubtful.

"What do I think? Hmm... Well, I trust Xitlari, and if she trusts you, I will too. Besides, you're a paladin. You were trained for a reason, and not by just anyone," she responded, placing her index finger on her chin to think a little before answering sincerely.

"So, if Xitlari didn’t trust me..." Louis said, a bit downcast and thoughtful.

"Listen, people struggle to accept what’s new. Sometimes new things are bad, but to me, you’re not bad. Xitlari told me your whole story. Something like that shouldn’t happen to people like you, but life isn’t easy. Still, you got up and moved on. And look at you now, your father would be proud. Oh! I sounded like that one time, haha," Lily tried to answer calmly and cheerfully, with words full of support and truth.

"Apparently, she told you everything... You know... Sometimes I wish I didn’t feel like this, so vulnerable and weak." Louis looked at her for a moment and then directed his gaze at Xitlari.

"I think what you see as vulnerable and weak is your humanity," Lily said, giving Louis a few light pats on the shoulder.

"Yes, I’ve been told that before... but I feel like I must be strong and that nothing should affect me," Louis said, bringing his hands together and pressing them tightly.

"It’s okay to want to be stronger, but don’t let it overwhelm you and don’t punish yourself if you fail. Do what you think is right, what your heart wants, and that will be enough," Lily said with a hint of melancholy and a smile on her lips, as if those words had been said to her a long time ago.

"It sounds just like my mother, maybe because she’s a mother too," Louis commented with a slight memory of his mother in his mind. Lily responded with a kind smile to show gratitude for the comment.

A bell rang in the distance, and all the children who had been listening to Xitlari’s story got up and ran down the hall.

"Kids, remember to line up!" Lily shouted as she stood up from the chair, then followed the children.

"I think... it’s time for me to leave," Louis mentioned, smiling as he looked at the children, also getting up to leave.

"Did you find this helpful?" Xitlari asked, approaching Louis.

"I really liked it, the kids bring so much peace... Thank you very much," Louis responded, much happier and calmer, heading to the exit.

"I’ll go with you. I need to take you to Reck, he’ll help you settle in the kingdom. Lily, we’re leaving!" she said determinedly, following him behind.

"Good luck! Be careful!" Lily shouted from the other room, where the children were having a snack.

"With Reck? For what?" Louis said, confused, letting Xitlari exit the orphanage first.

"Haven’t you read your communicator?" Xitlari peeked through the door to let Louis know when to leave.

"I think I left it in the cave..." Louis said, trying to remember where he had left it.

"I’ll tell you on the way. Let’s go!" she said, signaling him, and both quickly went to climb onto the rooftops of the houses.

*West Gate*

The luxurious and impressive carriage of the priest had arrived at the kingdom of Ystir. People looked at it with surprise and relief, as some didn’t want Louis in the kingdom; they thought he had come to take him out of there, and they were right.

The carriage parked, and the priest got off along with Edgar to ask the citizens.

"Hello everyone! Sorry for coming without notice, I won’t be here long... If anyone knows where Louis A. Keeper is, I need you to tell me right now!" The priest began his little speech in a calm and friendly manner, only to become almost a threat.

"But he’s a paladin! He always delivers my packages!" said a man with long hair, wearing glasses, a gray cap, a buttoned shirt, dark pants, and sneakers.

"What paladin?! He’s a demon! He’s probably already brainwashed you!" retorted a man with white hair, wearing an elegant suit and holding a golden cane.

"Shut your mouth! You have to get that thing out of this kingdom!" shouted another man, furious.

"Of course! We don’t want creatures like that in our kingdom!" several of the attendees shouted, furious.

"You should also get rid of that four-armed freak. He broke my nose!" said a bearded man carrying two boxes on his shoulders.

"Silence! I asked for his whereabouts. I want to know where he lives, tell me, and I’ll do what you ask," said the priest, annoyed at not receiving an answer, raising his golden cane and striking it against the ground, cracking it slightly.

"He lives... in that scientist’s house, Maxwell," replied the man with white hair, feeling a bit fearful.

"That’s what I wanted to hear," the priest whispered, then got back into the carriage with Edgar. "Full speed ahead to Professor Maxwell’s address".

[Understood... Searching for Professor Maxwell’s address...]

[Found! West zone of the kingdom of Ystir, Professor Maxwell Ziens, renowned scientist and...] said the carriage’s panel.

"Save the details, just take me there," said the priest seriously, and the carriage began moving toward Professor Maxwell’s house.

Meanwhile, Louis and Xitlari had arrived at the PT agency.

"There are a lot of people on the way," Louis said, observing from the rooftop with Xitlari.

"Cover your face well. We’ll enter the agency as quickly as possible. Canbel is at the door," said Xitlari, preparing to descend.

Louis covered himself well with the jacket, and both descended from the roof, passing through the crowd. With great caution, they managed to enter without a sound.

"Hey! It’s the demon paladin!" shouted a man who recognized Louis as he passed by and caught a glimpse of his eyes.

Quickly, Xitlari and Louis entered the agency, and Canbel closed the door. They both headed to Mei’s office, finding her along with a short-haired, pink-haired woman who was kneeling on the floor.

"I’m so sorry... I didn’t want this to happen," the woman said, crying uncontrollably.

"Look, Louis is here. Instead of apologizing to me, apologize to him," Mei said, already seeming tired of hearing the girl.

"I... I’m so sorry!" the girl said, slowly approaching Louis and then grabbing his feet.

"Hey! Wait!" Louis said in surprise, feeling a little sorry for her.

"I just wanted... to make us famous," the girl couldn’t stop crying, her voice trembling with genuine remorse.

"It’s okay, don’t cry. It’s not your fault, you did it with good intentions, and you probably worked hard to make that video about me look great, in fact, I saw it, it was very well made," Louis bent down and helped her up, then took her to the couch where she could sit.

"Of course it’s my fault... If I hadn’t posted anything, you’d be living peacefully," she replied, wiping some tears from her face.

"No, the fault lies with this world, that can’t accept people who are different," Xitlari said, crossing one of her right arms and showing her other three arms.

"Y-You’re Dahlia Xitlari," the girl said in awe, sniffing. "The winner of the last King Shane’s tournament," she wiped her face with her shirt sleeves.

"Were you there?" Xitlari asked, a little surprised.

"Yes, I... I was making a report for school," the girl responded, now calmer.

"Could you delete the video?" Louis asked, pulling down his hood and staring at her intently.

"I already did, but... the damage is done," she said, regretfully, looking down at the floor.

"But you could fix it. You just need to say you were wrong, make a video apologizing, and that’s it," Mei suggested, sitting next to the girl.

"That’s a good idea, I could...!" the girl said, brightening up, but was interrupted.

"No... People need to know... I have a better idea. I’ll speak, I’ll introduce myself to everyone and... I’ll tell the whole truth honestly, without hiding anything. I’m tired of hiding, I want to live without having to think about it," Louis said with seriousness and determination in his words.

"Sounds good! That’ll be enough, but... the church is another matter... Do you think Rei will do something?" Mei insinuated with her sweet and slightly serious voice at the situation.

"Of course, he surely knew this would happen, and there’s no doubt he’ll do something," Louis responded with confidence.

"Alright, Reck will be here soon. For now, you should stay here," Mei said, sitting at her desk.

Suddenly, Canbel entered the office, quickly opening the door.

"Boss! The priest... is outside, and he says if he’ll hand over Louis willingly or by force," his face showed concern and fear.

"What? Is he here already?!" Mei, surprised, stood up from her desk and left her office with Xitlari.

"Stay here, Louis," Xitlari said before leaving the office.

"No, I must go too," Louis responded determinedly, following Mei.

Xitlari looked at the pink-haired girl staring at the floor and then turned her gaze to Xitlari. "I’m sorry," the girl said, and Xitlari, without a word, closed the office door and followed Louis.

"Canbel, prepare all the files from the silver box!" Mei said as she was about to pass through the door to the area where all the jewels were.

"Yes, ma’am, I’ll go right away," Canbel ran to the research room after placing his right hand on his forehead.

Mei walked through the door and there stood Priest Krief, who had entered the jewelry store as Edgar closed the door behind him.

"I apologize for the intrusion, I didn't want anyone to interrupt," the priest said with a smile, holding his staff against his body, his hands clasped together. "So you're the demon... I thought you'd look more like one... Come on, I don’t have all day," the priest immediately turned around with confidence after his words.

"He’s not going with you. And how did you know he was here?" Mei asked firmly and seriously.

"Cover everything, Edgar," he said without further explanation.

"Yes, sir," Edgar covered all the windows with earth magic.

The priest turned back, but now his expression was serious. "I was told you’d be with Professor Maxwell, but I heard someone shouting that the demon was in the jewelry store of... Expaladin Mei! Don’t waste my time, Mei, let’s make a deal... Give me the boy and I’ll listen to whatever you’ve been wanting to tell me or inform me about, or whatever it is. But I’m bored with your letters about there being a living nerosma. I suggest it be something important."

Mei hesitated at the priest's offer, but in the end, the answer was the same. "I still won’t give him to you...".

"Fine! I’ll go with you, but you’ll listen to everything Miss Mei has to say!" Louis said, stepping forward, knowing he was helping the kingdom of Ystir.

"Perfect!" the priest said, smiling again, his eyes lighting up in a sadistic way.

"No! Louis, no! He won’t blackmail me like that, no matter who he is," Mei said, raising her right hand to stop Louis from approaching the priest.

"He’s already made his decision! We’re leaving!" The priest moved to grab Louis by the arm. Mei was about to stop him, but Xitlari stepped in front of Louis, raising all four of her arms.

"Stay away from him! Don’t think we don’t know what you’re capable of. I’ve investigated you in the past and I’m sure it’s not for you that the kingdoms of different races are affiliating. You don’t care at all about people like Louis... or me. You just think we’re trash!" Xitlari said seriously, Looking at him with a face full of hate and Louis was surprised seeing Xitlari in front of him.

"You’re the... Hmm... Just because you’re tall doesn’t intimidate me, and yes, I’m not responsible for such an atrocity," the priest said, taking a few steps back. "He made his decision, you can’t force him... right! He’s a paladin, so he has to come with me if I want him to. You don’t have an ounce of power, but I do".

"He was going to say something... But what? Hmm..." the spiritual owl above Xitlari’s head thought.

"Miss Mei, I have them..." Canbel said quietly, approaching from behind Mei.

"Keep them... You won’t see anything," Mei responded without further explanation. "You never should’ve had all that power... You made Count Jens a king. Zthur threatened this kingdom! And you...!" Mei, furious and frowning, stepped forward firmly.

The priest snapped his fingers, interrupting Mei and creating a shockwave that cracked all the glass in the display cases and the earth that Edgar had placed on the windows, Making everyone ready for anything. "Watch your tone... Expaladin," the priest said, staring at her with an expression of authority and fury. "You are nothing... I am everything, you can’t stop me from taking him, so... don’t get in my way," the priest smiled again, this time in a sadistic way, and Edgar was ready for whatever happened in this small shop.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Reck entered with his imposing size and build. He was wearing his armor, but this time with large golden pauldrons on his shoulders. "Priest Krief, glad to see you," Reck said with his deep, strong voice.

The priest turned his gaze back, and upon seeing Reck’s imposing presence, he lost his smile and returned to a serious expression. "Reck... What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with the king?".

"You can’t take Louis. If you want to do that, you’ll have to ask the king of Alahead, and you know it," Reck responded, not paying attention to the priest’s questions.

"Are you going to question me too?" the priest asked angrily, pressing his staff with his right hand.

"I don’t think it’s wise for you to do anything illegal or anything beyond that," Reck responded, looking down coldly.

"I see... The demon already made his den," the priest thought, looking at each of the present people. "Alright... You’ve won for now. Let’s go, Edgar," he said, directing his gaze toward Louis.

Reck moved aside to let the priest pass through the door.

"Sir..." Edgar said, seeing the priest open the door to leave.

"What did I say?" the priest said before leaving, and Edgar followed him without saying a word.

Outside, Mern was standing with his arms crossed, and Mark was to his left, waiting for anything. The priest exchanged a serious glance with him and then continued his way toward his carriage.

"Sir, are you sure? They were willing to kill you over that demon," Edgar said after entering the carriage with the priest.

"Maybe... We had no options, they were more than us. To the church!" the priest responded, trying to stay calm.

[Understood], said the car’s console.

"I didn’t expect him to have so much influence... It wouldn’t have been easy to go against Mei, but Reck... The two strongest paladins in this kingdom, not to mention Mern was outside. Also, bringing support wasn’t an option due to the plans I had," the priest thought as the carriage began to turn westward.

"I could talk to the king so they can remove him from the kingdom and bring him with us," Edgar mentioned, and the carriage began to move quickly toward the west.

"No, they won’t leave him alone, and from what I saw, Mei is capable of going with him to protect him. I imagine the girl with the yellow wind and the serious one with the technology are probably nearby," the priest took a bottle of water after pressing a button on a panel next to the carriage door. "Reck is right about something... It’s not wise for me to get involved in anything illegal. So I’ll wait for the meeting tomorrow with Rei and the leaders. If they want something legal, tomorrow there will be a trial and I’ll have him killed. I noticed he doesn’t know much about the technology in that video, so now I know who will be the right one".

"And if... they decide not to kill him? The boy seems very calm and normal," Edgar asked.

The priest took a large gulp of water and answered Edgar’s question: "If the priestess speaks in his favor, I’ll speak immediately. I won’t stay silent if the protocol isn’t followed. Rei mentioned that he’s responsible for the boy since it was discovered he’s half demon, but lava magic... Don’t think Rei will get away with it. And yes, the boy seems normal... but lava magic is very dangerous, especially if a demon possesses it... If Mei and Reck want their kingdom to be reduced to ashes like Trownlian, fine, that won’t be my problem. They’ll just give me reason and Alahead won’t interfere." The priest finished the bottle of water in one gulp, crushed it, and with his white hand, he made it disappear, creating a small white explosion that briefly blinded Edgar. "I want you to send the S agents to watch over Ystir in case that Louis... wants to escape to his kingdom. I don’t want wars, we’ve been without one for too long".

*Kingdom of Alahead*

Rei was using his green magic to carry many things he had on a table outside, placing them into a common wooden carriage of good quality.

"Alright! It’s time to go... Get ready, old man, it’s time to reveal the truth about lava magic and your actions," Rei said, observing a device before flying out of the window with his magic and climbing into the carriage. He then created horses with his magic, which began moving the carriage toward the kingdom's exit. While many people walked nearby, the kingdom’s houses were made of polished stone, decorated with wood, and the ground was made of stone without any cracks. The kingdom also had a large wall around it (not as high as Ystir’s). The sunlight illuminated this peaceful and less technological kingdom.

End of Chapter.