"Answer my questions, and I will believe you." Khi's spell resolves into an ethereal thread, arcing from her chest to mine, linking us together. The simplest rejection will break it, but so will it break her trust. "Is your name Lucius?"

"No."

She regards me with a flat expression. "Lie. This is not a trick. I would prefer it you not test me again. Are you a citizen of the Union?"

"Technically."

"...Truth. Where were you born?"

"Earth."

"So you don't deny that falsehood about your past?"

"No."

"Where is this Earth?"

"Far, far away." I point to the air in front of me. "Or right here."

"...Another truth. Explain."

"The explanation is not relevant. Proceed with your queries."

Her eyes narrow at me, but my refusal does not break the threshold. "Who do you work for?"

"In what capacity?"

"Don't play coy with me, Lucius. Answer the question."

"I do not work for any of the people that have less than good intentions concerning you."

She regards me with some scrutiny, her tail slowly dragging across the ground. "Why did your Guild choose you?"

"Because I was qualified, and because I stacked the odds in my favor." Another scrutinizing glare prompts me to elaborate further, "Why do you think Sovereign Rak'Na chose Harthes in the first place?"

"Wha— What do you... Explain!" she shouts, startling herself with her own unexpected intensity.

"False information was supplied to the sovereign, information that indicated the presence of well-established Veyrin assets in all major Union cities, with the ones in Harthes being the least developed, leaving it as the best—and only—choice."

"By who?"

"Well, by me, of course."

"...How?"

"Ah, I'm afraid that answer must come later in the conversation, Princess."

"'Princess'... Am I against you, Lucius? Am I your enemy?"

"No."

"Oh... Don't... Please, call me Khi."

"Of course."

"Why did you want to be chosen?"

"The position of liaison, or more aptly—additional layer of protection, was what would best allow me to influence the situation."

Khi stares at me for a few long seconds, and then continues, her voice low, quiet, nearly a whisper, "Influence how?"

"Toward the best outcome. An outcome where the fewest people would get hurt."

"And what of me?" she asks.

"You are a person, no?"

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"You know what I mean! ...Is it just me, or were you not this infuriating before."

"I was not."

She huffs in exasperation. "Truth."

"Have my actions done anything but prevent harm from befalling you?"

Khi glances at my newly regrown arm. "I guess not. Was this also part of your plan?"

"It was a possibility that I accounted for, yes."

She thinks for a moment, and then, a thought squirms its way to the surface of her mind. Her eyes widen and stare into my own. "Are you behind the disappearance of monsters?"

"Yes." My answer staggers her back, almost like the single word I uttered produced a devastating shockwave.

She asks, her voice trembling, "How?"

"Another answer for later, Khi."

Any strength she still has drains away, her body slumping. She sighs, a deep and tired exhale. "Let's get this over with, then. Can I trust you?"

"I do not know."

It starts with another quick exhale, followed by another, and another, until the princess is laughing, everything that she is feeling trying to futilely escape out of her. She finally calms down and inhales deeply, letting the air out slowly. "Alright. Do I have any other choice?"

"That is not something for me to answer."

"Infuriating," she remarks once more. "The way my spell works, it tells me if you believe what you say. Easily fooled in some ways, entirely unavoidable in others. How infuriating it is that you believe what you just said."

"If that is so, why don't I say this. I care about you, Khi. I care about every single person on this planet. I care more than I can describe with words. And I only want to help you."

Khi finally smiles at me. Weak but still there. "You can be very convincing when you want to be, huh." The thread connecting us snaps, returning back to mana. "What do we do now?"

"I decide if I'll answer the questions we saved for later."

"Can I influence your decision?"

"You already have."

"I don't expect it was in the direction I'd prefer, right?"

"You'd be surprised." Khi patiently waits for me to decide, her tail betraying the building anticipation. Revealing myself to her at this stage will only introduce chaos, more variables to the equation. But maybe chaos is what we need. "Earth is the name of a planet."

"What?"

"A planet in another universe, thus my uncertainty to its exact location." Khi stares motionlessly at me. Even if the thread is gone, she knows my words are the truth. "And as for how I managed to convince Sovereign Rak'Na of a reality that does not exist, and how I am involved with the subjugation of stray monsters..." I trail off and snap my fingers.

A warp portal materializes next to us, startling Khi out of her daze. Her head swiftly flicks to the somewhat familiar anomaly, only to see a bent-over Elisa waving at her from the other side. The scene in front of her too much, Khi finds some last bits of strength hidden inside and starts laughing again.

***

"And you knew we were investigating you?" Khi asks.

"That is correct," I answer.

"Mother did not share our findings with your Guild, but—"

I interrupt, "Actually, she did. The moment she found out we were taken. A rare lapse of judgement from the sovereign. Inconvenient."

My particular choice of punctuating adjective causes Khi to make a soft huff. "Will that complicate things?"

"For the current situation? No."

"I'm sorry, Lucius." I detect genuine remorse in Khi's voice. "Fuck... I'm really in over my head, aren't I?"

Elisa tries to calm her down. "It will be okay. Lucius can handle this. And if he needs help, the Confederacy will provide it."

Khi hums dejectedly. "Please excuse me. I need to use the restroom." She then stands up and leaves the room, not even waiting for any directions.

"What happened to your sleeve?" Elisa asks, already knowing the answer.

"It was damaged in the scuffle."

"Anything else suffer the same fate?"

"What do you aim to accomplish with that information?"

An innocent smile is plastered on her face. "Nothing."

I sigh and lean against her, momentarily causing the elf to flinch in surprise, but she quickly relaxes against the uncharacteristic initiation of touch. "I'm fine. Thank you for worrying about me."

A subdued 'Mm-hmm' is all I receive in response.

When Khi does not return in the next few minutes, Elisa says, "She's freaking out, isn't she."

"Yes."

"I'll go check on her." With a soft sigh, Elisa stands up and sets forth, attempting to calm Khi down. The elf does have firsthand experience, after all.

After around ten minutes, the two return, looking like they just had a jolly good old time. When their eyes fall upon me, both start snickering in amusement.

"Do I even want to know?" I ask.

Elisa points at my face. "That's the pouty one."

Khi grins even wider. "It really is adorable."

Elisa becomes even more animated. "And that's the 'I'm trying to look mad, but I'm actually having a lot of fun'." ...Is this how animals at the zoo feel? Thank God there aren't really any zoos in this world. Tasteless. Though, if the primary function is conservation or rehabilitation, I guess that's okay. They still need to generate revenue, too. It is interesting how the threat of dungeons is so great that even trapping monsters was abandoned and outlawed way back—

"And that's the 'I'm currently thinking about something wildly random'."

"Please stop reading my mind, Elisa." I take a deep breath and sigh. "What did she show you, Khi?"

The princess turns to Elisa and they both giggle. Then she turns back to me. "You. Playing in the snow." I sigh again.

"Ooh!" Khi exclaims. "It's the not-mad one, right?" Elisa nods in response, looking proud.

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