After days of being under its influence, the elixirs had finally worn off. The girls were surprisingly feeling much better with their heads clearer than ever. Whatever benefit the elixirs had was easily overshadowed by the strain that they placed upon their flesh. Thus, deciding not to use it ever again, they began their final march in the wagons.

Clear of everything and all, the capital city was peering through the horizon, and reaching out to the heavens was the tower of the royal castle. Each, a different height and dimension to replicate a giant's hand to pay homage to the city's inception. Built upon a cemetery for giants, one of which just so happened to be Guriea the sorceress, who built the grand tower.

A child of a giant with the frame of a human child, she'd erected her home with the spine of her kind. The story was known as far as there were bards, immortalizing the greatest known sorceresses who'd lived after the calamity long past. And now, the wagons were marching towards her home. Hoping that everything will work out just fine.

At least that's what most of them were thinking about, for the effect of the elixirs being drained wasn't all positive–not for Rudy at least. Sulking in a corner with a neutral expression to avoid being talked to, he kept thinking back to what he'd done last night and during the treatment of the Anuvi women. A great deal of shame and frustration was simmering deep within him, but what could he even do to remedy the situation? Nothing at all.

'We need to gather some proof and get rid of him from our group!' Screaming inside his head with much better clarity than before, Rudy wanted to get Custer caught for being manipulative and also potentially get out of their contract. 'He's helping us quite a lot, so we have to return the favor with a task or something else. Only after making the scales even can we break out of that stupid contract!'

From the wagon to the chastity, there was much that the hero's group had to repay the merchant. Otherwise, who knows what would happen since being a manipulator, Custer must've added some favourable terms for himself in case they break the contract.

Chasing the phantoms of his worries, Rudy kept quiet and to himself while Audrey stared at him from the other side. Still upset about last night, she didn't want to try anything for a while–perhaps then he could come to appreciate her body. As for the rest, the air between Freya and Charlotte was still quite tense, and Roxanne, on the other hand, had turned into a hermit.

Her home was coming, and the family that had abandoned her was close. Not to mention, after what she'd seen and heard last night, her mind was drifting as she kept staring into the distance. As a distraction, she tried to count the things she saw along the way, be they as small as a bird or as large as castles and outposts.

At first, all she saw were either small animals or watchtower guards staring at them from above. Passing many checkpoints with ease, thanks to Glyea riding in front, the group eventually rode past a large streak of ash spread across the path. Following the ash with her eyes, Roxanne noticed a burnt manor in the distance. Smoldering, though the fire was gone, the manor appeared to have burnt down just recently.

'What happened there?' She wondered, but the only one who could answer was drowning in her own anxious thoughts to notice the manor.

'We're finally getting there…' Lifting her head, Glyea felt her heart drop at the sight of the capital city's walls. Tall as towers and made from bricks of solid iron, the capital was a fortress that could deflect a fleet of dragons with no trouble at all. However, right now it was the magic knight who wished to be turned away; not having to deal with the sages would've been the greatest reward for preventing the zombie armies from getting here.

Brushing past that dream, Glyea shook her head.

"As if that could happen," she muttered to herself, jerking the horse's reins.

Hastening their ride, Glyea wanted to get inside the city as soon as possible. Not because she was thrilled to be home, but to keep the sages from waiting any longer than they already had. Besides, the hero's group, as well as the merchant and his companions, were to report to the sages as well, and who knows what chaos that might bring her way since she was the one who'd brought them all the way.

'I need to work on my report as well.' With the click of her tongue, she reminded herself to make some quick notes before she walked in front of the roundtable assembly. 'Well, I guess this is it, huh? Who knows if we're gonna live?'

Although scared out of her mind, Glyea rode the wagon in through the city walls. Inviting her in were the family sights of tall buildings on both sides, with a much greater opening much further in the middle. However, before she could go any further, she was stopped right by the gates by a handful of guards.

Separating the two wagons, they had everyone step out one after the other. The hero's group was moved into a checkpoint built within the width of the city wall. Custer and his companions were taken away to another room not too long after. And finally, after half an hour of making her stay still, another pair of guards began guiding her.

Taking her to a room, they sat her in a dark place. She tried to ask what was going on, but none of them would answer–and even if they did, it was as simple as.

"Just wait…" Not even an hour spent inside the kingdom, and trouble had already found her. Just wait, but for what? Nobody would say, leaving Glyea as well as the others to just sit around and waste time when they should've already been moved to the tower grand.

'GOD! I HATE LOW-LEVEL GUARDS!' Anxiously tapping her feet, Glyea hoped that she could move to the tower soon, but whether or not that happens today or not, depends on the arrival of her, now, sister-in-law…

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