Long ago, the kingdom of Lakrus was a small duchy in a much larger kingdom ruled by giants. As the only place where the giants weren't allowed in, it quickly became a hub for humans and monsters that lived around the city. However, their arrival was far from a welcome one, as the mainstay of the city was slaves who worked to secure grain for the giant population.

But much like any king or kingdom, their legacy fails eventually. And the giant's failure gave way for the humans to rule themselves. Unfortunately for the half giants, however, it was a sure sign of trouble, and so they gathered by the tower of the grand sorceress, Guriea. She housed them for a while, even took some of them as lovers, both men and women alike. She bore many children from both men and women, somehow… And that was the final straw for the humans, as they couldn't bear to watch the giants trying to multiply in their own house.

The tower was besieged and taken from Guriea's grasp. Her children were made slaves, and the skins of her lovers were turned to rugs. Their spines were picked and used to replace the column that held the tower up. But never could the people find Guriea herself, entombed in some hiding place perhaps, but never seen or heard from ever again.

As Glyea told the tale, everyone inside the auburn carriage listened with great interest. Cill even corrected her a few times, but gave up halfway since Glyea kept getting nervous every time she interjected. Masking past sins did no good anyway; those were Cill's thoughts as she allowed the soon-to-be queen to recite the past so she could write a better future herself.

"Can we open a window? I'm getting a little winded…" Elicia tried to reach out to the window and open it, but to her surprise, it was bolted shut. "Why is it?"

"To prevent protestors from shoveling dung, is that a good enough answer for you?" Cill complained, already too tired of being around the group Glyea had brought.

In her eyes, they were no more than distractions. And yet after what they'd been hearing about the Devil away and the hero and his party, the entire group had to report to the roundtable assembly. It was her own idea after all, but now that it had nearly come to fruition, she felt differently.

"So… When are we going in front of the sages?" Rudy asked, his body shifting beside Audrey as the seats were quite cramped.

Lifting her head once more, Cill stared at the hero with an empty gaze. Unlike Soma, she felt nothing towards him–almost as if the boy was hollow.

"Hmm… You seem weak," she muttered without realizing it.

Many an eye narrowed to her remark, but none said a word, for she was still a sage and much higher than they were in position, at least in the city.

"As for your question. You shall stay at the tower for the day, the meeting comes tomorrow morning when the minora and mediora are ready to see you." Turning her head to Glyea, Cill placed a hand on her shoulder. "Same goes for you, but first, I think we should discuss some things with your brother present."

"Y-yes, ma'am…" Getting anxious once more, Glyea took a deep gulp and looked away from Cill.

Having noticed her anxiety multiple times already, the sage was using it to her advantage now before Glyea gets too used to the pressure and starts going against her decree. Knowing many methods of manipulation, the sage had decided to rely on conditioning. That very fear and anxiety will be the leash that shall grow lax but never break. Like a lion lashed from childhood, even if it grows into an adult, with the lash it shall break.

Neither Zephyr nor Aura were blind to her attempts. Valentine, on the other hand, simply did not care. She'd been soaking in the surroundings with an invisible aura and judging the strength of civilians and soldiers. Nobody of interest had caught her attention, except for the sage, perhaps, but even being level one hundred and fifty, she was no threat.

'I wonder what her blood tastes like?' Giving her another glance, Valentine could smell something rich in her veins. Too pungent for her liking but sweet nonetheless. 'Giant's blood, so sweet it burns the lips away.'

Clicking her tongue, she drew some attention to her, but it only lasted a moment.

'So we're here, what's the plan?' She asked Zephyr through their mental link.

Leaning back against the wall, the fiend started considering their next move. So far, it was clear that the sages were somewhat more commanding than the people they'd met so far, but not enough to put them in harm's way. Besides that, the city seemed safe as well, though they hadn't walked the streets themselves yet.

'We act normal for now, but send your familiars out once we get to the tower. I want to know how we can take over this place in case it does come down to that.' Not too excited by the thought of ruling a kingdom again, Zephyr's lips twisted into a grimace. He remembered from long ago how much of a headache ruling a kingdom could be, and that's why he gave up on the idea and instead became a general to his army.

"We must be nearly there," speaking up again, Cill brought everyone's attention to her. "The butlers and maids will be at the ready to host you. If you need anything, bother them, it's their job to be bothered all day, so don't feel shy."

Looking at Glyea again, she added.

"I will host you myself. We have a lot to discuss after all, plenty of plans to go through, and that campaign preparations too."

"Campaign?" Freya muttered, her eyes narrow with distrust.

"Hmm? I wasn't talking to you, was I?" Cill complained with not an ounce of emotion reflected through her face.

"What?!"

"Hilton's daughter, right?" Covering her mouth with her hand, she let out a brief laugh and slowly turned her eyes towards Roxanne. "And an abandoned pup, curious bunch. Just don't confuse being tolerated for being welcomed here."

Yet again, everyone was stunned by her coarse mouth, but what could they do but remain silent? Riding the rest of the way without saying anything, the group arrived at the tower, but none of them were thrilled as they'd already had a taste of a sage.

'This is going to be miserable.' Thought the girls in Rudy's party, and they were more right than they even knew yet.

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