The Virtues' Magecraft

Page 29: A Minor Heist

Within twenty minutes, the group of Hunters grew from six to sixteen. The other ten were camped out on a nearby hill. Alexander didn't know if the prospect of ten other Hunters was a good thing. Still...

"Told you we shouldn't have tried to escape," he mumbled to Anastasia.

"Shut up," she responded.

Alexander smiled and kept on walking. Even then, it wasn't long before Joseph ordered them and the Hunters to halt. "We're here," he said.

The Hunters spat out a collective sigh as they dropped heavy bags and weapons.

"Don't set up camp or anything," Joseph reminded them. "We'll only be here for like an hour."

Joseph moved along and spoke with some of the Hunters, leaving Alexander and the others to sit on the ground in silence.

"Alright," Anastasia said, letting out a sigh. She threw down her bag and sat down beside a tree, beginning to shut her eyes. "Let me know if anything starts to happen," she mumbled.

"Wait, are you really gonna sleep?"

"No. Just existing with my eyes shut."

Alexander stared at her in confused silence. And that was all. Until Hjálmarr finally spoke.

"My liege," Hjálmarr began as he approached Alexander, his voice already lowered. "I would like to speak with you."

"Uh... sure. But you don't have to be so formal. Just... Just relax about it."

Hjálmarr nodded in understanding. He made a conscious decision to not 'relax about it'. And so, he took in a deep breath and spoke. "It's my understanding that human relationships are bound by rings. So my question is... why don't you and Anastasia Velda share rings?"

Alexander stared at Hjálmarr in silence. "...What?"

"If you two are romantically entangled, then why do you not-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Alexander interrupted. "Huh?!"

"...Are you not, as they say, intertwined?"

Alexander violently shook his head. "No, no, no. Not at all. That's... That's not how it works. It's just-"

"What are you guys talking about?" Anastasia asked. She was sitting just a few meters away.

"Nothing," Alexander immediately responded, violently hoping she hadn't heard anything Hjálmarr had said. "Nothing at all."

"My liege speaks the truth," Hjálmarr awkwardly muttered.

"...Okay."

It wasn't long before Joseph called Alexander. "Samuel," he said, relaying instructions. "See that hill over there?" he said, pointing at the only hill in their vicinity.

Alexander nodded.

"Thiago's going up there," he said, pointing at the green-clad man that was walking up the hill. "He's an archer/sniper or whatever. He's gathering intel on the enemy. You'd probably be useful for that, too, right? Seeing as your a Grade 2 and all."

Alexander stood there in confusion. "...So I just go up?"

"Yeah."

He spat out a sigh and left to join the archer.

Once at the hill's peak, he spat out another sigh.

The man in the green cloak, Thiago, was already standing there. "Thiago Davi," he said, introducing himself, even as he stood facing outward. "Nice to meet you."