The Academy Slave Instructor
The smell of grilled fish and herbs hung thick in the humid air near the border gates, and Rai kicked at a loose stone with his boot, grinning like a fool. “Sand stone catfish, right? This time it’s so plump it’s about to burst with water.”
Zeroa blinked, still half-asleep from the endless march. “Ah— you should’ve told us earlier. Why didn’t you say anything when we were packing up?”
“Never had any. Kinda feels like we missed out. Mix piotar leaves with mint and steam it together and the aroma is next level. Nothing else comes close. I’d recommend eating it before we head out.”
Zeroa, Diana, and Philia just stared, mouths slightly open, at the two guys chatting like old buddies. Is that really what the guy I just met sounds like?
Rai kept yapping with the guard captain long after the gates were clear, stretching the wait into something pointless and long. “It’s taking longer than I thought…”
Zeroa’s voice came out dry and bitter. “We’ve already passed the gates, but you kept talking so we couldn’t leave.”
Ten days of forced march to the Bel Federation. Day and night, no rest, just horse after horse until its stamina gave out. Even the nights were spent on the ground, sleeping in the dirt like animals. Food was mostly eaten from horseback; the schedule was so brutal that only at the very end near the border did they finally get a proper bed.
Diana ran her fingers through her freshly washed blue hair, eyes sparkling. “I haven’t been able to bathe properly in forever. Feels so good to be clean.”
The permission from the princess looked real enough, but the identity was a forgery. Normally that would make Rai’s cocky chatter dangerous, yet here he was, chatting away like he had zero worries in the world. Always has something up his sleeve.
Philia watched him quietly, calm as ever. The moment they stepped onto land that had once been the Kingdom of Keilen, Rai’s gaze had gone distant and heavy. Three days had passed and that look still lingered in her mind. Losing the country you were sworn to protect—something she couldn’t even imagine. She had simply let him keep looking.
Rai gave the guard a high-five and waved cheerfully, then turned back with the group. “Abigail must have passed through here already. We’re definitely on the right path.”
Zeroa gripped Black Horse’s reins. “There are a lot of people coming and going, yet the guard remembers you.”
“Red hair and red eyes stand out around here.”
“The Devil of All Nations…” Zeroa muttered, the old title settling strangely on his tongue. Philia glanced at Rai, but he just smiled like nothing had happened.
“Doesn’t matter now since we’re heading to the Bel Federation, but when we bring Abigail back, try not to throw around the word ‘Ten Thousand Evils’ too much.”
“Ah… yeah, I guess.”
The title had belonged to nations that once sided with the Empire. Even though the kingdom was gone, its people still lived on. Calling their hero a devil would have been insulting.
“Watch your mouth. The tavern owner whose mood you ruined is the spitting kind.”
“Real careful then.”
Diana tilted her head. “What did they call the Ten Thousand Evils back in the Kingdom of Keilen?”
Rai shrugged. “Don’t know. Didn’t care. Maybe I’d even call them that now. Stupid bastard who couldn’t even command an army and lost his country anyway.”
“What? That’s harsh. Still, the Ten Thousand Evils were something else. Without them, the Kingdom of Keilen would’ve been conquered ten years ago.”
“Maybe some other idiot would’ve stepped up instead. Talent always surfaces when there’s a crisis.”
Rai said it lightly, but when he looked back at the old lands of Keilen, the corners of his mouth had softened a fraction. Philia noticed. Something about the way he stared at the ruins tugged at her chest.
To follow Abigail’s trail, Rai slowed the group’s pace. He studied the military map Emilia had given him and spotted a village near a crossroads. Sure enough, villagers were chatting about a red-haired warrior who had saved them all.
“She was an amazing person. She saved every single one of us without asking for anything in return. A true knight of justice.”
Diana glanced at Rai. “You’re not her, right?”
Zeroa stayed silent, but he nodded slightly. She wasn’t a bad person, yet she was far from heroic. Raiding other people’s problems, clearing out bandits, then vanishing—Rai’s version sounded made-up. Especially since she claimed to be leaving for revenge. No way she’d stick around to babysit.
“If she called herself Abigail, we should believe it.”
“Hmph—maybe she’s a spy playing up the Abigail act to lure us into a trap.”
Diana still wasn’t convinced, tossing out another ridiculous theory. “Or her rough exterior was just a shield. Or… something was bothering her?”
Rai’s eyes flicked to the far corner where a young girl was hiding, peeking at them. The same girl who had been following them quietly since he first asked villagers about Abigail. She looked a lot like Maji from the Luteria Church. He smiled faintly and approached.
“Hey, little one. You know Abigail?”
“…”
Even with a direct question the girl only darted her eyes around, wary as a rabbit. Rai crouched down to her level, pulled a small pouch of cookies from his pocket, and offered one. “We’re heading to help Abigail. She fell behind us for some reason, and if we don’t get to her soon she might be in trouble.”
“You’re really friends with big sis Abigail?”
“Yeah, we are. Do you know where she went?”
The girl shook her head, then suddenly brightened. “I saw the map she had. That notation… I remember it.”
She studied the map Rai showed her and pointed out a few key places. Abigail had already moved on the information from Elin, but the girl’s memory of the direction had been a big help. Rai handed her the cookie pouch and sent her off with a small wave.
“Heh, chasing kids is my specialty.”
Diana laughed. “Rai-kang’s face is way too villainous. Where did you get those cookies?”
“Had them the whole time. Secretly ate a few.”
“That’s so rude! Give me one!”
“That was the last one. These were the headmistress’s special cookies—I was saving them.”
Rai unrolled the map and showed them the route. “Our prediction was spot on. Abigail is heading to her master Jack, but she’s stopping to deal with Julio first.”
“Given how long it’s been, he’s probably already dealt with.”
Rai rubbed his chin for a moment. “Likely. We’re going to Jack. If we’re lucky, we might even meet her before she reaches him.”
“If we’re not, the Bel Federation might have a bounty on her.”
Philia’s worry was plain in her voice. “Julio’s death would make her a wanted criminal. The Bel Federation has been cooperating with the Empire since the Era of Strife; their bounty would still reach back here even if they tried to hide it.”
Rai shrugged. “—Whatever. Let’s trust Aslan who’s already ahead.”
Scape’s territory lay close to the old Kingdom of Keilen lands. The academy had sent him ahead, so according to the schedule he was six days in front. Maybe he’d already crossed paths with Abigail.
HP: [x] / [max]
Julio’s warehouse reeked of smoke and fear. He cowered in a corner, body shaking as the scream outside cut off. Red-haired girl—hair and eyes so striking they turned heads—had shown up out of nowhere and started swinging her sword without a word. Her strikes were merciless; no one could stop her. His subordinates had been cut down in minutes. He had barely made it to the safe corner before the blades stopped.
Now everything was quiet. Too quiet. Julio convinced himself his men were all dead and prayed the madwoman would leave. He stayed hidden, convinced no one knew he was there. When the warehouse walls finally caught fire, he realized too late that the girl had been looking for oil the whole time.
“This crazy woman…!”
He ran for the door, coughing, smoke filling his lungs. The moment he stepped out, Abigail—face painted blood-red—stood there, red eyes glowing like twin flames. A pool of blood from his earlier men stretched across the floor behind her.
“What do you want?! Cough—cough! Speak if you have anything!”
“Nothing. Die here.”
Even with no guards left, Abigail didn’t move closer. She stood guard at the door like a statue. Julio laughed bitterly. “Are you a vampire? You can’t enter without an invitation?!”
Abigail let out a hollow laugh. “Because of people like you, Linda died. Damn, how disgusting.”
“Linda? Who the hell is Linda?!”
Julio coughed up more smoke, screaming. Abigail’s smile never wavered. “You don’t know, do you? Why are you trying to kill me then?”
“Just because I don’t know doesn’t erase what I did. And knowing after the fact is even worse.”
Her cruel smile made Julio’s skin crawl. He looked around desperately—walls crumbling, shelves toppling, the fire spreading fast. He had no place left to stand. He staggered toward her on trembling legs, hands rubbing together. “Please, please spare me! I’ll give you anything! Money? My whole fortune?”
“The money Linda’s blood stained doesn’t interest me.”
“Who the hell is Linda?!”
Julio’s voice cracked with fury. The name he didn’t even recognize was the only thing left in his life. He wanted to spit blood. Sweat poured down his face, but it did nothing against the heat. The flames ate into his skin; he rolled on the ground, screaming like a beast.
“I’ll die here or by your sword—same thing. Better to die without pain…”
Abigail simply watched, red eyes unblinking. When he lunged toward her for mercy, she kicked him back inside. He tried to crawl out again and again, only to be thrown back by her foot every time. The burns, the broken bones, the tears on his ruined cheek—Abigail never looked away.
“Why are you doing this to me?! Who the hell is Linda?! I don’t know!!”
His voice shook with raw anger, yet Abigail tilted her head, voice flat. “Hurts, doesn’t it?”
“SHUT UP!! OF COURSE IT HURTS, YOU BASTARD!!”
“Linda probably felt the same. Come on, try it.”
Her unblinking red eyes made Julio’s spine turn to ice. His laughter dissolved into sobs. He begged on his knees. “Please… just let me live…”
Abigail didn’t move. She simply watched. Until the moment he tried to escape again, and only then did she act. When the ceiling collapsed, burying him under burning beams, she finally turned away. Dipping her fingers into the blood on the floor, she drew a thick line beside Julio’s name on the list.
“One… two… three…”
She walked away from the burning warehouse, already moving on to the next name.