"Queen Calca...!"
In an effort to lessen the enmity she may have developed toward him, Vahn followed his discussion with Remedios by taking her to where her Queen, a young, serene-looking woman with cyan eyes and golden hair that extended to her calves, was resting and recuperating.
"Oh, Remedios...words can't express how happy and relieved I am to see you well..." Calca expressed, using her left hand to caress Remedios' head after the latter ran to her bedside and collapsed next to it.
sniff
"Relieved? I should be the one saying that about you! I'm so sorry I was unable to protect you...!" Remedios cried, tears streaming down the sides of her face as she clutched Calca's bedsheets and fought hard to restrain her snot and tears.
"Oh, Remedios...if human might and conviction were all it took to fight back against the evils of this world, we would have no need of Gods or faith..." Calca sighed, turning her upper body toward Remedios and using her fingers to wipe away the crying Paladin's tears.
"Here, use this..." Vahn offered softly, stepping forward and presenting a steel-grey handkerchief with intricate golden embroidery.
"You! Stay the hell away from her!" Remedios hissed, turning around and sweeping her left hand back at Vahn, smacking aside the handkerchief as if it were infected with the plague.
'This woman is unfit to be in a position of power and authority...' Vahn thought, exhaling faintly from his nose and stepping back with his hands raised in mock surrender. Other than preventing her outbursts while they were talking, he had never done anything overtly to antagonize Remedios. Yet, as if he were the culprit responsible for every bad thing that had ever happened to her, she glowered at him with undisguised contempt.
"Remedios! That is no way to act toward our benefactor...!" Calca chided, a disapproving frown adorning her face.
"Benefactor? This guy...?" Remedios questioned, looking flabbergasted as she asserted, "For all we know, this guy and the Sorcerer Kingdom are the ones responsible for goading the demi—"
"Grandmaster Remedios Custodio! You will be silent...!" Calca ordered, her voice raised and her tone firm.
"But—!"
"Remedios...!"
With Calca glaring at her with an expression of genuine admonition, Remedios' words of rage and indignation got caught in her throat. She was certain from their conversation that Vahn had conspired with the Sorcerer King to weaken her country and make them subservient to the Sorcerer Kingdom, but it was clear that her Queen wasn't willing to hear her words—at least not with Vahn present.
"Yes...I understand...please forgive me for speaking out of turn and making brash accusations..." Remedios expressed, turning away from Calca and falling to her knees, head hanging and shoulders slumped. Outwardly, she looked as though she had given up completely. But with his Domain permitting him to see her face, concealed beneath her bangs and the shadow of her forehead, Vahn could see her gritting her teeth in barely contained fury.
"Lord Vahn, please forgive the Grandmaster for her discourtesy. I know it doesn't justify her behavior, but my uncertain fate and the situation in our homeland have been a significant burden on her..." Calca excused, staring at the kneeling Remedios with a look a big sister might give their trouble-making younger sibling.
"I won't say it's fine, but I don't take such things to heart. Despite what your Grandmaster might think, I do empathize with your people's plight. That is why I've decided to help you," Vahn responded.
"Yes. And for that, I can't express my gratitude enough..." Calca stated, closing her eyes and bowing her head. Remedios gnashed her teeth at this, but by the time she rose to her feet, he expression had relaxed into what Issei might refer to as a resting bitch face.
"Queen Calca...I know this is sudden and that you've been through a terrible ordeal, but when do you foresee us being able to return to our country?" Remedios questioned, the muscles in her jaw tensing from a mix of guilt and frustration.
"I'm still a bit shaken after what I've experienced, but I should be ready to take command of our forces by the time we reach our border..." Calca answered, her brows creasing slightly into a look of conviction.
"Excellent! Then allow—"
"Calm yourself, Grandmaster," Vahn interjected, earning himself a quick glare from the sharp-eyed Grandmaster until he revealed, "Arrangements have been made to transport you and your men to your border by way of a teleportation gate. I know that might tempt you to depart immediately, but it would be better for you and your men to rest and recuperate before the battles to come."
"I am in agreement with Lord Vahn," Calca stated, her tone firm as she reasoned, "Our forces have just completed a two-week march with little rest and a great burden weighing upon them. We should use this time to gather our wits, improve our morale, and care for both our equipment and horses."
"If that is Your Majesty's will, I will see that our men are well rested and sufficiently prepared for the battles to come..." Remedios acknowledged, albeit with considerable reluctance.
"On that note, I have consented to sponsoring your regiment's stay in the Sorcerer Kingdom..." Vahn revealed, causing Remedios to stare at him with a conflicted glower as he clarified, "Be it food, accommodations, and equipment—I will cover everything you and your men require to be in your best condition before our departure."
Though she wanted to contend that they no longer required Vahn's help, Remedios knew they would need the power he was purported to possess if they were to reclaim their territory swiftly and with fewer casualties. To that end, she suppressed her fury, held her right fist up to her chest, and solemnly lowered her head as she begrudingly responded, "My men and I will be in Your Lordship's care..."
"Then, once you've had the chance to catch up with your Queen, seek me out with a list of what you and your men require. So long as it is within my ability to provide, I will see that it is," Vahn affirmed with a nod. Then, with nothing else to contribute, he turned and attempted to leave.
"Please, Lord Vahn. If I could have but a moment of your time, there is a matter I would discuss with you in private..." Calca requested.
"Queen Calca..." Remedios muttered, clenching her teeth and balling her hands into fists, making it clear she really didn't want to leave her Queen and Vahn alone.
"Remedios, please..." Calca muttered, meeting Remedios's gaze with a silent plea in her eyes.
"Yes...I understand..." Remedios responded, closing her eyes and biting her bottom lip before hastily departing the tent, brushing against Vahn as she passed. She had attempted to shoulder check him, but a casual step to his right spared her from being knocked to the ground.
swft
Following the tent's flap closing behind Remedios, a wry smile adorned Calca's face as she expressed, "Please don't take her behavior to heart. The three of us, including Remedios's sister, Kelart, have been the target of countless schemes and exploitations. She consequently has a distrust of those who hold power and authority—particularly if they happen to be men..."
Shaking his head, Vahn, taking a seat atop the chair next to Calca's bed, calmly attested, "You don't need to make excuses for her. So long as her enmity is directed at me, I will accept it without complaint or protest. That shall be my penance for the lives lost between now and when we liberate your capital..."
"I thank you on the Grandmaster's behalf for your compassion and understanding..." Calca expressed, closing her eyes and offering Vahn a slow, respectful nod.
"More to the point, what did you wish to discuss?" Vahn asked, exhaling faintly from his nose.
"Yes...then I shall get straight to the point..." Calca acquiesced, meeting Vahn's gaze with a serious, resolute look as she questioned, "If I were to petition the aid of the Sorcerer Kingdom, how quickly could my Kingdom be liberated? And what would it cost us in turn...?"
"I see...you seek to save as many of your people as possible..." Vahn surmised, feeling Calca's conviction as a prickling sensation across his body. Unfortunately...
Shaking his head, Vahn revealed, "I have already discussed this matter with the Sorcerer King. He is willing to lend us some of his elite forces as an escort, but his response was along the lines of: Unless the Roble Holy Kingdom is willing to become a vassal state of the Sorcerer Kingdom, he has little to gain from deploying forces to help reclaim it—especially when his own Kingdom was only recently founded."
"I see...that is regrettable..." Calca sighed, hanging her head and slumping her shoulders.
"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but if a governmental body and its military are unable to protect its people, it is their fate to be destroyed or swallowed up by a great power," Vahn stated. "It is for that reason that I only agreed to help you if you were willing to introduce specific reforms. In its current state, your Kingdom is too weak to survive without external aid or protection..."
"Yes...I am reluctant to admit it, but this incident has reinforced that a nation that relies purely on human power is fated to fall at the hands of races born with greater strength and other advantages..." Calca sighed, her eyes gazing unfocusedly at the upturned palms of her hands.
"You're mistaken..." Vahn asserted firmly, compelling Calca to look at him as he proclaimed, "Humans—all races have functionally limitless potential. It is the failing of their society or the people who rule over them that they are unable to achieve it."
"And the reforms you've suggested will help my people reach their full potential...?" Calca questioned.
"Supplying your people with more opportunities will naturally result in more reaching greater heights," Vahn asserted. "The challenging part is almost always preventing those who seize wealth and power early from hoarding it. When you foster a noble class that actively suppresses talent and denies opportunities to those who do not bend to their will, it is only a matter of time before a society collapses from internal rot."
"I can't deny that my Kingdom has more than a few systemic issues and corruption at its heart..." Calca confessed, looking ahead and gazing down at nothing in particular.
"Did you create those issues...?" Vahn questioned, causing Calca to blink in surprise and stare at him, confused.
Adopting a relaxed smile, Vahn stated, "I'm not sure how succession in the Roble Holy Kingdom works, but you cannot be faulted for the failings of your forebears or predecessors. The sense of responsibility you feel for them is born from a desire to change or fix things. If you didn't care at all, you wouldn't feel that way."
"I have aspired to improve the quality of life for my people. But it hasn't been easy..." Calca admitted.
"Doing the right thing seldom is..." Vahn sighed, exhaling from his nose before adopting a reassuring smile as he added, "But you won't have to shoulder that burden alone. Remedios, despite her failings, clearly holds you in high esteem. If her sister is anything like her, you already have two powerful allies. And once this matter has been resolved, you can count on my support—within reason, of course."
"Might I ask what your support entails...?" Calca questioned, her curiosity piqued.
"Funding, food, and security," Vahn answered, explaining, "As long as you work toward the betterment and empowerment of your people, I will not permit you to become a victim of those who would depose you to protect their assets and the status quo..."
As his words trailed off, Vahn produced an elaborate golden bangle that depicted nine snakes with gems in their eyes, explaining, "This bangle is called Nine Lives. As the name implies, it will protect you from death and resurrect you without penalty nine times. Once triggered, it will also make you immune to most forms of damage for 300 seconds..."
"I couldn't possibly accept such a valuable artifact..." Calca muttered. Yet, despite her words, she found it impossible to turn her gaze away from the bangle in Vahn's hand.
"You will accept it...because, despite what you've gone through, you still believe you have more to give—more to sacrifice for your people..." Vahn stated, taking Calca's left hand into his right and affixing the bangle to her wrist, binding it to her person.
"Lord Vahn..." Calca muttered, her cheeks gaining a hint of red as she had never had her hand held so tenderly by a man—not even her father.
"It suits you..." Vahn muttered, meeting Calca's gaze with a relaxed smile as he revealed, "But, since it might draw unwanted scrutiny, it comes with a unique feature. Observe..."
Watching as Vahn ran his left ring and middle fingers over the bangle, Calca was equal parts surprised and fascinated to see it shimmer and recede into her wrist, leaving behind a tiny golden imprint of six snake heads forming a starburst pattern. With that, the existence of the Nine Lives became her and Vahn's secret...
...
..
.