A tall woman wrapped in a pristine white ca, with knitted golden trimmings, walked through the afternoon markets of Lumiera’s capital. Her stride was long, perfect and without errors, back straight and chin tucked in.
The slight breeze shifted her hood, revealing a pale yet captivating charm that little to no mortal could achieve. Yet nobody noticed this beauty, they would nod, smile and pass her by without any interaction.
As if bewitched.
She held her cloak tight, while observing a group of demons, small children with horns, orcs, goblins and even humans all playing together at the market stalls.
"How bizarre."
The woman’s heavenly voice rippled through the air, yet none noticed despite her llifluous musings.
Her glance strangely lingered on the young children.
"Hey~ I bet you can’t buy that iron sword!" An energetic young human boy pointed at a pretty young girl with a pair of horns.
"I-I can!" The horned girl took out her little purse, counting the coins.
Beside them, another pair of children was hanging from the cooked at stall, both drooling at the honey-spiced lamb.
’What’s that?’
The woman found herself stepping towards the faintly sweet yet bitter scene mixed with the surrounding spices from the food stalls down the shopping street.
"Whoa... you really bought it?! So cool!"
"Hehe, do you want to try holding it?" The demon girl’s cheeks dyed a faint red as she swayed her body on the spot, holding the glistening iron sword.
"R-Really!?"
Ba-Dum
"Eh?" The woman instinctively clutched her chest aggressively as if trying to gouge her own heart. She cocked her head towards the young girl facing the energetic human boy as he swung the sword in the small testing area. ’Why does she look so happy?’
"Wow, so cool! Aura, your mother is the best!"
"Hehe~ really? then... do you want to co over for dinner?"
"Huh?"
The boy’s face changed while holding the sword high, but he suddenly tripped and fell face-first into the wooden training dummy.
"Ahhh!?"
"Oh no, be careful!"
Aura, the demoness, darted forward with a speed far superior to the human boy. She caught his body with a single hand and grasped the sharp sword with her left hand.
"Henry, are you okay? I caught the sword—it’s okay. Don’t worry."
’Thank goodness.’
"Hm?"
’What the hell was that?’
A strange thought sprang in her mind, the beauty halting her steps, as she watched the two different scenes. She shook her head, chanting a mantra to calm herself and to reject the secular world.
"Master doesn’t allow us to co here for a reason..." However, Ein’s voice drifted off as she watched the smiling faces of the children and the adults who soon ca to collect them. She couldn’t stop the strange thumping in her chest, along with the desire to see that man once again. "There must be a reason..."
’Ever since that battle...’
Thoughts and flashbacks to the day she fought against the man she believed to be insignificant. ’Why does Master believe he’s dangerous?" Ein shook her head again, trying to wash away the thoughts about Asmodeus. ’He is weak... to face defeat at Zwei’s sealed power is laughable.’
"Mister, I’ll take two of those." Ein’s angelic voice rang through the honey-spiced la stall, allowing many custors to finally notice her.
"Oh, pretty miss, I’ll give you these on the house."
"B-but..."
She hesitated because paying when you received sothing was common knowledge.
The store owner grilled two extra-thick skewers and poured the special sauce, a thick, golden caral colour, yet the scent carried hints of spice and cinnamon.
"Gulp."
Ein’s throat sounded loud enough for the people around her to notice.
"Sister is hungry~"
"The pretty sister wants to eat skewers like us, hehe. Sister, hurry, taste them."
’What is this?!’
Ein’s eyes widened as she took the aty skewers wrapped in a small wrap, keeping her delicate fingers clean. Her eyes watched the gravy dripping while she was almost entranced with the two children also peeking at her face with curious expressions.
"Do you like this?" She asked the girl.
"Mhm!"
"Of course!"
The children nodded, while Ein glanced back at the thick pieces with little fat, then squatted down with a gentle smile.
"Since big sister has a small appetite, how about we trade?"
Her keen gaze noticed early that their pieces likely ca from the cheapest cut, and this strange, uncomfortable sensation in her chest was almost like it was being stirred.
"Ehhh?!"
"B-But Mom said..."
"Hm? What did your mother say?" Ein smiled at the slightly nervous boy.
"T-That we shouldn’t take things for nothing..."
Ein’s lips curved as she nodded, ’What a fine belief.’ Unaware that her atmosphere no longer resembled that of an Arbiter but a normal woman. "Well then, how about you two guide through the city in return?"
"Ah, are you not from Luria?!"
"Mhm, Sister ca here today, just to et an old friend."
The girl then cut in with a gossipy smirk. "Sister, did you co to et a man?!"
"Mary, stop... It’s rude to ask sothing like that."
"Heh, Alex, you’re such a baby! My mother is part of the royal guard, she says being honest and direct like her captain is the best!"
"But Mary..."
The two children continued their little skit, while Ein listened in.
When Mary asked about her reasons, she felt a subtle flutter in her chest, a strange feeling that had constantly haunted her ever since eting Asmodeus.
’If I kill him, will it go away?’
But then she crushed that thought.
Her creator and master didn’t wish for that ending.
’Why is it so complicated?!’
To take her mind off the irritation growing inside, she handed the two skewers to Mary and then took a single one of theirs and took a bite.
The shopkeeper nervously watched; he didn’t expect the woman’s actions and hoped she didn’t complain. "I-I can explain... those are sold only to children, because they do chores for small amounts, we make cheaper, simple skewers for them."
His nervous voice didn’t register in Ein’s ears at first.
The sudden heat burst from the at the mont her soft, pearly whites bit into it, a surge of fat and juices poured down her throat with a sweet taste.
There was no such thing as tough at or bad cuts to an Arbiter who could bite through diamonds. Thus, she wolfed the entire thing down in three bites, her eyes closed tight as she took a deep breath.
Heat.
A spicy, sharp taste that stung her throat in short bursts.
Then the honey and sugar soothed the heat.
Her eyes opened, and a brilliant golden light exploded from her body as she let out a highly energetic voice.
"Ah... is this heavenly offering?!"
A golden light spread through Luria, healing the bruises and wounds on the boy with the sword, soothing the back pain of the old shopkeeper, and restoring the missing tooth of Mary, who lost it fighting with an older boy.
From her back, eight pristine white wings unfurled, causing her robes to float off with the sudden gust of wind.
Bzzzzzt!
However, when she lost her cloak, her exoskeleton and inhuman features appeared, along with the masked aura which she couldn’t control.
Sirens began to ring across every building and storefront, after they rembered what happened almost four years ago.
The man who called her pretty marvelled at the magic that healed him, but then, seeing her true form, his eyes shrank, and he slipped, almost hitting his head on the hot plate.
"Hm?"
Ein looked around, cocking her head to the side as she finished the skewer, tossing it idly into the sa bin as the other custors did.
A chanical voice suddenly leaked from the flashing blue and red crystals attached to the buildings.
Warning!
Arbiter-Class Danger detected, everyone is to report to the shelter imdiately!
’They can discover this quickly?’
She glanced at the terrified people around her, and once again gripped her chest. A sharper, more painful weight filled her chest as she tried to calm herself down.
To everyone’s surprise, Mary walked closer and pulled on Ein’s white armoured finger.
"Sister, are you here to do bad things?"
When Ein looked down, the little girl’s blue eyes sparkled with a beautiful light.
There was no sign of fear, only an infinite courage and curiousity in her ocean blue gemstones.
Ein lowered her tall body and tapped her chest.
Crack!
A series of lines appeared across her chest, shoulders and arms, before the exoskeleton clicked open, revealing fair, soft skin and a pure white gown.
"I am just here to see a friend, not to do bad things. Since I have taken your skewer, how could I do anything bad when my first little friend is here?"
Ein drew mories from the previous Arbiters, ones who couldn’t abandon their humanity or other traits, how they ntioned children, family and lovers. She didn’t want to fight today, but only ca on a whim.
"Okay, I believe you!"
Mary grinned with her fully healed teeth and a cheeky spirit, then grabbed Ein’s hand and dragged her away. "Co on, sister! Let’s go!"
’Unclean.’
Ein’s first thought was to vaporise Mary the mont she touched her.
Yet... whenever her eyes caught a glipse of those bright blue eyes and the skewers, she manged to hold back and went along with the flow.
"Hehe, I’ll take you to my secret base! But you can’t tell anyone, especially not mom!"
"Mhm." Ein nodded.
"Wait, Mary! Mary, don’t leave behind!"
The young boy couldn’t hold back his fear, but to know the girl he followed unconsciously left with her, and so he could only accept it.
Shortly after she left, the shopkeeper wiped his sweaty brow and looked in the direction where Mary took Ein.
"To think she was an Arbiter... But, she wasn’t so bad."
"Yeah, was it not a false alarm?"
"Who knows..."
He then noticed several golden coins left on the counter.
But when he picked them up, his eyes widened, and he almost jumped on the spot.
"Eh, these coins are from a thousand years ago!"
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