Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

The citizens of Lululalia were prohibited from entering the upper cities, mostly because the queen–or rather the parasite didn't want them to know the reality of whom they were serving. However, amongst them were exceptions and one such person exempt from the restriction was Mercedes.

Tied up and gagged she watched the party getting ready to haul her up the mountain. Moxy was being left behind with the two Djinns, Choux, and the young Drake Daema. Handing even the teleportation necklace to her, Raven wanted her to use it if her life was ever in danger.

Thankfully, however, the demi-humans and the beastmen were now lounging in the nameless inn with Baba's permission. The old woman couldn't ask for anything more than ridding her city of the scourge of a merchant, and thus she was more than happy to serve the new guests for as long as they would remain with her.

'I'm not sure about bringing Maria with us, but maybe she can help negotiate with another aristocrat?' With only Maria and the dead spirit girl left with no real duties, Raven wanted to leave them both at the inn as well, but the prospect of them being useful made him reconsider his options.

A carriage had been arranged and everyone had already settled in. Helping Maria with one hand, Raven got inside before waving at the bystanders–amongst which was everyone who would be temporarily left behind. Enjoy exclusive content from empire

"I'll be back soon," he said, looking into Moxy's eyes.

"I've heard that so many times…" Letting out a chuckle, she washed that sombre expression off of her face. Moving closer to the carriage, she grabbed his hand through the window and planted a brief kiss on the back. "Once this is all over, I'll never let you leave me."

Looking up at him, she smiled before slowly backing away and standing beside the Djinn sisters, both of whom seemed visibly jealous. Ignoring them for a moment, Raven smiled back at Moxy, returned her loving gaze and finally waved at her once again before the carriage began to rock forward.

"Look after her, you two," he added, his eyes lifting to the sisters.

Being acknowledged finally, the duo nodded fervently.

"WE WILL!" They said in unison and thus began the climb up the mountain for the party.

Before the mountain edge, there were many valleys that needed to be travelled for the path straightward was muddy because of the water flowing the glacial mountains. The city was parted in two by the same river, and as if parted by distance travelled as hindside of this farce of bakeries and such and most beastmen lived there while the front was flooded with demi-humans who worked for the wealthier humans.

Even now, despite a deal being struck between the rebels and the duke, nothing had changed yet, after all, it had been a day or two.

'And I doubt anything will truly change here…' Raven thought, looking at the carriage window as the carriage struggled through a muddy road. Watching a family of beastmen that appeared similar to minotaurs, he was reminded of Mino and her people at the cave, but unlike those tall and menacing minotaurs, the people here had more visible bones than muscles.

A father and sons working knee-deep in glacial water, harvesting watermelons, cucumbers, as well as winter wheat and rice, it would've been an innocent sight to behold–one that could touch the heart of any orphan, but seeing the weight of the worlds on those small shoulders, it made Raven glad that he was born in a city with a plentiful harvest.

Noticing the same pain in his eyes as was reelected in hers, Erika knew what Raven was thinking and as he turned to face her, she nodded with her reply.

"I'll pray the goddess accepts them and that we can convert them to her faith," it wasn't exactly what Raven wanted, but as long as the children could have a better existence, he was more than fine with enforcing the exodus of these people from the state religion.

A moment of silence lingered in the struggling carriage as everyone was still trying to make peace with the fact that they couldn't stop to help them just yet, but then finally being able to spit out the gag, Mercedes began to yell inside that small space.

"YOU GUYS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE DOING TAKING ME UP TO THAT SHITHOLE AGAIN!" Gritting her teeth as everyone turned to her, she growled some more and tried to conjure her powers. "THE QUEEN, SHE'S NOT GONNA SIDE WITH YOU MORONS! I'VE HELPED HER COUNTLESS TIMES WITH OFFERING AS IF SHE'LL COMPROMISE ON ME FOR SOME USELESS–"

"That's enough…" Before Mercedes could finish her sentence, Regalia first slapped her in the mouth and then stuffed a live tentacle down her throat to keep her shut.

Choked of air, the merchant frailed around in a frantic frenzy but holding her firm with even more tentacles, the wolf girl ensured that she couldn't bother those sitting next to her. Once the merchant lost consciousness, Regalia made the familiar disappear and silence quickly returned to the carriage.

"Thanks, god! Her voice is like a shard of glass rubbing together!" Complained Will-O, sitting on top of Liliyana's shoulder with her hands still covering her ears. "This is why I don't like other fairies…Especially the devil kind."

"What do you mean?" Raven asked as soon as the fairy was finished talking.

Glancing sideways at him, Will-O looked him in the eye with a confused expression.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"What, you don't sense it? She's fae blood like you and Lily!" And with that, to some degree, that annoying and destructive personality began making sense to everyone. Some weren't all that surprised, some more confused about the matter of whether she was fae or if only her patron was, as for Raven and Liliyana both were slightly upset that everyone thought of them as such as well.

"I'm not annoying!" Liliyana protested, glaring down at her fairy mother.

"Of course not!" Will-O assured, flying up close to her daughter's puffed cheeks and giving them a squeeze while wearing a warm smile.

"Neither am I…" Said Raven, but thinking back on his personality when their journey first started, it took everyone a while to admit that he wasn't as annoying as the unconscious girl.

'I guess we've all changed, huh? I wonder how much more this journey will change us?' That question, for now, was but a passing thought, but as days would pass by, those words would come to haunt the young fae blood. But for now, it was time to fly up the mountain and meet the damned Queen keeper.