Mae had been searching for Xain for a month now.
Getting into Aeruna had been difficult enough on its own. The border soldiers had been extremely reluctant to let her pass once they realized she was an elf and Drack was a half-orc. They had questioned them repeatedly, searching for any reason to deny them entry, but after finding no legitimate reason to stop them, they had eventually allowed them through.
Even after entering the country, however, finding information had proven difficult.
People simply didn't want to talk to her.
Asking a simple question about whether anyone had seen a girl with blue hair and blue eyes should have been easy, yet getting even a basic answer from most people had been surprisingly difficult. Mae had even gone as far as hiding her pointed ears, hoping that appearing human would make people more willing to speak with her.
It hadn't helped much.
Today, however, while she and Drack were riding their horses along one of Aeruna's well-traveled roads, they came across a checkpoint under attack by demons.
"Looks like demon attacks have been happening more and more," Drack remarked, squinting toward the distant garrison as he watched the battle unfolding around it.
Mae looked in the same direction.
"Hmm." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied the scene. "I see some people still inside the garrison. Let's go help them out. If we do that, they'll probably answer my questions."
Drack turned his head toward her.
"Are you sure you want to fight demons again?"
Mae shrugged.
"They just run when they see me anyway, so we don't actually have to fight them."
With that, she began riding toward the checkpoint.
Drack let out a small sigh before turning his horse and following after her.
And, as Mae had expected, the moment they drew close, a few of the demons noticed them.
More specifically, they noticed her.
Mae reached up and pulled back the covering she'd been using to hide her ears, revealing the pointed tips clearly.
The effect was immediate.
The demons that saw her froze.
Their expressions twisted with fear.
Then they began running.
Some fled across the ground while others took to the air, their panic spreading through the rest of the demons as those still fighting noticed their companions fleeing and turned to see what had frightened them. The fear quickly spread from one demon to the next until the entire attack collapsed into chaos, the demons running or flying away from the checkpoint as quickly as they could.
Mae watched them flee before glancing over at Drack.
"See? Easy to deal with."
She shrugged.
"Still don't know why they're so scared of elves, but I'll happily use that fear."
She turned her attention forward again.
The checkpoint was in a sorry state. Bodies covered the ground, both human and demonic, while the surviving soldiers stood among the destruction, exhausted and wary. One man stood out from the rest, his armor and position making it clear that he was the one in charge.
Mae guided her horse toward him.
As she drew close, the man straightened and called out, "Who are you?" He projected as much authority into his hoarse voice as he could manage.
Mae looked around the checkpoint first, examining the damage and checking to see whether any demons still remained nearby before finally turning her attention back toward the man.
"Who I am doesn't really matter," she answered dismissively.
She leaned forward slightly in her saddle.
"Just answer my question. Have you seen a girl with blue hair and blue eyes?"
The captain looked confused by the question.
"A girl with blue hair and blue eyes?" he repeated, his brow furrowing as he tried to think back over everyone who had passed through the checkpoint. After a moment, he shook his head. "No, I haven't seen anyone like that."
He paused.
Then his expression shifted as he realized something.
"Wait. Do not just ignore me. I asked who you two are!"
Mae, however, had already turned her attention away from him.
"Great. Still no sign of him," she muttered with a sigh.
"Do not worry, Miss Mae. We'll find him eventually," Drack reassured her.
The captain stared between the two of them, his annoyance being steadily overtaken by confusion.
"You just asked me about a girl, and now you're talking about finding him?" he asked.
Mae turned her head toward him and clicked her tongue.
"Tch. Shut up already. You don't know anything. We helped you, so you're going to let us pass through here without causing any issues. Got it?"
The captain's expression hardened.
His soldiers behind him grew tense, their hands tightening around their weapons as he glared up at Mae.
"Just because you drove those demons away doesn't mean you get to talk to me like that," he warned.
His hand closed tightly around the hilt of his sword.
Before the tension could grow any further, the spearman who had spoken to him earlier approached from behind. He looked between the captain and the two strangers, clearly confused by the situation.
"Sir, what happened? Why did the demons suddenly retreat?" he asked.
He hadn't been present when Mae and Drack had arrived, and therefore hadn't seen what had caused the demons to flee. His gaze shifted toward them.
"And who are they? Did they make the demons flee?"
"Yes, they're the reason," the captain answered without turning around. His voice remained irritated. "And they think that because of it, they can just order us around and disrespect us because we don't know of a girl with blue hair and blue eyes."
The spearman tilted his head.
"Girl with blue hair and blue eyes?" he repeated quietly.
He looked up at Mae and Drack.
"You mean the one that passed by here three days ago?"