What's the most dangerous weapon made by mankind? A weapon that makes distance seem irrelevant, a weapon that is nearly impossible to dodge, and a weapon that a medieval fantasy world lacks.
Yup! That's right! A gun!
And what would happen if a gut-slashing, verbally abusive, hot yet disgusting woman was running away from you?
That's right! You'd shoot the fuck out of her.
...
Although it wasn't that simple.
"Ack!"
Merlin fell on all fours and coughed up a lot of blood. His lungs felt like they were on fire.
Too...much mana req...uired. Tch!
Elsa looked back down on the ground on the shivering body of the young man who had ruined her night and made her fail her mission. Her mood was extremely sour right now, maybe the angriest she'd ever been.
This mission was an important one, one involving a huge number of Royal gold coins. It's already bad that she has failed to kill her target but her situation became even worse. She used up her cursed doll, lost her leg and is in a battered condition. It wasn't her condition that bothered Elsa, it was what awaited her. Her punishment...
She has to exact revenge, whatever the result.
Her eyes instantly sharpened as she saw his vulnerable state.
"FWWWIIIII!!!!"
Putting her fingers to her lips, she let out a loud whistle that echoed throughout the silent slums and then looked at somewhere far away before finally jumping to another roof and running away.
Priscilla raised her eyebrows in confusion. A whistle? Why?... I see. Her divine intuition has led her to one conclusion and it didn't look quite pretty.
"Commoner, half-wit. Listen to me."
She looked down at both the fallen fools on the ground.
"Cough! Cough! W-what is it? Can't you even help me a little?" Merlin, who was still on the ground, tilted his head towards the side and replied to her.
Hearing his reply Priscilla made a smug face and said with an arrogant huff she said "What does it hold for me, commoner. I have no obligations to help your pitiful self."
"You seriously need a reason to help someone?!" Merlin shouted in disbelief of her indifferent attitude to which Priscilla just let out another chuckle and said "Well? You're screaming just fine, aren't you?"
Merlin's eyes widened slightly as he patted his chest slightly to check his condition.
Emilia, meanwhile, was constantly looking back and forth at the bickering duo, confusion edged all over her face. Although she did not recognize the man in the cape and hat, she was familiar with the lady in red, Priscilla Barielle. Although she had met her once when she visited the capital with Frederica, it wasn't a very pleasant meeting, all because of Priscilla's arrogant and brash attitude.
"U-um, Priscilla-san?" She let out a feeble voice which managed to catch both of their attention.
"Can you explain...what's happening over here?"
"Hm? You want to know?" She pulled out a fan from between her chest clevage and hid her mouth behind the opened fan.
"Y-yes! Can you tell me?"
"No, I shall not." With a smirk that was hidden behind her fan, she turned towards the direction to which Elsa ran away.
"E-EHHHH?!"
"Hey Priscilla! That's rude as hell!" Merlin shouted, trying to act angry but was himself trying to stop a big laughter from erupting.
"And who are you to educate my divine self?"
Hearing no response from Merlin but only muffled giggles she redirected her after away from them and looked around the area. It was quite, too quiet, she could not hear a single person here. Earlier those slum dwellers had hidden themselves in their houses upon hearing the commotion. That time Priscilla could atleast feel their presence but now...its all quiet. That alone was a bad omen. Her grip on her sword tightened.
While Priscilla was busy scanning her surroundings, Merlin got up from his awkward position and brushed the dust that was stuck on his clothes. He turned around and walked towards the bewildered girl on the ground and extended a hand to help her get up. Although it was a silent gesture, Emilia umdertood it. She slowly and hesitantly lifted her hand but it seemed that some thought interrupted her mind and was about to take her hand back midway.
Before she could take it back Merlin grabbed and pulled her up on her foot.
"There, much better. You'll get your dress dirty if you continue sitting down." Merlin let go of her hand and smiled at her familiarly.
"T-thanks." Emilia took her hand back and faced away from his face, trying to block his vision of her face.
This reaction wasn't wasted on him. He remembered Kaito's words about a half-elf witch. If a half-elf did bring about such a calamity then I'm betting my entire savings that the race isn't treated prettily. Nodding to himself, Merlin has selected the words he needs to say right now.
"You're a half-elf, aren't you?"
The words were so sudden that it left Emilia a bit shook. The audacity of this guy! While Priscilla just looked at the duo from the corner of her eyes, not because the conversation was entertaining, it was far from entertaining, what intrigued her was the thought of what he'd say next.
Emilia took in a deep breath to calm down her growing unease. With a slightly quivering voice, which held a slight hint of indignance.
"Yes. I am an half-elf! So what?"
Merlin held his chin with his hand and smiled at her "Nothing much. It isn't everyday one gets to cross path with such a beautiful elf." Holy fuck that sentence is so cringe.
"Eh?"
"Ptf! Ahahaha! Truly a statement worthy of your character commoner!"
"Is that a compliment or an insult?"
"Mineself would rather lean towards the latter."
"You-!!!"
Emilia just kept looking at Merlin as if he were the biggest fool she'd ever seen, maybe even more weirder than the clown she had to live with.
"B-but, I'm a half-elf you know!"
"Hm? I know."
"A-and! Look at my silver hair! My eyes!"
"Huh? So what? Want me to compliment you for them~" He replied casually as if it were the most normal thing ever.
If this were a cartoon, the viewer would lose their minds counting the number of question marks on Emilia's head.
"Fool. You really don't know anything huh?" Priscilla interrupted the conversation. With her free hand on her hip, she casted her sword away into a burning slash in the air.
"But because I am feeling quite generous today, I shall take it upon myself to enlighten your uninformed feeble mind."
"Did you really have to dis on me like that?"
"'Di-s'? Fool, what gibberish are you speaking."
"Oh yea you don't have that word here. Forget it, finish what you were about to say."
Priscilla looked at him with narrowed eyes but chose to let it go "As mineself was saying, about 400 years ago, an immortal witch razed through the lands and devoured half of the world. The witch was a–"
Emilia gulped and lowered her head.
With one eye closed, Priscilla shut her fan with a thup.
"–silver haired half-elf with amethyst eyes."
Silence hung heavy between them. Emilia could only continue looking down. Even though she had been discriminated against since as far as she can remember, she could never get used to it.
It was suffocating.
"The exact same as the witch?" Merlin shifted his gaze from Priscilla to Emilia.
So it's about that huh? Well it is a midieval fantasy world so rascism existing here is pretty obvious.
Gulp
Emilia prepared herself to hear the words that have been repeated to her from the day she was released.
Your thinking always seem to be outside my comprehension, now let's see how you'll handle this. Priscilla opened her fan and hid her mouth behind it.
Merlin's mouth opened once again and–"Hah? So what? She isn't the witch is she?"
"Heh?!" Emilia's looked up at him with disbelief written all over her face.
Priscilla just blinked once or twice before looking away.
"I mean it's a pretty dumb thinking to blame yourself for looking like someone else. Y'all don't have the ability to customize your character do you?"
"Customize your...what?"
"Hah! So you can't. Then why's that something you should give a shit about?" His smirk grew wider as he got the exact reactions he expected of her. This stuff is exhausting. Consolidation isn't really my portfolio to be honest.
He took off his hat and pressed it to his chest, crossing one leg neatly behind the other and dipped into a precise, practiced bow—his cape fluttering, posture flawless. Merlin introduced himself.
"The name's Merlin, a wandering magician."
He looked up slightly to meet her gaze. "And you are?"
Emilia's lips pressed thin as she saw his smile. A light blush formed on her cheeks. She had been skeptical of the man at first, but now she can say one thing with certainity. This man–Merlin–was a kind person.
With a smile that could slay thousands of men, Emilia introduced herself. "My name is Emilia, just Emilia."
"Hmmm. Emilia. Emilia. That's a nice name. Pleased to meet you 'just Emilia'" He said merrily as he gave her a brief wink.
"Wha-?! Geez! You nincompoop!"
"?! 'Nincom-' what? Which period is this? Jurassic?"
"Hmph!"
Initially she pouted and 'hmph'ed away from Merlin but after a few seconds she bursted into light giggles, cute. Merlin looked at her stunning laughing face and her silver bell like voice. The beautiful and cute sight made him blush brightly. Although he had grown up, surrounded by his sisters which made him kind of inert towards women, but he was still a man and looking at the angel like girl before him, yeah, you can guess.
"Y'all quit with flirting and tell me if the coast's clear!"
A grumpy voice came from the loot house which drew the attention of both Emilia and Merlin, while Priscilla paid no attention to it, but her expression was getting more and more serious as she continued looking around.
"You're...alive?" Merlin pointed towards the giant old man standing at the broken entrance door. He had totally forgotten that old man even existed.
"Hah? Why wouldn't I be?" The giant also known as Rom replied while scratching his chin.
"Then that means... You bastard! You were hiding all the time?!"
"I mean, Felt escaped didn't she?"
"You motherfu–" Merlin stopped himself from saying that word because he remembered from her sisters, he shouldn't cuss in front of a girl, especially a beautiful one. He turned around to look at Emilia who tilted her head and asked–"Merlin, who's he?"
"Him? An old drunkard."
"I can still hear ya, you bastard."
"Heh"
"DON'T ACT PROUD OF IT ASSHOLE!!!"
Ignoring the old fool he looked at Emila with satisfaction while she looked at him with confusion. Almost instinctively, he brought up his hand and patted her head affectionately.
She was alive, he had saved her this time. Now he wouldn't have to look at her dying again.
"E-eh?!" Emilia's voice stuttered when she felt his hands land on her head and ruffled her hair. She should've swatted his hand away but, they were just so warm that she couldn't. So she just accepted her fate because that was all that she could do.
The mission must be over right? Merlin thought smugly.
SWEEP
"OH SWEET JESUS!"
Just then, a violet coloured screen popped up in front of his face scaring the living daylights out of Merlin.
"Eh? Merlin! What happened?!" Merlin's sudden scream had scared Emilia too.
"Ah, don't you see this?" He pointed towards the screen.
"See what?" Her gaze followed where his finger pointed but couldn't see anything.
"Oh, nevermind then."
He focused on the screen which showed him the answer he wanted to know, but the answer wasn't the one he wanted. Seeing the words, a cold sweat trickled down his neck.
[Mission– Save Emilia]
[Status– Pending]
"Wha-?" His pupils dilated in confusion. She was here wasn't she? And Elsa was also driven away. So what's the danger now?
"Speaking of which, where's Felt?" Rom raised his question which made Merlin even more nervous. The blonde theif had escaped to get help but was awfully late.
But Rom's question was left unanswered because Priscilla's revelation was–"Commoner, it seems all ends for our tour are blocked. We're surrounded."–not something anyone liked.