"I surrender," He announced, dropping his sword.
If it were just the young man, he would've thought of attacking, but the woman felt equally as domineering, if not more.
Clap!
Eve clapped, as she finally showed signs of movement since the beginning of this fight.
All the other time, she just randomly spawned somewhere close to Raven to make sure he would have a safety net in case he failed.
"Good job!"
Thud! Thud!
As she said that, the last remaining man lost his footing out of nowhere and found himself unable to move a single part of his body.
'Huh!?'
His eyes widened as the young girl seemingly disappeared and reappeared in front of him, and he lost the sensation in his entire body.
The leader also fell on the ground; even his groans stopped.
His head just buzzed like crazy, as cold sweat drenched his back.
What kind of monster were they messing with?
'Thank God, I surrendered.' He prayed to Solis in his thoughts.
"You messed up with your preparation," She gave him feedback, "But you somehow came out as the victor."
"Your presence of mind saved you. Keep it up."
"Thank you!" He said, secretly elated about the compliments he was getting.
But he did not dare show it to her, as he would come out as cocky to her.
"I…" She sounded unsure of her next words, "was going to make this a lesson for you, about the brutality of the real world, but…"
She looked down at the motionless leader of the bandits.
Raven's gaze also followed hers.
"Looks like you don't need it," She spoke, her voice hesitant.
"Your eyes were steady, showing no signs of remorse or disgust. And your hands didn't flinch before aiming for his life."
"Rae, tell me," She retracted her gaze and looked at him after that, "What really happened in the cave of the Church of White Moon?"
Even though she stayed away from the house for the last decade, she knew Raven wasn't something this violent.
Something must have happened in there.
Something that brought this questionable change in him.
"I don't remember, sister." He gave her the same answer, his eyes staring back.
He made sure to sound pitiful enough to divert her attention, even if it was a little bit.
And it worked.
"Sorry, I asked," She turned away, walking back to the carriage, "Carry them back, we would hand them to the local lord."
Raven complied as he effortlessly picked them, one on each shoulder.
The freaskishly strong body of Raven was something he very much appreciated.
The blood from the leader's shoulders dripped behind him, leaving a trail of blood.
But it didn't even faze him.
"Also," Eve changed the topic, "We seem to have lost our way somehow, so watch out."
'We lost our way?' He frowned, 'The coachman must have traversed through the Holy State and the Marlowe Manor dozens of times.'
Something wasn't right.
He felt a bit on edge, remembering Jennifer's words again.
Her words matched their father's, but the tone and intentions felt worlds apart.
'Whatever,' He shrugged, 'As long as I have Eve, I doubt anything could harm me.'
…
Night fell, and they had just finished handing those bandits over to the local baron of a nearby village.
The second Eve revealed her identity, the baron started wandering around her like a bee to the nectar.
She somehow got rid of him, after a few questions from the people of the village, and decided to stay the night in the baron's Mansion.
Which was somehow even grander than the one Earl Prescia had.
It really begged the question whether Earl was really just humble, or the Baron was a bloodsucker.
As a person of modern times, who had a bias against corrupt rulers and loathed them with every fibre of his being, he instantly assumed the latter.
"I asked around a bit," Eve began, informing Raven in the room he was provided, "And apparently, we were going the complete opposite way of the Holy State."
"Me aside, how did you not notice?" Raven asked, curious about how Eve missed that.
"Who do you take me for?" She asked, "A wayfinder?"
'An omniscient God, if you ask me.' He jested internally.
Given all the achievements Eve had in her life, he subconsciously assumed she was good at everything.
But she was only a human, after all.
"What did the Coachman say?" He asked, puzzled.
After all, that man was their coach long before even Eve was born.
"He said he was a bit under the weather and that his old age was catching up to him."
"Then, retire him already," Raven called his family out, "He should be around 80 already."
"Tell that to father," She said, not bothering with his stuff.
But then she remembered he wouldn't be around for a while.
"Or maybe I would."
"So, it's a 3-day journey, excluding today now?" He dreaded their situation.
"We are not traveling to the Holy City, but rather another city on the opposite side of the Holy State." She made a sudden revelation that made Raven frown.
"So…"
"So, that means it's now a 19-day journey, excluding today."
Bam!
Thunder struck his head, as it buzzed with disbelief.
19 days?
"..."
He was rendered speechless.
The longest flight back on Earth was 19 hours, which was considered brutal back then.
But 19 days?
In this carriage?
He would rather die.
"Please get us a new, better coachman, sister," He spoke in a dead voice, "I would make some modifications to our carriage tomorrow."
Fuck Divine Curtailment.
He no longer cared for anything like that.
"I am going to hit the hay, and so should you."
Eve wanted to say something, but couldn't.
"Good night, Rae." So, she simply nodded and wished him good night.
"Good night, sister." He said as he wrapped himself in the blanket like a snail.
She realized he no longer would respond to anything and would only sulk the entire night.
So she simply left the room quietly.
Her face darkened the second she left.
'I guess, he doesn't need to know.'