Two Are Better than One

As the flames eat the wax away, Earnest remains seated next to a still passed-out Anise. The priestess sleeps soundly and no amount of shaking woke her up. In that sense, Earnest's hands were tied, waiting patiently. Perhaps what happened on his travel to Knottori had been a test for what was to come. The roadside attack reminded him of the cruel world outside of the safe castle walls. Never before was he that close to ****. That encounter led him to a woman who could seemingly perform miracles with her healing spell, restoring his arm in an instant as well as reinvigorating him. It was as if fate itself weaved their paths together; her power and talent were worth recruiting for future dangers.

The closer nightfall approached, the more of Earnest's commitment was tested. His time was limited and several days were already wasted reaching the quiet town of Knottori. Duties and responsibilities bound the knight's heart, both to his childhood friend, Rosalind, and his squad commander, Roland. Did he even have the luxury of waiting in a temple of Illara in the thin hopes of appealing to a priestess that had no reason to join him? The more thoughts spent the sillier the idea sounded. And yet, his guts told him to exert patience. For the time being, he withdrew into deep thoughts, drowning out everything around him.

"Hey!" a shrill voice rang in one of his ears. Just like lightning cracked, so did Earnest crash into the tangible world quick and hard.

"Hey!" the voice repeated, demanding his attention towards an awake Anise. "Why are you still here? I've already healed your arm! Why aren't you going?" she said while struggling to get off the bench, her cheeks flushed red as though she just drank some strong spirits.

Earnest once again caught her fall and gently helped her to her feet. "I can't just leave when a fair maiden is passed-out. To do so would go against my code of honor."

Anise huffed, quickly withdrawing her hand from the knight's. "I'm hardly a maiden now, aren't I? If you need a reminder, I am the last priestess of Illara, the sole caretaker of this temple, and, most of all, I'm a grown woman! I don't need some knight who can't even properly manage injuries patronizing me!" Her voice grew louder with every sentence until it reached an earsplitting crescendo. She turned around, almost tripping on the hem of her robes before stomping out of the room. The sound of her heavy footsteps echoed throughout the hallowed ground.

The young man was left dumbfounded. However, before the heated-up priestess could slip away entirely, Earnest's metal clang after her.

"W-Wait, please. I think you misunderstand. I really didn't mean to offend you or anything. I just thought that—"

"Thought what?! That I can't defend myself while ****?" She halted after finishing her sentence until stomping even more ferociously and picking up pace.

"Lady Anise, please, hear me out at least!" Addressing her with honorifics managed a little pause from her. That was the way to appeal to her: through her ego. "Lady Anise, I humbly want to apologize for my misspoken words earlier. I know how capable you are and my healed arm is proof of that. You truly are the greatest priestess of Illara!" Earnest held his arms outstretched as he bowed respectfully towards her. It worked; Anise froze, mid-step. The priestess was clearly flustered by the unexpected praise. Her lips trembled slightly before she quickly regained composure.

"That may be true," she said coldly, her expression blank, "but that does not make you any less foolish."

Hook, line, and sinker, the knight continued with his buttered words, "If you do allow a fool such as myself to ask for more help, I would be most grateful." He rose his head to meet eye to eye. "You see, I am looking for a good friend in this town. We have been exchanging letters until recently but her end has suddenly gone silent. I know this will sound like a silly request but I would like to ask for your talent and wisdom by my side."

"Y-You want my help outside my duties as a priestess? Are you stupid? How did you imagine this would go?!" Anise shouted.

"B-But—"

"And besides, this town is as quiet as they come. There is nothing happening around here. Your friend might have just stopped writing you because she planned to retire early or something. It's not like there are monsters lurking about every corner waiting to pounce!" Anise said, pointing out all the holes in his argument. She was clearly eager to escape Earnest's presence at any cost.

"Her name is Rosalind," he said firmly yet full of sorrow. "I've known her since I can remember and I can assure you that she would never quit early! Not even if **** were staring her in the face. That's why I know that something is amiss. I understand if you don't believe me but I must find her before it's too late!" The young man pleaded with her while bowing deeply again. This time, his eyes looked up and tears streamed down his cheeks. He truly believed in his friend and felt **** to reach her.

It took a good while of awkward silence but the priestess eventually sighed. "I will give you my help...on one condition."

Earnest's ears perked up.

"Don't get me wrong, I do see where you are coming from and you don't seem to be capable of whipping up a sob story on the fly. However, you must also understand that I have my duties as a follower of Illara. For one, the responsibility for the very ground you are standing on befalls solely on me. If something were to happen that could jeopardize my ability to maintain this holy site, it would be as if I betrayed the goddess herself. I cannot allow that to happen," she explained solemnly, trying to keep herself together.

The young knight was stunned by the gravity of her words; he had never expected her to feel so strongly about her role in Knottori.

"That is where I set my condition. If you can guarantee my protection as well as help me investigate my affair, you can count me in your search for your friend."

Earnest was both overjoyed and concerned by her words. Protecting someone was easy enough, but he did not fully understand her other condition. "What exactly needs investigating?"

The priestess took a deep breath. "I'm sure you have noticed the state of this temple already. I'm also sure that you can imagine that it wasn't always this way. Not long ago, the worship of Illara in Knottori thrived. But, without any clear reasons, more and more people turned their backs on the goddess, indulging in vices they once rejected. Before you ask, I and many other followers of Illara before their renouncement have already brought it up with our incompetent major. Unfortunately, his only answer was that our faith was antiquated and 'unnecessary'." She clenched her fists tightly and grit her teeth. "If I ever see that lump of lard again, I'll—Nevermind. Point is, in a way, we both seem to have an interest in what is happening to the people in this town. I will gladly lend my help to you if it means finding out why this village has been affected by this sudden wave of apathy."

The young man nodded vigorously. "I understand. It's a deal then!" Earnest gave her a firm handshake to seal the deal. His quick 180 mood turn confused Anise, but she had the grace to bite her tongue.

With their partnership established, the only question remaining was where to start their investigation proper. As the one with deeper knowledge of day-to-day life in Knottori, Anise suggested the bar. It was an especially popular place during the night after a long day under the glaring sun. Whether they would find Rosalind there was doubtful but it was the best lead. However, before they set off, they needed to change.

Earnest painstakingly took off his breastplate to don the simple tunic Anise gave him. His gaze lingered on the metallic protector, saying, "Tell me again why I can't have my armor with me?"

A sigh carried the priestess' tone. "Because, sir knight, you would stick out too much. I mean, you must have noticed that Knottori doesn't have any person in armor running around. We are mostly farmers and caretakers more than anything. So, to blend in," she steps out dressed in a simple white gown with a thin cloth over her head, "you need to wear something appropriate. Also, that huge backpack of yours stays here too."

"But—Fine! If that will help us."

Helped them it sure did. On their walk towards the bar, nobody so much as glanced in their general direction. As far as the locals were concerned, Earnest was just another farmer going for a drink. The same way he stayed quiet and kept his eyes straight so were the paved roads: simple and unassuming. That was until the pair of knight and holy woman came just shy of the drunkard's hangout. A brief noise and the faintest smell of blood came from one of the dark sideways. Neither Anise's senses nor her intuition were keen enough to pick up on the trail Earnest had. Per his guidance, the two of them hid around the corner to inspect and observe.

Truly breaking the veil of Knottori's peace, the silhouette of a slender woman came into view from the shadows. Her waist-long blonde hair flew wildly as her fist rained down left and right.

"Where's the money?" she growled, her voice filled with malice. "Don't fucking make me repeat myself again!"

"I-I don't have it," a man's voice shakily replied. "P-Please. The harvest wasn't good, so—"

An instant later, there was a wet sound accompanied by a cry of pain.

"Bastard! I'll take your tongue out too!" The girl let out an ear-piercing screech that sent chills down the spines of everyone nearby, followed by crunches most uncomfortable.

Earnest had enough. No matter who or why, such cruelty and **** were never justified. He stepped loudly onto the scene, stomping his foot to make himself known. But, what he witnessed in front of him shocked him beyond wake.

With the moon's rising light, the visage of the perpetrator revealed herself as...

"Rosalind?!" Earnest's blood ran cold.