An Archer's Promise Chapter 46: Surprise meeting (Patreon)

Not beta read yet.

I'll be posting the second part of the poll for the monthly art soon.

Next update: Fate Coiling Sword

Edit 1: Added image.

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-Grünes Bergdorf-


The sky was dyed with a deep tapestry of orange blending with the white of the clouds. Dawn came, and the rooster's call woke the villagers to start their day. 


Amongst them, a young redhead woman with long curly hair woke up from her bed. With three layers of blanket covering her body due to the approaching winter season, she struggled to gather the will to get out of her warm bed. She glared at the sunlight coming from her window, cursing herself for leaving the darn thing open the entire night — not closing it just because she was too lazy to get up. 


"Hmm, I can let Bianca and Jint take care of the Inn today." The girl who was none other than Alice whined, still feeling sore and tired from yesterday's service. The village had celebrated a holy day which was said to be the date when the Goddess Reborn established the seven-kingdom alliance. Of course, people gathered their saved-up coins and came to her Inn to celebrate, eat and drink as much as they could. Coupled with the fact that the neighboring villages also grew fond of her cooking made yesterday a true nightmare for Alice.


Her fully stocked food storage which should have lasted a week was emptied in a single day. Thank the goddess that Bianca, Jint and a few other recently hired staff made the ordeal bearable for her.


Her hands touched the spot next to her and found it empty. 


"Where is he?" 


She panicked a little bit but soon sighed in relief when looking below her bed. "There you are!" She reached out and picked up a doll she made herself. With tanned skin, white hair, and a rather deadpan face, Alice giggled before hugging it close to her naked chest. Out of habit, she began nibbling on the tiny black dao sword she once saw him use to behead an imp. 


She made it after Bianca taught her how to use a needle and a thread for other things aside from fixing clothes. That girl really was very talented, having so many different skills under her belt whilst being so open and cheerful with everyone. While she still struggled from time to time by having her fear of speaking to strangers pop up every now and then — coupled with her introverted nature as well. 


Pushing the doll deeper within her bosoms, Alice sighed at these thoughts. Did Archer like those kinds of girls? Would he prefer Bianca in the end? She could see it happening, not like she had any particular unique trait about her… 


"Mmmnn," Alice bit the sword, starting to chew it a lot in her thoughts. Perhaps she could ask Bianca for some advice, she was more experienced dealing with the opposite gender by far. Having Jint and the other customers wrapped around her finger from day one. 


Gazing at the puppet — its face more specifically — a certain intrusive thought came to her head. An intense blush formed on her face, "Maybe I can… practice?" Yeah, it was just a simple gesture that many people used for centuries. Alice slowly brought it closer, her puckered lips gently touching the surface of the puppet where she sewed the mouth.


"Mmnn…"


Knock 


Knock


"I wasn't doing anything!" Taken by surprise, she hid the Archer doll behind her pillow where she kept a certain dagger. 


"Alice?" Bianca's voice came from behind the door. "Are you feeling alright? You don't tend to stay in your room for so long." 


"O-Oh, I-I-It's nothing, I was just feeling tired and wanted to rest for a bit more." Her heart thumped loudly like a hammer, if she hadn't locked her door then the black-haired girl would have barged inside like she had done many times in the past and caught her red-handed making out with a doll!


"Ah, I see. Thankfully most of the customers are still passed out drunk or gonna sleep the entire day in their house. But that's not why I'm here, something you won't believe just happened recently and it got Jint singing and dancing in the middle of the village!" 


Eh? Did something happen while she was sleeping? Feeling curious, Alice got out of her bed and quickly got her clothes on. "Hm, they're getting bigger…" the robe she bought from the first profit she made with the Inn had already begun feeling tight around her chest. She wanted to cry… why couldn't she just grow taller instead? 


Letting those thoughts waft away, the redhead left her room and was hit by the sound of people cheering below the stairs and outside as well. 


"Jint?" 


The old blacksmith was dancing happily with his face flushed from the lingering alcohol from last night. 


"Ah, boss! You won't believe what I just learned from my son!" 


"P-Please, just call me Alice… boss feels weird." 


"Hahahahaha! Right, boss, listen to this. You remember when I told you when my son left the Kuroinu mercenary group to settle in Geofu?" 


Yes, they had gotten a letter from him stating how he was planning to pursue the life of a blacksmith in Geofu by studying under the tutelage of a master smith dwarf. He apparently came to this decision after suffering from a rather nasty wound he got from some battle in a valley. The day they got the letter Jint cried all night from joy.


"Get this, apparently his mentor is in touch with some dark elf merchant who supplies him with rare ores from the Dark Lands. This same merchant got wind of some incredibly shocking news that even you will have trouble believing!" He showed her the letter and pointed at the bottom. "Those fucking Kuroinu pieces of shits went to attack the Queen in her castle. But in the end, both sides ended up killing each other and the entire area got fucking destroyed killing everyone single one of those disgusting criminals! But do keep it a secret for now, wait until the capital issues an official statement."


"Eh?"


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-Thorne-


Crash!


In a luxurious manor, one of the many properties belonging to the Church of Celestine, glasses, and expensive vases were sent crashing to the wall. Instead of maids, the house was filled with nuns in light clothing all bowing their heads in fear. This was the first time they had seen the Cardinal get angry in the first place. Louis Blackridge had never shown anything else but a gentle smile whenever he talked to them or during his prayers to their Goddess Reborn. 


But today, his attitude changed dramatically when a courier pigeon came with some news. 


"Everyone, leave." He spoke calmly, but the nuns could sense the underlying rage within his voice. Not wanting to accidentally offend him, they quickly left one after the other leaving behind one person. The older man soon calmed down from his fury and sat down on his gold-adorned sofa. 


"Vault you bastard, your death just brought me more trouble than I needed." Yes, he got news from many of his spies about the raid and destruction of both the castle and the Kuroinu. From their description, it all went as planned at the beginning with Vault leading the troops inside, but everything took a turn when the sky turned red with explosions carpeting the castle. In a matter of minutes, the once proud and unbreakable castle of the Dark Queen was reduced to rubble. His spies didn't dare stay there for long and ran away soon after, but apparently another explosion happened soon after and which was much bigger than the last time.


"I can't stop here, the assassination will resume as planned… I just need to find another person to take on the blame." Olga Discordia would have been the perfect candidate for taking on the blame for killing the pope. Her very nature and arrogance would have made the Dark Queen accept the blame as a badge of honor and to further antagonize the Goddess Celestine. She was the perfect candidate yet now she was most likely dead and burned to ashes with Vault. A fitting end for a pathetic Queen like her. 


"There is still time, I mustn't rush blindly and hurt my image from simple mistakes. That Pope has already fallen into my trap and a simple order will end his life swiftly before he even knows what's going on. In the meantime, I can reinforce my standing with the remaining nobles… I believe the Levantine and Pantielle were one of the few that remain on the fence till this day." He sat, deep within his thoughts, planning his next move carefully and methodically. Unlike Vault, he preferred to stay in the shadows until his time came to finally unfold his wings.


The man walked to the window, watching the hundreds of peasants all fill the streets and bow their heads to the statue for Celestine. An everyday sigh he grew used to witnessing every passing day but one that made him feel nothing but pure disgust. 


"A fake goddess who managed to fool all seven kingdoms with a few tricks." He sneered, grabbing a goblet of wine on his table and sipping the drink bit by bit. He used to be like them, praying with immense veneration and a belief so strong that he honestly believed that there was nothing the Goddess couldn't do. 


"How times have changed."


Sensing his nerves calm down from his previous anger, Louis decided to start writing a letter. 


"Let's hope Grave will comply and not just burn my requests like he's done previously."



{Break}


-Feoh-


Claudia felt lost as she stood in the main room where all seven Princess Knights were gathered to discuss a matter of extreme importance. Yet the conclusion of such a meeting ended in complete chaos after they got to witness the demise of the Kuroinu and the perpetrator behind this. 


Bang!


Alicia smashed her fist against the table, again, further damaging the wooden table. Though no one paid a single attention to it as they were lost in their own thoughts. 


"I knew that man was a criminal the moment I saw him! He's an agent of the Dark Queen!" The blonde said out loud, grinding her teeth as she hatefully remembered how that man had the audacity to throw Prim with not a single care for her safety. Also, given how Celestine herself confirmed that Olga Discordia was still alive then she knew the reason behind such a move. "Damnit, I should have let him go… they're planning to hide somewhere in Eostia and start gathering a large army of demons before laying siege on us. We must apprehend this man as soon as possible or before we're too late. Send me, I'll hunt him down!" 


"Oi, from my understanding this couldn't have been Olga's doing. That woman would rather kiss a dwarf than to have her castle blown up into smithereens." Luu-Luu was the least affected by the revelation, casually sitting on her chairs but to a few, it was clear that she was hiding some worries as well. 


"Where's your proof with that claim!? This is all just a plot to have us lower our guard and attack us when we least expect it. We lost valuable members of our forces, the Kuroinu have done so much for us and even Vault sacrificed his life for us. We need to capture those two and have them publicly executed." 


"—!"


"ENOUGH!" 


Everyone was caught by surprise by Celestine's shout of anger. Each felt a part of them quiver at her tone, like a giant hand forcing all to calm down and crush all traces of anger. Such a sensation made their skin crawl, as if they had temporarily lost control of their body, the blessing becoming a curse for a split second before binding their limbs by an invisible force. Yet this only lasted for a few seconds before everything returned to normal, but their hearts kept beating loudly with trepidation. 


Even Claudia felt beads of sweat trail down her forehead. She who had been serving as an ally to Celestine for years had never seen the blonde exude so much anger. The same sentiment was shared by Kaguya.


'Careful with your words, the goddess doesn't seem like herself lately.' 


The priestess heard the ancient voice of her deity reach her ears. A special link she shared with the entity given her role as the head priestess, her body acting as a vesel and a home for her deity.


'Yes, I had no idea the fall of the Kuroinu would affect her so much.' She replied respectfully.


'Naive. The Kuroinu are not the ones who plague her mind.' 


It wasn't that? This revelation did throw her off, then… was it Olga's case? When she recalled the scene they had seen of the mysterious stranger, the answer became more obvious. That man was most likely the cause, she saw the goddess's eyes flash with familiarity when seeing him, and that intrigued her. 


As everyone calmed down, Celestine continued to speak.


"There shall be no public execution whatsoever, this is final." The same image of Shirou's smile before his death kept replaying in her mind in a loop. Celestine felt sick to her stomach realizing that in her vision, Shirou's death was technically because of her. That she failed to recognise his deeds, blinded by hatred like the thousands who threw stones at his head allowed Alicia and the people to execute him. 


When the blonde Shield mentioned those words, she nearly lashed out and caused the power granted inside each Princess Knights to become unstable. 


'I need to find him, bring him here and protect the boy from all dangers.' 


Once upon a time, she would have trusted her people to be able to correctly judge Shirou's deeds. For their collective selves to discern that there must have been a reason behind his actions. Celestine never mentioned this to anyone, but even she didn't completely trust the Kuroinu. 


For her vision of the future always remained bleak and bloody, even when Vault was chosen as the leader, nothing changed with her visions. Even after granting him further authority and resources — the darkness continued to loom over the horizon. It worried the goddess if she was truly able to change the future or was following a predetermined path set in place by fate. Now seeing him die before her eyes, she didn't feel that remorseful or saddened, relieved would be an apt answer. 


"B-But Celestine-sama, h-he killed Vault and the Kuroinu whilst keeping Olga alive as you've said. We can't just let him escape without facing justice! We can lock him up for life in a dungeon with the Dark Queen to atone for their sins, or even kill them there." Alicia remained stubborn, wrinkles forming on her forehead as she couldn't let this man continue to roam the outside world for any longer. As for the previous reaction, the girl thought the Goddess Reborn must have despised the idea of a public execution. 


"Onee-sama, I think we are missing some crucial information here." Much to the blonde's dismay, the second one who didn't seem to agree with her was her own cousin.


"Prim?" 


Had she forgotten how that man treated her? How he nearly killed her with that throw? Alicia even began to suspect that the one at fault for having Prim fall into the river was none other than him! If he worked for the Dark Queen then his goal should have been taking down each Princess Knight one by one. 


"Archer is not a bad person! There must be a reason behind his attack, it could even be a plot of the Dark Queen to create a wedge between us."


Maia who barely paid any attention so far, lost in her thoughts, looked up sharply at Prim when she mentioned his name. Even Celestine who recognised the name from her dreams didn't expect such a response.


"What? He's not even our ally!" Alicia argued, "he most likely saved you as a deception to gain your trust!"


Prim frowned, "Then is Onee-sama not glad that I was saved? Would you have preferred for my body to continue drowning until life came to an end?" 


Prim's words shook Alicia, she stammered, unable to speak a single word in retaliation. The pink-haired girl herself didn't feel great for talking back to her cousin like that, but she also couldn't let her blame Archer for everything. As for Vault's death? She barely felt any sadness at all. It wasn't like they were complete strangers, she on many occasions spoke to the leader of the Kuroinu, his head mage and Hicks for various affairs concerning the kingdom. She even invited them to banquets as guests multiple times, so one could even see them as friends. The admiration for his exploits existed but they were dwarfed by her devotion to Alicia's. Now after seeing what the mysterious man who saved her from death, treated her like a princess with tenderness and love — this same person now casted an expanding shadow over her previous admiration for the Kuroinu to the point they barely existed. 


"Prim, I'm just saying this as a possibility of his true plans. He's a murderer who will slaughter us a—"


"Archer isn't like that!" Maia exclaimed, unable to stand Alicia's accusation. "I don't know how Prim met Archer, nevertheless, she's right! He may be a jerk who likes to intentionally rile people just for his own amusement but he's not evil… he can't be." Yet he still killed Vault and the Kuroinu, which didn't make sense to her. "This must be Olga's fault, she must have brainwashed him to do such things!" 


The redhead refused to accept the fact Archer was an enemy. "It must have happened recently, he could've been an ally to Vault but got caught by Olga who messed with his mind or something. If he was one of her minions from the beginning then I wouldn't be here!" She slept with him for fucks sake! They shared a moment when he could have done anything to her but didn't. She… she genuinely believed that he felt something for her.


"Are you crying?" Luu-Luu said, seeing tears trickle down Maia's face.


"Maia-sama," Brynn rested a hand on her shoulders. "I believe you, there should be a reason behind master's actions. He could've been forced by the Dark Queen or had his loved ones taken as hostage." 


The red Shield managed to bring out a small smile. "Yeah, we've known Archer for months, we know what kind of person that jerk is." 


"Yeah, he doesn't look like a bad guy to me. If he gives me a few of his swords then I'll declare him innocent!" 


"You can't be serious! He's a murderer and a threat to our alliance!" Alicia's face turned red, "that's the problem with you commoners! You don't know anything and your personal feelings endanger our livelihood!" 


"Alicia," Claudia stopped the girl before she could worsen the situation anymore. "I prefer you don't insult your fellow Shield members. Maia deserves as much respect you give me or Celestine. Don't let your status as a noble blind your judgment, I expected better from you."


Faced with her harsh scolding, Alicia was forced to cool down and sit back down. Her headache grew by the second, this truly was a disaster. 


"I… I'm sorry, I went over the line." She whispered harshly through her teeths. Not a shred of sincerity in those words which Maia didn't mind. They hated each from day one and a single scolding from Claudia wouldn't change that.


She didn't bother staying here any longer, the revelation of what happened the Kuroinu should have normally sent her into a fit of rage with a heart filled with vengeance. But after knowing the identity of the attacker along with everything that happened so far… she didn't know what to do anymore. Her heart and mind were in a state of complete chaos and staying in this room made her feel like she would faint at any moment.


Unfortunately, her action once again offended Alicia as she saw it as a clear sign of disrespect. 


"Maia, we still aren't done with this matter! Return right this instan—"


"Oh for the love of Celestine, GO SUCK A DICK, YOU BLONDE BITCH!!!" Maia punched the doors, breaking them into pieces as she walked out with heavy footsteps. "I'm going to get some fresh air, and again, I ain't your servant. So don't talk to me like that!" 


Alicia's face turned ugly, "H-How vulgar… as expected of a commoner. They never learn."


Meanwhile, Celestine looked at the remaining shields with disbelief. With a quivering voice, she couldn't help but mutter, "She was with Shirou… for months?" A fire burned inside her chest, a sensation she rarely felt in her life. Something she hated but couldn't help but go through while watching the retreating back of Maia with slightly red eyes. 


Was this jealousy?


Kaguya took this opportunity to suggest their next course of action. "I believe that our next action should be to gather our forces and search for this Archer fellow across all of Eostia. For all we know, he could be trying to escape to the outer kingdoms and if that happens — then we'll be powerless to do anything." 


Claudia nodded her head. "I agree, I'll be returning to Ansur to prepare my forces and take over a small portion of the Dark Lands now that Olga is no longer in control." Plus, she wanted to know how the talk between her husband and father-in-law went. 


Given Klaus was Grave's son, she knew their familial bond would triumph over concepts such as pride. 


"I'll start the search." Alicia said.


"I'll help," proposed Prim, her eyes glued at the door where Maia stormed off. Her eyes slightly hollow and bleak, the girl didn't like what she had heard just now one bit. 'He's mine.'


"Then it's decided, well scout for Archer and any trace of Olga."


…


Just at the entrance of Feoh, a small caravan rode through the dilapidated streets of the kingdom. Malnourished children and elderly filled the road, nothing bones and skin. Many of the younger kids begging for food at the passing merchants, their hoarse voice and sunken eyes without a glimmer of light within them. 


Cling!


A small copper coin was thrown by the side, rolling across the pavement until it dropped near another group of impoverished peasants.


"Mine!"


"N-No! I need that!" 


"My child is sick! He hadn't eaten for days! Please!" 


Those sitting on top of the caravan clicked their tongues at the scene before them. 


"Every time I return to this place, things just keep getting worse. I doubt these people will survive the next week, they'll either die of starvation or eat each other." A middle aged bald merchant said, going through his pocket and finding another copper coin which he threw once again. 


"What do you expect when the one running the kingdom is Princess Alicia Arcturus and her group of soul sucking nobles? That woman doesn't care for anything aside from status and nobility. Like, have you seen the price of bread a few blocks down? Nine copper coins… freaking nine! The full meal we ate for two at the Emerald Inn only costed eight copper coins with free drinks." A mercenary sitting next to the middle aged man spoke, his hands on his scimitar with a few scars on his face. Though many would focus on the necklace he wore across this neck, a black dog — a member of the Kuroinu mercenary group. 


The merchant agreed with his words with a heavy sigh. "The previous ruler was far better, too bad he died. Times were rough back then but at least the streets weren't filled with starving people along with the smell of shit and piss. Too bad Blueborn's slave ring got destroyed, at least that place is clean compared to this one." He then looked at the mercenary he hired for protection weirdly. "By the way, why are you still here? I heard Vault called every member of the Kuroinu to launch a raid on the Dark Queen's castle or something."


"Mah, I'm too low ranked and weak to go there and die to an Orc. Not to mention I wouldn't have been able to fuck any whores all the while traveling the poisonous lands in the north. It's just not worth it… not to mention I promised you that I would help ya capture the girl."


"And I thank you for that, you'll get half of the profit after selling her, just like we've discussed."


"No problem, I was excited to finally have a taste of her kind, but unfortunately I'm not interested in little girls…"


The merchant gave him a stern glare. "Good thing you didn't, these things suck out your life force by just touching you."


Both men looked behind, their main merchandise being a single giant cage covered with a large thick cloth to hide its content. The mercenary peeked through, "Hey girly, wake the fuck up, we can't have you be sleeping the entire time. Or else no one will buy you!" 


"Mmnn…" inside the cage, a small girl who looked just around the age of the children on the streets woke up. Even under the near dark environment, one could still see her extremely pale skin that would often reflect against the light, adding literal shine to her beauty at such a young age. With neck length purple-to-magenta hair that touches the ground, on her back were tiny dark blue crow-like wings — one of the first signs that showed her inhuman nature. The second one being the gray curved horns along with pointed ears and yellow irises on her eyes. 






She wore no clothing, leaving the man to see her completely naked body without reservation.


Fear emerged in her eyes as she saw the lecherous stare of the man. She backed up but couldn't escape the cage. Her terrified face hidden behind both arms.


"Tut tut tut, and here I thought succubuses were supposed to be an arrogant race who didn't fear humans. What's her name again?"


"Humph, Rado-something, I can't recall. It doesn't matter, a slave doesn't need a name." the merchant snorted. "Also, she's a Tiefling NOT a Succubus!"


"Same thing."


"No they aren't!" 


While both men continued to argue, the girl continued to shake like a leaf. Desiring nothing more than to escape from her capturers. 


{Break}


-Dark Lands-


Snore…


"My… Queen… be careful…" 


The sun would rise in an hour, Archer stared at the sleeping duo in front of him. Chloe and Olga had huddled up together to fight against the cold and ended up falling asleep in the end. 


The fire was about to die, having nothing more than red embers emerge in the air from time to time. 


He hadn't slept once, he couldn't. No matter how much his body pleaded him to shut off his brain and close his eyes — Archer didn't listen. His eyelids by now felt like they weighed tons, his headaches having reached a peak where he could feel each being throbbing in sync with his heartbeat. His vision wasn't seeing double yet, but it would only be a matter of time until he would start to hallucinate. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, Archer could easily stay awake for three to five days without much effort. 


But how much he pushed his body previously coupled with his wounded arm, he was approaching his limits. 


Why hadn't he slept the entire night?


Because he didn't trust these Dark Elves and himself. In his state, if he fell asleep then his mind wouldn't register any approaching threat and he could die easily. Chloe wouldn't hesitate to stab a dagger through his chest if given the opportunity while Olga could plant a spell on him that could turn him into her slave. Not that Rule Breaker couldn't take care of such an issue, but he didn't want to risk it.


"Better I go for a walk." 


To pass the time at night, he checked the surroundings for any possible wandering demon or elves and found nothing. This land was truly barren without the trace of life. As to whether these two would try to run away… 'That won't work.'


Swish!


A single black stabbed the ground near the girls where both of their shadows overlapped. In about an hour, the sun would come up and their shadows would naturally move, thus freeing them — by the time that happened, he'd already returned. But until then, he had enough time to clear his head.  


"Haa…" he pushed himself from the ground, his entire body feeling sore where even moving a single muscle brought great pain to him. If he was a Servant then with enough support from his Master these injuries could have healed in a matter of hours. 


Archer walked around for about ten minutes, taking a route he hadn't checked before. But then, his ears twitched with the sound of running water coming from somewhere nearby. "Could such a place have an oasis-like environment? Plausible, or else these dark elves can't live here in the first place." 


A source of clean water would really help him, cleaning his wounds and refreshing his mind. He walked for a few more minutes until Archer came upon a beautiful scene — a small waterfall hidden beneath a large formation of boulders and rocks. There was actual grass around it, with different kinds of flowers and plants ground in abundance. The water itself was crystal clear with a few herbs floating inside it. The smell itself was very herbal with a perfume-like aroma lingering in the air. He scooped up a bit before tasting. "It's perfect, it doesn't taste like it's poisonous, quite the opposite in fact. Weird." 


He filled a few canteens of water he projected given the last ones got destroyed. 


"I can take a quick bath here… at least it'll clean my wounds and help with my headaches." 


There was still about half an hour before the sun rose completely. 


Not wanting to waste any more time, he decided to go for it. He removed all of his clothes, before slowly going inside the body of water. It wasn't deep, so he could comfortably lie down. The moment his hand was fully submerged, almost half of the pain vanished and got replaced by a cooling sensation. 


Did it have healing properties? Or maybe it just blocked off the pain. 


He could feel his stress flowing away, replacing it with bliss and a calm state of mind. Archer closed his eyes, resting his head against a boulder and enjoying this small paradise. 


Splash!


"—!?"


"Wow, that underwater cave was so beautiful, Anna!"


"Yes, I'm amazed you managed to hold your breath for so… long…" a monotonous voice spoke before slowing down at the end.


Archer opened his eyes when he heard the sound of water splashing. He got on guard but soon was frozen from shock. Why? Because in front of him were two familiar naked elves he met once in a village not long ago. 


Was he perhaps already starting to hallucinate? Maybe these herbs had a psychedelic trait which made him imagine these two being here of all places.


"Archer-sama!!" The dark elf, Grace, shouted his name joyfully. She even rushed over him before wrapping her hands around his neck, her body fully pressing against him. Her hair black covered his face with her chest against his. The shyness he recalled from the village was nowhere to be seen.


Nope, they were real and he wasn't hallucinating.


"This is quite the pleasant surprise." Anna said.


"Why me..."


Even in the middle of nowhere he couldn't catch any time for himself.