The Laughing Swordsman

Willow's eyebrow twitched.

What kind of empire didn't have a tavern?

Not a single one despite the land this place encompassed?

...Even small villages would have at least one. Maybe even a couple.

Willow laughed awkwardly.

"Haha... I must be mistaken in terms of what a tavern is."

The young man raised an eyebrow, but nodded after a bit of thought.

"I guess..."

He proceeded to walk past them, already forgetting about their existence.

Willow sighed.

"This is going to be difficult. How am I supposed to..."

She shook her head.

"One step at a time. That's the only thing left."

Apollo looked at Willow curiously.

"Why is it bad that there are no taverns?"

Willow smiled bitterly.

"Taverns are the easiest places to gather information from. This is mainly for a couple of reasons. First, people congregate there as it is a place of rest. Second, they are more willing to talk as they don't intend on going somewhere like a passerby. Third, alcohol is served so they talk more freely than sober people."

Apollo scratched the side of his head.

"Oh... so it's going to be harder to find things out without a tavern?"

Willow shrugged her shoulders.

"Pretty much."

Layla put a finger on her chin.

"So we just have to ask anyone that passes by about we both know you!"

She meant Kylan Noia.

Apollo furrowed his brows.

"But... is that the right name?"

Layla tilted her head to the side.

"Well, what else could it be!"

Apollo rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger.

"...I guess?"

At that moment, a mature lady appeared. She appeared to be similar in age to Willow and carried a sleeping baby in her arms.

The lady approached them of her own accord.

"Hi, there! You have so many beautiful children!"

Willow chuckled.

"Thank you, thank you. You have a beautiful child as well."

The lady smiled amicably.

"Haha, she's turning four months old soon!"

Willow responded in kind, with an amicable smile of her own.

"Soon you will have a child that can walk and talk! Time will pass by in the blink of an eye, then you will always have someone bothering you."

The lady laughed as she brushed her daughter's head that had hardly any hair.

"I can't wait! Ah, I will just have to be patient."

The lady took a peek at who Willow was holding. It was Hex, who was covered in countless bandages.

She seemed concerned.

"Say... why do you wrap your child in so much cloth?"

The baby in the lady's hands was in a set of clothes. As such, you could clearly see the baby's arms and legs moving around slightly.

As for Hex, he almost looked like a giant cocoon. The only thing visible was his face, not even his hair stuck out.

Willow laughed awkwardly.

"You see, he gets cold really easily. This is the only way I can take him outside without him getting sick."

The lady walked over. She shifted her hold on her baby and reached out with one hand, lightly brushing against Hex's forehead.

The lady gasped.

"Ah, you're right! Even with so much cloth, the child still feels cold."

Willow blinked a few times.

Wait, really?

She proceeded to sigh, as though she knew this all along.

"Hopefully it will get better as he grows up! His body should grow more resistant when he becomes a big boy."

The lady nodded with sympathy.

"A pity. I imagine it isn't comfortable for a child to be wrapped in so many layers of cloth all the time."

Willow smiled bitterly.

"Haha, I really wish I didn't have to do this."

The lady shrugged her shoulders.

"What can you do, right?"

Willow nodded.

"Anyways, we should be going. It was nice talking to you. Farewell!"

Despite giving her goodbyes, the lady didn't seem to notice.

...No, the lady froze in place.

Willow raised an eyebrow.

"Are you ok?"

The lady swallowed with a bit of fear.

"Why does your child have... purple eyes?"

Willow felt her heart drop. She looked down, and sure enough, Hex's eyelids were fluttering open.

Hex yawned before revealing his beady, but purple, eyes.

The lady began trembling.

"But... humans are unable to get purple eyes."

She took a step back and looked at Willow with trepidation.

Layla tilted her head to the side.

"Eh? But I've seen so many people with purple eyes!"

The lady furrowed her brows.

"You... have?"

Layla nodded with a bright smile on her face.

"Yeah!"

The cap on Layla's head twitched, then fell off altogether. Her furry purple ears were revealed for the whole world to see.

The lady took several steps back before falling down onto her behind.

"W-What are you? There's definitely something wrong with you!"

Her eyes narrowed.

"Wait, your hair... it's not black, but purple!"

Willow frowned.

The lady was going to attract too much attention. Willow had to silence her before things got out of hand.

Hex looked up at Willow.

"Mm... me no like!"

He struggled intensely before ripping through all the bandages around him and hopping out of Willow's grasp.

As for Apollo... he just scratched the side of his head with confusion.

Why was everyone freaking out?

Willow fumbled with the back of her gown before pulling out a jet-black sword that had been chipped.

The lady nearly broke down in fear. She pointed towards Willow accusingly.

"INTRUDER! THERE'S AN-"

Her head flew in the air.

Willow had cut it off without hesitation, but did not make the body disappear.

The lady had already screamed. If people came over and found nothing, they would suspect either professionals or the supernatural. However, if there was a corpse, they would expect it to be someone within the realm of humans. This was especially so if the cause of death was clear.

Willow grit her teeth.

"We have to go."

Her eyes narrowed.

"NOW!"

Black mist gathered around them before making a screen around them.. Then, the group ran.