Bound and Broken: An Isekai Adventure Dark Fantasy (Melas Book 1) by V.A. Lewis (autobiographies to read .TXT) 📕

Fria blinked, and then slowly nodded her head. The Fiend was dead. It was expected since she was alive and Theron was standing here in front of her. But it was still shocking to hear.

The Fiend was a terror. Everyone in the Church knew about her and her crimes. They said she once crushed an entire army all by herself. She was like a true Demon from Hell. And she was now dead.

Fria could not help but smile at the thought. Even though the Fiend has been in hiding for the last decade, she was still a problem that lingered in the background. Like a plague that never went away, it was like she could come back any day. And now the plague was gone.

"This is— we have to tell the Church! I can’t believe it! She’s really gone. Do the others know about this? Of course they do!"

Fria chattered excitedly to the Saint, forgetting about rank for the moment. However, Saint Theron did not look at her. Instead, he gently placed a hand on Fria’s shoulder and spoke slowly.

"They’re dead, Fria. You and I are all that’s left."

The young woman froze. She stared at the Saint, and the man hesitantly returned her gaze. Her heart rate sped up, and her breathing quickened.

"It can’t be..." Her voice was a whisper, and her face was pale with shock. "...all of them?"

"I am sorry."

If you were to look at it objectively, it was a clear victory. It was not even a pyrrhic victory that cost the lives of thousands of men. It was a win in every sense of the word. Yet, Fria was not celebrating.

Because all her friends were dead.

It was true that she had only known them for the past six months. And it was true that she did not like all of them. But they were still her friends, and they were dead.

But it was still a victory. The young woman tried to tell herself that, but she could not feel happy about it. The only thing she could think of right now was of her dead friends.

She was standing behind Saint Theron as he was speaking to the villagers. They had to compensate the village for damage caused from the battle, but Fria could not bring herself to focus on what they were saying. Regret, guilt, and grief, all plagued her mind.

What if I was stronger? Why was I so reckless? If only I did not—

All these thoughts came and went. But it would not change a thing.

Fria got herself incapacitated because she lost her temper. She was out for three days because of that. And because of that she could not help her allies when they needed her the most.

Fria wanted to cry but she could not. Not in front of all these people. So instead she looked down and grit her teeth.

"Fria."

Fria looked up and noticed Saint Theron standing in front of her. He was with a middle aged man whom she recognized as the man who defended the Fiend. She glared at him as the Saint continued.

"I spoke with villagers and they agreed to accept five hundred gold coins for the damages we caused. However, Mr Walden here also had an additional request of us which I feel we should accept. But I was hoping to hear your thoughts on the matter."

Fria blinked, and barely stopped herself from shouting at the man. Additional request? After you tried to protect the Fiend?! The red haired woman did not even try to hide her animosity. But Walden ignored it.

"Thank you, Sir Saint. Madam Inquisitor, I have requested on behalf of the village for one of our children to be taken along with you on your return trip to Xanderia. He is a bright young boy—"

"Return to Xanderia?!" Fria interrupted the man and looked at the Saint. "But we haven’t completed our mission!"

Saint Theron shook his head apologetically.

"I’m sorry, Fria. But I will not continue this mission alone. You have read the reports yourself. These Devil worshippers we were investigating are as big of a threat as the Dark Crusaders, and have the potential to be more dangerous than the Shadow Evangelium once was. Tracking them down with just the two of us is not an option."

Fria just stared at the Saint she so admired blankly. He ignored the look she gave him and gestured to Walden. "Please, let us hear him out."

"...yes sir," Fria said begrudgingly. With that, the Saint nodded to Walden and he continued.

"Thank you, Madam Inquisitor. Our village is humble and small, but every decade or so, we produce a child who is too big for this tiny place. When that happens, we usually pool in our resources and send the child to the Capital of our nation, Remheart, to be educated."

The Inquisitor nodded her head and then finished his thought for him.

"But now you have got the opportunity to send this kid to the Capital of the Holy Xan Empire for free, is that it?"

"We are willing to pay for his education and the trip there, of course."

The young woman folded her arms.

"If you can afford it, why have you never done it before? Why can’t you just do it yourselves?"

"Xanderia is far and foreign to us. If we send a child alone to some place so distant, who knows what could happen and whether not the child could even secure a better education. But with your help we believe these would not be a problem. And this child in particular is more talented than any—" The middle aged man gently coughed. "Than any other boy I have ever seen in my life. He’s only 11 years old and he already knows how to work basic mana tools."

Fria