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Airi's POV
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The hours following Kagei's sudden announcement were utter hell. I couldn't get a single minute to myself.

I was swarmed with questions from the villagers, asking if they'd be safe, if the No-Names were truly back.

With confirmation from the Captain, I had to reluctantly answer all of the questions truthfully, so it's only a matter of time until the entire country knows.

We also had to deal with the families who had lost people during the mana extractions.

It seems the casualties barely passed 70 people in total, as The Cardinal had started it before we had even begun travelling.

Each person who had come up to me, tears in their eyes, wondering if a member of their family had been a victim left a scar on my heart.

I don't think it was guilt. More grief for not being able to do my job properly, of not protecting the Kingdom's people.

Making the graves for the bodies we saw was a good idea, as it allowed the mourning people a place to pray and send their farewells to the ones they lost, even if they weren't buried there.

But I had finally gotten a break from the crowds no less than 4 hours after the incident at the pier.

It seems that the Captain and Kana had burnt the bodies of the members of The Cardinal whilst we were talking to Ryu, just in case they had become undead.

However, speaking of Ryu, since he wandered off at the pier, none of us had seen him.

Sure, he doesn't look like a knight, so he wouldn't have crowds forming around him, but it's still an unusual sight to see a 12 year old walking around with a sword, no matter the town you're in.

So, after asking around for a bit, I finally caught hold of some rumours circulating already, of a boy who seems to be guarding the town alone.

However, none of these rumours had a basis, and they all seemed to see him at complete opposite ends of Alzibria, so I couldn't really do anything.

We also had to make an announcement to the whole town, so we spread the message of a speech happening in the town center at dusk.

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Looking around, there were several hundred people gathered, whether it be in the square area of the town centre, from outside simply listening, or in the houses surrounding us.

It honestly made me feel quite nervous, and comparing it to battle, I'd say battle feels more comfortable.

For us, right now we are standing in the dead center of the area, the main focus of attention for the towns people.

Despite them talking in hushed voices, the noise was incredible, but it was silenced immediately by a single clap from Captain.

"Now, people of Alzibria, as the representative for the Kingdom of Reichtum, we sincerely apologise,"

As he speaks, the Captain and the rest of us bow our heads.

"We have caused too many of you unforgiveable amounts of grief. I would believe it to be condescending of us to say that we understand what you feel, and that we will share it with you, but know that for the next few days, we will be here to help. It is unforgivable for us to have allowed this to happen within our borders, and within Alzibria, one of the main suppliers of sea products. We can ask for forgiveness, but we do not believe that you will give us any, so allow us to atone for the mistakes we have made." (Captain)

With a loud voice, the Captain's speech reaches everyone listening.

A few seconds of silence pass before a cheer could be heard, then another, and another.

Soon, the entire town was cheering and clapping, and I could even hear some sobs mixed in.

It shook me to my core. To see this amount of people as optimistic as they are after such a tragic event.

I'd like to say it was thanks to the Captain's charisma, but I also believe that I'd be doing a disservice to the feelings of the towns people.

However, Ryu hadn't attended the speech. Not as a knight at least. Whether he was mixed in with the crowd was unknown to me.

And after the cheering had ended, we were swarmed by crowds again, some thanking us, some giving us their forgiveness, but also some simply crying at us.

I managed to sneak out of the sea of people surprisingly quickly, the main reason being that the focus of the people was in the speech giver - the Captain.

But now that I was finally free, I decided to take a walk around the town, a nice break from the hectic days we've had.

This is my favorite part of a mission. Being able to relax after completing your orders is a great feeling, and it allows you to relax completely. It also releases all the stress building up in your body from the mission.

Though, my mind wasn't focused on all of that. As I was walking through the several stalls of the town, I had managed to catch a glimpes of Ryu, with his hand on his sword.

Without thinking, I started walking over to where I had seen him.

Turning the corner he had turned, I was met with an empty street, but a strange feeling washed over me, like I was being watched.

But it had disappeared within seconds, and I was alone again. Strangely though, it felt comforting. I wasn't constantly afraid of the chance that someone would appear behind me. It was just a normal town now.

Quickly, the street I was on started being filled with people, now fill of vigor from the speech.

Looking for a way to escape, I spot a tower connected to the wall surrounding the town and make my way towards it.

Inside, the noise from outside becomes muffled, a strange sense of isolation could be felt inside, but I pay it no mind as I climb the stairs, reaching the top in under a minute.

Opening the door to the top of the wall, I'm greeted with a view of the entire town. It was much different from the view on the west side of town, from the slums.

This view showed me a town of prosperity, one where people could live happily.

I stood there for a few minutes, admiring the town before feeling a presence further across the wall.

Looking to my side, I see Ryu sitting down against the small barrier on the top of the wall, one that makes it seem close to a pathway.

"Why didn't you show up to the speech?" (Airi)

"..." (Ryu)

"What happened at the pier?" (Airi)

"..." (Ryu)

"... Are you going to talk to me?" (Airi)

"..." (Ryu)

With a sigh, I sit down next to him, the silence between us oddly comforting.

"... Do you remember what we talked about when we first arrived?" (Ryu)

"When? On the wall?" (Airi)

"When you were burying the victims." (Ryu)

"Oh, about respect?" (Airi)

"Mm." (Ryu)

"What about it?" (Airi)

"Do you know who those people were? The ones I respected?" (Ryu)

"... I don't." (Airi)

"They... They... They were... No. No, nevermind." (Ryu)

With that, we stopped talking again.

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Author Notes
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Wow, we finally got to the calm part of the end of the arc.

Honestly, at the end there, I was just about to drop an extra 200 words just for some of Ryu's backstory, but then I thought it was too early and deleted it.

Sooo, look forward to his back story? I don't know where it'll be introduced. It might be spread out, it might be all at once, I have no idea.

But, I think this was a great chapter to write, I had a lot of fun with it, especially that speech.

I hope you had just as much fun reading it, thanks!