HUMANITY LOSS

     Her personal guard moved between me and the redhead woman, putting her hand on her sheathed sword. Clearly, she didn't appreciate me approaching the table unannounced. I backed away, raising my hands to show I meant no harm, then craned my neck to the right, trying to catch a glimpse of the redhead. The guard shifted her body, blocking my view.

"Lady Dorothea is eating. Whatever your business with her, come back later," the guard said sternly.

"This can't wait," I insisted. "We need to talk right no –"

She shoved me away, and I stumbled backward, hitting the back of my head on a table. Seeing the situation escalate, Mira dropped the towel she was holding and rushed over. As she and her father were the authority figures here, nearly everyone stood up, ready to support me – well, rather, support her.

The guard looked around, trying to shield Lady Dorothea, who continued eating her meal calmly despite the commotion.

"Let him pass, Molly," Lady Dorothea said, gulping down her food. "We can talk while I eat."

"Don't start any funny business here," Mira warned her. "Or things'll get bad for you, dear customer."

The crowd dispersed and returned to their seats. Mira helped me to my feet, then turned away without checking if I was okay or why I had been pushed. She really hated me, huh? All because she thought I was a pervert. I mean, I'd be angry too if I found out my lifelong friend was a creep.

I dusted off my clothes and sat across from Dorothea. She poured me a glass of wine and gestured for me to drink.

"Not eighteen yet. Can't drink," I said, pushing the glass aside.

"Not old enough to drink, but old enough to…" she began.

"Yeah, yeah. But old enough to do dangerous stuff, blah, blah," I interrupted, leaning forward. "Lady, what the hell was that mission you sent me on?"

"An ordinary mission with a high payout," she replied, unfazed. "Why, what's the matter?"

"You wanted me to steal Mia's corpse! Why?" I demanded.

"Do I have to tell you everything? What color panties I'm wearing, if I brushed my teeth this morning or not?" She took a small sip of her wine. "It's red and yes, by the way."

"The artifact… was it linked with her?" I pressed. 

She paused, her composure faltering for the first time. "How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Answer my question, Lady," I insisted.

"You told me you'd sold the thing. Was that a lie? Was the corpse near the artifact? Were you carrying it?" Her calm demeanor cracked. "Tell me everything."

"Let's say I did. What of it?" I leaned back, watching her reaction closely.

"Do you know Mia's story?" Dorothea asked, her gaze piercing.

"Yeah?" I answered, trying to sound confident. "She was born dead and all that stuff."

"It's not that simple." She said. "She was born without a heart. Fearing it was the devil's doing, her mother threw her body into a river."

"Huh…" I rubbed my chin. "I didn't know that."

"She eventually washed ashore. And a mystical creature bonded with her. It took the shape of a heart and made her come back alive."

"Heart?" I asked, my brow furrowing. "Like, blood-pumping kinda heart?"

"Moron," Molly murmured, rolling her eyes. "Of course it is!"

"That heart pumped blood – and mana to her body. She had so much mana that even the crystals couldn't measure it," Dorothea continued. "The artifact you stole was her heart. Her literal heart."

"Oh, shit." My eyes widened in shock. "Nah… no, no, no."

"The King wanted it for himself," Molly said, her tone dark. "That's why he put a hit on Mia."

"He killed –" Realizing I was too loud, I lowered my voice. "He killed Mia? Why?"

"At first, he ordered Mia to join his army. She refused but said she would act as a sellsword. The King then ordered her to raid a village controlled by bandits. She refused. That's two refusals to the King's face. Not good," Dorothea explained, her fingers tracing the rim of her glass. "Then, the King summoned her to his bedroom. Not for playing chess or discussing war strategies, as you can guess. She refused that one too. So… the King snapped and put a hit on her."

"Shit…" I whispered, shaking my head. "What a nightmare. What a damned nightmare."

"It truly is." She took my glass of wine and sipped it delicately. "Got any more questions?"

"Yeah. Why have me steal Mia's corpse? If the valuable thing was her heart, why bother messing with her corpse?"

"To examine," she replied, her expression serious. "To see how she lived all these years with a heart that wasn't hers. Oh, and her being my mother was a motive for me, too."

"Y-you…" I stammered, struggling to process her words. "She's your what?"

"Mother. Step-mother, though," Dorothea corrected, her voice softer. "She was infertile. I think being born without a heart would do that to you, huh?"

"I can't believe… I can't."

"Now, your turn to answer my question, Axel. Is the artifact with you right now?" 

"No," I replied, keeping my voice steady.

"Was the artifact with you when you tried to steal Mia's corpse?"

I let the silence answer her question.

"It was…" She smiled, nodding slowly. "How did it react? Seeing Mia's corpse, how did it react?"

"You say Mia. Not mother. Why?" I countered, deflecting her question.

"Why? Because she was a bad, very bad woman." Dorothea's voice hardened. "She would beat me every night. Saying my mana was low and I needed to be better. I told her I was interested in the arts, not magic. She didn't listen… she never listened. I'm glad she's dead. I really am."

[New Quest: Kill Dorothea.

Rewards: 9999999999Ap, 9999999999g.]

'Holy shit, whatever you are,' I thought, panicking internally. 'Chill. I'm not going to kill her.'

Suddenly, my nose started to bleed, and the world spun around me. I lost my balance, checking my nose as I fell to the ground, gasping for air. Dorothea and Molly stood beside me, their expressions shifting from shock to concern. Mira, realizing I was on the ground with a bloody nose, yelled something and came rushing over.

Nearly all the patrons rose from their seats and drew their swords, ready for a fight.

"Hey, we didn't do anything!" Molly said, raising her hands defensively. "He fell on his own!"

"Bullshit!" Mira exclaimed, her eyes blazing. "His nose is bleeding! You punched him!"

"Yeah, yeah. I saw the bitch punching him!" A customer added.

"Me too!"

"I didn't! I swear!" She refused again. "You animals! Don't lie!"

[New Ab1110i7y Un10ck3d: 

Humm###man%%thhiinóó==iy Lo00sss]

"What is… that box?" I managed to say before losing consciousness.