"Chapter 2, whoop-dee-doo..."

(-)

It took several days for them to arrive back at the capitol of Eostia. The trip back to Ken with the refugees from Mertle was an uneventful one. Not that the civilians were displeased with that. After what they'd been through, they were more than content with the calm ride as the caravan made its way across the land.

The survivors of the siege were led to the temporary campground they would have to inhabit until they could be fully integrated into the already large populace of the city. Among them were Wolf and Shirohime. Wolf had spent the entirety of the trip on guard in the event of an ambush from any enemies who might be laying in wait. Shirohime had argued that if there was any trouble, that Maia and her knights would be more than capable of defending the caravan, and that he should get some rest. Her opinion was respectfully accepted, and summarily ignored. They were in an unfamiliar land with unfamiliar people. He wasn't going to take the risk of relying on others to do his job for him.

But having finally reached the safe bastion that was the Fortress City Ken, the shinobi lowered his guard, if only slightly.

"What is our next move, Wolf?" the Divine Child asked as they took to the streets, having already given Maia's troops the slip.

The woman seemed intent on dragging him into something important, if the glint in her eyes was anything to go by. So as soon as the opportunity presented itself, the duo slipped away from the camp and entered the city proper. It wasn't like they intended to stay in the capitol for an extended period of time, so there was no need for them to be provided with a residence, temporary or not.

"Maia-san spoke of the libraries in the capitol as being excellent sources of knowledge. Perhaps some may even contain information pertaining to our search." he supplied evenly.

"Then that is where we shall go next."

"It would be in our best interest to search for the most prominent one, as it is likely that they will have the largest selection of books for us to read through."

(-)

Maia ran her hands through her hair like mad in aggravation. She should have expected something like this to happen. Wolf was obviously a recluse to some degree, opting to maintain a low profile even after defending Mertle. Add in the fact that he was disinterested in anything that didn't concern his Master, and it made perfect sense that he and Shirohime would vanish from her sight at some point. And if he was as skilled as she thought he was, and he put actual effort into doing it, she had no doubts that the two of them would be able to evade her troops within the massive city.

It was extremely annoying for the Mercenary Queen, as Wolf's ability to escape a relatively well-guarded encampment with a pregnant girl in tow provided even more evidence that he was the perfect candidate for the upcoming mission. Maia was aware that Celestine was preparing for the endgame of this damned war. The famous mercenary group, the Black Dogs, had been chosen to spearhead the attack on Olga's citadel, and were due to set out in several days. Having fought alongside the warriors before, Maia could vouch for their incredible strength in combat. But there was one aspect they were lacking that would be invaluable to have during their raid; an infiltrator.

While the Black Dogs were ferocious in combat, subtlety wasn't exactly their strong-suit. Celestine was hoping to bring in a professional in stealth to go along and provide aid for Vault and his crew. Strangely enough, nobody answered her summons. Turns out that the assassins and thieves of Eostia weren't too keen on offering up their services at the risk of dying in the field, or being arrested by Celestine's 'guard dog' once the job was over. So Maia knew she struck gold when she came across Wolf. And as strange as it sounds, he was proving to be just as elusive as she hoped for.

Now if only she could locate the guy...

"Something on your mind Maia?"

Turning to the source of the soft voice, the mercenary was greeted by the sight of her fellow Princess Knight; Kaguya. The red-head closed her eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Nothing, just trying to find the one person we need who doesn't want to be found."

Mulling over the answer, Kaguya snapped her fingers upon realization. "You found someone who could sneak into Olga's fortress?"

The woman nodded. "Yeah. The guy also defended the town of Mertle on his own for the most part. Lotta people still died, but he managed to kill every last orc, imp, and goblin that raided the place."

"Oh my! That sounds quite impressive!"

"Exactly. Which is why I'm going nuts trying to find the bastard!" Maia snapped with one of her occasional bursts of anger. "Mister 'my only duty is to protect my master' completely snubbed me before I could even get a chance to talk with him about the mission! I couldn't care less about this place they're trying to find right now, we're on the precipice of victory here!"

"What makes you think he's still in the city?"

Huffing in annoyance as she reeled in her temper, Maia relayed what she knew.

"So they wish to find their unknown destination, and might be visiting the libraries to search for any clues?" Kaguya summed up briefly.

"Pretty much."

"Then why don't you use that as a lure?"

"Hah?"

"The palace library is the largest in the city, even housing tomes that are unavailable anywhere else. And only those who are allowed on the grounds are permitted to access it."

The mercenary snapped to Kaguya so fast that it was a miracle she didn't get whiplash. Grasping the shrine maiden by the shoulders, Maia pulled her in for a quick hug. "Thank you Kaguya! You're a genius!"

Kaguya tittered in amusement at Maia's reaction. "It was nothing really..."

"Heh, heh! Now I just need to come up with a plan to use to my advantage~." the red-head muttered sinisterly as she stalked off down the hall.

Her fellow Princess Knight was now worried about the 'monster' she had set loose. "Oh dear..."

(-)

Wolf closed yet another book and pushed it off to the side. It was the third day spent scouring the library in the hopes of finding information pertinent to their search. And while his training helped him to read much faster than the average person, it didn't make any difference if he couldn't find what he was looking for. Reaching over for the next book to read through, his hand grasped at nothing but air, as the current pile to read from was empty.

The immortal shinobi allowed himself a brief moment of respite before he continued his search. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a bundle of cloth and unwrapped it. Still slightly warm from being kept close to his body, the rice ball was more than enough to sustain a shinobi of his caliber for the next few hours.

Hearing the familiar footsteps of his companion coming near, Wolf finished his snack and turned to address her.

"Shirohime-san." he spoke in greeting. "Have you any news concerning our search?"

The girl maintained a soft smile even as she shook her head. "Unfortunately no." she replied. But then she reached into her robes and pulled out a piece of parchment. "However I believe that this is meant for you..."

Taking the parchment from her grasp, Wolf looked over its contents with a neutral expression. And then in a rare display of emotion, he let out a soft huff of amusement. "Even those who are bereft of sight could see through this ploy."

Attention! We are in need of an individual who has exceptional skill in the arts of skulduggery or subterfuge. Should you accept our summons, you will be sent on a mission of great importance for the war effort. Included in your payment will be access to the Palace Library, which contains rare tomes that can't be found elsewhere in the city. Head to the palace and ask for Maia if you are interested.

"It seems that she was quite impressed with your actions. And given the current state of turmoil that plagues this land, it is more than understandable that she wishes to employ you."

Wolf gave a brief nod of the head in agreement, and promptly crumpled the paper up.

"You don't wish to go?"

"No." he responded with his usual impassive tone. "Remaining by my Lord's side is all that matters. As such, I cannot allow myself to stray too far from you."

Shirohime sighed softly as she shook her head. "I understand your reservations about leaving me, but this is not an opportunity we can just let slip by."

He turned his head to face Shirohime and fixed her with a firm gaze. "While that may be true, it would be extremely foolish of me to leave you behind and place my trust in strangers to keep you safe." Wolf responded as he stood up and gathered up the books he already searched through, intent on returning them and acquiring new ones. "Tempting as the offer might be, we must simply ignore it."

"Wolf, I assure you that I, no, we will be fine. With how far this city is from the front-lines, the enemy will never reach us before you return. And while you are gone, I shall begin my search of the library."

"The answer is still no." he spoke back without a moment of hesitation.

"... Know that your stubbornness may end up hindering Kuro-dono in the end." Shirohime opined after a moments thought.

Wolf paused in his steps.

"If you weren't open to alternative options, then we would not be here to begin with."

A silence reigned that seemed to last hours, but was actually just under a minute long.

"I will consider it..."

(-)

Time was running out for Maia to locate Wolf. The eve of the mission to assault the Dark Fortress was almost upon them, and it had already been just over a week since she sent out that missive to lure the man in. While not necessary for ensuring the success of the plan, it would still be ideal to have a little insurance. But at this point Maia was simply trying to find the elusive shinobi out of sheer stubbornness to prove that she could do it.

"And exactly how certain were you when you said he would come?"

Unconsciously tapping her foot against the ground as a nervous tic, Maia shifted her head to face the other woman in the room with her. "More than I currently am." the mercenary responded with an aggravated sigh.

Alicia scoffed as she used her hand to flip her hair out of her eyes. "Regardless of their skill, we have no use for a mercenary who can't even answer a summons on time."

"I wouldn't exactly call him a mercenary. He made it quite clear that he had a Master to which he swore loyalty to. Now that I think about it, there's no way he would show up without this 'Lord Kuro's' go ahead."

"That shouldn't matter." the blonde opined firmly. "This is for the good of the nation. If he has any sense of morals, then he should have come running to serve her majesty."

If there was one thing about Alicia that got on Maia's nerves, it was her lack of accepting anything other than perfection. She is a stickler to the rules, and the length of the stick up her ass is only rivaled by the one that Claudia has shoved up her rear-end 24/7. Maybe if she could ply her fellow Princess Knights with a few rounds of beer, they'd be loose enough for her to yank out those sticks.

Maia smirked and held back a chuckle at the thought of both women passed out drunk with their posteriors in the air.

"Do you find something amusing about the situation?" Alicia asked in slight annoyance.

"Nah, just thought up a new drinking game is all."

The blonde woman sighed in exasperation. "Of course you would..."

As the duo passed the time by discussing recent battles and tactics, Maia's head snapped to the door the moment she heard it creak open, and in walked one of the Palace guards.

"Lady Maia, two individuals who fit the description of the people you told us to be on the lookout for have approached. The man says he is willing to hear you out."

Maia was equal parts excited as she was relieved. The guy had finally shown up. "You may bring in our guests and escort them to the throne room. I will ensure that Celestine is ready to greet them."

Giving a quick salute, the man hurried off to fulfill his duty.

"Time to welcome the wolf~." Maia remarked with a smirk.

(-)

His first impression of the Palace was better than he thought it was going to be. While the walls that surrounded it lacked any form of defense to prevent enemies from scaling them, it was made up for by the employment of archers on the walkways. They were also constructed entirely from stone, making them far sturdier. However the analytical part of his mind noted several weaknesses. If too heavily damaged, the walls were susceptible to collapsing under their own weight. He also spotted a few blind-spots in the guards patrols that a master shinobi like himself could exploit. But without knowing what to expect once he scaled the walls, it would be far too risky to go in without prior planning. As they entered the Palace grounds, he spotted a veranda that overlooked the courtyard. No doubt it was where her highness would stand when she addressed the public.

The forces defending the Palace were rather... colorful, if he was to put it kindly. There were plenty of knights in light or heavy armor, mainly armed with straight swords and often accompanied by a metal shield, but there were also men clad entirely in metal who remained completely still, almost as if they were statues. They very much resembled the man he fought during his ascent of Mount Kongou.

But then he spotted them...

He wasn't quite sure if it was a cultural thing or not, but the majority of the female soldiers seemed to be wearing as little armor as possible. Had he not already been desensitized to damn near everything, he was sure that this 'culture-shock' would have gotten some form of a reaction from him. But no, he just remained as impassive as ever. The same could not be said for Shirohime though, as the poor girl was blushing mildly as she tried to look anywhere other than at the scantily clad women.

Choosing to don simple cloth over actual armor wasn't anything he was unfamiliar with. It wasn't entirely uncommon to encounter upstart ronin who still lacked the funds to obtain proper protection, alongside those rare cases where a samurai is skilled enough that they forgo armor for the sake of faster movement. But with the way some of these women were dressed, it was hard to believe they weren't cold from the exposure.

It was a good thing he decided to conceal his prosthetic under a shawl, otherwise he would stand out the most.

As they were escorted further and entered the castle, Wolf was already mapping out the building in his head in the event they needed to make a sudden escape. He hoped things wouldn't come to that, but such sentiments were worthless in the long run.

After walking up a couple flights of stairs and down a long corridor, he spotted a large door at the end where two women were waiting for them. The first he instantly recognized as Maia, but it took a moment for him to deduce who the second was. Seeing as how she looked to be of the same standing as Maia, that meant she was a Princess Knight. And the only blonde one besides the Queen was Alicia.

Whereas Maia grinned like she was the cat that got the cream, Alicia stared at him with a scrutinizing gaze. She noticed him return the stare and promptly huffed and turned her gaze away.

"Well, well~." Maia spoke up as they arrived at the throne room door. "How nice of you to finally join us. I was getting worried that you'd stand me up." finishing her remark with a cutesy wink, the red-head was disappointed when Wolf merely responded with a grunt.

"My apologies." Shirohime replied in his stead. "It took some convincing to bring him here."

Maia sent a side-long glance at Wolf that screamed of incredulity. "Big surprise there..."

Alicia non-discreetly coughed into her hand to grab their attention. "Maia, I believe we have a schedule to adhere to. Now isn't exactly the best time for small-talk."

Scratching the back of her head with a sigh of annoyance, Maia quickly relented. "Sure, sure... Let's got on with this, yeah?"

With a loud creak, the door to the throne room opened up to allow entrance. It was a large open room that was lightly decorated with flowers, decorative vines, and banners bearing the mark of the kingdom. Tall windows were open, causing a soft breeze to blow through the hall, as well as light up its entirety. And sitting upon the throne was the Queen who ruled the land, Celestine Lucross.

Despite the softness of her features, he could tell from the way she held herself that she was no pushover. After all, from what he had heard she was the only one whose power could match that of the Dark Queen herself. The potential collateral damage was the only thing that stopped the two from taking to the battlefield. That and the fact that they were political rulers of the highest order. Isshin may have charged into combat alongside his comrades, but that was due to his skill as a general and a warrior. Unlike Japan, Eostia was fundamentally different, and as such the rulers were needed alive in order to run the land.

Wolf noted how the brunette who stood at attention next to Celestine had fixed a stern glare in his direction. If his assumptions were correct, then that would make her Celestine's right-hand, Claudia Levantine. He had to give the woman some credit. It was an appropriate, if overly expressed reaction for her to have when an unknown is in the presence of her liege.

Maia made her way towards Celestine and gave a somewhat lackadaisical bow, only getting away with such rudeness due to her close friendship with the high-elf. "Celestine, Claudia, nice to see you two again!" she greeted with a wide grin. "I hope that my companions can help make up for my tardiness."

Celestine regarded Shirohime with a brief gaze before shifting her full attention to Wolf. Which made sense considering he was the person they actually wished to meet. "You must be the one known as Wolf." she stated politely.

Giving a slight bow of the head, if only out of courtesy to someone of her standing, Wolf affirmed her assumptions. "I am."

"Maia has told me of your exploits, however few they may be. Taking on an entire orc war-band nearly on your own, skilled enough to escape the refugee camp and evade our patrols with ease even with a companion in tow, and just from the way you carry yourself I can tell you are a man of great capability."

Choosing to not confirm or deny her claims, Wolf remained silent, and only grunted in response.

"You will speak when spoken to, cur!" Claudia barked from her position next to Celestine.

The Queen held up her hand to settle her friend down. "At ease Claudia. Our guests are entitled to choose when to speak. We are the ones who requested them to come, after all." Celestine opined with a kind tone. "My apologies for summoning you in such a way, but I would like to request for your aid in an upcoming mission."

"What is it that you wish to ask of me?"

Celestine's eyes turned downcast for a moment, seemingly thinking back on something from her past. But then she straightened up and firmed her gaze. "The war that has plagued my land has gone on for far too long. Countless innocents have suffered as a result of this tragedy, and I wish to bring it to an end. Now."

"In two days time we shall begin the mission to storm the Dark Fortress and put a stop to all this violence. The mission will be carried out by the Black Dogs, the strongest mercenary group in all the lands. I have no doubt that they will emerge from the fight victorious, but I wish to provide them with support in the one field the are severely lacking in; stealth."

Wolf could already tell where Celestine was going with this. "You wish to employ my services in assassinating Olga Discordia." he stated plainly.

"No!" the Queen responded quickly. A bit too quickly in Wolf's opinion. "I-I mean, no. I wish to bring about a peaceful end to this war. And to reach such a conclusion, I must meet with her in person."

From the look Wolf was giving her, Celestine knew he was somewhat skeptical of her request, but she pushed on nonetheless.

"I ask of you Wolf, return to me with Olga Discordia, and I shall grant you a reward befitting of such a feat."

The throne room was dead silent as Celestine finished her request. No one seemed to move let alone speak, and Wolf's face remained as impassive as always. Time passed by agonizingly slowly, until Shirohime looked up at the shinobi. Despite how long they have traveled together, she could never see passed his mask of indifference.

Finally he glanced in her direction, a certain something reflecting in his eyes that she didn't recognize.

He had made his decision.