An Archer's Promise

Chapter 60: Ally?

Beta read by Fluffy Slayer and Shigiya

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-Feoh- 

In the dimly lit courtyard of the castle, Radomira, the Tiefling, was flying around aimlessly with restless energy — bubbling with excitement for the food that Archer had promised to make for her, especially this so-called “pizza”. Though entrusted, or shall we say “bribed” with the task of bringing Brynn to him, the elusive former Knight was nowhere to be found. It struck her as rather odd, since as far as Radomira knew, the brunette had a remarkable tendency to be quite vocal, especially when searching for her. Yet today, she seemed to have vanished into thin air.

“Brynn~!” Calling out her name, Radomira’s voice echoed softly through the empty corridors, resonating like a peaceful melody . Still dreaming about the feast that  awaited her, her stomach chimed in with a growl of its own. “I'm right here Brynn~! Flying around the castle without any protection nor supervision~! Hurry before I stumble upon a bad guy along the way… Oh no! I’ve suddenly found myself in front of the blonde hum— uh, Akic… Anasta… no, what was it again? Oh right, Alicia's chamber! My hand is poised to grab the knob any second now~!” 

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows, and Radomira spun around to see Brynn rushing down the hallway covered in sweat, the woman's worried expression ever more evident in the dim light. Notably the blatant terrified face she wore due to her little comment about entering Alicia's room. “Where have you been!? Are you trying to give me a heart attack with how much I was worried about you, Radomira-sama!?” 

“Maybe,” though in truth, Radomira knew Brynn's tendency to overreact to the slightest provocation. The Tiefling understood why her friend fretted so, but with Archer nearby, unlike her previous misadventures with Claudia, danger seemed remote.  Besides, she made a concerted effort to steer clear of any passing Princess Knight who wasn't Maia or Claudia. “Don’t worry so much~. I’m here anyways, so you don't need to run around anymore.”

“That’s beside the point, where have you been!?” Brynn exclaimed, her voice filled with frustration and concern, unwilling to let the matter slide that easily. “I've been searching for you for hours! You can't just disappear like this! I'll have gray hair before I'm even twenty five at this rate! And the last thing I want is to disappoint Master. I don't want him to see me as someone unreliable…”

“Didn’t you have a box of white hair dye stashed in your room cause you wanted to be like Archer?” She recalled sneaking into the brunette's room the other night and finding some interesting toys hidden in the cupboard including the type of size Brynn preferred. It was there that Radomira discovered the concoction sitting in the cupboard which Olga later revealed to be just crudely made hair dye.

Brynn’s eyes widened, a deep blush staining her cheeks as she hurriedly darted forward to cover  the little girl's mouth, panic evident in her actions. “Shh! Since when have you been snooping around my stuff? I keep that place under lock and key!” 

At that, the Tiefling shrugged her shoulders, not willing to reveal the secret pathways snaking through the castle's ceilings and leading into various rooms and the underground tunnels that conveniently connected to the most crucial chamber within the castle… Archer's kitchen. Of course, she could access the throne room and Celestine's room as well, but those spaces held little interest for her. 

She was still looking for the one that led directly to Archer's room. 

“It's fine~! You'd look amazing in white hair, Brynn! Even Archer would like it!”