Lenaria: The Party Begins CONTINUED

Until Next Time - Part 17

The crew was sitting in Sato's home, crowded around the small table in his living room. Bella and Adva were sitting in the center, their knees bumping into each other while Victor and Minerva were seated on the outside.

Sitting on the table was a tray of hot tea that Sato had set there. The man himself had gone off, saying he needed to grab someone.

Who was this someone?

Apparently, they wanted to meet Minerva.

Minerva impatiently bounced her legs, nervous about what was to happen.

Evgenia and Momoko were taken to Sato's bedroom. The man had lended his bed for the girls to rest on.

"So, why are we here again?" Adva asked, looking around the quaint little room. Although it appeared cleaned out, the smell of alcohol was still strong.

At least the bottles were cleared out.

"We're here because Sato is part of the rebellion. And he's supposed to explain stuff to us about, er, everything." Minerva said, hoping she didn't miss a single detail.

Victor scowled, arms crossed and fidgeting worriedly in his chair.

Then there was the creaking of floorboards, someone was coming.

The crew looked up at, spotting Sato. He had taken off his prosthetic, walking around the house with his crutch. Sato cracked his neck, glumily frowning at nothing in particular.

Behind him, the crew could see someone. But Sato was fully covering them.

The man sighed, tired bags dragging his eyes. He scratched his head, black hair pulled into a loose bun that sagged at his neck. The man finally spoke, voice gruff and tired, "Sorry it took me awhile, my leg was swelled up."

All that running wasn't at all good for his leg. Good thing it didn't get any worse than that.

Sato looked behind him before stepping to the side, revealing the person behind him.

It was a man with black hair that was just a tad wavy, wearing a simply white button up and dark pants. He had a pair of glasses, one of the lenses was broken.

The man spotted Minerva first, looking shocked at first, then glad, then serious.

Was this the person who wanted to meet Minerva?

The man walked to them, going to Minerva first and holding a hand out. Minerva awkwardly took it, slowly shaking it out of politeness.

The man smiled, kindly saying, "It's so nice to finally meet you, Minerva."

"Um," Minerva suspiciously frowned at him, slowly taking her hand away. Cautiously, she asked, "Who are you?"

The man smiled, a little sad, "I'm Michael, I used to be the Royal Keeper."

Minerva's eyes widened, her breath getting caught in her throat.

The Royal Keeper?

Sato mentioned a while ago that the Royal Keeper was... arrested. And Minerva knew the Royal Keeper was good friends with August. That means... It was really true.

Michael saw the sudden sadness that fell on Minerva as soon as the knight realized that August was alone in that toxic castle. The man crossed his arms, looking away in guilt. Apologetically, he said, "August wouldn't listen to what either of us had to say. It's... really unfortunate that Faust has him wrapped around his finger." He sighed, frowning hard the floor with a bitterness that felt sour, "If I had the chance, I would've taken August out of there as well."