Outside, the sun was already moving past its zenith. There wasn't that much time left before the sunset , there wasn't much to do to change Effie's mind. However, judging by the determined expression on her face, Changing Star wasn't just throwing words to the wind. She had something specific in mind.
"What's your plan?" Levi asked.
Neph glanced at him, white flames dancing in the depths of her cold grey eyes. Then, she turned away and said:
"Follow me."
With that, she walked forward in the direction of the castle.
'Bossing me around already , are you?'
He watched as Sunny took Cassie by the arm and started walking. Levi and Shashi was walking behind Nephis.
"Tell me about that Pathfinder again. The one who was accused of murder three days ago."
Sunny frowned, then repeated what he knew about the guy. When he was almost finished, she asked:
"What's his Aspect Ability?"
He hesitated, then said:
"He can make any weapon become incredibly sharp when it's in his hands. Sharp enough to cut stone, maybe even steel. It's a very powerful combat Ability."
Changing Star was quiet for some time, then said:
"What about his Flaw?"
Sunny shook his head.
"That I have no idea about. People are very protective of their Flaws, you know. Not everyone goes around telling everyone about their greatest vulnerability like that lunatic, Effie."
Cassie, who seemed to be very protective of him today, decided to support this claim:
"Sunny is right, Neph. We don't even know what Levi and Sunny's own Flaw is, remember?"
Levi looked at Cassie. Well yes , he was not willing to share it. It seems Sunny also didn't want to.
Sunny spoke up once again:
"Uh ... Neph? What do you need us to do?
She shrugged, then said in her usual indifferent tone:
"You don't really need to do anything. Just follow me and try to look ... uh ... virtuous."
'..weirdo.'
The Guards standing watch in front of the gates blocked their path with contemptuous and suggestive looks in their eyes.
Contempt was directed toward Sunny and Levi, while the rest was directed toward the girls, of course.
"Stop! What business do you have in the Bright Castle? Want to pay the tribute?"
"Or maybe want to get paid, instead? If you know what I mean ... "
Both of them laughed.
Nephis looked at them with a calm expression, then said:
"I want to go inside, but I'm not going to pay tribute."
The laughter suddenly stopped. The Guards looked at them with a bit of amusement, a harsh and dangerous light finding its way into their eyes.
"Have you lost your mind, wench? Why are you here if you're not going to pay tribute? Stop wasting our time!"
Changing Star stared at them with no emotion whatsoever showing on her beautiful ivory face. Then, she said evenly:
"I'm here to invoke the Right of Challenge."
***
Levi had a grin plastered over his face , this woman had gone mad.
Meanwhile, one of the Guards frowned:
"Stop joking around, little girl. Shut your mouth and get lost if you want to live."
Neph didn't move. Instead, she said:
"l'm not joking."
The other Guard stared at her, then shook his head:
"Those slum rats have really all gone crazy, huh? I thought that this recent show would teach them a lesson, but it seems as though it did not."
He sneered.
"Listen, lass. The Right of Challenge is not a laughing matter. It's a fight to the death. No one is going to go easy on you just because you have a pretty face. Do you understand?"
Changing Star simply nodded.
The Guard waited for a while, looking at her tall figure and the crude tunic that she wore. Then, he grimaced.
"I guess we'll have some entertainment today! Ugh, such a shame. With your looks, you could have lived in the castle without ever even needing to pay the tribute."
Shaking his head, he turned around and gestured for the five of them to follow. The other Guard stayed behind, a bewildered and darkly excited expression on his face.
With the sound of the rusty chains swinging in the wind invading their ears, Sunny, Nephis, Cassie, Levi and Shashi passed beneath the hanging skulls and entered the castle.
By the time the five of them were led to the grand hall of the castle, the news that there was going to be another challenge had yet to spread through the entire fortress. Because of that, there was no crowd there, just a few dozen people who had happened to walk past and heard the commotion. However, their number was growing with each minute.
Standing before the entrance to the hall, Nephis was calmly looking forward, her thoughts a mystery. She seemed to be steady and collected. Levi was standing beside her , his face did not have any trace of emotions.
Glancing around to make sure that no one could eavesdrop on their conversation, Sunny leaned to her and whispered:
"You're not really going to fight one of Gunlaug's lieutenants, are you?"
Nephis didn't turn her head and simply said:
"..The walls have ears."
Sunny gritted his teeth and was about to retort, by at that moment, the Guard that had led them inside appeared from the grand hall, threw a dark look at them, and spat:
"Come on in, fools."
Changing Star and Levi simply walked forward, the others followed.
Inside the hall, a small crowd of people was staring at the entrance. When they saw Nephis, a wave of confused whispers ran through their ranks.
"Who are they?"
"Never seen them before."
"There's something strange about those guys ... "
The whole situation was much less ostentatious and theatrical than that on the day of Jubei's death. Most of the lieutenants weren't even here, not to mention the Bright Lord himself. Only the leader of Hunters, Gemma, was sitting on the steps leading up to the empty white throne. On his face, there was a slightly sullen expression.
When the Guard led the three of them inside, Gemma raised his head and glanced in their direction with a frown.
"Did I hear it correctly? One of you five wants to invoke the Right of Challenge?"
Nephis took a step forward, looked him right in the eyes, and answered in her usual indifferent voice:
"I do."
Levi frowned.
'And now you are leaving me out..'
The tall Hunter sighed.
"Listen ... it is indeed true that anyone has the right to invoke the Right of Challenge. But throwing your life away is a really stupid thing to do. I'm sure that you had to suffer a lot to make it this far. Everyone here did, pretty much. So how about you think about it some more and reconsider?"
His voice wasn't unfriendly. In fact, it seemed sincere, as though Gunlaug's lieutenant really did not want to see her die for no reason. However, his words fell on deaf ears. Neph just tilted her head a little and said:
"No need."
Gemma sighed again, then shook his head.
"Fine, have it your way then. Who are you here to accuse?"
Levi already had an idea who she would be accusing , so he was not suprised.
"I am here to accuse the Pathfinder known as Andel."
Andel was the person whose crime had led to Jubei's challenge, and then death.
As another wave of whispers rose from the crowd, Gemma blinked. With an unhappy scowl on his face, he said:
"As I've told the last time, I am the leader of both Hunters and Pathfinders. Any crime they commit while performing their duties is my crime, so I will be the one to answer for it. Are you sure you want to challenge me, kid?"
Despite the older man's heavy tone, she did not even flinch. However, she did pierce him with a cold gaze, then slowly shook her head.
"I'm not here to accuse him of murdering the young man from the outer settlement. I'm here to accuse him of theft. Andel has lost a considerable amount of soul shards while gambling, but refused to pay. That is stealing. Since it was done on his private time and not while performing any official duties, you have nothing to do with it."
Gemma stared at her, a bewildered look written clearly on his face.
'Damn princess..'
By shifting the accusation from a crime committed during a hunt to a misdemeanor that had nothing to do with Andel's role as a Pathfinder, she effectively prevented any of the lieutenants from fighting on his behalf. At least if they remained true to their claim of being just.
"What? A ... a gambling debt? You want to ... did Aiko send you?"
Nephis shook her head again.
"No. I've never even met her."
Everyone in the grand hall looked at her as though she was insane. The charismatic lieutenant was no exception. With some exasperation finding its way into his voice, he asked:
"If you don't even know the person Andel owes the shards, why are you here challenging him on her behalf ?! "
Neph simply shrugged.
"Do I need to personally know the victim of the crime to punish the criminal?"
Gemma stared, clearly finding the whole situation ridiculous.
"...It's just a gambling debt. I can pay the shards myself, and we all can.."
However, Changing Star interrupted him. Her voice was still inexplicably calm and even:
"It's not about shards. It's about justice ... and law. After all, the law is our only guiding star in this dark world. Without its
light, there's only darkness."
Her words echoed in the grand hall and put a grim expression on Gemma's face. By repeating what Gunlaug had said here
a few days prior, she left him with little choice but to satisfy the request for a challenge.
After all, going against it would be tantamount to going against the Bright Lord's will.
'Did you learn that from Sunny..?'
Levi looked at Sunny , who had a worried expression on his face.
The Hunter looked away with regret, remained silent for some time, and then said to one of the Guards in a dark tone:
"Go and bring Andel here. Tell that bastard that after he kills this stupid girl, he and I will have a long conversation about his ... life choices."
Then, he glanced at Neph and said:
"And you ... say your goodbyes and prepare for battle. Oh, right. What is your name? Tell us. That way, you will at least be remembered."
Looking him right in the eyes, Nephis stayed quiet for a bit, and then answered.
Her clear voice resounded loudly in the grand hall:
"I am Changing Star of the Immortal Flame clan."
Suddenly, everything became silent.