The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 257 - Sudden Teen Quarrels And The Price Of Laurels

Chapter 257: Chapter 257 - Sudden Teen Quarrels And The Price Of Laurels

The young heiress returned to find her disciples sitting at opposite ends of the medical station’s supply table. While a large chunk of her consciousness was aimed at Qatrand and her surroundings, she noted that both of their spirits radiated a peculiar (for them) mix of things - ’embarrassment’, ’obstinance’, and ’hurt’.

’Almost enough to make me want to poke at the obvious lover’s quarrel that occurred.’

While securing her last wooden kebab skewer in her fingers, Elua’s gaze swept ’obviously’ between them before she took a bite. Nohre’s shoulders were stiff as she unnecessarily reorganized the supply of bandages on a small table. Fusand’s attention remained fixed on writing and sketching something in a small notepad he carried for taking market notes.

Neither had noticed her arrival, too busy facing away and pretending the other didn’t exist.

’How nostalgic. I can already picture the words they threw at each other. All over someone trying to protect someone that didn’t want it this time.’

She deliberately made her steps more audible as she stepped closer. The teen girl with braided hair suddenly straightened her spine while the boy’s grip on his writing tool tightened and stilled. Both of their spirits carried ’realization’ but neither looked up.

"Well? Are you ignoring me too? What did you learn while I was getting something to eat?"

Her ’sweet’ tone carried an edge that made them both flinch slightly. The ancient cultivator wasn’t entirely sure if it was because they’d failed to notice her sooner... or because they knew she’d see through any weak attempt to hide their current friction they had been about to try. Nohre turned and opened her mouth to speak but Fusand cut in first, his eyes still on his notes and back turned.

"The thieves had been watching the storage area yesterday. At least two of them at a time, working with a professional kind of coordination."

The girl’s jaw clicked shut and her spirit flared with fresh irritation. Her green eyes fixed on a point in the distance while her hands clenched in her lap. Nohre knew he hadn’t done it intentionally, but she was already mad at the idiot!

"The woman we met said there were two groups. She saw some patrolling escape routes also."

When the boy’s head snapped up to look at her, she looked back with clear reluctance. Being ’cornered and surprised’ by the woman they encountered had clearly catalyzed the disagreement that led to this state. He was an idiot for insisting his *crab* could have done the job while they both ran... and she was also an idiot for saying she’d rather be the one that got hurt.

But they wouldn’t repeat any of it out loud in front of their master, who would probably think they were both being very much a hassle. On the contrary, Elua would have enjoyed more details so that she would have more information to correct their failings. Her ’warm’ smile grew as she pulled up a stool between them.

"Why don’t you start from the beginning? And do try to avoid talking over each other while you explain. After all, I prefer you both working together effectively, even if you want to strangle each other privately."

’Now I’m thinking of mother. I’ll never think of wringing someone’s neck the same again. Dad... has it rough.’

Elua bit on and pulled off two pieces of spiced vegetable before chewing to forget, trying to adopt that very father’s way of ignoring things.

"What? I don’t... want to choke him..."

"It was just an expression. I mean punch him in the shoulder, whatever it is you do to show you are upset or overwhelmed so you can start to move on. Like when he makes Projections of you doing silly faces behind your back."

"HE DOES WHAT?!"

’Ah, I bet she wants to throttle him *now*.’

A smidgen of spiritual pressure pressed into Nohre and distracted her long enough to turn back to the brunette. The sandy haired teen had a look of horror and of being sold-out on his face. He had been told after the first time the Goltbred caught him that it was good practice!

"Please, details."

While the pair laid out what they’d learned - from the merchant gossip through the confrontation with officials and that ghost’s unexpected involvement - she kept eating. Her questions between bites had drawn out the relevant details about how others claimed the thieves moved. Elua could tell they were unhappy about the last two encounters, but felt like later was a fine time to deal with it.

Her eyes dulled slightly as she processed everything and how to use the information for a quick lesson. The Enclave tent spacing observation that Fusand had was the best key. Despite his current mentally fuzzy state that should be *absolutely* no big deal in another hour or so, his distraction toward it had immediately nagged at her tactical mind as well.

’Systematic. Suggests someone’s web is trying to ensnare pieces I can’t yet see... but it doesn’t matter. I’m not letting the spider in the middle eat those birds.’

Someone had deliberately created that gap - which meant more involvement than just external thieves. Severing the strings might anger them... but it might also cause them to become frantic to rebuild and make her opponent more obvious.

’Just when I needed someone to crush to stop being so mad about that *face*. Fate is so kind lately.’

"Draw me exactly where you noticed the tents were wrong."

The sandy-haired teen blinked at her return to that detail after explaining about Leysah. Their master had mostly just nodded at everything that happened in that section and didn’t ask a lot of questions - of course he couldn’t know that it was because she had stood there and heard everything already. His hand moved to sketch the layout just as Nohre’s spirit flickered with understanding born from something else she had said.

"You think someone helped from inside the Enclave too."

Mint eyes brightened momentarily at their complementary insights. The diagram backed up what the girl had instantly grasped - this had deeper roots than simple theft. The open space would face right towards the security problem, allowing the thieves to quickly move directly in and out.

She hopped to her feet and pointed at the spot on the map before explaining as much.

"Now, both of you are coming with me. We’re going to take a closer look at the eastern side of the grounds."

Their spirits rippled with surprise at her immediate intention to move, but neither protested. The ancient cultivator moved to speak to the seniormost healer in this section again. The woman was still a bit cowed from the ’sweet’ girl’s earlier show of displeasure... so she mostly nodded and agreed when told that the little prodigy had important business to handle.

"Of course, it’s not like incidents that require your expertise are going to keep popping up! And we... we would be horrible people for hoping they would, haha!"

Having the very ’cause’ of her lack of desire to engage with most of these ’healers’ so voiced, the Goltbred heiress lost her light smile.

"Yes, you would be. But it’s not as though I don’t understand the thirst for knowledge and how one life spent can save countless more. From one hypocrite to another, I wish you all the best in your journeys as doctors."

The brunette curtsied in her pale brown dress as her voice fell further and further to monotone. In a manner of speaking, these sorts of people were once more ’hers’ than any other group. Those chasing revelations and ways to save as many as possible.

"Don’t lose sight of the reason you started... as the number of your sacrifices and failures climb. Farewell."

She turned without looking back and opened her listless eyes onto her disciples. Both of their spirits flinched a little and their faces twitched. But neither spoke, just fell into step behind Elua er Goltbred. Though they might have huddled a little closer to each other than they *would* have, given their recent argument.

Their path took them between pavilions toward a certain section of the grounds. Nohre’s brow furrowed as she recognized where they were heading, but before she could voice her confusion, Elua stopped at a specific post. The brunette produced a small piece of paper from her satchel and wrote with quick, precise strokes.

Her mint eyes remained dull as she broke her skewer in two. She pinned the note with them where it would be obvious to anyone waiting in this location, but high enough that some random mortal would not think to just take it down.

The disciples exchanged glances as they wondered how their master knew exactly where to leave it... and over how she had just driven the thin wood into thicker wood barehanded. Fusand tried to peek at the message but could only make out "will be handled" before a familiar trill drew their attention skyward.

Her Whispering Skydancer descended with usual grace and landed on a nearby crate with perfect poise. The ancient cultivator’s expression shifted as she pulled out fresh paper.

"Your dive timing is perfect as always, my companion."

The bird watched with clear knowledge that it was about to be given another important delivery task. Her blank face gained something softer - genuinely tender - as she began to write. The teens noticed the change while writing this second note, though they couldn’t see its contents.

Her spirit and untoned voice hummed with warmth. The kind that seemed to magically chase away the lingering shadows from her earlier mood. As always, writing to her Qat was very enjoyable.

"Take this to mother. She’ll know when to pass it along, if the opportunity arises."

The avian bobbed its head in acknowledgment as the folded paper was tied to its leg with care. It took wing on the trail she provided with her illusions, though not before giving the pair of orphans a somehow judgmental look. It pitied that they did not know well enough to fly away from danger.

"Now then, I think we have a merchant to visit~"

Her tone carried fresh purpose and fresh facade as she turned east, though one of her followers couldn’t help glancing back at the first note. With lingering questions about how their master had known *exactly* where to leave it considering they only mentioned they had been nearly back to her when Leysah stopped them...