Apollonia instructed Sid to bring a small pouch and give it to Tanya.

With whats in that pouch, get me 20 packs of food, blankets, and enough clothes for us and your family for a few days. You can hire a porter if you need to. Bring me back whatevers left.

Tanya hesitantly took the pouch and opened it. When she saw what was inside, her eyes widened.

Th, these are real gold coins.

The heavy pouch in her hand, made of thick red velvet, bulged with shiny gold coins.

Yes. No matter how much your lord charges you, that should be more than enough. You could buy a carriage in the capital with that much.

Tanya fiddled with the pouch. Shed never seen that much money before in her life.

If you need anything else or want to eat something, take some of it. If you have a sick person in your family, you can buy some medicine. I can give you more later, too, if you need it.

Tanya held the pouch gingerly. Her eyes, which had been briefly filled with fear, were shining again.

Yes! She nodded, and disappeared out the door.

Later that evening, Tanya returned accompanied by three young men and an old woman. They were carrying piles of food and clothes on their backs.

Im back! This is my grandmother and my older brothers.

These are very important guests, just take a look at their arghh! Just now, you When her brothers saw Uriel, they screamed in terror. Even though his face was covered by a hood, his sharp eyes were familiar.

One of the brothers was one of the bandits that Uriel had beaten up. With a closer look, he wore a belt and a pocket watch that appeared to have been stolen from the knights and escorts.

G-go away! We didnt even steal that much!

Ill give you everything, even my life. No, even Tanya and Grandmas life.

Their beautiful eyes, similar to Tanyas, shimmered pitifully in the dark. The second theyd noticed Uriel, all three of them had sunk to their knees and begun begging for their lives. An outsider looking in might have thought that Apollonias group were the bandits, and they the victims.

chapter division here

The old womans long braid snaked through the air as she carried three bottles of an unknown beverage over to Apollonia, Sid, and Uriel. Apollonia had watched the earlier raids, and she recognized this old woman as the elderly masked woman whod led the raid, and even been so bold as to bravely smack Sid in the back of the head.

Uriel was feeling impatient at the womans slow pace. He yanked her collar and pushed her forward.

For now, since youve come a long way, Tanya interjected, please take a seat and relax. Have a drink! I didnt realize you were the precious people from earlier

She handed the bottles to Sid, who looked puzzled. He seemed like he wanted to say something.

Grandma, brothers, these people are our guests. They promised they wouldnt burn me as long as I guide them to Mt. Calt. Theyre the ones who gave me enough money to buy us food and clothes. Theyll give us another reward later, too.

Is that true? Her family members glanced at each other in surprise. Sid nodded, smiling, and all four of them beamed.

Oh, my god! Why didnt you tell us that sooner?

I knew it! Just as expected, youre quite the influential man, arent you. A swordsman like you doesnt just appear out of nowhere.

Aiya then you should put that down. Ill serve you another meal. The old woman snatched Sids bottle out of his hands.

No, you gave it to us. We should at least try it it looks delicious! Whats the name of this drink? Apollonia said cheerfully, trying to ease the tension in the room.

But the old woman ignored Apollonia, and smacked her arm. Apollonia jumped in surprise, and dropped the bottle. The woman kicked it away and glanced guiltily towards Sid and Uriel.

! Sid and Uriel had a simultaneous realization. Uriel, the bottle poised to drink at his lips, jerked and threw the bottle across the room. The old woman picked up the bottles of the transparent liquid from the ground and put them on a shelf.

Yes. Those

The Bellas. The reason people called them witches and avoided them wasnt just because of their unique appearance.

Are poison.

They were masters of poison and sorcery.