Rei is dumbfounded by his uncle's words. It appears he'd been living his life all this time in easy mode and wasn't even aware of it. If not this, then why would the universe suddenly dump a lifetime's worth of drama on his unsuspecting head? Ever since his wedding, it's been one bombshell after another. You thought you were a simple orphan boy, try again, now you're a long-lost prince. You thought you'd married a simple-minded villain, nope, she's actually just a sharp-tongued bookworm in disguise. You thought you had no more living relatives to hope for, wrong again, now you have an uncle with dubious origins, a distant but concerned mother, and a tyrannical father up to no good.
The whole situation was bringing him to exhaustion just thinking about it. In his heart, he suddenly wishes he had someone he could talk to about all of it. Someone who would wrap him in her arms and tell him it's not him but the world that suddenly turned crazy. The image of a dark-skinned beauty with curious amethyst eyes suddenly comes to mind. He has to shake his head vigorously to drive away thoughts of her, otherwise he'd be stuck longing for the impossible right now.
"How do you know of this cursed item?" Lady Oya didn't notice his odd behavior, her attention solely focused on his uncle instead.
"To my knowledge only seven people should know of this item. It is after all one of the few parting 'gifts' left behind by the last demon lord right after we slayed him. I'm quite curious as to how it got into the hands of that annoying little miss."
"Rei! It's bad, Anya has-!"
Riell comes barreling back into the room huffing and puffing. It's clear he'd been running the whole way back. Everyone's eyes were trained on him, but no one spoke, giving him a minute to recover.
"What is the matter child?" Lady Oya reaches for his hand, imparting some of her earth mana to hasten the recovery process.
"I chased after Anya, but she wouldn't stop to listen to me at all. She ran all the way to the witch's forest, I tried to stop her, but she suddenly turned around and attacked me. I dodged most of it but by the time I looked back again she was gone!"
Rei's expression drops even further at his bestfriend's explanation. When threatened it's natural for a beastman to seek refuge in the forest full of nature but he can't help but think of Sir Emiya's warning about the forest. He can still vividly picture the vicious wounds he treated on the knight just a few hours ago. They still don't have answers for the strange new hunting patterns of the Mesmeirs. It's not safe to be in the forest right now, even for a demi-human like Anya.
"We need to go bring her back" He gets up but Lady Oya's voice stops him from taking action.
"That would only put a bandage over this festering wound. We need to get to the root of the matter to better understand our situation. From what I overheard, little Anya thinks your uncle killed her pack. Her mother's locket happens to be something only he and six others should know of. I fear there is something far more sinister at work here."
Jasper nods, "my lady speaks the truth. I too am curious as to how someone managed to frame me so perfectly."
"Then we have no choice, we must look into the reason behind the demise of little Anya's clan."
"But what of Anya?" Rei wants to undo this complicated knot that has been tied in his childhood friend's heart as well but what of her safety.
"Don't worry about Anya, I'll go bring her back." Riell smashes his fist against his chest as he gives his solemn oath.
Rei frowns, he knows he can trust Riell but this is not as simple as it sounds. While his bestfriend's fighting skills aren't to be overlooked, he's very aware of the fox boy's lazy nature. He never took monster hunting as seriously as Rei did growing up, preferring to wait for the innate gifts of his beast inheritance to be bestowed upon him when he turns nineteen. His lack of discipline shows when even Anya can beat him in a spar sometimes if he's not careful, and she started her training much later than him. Rei can't help but worry that to regain one friend he might end up losing the other.
"Don't look at me like that man, I'm not going to die. Yes, I may not be as strong as you, but I still have my ways. I'm a beastman, any forest is home to me. I can just hide if I feel I'm in danger, so don't worry so much." His words lighten the pain in Rei's heart.
"I will assist Riell with the search, it is the least I can do for today's aid." At some point Sir Emiya had entered the room and overheard their conversation. The recovering elf still looked haggard from his near brush with death, but there's a firm determination in his eyes that can't be denied. Duke Garrod certainly knows how to pick good people, the knights of his duchy aren't to be underestimated.
"Then it's settled! I will go with Sir Emiya to find Anya in the forest, and you can lead your uncle to Anya's village." Riell announces with more bravado than necessary, it's clear how much he's trying to psych himself up for the mission.
Rei is startled, "how do you know that I know where her village is?"
The fox boy rolls his eyes at his friend's denseness. "I may be unreliable at times but that doesn't make me stupid. I've seen the way she is with you, how much she relies on you, constantly pulling you aside for your private chats. If there's anyone she's told about her village, it'll definitely be you."
Does he…?
Rei can't help but wonder about the unspoken bitterness he hears in Riell's voice. His friend tries to hide it well, but his ears can't be deceived. He can sense the other's feeling of inadequacy behind that wide grin. He knows this isn't something he can openly explain to him to lessen his pain, instead he silently grips his shoulder in a small show of support.
"Don't worry, you're more resourceful than anyone I know. She'll definitely see how reliable you are once you find her."
"Thanks man." Riell doesn't stand on ceremony, rushing to his room to grab somethings before heading out the door with Sir Emiya. The room becomes oddly quiet without his lively presence.
"So nephew, how about you show this old man the way?" The pungent feeling of the moment suddenly felt cheapened by the sound of his vexing uncle's voice.
"You know what uncle, sometimes even if you don't say anything I assure you no one would mistake you for a mute."
"But how can that be, I hear most people love to hear the sound of my voice." The sly smirk on his face makes it obvious he's lying with his eyes wide open.
"Anya's village is to the west, she said I could find it by following river Leara to its end."
"Good, that's more than enough information. Hold tight nephew."
"What are you-!" He couldn't even complete his question before his vision was engulfed by a wall of fire.
…
Lady Oya sighs as the little dining room finally regains its tentative peace.