<dl class="codebox"><dt>BGM | <a href="javascript: void(0);" onclick="var spoiler = this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('dd')[0]; if ( spoiler.style.display == 'none' ) { spoiler.style.display = 'block'; this.innerHTML = '-'; } else { spoiler.style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '+'; };">+</a></dt><dd style="display: none;"><object height="360" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JJSqlkX5tEc"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><embed height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/JJSqlkX5tEc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" wmode="transparent"/></object></dd></dl><br/>Jyuuzou, like the early-bird merchants setting up their stalls in the streets of Khalem-Dol, was wearing a cloak with a hood over his head; the sun characteristic of this region wasn't up yet, but the winds still blew the sands and dust into their faces. He walked through the relatively silent streets with slow, but measured and steady steps. It was still early, so there was no real rush to be at the place that they had agreed upon last night. Hell, judging by the position of the sun, he was actually still a bit early. Thus, he simply settled upon advancing at whatever leisurely pace he felt like.<br/><br/>As he absentmindedly made his way forwards, his thoughts began wandering back to the chance meeting that had occurred yesterday.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">He had made his way meticulously through the maze-like streets of the ruins, only to have two striking revelations. The first was that the horrendously mutilated and disfigured statue on the pedestal was not only the ugliest statue he had ever seen, it also held no magical powers. The second striking revelation was that perhaps he had been too adamantly stubborn for his own good; he had been unwilling to admit defeat to the maze, the result of which was that not only had a small girl had actually arrived at the destination before he did, another woman had arrived at the same time he did as well. The three of them had all reached for their weapons, but thankfully nothing had happened; the tension had been completely dissolved by the little one uttering a single innocuous phrase. After putting away their weapons, the three had discovered that they were after the same relic. Agreeing to meet up today in Khalem-Dol, the three had parted ways after that.</span><br/><br/>Finally arriving at the central plaza, Jyuuzou scanned his surroundings. Several of his senses was sharper than most, but as everyone here still had their cloaks up, he was still unable to see if either of the two had arrived yet. He couldn't really blame the people here, as the open-aired central plaza had even less cover to escape the heat. Just as he was about to start making rounds to get a closer look at the faces underneath the hoods, he heard a small, but noticeable clamor to his left. He turned to look, and was greeted by the familiar face of the little one he had met yesterday. The others around her who had noticed had looked over momentarily as well, but most had nonchalantly returned to whatever they were doing before. Jyuuzou started making his way over, but quickly realized that he wasn't the only one about to do so. As he couldn't rule out that it might have been someone she knew, he simply kept with his steady pace while observing. He came to a stop just behind the pair as the man began to speak.<br/><br/>"...there, cutie."<br/><br/>The one who had approached spoke in a clear Kanzemic accent. His tone was as courteous as an inexperienced womanizer could get, oozing with sleaze and self-confidence of unknown origin. On the other hand, it was clear that the little one was intent on ignoring this fly buzzing around her. Well, clear to everyone save the fly in question. He had to admit, it took a certain level of skill to be so mistaken in the body language of others.<br/><br/>"You can call me Gill, the Seraph of Kanzem. You looking for some...company?"<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">A Seraph, huh?</span><br/><br/>The term 'Seraph' wasn't even an official title. It was simply a grandiose term old-money Kanzemic families used to refer to each other. In reality, the 'Seraphs' held little to no actual power; they were able to influence neither politics nor the local economy. In fact, it was a common joke during the long war among those of the frontlines to call the Seraphs the "Devout Ones". Naturally, the Seraphs themselves were rather pleased with the nickname, as they believed it referred to their fervor for defending the kingdom. However, the actual significance was that the Seraphs were simply devout to the upholding of their own name in all mannerisms of their life. If they did not fight, they would never lose. If they never expanded or invested, they could never have made a bad gamble or investment. If they never learned of the ways of the world, they would forever know all that there was to know about said world. The list went on and on.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">And...Gill...?</span><br/><br/>Jyuuzou narrowed his eyes at the name. After the loss of the Battle of C'thien Diem, all the Seraphs who had eagerly thrown in their lot with the Kanzemic Army had pulled out. Their aid returned only after the main war had been won. Among the numerous Seraphs who had participated in the latter half of the war, there was only one family which stood out: the Rossenvülf Family, self-titled Seraphs of Kanzem. The reason they stood out was due to the misfortune of a certain Guilford Rossenvülf, otherwise known as Gill to the mercenaries he had hired. One day, all of these mercenaries had hired changed employers. When asked about this sudden change, all they knew was that their salaries had simply stopped coming, and that the headquarters had informed them that their employers had changed. Eventually, rumors started spreading that Gill had somehow singlehandedly lost all the wealth contained in his family's sizeable vaults, and had simply up and croaked. Some say that he had played around with women too much, yet others said that he had fallen to a strange illness. The reality was that nobody knew for sure the details of what had happened; the only solid fact that remained unchanged was that the person which held this short-name was dead. Deciding that it was about time for him to get involved in this, Jyuuzou stepped up behind 'Gill' and laid a firm grip on his shoulder.<br/><br/>"I wouldn't recommend accepting the advances of the corpse of a Devout One,<span style="font-style: italic">'jou-chan</span>."<br/><br/>Jyuuzou increased the grip in his hand, threatening to outright break the shoulder of the man. 'Gill' started squirming under the grip, but, in a desperate effort to maintain his bravado, he started roaring in a loud voice.<br/><br/>"A-are you threatening something to me, the Seraph of Kanzem, you lowly Sabakujin!"<br/><br/>A large number of heads suddenly focused in on their location. 'Gill', being the dense man that he is, completely missed this change. It was rather strange, after all, that a Kanzemic individual, and one who apparently had some status to boot, whose country shared the best relations with Sabaku, would utter such things.<br/><br/>"Get your hands off of me this instant!"<br/><br/>Jyuuzou crushed down on the shoulder even harder before forcefully yanking the man backwards, and started talking in a voice low enough that only the three of them would hear. His face remained neutral, but the<span style="font-style: italic">sakki</span>being directed through his voice was obvious. It was, in his experience, the best method to discourage posing imbeciles without resorting to violence.<br/><br/><span style="vertical-align: sub;">"<span style="font-weight: bold">Gill the Seraph died a year and a half ago. This one highly suggests that you find another routine to use to try to impress the ladies.</span>"</span>