Elegy For An Epilogue

Naira grinned as she noticed Cecillia’s expression. “Where’s your dad anyways? Letting a little girl like you walk around on her own. Not a very good father ain’t he?”

Cecillia blinked as she registered the woman’s words. Did they really think she was Doran’s daughter?

“He’s not my father,” she said coldly.

Naira raised a brow and their eyes met. The woman’s gaze relaxed a little, but there was a glint teetering on the edge of madness.

“Fuck, really? You sure you ain’t lying?” The woman leaned in dangerously close before straightening herself with an audible clap. “I’m just joking. Why would anyone want to lie about something like that? If you didn’t know already, the captain is a horrible… horrible man.”

Cecillia said nothing and looked at the ground. Laen didn’t seem to recognize these people and Doran himself had said that they didn’t mean anything. Which meant that there was much more behind this hidden story. She assumed that they were part of some kind of army regiment long ago, but what had really happened between the two?

“Oi, Lieutenant. What’s taking so long,” A boyish voice resounded through the air.

Both Cecillia and Naira turned to face the sound at the same time as a youthful man stepped forward. Hard brown eyes took her in, and long blond hair was tied in a bun. He wore a light cloak that seemed to be created with high quality materials.

[Swordsman]

“If you don’t want to, I’ll kill her—” he looked in Cecillia’s direction, reflexively taking a breath. “Who are you, and why is the Lieutenant so interested in you?”

Naira laughed as Cecillia noted the two swords sheathed on his belt. She stared blankly at the man without revealing anything in her demeanor. He frowned at her silence and his eyes left her as the woman spoke.

“Cyrus, haven’t we decided not to use the titles from the army?” Naira said as the swordsman scowled.

“Lieutenant, don’t give me that bullshit. You’re the only one that still calls the captain, captain,” he retorted, drawing a sword. “Now are we going to kill her or not?”

“Cyrus,” Naira’s voice came out like a steel blade. “You’re lucky you won’t be reprimanded for speaking like that to a superior. There won’t be any killing, alright?”

Cyrus scoffed before his figure vanished into the shadows. Naira shook her head and turned back to Cecillia, her expression softer than earlier.

“Hey…” she said, scratching the back of her head. “I’m sorry about that. He—Well all of us really… we’re not exactly used to… being nice.”

The tension within Cecillia’s body subsided slightly as she gazed up at Naira. She was hesitant to speak as the presence of the other members surrounding them was still imposing. But somehow, the woman caught on and waved a hand. One by one, the figures disappeared leaving only the spearman Derrick, an unknown figure behind a tree and the Bladesinger behind.

“Is that better?” Naira asked.

Cecillia nodded and she looked at Blackie as a low rumble escaped its throat. Perhaps the wolf had fared much worse within the presence of so many powerful enemies. Naira and the spearmen looked at the wolf and the former smiled while the latter frowned.

“Ah… I see your wolf got stronger,” The woman commented curiously. She took a step towards the wolf, notably without any caution as her eyes studied the creature. Then, she glanced at Bluey before releasing an awkward laugh. “A slime? That’s an odd choice.”

Cecillia gave the woman a strange look and tilted her head. She couldn’t understand why this woman continued to ramble away, especially everything that had happened. Just a day earlier, she assumed that Naira had been the one trying to kill her with explosive molten earth.

Naira heaved out a heavy sigh. “Look. If it’s about yesterday, I’m sorry. It’s just that, the captain and us… we go a long ways back. He was the former leader of the 63rd Crimson Squadron. We figured that by attacking you that he would come out.”

“Oh, okay,” Cecillia frowned. The reasoning behind the attempted murder honestly wasn’t exactly surprising. She could relate to the feeling of wanting revenge, but the target being her, it wouldn’t be forgiven lightly.

“What are you going to do with me then?” Cecillia asked. She turned and glared at Derrick before shooting a glance at the hidden figure. The person hiding seemed to stiffen. Maybe they didn’t realize that Cecillia could see them the entire time.

Naira chuckled and her eyes followed Cecillia’s gaze. “Cassandra, you can come out now.”

As her words rang out, a woman stepped forward from behind a tree.

[Healer]

Identification told Cecillia that the person was a healer and she certainly did match the stereotype. The woman was clad with a robe with a cloaked hood, hazel coloured hair flowed down her shoulders and her hands tightly held onto a wooden staff. Several intricate runes were carved into the gnarled material, and Cecillia could even sense mana emanating from the staff.

“You are hurt,” The woman said to her.

From up close, Cecillia could see that her skin was pale, even more so than herself. She had blue eyes, although they were kind unlike hers.

“It’s no—”

Cecillia was interrupted as Cassandra reached forward and gripped her wrist. The healer’s speed was disproportionate to her looks and the strength contained within her hand surpassed even Naira’s. Cecillia attempted to pull away, but soon found that her efforts were useless. Even with the multiplier affecting her stats, nothing she did caused the healer to budge.

Hushed words left the healer’s mouth, a sentence that Cecillia couldn’t understand and the runes on the staff began to glow with a pale yellow light. Immediately, pure energy rushed into her body and the wound in her neck closed. The pain from the bruises running across her arms and legs also faded.

Although, Cassandra frowned as her eyes trailed over the bandages. “I am sorry, I cannot heal your arm.”

Cecillia didn’t know what to say, even if her arm couldn’t be healed, the woman had done more than enough.

“Thanks,” she said quietly and the healer only nodded.

“Enough of all that,” Naira said as a smile appeared on her lips. “Now why don’t we all introduce ourselves. I’m sure you’ve heard all our names already… but I’m Naira.”

The woman then glanced at the man standing behind Cecillia. The spearmen gave a gruff grunt before walking next to his two comrades.

“You’re quite strong little one,” The man said. “My name is Derrick.”

Naira smiled brightly before gesturing towards the healer. The robed woman gave a light bow.

“Cassandra,” she said simply.

All eyes turned to Cecillia and she supposed that it was her turn. She was slightly embarrassed beneath their collective gazes, and she wasn’t sure what their intentions were. But it couldn’t hurt to give them her name.

“Cecillia,” she said in the same manner as the healer.

Her eyes passed over the three for any reactions, but only Naira raised a brow.

“Never heard a name like that before,” The woman said and flicked a hand. “You hungry?”

Cecillia was about to reject the offer until Derrick pulled out a table from seemingly nowhere. Her eyes widened as a plate filled with steaming hot food poofed into existence and was neatly set on the table. Three more appeared and the smell caused Cecillia’s mouth to water. The mystery of where the food appeared from was likely related to her slime.

‘Maybe some kind of artifact?’ she thought.

Noticing her confusion, Naira giggled and grabbed the man’s hand as he frowned. Unwillingly, Derrick was pulled in front of her and the woman showed off the ring on one of his fingers.

“Spatial Dimensional Magic. Pretty cool right?” The woman grinned, but the happiness slipped from her face. “You haven’t heard of these? Did the Captain really not teach you anything?”

Cecillia was at a loss. Her hypothesis had been correct, but how would she explain the fact that she had basically no information on this world.

“No, he did not,” she replied.

“Figures,” Naira’s eyes turned sharp, “Why would a bastard like him share anything important.”

Cecillia thought about the Bladesinger’s words. The woman seemed to be so spiteful, and so hateful of the man. But the picture she had of Doran wasn’t like that at all. Perhaps, he had been a different person long ago, but to Cecillia, he was only a grumpy person.

“Anyways, enough of the captain,” Naira said with a clap and glanced back at the table where Derrick and Cassandra were already eating. “Come eat with us, you can tell us more about yourself too.”

Cecillia raised her hands, “That’s fine, I’m not hungry.”

“Oh don’t lie to yourself,” Naira scoffed. “You’ve leveled up a good amount today haven’t you? Several big fights? If I were you I would be starving.”

The woman was right. Cecillia felt the hunger panging within her stomach. After all, the small loaves of bread paled in comparison to what this group of soldiers had offered. Still, there was just one more thing she had to know.

“How’d you know?” Cecillia asked.

“I didn’t know,” The woman said with a wide smile. “Until you confirmed it. Now come on, let’s eat!”

Without waiting for her to respond, Naira dragged Cecillia to the table whether she wanted to or not. The woman more or less threw the girl into a chair and the plate was slammed in front of her face.

Both Derrick and Cassandra raised their heads up at Cecillia before quietly resuming their meals. Naira seated herself and stared at the girl who only looked at the plate blankly.

“Cecillia was it? You going to eat?”

Cecillia looked up from the food. Meat and vegetables all deliciously slathered with an aromatic sauce. It was too good to be true.

“...Is it poisoned?”

As her voice echoed, a deafening silence swept through the table. Cassandra’s eyes went wide and she started coughing, nearly choking on her food. Derrick swallowed hard before staring at her incredulously while Naira… she slapped her thigh and exploded with laughter. The food within her mouth blasted out and Cassandra waved a hand. An invisible barrier formed in the air, catching the spat out meal before dispersing it to the floor.

“Poison?!” Naira roared, still howling with laughter. “You think we went through all this trouble just to poison you, even after we healed you?!”

The woman clutched her stomach as Cecillia turned away. She brought a spoonful of meat into her mouth. The taste was delicious, and nothing had happened. Perhaps her distrust of others had been exaggerated.

“Oh my,” Naira wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as she started to calm down. “Cecillia dear. We’re all far above level one hundred. If I wanted you dead, I could simply snap my fingers.”

Cecillia wasn’t surprised. The way they acted so carefree around her and Blackie, that whatever abilities she had wouldn’t be a threat… it was obvious they were powerful. But level one hundred? For her current self, it felt like a lifetime away.

“But poison? That’s a good one,” Naira said, shaking her head with a grin. “Anyways, how old are you Cecillia?”

“I’m…” Cecillia hesitated. She didn’t know whether to use her sister’s body’s age, or her actual age. An awkward second ticked by, and she chose in the end. “I’m nineteen.”

“That’s quite young. If you were any older I’d have asked you to ditch those bums and come with us,” Naira said between bites.

Cecillia glanced up at the Bladesinger. “Why?”

“Why?” The woman echoed a smile coming to her lips. “Because you’re funny!”

Naira then swept her gaze across the table. “You see these two—” she paused, waiting for the girl. “—They never laugh. And the others, even worse! It’s like I’m the only one that knows what fun means!”

Derrick dropped his fork and glared at the woman. “Naira, let her eat.”

“See!” The woman raised her hands and Derrick groaned.

Unbeknownst to Cecillia, a faint smile cracked onto her face. They reminded her of the soldiers she had always watched from a distance. How they behaved with each other, teasing each other, and the laughter. If she hadn’t been so hellbent on revenge, would she have been just like them?

‘Maybe…’

Cecillia released those thoughts and continued with the meal. The food was beyond tasty, almost certainly beating out whatever had been prepared by Willowmere’s chefs. And even then, the stew had been wonderful as well. It was as if this world had been blessed by the culinary gods.

Naira smiled as she looked at the girl eating. She shot a knowing glance towards Derrick and Cassandra who both nodded. Taking a deep breath, the woman tapped on the table to draw the girl’s attention.

“Cecillia, you’re curious about the captain right?”