Chapter 8: Ciella is scary, Part 3

She wasn’t pleased. Not entirely displeased, just slightly.

Thanks to Ray’s intervention, the atmosphere on the first day, which had been on the verge of disaster, had been salvaged. On the second day, Ray continued to lighten the mood, and the awkwardness had considerably dissipated.

Kalt, of course, already knew her. Even the party leader, the man who had pointed his sword at her, flinched whenever she spoke to him, but he no longer seemed entirely terrified.

However, the problem was Ciella.

Whether she was wary or simply reverting to her naturally timid and suspicious nature, she wasn’t sure.

Not joining the conversation? That was understandable. Ciella wasn’t talkative and generally avoided such cheerful gatherings.

But she wouldn’t even meet her eyes! She’d glare at her when she wasn’t looking and then quickly look away when their eyes met!

If it were any other character, it might not have bothered her as much.

For example, the kingdom’s second prince or the empire’s unpleasant-looking crown prince. While their designs were well-done, she wasn’t particularly attached to male characters, so not being close to them wouldn’t have hurt her feelings.

But Ciella was different. Unlike 5-star characters who were hard to obtain and sometimes unavailable after their banner period, Ciella was a 4-star character, easily accessible from the start, with excellent stats.

Although she didn’t appear in the first part of the story and only showed up in the second part, since the game’s story had progressed to part nine, she and Ciella had spent a considerable amount of time together, building a sense of closeness.

She had heard her skill lines and idle lines countless times. Ciella was the first character she saw upon logging in. Excluding her favorite, the main character, Ciella held a firm second place among her beloved characters.

It stung that such a character was so obviously avoiding her.

She was incredibly cute, even more so than her grown-up version in the game, with her slightly childish and timid demeanor…

Was this how a father felt when his daughter suddenly distanced herself? Although she hadn’t given birth to Ciella.

What was the problem?

She pondered internally while continuing the conversation with the adventurers, knowing that simply worrying wouldn’t solve anything.

“Lynn, you’re a general goods merchant, but you’re with the caravan? Are you thinking of joining Wilfred?”

“No, not really. I know Hans, so I’m learning to ride as an apprentice stablehand… Oh, there he is! Hans~?”

As she answered Ray’s question, she saw Hans walking towards the horses. She waved and smiled. Hans flinched, then returned a stiff smile. He had been acting like this since the first day. The other adventurers didn’t seem to mind, but… Would Ciella feel the same?

She glanced at Ciella, who was staring blankly at Hans. Aha. Is it because of that?

“Excuse me~”

Kairin got up, suspecting that Ciella was wary of her because of Hans’s stiff demeanor. As she placed her hand on Hans’ shoulder, he flinched and recoiled.

“Hans, come with me for a moment.”

If he was the reason Ciella was avoiding her, she wouldn’t let it slide. Despite her annoyance, she maintained a cheerful facade, knowing it was the proper thing to do. He seemed to flinch even more, but it must be her imagination.

“People are getting suspicious. Should I tell them? I know where your family lives, you know?”

“N-Not that…!”

Rustle.

“…? Anyway, behave yourself.”

After her thinly veiled threat, she turned away from the profusely apologizing Hans and headed towards the bushes from which she had just heard a sound. She could have sworn she heard something move.

The bushes were slightly disturbed, but there was no one there.

“Huh…”

Only a handkerchief lay on the ground. I’ve seen this somewhere before…

Kairin joined the adventurers’ gathering without incident. However, due to Ray’s misunderstanding about Kalt and the female adventurer, she just sat quietly, observing. She seemed amused, judging by her smile.

Ciella was restless. What if Ray was right, and it was all a misunderstanding? Kairin wasn’t oblivious; she must have noticed Ciella’s wariness. Should she apologize? I’m sorry; I was suspicious of you.

Logically, it was the right thing to do, but her instincts screamed otherwise. She tried to ignore it, but the unsettling magical energy she sensed kept gnawing at her. Seeing and knowing more only fueled her anxiety.

Her tightly clenched hands were clammy with sweat. Ciella reached into her pocket for her handkerchief. Or rather, she tried to. It was gone.

Ciella frantically searched herself, emptying her bag and checking her clothes. But it was nowhere to be found.

It was the last symbol of her family, the Magna family, a memento from her mother, her only remaining possession aside from her own body.

“gasp…”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she frantically searched her belongings again. Just then, a voice called out from behind.

“Ah, Ciella.”

“…!”

She turned around and saw Kairin standing right behind her, her eyes glowing ominously. Ciella flinched.

“Are you looking for this?”

“Ah…!”

Kairin held out a small handkerchief. The black lines representing the lightning and thunder, the symbol of the Magna family, and her name, embroidered by her mother. Despite being slightly soiled, it was undeniably hers.

“Thank you… Th-thank you…”

“It’s nothing. I just found it.”

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

Her animosity towards Kairin melted away. As she was about to apologize for her suspicion, a question arose. Where did Kairin find it?

“W-Where did you find it?”

“Ah… well…”

Kairin stepped closer, her face inches from Ciella’s. Normally, Ciella would have blushed, but fear overshadowed her embarrassment and relief.

“You followed me yesterday.”

“…!”

A chill ran down her spine at Kairin’s whispered words. How…? I barely left any tracks, and she didn’t seem to notice… Ciella’s eyes darted around nervously.

“That’s where I found it.”

That explained the dirt. Ciella’s hands trembled.

“And… it seems like there’s a slight misunderstanding…”

Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?

Ciella struggled to think clearly. Was it about the artifact? Her suspicion of Kairin for possessing it? Or her assumption that Kairin was working with the demons?

Her thoughts raced. Kairin’s unseen eyes, her voice, seemed to pierce through her.

“Hans and I are… very ‘close.’ I hope you don’t misunderstand.”

Close? Does she even know what that word means?

Ciella tried to speak, but her trembling lips wouldn’t move. Kairin stepped back slightly, looking at her face. Her usual smile. But something was different. Her eyes were slightly wider than usual, close enough for Ciella to see clearly. And Ciella saw something.

“Ah…”

“You understand?”

“I-I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

Overwhelmed by a sense of dread, Ciella sank to the ground, sobbing and apologizing profusely.

“Lynn! Did you make Ciella cry?”

“Huh? No, I didn’t make her cry… She lost her handkerchief. It must have been very precious to her.”

Ciella didn’t hear them. She was consumed by terror.

creak, slam!

The doors of the Solarite Kingdom branch of the Mage Tower burst open.

“Who’s slamming the… oh?”

Kelsey, the branch manager, who had been quietly reading, looked up in annoyance.

“Kelsey…!”

“Ciella? What’s…”

She had received a message that Ciella was on her way to Solarite Kingdom with the merchant caravan.

She expected Ciella to visit the Mage Tower soon. But Ciella wasn’t supposed to arrive until later.

Why is she here so early? Kelsey was about to ask when Ciella interrupted her, her voice urgent.

This wasn’t like Ciella, who had always been calm and collected. Has she ever been this emotional? Kelsey listened intently.

“D-Demons…! There’s a demon in Solarite…!”

Ciella’s gasped words were shocking. A demon, after their supposed decline, had appeared in a human nation? And in Solarite, a land so saturated with holy energy it was called the Holy Nation?

It was hard to believe, but Ciella, despite her suspicious nature, wasn’t one to lie. Kelsey had to take her seriously.

“You saw something, didn’t you?”

Ciella nodded.

“I saw an artifact… filled with incredibly dark magical energy… and…”

She took a deep breath.

“I saw… the eyes of a demon… those terrifying red eyes…”

With those words, Ciella collapsed, exhausted.

Kelsey caught her. She immediately contacted the mages and wizards stationed in Solarite, ordering them to search for any traces of what Ciella described.

A day passed, then two. But they found nothing.

Meanwhile, while the Mage Tower issued a search warrant, Kairin was in a dripping cave, inside a strangely well-constructed building. Having been suddenly teleported, she was in a rather awkward position.

creak

“…You…!”

“Ahaha… welcome… to my general store. How much do you know?”

She regained her composure and greeted her guest.

Lucia, a blonde girl, clutched her sword, staring at the woman who had appeared in a place where no one should be.

This was a remote dungeon in Solarite Kingdom, one Lucia had just cleared.