A loud bump knocked Saya awake, her body being thrown up and down like a flopping fish by the rough terrain before her. So far, her travels had been nothing but smooth, but ever since taking a short detour a few hours back, the roads had been inconsistent and a slow uphill battle toward the hills.
Peeking through the front of the carriage, Redus greeted her. She took a seat beside the tired vendor, confronted with the fresh mountain breeze that would be otherwise impossible to feel back in Atrila and Kala.
In front of her was a single road made of rocks and gravel. It had obviously been cleaned up, but with how close the mountain walls were, broken stone and debris were scattered all across the path.
Both passengers sat in silence, watching the spectacle laid before them, a carpet of green trees scattered beneath them. The road seemed much narrower from Saya’s eyes, a creeping sense of discomfort crawling up her spine as anxiety of falling off the cliff settled in.
Redus, however, was much less rattled by the rough roads, since he had traveled this specific path too many times to count. The two horses walked in confidence as well, no doubt having the route memorized like instinct.
Gripping the wooden plank she was seated on, Saya held tight as her body swayed side to side. Her eyes were half shut, using all the might within her to keep her vision active. In her mind, if she surrendered herself to the comfort of the dark, then she wouldn’t be able to react if something did truly happen to the cart.
She contemplated jumping to the back of the carriage, but with how hard she was flopping, there was at least a decimal chance she would be tossed off through the small gaps. To her, that slight possibility was enough to deject her from committing.
“Are ya scared missy?” Redus asked, a hearty laugh roaring out of his chest. His loud volume seemingly shook the mountain wall beside them, making Saya shriek out of fear. Her face went pale, blood rushing through her veins.
During these fight or flight responses, her magical gears would by now have come active. But using her absolute willpower, she commanded herself to not channel anything that could shift the balance.
“Y-YES!” She screeched, as the carriage bumped again. Without a shred of hesitation, her upper body leapt to embrace Redus, her face digging into his soft wool clothing. His beard scratched the top of her head, and her arm wrapped around the man completely like a doll.
Trembling, Saya’s hands and feet rattled with no end in sight. She had been much less afraid of the opponents she had to face at Atrila.
Redus patted her head, his rough hands running through her scalp like clumps of stones. The pain would be enough to shock Saya out of her senses, but the trance of fear kept her locked into one place.
It wasn’t something she had ever considered or even thought of, since she had never been to the mountains before. Her village was built on top of plains, and Kala wasn’t exactly known to have an extremely elevated foundation.
But this event was enough to confirm her fear of heights.
Seconds felt like hours, the time seemingly stretching into eternity. With a shaky voice, she asked, “h-h-h-how far are we till we arrive?”
“Maybe another hour?”
The answer gave Saya a greater despair than death. She grit her teeth and clenched her fist onto Redus’ clothes. She had no intentions of letting go of the man, after all, he was the true expert of this path.
Having been a passenger for free, she was in no position to demand anything, so out of respect and courtesy, she kept her mouth shut about this detour. But if she had known about her deathly fear of heights, she would have rather paid all she got to not go on such a troubling path.
As the carriage slowly tugged along, the village of Hunfor had barely started their day. The sun gleamed brightly upon the humble townsfolk, the winter winds gently flapping hung laundry from side to side.
Inside the large, seemingly out of place Church were two rows of three long wooden desks each. Pews sat behind the desks, being reused as academic seats rather than paying for brand new ones.
Glass windows were lined across the sides of the building. While other Churches in most big cities had stained glass lined with unique artwork, the ones in such a small village were as basic as they could come.
The cool air drafted through the small gaps, filling the large, empty interior in a still, chilly state. Devoid of any lamps or torches, Drusi relied on the natural light beaming from the sun to illuminate the students’ papers.
Children scribbled across their worksheets using hastily carved wooden pencils. It was far from anything fancy or high-end, but was enough to do the job.
Standing on the elevated stage, Drusi spoke confidently on the topics that she taught. Behind her was a singular green board, with white chalk drawn on top of its surface. Her wrists flicked effortlessly as she wrote out her teachings.
This idle routine continued for another hour. Sunlight crept slowly across the stone floor through the tall windows, inching past the rows of seated children as the morning wore on. A faint haze of chalk dust lingered in the air, drifting lazily whenever she brushed the board clean with the side of her hand.
Suddenly, as the afternoon bell tolled, the students quickly packed their things, stuffing all utensils and papers into a small basket meant for shopping. As Drusi exclaimed the last of their teachings, students playfully bolted out of the Church, slamming the double wooden doors open.
The villagers were met with a surprise when, following the lunch signal, their most anticipated vendor had just arrived at the village. Around him, though, was a single pale, blue-haired girl with a noticeable missing arm, clinging onto him for dear life.
“T-Thank goodness we’re here…” Saya mumbled, her arm still unwilling to let go of her knight in shining armor.
Redus chuckled, as a swarm of children came running towards him. At first, their eyes were filled with curiosity, as a woman they had never met was suddenly clinging around their favorite grandpa, further amplified by the fact that she was also missing a limb, which was quite the rare sight to see.
To Saya’s benefit, the soothing sounds of the flowing river, the chilly winter breeze hitting her face, and the sight of endless fields of flora and fauna relaxed her heart, coming to a slow rhythm. She slowly let go of Redus before finally getting off the carriage.
The flat ground gave Saya a comfort that could not be explained, as if she had not touched soil in over a hundred years. Immediately, she felt the tension in her body deflating, making her body feel far more exhausted than it was.
While occupied with her own emotional state, she noticed that a formidable crowd had formed around her. The villagers stared, their clothes a far cry from what Saya was wearing. While they had long, dirty clothing to hide the labor of their work, Saya’s fashion, far more fit for adventures, drew their attention.
Seeing as there was no breaking the awkward silence, Saya opted to introduce herself first, “Nice to meet you, my name is Saya Idlansil. I was born in Hiyori Village, and I was a former student at the Kala Magic Academy. It’s very nice to meet you all.”
She had gone way overboard with her instructions. Her name would have been just fine, but caught up in the moment of ‘fame’, she couldn’t help but spill as much information about herself as possible.
And expectedly, she got the reactions she wanted, as the crowd was amazed by her background.
They weren’t familiar with her village of origins, but hearing that she used to be in a magic academy flared the interest of most. Some yelled out more personal questions, such as age and romantic status, while others got closer to inspect the academy robe wrapped around her neck.
“Hey, hey! Stop bothering the missy and come help me unload this stuff!” Redus exclaimed with a labored voice, trying to lift one of the wooden crates from the back of the carriage. Immediately, the men rushed over to his side to help, while the children and women closely followed to check his new wares early.
The crowd Saya had accumulated had all but vanished, like she never existed in the first place. But surprisingly, another silhouette approached her from a short distance. She seemed elegant in composure, yet carried a level of confidence that she often failed to display.
Struck in temporary awe, Saya couldn’t help but stare.
However, her admiration for the stranger came to a screeching halt, as Drusi tripped over a small pebble, tumbling in front of Saya.
“—GAH!” she grunted out in pain, as she curled up into a fetal position, grasping her knees in pain.
“Are you okay?!” Saya exclaimed, quickly sprinting over to Drusi. With a pained expression on her face, the schoolteacher rolled around the dirt path with little regard to her cleanliness. Small tears formed at the edge of her eyes, trying hard to keep them contained.
Kneeling down, Saya wrapped Drusi’s arm around her neck, helping her back up.
“Thank you, yeah. Sorry about that.”
The worry in Saya’s face dissipated as they both stood side by side. Drusi was a bit taller than Saya, but not by too much. If one had to guess, then perhaps by half an inch. Their eyes immediately met, both giggling at the absurdity of the situation.
Letting go of Saya, she introduced herself, “My name is Drusi. I’m this village’s school teacher.”
“I heard you used to attend the Kala Magic Academy? I’d love to hear more about that.”
The two wandered away from the crowd, their vanishing figures catching Redus’ peripheral vision and distracting him for a second before he went back to talking to his fellow townsfolk.
***
We make our way into a large, gray building. Based on the structure, it’s safe to say that she’s brought me to a church. It’s a bit smaller than the one I saw at Atrila, but there’s no denying its unique presentation.
The moment she opens the doors, I’m met with an extremely familiar scent, the chilly air trapped within the stone walls, and the sounds of creaking wooden floorboards with every step taken.
Inside, it actually looks no different from the church in Atrila, albeit just a little bit smaller. Ah, I guess there are rows of roughly put-together desks lining up to the elevated platform.
I guess it’s safe to say that’s where Drusi teaches her students. Still, this takes me back. In my own village, we only had one schoolteacher as well, who doubled as the orphanage caretaker.
“Sorry if this is rude to ask, but what kind of church is this?”
“—Huh?” Taken aback by my question, Drusi snaps around with a surprised expression on her face, as if I’ve asked the world’s dumbest question ever.
“Oh no, it’s just that I don’t see a stone altar or sculpture anywhere, so I was curious about the religion.”
Concern crosses over Drusi’s face. She brings a finger to her lips, gently biting down as her gaze drifts away, avoiding mine entirely, as though even the thought of meeting my eyes makes her uneasy.
“This used to be the Church of Celica back in the day.” Her eyes remain turned away from mine, as if to avoid eye contact at all costs.
“But worry not!” She puffs out her chest, placing both hands on her waist while striking a confident pose. “Those services have been dismantled long ago! So you can hang out here at ease!”
“From what I’ve heard from the villagers, ever since the Feathers of Celica started their operations, they shut down this church in an attempt to distance themselves from them. They claimed that they weren’t exactly devout followers either, their passion for the teachings growing slimmer with each generation.”
She speaks too fast for me to fully catch every single word, like she’s worried I might scurry off if she misworded even a single thing.
“I was just asking to ask. I’m not really religious or anything, so it doesn’t really concern me.”
Drusi nodded sharply. “In that case, would you like something to drink? I bet the road here was quite rough.”
My guard was immediately shattered upon hearing her words. My lips move on their own as a newfound sense of warmth and comfort settles in my heart. Letting out a prolonged moan, I slump over, my body feeling like an overheated slime.
“Rough doesn’t even describe it.”
I reply in a deflated voice, taking a seat on top of one of the desks. The surface is a bit rough, not exactly as smooth as the ones back at the magic academy, but they’re good enough for writing, or in this case, sitting.
She shuffles into a small room next to the platform. Vanishing without a trace, I’m left alone in this desolate, but still somewhat charming church. I haven’t had the chance to fully appreciate the architecture, but something about being in buildings like these makes me just want to take a nap.
After a few minutes, Drusi walks back out with a tray in her hands. I immediately rush over to help, partly because I feel bad for letting her do all the work, but also because I’m scared she might drop it.
I’m not sure if she’s a clumsy person, but if she is, then I would definitely rather help someone move a few cups than clean up a spill.
Lightly lifting the steaming hot cup of tea, I sit back down on top of one of the desks. The sweet aroma is almost hypnotizing, making me lose control of my own thoughts. I take a quick sip. The steam enters my eyes, forcing them shut.
The taste is nothing but (describe jasmine tea). Not to mention, the warmth really carries it, especially during chilly days like these. If someone were to offer me this drink during the summer, I might melt away.
The taste is soft and floral, delicate enough that it barely weighs on the tongue. A gentle sweetness lingers beneath the surface, while a faint bitterness balances it out at the very end.
The fragrance blooms in the back of my nose with every breath, calm and soothing like a quiet garden at night. Not to mention, the warmth really carries it, especially during chilly days like these. If someone were to offer me this drink during the summer, I might melt away.
In front of me, Drusi also takes a small sip. Despite blowing into the cup several times to cool it down, the moment the tea touches her lips she jerks her head back, a sharp sting clearly catching her off guard.
“You came from Atrila, correct?”
I lift my head to face her. She lowers her cup to meet my gaze as well.
“I did. How’d you know?”
Smirking, she replies, “Eh heh heh. Some people call me the embodiment of genius. My knowledge knows no bounds, Miss Idlansil.”
She kinda… reminds me of a certain someone I know.
“Is that so?” I ask, forcing out a brief chuckle.
Letting out a playful giggle, she fixes her composure. “I’m only joking, of course. Redus tends to stop by the village after visiting Atrila, since this is the route he typically takes to go home.”
That’s right. He did mention something about that earlier. I was too preoccupied trying to keep my balance to remember it. I can’t imagine an older man like that making constant journeys back and forth across the nations.
“I actually used to attend the Atrila Grand Academy. Have you had the chance to visit on one of their tours?”
Snapping out of my thoughts, I reply, “Unfortunately no. I was only there for a short visit, so I didn’t have much time for sightseeing. Besides, there was an attack recently.”
Before I can finish, Drusi interrupts by letting out a loud shout. “THAT’S RIGHT!” Her voice bounces from wall to wall, the echoes slowly dissipating with time. Putting her cup down, she quickly shuffles toward me.
“Are you okay? Is the city okay? I’ve only heard rumors here and there, but I haven’t actually had anyone tell me concrete facts about what happened that day.”
She’s a bit too close to my face for my comfort.
I lean my neck back just enough to distance myself from her, but not so much that it gives off any signs of distrust or annoyance. She seems great and all, but I don’t think this lady knows much about personal space.
“The city is fine now. By the time I left, the Queen and the Sword Saint were arranging this and that, I think. I didn’t have the chance to really talk to them after, but from what I could tell, they were keeping things under control.”
Pulling back, Drusi’s eyes sparkle with joy. She then scans my body, her eyeballs rolling up and down as if I have something wrong with me. Well, I guess there is technically something wrong with me.
“And is that why you’re missing an arm?”
There it is. It took her long enough.
“Yeah. I was fortunate to come out of that entire situation alive.”
I place my left hand on my shoulder, feeling the empty space that an arm once used to inhabit. It still feels weird, and sometimes I wake up in grating pain because my brain hasn’t gotten used to having such a crucial limb missing.
The bandages help somewhat to remind me, but when I’m doing menial tasks, it takes me an entire second to realize I can’t perform the action I want.
“I may have been mistaken,” she continues, her voice higher pitched now, “but you said you’ve ‘met’ the Sword Saint?”
I nod. “I did. I was put under her care for a while. She was the person who saved me after the attack on Kala, so in many ways I’m very indebted to her.”
“Kala! I heard about that too! I’m so sorry. I should have asked that first!” she jolts, like she just made a grave mistake. She seems quite airheaded, but I don’t think she means any ill will. If I don’t give a decent reply here, things will surely be awkward.
“No worries, no worries. Did you want to hear more about the Sword Saint?”
Drusi excitedly nods, both her arms raised up to her chin as a sign of impatience. She reminds me of Albo when the academy was about to announce the menu of the month. I for sure thought she would be someone like the Queen, but I guess not.
“Well, she’s in tiptop shape, and she’s living a good life…”
Speaking of it, I feel like I know nothing about Hana. I don’t know whether or not I should mention her husband, since she told me it’s supposed to be a secret, and I don’t quite want to tell her about all the trauma I went through.
“…yeah.”
I end the conversation there, slightly hanging my head in self-disappointment. I can’t believe I know my mentor this little.
Drusi stands in front of me, an awkward bubble between us growing larger and larger by the second. With a sharp exhale, she pops that silence, pivoting on her heels and making her way back to the cup of tea.
Picking it up, she takes a quiet sip. With the heat having cooled down, she has no problem starting off light before gulping the rest of the drink down.
“I see, and when are you heading back out on your journey?”
I reply, “I think Redus said something about leaving first thing in the morning. It’s a shame too, since I quite like this village.”
“You do?” she asks, as if nobody had said that before.
“I do. It’s quiet and humble, and it’s nice that everyone knows each other. It actually makes me miss home quite a bit.”
Drusi replies, “I think that’s my favorite part too! I absolutely love the fact that everyone’s so friendly.”
“At first I was a tad bit scared about moving here, especially from a big city like Atrila. But in the end, everything worked out well.”
Gulping down the last remnants of my tea, I ask her, “Why’d you move out here anyway? Was it primarily for work, would you say?”
She walks over slowly, collecting the empty cup from my hand and stacking it on top of the one she drank out of. Placing the two cups on her tray, she makes her way back into the side room she originally brought them out from.
After a few moments, she walks back out, a big radiant smile carved across her face. “Now, Miss Idlansil! Would you care to help me do some chores while you’re here?”
…
She completely ignored my question. I don’t blame her if it’s something personal though. Besides, I think her actually telling me it’s private would probably make things far more awkward than just pretending she didn’t hear me.
Wait, did she lure me in here for that?
“Um.”
She invades my personal space again. “Pleaseee… Nobody ever helps me around here, so I need to do all the chores and tasks by myself, plus the chores at my own house, and on top of that, I have to teach kids!”
This woman… she might actually be evil.
After that terrifying experience, I thought I finally found someone who would let me laze around for the rest of the day, but she’s absolutely no different from every other teacher I’ve known my entire life.
With puppy eyes, she stares deep into my soul, balling both her hands together like a prayer gesture. It’s too cute to decline, even despite such cruel intentions. I hesitate. My brain and body know what they want, but my heart doesn’t agree.
She gets closer and closer. Any more and I’ll definitely fall backwards, or we’ll touch foreheads.
“Fine! Fine! I’ll help!”
A sinister grin jumps onto her face, the kind of expression someone makes when they’ve caught the fish they’ve been baiting for hours. I can’t believe this.
“Sweet! Don’t you worry! I’ll definitely treat you to dinner as a reward.”
She reaches into her pouch confidently, her fingers clearly rustling around. At first, her movements are slow and gentle, before quickly turning frantic and panicked. She stretches out the pocket with one hand, peeking inside.
Doing this a few times with all the pockets in her clothes and the basket she carries around, she turns back with a saddened face. “I forgot I used all my food funds for the week. If you’re okay with water soup, I’d love to at least treat you with that.”
Her voice is quieter now, like she’s on the verge of tears and breaking down. Maybe it’s better that she isn’t living in Atrila right now. I don’t doubt the villagers would be willing to help her out, but people from the city? There’s absolutely no way.
Rushing back to the other room, she comes out with a stack of bags. They’re large enough to cover even an entire crate of contents. If I had to guess, I’d say she has around six or seven at once.
Plopping them on the ground, she dusts off her hands. “Okay! Let’s get to work.”
I nod, thinking this would be some simple cleaning. Perhaps I was a bit too harsh in being mean to her, but just taking stuff off shelves and putting them in bags isn’t such a bad thing, especially since I’d be able to get to know Drusi more.
Grabbing three or four, she starts hauling them toward the exit. I stare at her, confused about whether she wants me to follow or stay here. She looks over her shoulder. “Hurry, hurry.”
Possessing one arm less than she does, I fling two bags over my shoulder before grabbing one with my left hand. I follow her outside, and the bags nearly fly off immediately thanks to the strong mountain winds.
Using my neck and head, I hold the bags still.
Drusi walks around the building to its left side, revealing long patches of weeds raised tall and mighty, enough for a child to get impossibly lost in. I stand in awe at how much neglect such “sacred” grounds have been treated with before Drusi picks up a pair of metal tools.
No way…
“Okay! Let’s get cutting.”
“…”
We stare at each other.
Her face holds the same excited, expressive emotion, while I look at her dead in the eyes, contemplating my own life decisions up to this point. I release the bags from my head’s embrace, letting them slide off my shoulders.
“Um, Drusi.”
I speak plainly, not a single hint of emotion in my voice, like a doll had come to life.
“I only have one arm. How am I supposed to use the tools?”
“...”
“—RIGHT!” she shouts out like she hadn’t noticed it before, when in fact she quite literally asked me about it not ten minutes ago.
I sigh and activate my magical gears. My left arm starts glowing. I begin the flow of magical energy slowly. I haven’t used them since that night, so if I rush the process I might get hurt. Within a matter of seconds, I strengthen my entire body, giving it a much needed physical boost.
Kneeling down, I grip the weeds, pulling them out with as much force as possible.
To be honest, I would rather just walk away, but I wouldn’t want kids to accidentally get hurt playing around this building. Besides, there isn’t really anything for me to do right now anyway.
Drusi quickly follows after me, kneeling down and using the tools to snip off the roots of the weeds before pulling them out from the soil. Immediately, our bodies start to burn up despite the weather trying desperately to cool us down.
We work together for around two hours, taking short breaks in between every half hour. Since I can’t cast elemental magic of my own, Drusi conjures ice magic to cool us down before going back to pulling weeds.
The day goes by quickly, and before we know it, the entire area surrounding the church is absolutely weed free. Wiping off the last of our sweat, both Drusi and I high five to celebrate our victory.
As we make our way back toward the village square, a delicious scent catches my attention, and like a moth to a flame, I unwillingly start gravitating toward the source.
I’m immediately met with a small party held by the villagers as they grill meat and prepare deliciously appetizing side dishes. I ask what the party is for, and to my surprise they claim that it’s a way for them to thank me for helping clean out the church.
Turns out, they’ve all been wanting to work on it for a while but never got around to it due to the abundance of their own work.
One of the villagers hands me a wooden plate with a large piece of steak. The meat is still sizzling from being taken off the fire, browned to perfection with black grill marks covering the surface.
Meat juices ooze out as the scent of abundant seasoning waters my mouth beyond oblivion.
I suppose this isn’t so bad after all. Not going to lie, I was a bit worried I might actually have to drink ice soup for dinner, but it all ended well. I catch Redus at the corner of my eye, sitting around a campfire talking with some of the other gentlemen from the village.
From the opposite side, I see Drusi happily munching down on as much meat as possible. It’s a bit hard to tell, but I think she’s getting all teary eyed. I guess she wasn’t lying about that ice soup after all.
For a second, I thought she was just kidding about that. That was close.
Still, I guess short days like these aren’t so bad. Maybe it’s because of Kanami, but I feel like I’m actually enjoying life somewhat. Obviously, my mission hasn’t changed, and it won’t change until I get what I want.
I know I’ve been obsessive about curing Albo since he fell into a coma, but I think he’d be delighted to see a new version of me when he wakes up. What’s the point in trying to save someone, getting depressed in the process, and losing yourself?
I’d hate it if Albo did something like that for my sake, so I should try to enjoy what I have while putting in as much effort into my goals as possible. What’s that saying called? Play hard, work hard?
No, I think it was work hard, play hard.