Chapter Text
"Mission accomplished."
"You're pretty fast you know that Alice?" a boy with a wooden bow said next to her.
"Yeah, really good," a girl with short cyan hair, named... Reila, was it? She agreed with Lario. She wore a red shirt with long grey sleeves, black trousers and leather boots. A grey metal shoulder-guard for protected her left arm, along with metal kneecap and shin-guards. A blue greatsword with faded golden flame patterns was in its leather sheath on her back.
The Scythe was part of a team to hunt down a pack of wolves as a test. They completed the test with just one problem left to deal with: two boisterous green-haired girls.
Even now, the sounds of their arguing voices can be heard on the other side of the hill in the forest. It seemed that they are the last and only two-man team to be finishing.
The boy sighed, taking his cap off to rake a hand through his hair in slight irritation.
"Faris and that girl, Nemia. They really are alike," the archer said.
"H...How do you know?" Alice asked in a quiet voice, interested.
"I was assigned to be her bodyguard back then, even though I was around ten years old at that time." He chuckled, putting his cap back on. "Now, even after two years, that personality of hers hasn't changed in the slightest. Who knew she would meet someone a little like her?"
The two were still fighting.
"You're still waving those metal sticks like a weakling! No wonder you got that bite!"
"Oh yeah!? Look! Behind you!"
A surprised shout rang in the air, followed by the whimper of a fanged beast being smashed into the ground.
"Th-That was a low move! You're about to get it, princess!"
Reila laughed in amusement. "I have never heard or seen this kind of clash of personalities. Wait 'til our teacher finds out."
"If you are her bodyguard, should you not be stopping such a fight and ensuring her safety?" Alice asked.
"Haha. Well, that boxer girl is actually a nice person from what I could tell. She wouldn't seriously put Faris in the infirmary... maybe." He coughed. "But the princess herself, well, I think this is a good chance for her to make a new friend like her."
"Why do you think Nemia would be a good friend for her?" Alice thought that the ideal 'friend' would be a good person and is respectful to another.
"With a mirror personality like that, why shouldn't they think alike and have fun in the same ways?" was what he said before he smiled.
\_______/
"I'm back," Alice announced herself as she walked back into her home, removing her boots and leaving them on the shoe rack.
"Oh hey Alice. How's your day?" It was Kyr answering, lounging on the sofa and looking at a photo of a new shop opening in Agni.
"It was... meaningful." It did. Seeing her classmates' interactions reminded her being as a loner.
Kyr raised an eyebrow at this. "Well, Fel is in town at the moment doing a job, so he should be back soon."
"Why should I know that?"
"You were going to ask where he is anyway right?"
'That is true...' she thought. It had been over a week ever since she came here, and she was already used to asking anyone (either Fel or Kyr) if one was missing, in a tone as if she were concerned.
"I am back!" Fel had evidently returned, boots thumping on tiles at the entrance. His voice sounded slightly strained.
"Hey Fel... whoa, you got the slimes we needed already?" Kyr asked in a slightly surprised tone.
Fel was dragging a cage of six small slimes, all of whom are of the six elements. They hopped around in the cage, chattering loudly as they did.
"Whoa!" the Burny said. "This is your house? I'll have a fun time burning it down!"
"Now there, you should not do that to our new caretakers," the more helpful Glowy chided.
"Yeah! We lost our nest thanks to you idiot!" the Gloomy grumbled.
"Anyway, should they go into the cavern?" Fel asked Kyr.
Kyr nodded. "Yeah, at least Burny's not going to torch anything there, and there's the pool perfect for the, uh, blue little guy."
"It's Squirty!"
As Fel dragged the cage into the cavern, Kyr snapped her fingers, as if she realized something. She then walked over to a large red box on a bookshelf that just reached Alice's knee height and is about half a metre wide. A wide open slit at the top of the box allowed for something as thin as paper to slip into the box.
"What is that Kyr?" Alice asked.
"Our request box. You know how we help students with anything right? They write down their requests in notes and they all end up here during or after school. You can find it in the school's lunch hall. Although..." The girl opened the unlocked door on one side of the box to reveal a single note.
"NOW we get one request," she said, taking the note smoothly and closing the box. "They haven't been with us for a while, so we need to prove ourselves by completing a few requests first before we get any more work, or we don't get a raise from Auntie Hekel." She started to read.
"'There is this abandoned bar in Grayben, in the Marketing District, that has been making some strange noises, and it has been intriguing me and my friends for some time now. Can you investigate the source? -Themis of Class 2-4'" she read it aloud.
"Oh, that demanding girl again huh? Didn't Fel take down those knights before...?" Kyr muttered to herself.
"We have another request?" Fel asked, coming back from the cavern, now smelling of burnt hair. "Also, we need to make sure that Burny does not try to burn anyone else again."
"It's a job in Grayben, that bar, you know? The one that's been giving off some sort of energy of the gods."
"Energy of the gods?" Alice's curiosity perked up. "You can detect it?"
"Yes, well, we both are powerful and had... certain training from when we were young." Kyr's eyes seemed to drift off a little at that. Fel just kept a blank look.
"So... who's going to go?" she asked.
"...Rock, paper, scissors?" Fel suggested.
\_______/
"Guess it's you and me, huh, Alice? For the first time, going on a quest together."
Said girl nodded. She herself insisted on being familiar with fighting alongside her 'guardian', or at least working with Kyr.
They walked down a long hidden path leading from some place in the school's forest to Grayben, seeing as the carriages were already packed with students and teachers wanting to get a move on with their quests and shopping. It was rather quiet, with the occasional rustle of bushes made by scared animals and scavenging slimes.
In the afternoon sunlight, Kyr's skin looked like it was made of crystal, reflecting even though she had faintly tanned skin. Otherwise, she looked just like any ordinary, striking and relaxed girl who was on a hunting quest.
Compared to Alice, she was much more free and better in terms of social life. Kyr had occasionally been spotted socializing with the students and past friends she made over her travels, and they always got along great. Alice never did any of that.
'Perhaps one day such a thing could happen, but that... I have a duty to uphold,' the Scythe thought wistfully. As if her father would leave her alone to her own devices. She and the family were expected to contribute to the Bariura Empire, so why make time for fun?
Half an hour later, they arrived in the Marketing District of Grayben, where it was bustling with customers looking for their next dinner or object of vanity.
Grayben has six districts: the Marketing, Agricultural, Industrial, Magical, Transportation and Security Districts. The Marketing District is close to the ports in the eastern side of the port city, where it can quickly receive goods from the nearby countries. Being a hotspot for trading, it grew in importance until it took up at least two-fifths of the city.
A man carrying a stack of crates nearby became unbalanced. As the two walked past, Kyr pushed the stack right back up to balance it with one swift hand. The man quickly managed to get it upright again, though he was too busy balancing the stack to notice the person who helped him.
'She continues to show suppressed skill...' Alice thought as she watched. Kyr, like Fel, made a name for herself in several places, but her feats had yet to be proven here in Grayben.
After a few twists and turns, Alice found herself in front of an old bar.
It was abandoned all right. Boards and nails covered the windows. A whiff of rotting wood reached Alice's nose, and vines grew all over the stone columns.
The double doors were chained together with a padlock. Kyr saw this and bit her lip.
"Looks like we'll just break in," she concluded.
Alice felt uncomfortable about this. "But... such a thing is against the law."
"Hey, no one would care about a rickety old house like this. We're just here for a quick look. Besides, I want to see the ghosts that haunt the place."
Whether or not that was a joke or a fact, due to her poker-faced tone, Alice was unsure of it.
"Anyway, you signed up for this, whether you like it or not. Come on, there's a wide open window there." She walked towards it and simply allowed herself inside.
Alice stared at the bar for a moment before following Kyr.
/-------\
"Hum... hmm... hum, huh, hmm..." Fel hummed a hymn he heard from a group of travelers he met back then, working on a small garden next to the house.
He planted seeds in rows in the soil, moving on to the next one and did the same thing. As he did, Squirty hopped around and watered the seeds by spewing some water from his mouth.
"Hum, ha, ha, ha, hum, ha, ha, hmm..." He checked his pouches of seeds in his deep pockets.
'The bell peppers are next for the farm, then the flowers for the garden, and I should be done then,' he thought.
The farm was larger than the garden that was a dozen metres away from it, although it was not as impressive as the larger farms on the island.
A gust blew past the house and parted Fel's long hair. The peaceful nature of the forest refreshed him as always.
When he was done planting, he turned to look at the setting sun. The sun was just almost fully past the horizon, letting the sky turn a blazing orange.
Dusks and dawns of every day were Fel's favorite times to look at the horizon. Back then, he would be with a few friends, watching the sky and remembering what they did each day.
"Nostalgic..." he murmured to himself, gripping his basket of seeds a little tighter.
"What is it Fel?" The Squirty asked.
"No, just remembering the things I have done back then, things so strange and memorable that you would relive them." Fel smiled and continued walking.
Until he saw something in front of him, something that seemed to have just... warped into existence that his senses never detected her. His eyes widened, taking a step back but remained calm.
"Excuse me... who might you be?" Fel automatically asked the... lovely(?)-looking stranger.
"I... am Ensa-Taya."
\_______/
"I... am Juno-Seto."
Kyr just stared at the lady. Alice looked at her cautiously.
The strange floating lady had suddenly appeared from thin air in the middle of the bar, with no parting of air, flash or explosions to indicate she teleported or flew inside at all. She did not even appear on Kyr's 'internal life-form' detector until she looked at her.
The young-looking lady was delicate and well, more cute than beautiful in appearance. She radiated glowing light energy that made her look like a goddess. A giant bee flew beside her, while a larger orb flew in mid-air near her.
Alice slowly reached for her scythe.
"Whoa, wait Alice. She's not really a threat," Kyr stopped her. "Uh, Juno-Seto?"
Said lady turned her attention to Kyr. "Yes?"
"Well, it's just that you appeared out of the air. I mean, well..." Kyr did not know what subject she should start with first. The sudden appearance still startled her.
"S-She means to introduce ourselves," Alice filled in for her, but clearly not used to interrupting. "I am Alice, and she is my... guardian, Kyr. What we want to know is who exactly are you."
The lady-like girl pondered on this, then floated onto the wooden planks, being on the same level as them.
She walked up to them, and Kyr could see closely that they were just about the same height. Juno-Seto's eyes shone with pure goodness.
"Actually, I think it's best that we take this to the seats over there. I think it's gonna be a long talk." And really, just what is with those adorable eyes that reminded her of her little sister?
/-------\
"You... came from another world?"
"I do." Ensa-Taya sat neatly on the sofa, clearly not used to being in a living room. "I came through rift between worlds and came here."
"Then it is just like the few others then." There were plenty of people he met who came from other worlds, and there are such students who did attend Hekel's. That was definitely something to note, even if people from other worlds are uncommon now.
And so she is a goddess. Alright, this is not the first time he took care of one.
Asides from that, Ensa-Taya seemed to be holding back a few facts, like what she did in her world (other than ruling over it), its citizens and how she came here.
Although the part about being a goddess was incredibly surprising, given the fact that he should be feeling waves of energy by now. All he felt was energy on a level higher than a Disciple's.
"Anyway, could you stay here for the night? There are two other friends of mine that should be coming back soon, but I can talk to them about your stay." Fel supposed that he should let the otherworlder stay until matters have been settled. What should he say to Hekel now?
The dark goddess looked at him. "I suppose I can take advantage of your offer."
That was an odd choice of words.
"I shall take you to your room now. Please follow me," Fel led the way upstairs.
In her new room on the second floor, Ensa-Taya looked around. She glanced at the bed, then at the furniture.
Fel could see that the old, plain room did not match the goddess's regal, sharp appearance, although he did not know how long she would be staying here to bother about decorating.
Her wasp hovered to the top of the room's cabinet and apparently found it comfortable to rest there. The goddess seemed slightly disappointed though.
"I am sorry if this does not suit your tastes, but if you decide to move somewhere else, please bear with it." Fel bowed slightly.
"Move?" she said. "I do not plan to move anywhere. In fact, I still have no grasp on this world you call Grand Gaia, much less any dreams I seek." She floated slightly off the floor and moved to look out the window.
"I shall stay here," she decided.
"Stay?" There were actually no problems, assuming she was not a secretly-plotting invader who dominates everything in sight. Fel could afford her.
"That will be fine. You may stay here as long as you want." He did not say anything about 'earning your keep'. He had a feeling such a statement would not fit with a used-to-be ruler like her.
Ensa-Taya gave Fel a smile that gave Fel both a chill down his spine and comfort. "You may go now." She said it as if the Rookie was a servant, which he supposed he was, as a host.
"I'll leave the key to this room here." Fel put it on the desk and left downstairs.
Fel went back to the kitchen to find his friends and plus one person, who looked unusually like the one he just met.
"O-Oh, hey Fel! You wanted more people in the house? Well we got another one!" Kyr said cheerfully, proceeding to introduce the other goddess before him.