"Agna, was it?"
Lyrica buttoned her white undershirt, her arms slipped through her black blazer's sleeves rather smoothly.
"Your father who cowardly ran and left his men from the Guardian Snake lied to me."
Her feet garbed with her black stockings fit through her shoes perfectly.
"He said, so long as I have it in me, she wouldn't lay a finger on me. But, I ended up getting stabbed in the back by your mother and almost died. He's a liar and a coward.
She then combed her silky smooth bob hair with her left hand in front of an open window. The warm breeze entered the room with its own volition.
"On the other hand, your mother and her magic ability are both strong and terrifying. It's a perfect ability for an assassin, you wouldn't want to fight her one on one. But..."
Back when Lyrica and Agatha's eyes met, just a split second before her light magic rendered the assassin blind, what Lyrica saw is not a terrifyingly strong assassin.
"I saw a mother who froze in fear while staring at me as if she was being haunted by her mistakes. I only know what I heard from Agario before he gave me this, but I'm certain, your mother regretted it."
Lyrica shifted her gaze towards the dressing table present in the room and approached it. And right then, she began reminiscing about seeing her mother and father with their affairs.
"I wonder if I showed myself that day, will they regret it? Would things turn out differently?"
She realized she's been asking the same question over and over again, and figured there's no point in thinking about it anymore.
"At the very least, I am allowed to make things right. A chance to redeem myself, even if it's not for my own family."
Sitting comfortably on top of the dressing table, a red scarf is neatly folded.
"So let's divert them back to the right path."
Lyrica took the red scarf and wrapped it around her neck, the same way she did the first time.
"Let's go save your family and everyone."
The girl left the room, leaving behind the door shut in her wake. She went straight to the wide street in the southern district where a large number of soldiers—Malayas—are marching forward.
"Looks like things are finally progressing, huh."
"Lady Lyrica."
"..."
The moment he had his eyes on her for the first time at that moment, Aran could never stop stealing glances at her. He could not take his eyes off the girl's skirt that leaves the skin between it and Lyrica's stockings exposed. Her black blazers match perfectly with her dark hair and charcoal eyes. And most importantly, the two fairly large, eye-catching objects hiding underneath Lyrica's button-down shirt.
'What is this? It feels like something is forcing me to look at it.'
Lyrica stood beside Kael and Aran who's clad in blue and white knight armor together with his red cape, watching the march along with the other civilians present in the street.
'A curse! Y-Yeah, this must be the work of a curse that drags those who dare loo—'
The girl stared daggers on Aran, seemingly after sensing him giving her a lecherous gaze. The prinsepe avoided it with a quick turnaround.
"Lady Lyrica, I still believe you should just stay here and let yourself recover."
Lyrica already discussed the plan she has with Kael, Amaya, and Aran not long ago. And although she's not completely healed yet, her magic ability is crucial to the plan, hence it's only natural for her to be present in such a big raid.
"Light magic is indeed a formidable ability against dark magic, but that doesn't mean it's the only ability that could stand ground against it." Kael insisted. "I suggest we wait for the adventurers Reyna Amaya summoned before we head out. I'm fairly certain they can handle Uruk and his dark magic."
"I know these adventurers sound reliable, but time is the problem here."
Lyrica assumed that if Uruk is indeed being possessed by an Anino, and that Anino is making people hate Uruk to feed itself off their negative emotion, then it's doing it because the Anino is currently weak.
"That's just one assumption, what if the Anino is already powerful but simply wanted to become even stronger?" Aran spoke as he continue to take glances at her beside Kael. "Do you think your power can even do a dent against an Anino, especially with your current state?"
"I don't know," Lyrica uttered while keeping watch on the ongoing march. "It's only an assumption but that is why we need to make a move right now. We can't let something like an Anino get out of hand."
Aran remained silent for a short moment, seemingly thinking of using the right words to respond to Lyrica. But none came to his mind.
Aran sighed, "I guess you have a point."
Just then, a kid arrived and handed over a big mana potion to Kael.
"Lady Lyrica, the mana potion you requested is here."
"Ah, thank you."
The mana potion was passed onto Lyrica which she drank in just one chug. Shortly after that, she could feel a surge of mana circulating inside her body. And then, her headphones materialized overhead.
"What is that?"
"It's the same thing from before. I thought you lost it whilst we were riding a horse."
"It's a gadget from my world, although it's a part of my magic ability now," Lyrica replied as she wordlessly opened her character window.
Listener: Lyrica Ley Rael
Lv. 27
HP: 40.4%
MP: 74
dB: 64
[Statistics]
Strength: 40
Durability: 35
Agility: 40
Stamina: 21
Senses: 10
Available Stat Points: 0
[Playlist]
Playable Music:
- Jazz Harmony (Lv. Max)
- Heavy Metal (Lv. 2)
- Heavy Metal: Iron Maiden (Lv. 2)
- Fierock (Lv. 2)
- Hip Hop (Lv. 2)
Background Music:
- Elements of Music (Lv. 2)
-
-
> Acquired EXP: 24,000
> Required EXP: 24,150
"With that, my mana is back to full."
"Are you looking at something?"
Aran blurted it out on the spur of the moment. Seeing Lyrica seemingly looking at something even though there was nothing in front of her, at least from what Aran and Kael could see, got the prince curious.
"This doesn't concern our plan so why should I tell you?"
"Is that right?" Aran replied despondently.
From Lyrica's point of view, the character window shrank and went to the corner of her eyes.
"It's time," Said Lyrica as she tapped Kael's shoulder. "Let's go, Kael."
"Masusunod."
Aran's jaw dropped after what he just witnessed. His attendant obediently follows someone else other than him and the Reyna.
"You bast*rd! Who permitted you to order Kael!"
He followed the two in discontent.
...
Several hours later in the town of Takkot...
"I'm getting kind of nervous."
Agario, and his men, no. It would be more precise to say that everyone in Takkot is expecting big developments to come following the recent events.
The battle between Agario's squad and the Malayas concluded with a few casualties from both parties, their encounter with Lyrica in the Forest of No Return, the death of two high commanders in the hands of the same girl. And lastly, Lyrica's great escape along with a certain knight of Reilaea, carrying the knowledge she accumulated since her first day in Kruule.
"I think we all feel the same, Marlo."
With all that has happened, it wouldn't be a surprise if Uruk takes action against Lyrica and Reilaea. And indeed, as they all expected, an order from the Hari came today. However, it was an order no one guessed completely.
"I never thought simply doing nothing would make me feel so anxious."
The order they received is to just stand by and be ready. That's all.
"That's because there's more to it than just being told to stand by and wait for something, Riko."
"That's right. The Hari is definitely plotting something."
While Agario and the others are having suspicions about the order they received, the woman with scarlet eyes, Carla, is taking a stroll near the northern gate.
"Maybe not today..."
She is walking back and forth endlessly, always keeping an eye on the gate and waiting. And then, she heard the muffled voices of knights outside the gate.
"H-Hey, it's her!"
"You're back already? I don't think--"
More than the muffled voices resonating behind the gate, Carla could also hear the sound of something heavy hitting the ground twice.
"D-Don't tell me...!"
Before her scarlet eyes, the gate opened. And there, she saw Lyrica standing between the two knights who seemed to have been knocked out.
"You're here."
"Lyrica!"