Chapter 3 - Mission Start
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After Luna finished washing the dishes, as per my request, Luna accompanied and guide me to the whole residence, starting from the basics of the area to every nook and cranny of the place.
One thing I learned is that we are the only resident here in this area, the rest surrounded by verdant forestry. It seems like we are far isolated from the other towns and villages, terribly so. Even the nearest town here were a few kilometers far according to Luna who explains in great detail to all questions I ask her.
It's clearly evident that they're doing something fishy here, even isolating themselves far from the populace. Surely, asking Luna won't be enough to find everything. Hm...
After an hour of walking around, it took me a while to notice, but its already noon and the sun was done reaching its peak. A slight strain coming from Luna's face was starting to develop as well, a reminder that it's time for us to take a break ourselves.
Luckily, we found a nearby tree just as the time I was thinking of resting. The sun was blazing today so it was the perfect place for us settle with.
The tree was located just outside wall from the Mansion's back. It was... isolated from the other trees, perfect for a picnic. Its branches droop beautifully towards the ground, its leaves creating a curtain-like effect in appearance.
"Would you look at that—a Willow Tree." I mused, marvelling at the sight of the tree. Don't blame me. It's my first time seeing a tree variant like these!
But wait, a Willow Tree... A Willow... Ah!
"If it's just what I imagined to be, then...!" Pondering such possibility, I jump across the Willow tree, and break one of its branches. And to my surprise,
『Willow's Branch』 Acquired
"I knew It!!" I shouted in excitement.
Just like in the game, you can get a starter mage weapon if you can find a Willow Tree nearby. I can't help but smile in excitement. Man, STELLA really is the best!
"Hm? Ah, M-master. I remember you asking me if I can use magic, right? S-since you've found a 『Willow's Branch』, I might be able to show you a thing about magic..."
When Luna saw me took a 『Willow's Branch』, she started to suggest something. Luna's voice had an evident of reluctant into it. I guess she still a bit frightened of me. Well, that's to be expected.
"That'll be great. But let's do that for later. For now, let's eat our fill since its lunchtime." I replied.
"Y-yes!" Luna who was carrying a basket since our walk, took out a four piece of sandwiches. Looks like Luna already prepared a Lunch for us before we head out earlier. How diligent. "T-this is for you, Master."
To my surprise, Luna gave me all the sandwiches. Don't tell me, she intends to give me everything? Was the situation here really this worse...?
"Good work, Luna. Here," I said, handing Luna the two sandwiches. There's no way I'm going to have Luna watch me while I eat all this sandwiches myself.
"Eh? Um, t-thank you..." With a slight bewilderment and hesitation, Luna anxiously accepted the food and begin munching the sandwich. Looking at her, I can't help but compare her to a squirrel due to her biting only of its portion. It's cute.
I also started munching my own sandwich. Its taste was, ordinarily dry. Still, I couldn't care less about it. After all, "eating food with someone sure makes the food more delicious, right?"
Reacting to my remark, Luna looks at me before flashing a puffy smile. Finishing her first sandwich, Luna started a question. "Um... since were almost done exploring places, I-is there anything Master wants us to do?"
"Now that you've mention it. Is there a place you know outside this place? You're likely once curious yourself outside this Mansion, so I was wondering if you ever know something."
"T-that's..." Luna paused and displayed a face of reluctance. Thanks to her reaction, I got a gist that she might know something but Luna, after pondering, started opening her lips. "U-um, I might know something that fits to Master's criteria..."
"Oh, really," I cheerfully replied. Great, it might lead me into a deeper understanding my now family's secrets. "Mind telling me what place that is?"
"Um, I-I don't know how to explain, but..." As finding the right word, Luna came into a brief pause. "I think it's what you call a Hideout..."
"Interesting," I began munching my last portion of sandwich as I ponder. "Anything else besides it being a Hideout?"
In response, Luna shook her head. I was waiting for an additional answer, but she didn't respond any further.
"Alright," Taking my last bite, I rose into the ground and shook the dirt off my butt. "Once you're done, let's head to that Hideout that you've mentioned."
"B-but...!" Hesitancy came evident to Luna, displaying a face of complete anxiety. It didn't take me long to understand what she's coming through.
"Don't worry, it'll be our little secret." I assured and shot him a thumb. "So, can you guide me?"
"Y-yes!" Luna replied.
"Thank you," In reassurance, I patted Luna's head whose eyes starting to wet. There was a slight jerk when I did it but not long after, she accepted it.
I'll be straight, there's a motive behind me being clingy with Luna. Of course, there was no malice, or some sort of manipulation intended. Setting the bias towards Luna being one of the heroines aside, she was the first person I only have here, and... about her situation, I kind of want to do something about it...
I know she'll be freed from the shackles of the Crimsonheart Family by the Protagonist from the story, but that's still for later. It's too long. She'll have to suffer so much before then.
Right now, I... want to save her.
Lunch finally done, Luna begins our way to the said Hideout as we tackled some informative conversation. Still, I kept of keeping my kinship into her, prompting our relationships even by a little.
* * *
Deep Forest - 30 minutes later...
Our way to find the Hideout took longer than I expected. It's not the part that we walk our way to the forest that took the longest. To tell the truth, it was only a five-minute walk in.
What took the longest of our time, was finding the exact location of the Hideout. We had to roam around, sweeping those bundles of leaves, in order to find that trapdoor Luna had mentioned. Apart from that, we also had to evade our way off the Slimes' attention roaming around the forest.
These slimes come with multiple variants, be it size and colors, each with different stats. For now, we only encounter blue and green variants which is the weakest of them all. Seeing it slaps me in realization that I'm in totally different world now.
Anyhow, eventually, we finally found it.
"Finally," I sighed with relief, sharing a knowing look with Luna. "That took longer than I expected..."
"I-I'm really sorry, Master." Luna apologized. "I-If only I completely remembered it. I should've done that myself. Sorry for making you work as well, Master...!"
"Don't worry about it," I assured, swaying my hand in gesture. "I'm the one who insist on coming as well as helping you. No need to apologize."
"Y-Yes..." After responding, Luna removed the layer of leaves off the ground. Shortly after, a wooden trapdoor beneath us was revealed from our sights.
"A trapdoor, huh." I muttered. "Interesting..."
I can feel my heartbeat rapidly pulsating. This uncanny place is hiding something from everyone, my instincts are telling me.
Am I excited or nervous? I can't explain.
"Shall we go, then." I asserted.
"B-but isn't it dangerous...?"
"Don't worry, just trust me with this." In order to lessen Luna's concern, I was the first one to enter down the place before Luna. Immediately, a corridor, coated in complete darkness unveiled before me.
"S-scary...! We'll need a light to cross this place." I took the 『Willow's Branch』 hanging in my pants and brandished it, all while envisioning light to my head. However, "Eh, It... doesn't work?"
Not a speck of magic is coming out of my wand. I thought if I have a wand, I can use magic just like in the game, only by picturing what magic I should cast in my head. Wasn't it not the case...?
"Um, Master, perhaps you don't know how to release Mana?" Luna continued. "To create magic, you need to channel your Mana through the wand for it to release magic."
"I-is that so? That's too bad. Would you mind using it then? We can't continue without a light source in hand." I replied, handing Luna the 『Willow's Branch』. I'll leave it to her. She seems confident about it.
"Yes, if you don't mind, then."
After Luna took the wand, she closed her eyes and started to concentrate, wand pointed diagonally upwards. Shortly, a light magically emitted through the tip of the stick.
"Woah!" I cheerfully marvelled.
Magic, it's a real magic! You'll normally only able to see it from fictional stories. Never in my life I would get to experience seeing it real life.
Excitement was probably bare to my face, since Luna's displaying quite the dumbfounded reaction. I'm sorry Luna, I just can't help it...
Anyhow, since we have our light, we continue to traverse the pitch-dark passageway. One thing that surprised me, in the game, the 『Willow's Branch』 is a wand that shoots flare, but in this case, it seems that you can have the flare stay on the tip of the wand, prompting it to act as lighting.
I kept myself on full alert, cautious whether we might encounter some traps on the way crossing this obscure passageway. There's also a chance we might cross paths to someone beyond this hideout. I have a bit of experience in hand-to-hand combat, but it's another issue if that person carries a weapon.
Luckily, we didn't encounter any traps and reached the end without much of a hassle. Still, it's not so bad to be fully cautious, right?
Beyond this place lies a poorly crafted wooden door. Both our eyes meet as our body tensed from the peer pressure that lies within beyond unknown.
"Luna, are you ready?" I asked.
"Y-yes, if that's what Master's want..." Luna timidly replied, nodding.
After confirming our resolve, I gently opened the door.
Slowly heading inside, I saw a switch on the wall near the entrance of the door. When I opened it, light illuminates the whole room and all the things that are kept and stored in that room revealed before us.
"T-this is—"
"I knew it!"
"Kyah?!"
I exclaimed in excitement, startling Luna with my sudden outburst.
All the items and materials I can see are all completely familiar with me. This place, holding several items, all essential and important, are lying before me. My eyes were glittering in excitement!
"Ugh, Master..."
"Haha, my bad." I feel guilty...
Gold, Platinum, and numerous valuables of items can be found scattered around the room. But the thing that took my attention the most, is a tool that's considered the most important in the game, as well as my future endeavor.
"You can't be serious! It'll make things faster for me this way...!" I mused, utterly dumbfounded.
"What is that, Master?" Luna asked, displaying a puzzled look. "It looks like an Axe... No, a Pickaxe?"
"Close, but no cigar. You won't believe me, but this is—"
I promptly explained to the bewildered Luna the item I'm holding.
What I got is not only a Pickaxe but also an Axe—a combination of those two called the 『Beaver Shark』. Its design resembled a shark's fin, with a striking white and blue color scheme and two teeth-like protrusions on one side.
Apart from that, this 『Beaver Shark』 is also the strongest Pickaxe you can obtain before the permanent conversion of the world called the 『Chaos Mode』—a seal broken that would change this world permanently.
"Chaos, huh..."
"Master?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
Meaning, before that event comes, I will have the ability to mine all possible ores present in this world. This is great. Right now, I have obtained one of the necessary items needed.
With the 『Beaver Shark』 in hand, we continued our search. There, we uncovered a cache of 『Magic Pouches』—a dimensional storage device capable of holding a vast array of items.
In the game, this pouch could carry an exactly 55 items. However, it's capacity in real life was still unknown. Anyhow, I took everything, four to be exact, and continued searching.
As we search for more items, one thing I realized is that most of the items stored in this place were either brought through a merchant or dropped by a weak monster, meaning...
"The world is still in Peaceful Mode."
"..."
Well, it won't be for long, though.
I took all the materials we will need like Ores and Bars, as well as some valuable Equipment.
We also took the 『Katana』 and a 『Scimitar』 to us. We'll be needing it to defend ourselves in the future. For the range weapon, I took the 『Platinum Bow』, and what I've said before regarding all the items here either brought by merchant and whatnot, I'm taking it back.
There is an exception—a wand called 『Flamelash』, a type of wand that's capable of launching explosive projectiles. This wand... can only be acquired by traversing in Hell.
I didn't think they were already this advance even before the story starts...
Anyhow, I'll be taking this
This should be enough. As much as I want to haul everything, we can't be staying here much longer. There's another section of a room that piqued my curiosity. That place... stink, it smells trouble. Still, staying here too long might compromise our situation. We'll be back here, for sure...
* * *
After securing the essential items, Luna and I made our way back to the surface, concealing the trapdoor beneath a blanket of leaves before departing.
Am I ashamed of taking items that don't belong to me? Not at all. I have no ties to my current family, and my allegiance lies more with Luna, whom I know from the game and trust far more than anyone here. Besides, the Crimsonheart family doesn't seem like the kindest bunch, especially judging by Luna's reactions whenever they're mentioned, as well as what I've witnessed.
"It's getting late; we should leave," I announced as dusk began to settle.
So, many things had happened in just a span of single day. I guess tomorrow, I'll have Luna learn how to wield a weapon...
As we made our way back to the Mansion, I was about to discuss my plans with Luna when a piercing scream shattered the tranquility.
"NOOOOO!! MASTER EMILY, I'M REALLY SORRY!!"
""!!!""
Luna and I froze, stunned by the cry that echoed through the air. Quickly, we took cover behind the boundary wall at the back of the Mansion, exchanging worried glances. I signaled Luna to stay quiet with a finger to my lips, and together we cautiously peered around the corner to investigate.
Man, who would've thought.
To our astonishment, I witnessed my supposedly mother, Emily, gripping a maid's hair while brandishing a torch threateningly.
Seems like my hunch was right.