After taking a bath and changing into her usual pajamas, Claudia plopped on the bed, her wet hair scattering about on the white sheet. Her blue eyes fixed on the ceiling, trembling, as she recalled the ambush tonight. Lingering fear filled her heart while cold sweat trickled down from her forehead...
'I'm scared...'
It had been quite some time since she had experienced such terror as this before. It made her feel sick just thinking back on what happened today. It wasn't the first time she fought against other mercenaries. In this line of work, conflicts among the mercenaries were pretty much daily occurrences—whether it was as trivial as someone accidentally stumbling by another or mercenary groups competing over loot or missions.
However, being involved in a battle where both parties were hell-bent on killing each other—tonight was her first experience in such a fight.
The memory brought chills down her spine. The feeling of her body freezing up and the blood draining out of her head made everything go dark. That's how terrifyingly close they came to losing their lives at that moment...
Claudia sighed deeply. After calming herself down, she looked around her room, seeing no one there but herself.
"Flamme must be going out to Captain's room," Claudia muttered softly. "Captain locked herself in her room as soon as we reached the mansion. Is she okay?"
Since she met with Aurora in the Twilight Forest at that time, she had never seen her look so despondent and vulnerable. It was the first time that she saw her leader make such an expression—solemnity, guilt, and self-blame, all tangled on Aurora's face.
Although they had been together only for a brief span of time, Aurora in Claudia's mind always been a reliable young lady who brimmed with confidence and stalwartness, seemingly unfazed by anything, making it easy for her to depend on her, especially after the old group was disbanded.
Though it also gave her a jarring feeling—how can someone so powerful, beautiful, and perfect be without a flaw at the same time?
She sometimes felt a sense of inferiority and self-doubt when compared to her weak and cowardly self, as if they were totally different existences, making her uncomfortable inside.
Seeing her captain like this, a complicated feeling occupied her heart. On one hand, she couldn't help but worry about her; however, on the other, she felt an odd sense of relief. Seeing her captain, who was normally so composed and calm, now in shambles made her feel better, knowing that even though she may seem strong and brave on the outside, deep within her, she still has a weakness. This was something that Claudia could relate to very well.
It was somehow shameful and unbecoming of her to think like that, but she couldn't stop herself. At least in this way, she knew that she could be of some use to Aurora.
Her inability to provide any help aside from her meager abilities as an apprentice priest always plagued her, especially after another girl as mysterious as her captain, Flamme, appeared out of seemingly thin air, who was actually her sword spirit (not that she actually understood what that actually meant) and possessed extraordinary fighting abilities to fight side by side with Aurora.
And she was also more gorgeous than herself! Although she seemed apathetic and indifferent on the surface, as an elf, she could perceive the gentle soul inside her.
A beauty who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside! A lot of people would definitely be attracted by that type of woman, right?
Claudia couldn't help but blush and be annoyed at the same time when she recalled how smitten Aurora by Flamme's beauty and elegance, unknowingly bulged her cheeks, pouting.
'Ah... am I jealous? No, no, how can I...'
Sensing the sudden change in her emotions, her face blushed even harder. She flipped around and buried her burning face into the pillow, squealing inwardly, wishing to find a hole to hide in.
After a while, she finally calmed down and put the wild thoughts to the back of her mind. She tidied up her clothes and hair as she stood up from the bed and trudged towards the door. As expected, she found Flamme standing outside the bedroom, waiting for Aurora.
"How is Captain?" Claudia stood outside the door with a worried expression on her face.
Flamme just shook her head slightly without uttering a word. She also knew in her heart that they must not disturb her at this time.
…
"Huh…"
When Aurora opened her eyes again, the aura on her body had undergone an astonishing change. Now that her frivolity had disappeared, she looked calmer and more composed. Her eyes were deep and clear, as if she were a queen sitting on a throne, full of dignity.
She took a deep breath and walked toward the door with determined expression. There were still people who waited and worried for her outside of this room. As their leader, she couldn't display such a weak appearance in front of them.
"!!!"
When Aurora opened the door, Claudia and Flamme, who were listening to the movement inside, lost their balance and fell in.
"It hurts, it hurts... Captain, are you okay... Eh?"
Claudia raised her head to meet Aurora's gaze before she finished speaking, but the words she hadn't said were completely stuck in her throat at that moment.
There was something different about her leader now… if before she still had a trace of the recklessness of youth, now her aura contained the calm aura of a mature adult all over her body. For some reason, she could feel her heart beat faster and faster when she was caught in Aurora's gaze.
"Thank you for your concern, I'm fine."
Aurora reached out and helped the two of them up.
"Captain, are you really okay?" Claudia was still a little worried. Although Aurora seemed better on the surface, her intuition could perceive that there was still a trace of uneasiness underneath her brave front.
"Well, I've figured out some things. I'm really sorry that I put you in danger at night due to my poor judgement."
"Captain, don't say that!" Claudia quickly waved her hand. "It's not Captain's fault! Besides, didn't we come back safely!"
"Un, Master. Don't worry." Flamme also comforted her, albeit clumsily.
"But... If it's not for—" Despite being comforted by Flamme and Claudia, Aurora still stubbornly believed that she was at fault this time. However, before she could finish her sentence, Claudia suddenly pulled her into her embrace, burying her face in her (awesome) motherly bosom as she let out an exasperated sigh like an old mother. "Ah... such a troublesome kid you are, aren't you, Aurora?"
"You don't need to bear everything alone, you know?" Claudia spoke softly as she patted Aurora's back gently. "You have Flamme and me on your side. Although it's just a little, we can also share your worry with you. So stop worrying about everything yourself, and have a little more faith in us."
Aurora's body trembled slightly at her words; her tensed body gradually relaxed, and all her facades broke at that moment. The warmth she felt permeating Claudia's body made her feel that everything was going to be alright. She nodded without uttering a word.
Flamme on the side looked silently at them with her perpetual expressionless face, making it hard for anyone to read her, more so that the two people in the room beside her was currently too busy hugging each other to notice the minutes change that happened almost in a blink of an eye—A trace of envy flickered in her eyes for a flash, but quickly dissipated as if it had never been there before.
Who knew how much time had passed, when a faint voice suddenly called at Claudia. "Um... Claudia... I'm fine. Can you let me go now?"
"Ah!" Claudia let out a cute yelp and hurriedly released Aurora, and back away in panic. A tinge of redness spread across her neck to her ears. Aurora didn't seem much better as she immediately turned her face, hiding her beet red cheeks.
"Cute..." Flamme, who didn't speak from the beginning, blurted out an offhanded comment in a soft mutter, to which Claudia and Aurora ignored wholeheartedly, pretending not to hear anything.
"Yes, yes! By the way, Captain, didn't you say that the swords auctioned today are similar to Flamme! Then why don't you try to summon them now?" Claudia hurriedly changed the topic to ease the awkward atmosphere.
"Now? It's not impossible." Aurora nodded slightly, her complexion had already turned normal.
An emerald green magic circle appeared in her right hand, while on the other hand, a pale pink magic circle lit up almost instantaneously. She reached in, grabbed a pair of green and pink spirit swords, and stabbed them on the floor.
"What'll you do next, Captain?" Claudia tilted her head, staring at the pair of spirit swords curiously.
"Look carefully." Aurora reached out and closed her eyes, turning the system on. "Sword Spirit Awakening!"
[Detecting the presence of a soul crystal. The summoning requirements are met. Do you want to summon the sword spirit?]
"Summon."