The moment the words "magic" had escaped her mother's lips, her decision had already been set in stone, pen signed across a contract in her own blood if she had to; who'd refuse?
'A magical aptitude test, does that mean exactly what I'm thinking?!'
She excitedly thought, the prospect of magic hadn't been something she'd been proactively thinking over ever since she was brought here but the prospect suddenly came rolling back to her as she heard those words.
Her wish had been granted!! Years of wishing, years of only reading over it and years of hoping she'd had it, yes she knew that for her age she was childish that for her age she shouldn't be having such fantasies but it was something she only embraced behind closed doors while to herself; shameless, she knew that but that was the past! The opportunity had now presented itself on a silver platter, the tantalizing gourmet cuisine of a dish was right before her while tantalizingly beckoning her forward, it already felt foolish enough that she'd wasted a precious seven seconds sitting dazed after the question and not answering.
"Ludy…are you sure?" Yoraina hesitantly asked, this was far too quick of a response, she at least expected some form of retaliation.
"I'm completely sure, in fact I…find it exciting to think about" It was magic, of course she was excited.
"Ludy…" her father's voice suddenly cut in, it was tense and it wasn't serious, void of the aloof humour from before as Crusch slightly tensed up a bit.
"If you're forcing yourself to do this.. although I'm proud you'd want to do that for our sake but putting yourself in a state of discomfort isn't out intention"
He was already well aware of the type of person Ludy was, a hermit but overly compassionate.
'The Ludunhime family have a youngest daughter?'
'Her names unknown, I don't think she exists really'
'Indeed, I've seen about every member of the Ludunhime family's main and collateral branches, there's no youngest daughter around'
'A myth perhaps?'
His gaze narrowed, about two years ago he'd allowed her daughter to take the inconvient route believing it to be of her own choice to comfort herself but a few years now and perhaps it was her who'd been hurting the most this entire time.
'Not again'
His tone was serious, a magical aptitude test was meant for two reasons—no it meant two things. Although her identity having been kept secret and believed as a myth for so long now, a magical aptitude test was a public service given by the Republic who's results and applicants weren't hidden, the name "Ludmilla Von Ludunhime" would instantly attract attention and Ludmilla should've known that.
"I don't think I have to remind you how serious this is"
Crusch gulped, was this the part where the lazy and useless child was set straight? She thought on it, her body was a hermit not to mention a seclusionist beyond helping. Perhaps she could let her own similarities slide as while she was a hermit in her own right it was only a characteristic she'd adopted after becoming an adult, it wasn't the characteristics a child was supposed to have.
'I see, this must've been something the original owner of this body had been avoiding due to her own social problems…how unfortunate'
Crusch mulled over it and made a false expression of extreme thought but nodded as if having made an internal decision, "I'm still certain I want to continue with the test"
Her father's expression visibly frowned then it softened, only slightly that it was nearly indiscernable as he nodded in reluctance.
"If that's what you wish" Viktor turned to Yoraina who similarly glanced at him and nodded in affirmation, perhaps this would be a learning ground or perhaps…miracle or not they might acquire what they'd been wishing for.
***
There was a putrid smell in the air, one that hung in the atmosphere with the stench of crimson blood and rotting flesh. It was a stench that they knew well, the captain of the Third Raven's Guard Squad knelt over the victim's bodies as he analysed the wounds across them.
"Geralt, when did all this occur?" He sternly asked, his voice gruff and raspy, aged in correlation to his pearl white beard, rinkled features and dull eyes as he spoke to a man in a bright white trench coat of gold lining and a deep hood. In the man's hand, Geralt, was a wand, silver in colour and crystalline in nature; within it was a thin strand of flowing green, soft and forelone.
"The man was attacked by a magic caster, most likely specialized under the dragon of death" Said Geralt, his expression complicated and disgusted.
"The dragon of death, a necromancer?" The man asked as Geralt's gaze grew narrow. He crouched over the corpse, examining its cuts and gashes, mangled body and gaping holes.
"A half Necromancer" he responded, "True Necromancer's place a great deal of effort in preserving the bodies, for later resurrection of course"
The man frowned, the thought of something so insidious was revolting.
"What reason would a Half Necromancer have…to do something like this?"
Geralt kept silent, his gaze still fixated on the corpse. He then slowly raised his crystalline wand, bringing its silver tip towards the corpse's head and lightly placed it there before slowly raising it once more to pull out a small thin strand of phantasmal red string that crackled and popped, seemingly waning as it slowly lost power.
"Geralt…"
Geralt rose again, the wand hanging by his side as he gazed upon the corpse in front of them then the littering of corpses barbarically slaughtered and piled across the ground in dried red pools that reeked of the dead while his expression grew grim.
"This is dangerous Beryl…"