How long was it I wonder? How long was it that I, Varvara Gauthier, was able to talk to other people without being overly nervous?
Honestly, even I could not remember.
I have a doting mother and an overly protective father. Both of them loved me very much that it made me thought that other than my parents, I need no one else by my side. Of course, that was only the naïve thinking of the younger version of me.
But the sooner I attended my first day of school, everything changed. My father and mother can not stay by my side every single minute of my life. I realized it. I needed to build connection. I needed to create a link and make friends of my age. But why was it? How do I even make friends? How do I speak to them?
I, who had never talked to anyone else other than my gentle maid, have no idea how to start a conversation; neither I was able to make one to last long.
Whenever I tried to talk to someone, my voice would break. I cannot even make a single sentence without stuttering. I would love to talk about my hobbies too. I love reading books. I love playing the piano. I love watching movies. I love plants and animals. I… would love to have friends. Alas, how do I start a conversation, I wonder?
My days as a student went by without me making any friends. Did I improve my communication skill? No. Rather, I seem to become worse when it comes to talking with other people. My mother and father never told me anything that could make me anxious, but the look of worry on their faces was enough to make me feel sorry for my inability to make any connection.
But one day, I was given a newfound hope. The day that I received my shard. A blessing that was given to me by the Seraphim stone. My ability. The Forest Hymn.
Finally, I have something to talk about to other people! Or so I thought, but my wishful thinking was utterly destroyed by the truth of this world. The harsh truth of acquiring an ability.
I was told. An ability holder was never meant to talk about their ability in the first place. They were forbidden to even mention it to other people. My hope shattered.
My lonely days went and my ability developed even further, together with my wish to make friends. In the midst of my loneliness, an ability to talk to plants and animals manifested inside me. I was happy. Finally, I was able to have friends. But still, will I be fine, I wonder? My father and mother were growing anxious as the day my power grow stronger. It seemed to me that they were happy but at the same time conflicted that I had given up on making friends with humans. How do I make my parents be at ease?
That question was hung on my head. Like a still display.
Then one day, a person claiming to be the President of an organization came before us. She said that as an ability holder, I am responsible to attend their academy. I knew of it. I know of that place. The Saint Ilse. The Saint Stella Academy.
My father and mother and I had a long talk about this matter. Ultimately, my father was against it and so was my mother. But what can we do? As an ability holder, I will be put into danger if I left myself in the open. That's what the President told us.
I convinced my parents. I need to change. I want to change. For my parent's sake. For my sake. And for my future.
It was a choice that I would never regret even the day I die.
Because my decision to enroll at the Saint Stella Academy was the road that crossed our path. I was able to meet him. My hero. My savoir. My prince.
The first one to stretch his arms to mine. Gleren.
***
Me and my groupmates followed the mysterious path of the dungeon. It was truly a sight to behold for first timers just like the lot of us. There was no light that could find themselves in, but blue gems embedded on the walls provided enough illumination for us to trail the dungeon without any worry. Truly, how wonderful was the creation of this dungeon. How awe-aspiring was the conception of this uncharted place?
Our group was composed of me and three other girls from our class. The one leading our party was a third-year member of the student's council. The beautiful senior that goes by the name of Cho-Hee. I heard she was a Korean ability holder. She was so beautiful that my fellow members were stuck gawking at her fair face. I honestly thought that if she wasn't an ability holder, she might have already debuted as a sensational idol. Or maybe she actually had?"
"Come on, you girls. We have a wonderful dungeon in our sight, have we not?
Our senior only gave a giggle as a reply for our reaction and told us to focus on the dungeon. We did as our senior advised us to do and shifted our gaze to the dungeon surrounding instead.
Our teachers told us that monsters appear in the dungeon. They told us that we must always exercise cautious and never panic in case we encounter one. But still, in the face of a true monster, I think no one would be able to stay levelheaded when it was their first-time.
In front of us was a golem. It was the same monster that we used on our first practical lesson. We were familiar with these, yes. But this were not the same monsters by them. These monsters were baring its hostility to us. I was ready and unforgiving.
I gulped by the sight of this towering monster. I was nervous and so was my fellow members. Amidst all these, only miss Cho-Hee remained beautiful and calm.
"Calm down everyone. You need not worry. I will be here with you." She told us with a gorgeous smile. "You only need to do what you did back then on your practical exam." She went on. "Oh, why don't we have miss Gauthier to try her ability on it?"
Huh? Me?
"Uh, uhmm. I-I ..."
She made it sound so easy, but I think it would be hard to tame a monster in this kind of situation. This monster moved faster than the one we had at our practical exam. I don't know if I can do this. I'm not that confident.
I closed my eyes; my fears are overtaking me. By then, I felt a light tap on my back.
"Don't worry," miss Cho-Hee said softly. "We will be here to support you."
As she said that, the other member of our party nodded to her.
"…" I said nothing. I couldn't say anything. But I know, she had given me strength. So, grabbing a handful of my clothes, I prayed inwardly, "Please, give me strength, Gleren."
I eyed miss Cho-Hee.
"Are you ready?" At her question, I nodded my head. As I did, she smiled and went ahead in front of us, "Let us by time for miss Gauthier. Are you girls ready?"
"Yes!"
"Roger that, miss!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
They went to intercept the advancing golem. Hurling their magic spells at it. They faced the huge monster with their newfound bravery given by our party guide, miss Cho-Hee.
As response to their hard work, I closed my eyes. I put my hand on front of my chest in a prayer. As I did, a I feel my mana scaping from my body. A faint green light was coming together with it. I chanted.
"You, oh, wandering soul. Please cease thy hostility and make peace with us." I opened my eyes. "Forest Hymn; Call of the Kindred Soul." I spread my arm in my front in an inviting gesture. My mana went directly to where the golem was. "Please be my friend." The green light hit the golem gently. Then the light disappeared.
Suddenly the golem stopped on its track and bended its knee on the ground. It kneeled in front of me. I smiled at it and gently tapped its shoulder. With that, the taming was competed.
"Wonderful." Miss Cho-Hes praised with a smile.
"Amazing, miss Gauthier! You really tamed it just like how you did in our class!" Cheered one of our members.
"Yes! Truly, how incredible!" Add another.
"What a wonderful ability you have. You're amazing, miss Gauthier."
I was dumbfounded by their honest praise. This was the first-time people openly praised me other than Gleren and my parents.
I see… So, this was the reason why Gleren urged me to party with them.
I was so happy with their praise, but I can not say anything in return. My mouth would open only to close again. I cannot find the right word to say. I was so happy that my face turned red and my lips would curve into a smile if I'm not able to suppress it.
Yes, I was elated. Not until…
"You know, miss Gauthier, you shouldn't get close to that F-rank."
…one of our members said with a mocking tone.
"Yes, miss Gauthier. I heard he was cowardly and always resorted on any means that could turn things into his favor just because he was lady Sofia's brother."
"I heard of that too. I thought it was strange that he placed first in our practical exam despite having lady Elisha with us." They said with voices trained with disgust.
Huh? Are they talking about Gleren?
I eyed each of them. They were talking about Gleren with repulsed expression in their faces. Why? I… don't get it. How can they say such terrible things to him when they don't even know who he was?
Miss Cho-Hee remained quiet to the side, watching the other girls talk without saying anything.
"That's why, you should stay away from that cheat, miss Gauthier."
"Yes, he will just use you and—"
"What do you know?" I said cutting her words; my voice loud and clear.
"Huh?"
They gawked at me, surprised. Maybe they never thought that I would be able to talk like this. Honestly, even I never knew that I would be able to talk this clearly. But I don't care about that. Right now, I believe I was angry. I am incensed.
"I said, what do you know?" I repeated, my voice was cutting sharp to the empty dungeon floor.
"Have you been with him longer than I to say that? Have you seen him do anything of what you claimed off? How dare you say those things without any proof!"
I glared at them. My aura was spilling and my green mana turned yellowish. I stepped forward, prompting them to take one step back.
"How can you say he was cowardly when he came and saved me when no one else would? How can you say he's a cheat when you don't even know how hard he trained himself! How can you say things so easily without knowing him first?! How can you be easily swayed by the words of others?!"
My voice thundered and reverberated inside the dungeon. My hair raised and so the golem by my side.
Just then, a single clap had cooled it all down. Including me and my rage.
"Okay, that was quite enough." Miss Cho-Hee said, her smile never faded.
I came back to my senses and gasped. I… did something terrible again.
"I get it now. I really do. You don't want anyone here badmouthing the boy, right?"
I meekly nodded to her question, returning was my overly shy personality.
"You too, girls. You should apologize." She said, turning her eyes to the girls who readily lined up in front of me and bowed their head in unison.
"Were sorry!" They said in sync. I took a step back, bewildered by their expressions. When I though they were angry at me for lashing at them, all three of them glanced at each other and smiled.
Then raising their heads, they grinned at me.
"I never knew you have such beautiful voice, miss Gauthier! It was so sweet that even when you were angry it was so pleasant to hear." Said the first one.
"Yes. My, how passionate! To think that a shy cutie like you would speak her mind because her boyfriend was belittled, how lovely! How dear!" Said the other girl sending the embarrassment to me making my face hot from my cheeks to my ears. I hid my face with my palm, I couldn't even deny her claim that Gleren was my b-b-boyfriend!
"Indeed. My, my. Now I'm wanting to have a boyfriend of my own." Added the third.
"…"
I wasn't able to say anything in return.
"By the way my name is Marie."
"Oh, I'm Hanna."
"And I'm Rachelle!"
"Let us be friend!" They said in chorus.
I nodded shyly in response for their string insistence.
Somehow, I… made friends. In a weird way…
Seeing as everything was settled, miss Cho-Hee urged us to move forward to the next floor. We meet other types of monsters there as well; wolf and goblins, but with the help of my tamed golem, we were able to reach the fifth floor with ease.
Before we entered the fifth floor, miss Cho-Hee sneaked near me.
"I see now why Sofy was on edge lately, and so was Reina." She said with a giggle.
"Uh, uhm… y-you knew of G-Gleren's sister?" I asked, braving myself to talk.
Miss Cho-Hee smiled. "Of course. We were both in the Student's council, remember?"
Ah, I see. I nodded to her.
"I knew of the boy himself as well. Oh, my. Such strong contender appeared. I guess, I have to gear up as well?"
She chuckled before leaving me dumbfounded. What did she mean by that?
As I was pondering this, Marie, Hanna, and Raziel called out to us in a flabbergasted voice. When we entered the fifth floor, what awaited us was a huge statue of a monster. Or should I say, huge frozen monster?
We were shocked by the sight and at the same time awed by it. Later, we realized that it was the work of the first team before us. The one that Gleren was part of.
As expected of my prince. I said inwardly. A thought that I can never say out loud. Not now, not in the future.
We returned to the school ground without any pressing issues. After a short while, all the students were gathered at the training hall except for Gleren and his group.
With all that and me making some new friends, our first dungeon visit came to an end.