Arc | Chapter. 21: Last Day (Patreon)

Chapter. 21: Last Day

I paused holding the door handle, so many things passed through my mind but in the end, I couldn’t help but start laughing. What had even made him guess that? So many questions that I had, but in the end it didn’t make sense.

“You’re crazy,” I finally said after a long breath. “But if me being the Heroine of Frost will make you move your ass from the chair, then sure Old man.” I smiled. “I am the Heroine of Frost.”

And he started cackling.

“Good good, then Miss Heroine, do defeat the dragon if you stumble on it.”

“Ha?” I raised my brow. “I’m a C Tier adventurer, I’m not suicidal.”

“Are you sure about that?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes,” I answered without missing a beat. “Wouldn’t fight something I can’t beat after all.”

“Of course,” the man said with a chuckle. “That wouldn’t even be an enjoyable fight either, perhaps an enjoyable escape though.”

I thought for a moment and shook my head. “That definitely isn’t my kind of thing, but if it gets you going then, go for it too.” I opened the door, waving the paper. “Thank you old man, hope you can reach S Tier in a couple of years.”

He smiled widely at me.

“I definitely will.”

And then, I left along with Ceylon.

* * * * *

Raynell was sure of it. She definitely was a hero. The Heroine of Ice, or as the system called the element, the Heroine of Frost. He didn’t guess because of her demeanor, her uncaringness, or even her rather cold body temperature; it wasn’t because of her confidence either. No, it was due to a feeling.

A simple feeling he had felt once before, and the very thing that made him give up. That feeling of insurmountability, of grandeur, but also it was something else. Something that Raynell didn’t have a complete perception of, but it happened when the chair was frozen. A sense of depth, like the ocean, unknowing how far down it truly goes.

He saw it in her eyes, the way she spoke, it was clear that Arc had gone through a lot. Whether she was a hero or not, it was the same feeling that he felt back then.

The same feeling that hero gave him.

Raynell gritted his teeth. He remembered it vividly, he had risen up to the challenge unknowing of the terrors that awaited him, he wanted to save people, but when he arrived all he saw was a blazing town.

Flames hot enough that they threatened to melt his skin, a fiery landscape so incandescent that it was blinding, and an atmosphere so devoid of life that it might as well have been a burning desert.

That was until he saw him.

Raynell only made eye contact then, no words were exchanged. There wasn’t even hostility, but he knew how helpless he was, how out of depth he was, and that broke him.

The man he met then, was none other than the Hero of Flames.

And now…

A long breath left him.

He had felt the same feeling just now with someone else, except this time, the way that person looked at him was different. It was a challenge, and Raynell was going to crush it.

Whether she was a hero or not, it didn’t matter to him, all he knew was that he wanted to see how far the rabbit hole went, he wanted to see the bottom of that ocean for himself.

Arc, huh…?

He smiled.

“May we meet again, young one.”

* * * * *

Accepting the request had been very straightforward. The receptionist simply asked for my adventurer tag and after receiving it and reading some information she nodded and gave it back; then sent us our way.

I got to keep the request paper for me to reference, which was kind of nice. And with that, we left the guild, though as soon as we were outside Ceylon tugged at my sleeve and turned to me.

“Do you think it’s alright?”

I blinked. “The thing that happened with the Guildmaster?”

She slowly nodded. “Wouldn’t it be troublesome? The fact that he knows?”

I shook my head. “He has no proof, and he doesn’t know, I can be whatever to him. He just…” I pondered for a moment. “Look up to me now I think.”

“How does that even make sense?” Ceylon asked with confusion.

“Well, it’s complicated,” I said, scratching my head. “Mostly due to his gaze, he didn’t seem fixated in confirming the thing either.”

“I guess so…” Ceylon thought for a moment before frowning. “But you should still be more careful and not outright admit it even if sarcastically!”

I blinked and sighed. “If I become touchy around the topic then I think it’s honestly more likely for the truth to be out, it’s best to treat it with sarcasm and lies. Not like lies are good, but sometimes they are necessary.”

Ceylon thought for a second before speaking.  “I agree with that. I guess I just wasn’t seeing it the same way you were, sorry for that. Though you should still be more careful with the ice part.”

I nodded thinking back on it. “Yeah, that was quite the slip up…”

“Well, yeah, maybe I should’ve interrupted too.” Ceylon sighed. “I was so caught up just listening to what you both were saying. I mean, you said you like fights which I didn’t understand, though I think I got a better picture now.”

I smiled hearing that. “That’s great, you should try⁠—”

“But it’s definitely not for me.” Ceylon said, shaking her head. “I know that for certain, the feeling of my life being threatened is not something I can stand.”

I paused and nodded. “Yeah, I can see that, you are quite the… scaredy-cat.”

Ceylon paused and then laughed. “I guess so. Still, I’m glad to have heard that perspective from you Arc. We should just enjoy the rest of the day, then depart in the morning. Ah, we should depart from the town-gates, I think it’d be a nice experience for you too.”

I blinked. “You think so?”

“Yup.” She nodded. “I really do.”

“Huh, let’s do it that way then,” I agreed and Ceylon pulled me along to continue exploring Blackcrest.

We ended up simply taking in the town and the architecture; it was rather medieval but germanic? I had no idea, they were houses with white walls and wooden supports. They were nice.

Then, we had dinner and the day ended shortly after.

◇ ◇ ◇

I was woken up to gentle rocking, my dreams nothing but a mystery, all while my companion greeted me in my morning haze. It was strange, it felt like I had dreamt something important, something perhaps relaxing, but I could remember nothing; and at the same time, I also felt like I dreamt of nothing and simply had a nice sleep.

I slowly sat up as Ceylon greeted me with a shy smile.

“Good morning, sorry if it’s a bit too early.”

“Too early?” I asked, confused for a moment before noting the rather blue hue in the room.

It was the early morning, the sun was just beginning to rise, but it was still not there yet. Letting out a very small yawn, I nodded.

“I guess it is a bit too early, but I’m used to getting no sleep.”

“Well, it’s not something you should be used to…” Ceylon said awkwardly. “And you look a bit tired, but ignoring that, we should get ready to set off.”

I nodded and slowly got up from the bed, this time I wasn’t wearing my jacket but my shirts instead. And without a second thought I reached for my jacket that was on a coat hanger and slung it on.

I was a bit tired, but I knew that my body was just getting used to this new life of mine.

“Though perhaps, I shouldn’t let my guard down…” I murmured.

Ever since arriving here I had been relaxing, taking things with much less seriousness than I normally would have. And perhaps, that was the right thing, but if five years of non-stop fighting had taught me anything it was that being too comfortable could be dangerous.

I shook my head as Ceylon finished putting on a cloak, and with that, we set off.

The receptionist was sleepy but still bid us farewell, however the town had hardly anyone present aside from the guards. However, the atmosphere was peaceful and calming, the wind was chilly, and the sun was still nowhere to be seen.

We trekked at a leisurely pace, until finally we reached the northern gate only to see another person waiting. The hooded figure turned to regard us, only to let out a small sound of surprise as a familiar voice spoke up.

“Oh, it’s you two!” she chirped. “It seems that mother fate wanted us to meet on this fine morning.”

“Oh, it’s Rory,” Ceylon said with surprise.

“Is that her name…?” I quietly asked, only to get a small nod in reply.

It didn’t take more than a few seconds for us to reach her, and she shook Ceylon’s hand before offering me the same thing. Just like yesterday, I gave her a handshake.

“Cold as ever, I see.” She chuckled. “What’s got you two leaving so early?”

“I took a request, and we are also in a hurry.”

“Is it the dragon intel request?” she asked with a smile.

I blinked. “Yeah, I guess…?”

There was a moment of hesitation from the woman before she let out a small sigh.

“Are you not going to ask how I know or something?”

“Not… really?” I asked in confusion before Ceylon nudged me. “I mean⁠— how did you know?”

“I took the same request,” she said, shaking her head. “You know, it wouldn’t kill you to be friendlier.”

“I guess not.” I sighed, unknowing of how to interact with the woman. “Is this the part in which you say you want to tag along with us?”

She smiled. “Good guess, and that is the case indeed.”

“Not happening,” I said simply. “We are in a rush⁠—”

“Actually, we have enough time to just go there by foot, it wouldn’t really affect me,” Ceylon interrupted. “I think you should consider her request Arc.”

I blinked, suddenly feeling confused. “Is that alright for you?”

Ceylon nodded much to my surprise. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

I took a small breath, before grabbing Ceylon by the hand and dragging her somewhere more privately to talk. There were⁠— multiple reasons to refuse Rory joining, but I wanted to hear her reasoning to let her tag along.

And so, after I made sure we were far enough, I finally asked Ceylon.

“Why?”

She frowned slightly. “What do you mean why?”

“Why are you alright with her joining?” I asked.

Ceylon’s frowned deepened. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s normal for adventurers to travel in groups, there is a base-level of trust around it. So she won’t cause problems in that front given she is B Tier, not only that but she is nice.”

“She’s weird,” I said, shaking my head, before finally getting to what I really thought.  “Is it because you want to spend more time with me before the mission is fulfilled?”

My companion paused, she opened her mouth once and closed it, her expression was a bit hard but finally after a moment she sighed.

“That is part of the reason but not the entire reason.”

“Then?” I pressed.

“The reason is you Arc,” she breathed. “What will happen with you when I’m gone? No offense but you are terrible at interacting with strangers. If you don’t have any other people to even socialize with, what will you do? I doubt you want to be completely alone all of the time.”

There was silence as my brain took in everything she said, before finally, I let out a sigh.

“I guess… you’re right.”

She was right, Ceylon was the only person that I had talked with in-depth since coming here, and even though Rory had somewhat been open to a conversation I made not even the slightest attempt to know about her.

While I could say that I’d deal with things once Ceylon was gone, it was undeniable that perhaps it was best for me to start a network of acquaintances beforehand. Perhaps I could travel along with Rory for sometime if she proved to be nice enough, but if I never gave her that chance then it would never really happen.

As for me being a hero, that knowledge would remain exclusive to Ceylon, but that didn’t mean i had to shy away from interactions as a whole.

Finally, I nodded.

“Alright.”

* * * * *

Rory felt… dejected. Arc was a peculiar person that she’d certainly like to get to know more. Part of the reason she became an adventurer was getting to know people. Of course, it wasn’t the whole reason, but it was a large part of it. And unfortunately, from how things had gone, it didn’t seem like the white haired girl would open up to her.

Not only was her coldness peculiar, but her demeanor was too, and more than anything her appearance, whether it was her clothes or her youthful appearance, Rory wanted to find out more⁠. Though it seemed that it wouldn’t be happening.

Arc hadn’t excused herself, she had just dragged her companion along for a private talk, so…

Rory shook her head and got ready to depart. She had been waiting for ten minutes for someone to show up just to get that tiny bit of interaction before heading out on her journey.

“Though I guess, I can’t expect everyone to like me,” she mused with a small smile.

Arc was another person in the world, one out of many to meet. She was sure that someday, she would meet someone extraordinary, but today wouldn’t be the day⁠—

And she heard footsteps approaching. She turned only to see Arc coming back with a weird expression along with her companion, and before Rory could say anything, Arc spoke up.

“I’m sorry for earlier…” She scratched her cheek. “If you’re still interested in joining us, then do so by all means.”

Rory blinked. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah I’m sure.” Arc nodded.

“Are you really really sure?” She asked again.

“I am really sure, yeah,” Arc replied with hints of regret.

And Rory smiled, before hugging Arc⁠— or she tried to as the woman got out of the way.

“I’m not letting you do that however,” Arc said with a sigh. “Let’s go, you too Ceylon.”

With those words Arc turned around as the blonde companion tried to reassure her.

“Sorry, she’s a bit… awkward around people.”

“It’s fine, I’m sure your companion will prove to be very interesting.” Rory smiled.

She looked at the white haired girl with strange clothes. It was an irrational feeling, but perhaps this was one of the extraordinary people she dreamt of meeting.

And with that, they set out on their journey, one that Rory would never forget.