Heroes of Nexus (Chapter 8) (Patreon)

Al emerged from between the trees, spotting Jesse next to the cobblestone road. She looked like an abandoned little animal, drenched from head-to-toe.

“I’m back. Sorry I took so long.”

The girl’s eyes widened. For a moment, she didn’t say anything, curiously looking him up and down. Now cleaned up and wearing a full set of clothes, he must’ve looked different to her.

Taking a few steps closer, she peered at his face. Her expression was a little strange, almost as if she were disappointed.

“Tsk.”

Al’s eyebrow twitched.

“Don’t click your tongue at people. It’s rude.”

Jesse’s lips curled downward. Holding her chin with one hand, she turned her head this way and that.

“You’re a little handsome, but…”

“But what?”

“…I thought you’d be older.”

Fighting the urge to laugh, Al put his hand on her head, ruffling her wet hair.

“I’m older than I look. Let’s go find a place out of the rain. Since all the buildings are empty, we can take our pick.”

Jesse slapped at his hand irritably, but when he started walking, she was quick to come up behind, clutching the him of his shirt.

She rubbed the fabric a little, intrigued.

“Wow, the weave is so delicate-…”

Glancing up at him, her tone turned somewhat accusatory.

“…I thought your name sounded fancy, but are you actually a noble?”

Al shook his head. Though, he understood why she’d think that. Despite being torn and bloodied, the quality of his clothes was evident—not the kind of thing a commoner would wear.

“Don’t let your imagination run wild. I’m just an ordinary guy.”

Hiding her face behind his back, Jesse made a ‘hmm’ sound. She clearly didn’t believe him.

“Even if you are a noble, don’t expect me to bow.”

Al snorted, but didn’t otherwise reply. She was definitely a strange child.

For a while, they just walked. Wanting to get a better look at the place, Al took a different road. He wanted to map all the locations he knew from the game. If he recalled right, the mages’ tower should be nearby—a good vantage-point.

After a few minutes of trekking in silence, passing through the unusually-quiet forest, Jesse tugged on Al shirt, speaking softly.

“Hey, did you run away from home or something?”

Al rolled his eyes.

“No.”

Jesse went quiet for a moment before speaking suspiciously.

“You’re going somewhere, right? How do you know about this place? Have you been here before?”

“…”

Al kept his mouth shut. Rather than coming up with some clumsy lie, he thought it best to just remain silent.

Jesse didn’t relent.

“Come on, why won’t you tell me-…?”

“Oh, there it is.”

Spotting a tall, towering spire behind the treetops, Al turned his head, glad for a distraction.

However, Jesse wouldn’t let things go so easily. Practically growling, she ran in front of him, holding her arms outward.

“Hey, don’t ignore me!”

Almost bumping into her, Al sighed’ rubbing the back of his head.

“I’m not ignoring you, but explaining is a little difficult. You might not believe me.”

“That excuse won’t work on me. Besides, since you brought me here, I deserve to know!”

“You don’t ‘deserve’ to know anything. But since I’m a nice person, I’ll tell you.”

Gesturing with his hand, he bade her to walk beside him.

“Hmm… I don’t know where to start. Guess I’ll just say whatever comes to mind. Hopefully that’s enough.”

Jesse made a suspicious face, but in the end, she obliged, getting out of the way.

“As you can probably tell, this isn’t a normal town. Really, it’s not a ‘town’ in the first place. It’s more like a pen made for animals, but in this case, the animals are people.”

Jesse looked like she wanted to interrupt, but Al didn’t let her. He needed her to understand the situation without sugarcoating it..

“Do you know what a ‘gladiator’ is?”

She shook her head.

“Nuh-uh.”

Al touched his chin, thoughtful. He’d long-since realized he wasn’t speaking his own language anymore. Obviously, the system was translating for him. Though, it seemed it couldn’t bridge the gap in Jesse’s own knowledge.

“Basically, they’re slaves who are captured and forced to fight.”

He knew the definition wasn’t technically correct, but it was good enough for his purposes.

Jesse’s face paled, unsettled by what he was implying, but Al quickly assuaged her worries.

“Don’t look like that. You won’t be fighting anyone. Actually, your stay here shouldn’t be too bad. You might not be able to leave, though.”

“...”

For a few moments, the two walked in silence. Jesse shifted from one expression to the next, clearly thinking things over.

“Then, what about you? Will you have to fight?”

Al huffed amusedly.

“Why are you asking? Are you worried about me?”

“So what if I am?”

“Heh, then I’m thankful. But you don’t have to be.”

The girl turned her head away, staring gloomily into the woods.

“I still don’t understand anything.”

Al shrugged.

“I don’t either. The reason for people being summoned here is a mystery.”

“But didn’t we come here on our own?”

“No. If ‘I’ wasn’t connected to the Nexus, the portal wouldn’t have opened. I’m sure you know, but that thing is usually just a block of stone.”

Jesse went silent again, thinking. Al could practically see smoke pouring out of her ears.

Eventually, her eyes widened in realization.

“You were sent there… to fight?”

Al smiled. She wasn’t half stupid.

“Correct. Wasn’t much of a fight, though.”

His words prompted her to look down at her feet, her shoulders slumping. It was obvious what she was thinking about.

Al patted her on the back awkwardly. He really wasn’t good at dealing with this kind of stuff.

“I told you not to think too much, didn’t I?”

Unfortunately, he didn’t seem able to distract her this time. Jesse didn’t look up, simply plodding along next to him.

“T-They’re… all dead, aren’t they?”

From her tone, it was clear she’d started crying.

Al sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I’m too weak. I couldn’t do anything.”

For some reason, this made her start sobbing for real. Almost as she’d still been holding onto hope until now.

“...”

Al didn’t know what to say, but after a moment’s thinking, he bent down, facing away from her. He remembered his niece—being carried around always served to cheer her up.

“Get on. The stones are wet, and you’ll fall if you aren’t looking.”

He couldn’t see Jesse’s face, but he heard her sniffing stop briefly. A second later, she’d put her arms around his neck, so he hauled her up. She barely weighed anything.

“We’ll be out of the rain soon, then you’ll get a proper view of the place.”

—----------------------------

“Wow…”

Al’s tone was quiet, his voice filled with a hazy, dreamlike quality.

Jesse, who’d stopped crying a while ago, raised her head. She was about to ask if something was wrong, but her tear-stained face immediately froze, her eyes widening into dinner-plates.

The mages’ tower was massive on the inside, disproportionate to its actual physical size. The base—one of ten floors—was a library the likes of which they’d not seen before.

Bathed in a soft, orange glow, a laminated wooden floor stretched onward, splitting into staircases, walkways and ladders that spiraled upward, scattered between what seemed like endless bookshelves, one stacked upon another.

Despite craning his head, Al almost couldn’t see the end of it. It was so high that just looking upward and attempting to count the segments gave him a sense of vertigo.

He blinked a few times, one hand going to his forehead. It was a scene that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Lord of the Rings film.

“Ah… Uh… Wha-...?”

Jessie mumbled incoherently behind him, her eyes practically glazed over. For a small village girl like her, it was even more astonishing.

Bending down, Al gently set her feet on the floor before taking her hand.

“Let’s take a seat over there.”

Jesse nodded numbly, letting him lead her by the hand.

On the way, they passed something which looked like a reception desk, snaking between a few isles before arriving at an open space, furnished with a few leather couches. Wet from the constant drizzle, Al was careful not to bump any of the shelves.

Having all but dragged the shocked girl by the hand, he made her take a seat. Jesse flopped down on it, limp like a puppet.

“H-how can there be so many books…?”

Al didn’t know what to say, being similarly out of his depth. He’d been to a public library before, and in a big city to boot, but this was in another league.

“Why don’t you lie down for a moment?”

Jesse nodded absentmindedly. However, despite agreeing, she remained sitting upright. It was obvious she hadn’t really heard him.

Sighing, Al pushed on her shoulder until she leaned backward, her wet hair squishing against the stuffed cushion. Right now, ruining the couch was the last thing on his mind.

“I’ll look around for something to dry you with. Stay put, okay?”

“Hm.”

Al waited for her to say something else, but when she remained quiet, he reached out, pinching her cheek.

“Ow!”

A hint of clarity returned to her eyes, appearing slightly wronged.

He smiled.

“Don’t go wandering around. You might get lost between these shelves. You must be tired anyway. Try sleeping for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”

Jesse grumbled, rubbing her cheek. She seemed like she wanted to pinch him in return, but Al pre-empted her mischief.

“You should’ve listened the first time. Anyway, I’m going.”

Giving her a last look, he turned around when she reached out suddenly, grabbing his wrist.

Al glanced at her, exasperated.

“What?”

He wasworried about her catching a cold, but at the same time, he wanted to check the place out. Finding himself in a magical library, something he’d only read about in fantasy novels, his curiosity was unsurprising. Who knew what secrets were hidden here?

“…I don’t mind it. I’ll dry on my own. And I’m not tired.”

Her reply caught him off-guard for a moment before he sighed, shaking his head.

“Jeez, I’m not going to abandon you. I’ll be back in five minutes. I promise.”

After appearing to think it over, she let go of his wrist, though seeming not entirely satisfied.

“All right. Since you promised.”

Feeling a little bad, Al stuck out his hand, pinkie extended.

“I’ll even do a pinky-promise. If I’m not back in five minutes, I’ll swallow a thousand needles.”

“…”

Jesse looked at him in surprise for suddenly bursting into laughter. She did accept the gesture, hooking her pinkie with his.

“Wow, how old are you anyway? That’s something only kids say!”

Al once again noticed how cold her hand was. Inwardly, he changed his plans, resolving not to take too long.

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