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 so ti 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 ti she fought against other rcenaries. In this line of work, conflicts among the rcenaries were pretty much daily occurrenceswhether it was as trivial as soone accidentally stumbling by another or rcenary groups competing over loot or missions.
However, being involved in a battle where both parties were hell-bent on killing each othertonight was her first experience in such a fight.
The mory 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 ca to losing their lives at that mont...
Claudia sighed deeply. After calming herself down, she looked around her room, seeing no one there but herself.
"Flam 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 t with Aurora in the Twilight Forest at that ti, she had never seen her look so despondent and vulnerable. It was the first ti that she saw her leader make such an expressionsolemnity, guilt, and self-bla, all tangled on Aurora's face.
Although they had been together only for a brief span of ti, Aurora in Claudia's mind always been a reliable young lady who brimd 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 feelinghow can soone so powerful, beautiful, and perfect be without a flaw at the sa ti?
She sotis 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 sothing that Claudia could relate to very well.
It was sohow shaful 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 so use to Aurora.
Her inability to provide any help aside from her ager abilities as an apprentice priest always plagued her, especially after another girl as mysterious as her captain, Flam, appeared out of seemingly thin air, who was actually her sword spirit (not that she actually understood what that actually ant) and possessed extraordinary fighting abilities to fight side by side with Aurora.
And she was also more gorgeous than herself! Although she seed 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 sa ti when she recalled how smitten Aurora by Flam'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 cald 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 Flam standing outside the bedroom, waiting for Aurora.
"How is Captain?" Claudia stood outside the door with a worried expression on her face.
Flam just shook her head slightly without uttering a word. She also knew in her heart that they must not disturb her at this ti.
"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 calr 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 Flam, who were listening to the movent inside, lost their balance and fell in.
"It hurts, it hurts... Captain, are you okay... Eh?"
Claudia raised her head to et Aurora's gaze before she finished speaking, but the words she hadn't said were completely stuck in her throat at that mont.
There was sothing 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 so 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 seed 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 so things. I'm really sorry that I put you in danger at night due to my poor judgent."
"Captain, don't say that!" Claudia quickly waved her hand. "It's not Captain's fault! Besides, didn't we co back safely!"
"Un, Master. Don't worry." Flam also comforted her, albeit clumsily.
"But... If it's not for" Despite being comforted by Flam and Claudia, Aurora still stubbornly believed that she was at fault this ti. However, before she could finish her sentence, Claudia suddenly pulled her into her embrace, burying her face in her (aweso) motherly bosom as she let out an exasperated sigh like an old mother. "Ah... such a troubleso 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 Flam and 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 mont. The warmth she felt perating Claudia's body made her feel that everything was going to be alright. She nodded without uttering a word.
Flam 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 eyeA 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 ti had passed, when a faint voice suddenly called at Claudia. "Um... Claudia... I'm fine. Can you let 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 imdiately turned her face, hiding her beet red cheeks.
"Cute..." Flam, who didn't speak from the beginning, blurted out an offhanded comnt 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 Flam! 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 erald 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 requirents are t. Do you want to summon the sword spirit?]
"Summon."
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