Chapter 7: Chapter 1
A week later, in the room, Jane woke up to.
The young woman stood in front of a mirror, totally naked, inspecting her body closely. It was amazing how much healing magic could do wonders; there wasn't a single wound left, and only a few barely visible scars remained. Even those would disappear after a little while, based on what the healer had told her.
[{ - How come you can't do that, Anna? I mean, aren't you a mage? }]
Jane felt like her friend was squirming a bit in her mind, as if she were embarrassed about her weak spot being pointed out.
{ - Well, I did try to learn healing magic. But it turns out I have no talent for it whatsoever! I'm only useful for destroying things! }
At the end of her sentence, she sounded really proud for some obscure reason. That made Jane sigh a little while shaking her head. At least that fire mastery showed itself really useful the last time; if not for that, she wasn't sure they would have been able to survive at all.
When her thoughts returned to what had happened a week ago, the smile brought on by Anna faded a little. She still had some difficulty processing that her parents weren't alive anymore. She couldn't really understand why that Ouroboros group wanted to erase her family from the world.
When she talked about them with Eliza, they hadn't gone into much detail because Jane was feeling weak and had to go back to sleep.
But now that she was up, it was time to go and understand more about them and about the mysterious white-haired woman.
After all, during the week she was here, she could see how respectful each servant was toward Eliza. The place they were in was also quite lavish. Jane knew for sure that her hostess wasn't just some little receptionist at all. Far from that. She couldn't even understand why Eliza had rescued her, and from what she understood, Eliza had sent someone powerful enough to scare away a leader, maybe the leader, of that organization.
A sigh escaped her lips before being replaced by a smile. She turned around and started to walk toward the door, her clothes appearing on her body step by step.
{ - Really, I still think that's cheating to do that! I wish I could have been able to do it, too. }
[{ - And I wish you could use healing spells, but I guess we can't have everything, right? }]
That response made Anna go quiet, while Jane chuckled to herself. It was time to talk to Eliza.
When she got out of her room, a servant approached her and bowed respectfully.
- Hello, Miss Denki. I see you're feeling better already. It's impressive how fast you recovered, even with the healing spells. Do you need anything?
- Hello. Yes, I would like to speak to the lady, please. Where can I find her?
- She's in her office. Let me accompany you, Miss.
Without really waiting for Jane's response, the servant turned around and began to lead her through the hallways of the lavish mansion. After a while, they finally approached an intricate-looking double door. The servant knocked on it and opened it when she heard "enter" from inside.
The room looked almost the same as Eliza's office back in Vanel. The white-haired woman was sitting behind her desk, writing something on a piece of paper. She looked up when she heard the door close behind Jane, the servant having excused herself out.
- Good morning, Miss Denki. Please, take a seat.
Jane did as told, smiling at her interlocutor.
- Good morning, Eliza, but please, call me Jane. After all, I don't even know your last name. And it feels weird being called "Miss Denki."
- Fine, Jane. Did you need something?
- Yes, actually, I need information on Ouroboros. Whatever you have. And… didn't you want to know more details about that fight with Regg?
While resting from her injuries, Jane had enough time to think. Based on what Eliza had initially said about Ouroboros, she needed allies. And who better than the beautiful "receptionist" who had rescued her and seemed to know a lot more than she let on?
At the mention of the fight, Eliza's eyes seemed to sparkle with interest. It was obvious she was really curious about what happened. Maybe it was her nature as a mage. Or maybe Jane was reading too much into it.
- I would love to hear about it. It's been on my mind since then. How did that glove appear on your hand? What was that reaction speed? And what was that running speed you displayed while going to your village?
The young woman was stunned by the barrage of questions and lifted her hands in an attempt to calm Eliza down. She hadn't expected that much interest in her gifts, but she did promise to explain.
- Okay, I think you should first calm down a bit. That's too much of questions at once, but I'll explain. First of all, in a sense, I always have that glove with me. It's just stored elsewhere—in another dimension, if you will.
The young mercenary raised her hand, and an armored but fine glove appeared around it, showing what she meant. After a few seconds, she made it vanish once more.
- That's one of my gifts. As for the second part, it's another gift. I can do almost everything quickly. It doesn't sound that impressive, of course, but when i say "almost" I mean it—from reflexes to movement, even things happening within my body. That's part of the reason why my injuries healed faster, even with the spells.
These explanations made Eliza silent, a wondering expression on her face. She had never heard of anyone having two gifts at once. She couldn't say she knew everyone in the world, but she was certain that kind of situation was rare. It was great news for her, nonetheless.
- I see. That's some interesting power you have here. I won't ask how you got so skilled in combat. Knowing who your family is…or was.
A shadow briefly passed over Jane's face, but she forced a smile to cover it.
- Now that you mention it…what do you mean by that? I actually don't know much about my family. Well, except that we were just cut off from the rest of the world like pariahs, or hermits.
A sigh escaped Eliza's lips at that question. She couldn't understand why the Denki family hadn't explained anything to their only daughter. But if Jane had known everything, perhaps she wouldn't have left the village, and Eliza wouldn't have encountered her at all. The thought made her shiver in dread.
- I suppose I can tell you what I know about them. I don't know all the details though. Your family is—or rather, were—the guardians of this country. They were the shadows that protected the royal family nearly five hundred years ago. But around a hundred years back, they suddenly cut off all contact. Nobody knew where they hid themselves, nor why they did so.
They were among the most powerful individuals we had, under the direct order of the royal family. No one else could command them. Of course, not many people remember them; it's been too long. I only know because of certain books I had access to.
All of this was new to Jane. She'd never heard anything about her family's history or her village. She had always thought they simply didn't want to bother with the rest of the world. But now, she had to change her way of thinking. Maybe they grew tired of protecting the kingdom? Or maybe they had enemies and had to hide? That last thought was actually confirmed: Ouroboros were their enemies. But there was something more about that group.
- I didn't know any of this. Why didn't they tell me? Maybe they'd still be alive by now, i wouldn't have left and we would still be hidden.
{ - I'm not sure, Jane. Those Ouroboros seemed to have been searching for your family for a long time. It was bound to happen! And you wouldn't have met me! The fabulous Anna! }
Jane had to stifle a laugh at Anna's comment. She could almost imagine her perverted friend striking poses in her mind.
After a quick shake of her head, she looked at Eliza again. At that moment, Anna pipped in once more.
{ - By the way, when are you going to make advances on that beautiful girl right in front of you?! She obviously finds you interesting! }
With that, she sent some rather… Suggestive images of Eliza into Jane's mind, making her suddenly blush and quickly avert her head with a jerk. Eliza, confused about her sudden actions, asked with concern in her voice.
- Are you alright? Do you still feel pain from your wounds? You shouldn't push yourself, even if your gift helps you recover faster!
{ - Aw, look at that! She cares about you! Go on, Jane, make a move already! }
[{ - Will you shut up?! Not everybody is a pervert like you! }]
Her friend just laughed in her mind after that scolding. Anna knew Eliza wasn't thinking of Jane that way, but she did find her interesting. But why? Anna didn't know and was still a bit wary of her. She could sense there was some hidden agenda behind Eliza's actions, though it didn't seem like she wanted Jane harmed—not intentionally, at least.
The young woman cleared her throat, trying to control her blush before looking at Eliza again. She was still slightly red from Anna's teasing images but it was barely noticeable now.
- Don't worry, I'm alright. I just…thought of something… Yeah, anyway! We were talking about Ouroboros, right?!
There was a note of panic in Jane's voice, making Eliza raise an eyebrow. She looked at Jane for a moment before shrugging her shoulders slightly.
- Yes, about them. I don't actually have much information, as I said a week ago. But I'm pretty sure we'll learn more as we rank up in the Guild. You see, Mercenaries aren't tied to a kingdom. The whole guild is independent of the kingdoms they're in, and their web of information is broader than any nation's.
Jane frowned a little at that. She hadn't expected her chase to be easy, but neither did she thought it would be this difficult to gather information. It seemed this went beyond her country. She had no choice but to rank up fast.
Her train of thought was interrupted by Eliza, who seemed to hesitate.
- So… I wanted to ask… Would you like to form a party with me? I have as much reason as you to want Ouroboros brought down.
In her voice, a repressed anger could be heard that surprised Jane. It immediately made her feel closer to the white-haired woman. She lifted her hand and took Eliza's, smiling at her.
- I don't know what happened to you, but if you want them gone, I say we do it together. There's just one thing I want to understand. Who are you, really? It's not that I don't trust you—not after all you've done for me—but I'm curious. A regular receptionist can't have such an office, or a mansion like this.
A sad smile crossed Eliza's face, and she squeezed Jane's hand before answering.
- Thank you, Jane. You don't know how much I needed to hear something like that. As for who I really am… I am Eliza Havenflow, princess of the Kingdom of Havenflow.
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