Chương 45: First enemy
A couple of days had passed since the creation of our guild, and now we had decent firepower and even our treasurer. Kurone was looking for suitable jobs for us, but Katrina, despite the lack of money, refused all simple assignments, arguing that our guild should only take on the most dangerous missions that determined people's lives. I had a feeling that with such an attitude, we would end up entangled in a task similar to the previous one, so I needed to prepare our guildmates for any outcome.
I devised a couple of simple exercises for Kurone and Grain to develop their hidden abilities and enhance their combat effectiveness. I didn't forget about my own training, continuing to hone my skills as a swordsman and in dual-wielding weapons. However, I didn't know what to do with the princesses. Their strength was almost limitless, and even their teacher, Levris, could offer little help with their training.
Katrina concerned me, or rather, the presence of Seleria clearly oppressed her. She had even started walking through the Academy using secret passages again, as if retreating into her shell once more. I had to shake her out of this state before we lost her completely. Moreover, for the past week, I felt like someone was watching us. At first, I thought it might be Seleria, but she joined the guild, and the surveillance didn't stop. Furthermore, this person was mainly tracking Katrina, which meant we couldn't leave her alone, as it could be an assassin for hire.
However, I had one advantage in tracking Katrina—I knew the location of her room, and one evening, I put my plan into action.
Katrina entered her room not through the door but through the wall; this method of movement had become familiar to her again.
"Ah, I'm running away from problems again," Katrina flopped onto her bed and stared at the transparent ceiling where faintly visible silently moving clock gears could be seen. "I'm ashamed even to look at that Leranian princess."
"So, want to share your problems with your deputy?" someone said behind her with a very familiar voice.
"Aaah!" The princess jumped as if stung, but upon seeing the person standing in the corner, she calmed down slightly. "Krito? What are you doing here?"
"Just wanted to catch the princess hiding from her people," Krito said with a smirk.
Katrina cast her eyes downward, cornered. I could see that she clearly wasn't ready for an open conversation, but I didn't care about this regrettable fact.
"You hide from your comrades and avoid conversations. The princess on the other side knows more about you than your guildmates. Don't you think this is all a little wrong? Seleria was right; the guild is currently hanging on me, but if you drop out of the team, it won't be beneficial either," I pressed on the princess, realizing I had no other option but to make her talk.
Katrina continued to sit, staring at the floor. I silently watched her for a while and then sighed, turning to leave.
"Fine," the princess's voice was so quiet that I could barely make out the words. "But just to you: I don't want anyone else to know about this, especially our comrades," Katrina lowered her head so that her expression couldn't be seen.
"Let's take a walk," I immediately responded. "Your room is oppressive."
The time was approaching midnight, and there was no one on the street. Katrina walked beside me, but she couldn't gather her thoughts.
"Are you sure you want to talk?" I decided to reassure the princess.
"Huh? Yes... yes, of course. Let's find a more comfortable spot, and I'll begin," she replied.
"We've already made three rounds around the clock tower," her simplicity tempted me to tease.
"Aww," Katrina blushed to the tips of her ears and sat down on the nearest bench. "Do you want to know why I avoid Seleria?"
"Well, yes. I've realized she knows more about you than anyone else," I began to recall the facts that the red princess had accidentally blurted out. "You lived in some castle, had no jewelry, and hardly interacted with anyone."
"Well, you know almost everything. I can tell you only the reasons why my father treated me that way," she said.
"It's always easier when someone else knows your secret," I leaned back on the bench, gazing at the starry sky.
"You know that when I was 4 years old, an unknown group tried to organize a coup d'état?" Katrina asked.
"Yes, the rector spoke about it too. It seems something happened to your mother then," I replied.
"Yes," tears welled up in Katrina's eyes. "My father ordered us to be taken to a safe place with my mother. No one was supposed to know the route, but the traitors still ambushed us on the road. There were more than forty of them, and they quickly dealt with the guards and dragged my mother and me out of the carriage. They had their swords over us when I first awakened my power. Out of fear, I created an electric field around me that killed everyone nearby. All the assassins left alive, the guards, and my mother, died by my hand. Two hours later, my father and a group of knights, upon learning that we hadn't reached our destination, followed the convoy and found me in the woods. I was crying, sitting in the carriage amid the corpses. He was glad that I survived, but I saw fear in his eyes. My father is also a powerful lightning mage, so he was able to carry me. But when he realized that my mother didn't die from the assassins' blades, his attitude towards me changed. He said he wanted to protect me from the killers, so he locked me up in a remote castle on the eastern coast of Verania. But I know he just couldn't bear to look into the eyes of the killer of his beloved wife."
It hurt her to tell this, and I wanted to comfort her somehow.
"It's not your fault; everyone who accompanied you was destined to die," I said in a gentle voice, cautiously placing my hand on her shoulder. "I believe your mother would be glad that you survived that day."
"But I still became a killer!" Katrina was ready to burst into tears.
"That was self-defense," I calmly responded.
"That's not all..." Her words sounded barely audible, and it seemed like the princess was about to tell me something even her rival didn't know.
I had a feeling that she was going to share something extremely unpleasant.
"You say it was self-defense?" Katrina's face flashed a sinister smirk. "Alright, let's assume you're right. But the second instance can't be called self-defense at all."
There was a quite lengthy pause, and then she spoke again:
"My father literally locked me in the castle, and I was only allowed to interact with two people—both of them were lightning mages, though not very strong, but from an ancient noble lineage, among the most loyal servants of the king. A father and a daughter. My father taught me lightning magic, or tried to teach me. I could barely contain large amounts of mana for long periods, so complex spells exploded before completion, and all the staves melted in my hands. But the master was still kind to me; he showed me complex techniques and said that when I grow up, I'll definitely learn to control my power and be able to do it all too. And his daughter..."
Katrina hesitated, recalling the girl, and I even wanted to stop her, but she continued.
"Magda was my governess. Of course, for a noble girl to work as a servant was an insult, but apart from lightning mages, few could get close to me. She was a mage too, but too weak. She couldn't fully block my field, and I was always afraid of accidentally harming her."
Katrina fell silent. Throughout her story about the governess, she never once raised her face, but I could clearly see wet traces on the hem of her skirt left by tears.
"She was my first friend, often telling me about the outside world, which I couldn't see while locked in the castle. And then..." The princess paused, "I killed her. She couldn't resist my field, and one day my power simply exceeded hers."
A silence hung between us. The princess had just confessed to murder, and I didn't know what to say. However, a little shadow hiding in the bushes behind us could no longer conceal itself. I barely managed to jump aside when lightning shattered the bench. While this lightning couldn't harm Katrina, she was still in shock from the sudden turn of events. From the bushes emerged a girl in a golden dress, surrounded by lightning.
The girl was petite and stood almost a head shorter than Katrina. Her wavy golden hair cascaded down to her shoulders, and her beautiful blue eyes were fixed on her prey. Her movements were swifter than an ordinary mage, and her attire explained that. Though she wore the golden-white attire of the lightning mages' faculty, she also had a white-blue mantle of the air mages. It seemed she was a mage of two elements, and I had a feeling I had met her somewhere before. She couldn't possibly be a hired assassin, so why was she attacking the princess?!
"I'll destroy you, killer!" the girl was furious, craving Katrina's blood.
Could she be somehow connected to what I had just learned? Most likely, yes. A relative? Perhaps.
Without giving her a chance to explain, the stranger hurled lightning at Katrina, who calmly blocked it with her bare hands. Of course, electricity posed no threat to the princess, but the problem was that she couldn't land a hit on her opponent. It seemed the uninvited guest used both elements to gain incredible speed and agility. As a result, she was invulnerable to Katrina's strikes, but she herself couldn't harm the princess using electricity. I wondered why the stranger didn't use wind as a weapon, as she could have easily defeated Katrina with it.
I didn't know how to intervene in this battle. It would be better not to touch them now, but the fight could continue for a very long time. The unexpected solution came just as suddenly as the entire battle. Another shadow from the same bushes lunged at the stranger. A guy with black hair and brown eyes, carrying a broadsword on his back, grabbed the attacking girl and tried to stop her.
"Miss Leira, please calm down; you can't do this," he said in a subdued voice, his whole body convulsing from the electric discharges.
"Let me go, Algo! I'll kill her!!!" The girl struggled, trying to break free from the swordsman's grip.
"But, milady, if you harm her, you'll be executed for assaulting a princess," the young man's voice sounded desperate, and his words seemed to reach Leira's senses.
She trembled with anger, wanting to tear Katrina apart, but the realization that her entire family's fate was at stake kept her in place just as effectively as Algo's embrace.
"Be more cautious of your back... princess," the girl turned around and walked away without saying a word, and the young man followed her, casting a brief glance over his shoulder at my right hand.
Well, now I know who has been following us these days, but that knowledge didn't make me feel any better.
"Do you know her?" I asked the princess, already anticipating her answer.
"No, but I'm afraid she might have reasons to wish for my death."
The next day, I noticed the surveillance even more clearly: the stranger from yesterday, accompanied by her "escort," seemed to coincidentally appear on the same floor as Katrina or near our guild headquarters. It seemed like she was searching for the perfect spot to strike, but I never left GM's side, not giving Leira the slightest chance. Perhaps Algo and I were the only ones who could stop her.
"Teacher Levris, have you seen two first-year students near the guild today?" pretending to know nothing, I decided to learn more about them from the most reliable sources.
"Yes, the lightning mage girl and the guy with the large sword. Are you interested in them?" Forgive me, teacher, but you are so kind and naive," Levris replied with a cheerful smile, giving no hint of suspicion.
Katrina became nervous; she didn't want anyone to know about yesterday's attack or, God forbid, her secret.
"Perhaps the newcomers were impressed by our strength but can't make up their minds. If you tell us about them, I'm sure I can attract them to our guild."
"Mmm, unfortunately, I don't teach any of their subjects, but don't worry; I try to remember all the students," Levris said, still radiant and without the slightest hint of suspicion.
However, Grain sensed something amiss, and he whispered almost inaudibly to me, "Krito, you saw them, and no matter how you twist it, their intentions were not good. What are you planning?"
"Don't worry; it's important to know everything about the enemy before an attack," my words put the mage on guard. We hadn't been directly threatened before this.
"It seems the girl's name is Leira; she's a very rare mage of two elements, capable of handling wind and lightning expertly. That's why she wears the mantles and attire of different faculties. She comes from a noble but bankrupt family. Joining the king's military service might be her last chance to help her parents," Levris pondered for a moment. "Oh, I apologize, I forgot her last name, but their family was definitely one of the oldest."
"And the guy? He seems skilled with a sword, and a warrior would be very useful to us," I needed to learn everything I could.
"Yes, yes. He's a good lad named Algo Sayrin. He's quite adept in close combat, even receiving a scholarship from the third class. And he's very kind, always helping the teachers, though he sometimes overdoes it with his politeness. It seems he served in the Vanderhof family's household in his childhood. Oh, wait, Vanderhof for sure!"
Levris fell silent for a moment, trying to remember something else, then she clapped her hands together, "Exactly! He used to be a servant in Leira's household. That's why he's constantly following her, though it only causes her inconvenience."
Katrina's face paled; apparently, the Vanderhof family name was very familiar to her.
"I'll step out for a moment," Katrina rushed to the backyard and hid in the shade of the trees. Trying to escape from the world, she cried quietly.
"What about Vanderhof? Does that name mean anything to you?" But there was no need for her to hide from me.
"Yes, that's Magda's family. I killed the sister of this girl, and she has every right to wish for my death," well, I guessed right about the relative.
Katrina buried her head in her knees, and I couldn't see her face, but her sobs and trembling shoulders clearly indicated she was crying.
"So what? Will you allow her to kill you?"
Silence hung between us, a bad sign.
"Maybe that would be for the best," these words caught me off guard. "That's what I would have said eight years ago when Magda died. But now, I have obligations to the country, to my father, and to all of you—my comrades. I can't simply agree to die, even if I deserve it."
"So, that's why you want to go on the most dangerous mission possible?"
"Perhaps, but I don't want to put you at undue risk."
"Then don't worry," I proudly thumped my chest. "Wherever our crazy GM leads us, I'll always find a way out!"
"Thank you for not abandoning me, Krito," Katrina lifted her tear-streaked face and smiled shyly.
I sat down next to Katrina on my haunches, and she suddenly leaned her forehead against my shoulder. I gently stroked her head and sighed. Despite her occasional arrogance—after all, she was a princess—Katrina remained a kind and very fragile girl with a difficult childhood and unhealed wounds in her heart.
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