The rundown ragged house where Alstroemeria’s parents took their last breath, its door is nothing more than a discolored wood and even the doorknob was pried open. There’s no mistake that this house was ransacked but that doesn’t matter anymore.

I slowly open the door, however, the creaking noises that it let out cannot be prevented anymore. This house right now should be devoid of any life but knowing that Alstroemeria and Miss Asagao entered here, they should be somewhere inside the house.

However, even my feet felt heavy when I try to enter. The heaviness of the hesitation, anxiety, and the guilt of bringing pain to Alstroemeria the I selfishly deemed as a necessity are weighing me down.

“Are you not going to enter?”

“Kids should not really agitate adults.”

“That’s…of course…my apologies…”

I can’t believe that I was such a chicken in front of a predicament such as this. This is unbecoming of Cecille, a veteran adventurer with hardened heart from countless of battles.

And I keep snapping on this little girl, Miss Daisy Aestasia.

“It will be dusk soon. I don’t think we have much leisure time and Lady Violetta will come to pick us up.”

“Hear me, problems such as this cannot be solved with an immediate conversation. Even if I try to talk with Alstroemeria now, I doubt I will be making a progress.”

“Coward.”

I am and I know. What I just said is just another excuse.

What moronic about it is I am aware of it and yet, I cannot act upon anything. My decisions may put a gap in our relationship to fix it.

However, even if I were able to fix it, it will never be the same again.

With these negative thoughts, I turn around, unsure if I am doing another correct decision. Like a genius once said, retreat in face of uncertainty.

Miss Daisy looks at me with a troubled countenance. It likes she wanted to say something again but refrained herself and entered the rundown house instead.

Once again, a little girl got ahead of me.

I walk away in shame, returning to the back of the house once again. There’s no point wandering around in this hell of a town with no proper soul to be found. For me, they are nothing more than a sack of meat that has faulted Alstroemeria.

“Hey, Cecille, you pathetic wimp. Nothing but a hypocrite that rationalizes your own action for your own comfort but in the end, still lay shit on yourself.”

I said that right, I talked to myself and uttered those words.

Ahh…

What a motivation…

I’m at loss.

If Alstroemeria gets mad and left me…

I’ll be going back to my lonely life. If then, I have to really find a husband and live my life working earnestly.

But will such life be acceptable for me at this point?

Damn it…

I saw a stone lying around and with all my frustration, I kicked that stone.

The stone went flying but met with a tree and bounces. Before I knew it, the stone that bounced at the tree hits me in the forehead.

“Ahh…karma, huh. They talk about this a lot in their lessons in Ki.”

I want to drink…

I want to drown myself with an exquisite alcohol.

As I walk towards that grassland again where the gentle breeze of the wind will meet me to comfort me, I stood in shock.

That’s…

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Every strand of hair in my body stood up and the pressure visibly, not just metaphorically, became heavier. Shiver rains down my whole body and I immediately snap from my moronic melancholic mood and my attention instantly shifted to the man and woman standing a little far away.

I’ve been in a lot of dangerous situations wherein my party were trapped by magical beasts, where we fell in a trap and some dies, wherein an in-fighting happens and blood got to be spilled, however, the situation drastically changes when people like them, whose very existence opposes the nature of this world, appears.

They are striking fear with their fearsome presence alone.

I immediately understood their nature. This is a part of what I honed through my countless encounters with strong people, the ability to tell the strong people apart from those who are partially monsters in hindsight.

The kind of people who can crush someone like me like stepping on a bug.

But still, they are here, they are standing in front of me and looks at me with no hostility. At my back are the children.

I wear a poker face and cautiously approach them with considerable distance ahead.

“Is there something the two of you needs?”

I immediately get to the point. It’s an approach that doesn’t beat the bush since I want them to immediately settle this in one go.

If they want me dead so they will leave the children alone, so be it.

As I get a closer look, the man with black hair is what you can call an androgynous beauty. His skin is pale and has a fairly lean body but tall. He wears clothes that what dukes usually wear with a pocket watch attached with a chain hanging from his breast pocket.

The woman is fairly short or a better description would be petite. She dons a beautiful shade of blue hair and an elegant one-piece dress overtopped with an almost transparent shroud. The thin membrane of wings sprouting from her back already proves that she is not a human but one of the rarest race, a Fairy Kin.

Wait…

Isn’t she the fairy who ordered my abduction months ago?

I still remember that day where they held me captive to lure Alstroemeria, however, I do not have any idea what happened between her and Alstroemeria. They only said it is to make Alstroemeria awaken to a new power.

But, I have neither the leisure nor the courage to be asking a question such as that right now.

“Please, do not approach any further.”

Even so, if they are some sort of malevolent unnatural forces, I shouldn’t fold from their presence. I stood firm on my back so I can execute this blatant façade.

From my words, the man with black hair nodded lightly with a faint smile on his lips while the woman adheres in accordance with the man’s action.

“Worry not as we are here not to make things more thriving. I am simply in your presence right now Miss Cecille so I can personally give my thanks.”

As he said those words, he bowed down his head in a perfect forty-five degrees angle. The woman followed with a slightly elevated bow after the man.

How do I feel?

Naturally, I’m stunned.

“Why? What…did I do?”

“You brought up and filled a lost child with love. I want to thank you for being a family to that girl. Also, I’m sorry for failing to save her countless of times.”

“What are you…talking about?”

Out of nowhere, the man spoke of me taking care of a child that he failed to save countless of times. The only one I took care of is Alstroemeria. I don’t remember anyone else, unless, the one he is talking about is actually Alstroemeria.

If that is so, then I cannot simply ignore the meaning behind those words but I am aware that prying won’t do me any good.

“First of all, how do you know my name? And what is yours?”

“You’ll learn it later anyway so I’d rather be respectful and tell it now. I am the one called Nil. It’s a pleasure meeting you again, Miss Cecille. Or rather, it’s been a while since I last saw a glimpse of your visage from countless of revisions.”

No use…

I can’t understand what he is trying to say but he sounds sincere and honest.

“How about you, Miss fairy?”

“I am the one called Hydrangea.”

This is the woman that Tzari is talking about, right?

There are rooms for doubt but there’s no mistake that she is strong. Taking a neutral and calm stance before would be ideal but somehow, I feel like there’s no need for it.

“I remember you.”

“Oh? Do you? Well, I shall not apologize for my actions just so you know but still, as the bidding of my master, I will extend my gratitude to you.”

“I hear you but…I am still in the dark here. Why are you people thanking me suddenly?”

“Because you are Miss Cecille that properly raised Alstroemeria in this timeline.”

“Timeline?”

What does that mean?

Timeline? Revision? Is this some kind of new phenomena?

Every day, the course and knowledge of magic deviates from the norms and grows. It was nothing sort of bad but discovering the nature of the new magic is, of course, troublesome and loathsome in a way. That is especially true for scholars and magicians, however, even up to this day, I haven’t heard such things like timeline and revision.

Also, why does it have to now that Alstroemeria and I are having a quarrel?

Not actually quarrel but…

“Miss Cecille, I think you are thinking this a little bit too deep.”

“Too deep?”

“Yeah, Alstroemeria isn’t that kind of person that will harbor ill will after all. You of all people should know that.”

“Ah? I know…that. Wait…why are you speaking like you know Alstroemeria very well? No, it is as if you also know me so well…”

The man, Nil, didn’t say anything but instead, returned a gentle smile at me.

Sure, enigmatic.

Sure, mysterious.

But, there’s a limit of how and why they know and they are involved with the two of us, Alstroemeria and I. My question wasn’t even answered and they don’t show any signs of actually telling me something.

This might as well be one of the perks of being the strong.

It’s up for them to decide for something in a lot of matters.

More importantly, did he came here just to say that to me? Just to say thanks and apologize? I don’t even know this man and yet, those words came out as honest and sincere.

“You—“

Was my words before I got cut off by a sudden burst of movements.

BAM!

A loud sound of collision immediately entered my ears. Not only that, the earth shook from the suddenness. After the strong collision, a sharp and swift harping of metal came after the loud sound.

“What in the—“

I just noticed it and now that I have fully grasped the situation, what in front of me struck me in awe.

I saw it, the sliver of movements that Alstroemeria executed, a heavy ax kick from above with strength gathered in that attack.

Then came following Miss Asagao’s wind like movement. It was nothing like what she showed me in our sparring in Tzari’s temple. The movement of her short sword and acrobatic maneuver using her surrounding enhances her speed and performed a circling slash.

But what made me blink twice in surprise is that the woman, Hydrangea, calmly deflected both of their attacks with her bare hands while shielding Nil behind her.

The sharp edge of a sword and a strength that would scare dragon, she deflected them without breaking a sweat, less, executing any magical shield or enhancement.

“Nil…”

“What a pleasant greeting, Asagao.”

“I thought it would be the best one. That’s how you’ve greeted us the first time, right?”

“Fair enough. Anyway, how have you been these days, Asagao?”

“We will start with that? Fine…”

Miss Asagao started a casual conversation with Nil as she slowly draws her sword back while Alstroemeria slowly walks backward beside her.

What is going to happen now?