The morning birds chirped loudly. For being sunrise, the air that drifted through the parted window was surprisingly temperate.

“Sa-…Sau, ba, ri…Saubari…Saubari! Saubari Sau-ba-ri!”

My eye twitched.

“Why the heck isn’t it working…hrg…”

I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders, and I jumped. I quickly realized it was Berein, but out of the silence of the morning, it still scared me.

“Maybe it’s because…” She yawned, “You’re not pronouncing it right…Saubari…”

I felt a very familiar tingle in my head.

“Saubari…Saubari!”

I tried to reciprocate Berein’s spell, to no avail.

“Mm…” Berein leaned in to my ear, still obviously drowsy. “I’m sure you’ll get it soon, working so hard like this…”

I woke up at my normal time, and decided to try my hand at studying the Telepathy spell again. I finally nailed the light spell last night thanks to Berein’s help and mentorship, but Saubari is being annoying. It’s universally agreed that there’s a degree of randomness, but also a degree of knowledge in whether or not a person can use a spell. Knowing the spell completely like the back of your hand, yet not being able to use it, a phenomenon known as Theresa’s Paradox. Some mages prefer dubbing mana affinity or mana giftedness as the Theresa Scale.

And right now, the great sage Theresa can kiss my butt. I know the dang spell! It’s really low on rune numbers and mana usage – It shouldn’t need much prior preparation.

“It’s just really annoying…”

I say, frowning, staring down at the sheets of parchment from which I’ve copied the spell over and over again on.

“Now now…” Berein wrapped her hands around my collar. “You might just not be able to use it yet.”

“I know. And that’s annoying…”

I sigh defeatedly. Back in the academy, I was heartbroken when I couldn’t use the Pictun spell. A bunch of more magically inclined Nekomata got it no problem, but there I was, left helpless. That was the first real wall that I’d ran up against, that no matter how hard I tried, nothing would change, and nothing would be accomplished. I really don’t want to find out that I have another wall right before me. That sense of rejection is the only thing making me desperately recite the spell over and over again.

“Saubari…Yvi-Go-Fa-Ro-Sau-Ba-Ri-Kjes-Fwor-Ud-Sieux-Jin-Ha-Leiox…”

I was in such concentration that I didn’t even hear the door open.

“Studying hard I see.”

“Ah-!”

My eyes widened and I jumped. Alisson was at the door, his arms crossed. The way he had one leg on the doorframe meant he was probably there for a long while.

“And sleeping hard as well I see.”

I looked with a frown to my side, to see that Berein had fallen asleep again, and was drooling, her head on my lap. Tch…what a nuisance.

With her stupid closeness and touchiness, I hate it. I hate it that I feel so warm and embarrassed by her. By someone who isn’t Alisson. It’s so stupid. It’s so annoying. It’s so hopeless of me. I feel like a total cheater, a despicable tramp with no home; to even have such feelings and shivers be invoked by the likes of her, and not Alisson.

Alisson approached me, and looked over what I was studying. I was quick to cover up the numerous doodles of him that were made in my studying efforts.

“Mm…Looks like you just need to overcome Theresa now.”

I sigh.

“Yeah…” I looked up at him with a smile. “B-but look!”

I opened my hand and gently blue light manifested, glowing silently over my palm. Alisson cracked into a smile, and gave my shoulder a shake.

“Good job. To think you learned a whole spell in just two nights…”

Touch my head though…Or better yet, I cuddle with you…Or better yet, I…touch…down there...again…

My body suddenly heated. I shook my head, my stomach tightening in embarrassment from having such a thought with Alisson right before me.

“Well, get ready. Today’s the day. I’m going to retrieve some things from our horses.”

With that, Alisson left the room. He was already in his armor, whereas I was still only in my gambeson.

With Alisson gone, I was emboldened to handle the pile of drool accumulating on my leg. I reach out and grab the lobe of her ear, and pinch.

“Hey, wake up already.”

She stirred with a loud yawn. When she realized where she was, her eyes widened and her face reddened. She was quick to sit on the chair next to me.

“A-ah sorry…I didn’t realize I was…”

I frowned at her.

“You need to get more sleep if you wake up so tired like this.”

She smiled, but averted her eyes.

“H-hey…Ferris?”

“Mm?”

I tilted my head at her.

She was blushing heavily, and breathing hard.

“You know I…I like you…I like you a lot…”

I stared at her blankly for a long moment, my head still tilted.

The air in my throat suddenly stopped, like hearing her words had tightened a noose around my neck. I struggled to breathe. My mind was at a standstill, and my heart had jumped.

My face reddening, I was quick to get to my feet out of the chair.

“I-I need to get ready for the mission.”

I mumbled in haze, grabbing my gear and getting the hell away from her.

…

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“Ali-Alavier. Alavier.”

Celis called his name a couple times. The day was overcast and cloudy, but moderately temperate. The wind was still, and Pūshkinskaya had yet to awaken. Because of that, he heard his apprentice clearly. He’d made a short walk over to the stables, but he hadn’t expected Celis to be so closely on his tail.

“What is it?”

When he turned, Celis was already crashing into him, embracing him.

“W-wha-!?”

He almost fell over.

“You know…You’re not so little anymore…”

Despite the suddenness of Celis’s actions, he still reciprocated the action.

“What is it? Something happened?”

He asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Celis looked up to him.

“She said…Berein said, she said she l-liked me…”

Alisson frowned with a disgusted expression. This seems to be why his apprentice was so shaken up. He knew for a while that the mage girl was growing some sort of relationship with Celis, but he didn’t think anything would come of it.

Well…Look at it in a positive light…

“This may yet be a hinderance, Ferris…”

She tilted her head in confusion.

“…She will fight harder for you no?” Alisson’s mouth curved into a despicable smirk. “If anything that’s a good thing, she’ll be more useful as a slave to love than to reason.”

Celis looked uncomfortable. She was unsure of what to do; Alisson now knew from experience that a Celis without orders was an unhappy Celis. He was quick to elaborate.

“…Do not tread upon her feelings at the very least…if anything try to strengthen them if you’re up for it.”

He gave his apprentice a quick pat on the head as he backed away.

“Only if you feel comfortable though. Understand?”

Celis, after a moment of thought, nodded sternly, her confusion and hesitation having now evaporated in the presences of Alisson’s ‘orders’ on the matter.

…

“The forward operating base will be maintained by Auburn…They’ll punch right through the middle with the majority of your resources…Ulroy’s Brigade will be joining them…Teams Crimson and Mystic will be on the flanks, spread out and look for any traces of the expeditionary teams…”

The briefing was underway. From one of the outposts surrounded Pūshkinskaya, the retrieval operation was being put together. The outpost was just south of the much larger northern outpost that had been recently attacked and wiped out. Extra manpower and resources had been diverted to this outpost as a result, and it showed. There were a few broken stone watchtowers, but the majority of the outpost was constructed of wood barricades. There was no one defensive line but rather a layered defense of numerous posts all clustered in one area, forming the outpost. In the middle of this cluster, wagons were loaded, horses were set, and adventurers were checking their weapons and items. The soldiers of Pūshkinskaya stood on vigilant watch around them, knowing full well that the adventurers about to depart were one of the only punches humanity was throwing back at the beasts.

“…Remember to regroup often and stay in contact. We need a thorough sweep, and we can’t do that with one team going dark. If any survivors are found, take them to Auburn. The majority of beast contact should be drawn to Auburn, but don’t slack…But, that’s the plan you’ll be working with. Godspeed, and good luck.”

The briefing concluded; the adventurers had a short few minutes before the operation began. The Freigat jungle was still hours away, but the weight in air was noticeable; Like the black void of stress within everyone was piled high upon their shoulders. There was a brigade of cavalry men that were going to be joining Auburn as to pad their strength. Ulroy’s Brigade, they were known, one of the only offensive units Pūshkinskaya had other than the adventurers.

“We’ll split the scrolls, I’ll take half, and you take half.”

Alisson said, handing Celis the assorted scrolls they’d acquired yesterday. They were both sitting on the back of a wagon.

“Remember, I got a lot of them on purpose, don’t be shy to use them. Those weapon enchantments seem the most intriguing, apparently the spell wraps an aura of mana around the object it’s pointed at, and used on our weapons, it should effectively increase our cutting power and the overall force behind our blades.”

Celis nodded, taking her share of the Zeslowaffen scrolls.

Their gear and equipment was in tip-top shape. Not a thing was awry. Despite this, one could never feel prepared when facing down such a challenge for whatever reason. It was doubt, it seemed that emotion was all too powerful; But perhaps doubt increased alongside confidence in relation to the challenge at hand. Alisson had long been familiar with his own pre-battle jitters. Every soldier had them; The longer the preparation, the more terror would invade. He’d seen men be consumed, frozen in fear, too locked onto what was ahead of them to move in the present.

Alisson took a deep breath, and encouraged Celis to do the same to stave of the building dread. The very best way to counter this feeling was excitement, or perhaps a dark humor, both were applicable – Some adventurers were doing this very thing, the once quiet Rei was going from adventurer to adventurer, with a brazen smile on her face and ready to quip about something or the other. She was obviously not doing it for herself.

He felt Celis give his cloak a pull, when he looked, she flicked her head. When he followed her gaze, he saw what she was indicating. Berein was turned away from the them, but the way she kept shooting wary glances back toward Celis was clear evidence that what Celis had said was not a lie. Alisson tilted his head toward Celis with a small smile, flicking his head over to Berein. She frowned and looked away.

It seems she’s too embarrassed right now to put on an act. No matter. It’s better to be focused on something so mundane in times like these, where focusing on the terror brings more harm than good.

It wasn’t long before the signal was given. The adventurers all seemed to suddenly steel in will, and loaded up onto the wagons with no hesitation. It seemed their veterancy was not just a talking point. Auburn was defending three wagons, each pulled by two horses. All of the teams mounted up, and two dozen cavalrymen from Pūshkinskaya took up position by the wagons.

Him and Celis wouldn’t be using their mounts. Freigat was far too crowded, in danger and landmass for a horse to move too freely. The adventurers to the flanks would be moving on foot though the brush. Team Auburn would be using a road that was heavily traversed by previous expeditions, and it was moderately clear, so the cavalrymen detachment aiding them wouldn’t have any trouble. Though their movement was restricted to that of the road. They were a linear track, and Crimson and Mystic would be on either side of them, scanning the outer edges of the expedition’s returning path. One of the wagons pulled by Auburn was filled with bags, chock to brim with scrolls, apparently subsidized by the Guild.

The wagon’s wheels rumbled slowly as they approached Freigat. The sky was very cloudy now, though the wind was minimal. The entire force was silent. None of the adventurers spoke and neither did the surrounding soldiers.

“So, Alavier, what exactly are those rods you have there?”

Dane suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

“They’re magic items is all. I’ll use them if things become dire.”

“Oh? More secret powers from Alavier and Ferris I see…”

Alisson averted his gaze from Dane. The surrounding soldiers and other adventurers had all heard the conversation, and some were shooting glances at Alisson.

The two metal rods on Alisson’s back, were the maps he’d gotten from Lavjoure. Among his backpack chock full of supplies, they surprisingly didn’t stand out all that much.

Alisson already had a pretty good plan in his head. He knew that the structure was quite deep in Freigat – It had to be, for why then would’ve no one found it? So, he was planning to stick with Crimson, and then split with them once they were close enough to their objective. Really, Alisson didn’t know where exactly to start looking. The hard part now, was finding the damn thing, exactly as Sidonia had ordered him to.

Alisson wasn’t ready to roll over in defeat. This action now as he was doing, was his Lady’s. His body was not his own, he would scour the Jungle top to bottom and die before he gave up. The surrounding adventurers obviously wouldn’t feel the same way, both because Alisson’s objective was an enigma, and because they did not share his Sidonian determination from which only he and Celis possessed, making them the only ones realistically able bodied in Alisson’s mind.

Well, we’ll see what happens…

Alisson thought to himself. He didn’t want to admit that the task before him seemed invariably suicidal. That was what he’d first thought of when he first read his orders all those moons ago, but he’d stifled those thoughts until now.

Like it or not…- Alisson repeated to himself,- We’re going to find it.

It was in this trance of self-assurance when the wagons suddenly came to halt.

Everyone sitting down visibly shook with inertia of the sudden stop. No one need to speak. It was time for Mystic and Crimson to separate from Auburn. As agreed, Crimson took up the western flank, and Mystic, the eastern.

Dane and Rei slipped on helmets that had been sitting on their laps through the ride. Dane’s was round and had many holes in it, and Rei’s was sleek and angular. It seemed they deemed Freigat as enough as a threat.

Before them now was a massive expanse of nothing but dead leaves and sticks. In the distance, there were tall, thin, leafless trees, seeming to pierce the clouds. Behind those trees, peeking just out of the distant fogs of the morning, was a large amalgamation of rich flora. The silhouettes of colossal tree trunks dominated this, from which the outlines of massive clusters of leaves and vines fell down, obscuring anything else. Even the undergrowth of Freigat was rich, and poked though the fog. Everything seemed oddly supersized, and humongous, trees the size of keeps, creeper vines the size of city roads; All of it ominously presenting itself in the distance across the barren plain of detritus. Behind them, a normal forest of healthy trees, ahead of them, a dead forest, and ahead of that, a forest too healthy for its own good.

“Remember the golden rule…”

Rei muttered next to them, staring down Freigat.

“Three heart beats. Anything less, leave behind.”

***