Once that conversation was over, Sara went back outside the Academy.
Normally, she'd go train till the day ended, and then she'd just go to sleep and do it all over again tomorrow. Today, however, for some reason, Sara felt restless. So, she decided to take another walk. This time, her thoughts took a different turn, though.
Valencia. Sara's home. For so many years, Sara had believed her life's purpose was to train and become an enari warrior who would protect those around her. Instead, the village was burned down before she ever got the chance.
She could remember it still, to this day. The monsters who'd poured in and the screams they earned as they cut down everyone in sight.
[... If I had just been a little stronger back then,] Sara thought, scowling as she kept her head low and walked around the city, aimlessly.
By the time she came back to the academy, the sun had departed and moonlight bathed Sara's figure.
[Whatever,] Sara thought as she passed by a few older students on her way back to her room. [Just focus on what's being asked of you.]
---
{Rin}
Saturday soon arrived and Rin felt so nervous she could throw up.
Today was the day she'd find out whether those bastards truly were the same people she'd nearly been killed by.
The problem was, what would she even do if they were?
Rin had gotten stronger over the course of these last few months but she wasn't sure she could still beat any experienced fighters. She supposed all she could do was make it out and deliver the news to her teachers but, what if something went wrong? What if someone looked at her for just a little too long and Rin's cover was blown?
Well, to prevent that, Rin needed Xhez's help. So, after telling Sara to wait for her by the entrance to the academy, Rin went to wake Xhez up.
Xhez, the water sprite who Rin had met as a direct result of this encounter she had with those cultists. Due to her proficiency in spellweaving, Rin had come to rely on her quite a lot. More than anything else, though, Xhez had grown to become the closest friend Rin had at Libera.
"Are you sure you do not want me to come with you?" Xhez asked as she sat at the edge of Elisa's bed. Now that the blonde had left the academy, it was basically Xhez's now.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
"I don't want to put you in danger like that," Rin replied. "I don't know what might happen. It's better if I don't take anyone else there that I don't have to."
"... When you put it like that, it makes me even more worried for you," Xhez replied with a shy smile.
[She's just too sweet,] Rin thought as Xhez finished drawing the spellsign in the air. Upon activating it, Rin's look was altered, with her hair turning white and her body becoming just a little less muscular.
The adventurer checked the time and saw that it was just about to be 7 in the evening. Nodding to herself, she stood up and grabbed her purse.
"... Alright, I think it's about time I head out," Rin muttered. "You can walk around if you want, by the way. I know you've been resting in the bag for a while."
"I might take the opportunity to stretch my legs," Xhez responded. "But, I would like it more if you could be by my side when I do it."
Rin's heart warmed up upon hearing that.
"Sure. Tomorrow, then," Rin replied. "We'll spend the whole day outside. How does that sound?"
"I would appreciate that."
---
As Rin walked outside the building, she found Sara waiting for her up ahead. Per Rin's instructions, she'd dressed up a little, wearing a black skirt, gloves, and boots that went well with her silky, obsidian hair. In all honesty, Sara looked so different when she actually tried to dress up that Rin decided she didn't even need to reveal Xhez's nature to her for the sake of any illusions. As she saw Rin walk up, at first, she had no reaction. As Rin got closer, however, Sara's expression turned to one of surprise.
"Rin?" She asked, shocked at what she was seeing.
A slightly proud smile appeared on Rin's face as she stood before the other woman. Not as Rin, but as Triss. Her convenient alter ego.
"Yep," she replied. She was unafraid of showing this form of her off to Sara because, well, she didn't look like the type that would care too much about Rin's Friday night side job, if she ended up finding out about it tonight. "How do I look?"
Sara's eyes briefly moved up and down Rin's figure before she quickly turned away, her face slightly flushed.
"... Good," Sara muttered so quietly Rin nearly didn't hear her.
"Thanks. You look really cute too, you know? This is the first time I've seen you like this," Rin stated, though it didn't seem like Sara was listening to her. "You, ehm, didn't bring your sword, right?" Rin asked, checking to see if Sara was holding it behind her.
"No," Sara quickly replied.
"So, what will you do if a fight starts?" She asked.
It wasn't often that Sara sounded confident, but when she did, it truly stood out. As soon as she heard that question, she scoffed and gave Rin a slightly cold look.
"If that happens, then I'm sure an enemy of ours will have a weapon I can borrow from their corpse."
Rin's brows shot up. Sara was the type of person who, most of the time, only gave 1 or 2-word responses to everything. To hear her string together a full sentence like that, even if it was a pretty ominous one, was...
Well, it was kind of hot.
Rin giggled, nodding.
"Alright... Understood," she replied, and that confident look Sara briefly had quickly faded away. The meek, shier version of her that Rin was more familiar with quickly took its place. "We don't really want to fight anyone, though. So, if they do end up being the psychos I ran into, we're just gonna leave."
"I know."
"Okay," Rin replied. "Are you ready?"
"I am," Sara responded quietly.
Rin exhaled slowly and tried to inject herself with some courage.
"Let's do this."
Answers. That was all she hoped to gain from this moment. And, if she could get them without also losing her life in the process, that would be nice too.