The room that the teenagers resided in was surprisingly simple. Despite being just a simple room, it was nicely furnished, appearing far better than anything they had ever seen in the Venich countryside.
"…"
Sodror sat quietly, lying on a bunk bed. Lyrei sat on a chair in front of a black wooden desk. Silva leaned against the wall.
Standing right beside the door outside was an elven boy on the shorter side. Pale skin, with shorter white hair, and a striking resemblance to the nun. Of course, this was Nym Ateope, the nun's younger brother.
He wore a uniform akin to a military dress outfit.
"…"
"We're just gonna act like this is all normal?" Sodror finally spoke.
Silva stood quietly, still leaning against the wall. Her head fell down.
Saldair had an equally sorrowful expression on his face.
"Sodror..."
"I seriously can't see you the same anymore, Lyrei!" The volume of his voice grew.
"I had no choice, alright!?"
"Don't lie! There are so many more options you could've chosen!"
"Like what... huh? Like what!? Please, tell me. And tell me how I would've been able to think of it in such a dire situation."
"We came to this place to heal Julian. And we've left without Julian. Julian's dead. If we had allowed Sodror, a masterful water caster, to deter the monster away, things could've been different."
"..."
"But you didn't even hesitate to throw Julian off. Did you think that choosing Rar over Julian would make you feel right? Righteous in the eyes of Rar? As if it were a hard decision. You threw him off without a second thought!"
"What are you getting at, Sodror?"
"... You're selfish. And cruel. Julian... he didn't deserve to just.. die like that."
"It was in the heat of the moment, Sodror! You can't understand that?"
"..."
"Are you really gonna blame me for prioritizing Rar's safety over Julian's? I've known Rar my whole life! Seeing his arm get cut off was bad enough. Wasn't it like that for you? I felt as if I didn't do something, anything, it would lead to even greater struggles!
"You can call it cruel. Okay, fine. Maybe it is. But I was doing what I could. I never imagined something like this would even happen!"
The room grew quiet. Saldair and Silva quietly contemplated both of their words.
. . .
. .
.
"Seems like your personality is... developing quite well," Rosette groaned. Her dark black hair was tied into a bun, and the clothes she wore were much lighter and breathable.
"L-Let go of me!" Julian yelped. His arms were pulled back as he lay flat on the ground. Rosette was merciless, pulling with no regard for Julian's body.
"Quiet, quiet! You're noisy!" Rosette whined.
"You witch..."
"What did you say!?"
She pulled back even further.
"Gyaah!"
.
After the intense stretching, Julian was allowed to lie down and rest. The pain in his ligaments still lingered, but it was far better than actively getting pulled apart.
"Don't be so hardheaded, Julian. It's for your own good. You're stiff as hell."
"I get it. Whatever."
"Julian... where are you from?" Rosette suddenly asked.
"Dunno."
"Don't bullshit with me! You have over 80% of your brain intact, right? It's safe for anyone to assume that you've retained even more information. If that's how it works."
"Well, I don't. So don't nag me about it anymore," Julian rolled over to his side.
"Insolent brat! In demon culture, it's important to show respect to your elders."
"You don't know how old I am. I could be centuries older than you. With the way you act, I wouldn't be surprised," Julian scoffed.
"... Wow, you're really something, huh?" she quietly seethed.
Julian snickered.
"If I really cause that much damage to you... Dr. Vaen can just stitch you back up, right?" Rosette realized.
Although he had not been directly looking at her, Julian could almost feel the sinister glare of satisfaction, pricking at his back. He quickly sprang up.
"N-no!"
The door creaked open. Before Rosette could strike, Dr. Vaen entered the room.
"Ah, my loyal subject, and Rosette," Dr. Vaen was a little confused with the scenery, but did not question it.
"This is probably the most glad I've been to see you, doctor!" Julian smiled.
"Ah, right, right. Okay, but you shouldn't be too happy, because you're gonna be going on your first search mission with Rosette. Ah, unless that's something that would make you happy, then you can be happy."
"Search mission?"
"Agh! Doctor, do I have to go with him? I am far more efficient on my own!" Rosette whined.
"It's a good way for Julian to get real-world experience. Be calm, Rosette."
"..."
. . .
. .
Julian and Rosette stepped out of the facility. There were a few basic things that Julian had learned. One of those basic things was the name of this land: Fershingan.
A world vastly different from Stritant.
The sky was gloomy, covered by dark clouds, like every other day. Sunshine rarely came out. He still saw the peculiar trees. It was strangely cold, and the air was still.
The two of them were equipped in similar uniforms. Julian was glad that he could finally wear clothes, as while in the facility, he only wore a pair of shorts, as Dr. Vaen said clothing was 'suboptimal for viewing physical progress'.
They wore black cloaks with hoods over their head, concealing their appearance. High black boots with thick insulating pants of the same color. Underneath their cloaks, they wore simple shirts.
"Hey, Julian?" Rosette suddenly spoke.
"Hm?"
"How come you trusted us so fast? Us being me and Dr. Vaen, of course."
Who said I trusted you pair of eccentric freaks?
Well... they aren't that bad.
"I really don't have a choice in the matter. So I might as well. Who doesn't want to live?"
"Ahh. I see. Well, you're still pretty weak, Julian. So just watch and learn."
"Why are we here anyway?"
"So I can use my [Acquired Cast]."
That sounds... familiar?
"What the hell is an acquired cast?"
"Goodness. I always forget that you don't know that much. An acquired cast is just a cast that can be learned or is given to you, whether through a scroll or direct contact."
A spark of excitement lit within Julian's mind.
Does that mean that even I will be able to use a cast?
"So what are you gonna do with that... acquired cast?" he added a follow-up question.
"Gather up the mana from a corpse, and compress it into a ball."