“Well, thanks for the chat, and take care on your way back.”
“That’s normally my line. But after seeing you in battle, Lady Mira, I’m not sure it’s necessary!” Graia gave a hearty laugh and offered his right hand. “This has certainly been entertaining. I hope next time we meet, you’ll put those skills to use and give my men even more cleanup work to do!”
“Hrmmm. I’ll see what I can do.” Mira smiled at Graia’s half-joking tone, taking the proffered hand.
“Heh, we’ll be waiting.” And with that, Graia and his men set off toward home, the marching cadence of the knights echoing in their wake.
✦ ✦ ✦
Mira stood in the scorched field and tried to process the information she’d learned. Graia had been an open book, taking the time to answer each and every question she threw at him. Most had been about the current state of affairs in the Kingdom of Alcait.
It seemed that Danblf wasn’t the only Elder who vanished thirty years prior. Eight of the Nine Wise Men were missing. One by one, they disappeared within a year of Danblf. While their deputies and scholars tried their best, they lacked the raw magic power of the tower Elders and were stretched to their limits trying to carry out their responsibilities. The kingdom was largely defenseless.
Fortunately, at least one of their number—Master Wizard Luminaria, the Natural Disaster—reappeared inexplicably ten years after her disappearance. Before that return, the loss of the Elders had remained a secret known only to the upper echelons of the government. It was at Luminaria’s urging that a formal public announcement was made.
Elder Luminaria. There was a name that Mira knew well. They were both mages and had maintained a friendly rivalry since the game launched.
Luminaria’s avatar featured long, strikingly crimson hair. She was tall and busty, with stunning looks to put any model to shame—the very object of men’s desire. And since she was played by a man, their conversations were frank, dirty, and full of unfiltered guy talk.
Honestly, remembering those talks while looking like she did now made Mira feel a little uncomfortable. But it sounded like Luminaria had disappeared thirty years previous, just like Danblf—or rather, her character did. And then she mysteriously reappeared a long time later, just like Danblf did, despite the hiccup with his appearance. But the similarities were uncanny.
Luminaria was a friend, and as a player, she might have gone through the same thing. Perhaps she’d be able to clue Mira in on what was going on.
Her next stop: the Sacred City of Silverhorn, home of the Nine Linked Silver Towers, where magical knowledge from across the continent was gathered.
✦ ✦ ✦
As Mira left the field and headed down the forest road toward Silverhorn, the sky peeking through the treetops began to darken, vermillion mixing with the blue. Checking the time in the status menu, she saw it was just past five in the evening.
If she recalled correctly, Silverhorn was nearly an hour’s journey on foot from the field, and she hadn’t even covered half the distance yet. The reason was simple: she’d been taking too many detours. From engrossing herself in watching the butterflies draw nectar from flowers to observing earthworms dig their way through the soil, the realism and ambiance of this familiar-yet-new world stimulated her curiosity to the point of distraction.
Mira closed the status menu and felt a pang of hunger. Remembering an apple pie that had been in her Item Box, she touched the icon, and it suddenly appeared in her hand as if by magic.
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the pie. It had been in her inventory for at least a week of subjective time, and she had objectively purchased it over thirty years ago, by current reckoning.
But it looked fine.
Hesitantly, she brought the pie closer to her face and took a sniff. The sweet scent of vanilla and spice filled her nose, and her stomach let out a gurgle. Mind made up, Mira opened wide and took a big bite. The flaky texture of the pastry and the sweet, tart flavor of the apple instantly filled her mouth, stimulating her taste buds. Mira had never even tasted an apple pie in the real world before that moment, but she was sure that it was the most delectable thing she’d ever eaten.
Encouraged by that success, she opened her Item Box again and withdrew an apple au lait. The beverage was a perennial favorite among the mage classes. Blending milk and apple, the creamy, pale amber drink increased the mana regeneration speed.
She brought it to her mouth. “Delicious…”
The praise slipped from her lips. The textures and flavors of both foods were perfect, and she swallowed both down without issue.
She sighed softly as she gazed at the sky, watching the clouds drift by and taking in the world with all her senses. The feeling of the wind teasing her hair, the living scent of the forest, the fatigue that came from physical exertion. And the taste of the pie and the apple au lait.
The simple realness couldn’t be denied. The more information she gathered and the more she considered her situation, the more difficult it became to believe that this wasn’t reality.
Mira decided to accept it as a fact.
She would act on the premise that the world around her was real. If it turned out that she was wrong, then no harm done. This would just be a funny story to tell later. But if she acted as if this weren’t real, she might unwittingly do something irreversible—death might actually mean death—with no hope of revival. And hanging someone out to dry might come back to bite her later.
But one problem at a time. She needed to find Luminaria. Her friend had been living in this world for twenty years and might know what happened. With renewed focus, Mira set off down the trail to Silverhorn.
✦ ✦ ✦
Something with an ashen gray body, fierce eyes, and saliva dripping from its razor-sharp fangs appeared before Mira. She recognized the beast as it made a growling approach.
It was a Saber Dog, one of the first beasts new players encountered in AEO.
Saber Dogs were a common predator, quite clever and vicious. This particular specimen measured over a meter from tip to tail and was a dangerous foe for even full-grown adults. And here it had found a weak little girl who had wandered too far from the village with no one around to protect her. Mira’s robe might hint that she was some form of mage, but no matter—she looked like a defenseless girl, in over her head. The hunter confidently closed the gap between itself and this easy prey.
Even wild dogs shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
Mira struck. Her right hand moved through the air with lightning speed, and the Saber Dog’s eyes filled with terror a moment before its body crumpled. Blood splatters bloomed on the surrounding trees like grim flowers, and tufts of burning fur burst into the air.
The second-rank Sage skill, Immortal Arts, Heaven: Shock Wave, projected a wave of kinetic force in front of her strike. For a mage of her caliber, it was like a delete button for low-level monsters. She already knew that she could use her summoning abilities, but she had been looking for an excuse to make sure her Sage techniques were still available to her.
“Check that one off the list.”
Marveling at the scent of burning hair, Mira turned and continued on her way without another look back.