Chapter 6: My Crush is Sad and I Don't Know How to Cheer Them Up. :(

Lower Wind Month, 10th-11th Day, 600 AGG

"Draudillon."

Seph's words went unheard as Draudillon continued to restlessly pace around her room, too caught up in her worries to consider anything else.

"Draudillon!"

"Yes?" she startled at Seph's shout.

"Um, so what are we going to do next?" Seph wrung her hands helplessly. "Like, are we going to fly over to the city and stuff? Or are we, I don't know, going to talk with your Uncle?"

"I would like to 'fly over', but that would cause a domestic crisis…" Draudillon closed her eyes and sat down on the bed with a sigh. "I just… I just wish I could do something, you know? Something more than just holing up in this castle and talking and negotiating all the time."

"Let's go then."

"Didn't you just hear what I said—?"

"If you want to go, then let's go," Seph said with a big smile. "It'll be like, sneaking out for a date, h-haha!"

Draudillon stared at her all the while, her heart filled with a difficult to describe emotion.

"Ah! But I guess everybody here would be worried if we just up and left," Seph apologetically laughed and scratched the back of her head. "Sorry, it was a pretty dumb joke—"

"I'm going."

"And I gotta—huh?"

"I'll go. With you that is," Draudillon clarified, feeling equal parts excitement and disappointment. Why was she getting so agitated over a simple jest? "Should we head out now?"

"Oh. Um, wow," Seph blinked as a faint red crept up her face. "Erm—I didn't think you'd actually…"

Her voice trailed off, and Seph directed her eyes to the carpet, hands clasped around each other. "Ugh, sorry. Just, y'know, words."

"Change your mind?" Draudillon arched an eyebrow. Surprisingly, she was already beginning to feel more at ease despite the crisis at hand. If only—something to think about later, she chided herself.

"N-No! You know what I meant—Anyways!" Seph lightly slapped her own cheeks with both hands before talking again in a serious tone. "If you're really serious about tagging along, we should probably equip you in something less, uh, terrible."

"My clothes are not terrible," Draudillon felt her face flush in shame and indignation.

"No, no! That's not what I meant," Seph panickedly waved her hands. "Your clothes look nice —really nice, but I meant like, more protective equipment."

"Oh," Draudillon's blush intensified, though this time for different reasons. "I apologize. Please continue."

"A-Ahem," Seph coughed into a fist and to Draudillon's shock, stuck her hand into a palm-sized purplish portal that appeared out of nowhere.

"What… what is that?"

"I didn't show you before?" Seph gave her a curious look before pinching the bridge of her nose with a sigh. "Right, I was trying to look cool with the whole soup thing—"

"Seph, please answer the question."

"Ah! It's the Item Box. I can put stuff into it and… yeah," Seph lamely described. "I can take stuff out too!"

Draudillon deadpanned at the barebones description and sighed. "Sounds useful. So I assume this is where you keep the 'more protective equipment'?"

"Yeah! Just gimme a sec," Seph shoved her hand into the portal—gods that looked so unnerving—and stuck her tongue out as her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "So there's this thingy, this, and that—"

Multiple articles of clothing and accessories were carelessly tossed onto the bed. As Seph continued to dig through… the void was probably the best description of this 'Item Box', Draudillon carefully picked up a necklace from the pile.

The golden cord softly glowed with a holy light, remarkably sturdy despite its delicate appearance. Mounted on a diamond shaped pendant was a light-blue gemstone that shimmered with its own inner radiance.

Even at a glance, Draudillon could tell it was a relic that she wouldn't have been able to lay even her eyes upon in a lifetime. A treasure like this—and wasn't that an understatement?—would easily surpass any other national masterpiece she could think of.

"That's Seraph's Teardrop," Draudillon jumped in surprise, having been too immersed in admiring the trinket. "It's only a 『Legacy』class item, but it's the best necklace I have…"

Seph looked at her nervously. "Sorry if it kinda sucks—"

"Seph," Draudillon cut her off. "If this 'sucks', then every other magical item I've ever seen in my life must have been worthless."

"Oh, haha!" the angel laughed in relief. For what, Draudillon couldn't quite understand. Maybe 『Legacy』class was looked poorly upon in her homeland? "Right, right. It's probably relatively good around here."

"So what does it do?" Draudillon absentmindedly played with the priceless relic. "And what does '『Legacy』class' refer to exactly?"

"Urgh. This might take a while," the Item Box closed and Seph turned around to face her, one leg laying crossed on the bed while the other dangled off the edge, revealing a dangerous amount of skin—Draudillon hurriedly dragged her gaze back to Seph's face. "So, back where I came from, we classified items in um… eight! Yeah, eight main categories."

"It goes from 『Low』,『Middle』,『High』,『Top』,『Legacy』,『Relic』,『Legendary』, and finally『Divine』," Seph counted off on her fingers. "There's other classifications like 『World Item』,『Artifact』, and Guild Weapons, but those aren't really important right now."

"I see," Draudillon cupped her chin with a hand. The implication that there were items vastly more powerful than a 'mere' 『Legacy』class necklace was… frightening to say the least. "So how would you rate my clothes?"

Seph looked at her warily. "Erm, they look great on you?"

"That's not what I meant," Draudillon sighed, her heart beating ever-so-slightly faster. "By your item categories."

"Ehhh, I can't cast 『Identify』, and my appraisal skill isn't very good, but maybe『Low』?" Seph leaned in and squinted at her clothing. "What does it do?"

"They're enchanted with『Endure Elements』along with some other general durability and cleanliness effects," Draudillon said while trying to ignore how close Seph was.

"Huh, I guess the value would go up because of the craftsmanship or something," Seph muttered to herself. "By enchant, do you mean embedding data crystals?"

"What?" Draudillon looked at the angel, completely mystified. Data Crystals? Embedding?

"Like," Seph made a vague gesture towards the invaluable pile of magical items just sitting on the bed. "The quality of a magic item is based on how much data it has. The more data, the more and better stuff the magic item can do. The better the materials, the bigger the data capacity."

"I must admit," Draudillon felt rather out of her element. She liked to think she knew a good deal about magic, but she was certainly no dedicated wizard or scholar. "I haven't heard of 'data crystals' or this method of enchanting before. As far as I know, magic items are created through the union of a craftsman's art and a caster's magic."

"Wow!" Seph looked at her with beautiful—stop, stop thinking about that—sparkling eyes. "So you guys have classes that can just make magic items without crystals?! That's awesome!"

"Y-Yes," Draudillon cleared her throat. "Though the methods of your homeland seem rather incredible themselves."

"Ehehe~ Th-Thanks," Seph sheepishly giggled. "So, um, anyways! The necklace."

"The necklace," Draudillon nodded.

"If I recall correctly, uhhh… it slightly improves regeneration, magical defense, and resistance. And it can summon ten Blessed Spirits plus three uses of 『Divine Power』each day. I think."

"And what do Blessed Spirits do?"

"Whew, this is going to take a while," Seph took a deep breath. "So what they do is—"

"Stop fidgeting!" Seph yelled over the sound of the wind blowing. "Not sure if I can catch you from this high up!"

Draudillon half-heartedly scowled and did her best to stop moving. It was just… the combination of being held so closely to Seph and wearing what were apparently the angel's past clothes made her feel more than a little heady.

'Huh? Yeah, of course I wore these before! I would pass my current dress to you, but it has equip restrictions.'

She covered her eyes at the mortifying memory and did her best to not think about how good Seph smelled, and definitely not think about the clothes—

"Okay, we're going to stop for a bit," Seph came to a quick stop and gently descended to the ground, the flight of angels she had summoned earlier—she hadn't even heard of most of them—quietly hovering just over them. "What's wrong? You're all red. Did the『Restoration』earlier flop or something? "

"What do you mean?" Draudillon asked defensively as Seph lightly set her on her feet.

"Like, are you nervous or sick or tired?" Seph looked at her with worry-filled eyes. "If you want, I could leave the angels with you and 『Gate』all of you guys over once I get to the city."

"No—It's fine. You shouldn't waste mana on something as trivial as that. You already used a spell just so I could stay awake."

"I have a ton of mana. It's really not a problem—"

"It's fine," Draudillon shook her head. Gods, she needed to get a hold of herself. "I just needed a moment to get over my nerves."

A half-truth was fine. Right?

"Okaaaay," Seph looked at her doubtfully. "Hop back on then."

'Don't think about how close she is,' Draudillon nodded and allowed Seph to pick her up with one arm supporting her legs and the other her back. 'Don't think about how close she is.'

"Just tell me if, well, if you need anything," Draudillon nodded at Seph's statement before they shot back into the air, towards the general direction of Mohajar, with angels in tow.

Really, it was an amazing sight, being able to see the world pass below them so quickly, but Draudillon didn't have the presence of mind to fully appreciate the scenery.

'Don't think about how close she is.'

"So how far is it again?"

"..."

"Hello?" Seph asked louder this time, shaking Draudillon out of her thoughts. "How far away is the city?"

"Um, uh, a hundred or so leagues from where we started," Draudillon quickly shoved her, ah, contemplations to the deepest recesses of her mind where they would surely never resurface from. Maybe.

"So an hour or so," Seph mumbled. "Do you feel cold? Is the mantle working fine?"

"Yes," Draudillon nodded as best she could from her position, tugging on the Mantle of the Star Realms that Seph had given her earlier. "It's working just fine."

"Nice, just checking," the angel went quiet again, focusing on the path ahead.

'Even if they aren't valuable to her, why would she give so much for nothing in return?' Draudillon felt her mind drift off as they continued flying at a dizzying speed, the sun peaking over the horizon. 'It's been only a week since we've met. She did say I didn't have to worry about paying her back, but perhaps she's just waiting for a more suitable time to ask.'

"Seph?"

"Hm?" a vast canopy of trees blurred beneath them. "What's up?"

"I know you said that all the relics you've gifted me were presents, but—"

"Seriously," a hint of awkwardness crept into Seph's voice. "The stuff I gave you isn't worth being thanked for. Just don't get hurt, and that'll be more than enough for me."

"... Okay."

Despite the wind, she suspected she would have been more than warm enough even without the gifted mantle.

"You look really red. Sure you're not sick—?"

"Quiet," Draudillon's face burned even brighter.

"'Kay," a moment of comfortable silence settled between them until Seph broke it. "Wanna play Shiritori?"

"And that is?"

"Word game!" Yuriko energetically chirped. "So you'll say a word, and then I'll say another word whose first letter starts with the last letter of yours. And each word can only be used once!"

"I don't think that'll work," Draudillon thought about the idea for a moment. "Are you unaware of, hm, nevermind. It'll be easier to just show you."

"Eh? Well, okay, I'll start with… firefly!"

"Yarn."

"Tiger—eh?" Seph looked supremely confused. "Wait, is it because of my 『Tongues』skill?"

"No," Draudillon corrected her, not completely sure of what a 『Tongues』 skill entailed, but she had a fairly good idea. "It's a rather well-known fact in these lands, but all people that I know of can understand each other regardless of language."

"So that's why everyone's mouth looked kinda off when they were talking, huh?" Seph hummed to herself. "That's so cool."

"It has its uses," Draudillon lacklusterly agreed. A unified language was useful when people were already inclined to work together. If they weren't, well…

The Draconic Kingdom and the Beastman Country was a prime example to the limits of a universally spoken tongue.

"How much longer until we arrive?" Draudillon quickly changed the topic. She had already talked with Seph about what to expect—she had the sneaking suspicion that the angel wasn't used to live combat—but as they neared their destination, she felt a renewed wave of anxiety.

'Is it right for me to push someone who seemingly has never killed before right into the middle of a war zone?'

"Erm, we're pretty close now," Seph squinted. "Oh, are those the farmlands you talked about?"

Draudillon looked down at the ground, seeing spread out farmsteads. A wave of shame passed through her as she noticed that a good number of them looked ransacked, even from the sky. "They are. We're close."

"Okay, okay," Seph said to herself. "We can do this. Just a… defend the city quest. We can do this."

More angels gradually coalesced from the orb hovering above Seph's shoulder—Elysium, a『World Item』according to Seph—as they had from the start of the flight.

Draudillon wasn't completely sure what the item did specifically, but for it and others of its calibur to be so highly coveted among Seph's peers alongside her permanent summons… well, even she could put two and two together.

"Oh, by the way. Do you need to, uhhh, transform?"

"No. I won't," Draudillon felt a grim determination well up inside her. "For this, I—I want to retain some dignity."

"Okay," Seph nodded with a soft look in her eyes that hardened as she looked ahead. "That doesn't look good."

Draudillon cast her gaze forward and felt her stomach sink at the smoke that covered the skies above the fortified city.

"C'mon, c'mon," Seph gritted her teeth, pushing her body as fast as it could go. "Faster!"

Any person watching from below would never forget the day they saw streaks of light rushing towards the site of carnage, towards those who had lost all hope only to be saved by what could reasonably be called a miracle.

The two responsible for the stroke of good fortune were wholly unaware of these sentiments, their minds consumed by dire urgency.

"Spread out and rescue everyone you can!" Seph shouted to her summons who instantly responded, pouring over the city and Draudillon's spirits like rain after a long drought. "Shit, shit, shit. Why can't I still—?!"

"Seph, you don't have to…" Draudillon's voice trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Not kill her enemies? That it was fine to show mercy? Such thoughts were beyond foolish to consider on the battlefield.

"… Nevermind."

She had committed so many sins already, yet why did this one in particular feel so much worse? So much innocent blood had already been spilled and stained in her name, so what was one more for the sake of her kingdom's survival?

Draudillon wanted to throw up. Was this the kind of person she was in the end? One who repaid good with evil?

"Wait," her stream of thought was broken by the sight of a familiar figure. "Over there."

Seph nodded, slowing down as they descended towards where Draudillon pointed.

'Uncle?' the proud martial noble wore a battered appearance, but even still, he remained unbowed before the Bafolk Lord standing over him.

Draudillon felt the heavy weight on her spirits lighten. They were late, but maybe they weren't too late.

'Wait, everyone can see Seph carrying me in her arms—focus!' Embarrassment was an ill afforded luxury at the moment. If only her heart agreed and stopped beating so damn fast.

"Back away fr-from him!" Seph stuttered—gods, she was adorable—as her attempt to sound commanding fell flat in front of thousands of friends and foes alike. Draudillon felt her face heat up alongside the angel's.

Uncle's mouth was wide open with blatant surprise while he looked upon the unexpected sight. Draudillon carefully made sure to keep her eyes away from him.

The Bafolk Lord crossed their arms. She—or at least Draudillon thought the Bafolk was a she—considered them with a cold, analytical gaze before her mouth curled up into a toothy, mocking smile.

"Make me."

'Bitch.'