Weve got no choice! Glis, please!
It was obvious what Rafinha wanted Inglis to do.
In short, break the door open.
Inglis stepped forward, ready to kick it, when
The door slowly creaked open from the other side.
Rafinha peeked inside.
And the one who gazed back was not what she had hoped for.
An undead stuck its face towards Rafinha.
GYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
It reached out to grab Rafinha.
But Inglis was already on the move.
Her small fist slipped past Rafinhas cheeks, slamming into the undead.
With a force reminiscent of an arrow, the undead crashed into the wall at the end of the descending staircase.
I would ask you not to touch Rani. Follow current novᴇls on nοvelfire.net
Contrasting Inglis confident smile, Rafinha was scared out of her life.
Aah, jeez! That SCARED me dont surprise me like that!
Rafinha then shot the undead that Inglis had knocked over with her healing arrow.
Im not looking, I see nothing, I dont see anything!
As the undeads body disintegrated in a grotesque manner, Rafinha turned her eyes away and mumbled to herself.
Lets go, Rani. Leone might be deeper inside.
Inglis took Rafinha by the hand, and they both descended the staircase.
Its us! Rafinha and Glis! We might sound a bit different though!
As they called out to their friend on their way down
A small, quivering voice echoed from the depths of the cellar.
In a corner of the storage-like room, Leone was trembling, holding her black greatsword Artifact in a death grip. Her cheeks were wet with tears that were clearly still flowing. She must have been terrified.
Leone! Are you okay?!
Im glad youre fine. Its all right now.
Eh? Inglis and Rafinha right?
Leone looked confused, but they wouldnt blame her. Both Inglis and Rafinha were in the form of six-year-olds, after all.
There was an accident with an Artifact, so were stuck
I see thats shocking.
More importantly, are you okay, Leone?!
Are you hurt anywhere?
Leones clothes were stained with blood, or perhaps soaked' might be the better term. Was she injured, or was that the blood of her enemy? Inglis couldnt tell.
Im fine, Im fine but the things I did to these people
Leones hands shook, and her tears flowed even more freely.
Its okay, youre okay! You have us with you!
Yeah, Rani is right. Take it easy.
Inglis and Rafinha took Leones hands and comforted her. Once Leone had collected herself enough to talk, she began to explain her situation.
Thanks to you two and Sir Raphael, I could return to this mansion. Thank you very much
Yeah we read your letter.
Its because of your letter that we came to Arlmen today.
Considering that Inglis and Rafinha wouldnt have come if not for the letter, Leones earnest nature had become her saving grace. Leone might have been able to fight her way out of the cellar, but she might have been caught off guard by the undead pretending to be dead in the hallway.
But then the Knights came to visit, and they said they wanted to talk. I invited them in but then they started to act strangely, and then!
And you had no choice but to fight them
Rafinha interjected, and Leone nodded in agreement.
They wouldnt listen, and I tried my best not to hurt them, but they wouldnt go down, and they moved so fast So I had to defend myself. They're Knights; they protected this city, and I I
Reliving the traumatic event was clearly overwhelming for Leone, and her hands trembled as tears streamed down her face.
You helped me, and I could return home because of it, but I shouldnt have come back. Theres no way theyll forgive me for this. Its all my fault!
In Leones eyes, she believed the Knights of Arlman hadn't truly forgiven her, and once they learned she was back, they conspired against her. Now, having felt forced to defend herself, Leone bore the weight of guilt for their deaths.
Thats not true! You're not at fault, Leone!
Passionately, as if her own reputation was at stake, Rafinha hugged Leone tightly.
Inglis joined Rafinha in comforting Leone.
Think about it, Leone. Do you recognize any of the Knights who came here? They were all strangers, werent they?
Eh? Y-, yeah I didnt recognize any of them. Im not too familiar with the Knights
But there are some faces you'd recognize outside the gate, right?
They want to apologize to you, Leone. They said they witnessed your bravery in defending the city, and they regret their previous misconceptions.
Thats right! The Knights outside said that! Though I didnt really recognize them
One of them is the Knight who reprimanded you when we first arrived in Arlman.
Really? But Glis, you have a keen memory, so it must be true! Look, even the one who scolded you before sees you differently now. So, those intruders must be!
Rafinha hesitated, searching for the right words7
Rafinha, with her heartfelt intentions but somewhat muddled thoughts, was endearingly genuine.