NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29: Accidentally Saving a Fellow Friend.
(Celia’s POV)
Once the alchemist girl stopped being giddy, we started to follow the path once more. Soon, we came across a large cave opening. I didn’t sense anything within the cave, so I was sure that it was safe to venture into it. What about the Goblin ambush?
If I told the truth to Marin, she might not like me as much… Anyway, I knew that I we were about to be ambushed, I just didn’t bother to run away. I knew that I could kill them all, just the horde of them was out of my imagination for a possibility of happening.
In the end, it all worked out. So it should be fine to carry on with this new lie. Or rather, omission of truth from Marin. Ah, I can’t just help but build up more and more secrets, huh? What a sinful lady I am…
Flick!
Celia: “You know how to use magic?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
Marin: “Please, such a spell isn’t really considered to be magic, Celia.” She replied with a giggle.
Flicking her wrist, a ball of light appeared above her head, to the left of it. With the light ball, it was more than enough illumination for us to perfectly see within the once dark cave. Nice going, alchemist girl!
A Small Bit of Spelunking Later.
After a small walk through the cave, we came to a weird area. In one area, were Goblin bodies strewn about the place. Inside were a few women, about ten of them in total. Some were disheveled, but most seemed to be fine. From what I can see, the only problem for them was starvation and dehydration.
The reason for them being able to prevent being raped by the stinky Goblins was easily apparent. There was a woman who was clearly strong enough to protect herself and the others, which is why they were mostly fine. And she was seemingly able to protect everyone with a weapon… The woman…
June: “Celia?” She asked with an unsure tone after noticing me in her vision.
Celia: “June!” I exclaim, rushing up to her, and pulling my friend into a hug.
It had been a long time since I’ve managed to find one of my friends… Rather than search for them, Ria advised me to just wait until the game starts. From her knowledge, the game was overly biased toward entertainment. Even if it wasn’t being broadcast right now, that bias was still in effect. I didn’t expect it to be so strong, though…
Happy reunions with your friends? Of course, that is very entertaining. Anyway, I had to assure June that her mind wasn’t playing any tricks on her, and that I was actually real. Clearly, the Goblins had starved the girls in hopes that their resistance would be destroyed. Since I killed them all, their plan was obviously foiled.
Marin: “Ah, so you know her? That’s nice, but we should leave this place already. These women need food and water.” She advised.
Celia: “I know. June, let’s catch up later, okay?” I reluctantly part the hug.
June: “Yes, I am very curious about what you’ve been up to lately.” She agreed with a smile.
A Few Hours Later.
Luckily, with such a small number of girls, transporting them all wasn’t much of a hassle. Though starved, they had enough energy to walk out of the forest. Once out, it was easy to walk on the even path directly to the city.
Marin and I took them all to the guild, where they will be taken care of for now. I turned in the quest, and Marin went on her way. Of course, she left only after thanking me profusely. Now, using that reserved room, June was taking a bath. I was just waiting for her in the living room, sipping some tea.
Come to think of it… do I even like tea? Eh, with how often that I drink it, I probably do. As for the room… it was waaaay too luxurious! Is this the treatment that powerful families get? Ah, I am truly a blessed woman, who always runs into rich people like a curse! Rich people that help me, at that.
A few minutes later, and June soon came out from the bathroom. She was already dressed. Which was good, as I am a married woman, and shouldn’t be around nude women that I am not married to. If nothing else, I am a faithful wife to my wives. What a funny sentence… Maybe I should call them my spouses instead?…
Celia: “Please sit and relax, June.” I suggest.
June: “I’ll do just that.” She replied before sitting down, before then taking stock of the sweets and already prepared tea on the table.
Prior to entering this room, I had taken June to a very nice restaurant. So she wasn’t that hungry. Regardless, the woman had seemingly missed such treats, as she ate cookie and cupcake, after cookie and cupcake. Or was she still hungry?
Celia: “How long have you lived in this dimension?” I ask with a curious tone.
June: “How long? Just a little over a week. When I next woke up, I was already taken into that cave. Thankfully, I managed to kill any Goblin before they could attempt to rape me. And I was able to protect most of the other women as well.” She answered after swallowing the food in her mouth and drinking some tea.
Celia: “…”
June: “…”
Celia: “…”
June: “??? Is there something wrong?” She asked with a confused tone.
Celia: “Uh… the last time I saw you, June, was well over a few hundred years ago… Did you really just recently end up here?” I explain in reply.
June: “A hundred years ago?…” She said with a shocked tone.
Calming her down, I then explained everything to her. June wasn’t wrong about her just ending up in this dimension, either. And this wasn’t Ria’s intention at all. Ria had sworn to me that she only randomly sent our friends away, as she didn’t have time to save them any other way.
With our knowledge of the Will that likes to mettle far too much in our lives, both Ria and Save believe that it was the one who destroyed our original dimension. The key issue… is that we still don’t understand why she did such a thing. Either way, my focus right now is making sure that June gets through this game.
I didn’t expect to find a friend here in this dimension so early into the game, so I had no plans prepared for this. With my words, June soon realized that she had a System, and it wasn’t one that Sava made. Instead, it was the one made specifically for the game. Which means… June is playing in it as well. Damn… Could this get any worse?…