NOVEL NEXT Arc III Chapter 6
III
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Arc III Chapter 6
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25th Anima Lunar VIII AAC 753
"..." Nelaeryn fumed, clenching his hands. His knuckles turned white. "Silence! Watch your tongue! Show some respect, girl, you have no idea what you are talking about."
"..." Aurora grinned mischievously. He took her bait without a second thought. A serious mistake on his part. "Nelaeryn, I could not care less about wounded elven pride. In fact, your insolence humours me. You elves love to make bold claims about your ancient civilisation and culture. And yet you seem to have forgotten your humble origins. You elves were elevated by our grace from simple savages, from barbaric paupers to who you are today. So who do you think you are? How do you even dare to compare to the children of men? When it was we humans who were erecting cities of marble and stone, when your ancestors were living in wooden huts and caves. It was we who taught you, a collection of tribes and wood dwellers, the secrets of magic, the arcane arts of spell crafting, the true power of mana. It was we who taught you, humble hunters and gatherers, the blessings of agriculture, of irrigation, the wonders of masonry, of craftsmanship. It was we who raised your ancestors from nothingness to the heights of civilisation. Yet, how do you repay our kindness? You repaid your rightful masters with betrayal and treachery, with war and destruction. In the end, you are nothing but rebellious slaves with delusions of grandeur."
"... ... ..." Nelaeryn narrowed his gaze, studying her figure with renewed interest. He retained his calm despite gritting his teeth, yet her words had struck a nerve. "I retract my statement, regardless of who taught you these nonsensical fairy tales, you are surprisingly well versed in history for a mere girl of common birth, are not you, amnesia girl? Your little act ... A convenient excuse, is it not?"
"..." Aurora beamed, hugging her doll nestled in her arms. "To be honest, I cannot deny ... its usefulness. My amnesia has certainly proven its worth."
Nelaeryn studied her intently, reconsidering his opinion of her. "I must admit that you have proven far more devious than I could have ever imagined ... Are you not afraid? What will happen if I told them?"
"Uncle Nelaeryn, are you perchance threatening me?" Aurora raised an amused eyebrow.
Nelaeryn paused. "Possibly."
"..." Aurora returned an ambiguous smile, her index finger crossing her lips. "How amusing, but I doubt so. You would not tell them. I know you, Nelaeryn. I know you far better than you might think. You do not strike me as the type of person to spill secrets. Why would you ever share your valuable secrets with some lowly humans? You would not, right?"
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
"... ... ..." Nelaeryn bit his lips.
"And even if, who is going to believe you? Lambert?" Aurora motioned at the party leader. He and Michael had already lost all interest in their conservation. "Unless I am mistaken, you both are not exactly on the best terms with each other."
"..." Nelaeryn fell silent. "You are truly a shrewd girl. I hope that Lambert and friends will never regret what they have got themselves into."
Aurora beamed, her angelic smile innocent. "I take that as a compliment."
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27th Anima Lunar VIII AAC 753
Another day. Another martyr of boredom. Once again, Aurora was dangling her feetsies in the air, sitting once again on her usual pillar together with her doll. Nothing had changed. The days passed, still as boring and uneventful as ever. Her guardians remained ever watchful, putting her under constant scrutiny.
After her little dispute with Nelaeryn, Lambert had admonished her in no uncertain terms to stop bothering their elven companions, effectively eliminating even her last source of entertainment. But Aurora was a good girl, and good girls listened. Although mainly because evil Lambert threatened her to reduce her rations.
"Tsk ..." Aurora clicked her tongue. Such a nuisance. Everyone treated her like a child, like a little girl. Her words were not taken seriously, and her feelings marginalised. It was annoying. Her childish appearance put her at a severe disadvantage, right? Her doll nodded in agreement.
Spending her days doing nothing, her daily life bored her to death. Nelaeryn did whatever. Lambert and his party guarded the perimeter against non existent enemies, occasional overgrown spiders, and a few foolish lizards. Meanwhile, Arwing was rummaging through mountains of rubble, treating every stone with the utmost, almost religious reverence of an overzealous archaeologist. Her delicate brush removed every last speck of dust. Every worthless stone was a relic of the past. Every measly pebble, a treasure in disguise. Her progress was slow and cumbersome. At this rate, her elven friend would take another few centuries, if not millennia, before she would unearth anything of note.
Aurora did not possess Arwing's divine patience. She would have long since resorted to more effective, more explosive, and far less academic means.
All the fighting had severely damaged the catacombs, leading to rubble and debris blocking passages and corridors. As such, more destructive means were required to gain access to the lower floors, but it was their expedition, not hers. Unlike her, her elven friends were driven by academic pursuit, and not by personal greed and avarice. Valentia had once been a wealthy city. Even the most scrupulous adventurers could have impossibly taken everything. There had to be some treasures left for a little, innocent girl without coin and funds.
Her future undertakings would require money, which was always a useful tool to have at your disposal. Without money, you were nothing. After all, a little girl had to provide for herself. She could not forever rely on the generosity of her benefactors.
"..." Aurora caressed her doll, who shared her thoughts. Lambert, Iris, Michael, her companions currently remained in the dark. They were ignorant of her origins, her past, her true identity, but it was abundantly clear that she could not deceive them forever. It was only a matter of time before her lacklustre acting would fail her. Not that it mattered.
Her future was bright, as she was destined for greatness. Aurora von Schwarz was by no means an ordinary girl. She was the lone heiress to the proud and noble House von Schwarz. Her birth alone elevated her above the common masses of rightless peasants.
Yet it was still too early to reclaim her birthright. It was probably better to wait and observe. Her memories remained fragmentary at best. Her knowledge of Arcadian politics was severely lacking. Not to mention, all the people once close to her former self would undoubtedly take notice of her radical change in personality. It was easy to deceive some strangers, but not them. They would ask uncomfortable questions.
"..." Aurora sighed in exasperation, a grave sigh escaping her. So many questions. So many problems. So much work to do. At least, she still had her lovely doll, the cutest doll across the entire land.
Patting her doll aside, Aurora's gaze fell on her latest companions. Her fluffball friends had returned. The sprites were once again dancing around her, keeping her company.
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