Sévir Is A Pariah!

The offensive into Eatsa from Gran Planus was relatively successful.

Spearheads have been formed throughout the past three days, encirclements have been executed, and bandits have been killed.

It was safe to say two weeks in, the tide of war had been coming into the government's favour, just as it should be.

The silver-haired heroine and her team tread the path assigned to them in the south west. Just at the southernmost point of Sutsa and Eatsa's border formed by the narrow but long river that ran on it. This river also formed the border between Nursia and Eatsa, which is on top of the two previously mentioned districts.

Yet just like their last mission, nothing was easy.

Such was the predicament she found herself in with the utter silence of the team composed of her, Agnes, the girl who shared some features due to Dorevillean heritage, Deleena, the girl of the same heritage yet vastly different, and Adina, the girl.

Agnes, the leader of the team, led the pack as she was supposed to. Under the dull noon sky, she scouted the area for enemies.

Deleena tapped Adina's shoulder. "Oi Adina, who's next for scouting duty?"

"It's me. I'll be on duty in an hour for the next four."

"Sucks to be you."

"You're after me anyways."

Deleena didn't hide the click of her tongue, though Adina definitely knew it was for banter.

Behind the wall in front of them, crunches of grass reigned as Zephyr fought the air with her longsword made of ice. Her footwork and swordplay were swift and smooth, though not to the extent of her mentor, Minerva Grosvenor,

She knew that well. She wasn't even a sword user in the first place, but got into it anyway under her mentor's training. It was inevitable when Minerva was a master of swords.

A deep sigh escaped Deleena's mouth as she glared at the grey cobblestone wall of the ruins they inhabited. "Oi! Will you quit it!?"

The ground grumbled and shattered, giving way to a pillar of earth directed towards Zephyr at an alarming speed.

The latter, though pale and surprised, instinctively dodged the pillar that could've very well smacked her face.

What was that for? Her blood boiled from the sheer audacity of that girl. She swiped her arm upwards as she called —the pillar-erecting spell granted by Aegir and Marella.

The pillar pierced through the wall, crackling under its sheer force to where most of the wall directly in-between them collapsed.

As the dust disappeared, Zephyr's piercing gaze met Deleena's in mutual resentment. "What was that for!?"

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but try shutting up the noise disturbing my relaxation!"

Zephyr's left eye flinched, her right hand gripping the hilt harder. "How could you even consider relaxing in the first place!? We're in a warzone, there's no time to relax! We could get—"

"Uuuugh! There's that noise again!!" she shut her ears as if trying to get a reaction out of Zephyr.

Her breath hitched at the sheer rudeness Deleena presented, so much so she felt her heart skip a whole beat in boiling fury.

Adina kept silent, her eyes conflicted. Though it seemed that the two could care less about her right now.

If it's relaxation she wanted, then it's relaxation she'll get. Zephyr pointed her sword on top of Deleena and mumbled —the spell that simply summoned water.

The pink-haired girl looked up, her eyes widening as she realised the bucket size of water floating on top of her.

Zephyr swung her sword down, dropping the water straight at Deleena's face. The water splashed, she forced her eyes shut as she and Adina yelped and recoiled in surprise. "Hopefully you're relaxed now. I made it extra cold so you can cool off as well!"

Zephyr had never felt this devious, yet it brought a comforting pleasure seeing her one up Deleena.

The latter, who trembled from the coldness and hugged herself instinctively, looked up to Zephyr with a glare of death. "You.. You did it now!!"

She quickly stood up and swiped her arms up. Pillars of earth erected from Zephyr's sides and raced to crush her top. She ducked immediately, having anticipated the move from her hotheaded opponent.

"!" she exclaimed, turning the pillars of earth to ice and shattering instantaneously as if toppling Deleena's control.

Adina hurriedly stood up, her look urgent. "Guys! Stop!"

Her cry was ignored as the two immersed themselves into the fight. Zephyr wanted none of this, but was steadfast in giving it to her if it's what she wanted.

Earth clashed with water and ice without a clear winner. The earth of Deleena was fast and packed a punch, but it seemed that Zephyr's water and ice was more fluid and precise, just slightly slower from the style difference of the two.

The pops and crackles, the grumbles and splashes intensified as each second passed. They moved back and forth, gaining and losing ground.

At the back of Zephyr's mind, one question lingered: Was this worth it?

She successfully provoked Deleena, yet the triumph was blank. She shouldn't be proud either, but why?

To her, it was a simple answer.

This clearly wasn't her thing—provoking or starting fights. She's a pacifist, not an aggressor nor a warfreak.

But even so, why did fighting Deleena make her smile? Why did her heart leap in joy fightingt? Was the sight of Deleena's angry face worth it all?

She won't find the answer, at least for now. Not when a powerful gust of wind pushed them to the next cobblestone wall to her left.

Their bodies slammed against the wall, nearly cracking it open. They collected themselves as their spinning vision recovered and confused brains realigned.

In front of them stood Adina, her gaze heavy and stern, as were her folded arms. "I already said stop! What's with you two!? Don't you know we're in a literal camp!? There could be bandits anywhere, ready to ambush us!!"

Deleena rubbed her temples. "Ugh.. W—Whatever.. G—Go lecture this girl beside me..!"

Zephyr slowly stood up despite the soreness of her left side. A weak groan escaped her mouth as she supported herself by the wall.

Adina shook her head. "Deleena, we're switching scouting duty. I can't trust you two to be alone together."

"Tsk.. Fine by me." Deleena slowly stood up as well, most likely experiencing the same soreness. She walked away as if she didn't get slammed to the wall just now.

Zephyr's gaze met Adina's, her eyes hinting at concern just like her voice. "Zephyr, what's with you?"

"What's with me?" she folded her arms, giving her an unusual sassy look.

"You don't start fights at all."

"Was it me? Who was the one who tried attacking me with a pillar while I was training?"

"Well.."

"Besides, it isn't as heavy as what you guys did to me."

Adina raised a brow, as if clueless. "Uh..? What do you mean?"

The sheer audacity for this girl to act dumb. She thought, and narrowed her eyes. "Don't play dumb."

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't?" she stomped forward with an edge in her voice. "Let me remind you then.—Everyone's pointing at me as a Doren because of you two!"

The deep frown in her face, the loudness of her voice, and the overall anger she felt seemed to weaken Adina's defence. She had most likely known Zephyr as a timid girl who wouldn't even consider getting, or starting arguments, and it was as if she was caught completely off-guard by this sudden change.

"What did I do to you to betray me like this? It's kind of hopeless for Deleena, but you,—I believed in you..!"

There was a noticeable heartbreak in her voice.—That's right, Zephyr wasn't angry because her surname was revealed, rather, it was from the betrayal of someone she trusted enough.

Adina feverishly shook her head. "No.. No! I didn't tell a single soul!" she grabbed her hands. "I swear!"

Zephyr forcefully pulled her hands away. "..Enough! I'm not hearing any of it!"

She took a step back. "I'm not believing anything you say from now on."

Zephyr's facade weakened a little to the sight of Adina's heartbroken look, as if she was actually genuine.

But the girl standing in front of her was no longer a friend. She reminded herself of that before picking up her sword and walking away.

.

.

.

Zephyr found herself sitting by her ice sword stabbed to the ground and against a ruined cobblestone wall. She didn't hold back her frown when nobody was around.

It would be uncalled for to say she hadn't thought of what she just did,—giving in to Deleena and starting a fight.

The pleasure she felt seeing her so riled up was genuine, yet the feeling inched away when she cooled her own head.

A light "tsk" came out of her mouth. "I was just giving her a piece of her own medicine.." she scratched her head. "..Okay, maybe I went too far."

In the cold and calm moment of silence, her mind drifted off to the past.—A recent past where everything was fine.

Three women of pink, green, and silver appeared. She was in the middle as she'd always been.

The distant laughs she'll never hear again endlessly rang in her ear.

The proximity and the warm smiles burned into her eyes, knowing she would only meet coldness down the road.

A futile sigh escaped her mouth, her hand rubbing her forehead. "..If only sighing could solve everything.."

Her ears perked and gaze turned to her left to the heavy and constant rustling of grass. She instinctively rose with her sword, unsure whether it was friend or foe.

The rustling amplified and with it, panting until it was right across the wall she pressed herself against. She slowly raised her sword, ready to strike.

Her arms instinctively moved, yet halted to the sight of silver hair.

It appeared to be a girl her age, who grinded the ground to halt and nearly lost balance upon noticing Zephyr.

It was no other than: "Agnes? Why were you running?" It sure was a mystery. The sweat in her forehead and the panic in her quivering lips was very unlike Agnes, who usually displayed a normal demeanour.

"Gather Deleena and Adina! There's an army of bandits!"

It was as if she dipped under cold morning water to Agnes' order. As much as she was shocked, her body turned and legs rushed to find the two.

Her heart raced, and didn't stop even when she locked gazes with Adina. "ADINA! Where's Deleena!? An army of bandits are approaching!" her voice had turned just as panicked as Agnes. It was as if the shock and shivers she felt reached Adina.

"What!?"

Zephyr bit her lip and darted around. "..Go to Agnes, I'll find Deleena!" Adina nodded and they both split ways. Adina went to Zephyr's left and Zephyr went to her right where Deleena was last seen.

She swerved past the consistent zigzag openings of the cobblestone walls that only led deeper into the ruins, the cold sweat finally reaching her when Deleena was nowhere in sight.

"Crap.. DELEENAA—!!! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Her voice echoed under the silent yet tense cold air. She proceeded forward, her heart bracing from its unfathomable speed that only went on as the seconds ticked by.

"W—Dangit.. Do I really have to find her!?" She uttered mindlessly. Her eyes widened a second after, realising what she just said.

As much as her friendship with Deleena hit rock bottom, she won't ever abandon her in the face of peril. Because.. "That's unlike me."

Her legs burned and threatened to topple her to the ground, but she continued on. "..I won't abandon her!"

As if her hopes were answered by the gods, the figure of a pink-haired girl in the same uniform formed through the wall.

Despite the panting that mismatched her breathing, "DELEENA!!!" she yelled her name.

The pink-haired girl's green eyes met hers, narrowed. "..What do you want!?"

Zephyr ignored the hostility. "We have to go!" She inched forward, her hand gripping her sword. That's right, there was a threat before them. "Agnes came back sprinting and told me there's an army of bandits incoming!"

Deleena's eyes widened. "What!?" she replied as if the whole team's feelings immediately transferred to her. "..Okay!"

They rushed through the zigzag openings and eventually found themselves within their team's sight.

But it was not their panicked urges to leave that welcomed them as they hoped for.

Before them, a hail of armed bandits organised with shields in front blocked their exit.

"Took you two long enough!" Agnes scowled and extended her arm. "Die! Beam!" A wide beam of light constructed from her palms, piercing through the line of bandits carelessly. "Go!"

Despite each of their grimaces, they sprinted through. Zephyr did her best to avoid stepping on the bodies, which she'll never know whether they're still alive when she resisted the gnarly temptation to look down.

At last they escaped the confines of the ruins, sprinting through the open gravel path before them, the crunches and pants emitting in unison.

Yet as she hoped everything would go smoothly from that point on, a blood-curdling scream and thump into the gravel prompted all of them to turn around.

Their eyes widened to the blood-soaked tip of an arrow that pierced through Deleena's left calf. "..Crud!"

"Deleena!" they exclaimed worryingly in unison. Zephyr and Adina approached the wounded girl, whereas Agnes eyed the horizon.

Zephyr pointed her sword at the ground and exclaimed:

Their feet chilled as fog quickly surfaced in tandem with a crackling wall of ice able to cover all of them.

The distant cries slowly amplified. She can only assume it were the bandits inching closer.

"Deleena! Get on my back!" Agnes exclaimed, her back exposed. The two quickly assisted Deleena into getting a piggyback ride. Agnes turned to Zephyr and Adina. "Zephyr, you can use an ice shard to travel, right!?"

She feverishly nodded. "Adina, hold onto me!"

Adina did just as she asked. She yelled , [Ner and Nora's Gift] engulfing the three, allowing them to sprint at normally uncatchable speeds.

—she exclaimed the spell that froze the air and gave her the gift of "flight" through a flat board of ice.

She jumped into its platform, tilting forwards as it accelerated forward.

Her heart leaped from the straightforwardness, prompting her to wiggle mid-air as she instinctively fought for balance. "Wah!"

"Come on, come on! Please stabilise, you!—" This, paired with the rushing bandits sent unfathomable weights of pressure down her chest as she could only beg.

The fear of tumbling, the fear of being reached. It all stemmed from the fear of failure, At the very least, certain amounts of weight lifted off her chest as she successfully zoomed away, only to return again when she realised something.

The air slammed against and growled in her ears. Her peripherals were blurring out more than she hoped for.—She was going fast, and a wall inched closer. "Wait wait wait! HOW DO I STOP!?!"

Relying on what common sense she had, she shifted her weight to the back.

Her teeth and fists clenched tightly as the board slowed but inched way too close to the wall. It was as if the concept of turning wasn't part of her "book", and she could only exclaim a loud "EEEK!", decelerating well enough, but still collided with the brick wall.

The ice board shattered and her body fiercely thumped against the wall, the latter cracking and forcing out debris of its own

Her vision spun and blurred. It was as if all her breath was expelled and body was stabbed everywhere. The landing wasn't merciful either, adding to the stinging pain that sought to linger for as long as possible.

Her head was as light as can be, yet still operated as finely as it could in this situation. Granted, she was alive and conscious, but her body refused to move as it ached everywhere.

"..Ugh.. Brother.." she muttered instinctively. Despite the lack of strength, she mustered what she could to quickly bring herself up despite the resistance of her trembling arms. "Get..up.. Get up.."

Albeit slow and painfully, she brought herself to her knees.

Her heart raced for a myriad of reasons: Fear of failure, fear of capture, and even fear of death. But one stood out to her regardless, especially when it's what was driving her to get up despite the pain and heaviness.

How could she word it? Perhaps it could be [determination]. "I can't be captured.." she muttered underneath her breath. "Brother, Sanguinex.. Ms. Minerva…"

"..Zephyr..?" Zephyr perked up to the faint voice emitted from across the wall. The voice, familiarly stern, yet weak at this very moment. The girlish voice panted painfully.

"D—Deleena..?"

"Where's the others? Th—They went out to find you! You took so long!"

As if the coldest of water splashed her whole body, she trembled the very moment she stood up to Deleena's words.

"They.. They went out to f—find me..!? But I've only been gone for like.. A minute!"

"Idiot! Every second counts! What if they shot you or something!?"

Their voices raised to properly hear each other from across. Deleena's was naturally louder, as it had always been.

"..OI!" the manly voice exclaimed from behind. Zephyr quickly turned around, instinctively gasping to the bandits numbering about twenty right before her. How didn't she hear their voices or footsteps? Was she engrossed in the brief conversation with Deleena?

"D..Deleena..?" Zephyr backed up against the wall, gulping hard when she received no reply.

"Enough's enough." The bandit pulled out an antique pistol from the separate leather holster by his belt. The cock clicked, ready to shoot.

That's what it took to completely freeze the Doren as if petrified. All her muscles tensed, and her mind blanked to the sight of the gun aimed directly at her.

She knew to herself swords and magic projectiles were avoidable, but a gun merely ten metres away? Her hopes faltered as quick as it came.

Her breath was visible through the cold air like smoke. The quantity hinted to her trembling breath as she wrestled her fear.

But the fight didn't conclude in time.

The bandit pulled the trigger, a piercing bang following through.