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Last Thread: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/4104564/

Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Black+Clover
> Please vote if you feel like it.

Character Sheet: https://pastebin.com/raw/Ty0pwSsM
> Has been heavily updated.

Thread theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4_oMTsxNE
> Always looking for new suggestions.

> You spend 11 mana.
> Mana [63/180]

You two bask in the short orange light of the sunrise.

You clear your throat and turn and step away from the bed. You discreetly take out your grimoire and hold it by its binding line. You close your eyes - you allow yourself to bask in the magic inside of your grimoire. The sturdy parchment pages become fluid and fictile once your fingers touch and push deeper. You push your hand inside and your mind follows. The darkness of your mind is broken as several of your items appear in their brightness.

You reach for the wooden crate breezily floating in the distance. Reluctantly, you lift the lid and take out a single of the agitated and living muti crickets – one out of dozens – from inside of it. You make sure not to crush it as you take out your hand. Without tossing a glance back as to not unease him you quickly put the cricket in your mouth.

A loud crunch is heard across the spacious bedroom as you shudder from the sudden cold and disgusting taste…

You spin back and smile awkwardly – you continue to chew on the brittle remains of the cricket bug.

“Y-you feel it too, don’t you?” Aubert asks in a worry as he hugs himself and looks at your face, “You look scared.”

“No, its fine,” you speak without opening your mouth too much – you hope it worked. “I think it’s our rations.”

You take a sit on the edge of a very fluffy bed before taking out your grimoire. You patiently turn the pages until you find the newest of your spells – the one spend miserable months for training under Siegfried. You turn to Aubert. “Mr Aubert, please don’t worry: I am a healing magic user – I’d like to see if one of my spells will work.”

The bald elder man nods after a hesitant pause. He glances side to side as if asking if he needs to do anything else.

“Linen Magic: Cloths of Solace.”

You shake your head. You raise palm as threads of mana begin to manifest into pinkish and thin blanket as it follows your fingers like glue. The worry in Aubert’s eyes changes to curiosity. He watches as your sparkling ruddy cloth gently lifts and circles the ceiling of the room. For a brief moment, it illuminates the room with brisk light…

You twist your fingers and break the blanket into three equal long strips; you surround all of them around Aubert’s body like garlands. He chuckles and sighs in relief – in addition to warmth, this spell also tingles you a bit.

You and he patiently wait as all of the three cloths release their healing magic. He doesn’t have any visible wounds – it is hard to judge until the cloths begin to crumble and vanish into pinkish dust. It was a regular spell, you feel.

> Roll Result: 4/10 [Fail]

“Do you feel any different?” you ask Aubert as you stand up from the bed, “Is there still this presence here?”

The owner of the mansion looks at you with a brief misfortune and sighs. He glances all-scared at the shadows.

Curses; it did not even help. You are just wasting mana and magic here.

“Do you know anything about the ingredients Gabriel uses for your meals?”

Worry slips over Aubert’s face as he hurriedly pushes himself off the bed. The man puts his hands over his stomach, “D-did you find anything strange about the food? Gabriel has been my head chef for years now…”

You shake your head to reassure him, “No, Mr Aubert, it unlikely to be the food but… best if we keep it in mind.”

“No, I do not. It is the reason I hired him – it is his job to be bothered about those things.” His eyes suddenly dart to another corner and he lifts the silk blanket of the bed to cover his head and begin trembling, “W-where is it?!”

“Have you felt anything different about the food? Any changes in the last few months to its taste?”

“It’s not in the room,” the man echoes and grinds his teeth, “But it’s… somewhere close. Somewhere near.”

“Mr Aubert,” you insist as you look at Beraber – you are unsure if you are going to need her assistance or not. “Please, you need to relax. The sooner we figure out the reason behind this presence the sooner we can fix it.”

His eyes continue to dart around the room, as if searching – constantly looking for it. Eventually, he tightens his grip over the blanket and takes another deep breathe. “The food, it started tasting exotically a few months ago.”

“Exotically?” Does he mean strangely? Your eyebrow perks as you take out a glass vial containing rosy-tinted salt. You unscrew the lid and offer it to Aubert, “Could it be this? Gabriel said he bought a new spice a few days ago.”

“I-it could be,” Aubert answers hard-heartedly.

Is it really a mere coincidence? You approach the bed and offer the vial to Aubert who look at you in confusion.

“I know it might be too much to ask, Mr Aubert but would you mind eating some of this exotic salt

He winces, “Just the salt? No, that’s outlandish. If I had some kind of meal for breakfast I would try with it. I am very hungry after yesterday – I can’t even remember eating my dinner… I-I would prefer not to return to the mansion as long as the dark presence is there, but you’ll need to tell Gabriel to bring my breakfast meal here.”

You shake your head, “I will go and meet with Gabriel so he can prepare you a regular breakfast, Mr Aubert, but right now I need to know if there’s anything wrong with this spice. Can you eat a handful of this salt, please?”

He stares in one of the many corners and then at the vial. He leaves the silk blanket over his head as if some kind of a tent-mantle as his scrappy hand reaches for the vial. Visibly unsure, he pours some of the salt on his palm and then towards his mouth, licking it off. You imagine the taste being barely different from your regular salt…

He rasps and uses the blanket to clean his lips. He returns you the vial and covers himself further into the blanket. You screw the top and return it back to your pocket. You and he patiently wait for anything to not happen…

Aubert’s grey eyes suddenly grow smaller and dart around the cabinet. He surrounds himself in a cocoon of several blankets and crawls closer to the brightest area of the room. His breathing heavies once he stares towards the ceiling, “Above, it’s above…” He suddenly glances behind himself, “No, it’s behind the window. No, it’s there!”

> Wake up Beraber and ask her to use her Edict Magic to either calm or put Aubert back to sleep.
> Leave the room and find somebody who can quickly light up the brazier and torches to keep the room all bright.
> Try and bring Aubert outside with you to open space. He will still be paranoid but not as scared under the sun.
> [Write In]

> Please roll 1d20+10 – best of three – for the cost of the previous spell: [Linen Magic: Cloths of Solace]

Rolled 3 + 10 (1d20 + 10)

>>4143304
>> Try and bring Aubert outside with you to open space. He will still be paranoid but not as scared under the sun.

Rolled 4 + 10 (1d20 + 10)

>>4143304
> Wake up Beraber and ask her to use her Edict Magic to either calm or put Aubert back to sleep.

Our scarf lights up when we infuse it with magic?
IF yes we should do it

>>4143339
>>4143343

The good mana rolls continue!

Rolled 1 + 10 (1d10 + 10)

>>4143304
> Try and bring Aubert outside with you to open space. He will still be paranoid but not as scared under the sun.

Hope it’s not raining or overcast today!

>>4144228
>Hey anon. I need to note that this spell uses a 1d20+10 and not 1d10+10 so if you could reroll that would be nice! And no, the sky is rather clear aside from a few clouds.

Rolled 19 + 10 (1d20 + 10)

>>4144261
>>4144228
Same anon, on mobile, different location so new ip. whoops. I’ll try again.

>Will have to miss an update today too, sorry.

> You spend 13 mana.
> Mana [50/180]

“We should go outside,” you offer to the trembling man as you raise your grimoire to illuminate at least some of the king-sized room – the windows of the room are small and not facing the early morning sun directly. It’s not enough to calm him down however; he shakes his head in clear refusal. Discreetly you loosen up your enriched scarf and wholly fill it up with your magic. With elegance you allow your long and beautiful neckscarf to flow and cling around every corner of the room until its sparkling moonstone light is able to snuff out every shadow inside.

“Is that better?” you turn to Aubert. He looks less terrified, but only a bit. Those short naps did not rest your mana…

“I-I don’t know,” he darts his head towards the door under which the darkness of the corridors continues to linger. “T-this room is safe enough,” he bites his lips, “Safe enough, but it is there… Y-you believe me, don’t you? Right?”

This is not helping. You sigh and, a bit deceptively, you nod your head towards the man. You will need some help…

You approach the pile of cushy silk pillow and the day-dreaming Beraber soundly sleeping on them. You make sure your scarf is continuously filled with your magic before you begin to try and gently shake the woman to wake her up: you try not to be too rough. Eventually, Beraber opens her lazy and looks at you with a surprising enthusiasm. “Cynthia! Let me guess, this is actually a torture room – no – a giant oven, and we are slowly being cooked alive by those two cannibal siblings?!”

You say ‘No’. You can see her cheerfulness quickly replaced by boredom. She turns away and back to sleep.

“Beraber, come on,” you plea as you shake her once again, “I think I figured it out, but I need your magic to help!”

She mutters, “Do you wish to guess how much mana I have left?” You shrug your shoulders. “Not a lot, Cynthia.”

“You won’t restore it even if you sleep for another five minutes,” you insist.

“I am guessing I have ten minutes, actually.”

“It’s five.”

“No, it’s ten because I spend five talking to you. And I know I’m right,” you pout at her grin; she refuses to listen.

Deciding not to be too adverse and not to get into an argument with Beraber on your first mission, you have no other choice but to wait ten minutes until Beraber wakes up. Finally, the woman stands up and removes her grimoire. In ten minutes the lukewarm sunlight outside of the room is barely any brighter than before but at this point, you are too tired to incessantly nourish your scarf. As you exhale, the last sparkles of magic leave your linen as it falls on the ground and the room, once again, surrenders the dusk gleaming and the glowing of your books.

“Beraber, can I ask you to find Gabriel and tell him not to use the salt anymore and to tell him where we were?”

Her eyes light up at your request, “Cynthia… certainly! Don’t rush with… what do you want to do again?”

“Mr Aubert, if you could allow Beraber to use her magic on you we’ll get much closer to solving your problem.”

Hesitantly, he nods. He slept, but it is barely noticeable. He looks miserable and tired – not a noble look at all.

“Don’t tell me; let me guess what you want me to do, Cynthia!”

Beraber does not wait a moment to tuck out an empty yet glowing page from inside of her grimoire

You whisper, “Please make it so he’ll leave with me outside. I think some sunlight will do him good.”

It is Beraber’s time to pout, “You are so boring.” Still, she does not disobey. “Edict Magic: Honour Word.”

Beraber Pythia stares at the middle-aged noble and, although with a bit of a fear, he stares back. As soon as the inscribed sentences light up, her parchment begins to crumble. With no resistance, Aubert crawls out of the bed.

‘You promised me you would go outside.’ It says.

“You best hurry,” Beraber tilts her head towards the parchment, “This is the weakest of my spells.”

You nod. With a brief awkwardness you take Aubert by his hand and elbow and lead him outside the room into the dim sunlight of the corridor. While he follows Beraber’s edict obediently, his face pales. Beraber’s edicts are very short-lived – she told you so herself – so you rush to leave the mansion without any covertness or quietness.

You keep pulling stumbling Aubert as he begins to visibly shake in panic and fear. He is taller and much heavier than you, you have to use your magic infused scarf to assist you with your task. You reach the main door and open it with a hit of your shoulder; you struggle for a bit to push the man into the mansion gardens into the dawning sunlight. His legs stumble before he stops and a pause for a short moment. Immediately after, he covers his head.

“Is it…?”

“I told you, it’s everywhere… it’s hunting for me,” he wallows and raises his hand to the tall shadow of the manor – you are just a few steps away from it, “I-it’s reaching for me, no-no-no, it’s there. It’s so big… I need to go back!”

“Calm down, Mr Aubert,” you take the man by his shoulders. You slip your scarf over his body like a very long blanket before you concentrate and, with a tired breathe, infuse it once again with magic. He’s like a glowing tree.

“It won’t touch you as long as you are surrounded by light, right?” you question him uselessly. He nods, kind of.

You bite your inner lip and allow yourself to think. You decide to take Mr Aubert with you to the central street – despite his worries, you assure him that your scarf fits him well and the enchanted silver glow only adds to the charm of his noble clothes; he seems to believe you. Perhaps, if he lies off the salt, is it truly the culprit (?), then he’ll stop feeling and seeing this presence. But how long it will take? Gabriel had mentioned that he purchased this strange salt off an exotic street vendor. Even if they are not there, somebody will know where to find them.

You are correct and the street is just barely awake – there are only a few people and even less stalls open. Unlike the surrounding endless mansions grounds, the central street of Hecairo is where some of the servants live and local merchants and tradesmen sell goods for the workers of the nobility. Streets of small houses. Thankfully, Aubert is too consumed by his fears and paranoia to notice the strange glances the passing few give him. You make sure to look formal not to let them approach a man of his status too close – you are Magic Knight now.

You lead Aubert to a very outlandish open ruddy bell tent. Strange garnet lilies look as if they are growing from inside the cloth of the tent. There is very noticeable but pleasing incense standing on the entrance of the tent. There are all sorts of vials, jars and flasks filled with dry herbs, liquids and other unknown substances hanging from the bridge-like wooden support frames of the stall. Surrounded by hanging flowers, there is a figure there.

It’s an exotic stall, for sure. Despite Aubert’s reluctance, you decide to approach it – the merchant might know something. You let another powerful surge of magic into your scarf – it is very tiresome – before you carefully bow your head inside the tent. You put your fingers to your nose to avoid the symphony of mind-melting fragrances.

“Is there anyone here?” you ask with graciously despite knowing the answer.

A very optimistic and womanly voice answers almost immediately, “Is that the first customer today I hear?”

You gulp and take a step back – rightfully so. In dangerous rush, the figure turns around to reveal a woman in her thirties wearing a ribbon like orchid gown with a massive bow on her back as well as mint lingerie, ice-blue gloves and mint thigh-high boots. She has sparkling orange eyes resemble molten bronze. She has a bright light-blue lipstick. Her cardinal-hued hair is long and wavy. Her silver earrings are long and resemble hanging ivy branches.

She is also wearing an extremely elaborate pointy witch hat of the same colour as her revealing dress: a witch.

She nearly crashes with you. Before you can ask, she leans even closer and her face twists in shock in confusion.

“Do I know you?” she suspiciously asks you.

You shake your head, “I don’t think so.”

“Hm-m-m-m, alright,” her expression immediately changes to a cheerful-merchant one, “What would you like?”

You look at Aubert and, to your surprise, her orange eyes follow you.

She scowls, “What’s wrong with him?”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you,” you say before you take out the rosy salt, “Do you know anything about this?”

She gasps so loudly other people turn towards you; embarrassing. The witch shakes the vial, moves her eyes closer and then opens it. She unscrews the cap and pours a small stream on the floor. Her face turns pale as she closes the vial and refuses to return it to you. “I see now. This is a very dangerous herb from the I’os Chaparral.”

“The I’os Chaparral?”

“Yes, it is a meadow in the Neutral Territory filled with all kinds of potent plants, ferns and flowers!” She looks at the vial one more and frowns, “It’s a dangerous mix of herbal poison and magical essence, impossible to heal by normal means. Harmless in small doses but can be damaging if taken for a week or longer. Why, the one who sold it to you was an extremely reckless person!” She simply hems and then… turns red and begins sweating profusely.

> What would you like to ask and do now?

> Sorry for the abrupt updates this week – been a hectic week.

>>4146055
>then with what methods can one cure it?

>>4146055

> I'm afraid that Lord Aubert has been eating meals laced with this for the past several months, at least.
> You said it is impossible to cure by normal means, does that mean that there is an abnormal method you know of?
> May I ask your name?
> Is something wrong, you seem very nervous. It wasn't you who sold this was it?


>Sorry for the abrupt updates this week – been a hectic week.
No worries, it's probably harder to find someone who hasn't had their life fucked over in some way in the past few weeks with all of this virus nonsense.

You narrow your eyes, “Is something wrong – you seem rather nervous? It… wasn’t you who sold it, was it?”

She raises her glove to cover her mouth; she starts coughing. Nervously, she turns her head towards the insides of her tent; her face turns even redder. “Of course not, what is more likely is that it was another witch months ago.”

She is a very bad liar. You frown and shake your head.

“I don’t know much about witches,” you hold your nose and follow her further inside the tent – it is too dark for Aubert to follow you, “But I hope you can help us with a problem this other witch caused. May I ask your name?”

Very obviously and obliviously she puts a hand to her half-exposed chest and lets out a sigh of relief. She turns on her incredibly tall mint-hued heels to face you. She picks the edge of her tall witch-hat and raises it in a greeting.

“Pistoia is my name, lassie!” she lowers her tall figure to be on your eye level, “Hold on, you’re a Magic Knight!”

There is a clear sparkle of excitement in her eyes. This is the first time somebody is –this– impressed by the fact.

“You are so young – do they accept girls as young as you into the Magic Knights? How is it? Are you having fun?”

You take a careful step back; you also remember to give another infusion of magic into your scarf to sustain his illumination. Again, Pistoia’s face betrays her excitement as she jumps out of the tent and grabs into your scarf - you have to struggle to keep it over the mansion owner’s shoulders. She does not even notice your resistance.

“What is this? What kind of textile is this? I have never seen anything like this in my life – where did you buy it?”

“I made it myself,” you confess hesitantly with a brief note of proudness. “But this is not important right no-”

“You have Scarf Magic!”

“What? No, I have Linen Magic.” You watch as she places a hand to her chest as if an arrow just struck through it.

“Linen Magic?” she pauses as she regains her balance. Her brass eyes begin to gobble down inches of your body…

You sigh. What a strange woman. You decide not to question it further. Once again, you walk inside the tent.

“Lord Aubert,” you nod your head towards the paranoid noble – he does not care at all about your current exchange with Pistoia. “Has been eating meals laced with this spice for the past several months, at least, and-”

“Etwilla!” the woman’s melodic voice rings as she breaks your personal zone and grabs you into a tight hug. “Oh, I thought I would never see you again! How could you, you cloth-for-brains?! Do you know much we missed you?”

You find it hard to breathe, “I am not.” Etwilla? But that is… “Do you know my mother?”

After a few tense seconds she stops her hugging and, while still holding you up close, pushes you a bit to inspect you. She chuckles awkwardly as she rolls her eyes, “I knew it was kind of strange you were this tiny after so many years! Mother, of course, of course.” She looks –very– envious of this fact. “But you have her dress, and her face!”

“It’s not really her dress, but I made it to resemble hers,” you say, “Were you a close friend with my mother?”

“Yes, of course, lassie! We were the closest!” she flicks her fingers and pushes her hat make a complete turn, “Wait,” her expression immediately changes to one of a concern, “You are actually quite old. How old are you?”

“I am fifteen,” you admit whole-heartedly, “And my name is Cynthia.”

Pistoia rosy cheeks bubble in a pout, “Your mother didn’t waste any time…” She finally lets you go, “Is she here?!”

“No… “You hesitate and keep a brief pause before gathering the courage to tell her, “She died six years ago.”

Like a mask, her coral hue changes to pure white. Her irises shatter and sizzle up to dot and her light-blue lipstick turns red from a bloody bite. “Oh,” her up-to-this-point optimistic voice cracks and tears begin to fall down her cheeks and ruin her mascara. “That is very… long ago,” she tries to speak calmly but her expressions betray her.

You make an attempt to change the topic. “My mother never told me she had a witch-friend.”

“What are you talking about?” she ruins the sleeve of her beautiful orchid bow with her tears, “-She- was a witch.”

“No, she wasn’t,” you raise your hand to wave it in front of your face in a clear refutation. “She is a regular commoner girl from an unimportant village I don’t remember the name of who was very bad at using her magic.”

Pistoia scowls with an awkward giggle, “At least the last part is the truth.”

“There is no way-“you turn as you finally remember about Aubert. Once again, the middle-aged man is afraid of every shadow in the market street – especially the musky incense darkness of the witch’s stall. You are very tired.

“Let’s talk about this later,” you sigh as you flow another wave of your magic into the scarf, “You said it was impossible to cure by normal means now that he has been eating it for months. Is there some other method?”

“Well I didn’t exactly say that, Etwilla’s girl,” she begins sweating again, “If he stops eating it for six months he might recover and become normal. Or he might not, and this might be a permanent damage now. He’s unlucky.”

“There should be some kind of way to help him,” you insist.

“Of course there is,” she admits with a bright smile, “In the same ‘Chaparral’ there grows a plant that can fix the damages caused by the poison he has been consuming. There are a few drawbacks but they’re not dangerous.”

“Do you have it with you?” you hope for the easiest solution.

“Nope,” she confesses with a bright smile – her face still looks very uncanny with the ruined mascara. “It’s not something people in Clover Kingdom would usually want to buy. But you know… I can show you where it grows.”

“In the Neutral Territory? I can’t go there!”

“Of course you can,” she says as if it was the most obvious thing imaginable, “You have a grandmother there.”

You need to talk this over with Captain Charlotte, but the witch might not be here by the time you will come back.

> Ask Pistoia if she has anything that can – for now – help Aubert from going completely insane.
> You can’t beat your curiosity: plea Beraber to take care of Aubert while you go for the antidote with Pistoia.
> You might need help. Ask Pistoia if she can wait a few days while you contact Charlotte to look after Aubert.
> Beg Pistoia to bring you the antidote and explain that, while you want to go, you can’t due to circumstances.
> [Write In]

File: Spoiler Image (293 KB, 2550x1225)

293 KB JPG

>I am not the greatest or even average-level artist but I know some kind of picture can help with imagining the characters more than words so I drew a few bad chibi ones for that purpose.

>>4147681
> You might need help. Ask Pistoia if she can wait a few days while you contact Charlotte to look after Aubert.
This is a really exciting turn of events, it's an interesting expansion to Cynthia's background. I wonder if her having Witch heritage is what got Dorothy interested in her.
>>4147685
Hell, man, those are great!

>>4147681
>Ask if person buying that spice knew what he was buying and danger attached with it

>>4147889
If yes go and arrest the cook if not leave him be. Regardless ask for something to put noble to sleep

There are –a lot– of questions you want to ask your father now. That will have to wait.

“Would the person buying this spice know what it was for and the danger of using it?”

Pistoia awkwardly puts a hand over her face, “I wouldn’t know.” She clears her throat, “N-no?”

“And why is that, Pistoia?”

“Well, Etwilla’s girl, it’s not the type of thing we sell on the ‘open market’, so I’m sure it was a careless mistake.” She adds, “Most of the stuff I have is not that powerful or magical: to have a better sleep or to preserve food.”

“Where do you sell it?”

“The Black Market,” she says stupidly and loudly before turning red from embarrassment and closing her mouth.

“Is there one in this city?”

“Gosh, you have too many questions – just like your mother!” The witch pouts, “No, only in the Royal Capital.”

That’s quite far away. You sigh – you don’t want to “accuse” you mother’s friend of deceit. You decide to let it go. You gently pull Aubert a bit closer as to make it easier for you to control your magic flow. “This is too sudden, Pistoia. I am currently on a mission in this town with another Magic Knight. Could you wait a couple of days?”

She chuckles, “You are my first customer, lassie, I am still planning to sell and earn some yul today first.” She takes out a couple of glass vials and puts them on a tall wooden counter, “I made a promise to return by night, thou’”

“I need to contact my Captain – even though it’s part of the mission, she must know. But she is quite far away…”

“What a problem! Etwilla’s was one of her favourite daughters, I’m sure she will be happy to see you too!”

You placidly knock your boots as you turn away from the stall.

“I am sorry I didn’t buy anything. I promise I’ll come back before you are closed.” You allow yourself a joke. You lead Aubert away from the stalls. A small gathering of nobles and their accompanying servants begins gathering around the most eye-catching and colourful shop on the central street. She turns her attention towards them…

You explain to Aubert what you learned from Pistoia – while he is currently in no state to understand all of it, he grasps enough. While darting his head towards every shadow you come across, he pleads you to find and bring back the cure – you promise him to do everything in your power to do so. You decide to bring your client back to the mansion of the two noble thieves, despite what Firaa asked of you – he’ll have at least some company there.

By the time you return to the guest room basking in endless twilight, you feel yourself drained. Perhaps, it was not such a good idea to not simply go with Aubert outside but also drag the man to the witch’s tent-stall. Thankfully, somebody had lit the brazier and the room is no longer dimly lit by the deep yet small windows above the walls.

“How are you feeling?” you ask Aubert as you nearly collapse from your overuse of mana. You lean on the chair.

“It’s… somewhere here,” he echoes the – to be frank – repeating muttering. You sigh but try to remain smiling.

After a few moments, yawning Beraber open the door and enters the room with Gabriel by her side – she is holding him by his elbow in a clutch; he doesn’t look like he is enjoying it. With a serious demeanour, Gabriel apologizes for the spice that the traveller, or so he says, sold him. He turns towards you and vocally takes accountability for the fact; like this, it is very hard to imagine he did it with maleficence. Aubert is not angry.

He also brings food – nutmeg-smelling ribs on a puree bed covered in a sweet strawberry sauce and mint leafs. He brings three portions, one for each one of you. You are unsure if this is his apology or the workings of Beraber’s magic. Still, you are unable to refuse his offering: you are hungry, it smells divine and it looks like a work of art.

You decide not to share with Beraber, or either of the men, of your heritage. It’s not that important right now.

You leave with Beraber outside to have a dialogue in private.

You tell Beraber the most important part – the fact that you need to go into the Neutral Territory to find the plant which will be able to cure Aubert’s illness, as it is near impossible to heal by itself. Beraber decides to snoop more.

“A whole “garden” filled with extremely dangerous and unsafe plants? This is our mission, I am going too!”

“I need somebody to look after Aubert, Beraber – and it can’t be Gabriel. She is leaving today at night.”

Beraber nods like somebody who just found a missing piece of the puzzle, “The Witches’ Forest and the rest of the Neutral Territory is under her control, usually, anybody but the witches who go there are gravely injured. Let me guess, that traveling merchant is a –witch–? Yes, I got it. That’s why you think you will be safe if you will go there.”

“It won’t be right if I go without discussing this with Captain Charlotte.”

“As much as I would love to spend more time with Gabriel the cute…” she pouts her lips and winks adorably at you. “You are very obvious about not trusting him, but I do! As much as I would love to, we can just leave now.”

“What are you saying?”

“We are not here to be some babysitters for some old noble, Cynthia. We know a solution, let us go and solve it!”

You frown – that is rather heartless of her. “We still don’t have the time to contact Charlotte about this.”

With a lazy but widening smile Beraber lifts her book to her chin, “Then let’s ask the witch to wait or go with us.”

Beraber is not a daughter of a witch. You don’t know how this works but she might get in trouble if she joins you.

> You are still not absolutely sure about this. Ask Beraber to use her magic on Gabriel to see if it was truth or not.
> Try your best to convince Beraber to go back to the Headquarters to report on the current status of the mission.
> Visit Pistoia with Beraber and ask if she can make a small detour and make a stop in the Blue Rose Base.
> Visit Pistoia with Beraber and ask her to use her Edict Magic to convince her to wait a couple more days for you.
> [Write In]

>>4149704
> Finished the update before this post.

>>4149724
> Visit Pistoia with Beraber and ask if she can make a small detour and make a stop in the Blue Rose Base.

>>4149724
>> Visit Pistoia with Beraber and ask if she can make a small detour and make a stop in the Blue Rose Base.

>>4149724
>> You are still not absolutely sure about this. Ask Beraber to use her magic on Gabriel to see if it was truth or not.

You cough before turning towards your companion, “Beraber, we have to make sure Gabriel is not lying to us.”

She lazily bends her head and yawns at you, “I told you, I trust him. He isn’t lying about this.”

“How do you know?” You insist, “It’s possible he bought it by accident but what if he didn’t?”

“Cynthia,” she sighs with clear annoyance, “Unless you can give me a reason why he’d do that, I won’t.”

“Well…”

“Don’t get me wrong, I tried guessing!” she exclaims as her emerald eyes begin to brightly sparkle, “But he has been working for this panicky noble for many years, right? Gabriel’s paid for the meals, he won’t be earning anything if he goes completely insane or dies, you know? The fact that he’s still here means that he –really– needs the money and can’t find another job – which can’t be possible, he’s so fetching and any restaurant or other noble would hire him – or he is very loyal to the client. There’s also a possibility he is just too attached to the mansion.”

You open your mouth only to close it. You shake your head, “There is still the chance he is lying to us.”

“Maybe, but if I had to doubt every word anybody says I would be out of mana, Cynthia,” Beraber replies boorishly, “’Tell the truth’ is a very boring way of using my magic, Cynthia. Let’s go to the Neutral Territory!”

You sigh with defeat – it is her magic, you can’t convince Beraber otherwise. You give her a short nod before the two of you return to the guest room. Gabriel is looking uncomfortable having to stay in the same room as the paranoid man – you can’t really blame him yet they do not appear –that– close. You explain them the situation.

Suddenly, the door handle quietly shakes and a man about the same age as Aubert silently walks inside. He is wearing an iridescent dark scarlet jacket with that-hued shirt as well as black straight pants and polished boots.

“Aubert,” the man adjusts his long, waxed orange hair to let you see his empty-glass eyes, “What a sudden visit.”

Beraber bites her lips as she stares the man down and reluctantly takes out her grimoire.

You awkwardly take a step to face him, “Well you see…”

“I know what happened,” his mysterious voice cuts yours as he approaches the bed and the man further. Gabriel stays silent. While, at first Aubert finds the strength to face the man, he begins looking around in quiet worry as soon as the well-dressed man drops something from his fingers into the brazier to dim the flames. “I might be blind, but I am not deaf. Aubert, I have been wondering why you suddenly became so isolated, so quiet.” He smiles and, as if by command, the strange goo lying on top of the sizzling brazier flames spurts with bright lights.

“They are your children, aren’t they?” you interrupt the grinning man, “They tried to steal from him yesterday.”

“They have been adequately punished,” he smiles and nods, “I overheard you a bit. Aubert, my friend, I know you are not ready to return to your mansion just yet – it is far more gloomy than mine. Stay, but on one condition…”

“Noiro,” Aubert wraps himself with the silk blanket, “I’ll pay you reasonably if you let me stay a couple of days.”

“No-no,” the man called Noiro shakes his hands, “I won’t take anything monetary after what my little ones did.”

“Then what do you want?” Beraber bites her nail, “You don’t look that bad for your age, if it’s my hand you want.”

“No, I know you are going to an area to find a cure for Aubert; very noble. I need a flower that grows there, too.”

“What sort of flower?” you ask.

“If my books are correct, it should be one to keep one awake for a few days,” he continues to smile.

> Agree to bring Noiro the flowers he needs as long as he keeps a safe eye on Aubert and lets Gabriel cook for him.
> Refuse. As disturbing as it is going to be for Aubert, its best if Beraber puts him to sleep and you bring him back to his own mansion. Perhaps Gabriel can keep an eye on him while also delivering his food? It’s only a few days.
> Perhaps Aubert can stay a few days in an inn room? This might not be the best idea, but what other you have?
> Ask Gabriel if he can allow Aubert to stay at his home? This is a lot to ask, but does he now own a lot to him?
> [Write In]

> I made a mistake, I have been referring to the village you are currently in as Hecairo – it is Tota. Hecairo is the village you returned previously from, where Tresses and her father are currently living. Sorry about this mistake.

>>4151684
>> Agree to bring Noiro the flowers he needs as long as he keeps a safe eye on Aubert and lets Gabriel cook for him.

there is no reason not to choose this option since we are going there anyway

>>4151684
> Agree to bring Noiro the flowers he needs as long as he keeps a safe eye on Aubert and lets Gabriel cook for him.

Maybe while we're in the Neutral Territory, we can also search for ingredients to make the enchanted dyes we need for the blanket we promised to make Dorothy


>Sorry about this mistake.
No worries!

You look at Beraber in case she has any complains but the woman just simply and lazily yawns into her hand.

“Alright, I’ll bring you the flower,” there is no reason to refuse – you are going there anyway. “Can you tell me what I exactly I am supposed to be looking for? And in details, please, else I might bring you something else.”

“There is no need to describe it,” he lowers his smile just a bit before his hand falls inside his jacket to take out a small but ancient and damaged book. The pictures are drawn and the letters are written in lavender hued enchanted ink – the kind you can infuse and read with your mana. The ink looks new, unlike the rest of the book.

The man, Noiro, continues staring emptily at and through you with his glass eyes. He releases a chunk of mana as he slowly turns and searches the book until he finds what he needs. Despite how much this book would cost, he rips off a single page from the centre of it and offers it to you. You take it to find an image of an outlandish flower.

“It’s very detailed,” you comment out loud before you fold it and put it in your pouch. You nod, “Then we agreed.”

“We shall all be safe and at ease here, Magic Knight, patiently waiting for your return.” He continues to smile.

After a few hours of waiting the two of you finally leave the premise of the mansion. You offer Aubert a goodbye. Beraber sends a flirty air kiss to Gabriel who responds with a disturbed glance-away. You return to the central street with Beraber in the middle of the day – is it now busy with life and open stalls. You introduce Beraber to Pistoia who, despite having no connections to her, is just as excited to meet her – especially to try and guess about the workings of Pythia’s magic. You, however, spend the next hours walking around the streets of the Tota.

Thankfully, Pistoia has managed to sell enough by the late afternoon and finishes earlier. She uses a Magic Tool in form of an immense and sparkling lavender cloth to hide away every part of her stall inside of it – not unlike the way you use your grimoire. After that is done, she folds it several times and puts it over her shoulders like a cape.

Pistoia is very excited about visiting the Headquarters of the Blue Rose; her expression does not hide it.

Despite a few of your and Beraber leading questions, she does not reveal much about the Witches’ Forest – the city where she is from, the Neutral Territory or even her life as a witch. She tells you a little about herself and after a few hours of guessing on your flight towards the Roselei Mansion Beraber manages to guess her magic – Branch Magic. It sound very versatile and powerful; it must be no weaker than Captain Charlotte’s Briar Magic.

Pistoia asks you and Beraber a lot of questions about your life as a Magic Knight and the more unique and interesting locations in the Clover Kingdom. You tell her about the Pink Ash Forest and your last almost suicidal visit there. You somehow regret it after seeing just how excited she is – no doubt, she is planning to go there…

Beraber mentions the “Jewel Glass Waterfalls” – an active kind of Grand Magic Zone. She describes it as a collection of waterfalls surrounding a deep frozen lake. Unlike the warm autumn fields which mantle the Grand Magic Zone, it is a permafrost winter near and inside the falls. She says that as soon as the river water begins to fall off the waterfalls it turns into hundreds of massive and sharp chunks of ice raining and shattering the lake.

Beraber says that there once was a legendary beast destroying the countryside that one of the Magic Emperors lurked beneath the “Jewel Glass Waterfalls” to kill him. If the waterfalls are to ever stop, the beast shall wake up.

Will you have to visit it someday – too? For training?! You shudder at the thought. Pistoia is, again, very excited.

Pistoia is very obvious about her emotions – when she mentions your father, the man who your mother left the Witches’ Forest for, her face turns visibly upset and angry. You decide to not talk about it with Beraber around…

You reach the Blue Rose mansion by the dying light – it is midnight or even later. The sky is clear and moon visible.

Thankfully, the light in Captain Charlotte’s office is bright – you will not have to wake her up to talk with her about this. Instead of going through the maze-like corridors and staircases of the mansion you, Beraber, and Pistoia land on the giant white-stone balcony on the outside of her office. Pistoia squeals as she leans on the engraved border.

Captain Charlotte quickly and sharply notices you – no – your presence. Her statue figure is gently overglown by a cold, bluish light from chandeliers of the office. She opens the glass doors and lets the warm air to escape away.

Without asking too many questions, Charlotte invites you and Beraber inside, however, when Pistoia tries to follow you, a thorny and tall briar walls grows beneath her feet and then over the glass entrance to block her.

You and Beraber explain the situation to the best of your abilities. Charlotte does not say a word during your recollection, she simply nods her head. She sits there in her chair after you are finished. You lower your eyes in silence, unsure on how to break the lingering heaviness. After a few more seconds her fingers strike each other.

“I see. I judge it too dangerous – mark this as the end of your mission. You did well; you can eat and rest now.”

“But Captain Charlotte, Mr Aubert is not going to get healthy unless we bring him the cure from the Neutr-”

“Cynthia,” Charlotte’s voice cuts yours like a sword. She leans forward – the sound of her armour echoes from the marble floor and walls. “You two are too weak to go into the Neutral Territory, you are forbidden from doing so.”

“But I am guessing she won’t have any problem there as a witch?” Beraber tries to insist softly.

“On the contrary,” Charlotte’s cold-blue eyes turn to Beraber, “Neutral Territory is filled with dangerous things and scouts from the enemy Kingdoms. Even still, the greatest danger is the Witch Queen. The witches under her care are not allowed to live outside of the forest, and those who do are considered fugitives and, from what I know, are harshly punished if caught or come back. You are not a witch; you are a daughter of an absconder…”

Why did you think Charlotte was going to allow you to go? “B-but what about Mr Aubert?”

Charlotte turns her head towards Pistoia who is visibly seething at the briar obstruction, “I will discuss this with her, personally. For now, you two should avoid her – she will lead you to danger. “She puts her hand on the table, “If I’ll have no luck, then I’ll ask one of the other Magic Knights, or even Squads, to bring back this ‘antidote’.”

You clench your fists and furrow your brows. How come? You were this close to learning more about your mother.

“The Magic Emperor had forbid us from going into the Neutral Territory after what happened to Tugela and her group, and I follow this order with respect and willingness. Your mission concludes her, Cynthia, Beraber. Rest.”

> Silently bow your head and leave the office. Have some later-night dinner before returning to your room.
> Make an attempt to argue with Captain Charlotte. If it’s just you and Pistoia then nobody else is at risk.
> Leave the office in silence. Try to sneak into the garden to have a talk with Pistoia – but not leave with her.
> You will return back to the Roselei Mansion by the morning. Fly away to Kikka to have a talk with your father.
> [Write In]

>>4153603
>> Leave the office in silence. Try to sneak into the garden to have a talk with Pistoia – but not leave with her.

Ah, I hadn't really considered what would happen if Charlotte said no.

>>4153603
> Make an attempt to argue with Captain Charlotte. If it’s just you and Pistoia then nobody else is at risk.

>>4153603
> Leave the office in silence. Try to sneak into the garden to have a talk with Pistoia – but not leave with her.

>>4153603
>write-in
>hand Captain the paper with the anti-sleep flower information, “I, unfortunately, had already agreed to retrieve this flower as well before bringing this to you. The flower is meant as payment for the client’s temporary boarding, until we were expected to return. My apologies.”

>>4153952
Good call. We might want to ask Pistoia to identify the flower if she can as well.

>>4153952
changing vote to this

You can’t argue with your Captain – it’s unlikely she’s going to change her mind. You take out a drawing of the flower given to you by Noiro before approaching Charlotte’s office table. “Unfortunately, Captain Charlotte, I have already agreed to retrieve this flower here from the Neutral Territory – I apologize. This flower is meant to be a payment to the person in charge of our client’s temporary boarding. I offered him yul but he wanted the flower.”

Charlotte Roselei reservedly and distantly accepts the drawing done in the enchanted ink. Briefly, she lets a little bit of her own mana to sweep over the page. She pauses and shakes her head – she doesn’t know what type of flower it is. “This is more complicated. I can’t have nobles treating our Squad as unreliable or untrustworthy.”

She exhales and the weighty presence lingering in the air softens. The briar wall outside withers and collapses and, with a bit of a magical push, the glass door opens to “invite” Pistoia inside. With a blooming expression and an excited spin of her lavender hat she runs inside the cold-stone office and laughs. “So this how the room of a Magic Knight Captain looks like,” she exclaims and leans towards Charlotte. “And this is a real a Magic Captain!”

Charlotte is visibly uncomfortable. “I am Charlotte Roselei, Captain of the Blue Rose. You are from the Witches’ Forest? Magic Emperor Julius tolerates the presence of Witch Queen’s subjects, but we are still very cautious.”

“Of course, of course,” she nods and then kneels to investigate the white stone floors divided by a green mosaic to resemble long vines and creepers. “This is amazing; I must say: you have a very good sense of style and fashion.”

“It was not designed by me,” Charlotte answers coldly before looking at you and Beraber, “They are not leaving.”

“W-w-whaaa?” Pistoia’s eyes open wide and her lips tremble, “Oh, you didn’t hear. Cynthia’s mother is a witch!”

“As a Captain, I have a broad knowledge of the politics of not only the Clover Kingdom but the other regions and kingdoms. It is deceitful of you to try and lure my Magic Knight into the Neutral Territory considering how the Witch Queen responds to such acts.”

Pistoia sweats and corks her nose, “The Witch Queen doesn’t control –all– of the Neutral Territory, and she is not going to harm the daughter of one of her dear witches! Me too, I wouldn’t harm the daughter of my best friend!”

“It is surprising,” Charlotte says with bewilderment, “It seems you do not know the Queen as much as you think.”

Pistoia pouts and strikes her foot, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Charlotte sighs and shakes her head, “It is a risk not worth taking. Until Cynthia is strong enough she will not be allowed into the Neutral Territory.” She turns to you to give an apologetic but authoritarian curtsy. “Now, as a friend of her deceased mother – if I understood it right – Cynthia will be extremely grateful if you will help her with this mission; I will be too. You were selling wares in Tota… We can monetary and properly pay you for this.”

She winces and turns her nose. She looks outside and, as if biten by a snake, she begins nervously gasping, “I don’t have much time left, Witch Queen told me to return by night. Alright-alright, I got it. I will bring you the antidote.”

“Really?” your eyes light up, “Thank you, Pistoia!” You clench your fists, “Once I’m strong I’ll come and see you.”

She blinks and smiles a bit, “What are you talking about, Etwilla’s daughter? As soon as I return I want you to introduce me to the bastard who Etwilla left me for – your father. I have –so many things– I want to tell him!!!”

Charlotte clears her throat and silences the room. Her magic levitates the paper towards Pistoia who grabs it as if it was a shot arrow – awesomely. She curiously inspects the paper and then her entire face turns white and pale.

“You don’t want this flower,” she speaks as she crumbles the drawing into a ball.

“You can use it to make a powerful anti-sleep brew, right?”

“Wrong. Who told you that?” she harrumphs. She shakes her head with clear motion and disappointment. “Never pick up this flower unless you can do it safely with your magic. If you do, it’ll randomly drain one of your senses.”

Charlotte remains calm and collected.

“What?!” Beraber gasps in frustration, “So he lied? Why would he lie? Let me guess…”

“Then, if it’s dried and made into a tea it will enchant that sense to the person who drank it!”

“T-that’s horrible!”

“I know!” Pistoia shouts back.

“Captain, the person who asked Cynthia to bring it was blind!”

Captain Charlotte hums, “It shouldn’t be a problem. As I said before, Cynthia, we – the Blue Rose - have a reputation to showcase. People will consider what you do as my actions and the actions of the Blue Rose…” She puts her plated glove on the table, “I will provide you with a safe vessel. Witch, can you remove and put it there.”

“I… I mean maybe?” Pistoia begins to sweat and her face turns red, “As long as you use magic it should be safe.”

“Fantastic, I will add an additional payment if you do that.”

“Captain, wait,” you insist, “Won’t –he– lose one of his sense if you give him an untouched flower?”

“He might,” she responds coldly, “But he lied to you, and you will not – he shall receive his flower.”

> Is there anything to do? What do you want to do now?

>>4154846
lets train with our magic since there seems to be nothing else to do

>>4154897
tfw all our goals require us to wait. Lets check on Tresses?

>>4154846
Training sounds good. We can also introduce Beraber to some of out friends in the Blue Rose already.

>>4154846
Find a bf

>>4154846
>> Is there anything to do? What do you want to do now?
>Take a nap
We didn't slept much if I remember correctly

There is not much you can do. Captain Charlotte and Pistoia finish their talk soon after. You watch Pistoia – the friend of your mother – depart the Headquarters on her bend magic broom made out of a unique crimson-hued cherry-like wood. You hold your voice; you don’t tell her that you’d like her to stay and tell more about your mother.

Now that she knows where you are going to spend most of your time, Pistoia promises to return once the Witch Queen allows her to. She sounds pretty stringent. Once her figure disappears in the night-sky, you and Beraber are released from your duties. Despite Charlotte concluding your mission you are left discontent – is the Neutral Territory really that dangerous of a place? There is no way your mom could’ve survived there if that was the case.

Not to mention, if feels inconclusive. You and Beraber have managed to untangle the knot of the problem which no one group managed to, but now somebody else is going to take the antidote back and be thanked by Aubert…

You sigh as you enter your room – it is too dark to do anything else and Gabriel’s meal was more than substantial.

> Your mana has been restored.
> Mana [180/180]

After waking up late in the day and getting yourself ready, you leave to the dining hall which you find half-empty – yesterday might have been a free day for the Magic Knights, but today most of them have been appointed a mission of their own – missions more exciting than your own. You find Tresses. Her grayish body is completely filled up with her mana – the air itself around her is melting. She might be living like a peasant but her mana is still of a noble. Her usually beautifully long sparkling white hair is now dimmer – almost gray – and laying dead over her shoulders, as if willow branches. Unlike your last meeting, there is no magic in her hair now – she has to split.

You introduce Beraber to the people who are here – Sol, and next Cleole. Sol is nice but that does not stop her from being afraid of the ‘Misfortune Grimoire’. Sol and Beraber get on the wrong footing. Sol gets very annoyed by Beraber making her guess instead of answering her questions – you have to step in to be the grown up and tell Sol the details of your mission, at which Beraber calls you “boring”. The fact that Beraber was flirting with so many men, the detail which she does not hide, makes Sol angry as well – she makes it clear she should drop it…

Beraber’s interaction with Cleole is far friendlier: Beraber finds Cleole’s emotionless tone amusing. It is good; Cleole is the one who needs friends the most. Cleole, with her black mascara and lipstick, as well as pale face, looks as spooky as usual. You know, however, that there is a friendly façade beneath. Unlike Sol, Cleo’ does not mind guessing parts of Beraber’s story, although some of her speculations are cynical and pessimistic. They also exchange chewables, Beraber suffers through the extremely-hot sweets handmade by her and Cleole’s voice turns even softer and passive after trying one of Beraber’s medical herb balls. You try to remind her to be discreet about it. Beraber is extremely fashionable so, when she learns about Cleole’s make-up skills, she rushes to her room…

She returns with amazingly first-rate make-up – long eyelashes, sparkling lipstick as well as geometric shadows.

To your surprise, on the very next day after your mission, Captain Charlotte assigns another task to both you and Beraber. And then another, and another – you don’t have time to lie around or even train. You avoid the Training Grounds aside from the times when the Knights call you to help with healing a nasty injury. Being a Magic Knight is proving to be more difficult than you originally thought – you are not one to shy away from hard work however, in-between all the missions there is no time to contact your father or visit Sigfried with Tugela regarding her curse.

The missions you and Beraber are asked to complete are rather easy and, to your father’s delight (?), do not put your life at risk. You complete several of them during the next week with Beraber. One of those missions is to assist a small town damaged by a landslide with rescue and repair. Another is to stop a pack of oversized vultures destroying tatoes fields. The easiest but the most rewarding of the tasks, though, was teaching the local orphans.

By the next time Charlotte calls you to her office all of your muscles are hurting and your head is barely awake – she does this in the first morning hours. You open the bluish wooden door with overgrown, rose thicket engraving with a heavy – more than usual – heave before entering inside. To your surprise, Beraber is not here, only Roselei.

There is no sun to light up the room and so, the massive six windows make it much darker than it’s supposed to be. There are a few candles spread around the office, as well as a gilded lantern on the edge of her table…

“You wished to see me, Captain Charlotte?” you are forced to break your yawn as you enter inside.

The Briar Knight nods – she is not wearing her armour. “I had a meeting with the Captain of the Purple Orca recently, during my visit to the Clover Kingdom, and he insisted he knew nothing about the things you claim. Now, I trust you and I don’t trust him – so do not get the wrong idea. He reassured me that he will investigate the problems you mentioned and try and punish the alleged Knights bribed by the White Yul.” She turns some of the pages laid on her desk, “But I suggest that friend of yours continues to be vigilant. Then, I’ll investigate myself.”

You are not sure if that is enough – the White Yul hold a lot of influence in the High Street and Kikka, despite being mere aristocrats. You contemplate asking Charlotte to come and see for yourself but you realize she is very busy.

“The friend of your mother – the witch – only yesterday she, or so she says, was allowed to leave the forest and give us the herbs required for the antidote. I have tasked Wainsley with returning the antidote and the flower that the noble offering the temporary-boarding requested – frozen in a chunk of ice, of course. Wainsley reports that the witch did not lie and our client was finally able to return back home. He marks his request as wrapped-up.”

You sigh with relief, “I am happy to hear that.”

“Now, for your next missi-” she suddenly stops and turns around to face one of the windows. Without explaining you the reason she stands up so swiftly her chair loudly collapses on the marble floor. Quickly, her leather boots echo as she approaches the window and darts away the blue silk curtain. She turns around and bangs her back.

You cork your eyebrow at such a strange reaction. “Captain Charl-?”

“Yami!? What is –he– doing here?” she hisses through her teeth as her voice stutters.

Uncertain on what to do, you slowly approach Charlotte and look outside the window – there just outside the tall and gilded entrance gates you easily spot a circular nether space portal glowing with vivid aquamarine colours…

There are three figures you can spot – two of a men and one of a female. You can’t recognize them too well but one of the men is extremely bulky and tall – he resembles one of Sol’s Earth Golems… Is he one of the Captains?

Charlotte’s magical sense is amazing; she was able to sense them only seconds after they arrived!

Captain Charlotte realizes you are looking at her for answers and she immediately calms down. She takes a deep breath before she raises her arms and looks over her simplistic outfit. Again, her voice cracks, “I-I can’t go out like this to meet him. That damn brute – what problems does he plan to cause now? Cynthia, your next mission is to go and ask him what he wants. That’s the Captain of the Black Bulls there. Tell him to go away, to go away…”

Was it really?

You give her a salute. You leave the office and then the mansion and, unsure on how to properly and courteously address and tell the Captain of the Black Bulls ‘no’, you approach the gates where the three people are standing.

Indeed, the muscular man is the one Charlotte called Yami. His black hair is messily combed backwards. For a captain, his clothes are very basic – a white shirt and black trousers. He is wearing several leather belts over his torso as well as to carry his grimoire. The only really distinct thing is black banner with the squad's insignia on it. He wears it over his right shoulder and it’s attached by two strings to his left shoulder. He’s smoking a cigarette.

The other person is a slender young man wearing green clothes and a cape of his Squad. His grimoire is blazing like mad – he is struggling to keep up the portal open… The third person is the mushroom girl; Yami is holding her above the ground in a tight, maybe even painful, grip. The woman is struggling to escape and is shouting, loudly…

“Let me go, I want to join your squad not this weak girly one!” despite her own muscles, she is not match for him.

“C-Captain Yami, h-how much longer d-do I have to keep this portal open?” the young man pleas to the man.

The man takes a deep huff and lets out a massive gray cloud of smoke through his teeth, “Until I say so… Hey.”

You stop right in front of the gilded gates separating you and the trio, “If you are here to meet the Captain she-”

“Spiny Prickly Queen is not here?” Yami corks his eyebrow and without any warning, he lets go of the mushroom-haired girl. She falls flat on the solid ground. “What a shame, it’s been a while. I am just going to leave her here.”

“Don’t leave me here,” she quickly stands up from the ground and attempts to rush into the portal, only to have Yami grip her face with his massive hand. With a single push he tosses the girl away, “I already have one new brat to take care of…”

> Charlotte asked you to tell him to leave – do so. Then, tell Captain Charlotte about the mushroom girl.
> Tell Yami that the mushroom girl refused to accept Charlotte’s invitation and so she is not welcomed here.
> This situation is above your rank. Raise your hand and wave towards Charlotte’s office to ask her to come down.
> Ask Yami why should Captain Charlotte deal with the mushroom girl if he is refused to accept her into his group.
> [Write In]

>>4156688
> Ask him why would we want that weakling?
> If she ask why Charlotte picked her answer her with "Pity?"
Reverse psychology that bitch, make her beg

>>4156688
> Ask Yami why should Captain Charlotte deal with the mushroom girl if he is refused to accept her into his group.

>>4156731
anon i don't think that will work

>>4156688
>> Ask Yami why should Captain Charlotte deal with the mushroom girl if he is refused to accept her into his group.
>> Tell the mushroom girl that we don't understand her reasoning at all. Just because the squad is filled with women does not in any way mean that it is weak.
>> This situation is above your rank. Raise your hand and wave towards Charlotte’s office to ask her to come down.

>Update will be later.

“She is no longer Captain Charlotte’s problem,” you speak up awkwardly – it’s hard to speak down to such a powerful presence. “Captain Charlotte was the only one to raise her hand for this girl and she snubbed the offer.”

The man’s grey eyes stare you down. He exhales another long stream of cigarette smoke at you. “Huh?”

“I-I said,” you try and repeat.

“I heard what you said,” he sounds annoyed, “Are you one of her new girls? You can deliver what I said then.”

“C-Captain Yami, c-can we please go already?” the straightened arms of the brown-haired man begin shaking.

Yami turns his head and gives the man a glare that can kill. You can read his face ‘Shut up or I will kill you.”

You can’t deal with him – you are just a low-ranked Knight. But if you don’t do anything he’s going to escape and just leave the mushroom girl here, to be your and Roselei’s problem. You turn around and begin waving you hand.

“What are you doing?” Yami asks you.

You shudder while your hand is still mid-air. Uneasily, you fuss as you raise your other hand to grab the elbow of your first one and turn your body left and right. “My body went numb for a second there, I am just flexing…”

“Flexing? Are you looking for a fight?” his fingers knock the hilt of his sabre – a tiny part of the metal blade clangs.

You face turns pale as you quickly turn around in panic. Furiously, you shake your arms in front of yourself. “No!”

“What are you doing with my Magic Knight, Yami?” Charlotte voice echoes from the top of the balcony. Your eyes open wide as a magnificent, massive and rich stairway made entirely out of entangled sharp briars and blue roses – the unusual wind picks up the petals as they begin to whirl around the area of the gate – descends towards you.

She is wearing her armour. How did she manage to put it on so fast?

“So you were here after all; what, you’re too busy for me?” Yami says, although there is no malice in his voice.

She clears her throat and her eyes fall on the mushroom girl still trying to reach for the portal. There is a visible disappointment in her glare as you step away to let her come closer, “Unlike you my Squad is busy; working hard.”

“Good, that means you can use one more person,” his hand grabs the mushroom girl by her head and literally tosses her over the gate. She shouts with sudden anger as her body smashes onto the lukewarm earth and dust.

Without even look or acknowledging Charlotte – or without reacting to obvious pain – she lunges towards the gate and grabs the gilded bars like some kind of monkey, “I am not giving up until you agree to let me join you.”

Yami steps one foot inside the portal and grunts, “Just join the Blue Rose.”

“No! I want to join the Magic Knights to get away from that crap! Frilly dresses and over-washed long hair, girly mannerisms. It’s clear they are not taking this seriously! Your Squad is dirty, ill-mannered and rough. Let me join!”

It seems even Yami took an insult to that.

She might have issues.

“Now look here…” long-hair and frilly dress – it as if she is insulting you directly.

“We are all-women squad because we are strong, not despite it,” Charlotte comments calmly as she takes a few steps forwards to let her cold blue gaze fall on the mushroom girl – the annoying girl does not relent. “You are the first person to ever refuse my invitation – I do not take lightly to such.” You begin to endure pressure of her magic.

She spits away, “One more thing: the ‘Blue Rose’ is an effeminate and unmanly name for a squad.”

The ground beneath Charlotte breaks and cracks as she tries her best to keep a calm expression. The entire air is filled with her magical essence as your body is no longer able to resist her and you fall on your knees. The mushroom girl, too, is just not strong enough to arrogantly resist her – she falls on one of her knees and pushes her knuckles into the ground – as if physically trying to resist her magic. Under her force the portal is destroyed.

Everyone but Yami is silent. The Captain of the Black Bulls takes another huff of his cigarette before crushing it beneath his leather booth. “You are acting far too stressful for your own good, Spiny and Thorny Prickly Queen.”

“I am –not- being stressful,” she lets her calm façade break as she replies in anger. The pressure ramps up!!!

“C-Captain Charlotte, p-please,” you ask as you begin to feel your conscious turn into mush.

“T-this is n-nothing,” the mushroom girl responds with contempt towards how ‘weak’ you are.

“Care to tell me why you wanted this brat in the first place? She’s problematic.”

Charlotte bites her lip, “I don’t want to hear it from you! You entire Squad is difficult even without your new magicless boy!” She furrows her brows, “I’ve had enough of your attitude. We are stronger than other Squads.”

“I doubt it – I bet none of your Magic Knights will even dare to get their dresses and polished armours dirty.”

“This sounds like fun!” Yami lets out a powerfully loud guffaw, “We know just the place to test that, don’t we?”

Yami nudges his companion by his shoulder.

“The Cochon Mud Quags? No way, that is no place for those beautiful women Captain Yami!” He stutters.

“Sounds great!” the mushroom girl slams her fist against her palm. She turns towards Charlotte, “You feel insulted, don’t you – Captain of the Blue Rose. Let’s go there immediately and I’ll prove you I am right! I’ll come up with the nastiest, hardest and dirtiest challenge in those ‘Quags’. You might be girly but you are still a Captain…”

“Accepting challenges from arrogant nobodies, especially commoners, is usually below me,” Charlotte responds in kind, “But I’ll make an exception to teach you a lesson. Very well, I will have one of my Magic Knights face you.”

Oh no-no-no-no!

“Once the victory is hers, you –will– join my Squad without any further complains. But that is not enough, you will apologize to me and the rest of the Magic Knights for the words you said and you will not be paid your first wage.”

The mushroom girl isn’t so brave. She gulps and shakes her head, “Fine, but once I win I demand you introduce me to another Squad and convince at least one of the Captains to have me joins them because I am too good for you.”

But not even the Black Bulls – the worst Squad in the entire Kingdom – wants her…

Charlotte is caught in the motion…

> Volunteer to be the “Magic Knight” to face the mushroom girl in the “Quags”. You really don’t want to.
> Suggest to Charlotte another person to be the mushroom girl’s challenger. [Sol, Tresses, Cleole or Beraber]
> Try to tell Charlotte that there is no point to this and she is acting silly. She should just tell the girl to go away.
> [Write In]

File: Yami.jpg (63 KB, 1200x675)

63 KB JPG

> Hope you guys are enjoying the story and the Quest so far. Tell me if you have any suggestions.

>>4159168
> Volunteer to be the “Magic Knight” to face the mushroom girl in the “Quags”. You really don’t want to.

It would be amusing if we add as an addendum that after we beat her she has to wear a dress made by us.

>>4159172
Yep, still having fun! This turn of events with the challenge from Shrooms is exactly what I was hoping would happen, too.

>>4159168
>> Suggest to Charlotte another person to be the mushroom girl’s challenger. Sol

we still don't have offensive magic

>>4159172

I am enjoying the quest

>>4159168
>> Try to tell Charlotte that there is no point to this and she is acting silly. She should just tell the girl to go away.

>>4159397
>we still don't have offensive magic
True, but the challenge might not necessarily be a one on one fight.

Rolled 2 (1d3)

>Guess I'll roll for one of the three options.

Charlotte turns to you, “What do you think, Cynthia?”

You hesitate, “Mud… Tomboyish… I believe Sol is going to be the best person for you to pick, Captain Charlotte.”

The armoured woman pauses and nods. Not to mention, Sol is going to be the most pissed off once she hears the way the mushroom treated and insulted Captain Charlotte. You ask everyone to wait as you leave with a quick step back inside the Headquarters and then towards Sol’s room where you, thankfully, find her. The moment she hears that Charlotte have called for her, her eyes light up brighter than any diamonds. Instantly, she rushes outside.

In the middle of your run you try to tell her everything she needs to know; Charlotte won’t have to explain it then.

The gate is wide open – the two men are standing outside. Sol puffs and straightens her chest as she approaches.

“Hey, come on, how long you are going to make us wait?” Yami yawns.

“You muscle-brained savage,” Sol stomps her foot before turning towards the girl and glaring angrily at her “Are you the one who insulted Captain Char’ and the Blue Rose? I am going to drown you in those muds…”

The mushroom girl retreats at Sol’s tomboy-ishness but, she quickly regains her composure. She glares towards Charlotte, “So you found one woman you had to prove me wrong? And even then – what’s with the revealing clothes? We are going to mud fields; you are going to get dirty. Will you be there to let the guys gawk at you?”

“W-what?!” Sol’s forehead vein nearly bursts as she takes out her grimoire, “That does it, you are going down.”

“Sol,” Charlotte cold and calm commands her to stop. The tanned woman immediately listens and apologizes.

Yami turns to Finral, the slender portal man – he looks a bit older than Sol. “Alright, you can take us there.”

“I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” the man mutters quietly to himself, “Spatial Magic: Fallen Angel Gate.”

The three-leaf clover on his grimoire lights up with white light and then the entire book is engulfed with blue radiance. At the exact same place as before a sapphire portal begins to grow and turn around like a celestial body.

Charlotte invites you too and you can’t really find a good reason to refuse your Captain. You step inside the portal once everyone but the portal owner does so first. A bluish flood, as if you entered a sea wave, hits you in the face.

Then, a disgusting and horrible smell enters your nostrils. Your find yourself rolling out of the portal and falling straight into the massive and greenish mud pits. A massive splash burst on your landing and your clothes and hair are instantly drenches in foul sludge. The mud smells like rotten eggs, putrid corpses, cockroach water and else…

The mud stretches far and wide – it resembles more of a lake made out of rancid earth. The quags are blocked by one side by a towering cliff wall with several trickling rivers. There are only a few ‘islands’ raising above the muds and just a few of them have wasteland-like trees barely holding on to life. You use your scarf to cover your face.

“The ‘Cochon Mud Quags’? Do you go here often, Yami?” Charlotte asks. She is standing on top of a briar bed…

Finral is protecting his mouth with his hand – and rightfully so.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha, sometimes when I need to teach my brats a lesson,” he laughs, “Is this ‘manly’ enough for you?”

The mushroom girl is pouting her face – trying not to breathe. She barely opens her mouth, “Yes, it’s perfect…” She says before turning to Sol who is standing knees-deep in the pit with her hands crossed over her chest. She harrumphs and also puffs her chest – not as big as Sol’s. She takes off a metal ring from the pocket of her pants and tosses it to Yami who looks at her with confusion. “Can you toss it as far as you can?” She turns towards Sol with an arrogant but determined stare, “It’s small and metal, and will be quickly lost in the mud. If you are up to it, then the challenge will be to retrieve it and bring it to your Captain. We can and will get physical, you ready?”

Sol looks at you, knock her head and grins.

Yami closes his eyes and exhales. With a single thrust of his muscular arm he tosses the small ring so far it disappears in the sky with a star-like sparkle. You do your best to try and trace its direction but to no luck…

“Two… One, alright, let’s begin,” the mushroom girl cracks her neck as she opens her red-brown grimoire with black and red dots spread over it like freckles. Her three-leaf grimoire is yellow and slightly bulky than others.

“Earth Magic: Cyclops’ Limb,” Sol silently comments as her grimoire lights up with orange colours and fires…

“Wait, what?!” the mushroom girl turns towards her in disbelief stopping mid-casting.

Far on the horizon a massive hand emerges like a spawn of the mud and twist in a spiral. Then, it descends back beneath the mud bed and, after a few second, a vile-smelling fist bursts out of the ground in front of Sol and the panicking mushroom girl. The hand lowers in front of Roselei and opens its huge mud fingers to reveal the ring.

Charlotte takes it into her hand and nods, “Good job, Sol.”

Sol’s emerald eyes begin to sparkle, “Thank you, Captain Char’!”

Charlotte sighs, “Please call me as Captain Charlotte.”

“That was more boring than I expected,” Yami comments as he releases another puff of smoke.

“What… What was that?! That doesn’t count. You didn’t warn me you had Earth Magic,” the girl panics.

“No, you didn’t ask,” Sol looks at her as if she was a boy. Her “Cyclops’ Limb” turns towards the mushroom girl and a massive, menacing shadow fully covers her. “Not just me, you are weaker than all of Blue Rose Knights…”

She gulps. “Gh… You didn’t get yourself dirty at all. You think you proven me wrong but you did not!”

Charlotte turns towards you with a pleased expression, “What do you think Cynthia, was it all fair?”

> “I think Sol won this challenge fair and square, Captain Charlotte.”
> “She is not going to be a respectful member if don’t beat her here on her own terms; a different challenge.”
> “I know I suggested Sol but I didn’t realize how much of an advantage she would have. Do you want me to?”
> [Write In]

> Sorry for the delay and thanks for the kind words. Stay safe and wash your hands.

>>4160005
I want to make Tugela pround and headbut mushrom girl.

>>4160005
>> “I know I suggested Sol but I didn’t realize how much of an advantage she would have. Do you want me to?”

>>4160120
I feel like mushroom girl would just come up with another excuse. She already thought Sol was a copout since she'sa tomboy, and Tugela is pretty tomboyish herself. Plus her arm is still messed up too.

>>4160005
>> “I know I suggested Sol but I didn’t realize how much of an advantage she would have. Do you want me to?”

I want to have more experience fighting other mages.

>>4160005
>> “I don't think making excuses is very manly, right Mr. Yami?”

“I know I suggested Sol, but I didn’t realize how much of an advantage she would have. Do you want me to?”

Charlotte turns her nose, “No, for me this is enough. I would rather not spend any more time in this place…”

You loudly cough and wrap up your scarf in even more layers. Even then, the torrid smell is inescapable. You have to agree with her: you need experience fighting other mages but not here. You have no offensive spells to fight…

You nod, but the mushroom girl is still unsatisfied – he fingers are squeezing the open pages of her grimoire.

“I don’t think making excuses is very manly, right, Mr Yami?”

His grey eyes look at the mushroom girl with antipathy, “The redhead is right.” He raises his cigarette to take another deep inhale, “Nothing more pathetic than begging for a rematch after you lost on your own terms, girl.”

“Ghh…” she squeezes her fists and shakes her head, “This is humiliating. This can’t be happening to me.”

You roll your eyes – she is making it way more dramatic.

“Sol, that’ enough,” Charlotte commands as he giant mud-arm continues to menacingly stand above the mushroom girl. Obediently, the arm immediately dries up and begins to crack, crumbling pieces on top of the girl.

Without warning, the brown-haired tomboy picks up the mushroom girl by her collar and – in a rare for Sol manner – tells her seriously, “The women of the Blue Rose are stronger, smarter and better than other Squads.”

Yami turns towards Charlotte as his companion is preparing to open another portal. The mushroom girl is just left standing there – covered in mud, absolutely defeated. You are not sure how you feel about her joining the Squad.

“I heard from Julius your lot managed to solve the bald noble’s difficulties after our try. So, what was his problem?”

Charlotte is finally able to raise her chin in pride, “Yes, they used their brain and not just brawn unlike yours...”

He crumbles a cigarette in his hands, “He told them they were in the walls – they followed his advice, you know?”

Soon, the six of you disappear in another vibrant portal escape – this time the landing is far more pleasant. Finral is clearly tired after using multiple of his usually-short-lasting portals – he asks Yami and Charlotte if they can stay for a dinner – he’s clearly hoping to spend some time with Blue Rose Knights. Yami tells him no and demands another portal. Unable to argue with his Captain, the brown-haired man creates another portal and they leave…

“I will have to ask Lilth” – that’s right, after you and Olyver left Lilth is the new Head Tailor – “if he can clear this.”

You look at your own clothes, as well as Charlotte’s and the rest. The mud from that place is unusually bad – despite no longer being in the “Quags” the horrible smell is still present and when you try to push it off it clings.

Lilth is going to have a lot of problem cleaning those clothes – there is no need to trouble Lilth. Slowly, you close your eyes and raise your hand just a few inches away from your linen cloth – the silvery waves of your magic surge into your ruined white dress and – with a sparkling glow – begin to restore it to its original shine. It takes a little bit more time than usually but eventually, you manage to get rid of all of the cochon mud. You offer help to both Charlotte and Sol and they happily agree for you to get rid of the clinging dirt covering their clothes without removing them. When you approach the mushroom girl to do the same, she very painfully slaps away your hand.

“I’ll wash it myself,” she grunts – obviously still upset.

“You lost against Sol so we can’t consider that challenge as your initiation ceremony – I will have to come up with something else. It won’t be anything you can’t handle, Suzann was it? We will do it later, Sol, show her the room.”

“What are you going to make me do, collect a flower bouquet?”

Sol grabs her by the shoulder and pushes her towards the “over-decorated fairy-tale castle” that is the mansion.

Captain Charlotte turns to you with a nod of approval, “You have worked hard – you can have the next day off.”

> Ask Charlotte why she was aiming for a person like Suzann to join her Squad. She is not very appreciative.
> Refuse the weekends and ask Charlotte to assign you another mission – there’s not really much you want to do.
> Ask the Captain what it will take for her to allow you to enter the Neutral Territory and the Witches’ Forest.
> Use the day off to visit your father – you won’t be able to do it as often as you hoped, you now realize.
> Ask Charlotte to allow Tugela a day off as well as you wish to bring her to Siegfried to check on her curse.
> Use the day off to visit the edge of the Forsaken Region to visit the shop from where your father buys his magical dyes to finally start working on Dorothy’s blanket. How upset is she going to be after the six months?
> [Write In]

>>4161578
>> Use the day off to visit your father – you won’t be able to do it as often as you hoped, you now realize.

>>4161578
> Use the day off to visit the edge of the Forsaken Region to visit the shop from where your father buys his magical dyes to finally start working on Dorothy’s blanket. How upset is she going to be after the six months?

> I know somebody mentioned a list of characters we met so far but if you have anything else you'd want to be added to OP - information wise - please tell me. A list of current goals would be nice, maybe, but that's up to you to suggest.

>>4161578
>> Use the day off to visit the edge of the Forsaken Region to visit the shop from where your father buys his magical dyes to finally start working on Dorothy’s blanket. How upset is she going to be after the six months?

we could also go and visit our father on the way back

>>4162012
Sure, a list of characters would be good, as well as a list of our objectives/quests for lack of a better word.

>>4162012
yeah a list of characters would be quite good

This will be your first day off since you have joined the Squad. You are enjoying your time here but you are tired…

You nod to Charlotte in gratitude and together, you follow Sol and Suzann trail back into the Blue Rose Headquarters. It is the middle of the day – if you hurry, you might be able to spend the rest of today and tomorrow doing what you like. You return to your room to put some of your minor trinkets and memorabilia on the table and shelves. While preparing for the travel you come across the bottle of wine gifted to you by Tugela; you remember the mixer and how much your head hurt after that – and how embarrassingly touchy you became with Labrys under the influence of the wine. You haven’t bumped into him since – you wonder how he is doing…

Your cheeks turn red as you shake your head. You won’t be drinking this bottle until much later – if ever – but it can be used as a bargain or a gift in case you need it; you open your book and store away the bottle inside of it.

> Item Acquired: [Expensive Wine Bottle]

It doesn’t take you long to beautify your room a tiny bit. It is still barren – perhaps you can spend some of your first wage decorating and making your room homely. Then, you’ll be able to invite some of your friends here…

Fellow Magic Knights. You haven’t made much friends living in the High Street – the environment is hostile there.

You give your farewell to Beraber who you meet in the garden already floating above the ground on her magic broom: she is planning to return to her village - Alva. You have guessed correctly – she is a commoner like you.

Before she departs you take out your broom out of your grimoire. Beraber asks you to teach her this trick the next time you two will be free – you tell her to ask Tugela as she is the one who taught you this. As you rise higher and higher above the clouds you contemplate on where you want to go. You promised your father to visit him occasionally and despite what Charlotte told you, are still very incredibly about him and Nicolai. You place your hands on your forehead and rub it – there are too many things you have to take care of; you’ll have to trust her…

It has been six months since you promised Dorothy to make her enchanted blanket – and you have barely begun. On the edge of the Forsaken Region there stands an isolated village called Ato – it is incredibly small and the houses there are spread apart. On the border with the Diamond Kingdom there is an alchemist shop from where your father purchases his magical dyes. It is a very rare journey for him because of how far away and how dangerous the journey is without a fast magic broom. You have never been there but you know the approximate location. It takes you the rest of the day to reach the Forsaken Region, and even then, you have to make camp…

Thankfully, you are able to use your scarf as a hammock as well as a comfy sleeping bag and even a ceiling tarp. It was a sound investment. Sadly, your lack of fire magic and lack of survival skills leaves you without campfire and food. While camping in the deep and dangerous forests of the Forsaken Region is something you have –never– done before – and something your father warned you countless times not to do, the night passes away silently.

You arrive to the village of Ato at the end of the morning tired and hungry – the single meal you took from the Dining Hall wasn’t enough – your broom might be faster than most but the Clover Kingdom is still too vast for you to tackle easily. After asking a few of the peasants living in the cheap hay-thatch-roofed, as well as murky wooden walled, houses, you come across you manage to find the house of alchemist Ashaya. It is literally on the border.

As you approach, however, you notice the timeworn woman wearing a heavy dark-green mantle locking her faded wooden door. You hide behind of the taller trees just in time – she stands still and carefully looks around herself. You spot a heavy woven basket located over her left hand. Whatever is inside is covered by a thick cotton blanket.
On her other hand there is a second basket – it is slightly deeper and is empty. It looks as if she is going towards the deep forest – the Neutral Territory.

> Reveal yourself as Francis’ daughter before Ashaya is out of your reach. Ask her about the dyes you need.
> Keep silent and discreetly follow Ashaya into the Neutral Territory – it is not safe for a citizen to go inside.
> She has been living on the edge of the border for as long as you were alive; it’s her business - wait for her return.
> [Write In]

>>4162163
>>4162219
> What should I include in list of character aside from name and description? I don't want to make them too metagame-y or too descriptive. Also, for the objectives and quests I'd like to hear your suggestions on what you wish to tackle.

>>4163366
>> She has been living on the edge of the border for as long as you were alive; it’s her business - wait for her return.

we were forbidden to go into the forest

>>4163366
> She has been living on the edge of the border for as long as you were alive; it’s her business - wait for her return.

> What should I include in list of character aside from name and description? I don't want to make them too metagame-y or too descriptive. Also, for the objectives and quests I'd like to hear your suggestions on what you wish to tackle.

For the character entries, something like Name, a brief description of their personality, and maybe their relationship with Cynthia might be good?

As far as objectives, the ones I can remember are:
> Investigate/Deal with the corruption of the White Yul on High Street
> Tailor an enchanted blanket for Captain Dorothy Unsworth
> Learn more about our mother's past and our heritage as a Witch
>> Ask our father what he knows
>> Visit the Neutral Territory to meet our grandmother
> Search for a way to break Tugela and Tresses' curse
>> Possibly pay Siegfried to try and cure them
> Search for a way to break Cleole's curse

>>4163366
>> She has been living on the edge of the border for as long as you were alive; it’s her business - wait for her return.

>>4163442
i support what he says about the list stuff

>>4163366
> Reveal yourself as Francis’ daughter before Ashaya is out of your reach. Ask her about the dyes you need.

God only knows how long it will take her to return and we have limited time frame. Approach her now and don't wait half of a day for her return

>>4163366
>What should I include in list of character aside from name and description?
Name
Short description or drawing
Attitude between us
Magic and list of spells we know about

>>4163366
Switching from >>4163442 to
> Reveal yourself as Francis’ daughter before Ashaya is out of your reach. Ask her about the dyes you need.

>>4164793
This. We don't have a whole day

>>4164793
switching to this

You are forbidden from entering the Neutral Territory by both Captain Charlotte and the Magic Emperor. You have no idea how long it is going to take Ashaya to come back – and you don’t have all day. Your way back is going to take as long as it took you to come here. You adjust your cape and take a deep breath; you step out of the security of the tree. “Please wait,” you announce loudly – you startle the woman. “I’m here to order something…”

Her face is hidden beneath the shadow of her hood but her surprised mouth is still clear. Standing right there, she is barely visible in the tall grass, the bushes and the trees of the same colour as her mantle. She remains standing.

“A Magic Knight?” you barely hear her say as she grips the heavier of her baskets, “What… are you doing here?”

You take a few steps closer to close the distance but she, too, steps away deeper into the woods. You stop several meters away from her house and shake your head, “No, I’m not here as a Magic Knight. I am Cynthia, Francis Gualdo’s daughter – he is one of your customers although I am not sure if you recall him or not. Can we talk?”

There a short pause before she silently begins walking back. Beneath the dark-green hood she lowers there is a surprisingly young face, sparkling brown eyes and tidy, glistering, white-grey hair. She is supposed to be at least 60, isn’t she? She looks very fresh – must be the potions she herself is using. She puts the baskets on the doorstep.

“Of course I remember Francis,” she replies briefly, “I only have a few customers. I see, I see, so his daughter became a Magic Knight. Life is full of surprises.”

“It’s a long story,” you admit with a shrug of your shoulders, “You were planning to go into the forest?”

She glances away, “Yes. I am aware of the dangers but most of the ingredients I use for my potions grow there. I am short of time so; I apologize but let’s make it quick. I have most of the dyes Francis usually purchases off me.”

You clear your throat, “Some of them might be useful but I’m here to ask you for a personal request of my own.”

It’s a big one. She does not invite you inside of her house – you have to take out a paper with all of the requests Dorothy has made: it’s just too long to remember by memory. Thankfully, the weather is breeze and not too bad.

She frowns, her fingers run through her white hair. How many dyes that is going to take, and how costly it’ll be?

“First of all, you want the effect to be permanent?”

“That would be the best,” you nod.

“Impossible – there is no such thing as permanent enchantment. Without my magic, even an incredibly pure and powerful concentrate with a special and rare herb which improves the potency it is impossible to make it an enchanting potion to last longer than two years. With my magic, and my strongest spell, it might reach ten years.”

You run your hand over your torso– ten years are more than Dorothy can ask for. You can make it soft but not too soft, thick but not too thick, smooth, anti-allergic, soft, fluffy, and, with your linen magic, lightweight…

You have already started practicing with Sol your trap magic – it is the way some powerful magicians engrave their spells into the items to create Magic Tools. While it might be impossible – at least in the close future – to make cloth with “Homely Blanket” which others will be able to use their magic to power the spell – if you can at least imprint your basic magic on Dorothy’s blanket to have it restore and remains dirt-less it should be workable.

“It will take me several months – maybe more – to create such powerful dyes. If you bring me the needed ingredients it will be slightly cheaper. Fire protection dye will cost you 200,000 yul. Water resistance will more expensive but only because it will, slightly, make it protective from cold. 350,000 yul. I can make a potion that will improve your sleep; I can find the ingredients here, in the Clover Kingdom. 100,000 yul. I can make a dye that will make it shine and glow in the dark but you’ll have to figure it out yourself how to apply it to just one side. That will be another 150,000 yul. As for the ‘conceal you in the dark’ bit, I am afraid there is no such potion unless you want it to be invisible – that will be 400,000 yul but it will hide you and you won’t be able to remove its effects.”

That’s… a bit too much. Some weapons and artefact are cheaper than this. Is it because of how long it’ll last?

> Well, those are the costs and the circumstances. Dorothy said she’ll pay so it shouldn’t be a problem should it?

> What do you say? Do you want to haggle or suggest bringing the ingredients yourself?

>>4165142
>HAGGLE
I'm ok with paying full price but we are merchant daughter. Time to HAGGLE WITCH!

>>4165163
Just a reminder in six months if we don't have any other expenses we will be able to afford it. 200k salary

>>4165142
>> What do you say? Do you want to haggle or suggest bringing the ingredients yourself?

>>4165174
Fuck, I'm an idiot and left out my actual vote.
>Haggle, and ask about getting some of the ingredients ourselves

>>4165177
I don't think we should be wasting time on gathering ingredients. Just throw money on our problem. We can spend that time on training or resolving other more important quests.

>>4165142
> Well, those are the costs and the circumstances. Dorothy said she’ll pay so it shouldn’t be a problem should it?

Despite all her faults – and Patricia has way too many to count on both of your hands – there are two things nobody can deny: she is a master-craft jeweller and a merciless merchant. Your father have tried to teach you the basics of running the workshop on its business side multiple times, he obviously avoided the more serious and dirty aspects of owning a shop on the High Street. Your father, he is good-willed. You are tailor, not a merchant…

It doesn’t mean you can’t try to be like Patricia in this aspect.

“Have anybody else made an order this big?” you enquire.

The “old” woman frowns, “No, especially not for something that can be effective for ten years.”

“I would like all of them – you’ll make over a million yul after this order. Can I get a discount?”

She furrows her brows further, “A discount? I’d like to hear how much you value my work as.”

Trick question.

“I value your work a great lot, but this is once-in-a-lifetime order, is it not? We offer discounts in such cases.”

She runs her fingers across her hair. She throws a quick glance towards her baskets and sighs, “Ten percent.”

You look at her house: she is living moderately, conservatively even. With all the money she is making, how come? You shake your head figuratively – it’s none of your business. “My father has been your customer for a very long time, so I do trust your products. However, I am a Magic Knight now-”

“You said you didn’t come here as a Magic Knight.”

“Not on a mission or because you did anything wrong, but the fact that I am one now is worth mentioning. I came to you first because my father is satisfied with your work but… There are other alchemists in the Kingdom; as a Magic Knight of the Blue Rose I have easy access and connection with them if you choose to stay with this price.”

You notice her eye nervously tick. It’s not often somebody offers to pay one over a million yul for your work.

“How about… twenty five percent off?”

Her eyes widen as she looks at you in disbelief, “A quarter of the cost off; even if you were the Magic Emperor, no!” She looks towards the neutral territory and hesitates, “The best I can do is fifteen percent, no if or buts.”

“Twenty.”

Her brown eyes begin to dim. Her kind demeanour begins to change to a more argumentative and wrangling one, “Eighteen. I doubt any other alchemist will go into the Neutral Territory to gather those ingredients anyway.”

“It’s ill-advisable for you too,” you say, “But I will look the other way – as long as you promise to be safe.” You nod with satisfaction after with you offer and then clap her hand with yours – it’s a haggle not a friendly agreement. You learned from watching your father that you must always let the seller make the final call – have their victory.

That will be 984,000 yul - a steep price, but below a million. Maybe your family can join the White Yul eventually.

“Check with me in a month, we will see then how much more it will take from then. I’ll like some pre-payment during our next meeting as well – you might be a Magic Knight but I still need to know that you’ll be able to pay.”

“Very well.”

With those final words she puts her hood back on and picks up both of her baskets, leaving into the deep forest. The next time you have free time you’ll need to continue working on the blanket itself – Lilth will no doubt offer you some place in the workshop. You depart soon after, you arrive to Kikka in the early hours of the evening…

The door is locked. You knock and then use your key to enter the workshop – there is nobody there at the shop counter. Strange. You quietly enter inside the shopping room before walking through the kitchen and then the workshop floor. You hit your forehead against Nicolai’s in the section between the two rooms and stumble back.

“Cynthia,” the dark-haired boy responds after placing both of his hands on his forehead, “You are freaking back.”

“Ouch,” you wince quietly before you respond. In novels, this would be an accidental kiss. “Where is father?”

He harrumphs, “I was darn unsure if it was an intruder or not – you didn’t freaking tell us when you would come back.” The boy takes a deep breath before his expression changes to a friendlier one, “He’s out on an errand.”

You rub your forehead, “What kind of errand?”

“Delivering darn clothes,” he answers back as if it was the most obvious thing, “Do you have a day-off?”

You sigh, “I –had– but I have to return tomorrow early in the morning. I thought I’d pay you both a visit, and check on how the workshop is doing. You have been keeping an eye on Patricia and all her goons, am I correct?”

“Yeah,” Nicolai replies as she steps into the workshop to pick up a few pieces of cloth, “It’s darn easier now that I can effin’ create ‘Soul Imprint’ in all the dang places I travelled recently in the day, but the freaking time limit makes it hard to scout out properly.” He ponders, “All she talks about is White Yul taking over the High Street.”

“Is she successful?”

“I’ll say yes,” he looks back at you with his emerald eyes, “Heck, she had a few darn meetings with the other White Yul families and they agreed to attempt and buy out every shop by making it harder for other shops to survive without effin’ being under them. They are even pushing some kind of request to the Magic Parliament.”

“Do you know what kind?”

“No, it’s too dangerous to get close enough to freaking read it. Jeez. But that boy – you said his name was Lucius, right – he is now a Magic Knight too. His darn squad, the Purple Orca, are the ones in charge of protecting Kikka but the worst I heard them do is freaking demand to pay the ever-increasing-rent. I once caught him reporting to the Navika girl about his recent missions and what is going on in the Clover Kingdom. He’s like her darn gateway.”

You frown – if they are doing nothing illegal you can’t report it to Charlotte.

“Also, I heard she was planning on hiring a new girl a few days ago – but I haven’t effin’ seen her or her magic.”

“She only hires useful people – she must be as useful as Lucius to her.”

He takes out his grimoire, “Do you want to see yourself – but I suggest you remove your cape if we are caught.”

> “No, I trust you. However, if there is even a glimpse in their talks about damaging or robbing our shop tell me.”
> “Let’s go. I don’t trust the Purple Orca, Lucius and especially Patricia. I need to know what their plans are.”
> “I am sorry to ask you this but can you go by yourself, again? Somebody has to stay to look after the shop.”
> “Please stay and look after the workshop – Lucius. I should be able to do it myself if I touch your grimoire?”
> [Write In]

>>4166831
>> “Let’s go. I don’t trust the Purple Orca, Lucius and especially Patricia. I need to know what their plans are.”

>>4166831
>Also, I heard she was planning on hiring a new girl a few days ago

Time for Elvira to make her return?

>>4166831
>> “Let’s go. I don’t trust the Purple Orca, Lucius and especially Patricia. I need to know what their plans are.”

“Let’s go. I don’t trust the Purple Orca, Lucius and especially Patricia. I need to know what their plans are.”

The boy nods and opens his dark-green covered grimoire; he holds his hand above it and the pages turn by themselves until his new spell is found. A spread of emerald runes creeps from beneath his palm and further onto his hand as he puts it against the page. “Soulseal Magic: Soul Achieve,” he says, and the page begins to illuminate.

After a few seconds, he let’s go and opens his eyes. Amongst the cryptic letters of the page there is now a bright glyph. Nicolai slaps the book close and then lets it float with its three-leaf clover side between you. With his other hand he takes out a rustic pocket watch. He frowns at your gaze. “I didn’t darn steal it. Your father gave it to me.”

You doubt it, but only as a joke. He impatiently waits for you. You take a deep breath and put your hands on his grimoire. A chill goes through your body and soul. The cold wind overwhelms your senses. For a brief moment, you find yourself in total silence and darkness… Then, you appear on top of several crates right behind Navika’s towering workshop and manor. Again, it is very hard to breathe. Your body is translucent and glowing half-green.

Your grimoire is hovering near you but there is magic or mana in it. You are unable to use your spells right now.

Then, as if from the void, Nicolai is teleported as well. He barely reacts to the obvious discomfort – immediately, he winds up the pocket watch and nods to you to follow him. He begins climbing one of the smaller roofs of the building, then the ladders and windows to reach the highest point. It is very difficult to climb in this condition…

He stops in front of an orange-bricked masonry chimney.

“Couldn’t you just teleport us inside? Or, at least, make a window or a door disappear for a second?”

“No,” he answers back without turning his head. “I was not effin’ there today, Cynthia. I can’t pass through dang walls or solid objects – at best I can take out a small isolated object and make it like we are currently – but that will be too darn obvious for anybody close; I will need to effin’ hold it. Besides, windows are attached to the wall.”

“I got it,” you sigh as you approach the chimney tube. You wait until Nicolai demonstrates how to climb it safely and properly. There is smoke, however – you are a bit worried at having to fall on top of a pile of burning logs. Nicolai doesn’t have that worry, he finally lets go of his grasp and falls down into the foggy darkness. You don’t have a choice – you follow him. Your semi-transparent body descends with furious speed until you find yourself inside Patricia’s room – inside her blazing fireplace. You feel no pain from the raging hot flames or the long fall…

The chimney is almost entirely blocked by copper-iron balusters from the outside – an anti-thievery precaution. If only she knew. You have to struggle and bend your out of your way to finally escape the fireplace. Nicolai assists you. Patricia’s room is massive and beautiful – you can spot expensive decorations here, even taxidermy animals.

You try not to look around too much – the difference between your room and hers is justifiable to be jealous of…

“They are not here,” you finally comment as you approach an oval table made out of ancient, cream wood with a glass map of Kikka and the close regions in the centre of it. There are multiple yul coins spread around the streets.

Before Nicolai can respond, the lock of her heavy door clicks and two people enter the room – Patricia and… somebody you know – Elvira, the ex-kitchen maid of the Blue Rose. You had your doubts. Patricia immediately approaches the fireplace and, despite the fire being so high it cracks the masonry stone of the hearth, she adds more fuel. You can’t feel it but Elvira is sweating – the room must be hot! Hopefully, escaping will be easier…

“It’s only been a week, Elvira, but you have been very useful,” Patricia says as she approaches the table.

“I-I’m happy you are satisfied, miss Navika,” the adult woman fidgets, “I have some experience cooking too.”

“No-no,” Patricia lazily waves her hand as she looks towards the fireplace once more and then takes out a quill and an inkpot. You approach the table to see what exactly she is planning to write. “I have maids for that. I’m talking about your valuable magic. Believe me, if you do what I’ll tell you to, I’ll pay you way more than others.”

She places a dot on the letter, “We’ll start slow – but I don’t want you asking questions when we’ll go further.”

“F-further?” Elvira enquires uncomfortably. She doesn’t look too healthy.

“You’ll see. Making yul duplicates is handy, but not profitable – you’ll never be able to provide enough for my goals. I am going to pay you a deserving amount – you’ll be able to move your parents to Kikka in a few months.”

She carries on writing the letter. You notice a few concerning words. She is writing to somebody you don’t know to be there – near the Gualdo (your) workshop – at the early hours of night at the next week, just as they agreed...

It’s not clear. Is she asking for another sabotage and arson? You try your hardest not destroy the letter…

“B-but the houses in Kikka are v-very expensive,” Elvira says nervously.

“Not yet, but they will be. But, if you continue doing things for me, I’ll pay you handsomely.”

You stare Elvira down – there is no way her mana will be enough to do anything Patricia wants her to do. Nicolai steps in between you two and shakes his head, “The time is almost up – we effing have to go. Follow me, first.”

You give one last glance at Elvira and Patricia and, with a heavy sigh you follow Nicolai back into the fireplace and above the chimney. You are unable to climb too far, but that is enough. He reminds you that you must be outside of his “Soulseal Realm” to teleport again. He counts every second patiently until your translucent body begins to turn visible – for just a moment your lungs are filled with smoke before you press your hand against his grimoire.

Again, the darkness greets you with cold embrace and, again you find yourself outside of the Navika manor. You and Nicolai hurry to return back to your workshop before the effects of his magic weaken and you become visible again. Thankfully, the boy is no slower than you. Navika’s mansion is on the other end of the High Street, so it takes you a while to reach your workshop – the convenience of your magic broom can’t be underestimated…

To not cause any suspicion and not to appear out of thing air you and Nicolai wait in the shadows of your house until you are no longer in the “Soulseal Realm”. Still uncertain about what to feel, you stay silent as you approach the door to your workshop. However, as you reach for the door to open it your father opens it from the inside…

“Cynthia! You are back! …What were you two doing outside?”

> Perhaps it’s best to lie? He is not suspecting you two were on a date, now is he? You hope not…
> What should you ask your father about your mother? Does he even know? Should you make him aware?

> Yay I'm safe!

>>4168829

> Perhaps it’s best to lie? He is not suspecting you two were on a date, now is he? You hope not…
>> Say that we were just taking a walk
> Distract father by changing the subject. Ask him about what he knows about our mother's past. Does he know anything about the witches or our grandmother?

>>4168982
Wooh, still safe!

>>4168982
this

>Update will be later today.

>>4168982
this is ok

“We were taking a walk,” you nudge your head forward with a smile, “It’s only been a week and I already miss the High Street.” You nudge Lucius’ shoulder with your own – he looks at you for a brief second and then nods along.

“You left on an errand, Francis. I thought I knew where you went to – but I guess you returned back before us.”

“It’s rare for us to get expensive orders now – and they take much longer without your Magic, Cynthia,” Francis explains with a brief hesitation. He gently shoves you and Nicolai back inside – there’s no point standing outdoors.

You wag your head, “You don’t need to do it-” you lower your voice “-Nicolai will be able to deliver much faster.”

“It’s the effort that counts. The fact that I do it myself, walking all the way – is what the client will remember.”

“If you say so,” you mutter – just quietly enough for him to not hear or ignore it.

“I’m going to make some tea – I’m so happy you are back. You have to tell me about your week as a Knight!”

“I have to return early in the morning,” you run your fingers through your hair, “The week was very busy and eventful, father…” You pause. You add as not to worry him, “Nothing dangerous, though. I was hoping to talk about mother and her past.”

Your father looks uncomfortable. He enters the kitchen and turns to Nicolai. “Do you mind if we talk privately?”

The boy lazily bobbles his head and turns away half-step, “Of course, Francis – I was about to go to sleep anyway.”

“It’s a bit early. Have you fini-”

“I finished the order, yes.” Nicolai’s voice echoes as he continues climbing the stairs. You frown, it feels wrong.

“He is not cursing when you are around,” you ponder out loud as take a sit behind the table.

“Of course he isn’t,” you father begins preparing the tea by removing a few leaves from his dream mentha jar – it is the perfect sleep remedy. “We agreed that I will raise his wage by a few hundred if he stops doing that around me.”

You loudly gasp, “Do we really have that much money to spend around right now?”

“It’s just a few hundred yuls a week,” he hums to himself, “He already nearly broke it a few times, barely…”

Some of your wage will be going to Nicolai stopping his profanity slinging – you don’t know how to feel about that. He raises his hand to lovingly ruff your red hair – the privilege of your parents; when others do it, you mind.

“What did you want to talk about?” he asks as he pours and then puts two cups of tea on the table, joining you.

You take the cup in your hands but it is too hot to drink straight away – you watch the white-blue smoke vanish.

You decide to ask the sharpest question straight away, “Did you know our mother was a witch?”

He hesitates, “I knew when you joined the Blue Rose you were going to learn the truth eventually.” He sighs and takes a sip of the hot brew – he doesn’t seem to mind the boiling temperature. “Don’t be mad, everything she and I told you was the truth – she really did leave her village to become my apprentice because she fell in admiration with the dress I made for her friend, and she was a horrible tailor.” He chuckles, “I was very curious when I finally learned the truth myself, but she was never really honest with me either. She didn’t like talking about her past…”

“Do you know why?”

“I don’t think she was happy at her home – she said her mother wanted her to use her magic in the wrong way.”

“The wrong way?” you insist as you raise the cup and lift a single pinkie finger – the etiquette of drinking tea.

He shrugs his shoulders, “I can’t imagine how you can use Linen Magic in the wrong way, but considering she was so bad at it at first, I can only imagine it was something she dedicated most of her youthful years for. She never showed, told or used it near me – and avoided my questions until there was no point of asking them. That’s it…”

“Do you know anything about the witches?”

“She told me she used to live in the Neutral Territory – but her grimoire was still one of the Clover Kingdom’s. I lived most of my life outside the High Street, but Kikka is the most popular city – they visit it from time to time.”

It’s rare but not exceptionally so to spot a few women in pointy hats flying across the sky on their flying brooms.

“Do you know anything about her mother – my grandmother?”

He shakes his head, “They didn’t have the best relationship. I can only imagine she was unhappy that she left.”

“Neither was her friend,” your muttering causes your father to raise his brow, “That’s how I learned about it. On one of my missions I met with a witch who claimed to be a childhood friend of my mother. She recognized my dress and my red hair.” You decide to avoid mentioning that she wanted to take you to the Witches’ Forest…

“She never told me about her friends either,” he sighs, “When she said ‘start a new life’ I guess she meant it.”

> Is there anything else about your mother you would like to ask your father? What do you want to tell him about your first week? How do you find Beraber and Suzann, your co-recruits? Anything you’d like to hide from him?

>>4172171
> Did mother ever seem to miss her old home or regret leaving it behind?
> Mention that Pistoia was interested in meeting him some time.
> Tell him about our initiation ceremony and the missions we went on.
> Beraber is cheerful and extroverted, albeit laid back. She also seems to have an impulsive side to her.
> From what we've seen of Suzann, she seems to be very stubborn and bullheaded. For some reason she is fixated on being perceived as strong.

>>4172279
+1

>>4172279
+1

You take another pause to sip the tea. “Did she ever seem to miss her old home or regret leaving it behind?”

Your father awkwardly slides a hand under his chin, “If she did she never showed it. She was more interested in my life – as weird as it sounds. In time, I just forgot about the fact. She never told me to hide it from you, either.”

“But when she was alive she never told me or even prepared me for this.” You sigh, “Our grandmother is there, and neither you nor I have ever met her. For my mother to just abandoned all her life and friends… Father…”

“Do you want to meet her, your grandmother?”

You cough on your own voice. Hesitantly, you glance away, “I don’t know. Was she really such a horrible person?”

Your father extends his hand to place it on top of yours. There is a clear worry in his voice, “You know that the Neutral Territory is very dangerous, and I would prefer you not go.” He tries to chuckle – it comes up rather fake. “But I realize that if I worry too much I won’t get anything done. You are now an adult… just be careful, Cynthia.”

“It’s not decided yet,” you pout at him, “Captain Charlotte is of the same mind as you – she says I’m too weak to visit!”

Your father relaxed under the effect of the herbs. His smile grows. “Then I am happy you are in good hands.”

You puckered your brows, “Gee… Her childhood friend, the witch – her name is Pistoia – she says she interested in meeting you. I don’t know if you’d want to, she was –very– unhappy that you ‘stole’ Etwilla from her, she said.”

“I did not,” you father folds his hands over his chest in protest, “She came to me!”

“Now you are trying to sound like a ladies’ man; how much about –your– past I don’t know, father?”

He sighs and looks outside the window, “Your mother was the one with all the initiative – you got that from her.”

You decide to change the dialogue for now – it doesn’t seem like your father knows that much about your mother’s past, she was a bit elusive… Before you talk about your missions you decide to inform him about your current assignment by Captain Dorothy – the “blanket”. You mention your visit to Ashaya to buy her magic dyes.

“How much?!”

“Captain Dorothy said she will cover all the expenses. She wants an all-tasks blanket and I promised to deliver it.”

“But still-” your father’s holds his mouth open “-I can’t imagine that many yul coins in my mind. Are you sure?”

You raise your shoulders in a simple shrug, “Those are strong dyes. Captain Dorothy is willing to pay, so why not?”

“It seems like a waste of money,” your father admits as he looks around the kitchen, “And what did she promise?”

You realize you never asked her. How much are you actually going to ask for your efforts? Should you be greedy?

“I’ll figure that out,” you admit with a smile, “I’m sure fulfilling a request of a Magic Knight Captain is beneficial.”

You finally decide to tell your father about your initiation ceremony – and the “fight” you had with the Wardress Virginia. The fact that she tried and nearly injured you with her “Angel Fire” magic makes him uncomfortable, he seems to be very forgetful of the fact that you have healing magic. He is happy to hear you succeeded with wits.

You continue talking about everything that happened with a surprising excitement. Those missions were hard and pitiful, but retelling them like this – and for your father – actually makes them sound impressive and notable.

You assume it was by luck but your father praises your wisdom when you tell him about your first “real” mission with Beraber – who you call cheery, easy-going and extroverted. You conclude your story with the recent happening around Suzann – the stubborn anti-girly girl who – at first – refused Captain Charlotte’s offer.

“I don’t think that girl is acting that way for the sake of it, Cynthia. It sounds like she has issues.”

Many of the Magic Knights do, it seems. It is not a stress-less job, especially with all the distress around class issues. You continue talking with your father far into the evening hours: who knows when you’ll see him next? Eventually, however, your cups are empty and you realize you need to wake up very early to reach the Blue Rose Headquarters by morning – you are probably going to be sent on another mission with Beraber again. Despite being half the size and made out of cheaper textile and bedding compared to the bed you have in your room in the Blue Rose mansion, your still find the bed in your house much more comfortable. You fall asleep immediately.

You visit Nicolai early in the morning, minutes before you depart; your father is still sleeping and you do not wake him up. You ask Nicolai to keep a –very– close eye around the house because of the letter you saw previously, and you also give the boy a few magical stamps to be able to send – teleport – letters directly and instantly to Kraal…

You depart from Kikka soon after. Thankfully, there are no problems on your way back and you arrive back to the Headquarters at the exact time you were supposed to – breakfast time. As always until this point, the dining hall is only half-full, many of the Knights are still away on their missions or left early in the morning. You join up with Beraber who already came back yesterday – she is as talkative as ever. You dine lightly on some delicious oatmeal with grilled cheese crackers and sour apple preserves – Beraber has a sweet tooth, she is eating a big slice of cake.

When you come to Charlotte’s office for your next assignment you find Virginia and Beraber standing and blocking the door; Virginia remains stoic while Beraber appears frustrated. She looks at you as if you are now her enemy!

“Captain Charlotte is waiting for you.” Virginia’s tall presence greets you as she continues to push Beraber.

“This is supposed to be an exciting and dangerous mission next, right? Why is it only Cynthia? I can do it, too!”

“Captain Charlotte has her reason,” Virginia calmly proclaims as she opens the door and nudges her head. You decide not to argue, and not to anger Beraber further with your presence, so you enter inside. The door shuts with an echoing bang – the Wardress goes overboard sometimes with her strength. Inside you find Captain Charlotte sitting behind a table with both of her iron gauntlets resting over each other. Her blue eyes are facing the desk.

Near her stands a woman that you, once again, practically mistake for a boy: she is lacking in the chest area and has a tomboyish short-cut, dark-blue hued hair with aquamarine ends on fridges of her strands. She is wearing armour piece similar to Virginia and Charlotte, and her cape is almost as long as Roselei’s. It’s the Vice-Captain.

Just like before, are visible parts of her skin are covered in thin but long scars, as if she was cut by sharp blades.

“Captain Charlotte?” you announce your presence as you enter the room. Lanarel shifts around uncomfortably.

“Cynthia… It’s a good thing you are back,” Charlotte says less than enthusiastically. She looks towards the Vice-Captain for a couple of seconds before she loudly stands up from the table and approaches you with a serious demeanour. She nods to Lanarel. “You are right – it is too early for her but Cecilia is unluckily away on a mission.”

The Vice-Captain continues to stare Charlotte down silently. Her expression changes wildly but she remains silent.

Charlotte sighs as she turns to you, “I will be short – because time is of the essence. A dangerous criminal has escaped his imprisonment and is now hiding in the ruins of a forsaken palace just outside a Grand Forsaken Zone. The palace has been buried under the sand until very recently – nobody has been there yet, it can be filled with magical beasts for all I know.” She frowns, her blue eyes turn even colder, “I repeat, the criminal is –dangerous–. I am sending both Virginia and Lanarel to deal with him – the strongest of my Magic Knights, but even then I can’t promise they will be safe.” She sighs, “They are going to need a healer like you… but I can’t force you, Cynthia.”

You frown – just after you had a talk with your father about your safety.

You take a deep breath and glance at the Vice-Captain with smile, “I’m sure I’ll be safe with your best Knights.”

“No, the palace is unexplored and is near Grand Magic Zone, the criminal possesses a Dark Magic – Flesh Magic – and has injured ten, killed three and horribly disfigured and cursed one Magic Knights during his escape. I ought not for your safety – and because you are low-ranked I force you to go.” She looks away, “It is your decision…”

> “We have to stop this criminal before he causes even more suffering. Captain Charlotte, allow me to go.”
> “I am going to only get in the way, Captain Charlotte. I am sorry, but I don’t think I am ready for this yet.”
> “Perhaps three people are not enough? Do you mind if somebody else strong enough was to join us? (Specify)
> [Write In]

>>4173193
>“We have to stop this criminal before he causes even more suffering. Captain Charlotte, allow me to go.”
first time here. what's cooking ?

>>4173193
>> “We have to stop this criminal before he causes even more suffering. Captain Charlotte, allow me to go.”
Wooh, dungeon crawl time! Although by the sound of it, things could get messy.

>>4173203
>first time here. what's cooking ?
What're you looking to know?

>>4173193
>Damn it, I made a horrible grammar mistake.

>and because you are low-ranked I force you to go
>should be:
>and because you are low-ranked I won't force you to go

>>4173193
>> “We have to stop this criminal before he causes even more suffering. Captain Charlotte, allow me to go.”

>>4173193
> “We have to stop this criminal before he causes even more suffering. Captain Charlotte, allow me to go.”
Also maybe in private or with vice capitan
> Update Capitan on Patricia and Elvira
> Ask if there is a way for us to contact Captain Dorothy. If needed explain why would we need it

>Hello players. Love seeing you here. You see, the thing is, I have a horrible headache today and it makes me very hard to write down an update so I will have to miss this one - apologizes.

>>4174865
no worries

>>4173193
> “We have to stop this criminal before he causes even more suffering. Captain Charlotte, allow me to go.”

>>4174865
Nbd, hope ya feel better Melk.

>>4173294
what can you give me ?

>>4174992
oh i already voted, i forgot

>>4175055
Here's a summary of what's happened so far, not getting to deep into the details

We play as Cynthia Gualdo, she was born into a family of tailors and was trained to be one herself from a young age. It was always expected that she would inherit her parents' hopes and dreams by taking over the shop they spent their lives building, but that was their dream and not her own. Cynthia was resigned to that at first, but always secretly craved for something more and wanted to go on adventures and see the world. On the day of her coming of age ceremony, where young people are selected by a Grimoire, she received a Grimoire that granted her Linen Magic and the particularly rare attribute of healing spells. That same day, her father was attacked and their shop was almost burned down. This led to a series of events where Cynthia took up an offer to work as a tailor for the Blue Rose Magic Knight squad in order to earn enough to repair her family's shop.

She was issued a challenge by Captain Charlotte to compete with the Blue Rose's other tailor, Olyver, for the position of Head Tailor. In between competing with Olyver, Cynthia got roped into various mischief and adventures with several of the Magic Knights in the squad, making friends and inadvertently proving herself to be a worthy Magic Knight candidate herself. On the final day of the challenge, just as Charlotte was about to announce the results of the competition, a rogue mage attacked the Blue Rose's headquarters. With everyone working together, he was eventually defeated and Charlotte announced that both Cynthia and Olyver had proven themselves to her and offered them positions as Magic Knights.

Cynthia was finally honest with her true feelings and accepted the offer. There was a timeskip of about six months, during which Cynthia trained and equipped herself to become a Magic Knight, and she officially joined the Blue Rose at the time of the yearly Magic Knight recruitment exam. From there, Cynthia has met her fellow recruits and gone on her first real mission. During the mission, she met a woman, Pistoia, who claimed to be her mother's childhood friend. Pistoia revealed that Cynthia's mother hailed from the Witches' Forest outside of the Clover Kingdom, and that she had a grandmother waiting for her there. After completing the mission, and a brief visit to her father for answers, Cynthia returned to the Blue Rose, which brings us to where we are right now.

“We have to stop this criminal before he causes even more suffering. Captain Charlotte, allow me to go.”

Your Captain passes you a sober but at the same time ambiguous nod. She turns to Lanarel, the woman who remains silent during your talk. It is not often the Vice-Captain leaves her office to go on a mission, she instead prefers to be office aide and engage with paper work and other official duties; this must be serious. “Make sure you protect Cynthia as much as she is there to protect you, Lanarel. Keep her out of trouble and return safely.”

The blue-haired mute responds by pointing fingers to her chest and puffing. She immediately points it at the door.

Charlotte nods coldly, “Virginia will too make sure all of you return safely however, I assign you as the leader.”

Vice-Captain puts her hand forwards and begins shaking her head in refusal – she doesn’t want the responsibility.

Charlotte does not entertain her, “The success of this mission and safety of you three depends entirely on you.”

A powerful yet at the same time harmless gust of wind busts between Charlotte and you, and Lanarel, before an obvious defeat rolls across her face. The boyish woman gives you and Charlotte a salute before leaving the room.

You decide not to comment, however, Charlotte easily notices the worry over your face regarding Lanarel.

“Vice-Captain takes her responsibilities seriously – you will be in safe hands with her and Wardress Roffissard.”

“You wouldn’t appoint her to be a Vice-Captain if that wasn’t the case,” you conclude. “Captain Charlotte, yesterday I have visited my home in Kikka and me and my worker shadowed the girl of the family I told you was secretly responsible for the arson attempt on my workshop and my father. Apparently, she is making plans for… something, next week. Maybe it’ll a bandit attack, maybe it’s the Purple Orca Knights, maybe somebody else?”

Captain Charlotte looks at you briefly and puts her heavy iron elbows on the table, “Do you know when exactly?”

“No, the letter I caught a glimpse of just said to be there near my workshop at the early hours of the night next week, as they agreed.” You mutters to yourself, “But Captain, why else would they be planning if not an attack?”

“If the Purple Orca Knights are involved it might be a chance to catch them red-handed,” she ponders loudly for a moment before shaking her head, “But we can’t let them know we will be there as well, I’ll have one of my Knights together with you to patrol the street. But you should be careful stalking members of the public, Cynthia.”

“I understand it was wrong, Captain Charlotte, but if the Purple Orca are involved it’s obvious they are corrupt.”

Charlotte furrows her brows, “Some of their members might be sleazy, but they are still Magic Knights of a respectable Squad. It is prejudicial to call them corrupt, although I understand your frustration. We’ll see.”

“There is one more thing. I believe I already mentioned the fact that the boy who was working for our workshop and injured my father with his magic is now working for her – and he joined the Purple Orca. But yesterday we also found that Elvira is now working for her too, and not as a kitchen maiden but by using her unique magic!”

Charlotte pauses before speaking, “It’s a good thing she found work and use for her magic, Cynthia.”

“But Patricia is an evil person, she’s just using Elvira.”

“If she plans to use her magic in illegal ways then it will be dealt with eventually – the Magic Knights aren’t blind.”

“But then she’ll be jailed.”

“Indeed, she will be dealt with as any other criminal if she commits a crime. I won’t stop you from talking to her.”

You frown but nod. It’s pretty obvious Elvira was desperate for any kind of work yet, without straining herself and her body, she won’t be able to do things with her magic that Patricia will expect of her. This can only end badly.

“One last thing before I leave, Captain Charlotte, is there a way for us to contact Captain Dorothy?”

There is a brief hesitation in her voice as she responds, “I know it’s your mother, Cynthia, but as I said before-”

You feverishly shake your head, “No, that’s not what I want to talk to her about. Six months ago she made a request for a very intricate and magical blanket and she asked me to keep her updated on how it is going.”

Charlotte stares at you with suspicion. She sighs and nods, “I’ll arrange a visit to the Coral Peacock Headquarters.”

You curtsy before Captain Charlotte in gratitude. Visiting the other Magic Knight Squad? That’s exciting, too!

You depart her office only to find Suzann and Beraber leaning against the door – eavesdropping. They dash away from the door as soon as you open it – you nearly hit their heads with the edge. You look at them with confusion and they look at you with envy – you know that look. You decide to leave them be instead of arguing with them.

“Let me guess, let me guess – she is asking you to stop a powerful magical beast,” Beraber quickly approaches – practically floats – towards you. “No, you are going on the front lines to fight a massive Diamond Kingdom army!”

“You, the least stalwart and manly girl of them all, are?” Suzann muscles bulge, “Tell them to let me go instead!”

You sigh, “I am only joining them because I have healing magic.” Your stare Suzann down confrontationally, “Do –you– have healing magic? You don’t, so you can’t replace me. No, Beraber, we are going to a Grand Magic Zone-”

Beraber bites her lips and squeezes her knuckles against her chin.

“To catch a dangerous criminal using Dark Magic,” you continue.

The dark-haired woman bites into her fingers with visible excitement.

“That is currently hiding in the ruins of a palace previously buried and forgotten.”

Your co-recruit screams in pure delight. She grabs both of your hands and her eyes begin to sparkle like that of a begging cat asking for food. “A dungeon, that is so exciting!? Cynthia, you have to convince them to take me.”

“It is up to Vice-Captain and Wardress, and I don’t think they will be happy looking after more than one person.”

“They don’t need healing magic,” Suzann slams her fist against her knee, “They need somebody who can fight.”

“It’s a deadly mission, you two,” you finally let your frustrations boil over; “We might die. It’s not an adventure!”

“‘Deadly’ is a feminine word,” Suzann sharks and looks at you with pity, “If that’s your attitude you surely will.”

You frown and, despite being annoyed, you give them a courteous farewell in form of a bow. You turn around and refuse to listen to more of their bickering. You venture through the long hallways until you reach the main hall where the Wardress is already standing near the central fountain leaning on one of the many tall marble pillars.

She raises her brow once she notices you, “Cynthia, don’t you have any armour?”

You sheepishly look at the woman and shake your head.

She looks at you in disbelief. “What is Charlotte thinking?” she asks before grabbing your dress, “It’s just linen.”

You let some of your mana surge into your scarf to fold into dozen of layers and hardens, “But this one isn’t…”

“It is still not going to protect you from any powerful magic.” Nor will cold iron, and you don’t like how it feels.

You nod. After a few minutes Vice-Captain comes down the stairs to meet up with you. Virginia gives her a short nod and begins walking towards the exit; however, a short gust of wind makes her stop. “We are flying there, are we not?” the Wardress asks Lanarel, who clumsily shakes her head. She takes out a weird, glowing, floating cube.

“Did Captain Charlotte give it to you?” Wardress asks to be answered with a nod. “Is that going to take us there?”

Again, the Vice-Captain nods and places her hand on the top of the cube. Her eyes roll to tell you to follow her…

You and Virginia join her and then your entire body begins to shift and lose its weight and corporeality. In a blink, your mind is filled with migraine inducing magic before the velvet ‘Blue Rose’ banners of the main hall sizzle out of existence and all is replaced by sharp grains of sand. You feel a sudden heat strike your head as you stumble back.

A Grand Magic Zone reveals itself before you – an endless desert ocean of nothing but white-yellow sand. Despite the scourging heat the sky is surrounded by dark clouds. Suddenly, there’s an incredibly loud thunder that forces you to cover your ears. There is no lightning. Powerful storms ravage the location and in the far distance it even forms destructive and colossal tornadoes trying to break through the dark ceiling. Can the criminal survive here?!

“Heavens, we are not going to get far like this. Lanarel, do something about it,” she grabs your hand to hold you.

The Vice-Captain winces as the grains of sand continue to cling and assault her face. She raises her finger but the Wardress is quicker. She takes a deep breath and spreads out her hands; her grimoire lifts and starts glowing…

¬ Wind Magic: The Chamber of Four Winds ¬

She doesn’t open her mouth; instead, the whistle of her wind overbears the sandstorms and speaks in her stead. From beneath her feet a vortex of transparent baby-blue wind erupts and immediately surrounds the three of you; it continues to swirl with immense power and speed – the sand gales find it impossible to break through.

Virginia nods in approval as she lets go of your hand – she doesn’t want to show too much of her caring side.

“The name of the criminal we are pursuing is Fezar. The Magic Knights who pursued him after his escape lost him somewhere in the desert, but they say he was walking into a tower of a buried sandstone palace.” She frowns and steps forwards, “But I can’t see any palace, can you?” She turns to Lanarel. The Vice-Captain shakes her head.

“There are winds are over the place – is there a way for you to use them to search for this ‘palace’?”

Lanarel looks at her in disbelief. Pouting, she begins a game of charades where she opens her arms, turns around like a dancer, then stop and makes a cross with her hands. She raises a finger to her head and hits it a few times.

Virginia frowns, “Of course I know that Grand Magic Zone winds are not your own – but it should not be far from the edge. I was hoping your Magic Zone would be able to do the trick. Guess we will have to just stumble around.”

> Do you have any suggestions?

> New thread will be made tomorrow. Until then, if this thread dies before you can post your suggestion please put it in the QTG (Quest Thread General) thread.

>>4175203
>That' a good summary!

>>4177281
lets just follow them since there is nothing i can think to suggest doing

>>4177281
This >>4177768
> Also ask if Fezar escaped on his own, or if it seemed like he had help. Could there be accomplices waiting with him inside the dungeon?

>>4177281
>Ask if we could fly up on brooms and look from up high.
If not
>We probably should look for big mounds of sand name "buried sandstone palace" would suggest that it would be under one or surrounded by one

>>4179141
>New Thread.