It was late at night in Veredale Village. The moon illuminated the sky with a strong light. Its soft light came through the small window. Laguna and Julia were resting in the room. But the room was far from comfortable. Research tools filled the wooden table. The Vision Orbs glowed with a faint light. There were magical crystals in various colors and scrolls covered in complex formulas. In the corner, a small shelf held experimental materials. Laguna had taken them from her Subspatial Inventory.
Laguna stood by the window, gazing out with great caution. She took a deep breath. Then, she pulled a large wooden cabinet and set it in front of the window. "This is better," she murmured in a low voice, ensuring that no spies could peek from outside.
Meanwhile, Julia sat on a chair, swinging her legs with a curious expression. "Master, are you certain that someone is watching us?" she asked in a soft voice.
Laguna turned around, looking at her with a faint smile. "There's no harm in being on guard, is there?" He walked over, then with gentle movements, tidied up the strands of hair that had fallen on Julia's cheek. "You should rest first. We don't know what will happen tomorrow."
Julia's face heated up a little hearing Laguna's tone, which was softer than usual. "But... what about you, Master? Don't you want to rest?" she asked in a gentle tone.
Laguna touched her shoulder, providing a warm, reassuring pressure. "I still have a lot to find out. If there's anything suspicious, call me without hesitation. Do you understand?"
Julia stared at him for a few seconds before nodding with deliberation. "Okay, Master." She went to her room. Before closing the door, she looked back at Laguna. He was already sitting at the table, focused on his tools. With a small smile, she whispered to herself, Master is always like this... but still, he cares about me.
As soon as Julia entered her room, Laguna took a deep breath and turned his gaze to the Vision Orb on the table. He lifted the object, letting its blue light swirl between his fingers. He had many options to explore, but tonight he wanted to focus on one.
He leaned back in his chair, his hands resting on his head, and his eyes focused on his tools as he contemplated. "Okay… let's see what I can do."
The night was quiet, lit by the soft glow of magical equipment. In the other room, Julia drifted off to sleep. She felt safer with Laguna nearby.
That morning, soft sunlight streamed through the window gaps. It lit up the room, which was now filled with different research tools. In the corner of the room, a large cabinet stood upright in front of the window, ensuring that no one peeked inside.
Julia blinked her eyes as she slowly emerged from her sleep. She stepped out of her room with light steps, rubbing her still-sleepy eyes. Her gaze settled on Laguna. He was asleep at the work desk, his head on his arms. In his hands, he still held a mysterious iron ball.
Julia's face held a soft smile. She approached him carefully, grabbed a thin blanket, and covered him with a soft touch. "You're so careless... Sleeping like this will definitely make you sick, Master," she whispered.
After making sure Laguna was still comfortable in his sleep, Julia moved to the bathroom. She took off her clothes one by one and began to douse her body with fresh water. The tiredness from their journey began to disappear under the soothing cold water.
However, something caught her attention in an unexpected moment. From the corner of her eye, she saw an eye floating in the air, its gaze fixed on her. The eye looked like a magical device in the form of a small floating ball, watching her every move.
"KYAAAH!!!"
Julia screamed in panic, grabbed a towel in haste, and rushed out of the bathroom. With a bright red face, she approached Laguna, who was now sitting daydreaming in his chair. The man's nose was bleeding, and the ball he had been holding while sleeping was gone.
Julia finally realized what had happened. The device she had seen earlier was the same one Laguna had been holding while sleeping. Julia's face immediately turned red, feelings of shame and anger mixed into one. Without thinking, she swung her hand.
PLAAK!!
A hard slap landed on Laguna's cheek; the man didn't move an inch. Julia glared at him. Then, she turned and stormed into her room, slamming the door.
Laguna sat in silence, lost in thought, while blood dripped from his nose. His now-red cheeks were a silent witness to Julia's anger.
"Looks like I have to add an invisible feature to this Vision Drone..." Laguna muttered, still in his confusion.
A few moments later, Laguna knocked on Julia's door. "Julia, I'm sorry. I wanted to confirm that the device is functioning as expected."
But there was no answer from inside.
Laguna sighed, then tried again. "How about we go around the village? I want to find out more about this place."
Julia's door creaked open after a long wait. Julia came out with a still sulky face, her cheeks puffed out as a sign that she was still upset.
Laguna smiled at Julia's adorable expression. He went back to his desk. Then, he started to clean up his tools. He put everything into his Subspatial Inventory.
Surprised, Julia saw it. "What is that, Master? Is that also your discovery from last night?"
Laguna blinked one eye. "Yes, let's say so. Please keep this a secret, including from my father."
Julia offered a faint smile and nodded. "Okay, Master. You can trust me."
They rushed to the village.
However, as soon as they arrived at the center of the village, a gloomy atmosphere enveloped them. The villagers looked helpless as they found the streets deserted. They sat with desperate expressions; some were even seen eating moldy bread. Julia couldn't stand to see that condition.
"Master, may I give them some food?" she asked in an empathetic tone.
However, Laguna shook his head. "Not yet. I need to know more about what happened in this village first."
A little girl ran and collided with Laguna. Behind her, two village guards chased her with panting breaths. The little girl looked scared and tried to run away, but Laguna caught her with little effort.
"This child stole our supplies!" shouted one of the guards in an angry tone.
Laguna looked at the little girl whose fingers gripped a piece of dry bread with great force. He took the bread and returned it to the guard. "These are your things, and in return, I will give you something more. On the condition that you will forget about this incident."
The two guards looked at each other before finally nodding and leaving.
Laguna took the little girl outside the village to a barren field.
"Let me go!" she shouted.
But Laguna remained silent until they reached a barren field. Only then did he lower his
"I'll let you go, but don't run. Understand?" Laguna stated with conviction.
The girl nodded in a hurry. But, as soon as they let her go, she ran while sticking her tongue out at Laguna. But her steps stopped when she bumped into Julia, who wrapped her arms around her in a gentle embrace.
"Relax, little girl, this big brother is not evil," Julia said in a soft voice while giving the child an apple.
The girl looked at the apple for a moment before she devoured it with great hunger.
Laguna looked at the girl with great interest.
[Mulan Veredale]
Race: Human
Skills: Accounting B, Politics C, Cooking C, more…
Attributes:
Str: 1
Vit: 2
Agi: 3
Int: 15
Wis: 13
Luk: 15
Laguna offered a subtle smile. "Interesting..."
The little girl asked Julia while chewing her apple, "Miss, is this uncle in front of me a pervert? Why is he looking at me like that?"
Julia smiled and leaned in close to the girl's ear. She whispered, "That's right, little girl. That uncle is very perverted. This morning, he even peeked at me while I was taking a bath."
Laguna cut in, sensing Julia's words. "Hey, what are you whispering to that little girl?"
Julia giggled without answering. Mulan stared at Laguna with narrowed eyes, as if trying to judge whether the accusation was true.
Laguna took a deep breath and took out an apple from her robe pocket. She held it up with a little drama. "Okay, how about we start with introductions? I have this delicious apple. If you tell me your name, this apple will be yours."
The girl crossed her arms over her chest. "Father said I shouldn't accept gifts from strangers."
Laguna looked annoyed. "Then why did you accept the apple from that beautiful sister? Don't the rules apply to everyone?"
The girl answered with a naïve expression, "Because he looks good."
Laguna rolled her eyes. "Oh sure, because his innocent face can hide its cruelty."
Julia smiled with a sense of victory, then knelt down to match the little girl's height. "Don't be like that, little girl. Even though this brother is a pervert, he is a good person. So, what's your name?"
The girl lowered her head and answered, "Mulan."
"That's a nice name," Julia stroked the girl's head with a soft touch. "Do you know what happened to this village?"
As Mulan was about to open her mouth to answer, the ground beneath them shook with great force. Small cracks began to appear on the ground, followed by a rumbling sound that grew louder. Birds flew in panic from the trees, and the air around them felt heavier. Julia rushed to pull Mulan into her arms. At the same time, Laguna focused her gaze on the village. It too felt the shaking.
"Laguna... What happened?" Julia's voice sounded full of worry.
Before Laguna could respond, a loud crack echoed. Then, something began to rise from the ground.