“If you’re asking me that question, doesn’t it make bringing you here seem completely pointless?”
I froze for a moment, then let out a short laugh.
Yeah… yeah, that was a dumb question to ask. I was basically asking for it. And honestly, that answer was a clever dodge. She didn’t even address the substance of the question—she just flipped it back on me with one that carried even more weight.
Kaelan didn’t laugh. She ran her fingers gently over the photo in the frame, her expression dimming with a trace of melancholy. But maybe because I was still standing there, she held back from showing too much genuine emotion.
“Sorry… I forgot you were still here. This photo… it holds a lot of memories for me.”
“Your parents? A sister? Miss Kaelan, I won’t be rude and pry into your past… but I’m guessing you’ve either let it go? Or maybe it’s the opposite—maybe you’re holding on tighter than ever?”
Kaelan blinked, set the frame down carefully, and looked at me with an odd, unreadable expression. Then, a moment later, a soft smile touched her lips before her face settled back into its usual composure.
“You’re an interesting one. Don’t worry. I won’t treat you like a prisoner. If I did, we wouldn’t be having such a civil conversation right now, and you certainly wouldn’t be in one piece.”
The way she said it, with that expression on her face, left no room for doubt. Given her position, her word was law. I nodded with a smile of my own before my face settled back into neutrality just as hers had.
She and I were similar in some ways, yet completely different in others. We came from different worlds and grew up in different ways. She had put down roots here, while I drifted wherever the wind took me. She had a faith that kept her standing, while I had… nothing. What good was this ridiculous magic of mine? Aside from being dead weight, all it did was attract trouble and leave me at the mercy of whoever wanted a piece.
In front of her, there was no point in pretending or playing mind games. She’d see right through every single one of them.
“Miss Kaelan, I really appreciate this.”
I smiled, and for once, it actually felt relaxed. To be honest, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d smiled so easily. Even around Elf and Alec, my grins always took effort… a lot of effort. Truth was, I never felt at ease. Even now, the tension and pressure were still there, gnawing at me. I had to keep moving forward no matter what.
But hey, at least I didn’t have to keep up the act anymore. That alone was enough to make me happy.
I gestured toward the wooden chair. Kaelan understood immediately and motioned for me to sit. Once I’d settled in, she sat down across from me. It almost felt like there was no barrier between us at all.
Almost.
There was still a thick wall standing there, and I still had no idea why she was helping me.
For a few minutes, silence hung between us. Finally, I looked up and asked, “Miss Kaelan, could you tell me a bit about the history of the Vigilance Corps?”
It wasn’t anything special. I just wanted to chat and break the suffocating quiet around here. And, well, maybe pick up some useful information along the way.
Despite her stern appearance, Kaelan was surprisingly warm and open. She was happy to share the history of the Corps. Most of it was, admittedly, pretty dry stuff—dates and decrees. But every so often, a detail would spark my interest, like the legend of a certain figure who rose from the Corps’ ranks.
The story went that during the last Orc War, when the fighting reached the city of Feltro, magic hadn’t yet been widely adopted among the defenders. They were at a severe disadvantage. The orcs’ battering rams pushed closer and closer, and neither archers nor swordsmen could slow them down.
The citizens lived in constant terror, their lives a waking nightmare. Even the elite Vigilance Corps couldn’t stem the tide.
But then, a Corps member with extraordinary magical talent stepped onto the battlefield.
“Heh… that’s how the people sing her praises. Her image as a beloved hero only grows stronger with time. But… she never received what she truly deserved.”
“Miss Kaelan… don’t tell me…”
I stopped myself mid-sentence, afraid of poking at an open wound. Even though I hadn’t gotten a clear look at the photo earlier, I remembered seeing what looked like a staff made of Eternal Wood resting behind the woman in the picture.
It had to be her. Kaelan’s mother.
“Yes. That was my mother, Rona Dialo. She met my father right around the time she was due to retire from the Corps because of her injuries. They fell in love, and later that same year, my sister and I were born.”
Before I knew it, the conversation had drifted away from the Corps’ history and into Kaelan’s own family. Wait a second… wasn’t she a player? How could she have a story like this? Was it like what happened with Dale Mi Lopar? This was supposed to be just a game…
Kaelan told me that when she was born, her family was relatively well-off. She and her sister received a good education. That life continued until they were eight years old, when their father—Guri Katesry—took them to have their magical aptitude tested. The results showed that one sister possessed an affinity for ice magic, and the other for fire.
Rona and Guri were overjoyed. Their daughters had a future. They had the potential to build wonderful lives for themselves.
Determined not to let that hope slip away, Rona—in addition to her duties as a homemaker—began guiding the girls in their magical practice every day. And whenever Guri returned from his duties with the Corps or had a day off, he would teach them swordsmanship.
Each sister developed her own strengths. Kaelan Katesry became a skilled swordswoman with a respectable command of magic. Her younger sister, Kaili Katesry, was even more gifted in spellcasting—her raw power rivaled their mother’s.
Sounds beautiful, right? It was.
Until the war shattered the peace once again.
Guri was called back to service as a mercenary and was killed in action at Yamalik. When Rona received the devastating news, grief consumed her. She fell gravely ill and passed away shortly after.
Kaelan and Kaili were left utterly alone in the world. They had just barely celebrated their eleventh birthday.
But Kaelan didn’t give up. She clung to her sister, and together they survived on what their parents had left behind and the work of their own hands. They managed to scrape by until they turned fourteen. And then fate struck another cruel blow. During a sudden orc counter-offensive against Feltro, her sister—Kaili—went missing.
Kaelan was shattered. She spent three long years searching. In that time, she met countless people and witnessed countless hardships, and through it all, she grew. And her longing for her sister only deepened.
She searched and searched. Finally, she met a veteran soldier who had distinguished himself during the Orc Wars. He said he remembered seeing a girl who fit Kaili’s description. Overjoyed, Kaelan followed him, only to end up at an abandoned orc camp. There, she found a nearly disintegrated scrap of paper left behind by her sister.
“Kaelan, I’m so sorry… I can’t go on any longer. But I wish I could see you again… I miss you.”
A note drenched in despair. It should have shattered Kaelan’s spirit entirely.
But it didn’t. She wiped away her tears, took up her father’s sword and the secrets of her mother’s magic, and enlisted in the Vigilance Corps.
“She might be young, but I’ll say it plain: she’s got guts of steel!” That was how her fellow soldiers described her.
Her swordsmanship was as fierce as Guri’s, yet even more nimble. Her spellcasting was swifter than Rona’s. But compared to her parents, something was missing. Yeah… something was missing inside her.
She was fearless. She never hesitated when a mission called. She poured her entire being into every patrol. No matter how dangerous the fight, she was always at the very front lines—and she always made it back alive. Three more years passed. She climbed the ranks from foot soldier to squad leader, then to sergeant, eventually forming and commanding her own unit.
Sometimes, while holding that photo, Kaelan would let herself imagine that her sister was out there somewhere, waiting for her in a better place. But reality was unforgiving. The Katesry bloodline now ended with her. Anyone else out there sharing that name had no connection to her whatsoever.
Kaelan burned with hatred. She hated the orcs who pillaged and murdered. She hated the bastards who had stolen every shred of happiness from her life.
But she was just one person. Her strength alone wasn’t enough to see her through. She knew deep down that this wasn’t enough.
…
By the time I snapped out of Kaelan’s harrowing story, it was already getting late. Considering the time I’d spent unconscious and the length of her tale, it was probably past six in the evening. But it was summer, so the sun wouldn’t be setting anytime soon.
Kaelan hadn’t stopped talking until she, too, noticed the hour. She quickly reined herself in, cleared her throat lightly, and asked if I was hungry.
I couldn’t help but wonder… what reason did she have to protect me this far? Still, I wasn’t about to refuse a gift placed right in front of me. I could use the energy.
Seeing no downside, I nodded. Kaelan nodded back, stood up, and walked to the door. She gestured for me to stay put and then stepped outside. Through the wall, I could just barely make out the sound of her giving instructions to someone, followed by a muffled affirmation.
Well, no doubt about it. She was having someone keep an eye on me. Fine by me. I’ll play along.
