[Varay POV]
Expectations.
From the moment I was born, my parents had expected me to make them proud. My mentors had expected me to become strong. My peers had expected me to lead them as a leader.
Everybody expected something from me.
People called me a 'Prodigy' that appears once in a century. They saw my strengths and praised me but they didn't see my struggle and hardwork. I trained until my hand bled and my mana was completely drained. I studied warfare strategies when people were dreaming of romance and future.
But in doing so I forgot how it feels to make friends, to be happy or have normal conversation. It became increasingly hard for me to express my emotions freely and the people started to call me "The Ice Queen". I have been appointed to serve the King and Queen and all the expectations have been almost fulfilled.
So why do I feel so... lonely.
Don't misunderstand me, I have people who I care about but I just don't know how to show it. And they know it... I hope they do.
What do I want?
I have never asked this question to myself. Even if I did ask, I don't know the answer. Maybe I want someone who see me as I am.
Not as a Prodigy.
Not as the ice queen.
Just me.
Varay Aurae.
A girl who is bad in social interactions.
But is there anyone who is even capable of being this brave. I don't think there is.
That's what I used to think before I saw him.
It started with just curiousity when someone was observing me and Bairon, I thought it was just a random admirer but no he was good at keeping himself hidden. But at the end I was able to find out who it was and kept an eye in him. 'Kael' that was his name he mostly kept to himself and didn't have many friends but wasn't a loner. He appeared weak at first but later he started to show his real power. I don't know what happened for him to stop holding back. He defeated an upper class student in seconds.
He was strong, too strong for a nobody. But he never went all out in the academy, he remained a background character for all the years he was in the academy. After graduation he started to work in a shop whose name was very..... unique.
What kind of name was minecraft.
At first, I thought it was a code. A cover for some underground organization. Maybe even a secret base for illegal enchantment trades.
But no. It was just a regular shop.
Or... as regular as a shop could be when Kael was the one running it. He is....odd, jokes about everything but I have to admit that his shop sold some good quality elixrs and they were affordable. So I became a regular customer there.... for elixrs of course.
One day as I approached him after I
decided to purchase some elixers, he suddenly started a conversation but the real surprise came when he asked me for a date.
A date. With me.
I was about to refuse
....but his eyes stopped me.
They weren't pleading. They weren't cocky. They just… looked at me. Not through me. Not at the title, or the reputation, or the expectation.Those eyes were not looking at the ice queen.
But me. Varay.
I felt like a girl being asked on a date.
So I said yes. Not before asking for a spar, I wanted to know strong he actually was.
I'm still not sure why I said yes. Maybe curiosity. Maybe loneliness. Maybe I wanted to know what it felt like to be someone else, even if just for a day.
The next day when we sparred he fought like a conjurer but in the academy he fought like an augmenter. I wonder why? He easily defeated me but I still felt like he was holding back.
Later that night, when we were on our date he was actually nervous but he still joked about it. Said I was beautiful. No one has ever said that to me on my face. We talked about mundane things happening in our lives.
This feels...nice.
Not love, no this is not a fantasy world where a girl falls for a guy on just her first date. But this feeling this warmth, I want to experience it more.
Is this the first thing that I am expecting from someone else?
Maybe, I can have someone who understands me as I am.
Maybe or maybe I am just being delusional.
[MC POV]
Achoo...!!!!
Who is thinking about me? Varay, maybe.
I hope it's her. It's not like I am obsessing or anything.
Varay and I have actually become a....thing. Not a couple, not yet. But we have gone on many dates since then. We have grown closer but not that close, so yeah...
We are still in that phase. And we even held each other's hand, once. Can you believe it.
Progress.
I have also put some soldiers in her shadow (ninety nine to be exact), for obvious reasons. To sta—protect her, yes. Now I can be tension free regarding her safety. I am also considering doing the same for all the people I know ( twin horn and kaspian). Now that I realise, I don't have many friends as kael. Ghost atleast has twin horn as his friends, if you consider them.
But me, not a single person to call a friend. I lost contact with Deric after I graduated from the academy. Maybe I should summon a character to be my friend—no that's a stupid idea.
Looks like I am remaining a loner in this life too, huh.
Heh.
Anyways, enough nonsense let's be serious. Today is May 29, do you know what happened this day? Yes,Arthur Leywin was supposed to born today.
So did he?
Well obviously,duh. And if you are wondering how I know that, well may or may not have sent a clone to ashber to keep an eye on the leywin couple. And if you are thinking why didn't I put any of my soldiers in their shadows, it's because I forgot.
Which shouldn't be possible with my genius assimilations.
Anyways the main point is he was born and the canon is finally starting, but wait a minute the first big thing happens when he is five years old, right? So what am I supposed to do until then.
More preprations, I guess.
Yay.
I also have started to look for Sylvia Indrath because I don't know exactly when she appears in Dicathen.
Sylvia, huh. Should I save her not as my soldier ,no. Her living will create a butterfly effect, for sure. But what if I play Aizen and create a scenario where she dies after giving her will and her egg to Arthur. Will this also create a butterfly effect?
Let's just say I save her, then what. Do I just tell her to go enjoy her life or something. She can't go her home, she has no one to go to. Well I can keep her here in the Ghost Cave, but I don't think she will agree to live with a stranger...I think.
And saving her doesn't benefit me in any way or does it? Sure, she can tell me how to enter epheotus but that's about it. She can't give me anything else.
But to Arthur she is a goldmine, she can tell him about her will or can give him talk-no-jutsu when he is at his lowest. His journey will become easy or relatively easy. Sylvie will have her mother.
Sigh...
Do I even want her to live?
Yes, I want her to live. Then,it's decided I am going to save Sylvia Indrath.
As for how...that is future me's problem.
Currently I am in Elshire Forest as ghost, no not on a mission but something else. I heard-- no felt someone's distress and fear through my observation haki and after I focused it was just a bandit slave situation. Then what made it so special, you ask. Well the bandits were trying to capture the elves, three female elves to be exact.
As I got to the location, the ladies were already captured by them.
Now what should I do, do I save them or not? Even if I save them how does it benefit me? Am I being selfish again.
Sigh...let's just save them and I can maybe have a nice trip to the elven kingdom. Not like I need to save them for that.
As I made up my mind, I counted the number of bandits.
14 in total seven conjurers and seven augmenters not a very ideal party' formation.
Good for me, makes my work easy.
I readied myself and took out samehada from my inventory. Yes I have decided to use samehada because why not and it's OP and can eat mana like a beast hungry for the meat.
[Two Minutes Later]
The battlefield was silent. Only the wind dared whisper through the trees, carrying with it the scent of mana-scorched earth and fear.
Samehada twitched in my hand like a satisfied predator after a feast, its scales rippling as it digested the remnants of mana from the now-unconscious—or dead—bandits, left one alive for interrogation. I hadn't even needed to break a sweat. Observation Haki had already mapped their positions and emotions, so every swing, every step, every dodge was calculated. Precise. Clean.
I approached the prisoners—three young elven women, tied up with mana-suppressing restraints, bruised and dirty but alive.
"Who are you?" The oldest of the elf asked.
"Adventurer, Ghost." I replied as I bent down and broken their restrains with careful precision of samehada.
"Why did you save us?"
"Because I could." I said as I kicked the unconscious bandit waking him up.
The bandit groaned, his eyes fluttering open to the sight of my masked face staring down at him. Samehada rested on my shoulder like a sleeping beast, but the menace it exuded was very much awake.
"Start talking," I said, voice low and calm. "Where were you taking them?"
He spat to the side, blood and saliva mixing. "W-We were just following orders! It wasn't personal!"
"Good," I said, crouching down. "That makes it easier to not take it personally when I do this."
I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into a tree—lightly. Just enough to remind him I wasn't bluffing. "Orders from who?"
His lips quivered."Otis Wykes, he ordered us to capture the slaves for him to use in his auction for the nobles."
House Wykes, huh. I remember Lucas's mother was also an elf but he should be already born. I will take care of them later now what should I do with this Bandit, should I kill him?
"Are you going to kill him?" The elf asked interrupting my thoughts.
"Should I?" I answered with a question and anyways I was going to kill him but not in front of them.
She remained silent but clenched her fists.
Heh... thought so.
I hit the bandit on his head and he was knocked down cold. And I ordered one of my shadow soldier to kill him later and make add them into my army.
"Now what about you three? Where are you going?" I questioned them.
"Elenoir, we are heading towards the royal castle." They replied after some hesitation.
"What were you doing in here anyways?"
"That's none of your business."
And yep they are elves—prideful, arrogant and most of all, don't trust humans. Looks like I have to find another way to officially enter the elf kingdom.
Meh... I can come when Arthur is here and say I am here to take him home. Simple. But it would be good if I introduce myself to virion and that hag.
Should I sneak in? Sigh...Let's just go with the flow.
"Alright, fine. But can you reach elenoir on your own?" The realization dawned on them quickly—bruised, mana-suppressed, and probably disoriented from the ordeal, their journey through Elshire Forest wouldn't exactly be a walk in the park.
The oldest elf looked at me again, more cautious than before. "I know the way," she said. Her voice had more edge now, tinged with pride. "We don't need help."
"I never said you did," I replied, shrugging as I put Samehada into my inventory. "But the forest disagrees."
They shared glances. The younger two were clearly uncertain. The oldest—tall, silver-haired, sharp-eyed—was doing a poor job hiding her limp.
"Do what you want," I said as I turned around. "But the next group of bandits might not be as polite as me."
A beat of silence.
"We're not asking for an escort." the middle one said.
"Good," I said without turning. "Because I'm not offering one."
More silence.
"You said your name was Ghost?" the eldest called.
I stopped.
"That's right."
"You're an adventurer?"
"Sometimes."
"From where?"
"Now that sounds like a lot of questions from someone who wouldn't even tell me why she was wandering around a forest full of bandits."
She went quiet again. Good.
I was about to vanish back into the trees when I heard her speak, this time more softly.
"…Thank you."
I paused mid-step. A slow grin tugged at the corners of my mouth behind the mask.
"You're welcome."
With that, I disappeared into the forest shadows.
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CHAPTER END
A.N.
Hlo.
So how was it? Do you want to see him go to elenoir and meet Royal family and rinia?
Tell me your thoughts. And also give items suggestions for next gacha.
Thank You.