The vast ranges that hugged the southern edge of Lake Ranka were filled with slopes and vine thickets, obscuring everything but the mountain’s peaks. And since we were now traveling off the beaten path, lesser and feral beasts were frolicking amidst the overgrowth, eying us from their distant and safe domain. A distance that went completely ignored by a whimsical companion and her battle to alleviate her boredom.

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!”

Haifalaura roared with a shuddering fervor, in human form at that, scattering the monsters that now quickly retreated further into their wild abode. It was less amusing to watch than it certainly was for her to do. She was proudly disregarding our surroundings whilst holding her sides, ineptly suppressing a leaking cackle.

“Ahaha! Good. That will teach them to mind their own business, and quit ogling us.”

“Isn't that a bit unnecessary?”

There were certainly situations where feral beasts would attack passing players in MO, but that wasn’t any different than being hounded by a rabid squirrel. So the worst they had to offer was being a pain in the ass to anyone that had happened to AFK near them in-game.

“It’s not as if they were planning to attack us or anything, right? They shouldn’t be so different from any of the docile wildlife, meaning they’ll ignore the more well-traveled folks.”

“And that’s where you’re wrong. Naturally, a human like you wouldn’t understand. Even weaker beasts can become territorial, which may lead to them confronting us with inflated buffs or pestering, such as throwing rocks or even their defection.”

“Ugh…”

A groan escaped me as a shiver shot through my spine. It seems they didn’t pose any true threat, but rather a foul one nonetheless.

“Once you’ve entered their territory, asserting your dominance loudly is the best way to avoid any unnecessary conflict. They won’t bother against those who have preemptively acknowledged them first—and it’s more effective if done so aggressively.”

She twirled around as she walked backwards with her hands resting on her head. Her intense orange eyes were deceptively serious despite her words being bound by an essence of smugness. It felt like a subtle bout of whiplash with how she so confidently continued.

“They need to understand their place and keep away from us. I’m simply culling the weeds before they break through the dirt. You should consider yourself safe, and be grateful for my quality service. Hmph.”

Her lofty demeanor far outreached any nearby peak with no contest, but I couldn’t really argue with her reasoning. The throwing of feces aside, it would also become annoying to deal with them repeatedly, even if they were on the weaker side. Still, it felt as if her method was a bit forceful, if anything but excessively careless.

“But wouldn’t that mean everything within this region heard your greeting as well? Including the one we’re trailing. Which reminds me, you haven’t lost their scent, have you? I feel like we’ve been walking aimlessly for a while now…”

I was simply following her this entire time without questioning our direction. I didn’t exactly doubt her ability to track someone, but she seemed awfully occupied with other things.

“Who do you take me for? An amateur? Don’t patronize me. They’re still heading in the same direction they have been ever since we started following them.”

She scolded me, but still couldn’t help but shift her expression to yet another smirk once again. I could feel my face prematurely contort in response. She was clearly preparing a thought that was better left not said at all.

“I could even pinpoint the scent of that girl from here, even if she’s already across the continent. That is, if my troubled liege so dearly wishes.”

I stood correct as her irritating grin prodded at a lingering worry of mine in a casual chaff. She was referring to Eru, who was currently traveling alongside Lukos and Astrid. Their destination was Tourac, which was located at the northwestern coast—the opposite of where we were heading.

Now that I think about it, it has already been a week since we’ve gone our separate ways…

It wasn’t permanent, of course. We had every intention of reuniting in Yesiah a few days before the meeting with one of Leonora’s men. In order to abide by Marna’s request, this was the decision we arrived at.

“Why exactly would I want you to do that? She has those two with her, and even Cruubi, too. I don’t have any reason to worry about her for now.”

“Such a piss-poor liar, you.”

As straightforward as ever, Haifalaura truly had a way with her words. I could only still wonder why she remained formal in her way of calling me her liege, yet she wouldn’t hesitate to stab me with her quips or ignore my privacy.

“It’s obvious to anyone that looks at you, that you’re bottling away your concern.”

“Yeah, I doubt that. It only appears that way to you, since you have the advantage of reading my mind…”

“You know, you could always take a peek using that bird of yours, or even with Scryer magic. She gave you something for that very occasion, didn’t she? Either way, no one is going to congratulate you for restraining yourself.”

I silently fiddled with two gem fragments of differing stones in my pocket. They were entrusted to me by Eru, where one would serve as the medium required to properly observe her in a worst-case scenario—a back-up even—if I were to send Haifalaura her way again by using Cruubi. But I couldn’t exactly divine anything about Eru personally, and I still couldn’t figure out as to why. And I wasn’t even certain if [Observance of the Scryer] would work on her either.

“No, those options are only for when I have no other choice. And I won’t even consider it until this one breaks…”

I pulled out a second fragment, one of a brownish-red color that Eru had referred to as a carnelian stone. The purpose of said gem was to inform me of a danger that was beyond her and the other's abilities, a message that would shatter upon her signal.

Honestly, I don’t expect to use either of them. She’s currently under the protection of two Effigies. Even so, what I’m really concerned about is…

“What a worrywart. She took the news about her father rather well, didn’t she? And it’s not as if she has much to think about to begin with. A strange mage that came from over the mountains, from the forests dominated by the Elven in the Outer Region. From that measly description, even you would fit the bill.”

“She took it well? Is that how you saw it? It didn’t look that way to me.”

Eru’s expression was one of an unchanging but telling facade. An emotionless return, when hearing about her father, and that’s exactly what I had found eerily lacking. From our time together, Eru was essentially someone that involuntarily wore her emotions on her face. A non-response was the strangest response of them all.

“My father…came from the Outer Region? Hmm. I didn’t know that. I see. Oh! About Cruubi…”

It was an anticlimactic exchange, and she even changed the topic immediately, never asking for any other details. I couldn’t exactly fault her for not reacting according to one’s expectations, but her reaction was something that just wouldn’t sit right with me. Since it wasn’t said with a strained delivery, of a held tongue, nor withdrawn and aloof in a secretive sense—it appeared in the voice of an empty vessel, and a subtle separation from her own ego.

That’s right… It wasn’t her. It couldn’t have been. But that would mean…?

Her response to us separating was also rather unexpected, as she readily agreed, stating that she had a similar idea in mind apparently. I couldn’t help but remain at a stalemate, failing to answer both of these lingering worries. Eru’s reaction toward her father, and for what reason did she decide on us parting ways.

“She’s a grown woman, a bit oblivious, but an adult nonetheless. Her path is her own, and with or without you, she must face the outside world personally. That’s what it means to remove her from her cage, that small region where she was locked away since birth. And even then…”

Haifalaura’s voice trailed into a soft, bittersweet chuckle, as she continued.

“She somehow has three Effigies looking after her. Someone in her position is blessed, even if meagerly so when compared to her outweighing affliction. But most importantly, one of those Effigies is contracted to me.”

She suddenly shapeshifted as the sound of rushing water was exchanged with a heavy thud, replaced with her valiant form, standing on all fours while looking down on me.

“She’ll be fine, so worry more about what’s in front of you for now.”

She circled around and pushed against my back with her nose, signaling with her eyes to look forward. Some distance away sat an entrance to a familiar cave. And standing in front of said cave, was the cloaked child.

“This is…Ordell Den? But why would they want to come here of all places?”

[This feeling coming from inside…]

Before I could even notice her retreat, Haifalaura had already dematerialized and withdrawn into her usual contemplative sphere of silence. As always, she wouldn’t answer anything until she was finished, thus I decided to investigate the child by myself.

She would have terrified them anyway, in either of her forms. But that’s odd, they’re simply hanging around the entrance. Do they not have any plans to go inside? Well, I’ll try to approach from the side, and hide myself near the trees for now.

The cloaked child was pacing back and forth, possibly too frightened to enter. But then again, they had come this far alone. Ordell Den was only filled with lesser monsters, so anyone above Level 15 would easily be able to protect themselves.

We haven’t encountered whatever the Twilight Templars were investigating, too. But it doesn’t look like they were stationed around here. There doesn’t appear to be any signs of battle either, and—

“Huh? Those are…”

My eyes were immediately drawn to the ground near the entrance to the cave. Densely scattered about, I could make out several black flowers. A few dozen or so that looked similar to the flower that Roulant had shown me, and the same type that were attached to the denizen of the Enheim Forest.

The Flower of Mourning, the Ainutep? Here? But why?

Roulant had vaguely explained that the appearance of said flowers were theorized to be an assumed route in which the Goddess had traversed long ago. And yet, so far, there were only two places where I had seen the flower naturally. The Enheim Forest, and now here, Ordell Den.

“This may have begun as a side trip, but there’s no way I can leave without searching through the cave now, huh? I should also take some samples for myse—?!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!”

I was completely tunnel visioned, with every bit of focus on the Ainuteps ahead, disregarding my surroundings until the moment of that sudden shout. And with it, came an approaching lunge from the cloaked child, who was seemingly wielding a sheathed dagger aimed at me.

“I-I’ve gotten this f-far! I can’t let a h-human get in my w-way a-again!”

Brandishing that covered dagger, they propelled forward with their eyes shut. And luckily, they didn’t seem skilled enough to actually use the blade nor have any other tricks up their sleeves. Thus, with a small pivot, I moved out of their way and allowed them to pass me.

“Aaaaaaaaaaa—grhg!”

Head first into a nearby tree, they dropped to their knees and began clenching at their unhooded head. Folded yet twitching, their two furred ears seemed to receive the brunt of the damage as they gently caressed them while whimpering.

“Why…? W-why was a tree…? W-Where did th-they go…?”

I hadn’t seen one of their kind in any town or city as of yet, but I was definitely familiar with them. Also known as “furred goblins” that were used for menial labor and hunted for sport in the northern parts of Espen, they were crude and witless beasts with nothing remarkable or unique going for them. In MO, there was even a game with a scoreboard for clearing waves of them with a magic tinkerer’s miniature hand cannon. It wasn’t to my fancy, but I had at least tried it once before.

“Hmm. Looks like Haifalaura was right about them not being human, but never thought I’d see a talking Kobold. Let’s see…”

Name: [Qhin]

Rank: [Kobold]

Level: [17]

Class: [N/A]

Alignment: [Lawful Neutral]

INFO:

Titles - [Kin of Obled]

A Kobold that had a normal status rather than one that was associated with monsters. The Kobold, Qhin, even held a title but lacked a Class despite being almost Level 20. In MO, one would naturally choose their Class upon creating their character, whereas in Aerith, it was something one would gain within their first few levels based on their desired path, Power Source, and inherent abilities. And yet, Qhin was somehow Class-less, seemingly journeying alone.