[BOOK II] Chapter XXVII-XXIX: Raegis [1] – [2]

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Double chappies everyone! Enjoy!

The receptionist put a finger over her chin. “Hmmm, Unless you give me consent, I won’t be able to even appeal to the Branch Master to take you in as a special subject. And, even if I want to, I can’t really take you in or that meanie will be angrrrry at me.”

“It’s a different matter if someone takes you in though,” The receptionist said. “You were able to saw through the scarryy Illya’s illusions so you should have a lot of potential. Perhaps, someone here can train you to be a Mapper, or a simple Cook could even work.”

“So?” The receptionist looked around, and everyone was suddenly interested in the beautiful floorwork beneath them. 

“I thought so too,” The receptionist sighed. “So, what do I do with you?”

In the game, during this time, everyone in this room knew that it would be too much work to take care of a broken, little girl whose origins were a complete mystery. The adventurers were experienced to know that it was best to leave such mystery and risk to the gods, or it would be their fates the gods would take. Of course, since it was a risk, there was the possibility of a reward, meaning if the little girl turned out to be someone great in the future, they would be able to benefit a lot from her as her caretakers.

And yet, not a single person lifted a finger for the girl, which eventually led to Illya taking the girl in, and training her to later be the strongest swordsman in history. 

The little girl was a box of treasures absolutely covered in the world’s messiest cobweb. But, it didn’t matter to me. Simple cobweb? I could clear something like that in my sleep. 

In the midst of utter, awkward silence, and more despair for the little girl, despite the heavy risks, someone was stupid enough to raise a hand. 

A pale, porcelain hand belonging to me, of course. I looked at Illya, and it was pretty crazy seeing Illya, the Mother Of The Greatest Swordsman In History, look me dead in the eyes. It felt like she could see through not only my hood, but my very soul. 

Then, she nodded her head. “Not bad.” Her Illya voice came out, before switching back to her cutesy receptionist voice. 

“Alrightie then, come over here, little fighter!”

I stood up, and felt like the most famous person in the world. Walking over to the little girl and Illya, I was met with stares from all around me, most questioning if I was sane, some pitying my stupidity, and a few questioning who I was. 

But, I had no intention of showing my face to these mobs. No, I wanted my little box of treasures now. 

I stood before the little girl. A change in demeanor happened, and she looked up at me, only with her eyes though. 

My heart stopped. 

Oh, what a poor, little girl. That was the first thing that came up in my mind when I got to see those dark, muddied eyes up close. 

We must have been staring at each other’s eyes for hours, or at least that’s how it felt. I knew of her tragic past, but I felt like I was reliving them when I saw her eyes and realized I had done my bad habit again. Instead of seeing that an atrocious sin had been committed against a child, I had only seen her as a game character, an NPC I could use for my future plans. 

In her eyes, I saw the pain, the fire, the scream and eventually, the acceptance she had that no one would ever save her and there was no point in doing it herself. 

I actually took a step back, holding my head in pain, unprepared for the visions as the receptionist looked over worriedly at me.

“Are you okay, little fighter?!” 

I held up a hand. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” I massaged my head, still a little dizzy but I managed to calm down before shakily looking at the little girl again, then this time I saw something I couldn’t have before. 

A beautiful, gentle soul whose utmost wish was that no one suffered like she did, and it was then I realized why she became the strongest swordswoman in the realms, why exactly she raised her steel. 

Even after suffering all that she did, I saw in her eyes a little, a miniscule flicker of light - her final will to fight. In my eyes, I saw it as a challenge instead of a request for help, a challenge that was asking me if I was even worthy enough to wield her. 

I took the challenge. “Do you want to be with me?” 

At that moment, our eyes met again, but only this time, there was a roaring flame burning in her eyes. 

She gulped, and her dry lips cracked but she just had to say something. 

“Y. . .Y-yes.”

Noone knew at that moment. 

A grin broke across my face. Noone knew how I had stolen the future world’s greatest swordsman from her mother right under her nose. Today was the day the Maiden had collected herself a very attack-oriented little poke*on. 

***

I sat down in my room, late at night, with a candle being the only thing keeping the entire room lit since the moon’s glow was particularly low tonight. Maybe Ivanka missed me or something? I should check up on her later.

But, first I had to do something about the little girl on the floor, staring quizzically at me like she was waiting for me to say something. 

I sighed. The night wind blew from my windows, providing a gale cool enough to make the little girl shiver and my papers to flutter. 

“Here,” I gave her my blanket for the night, not really needing it since a chi-blanket was much better. “Cover yourself with this.”

Since she didn’t really move, I had to go over to her, and throw the warm blanket over her body and soon, the shivering stopped. I went back to my seat, and looked over the documents of ownership over the little girl. 

Apparently, since the little girl had no parents and had a slave collar around her neck, I couldn’t adopt parenthood over her, so I had to settle with being the master of the little girl. It wasn’t a bad idea to be the complete master over the future strongest swordswoman in the world, but if you knew how her attitude towards slave owners would turn out in the future, you’d hesitate like me too. 

I opened my eyes, enhanced by chi, and looked over her body. Just like in the game, an aura of silver and the smell of blades was so strong on her, she might as well have been an incarnation of steel itself. 

Oh wait, she is. Who’d known the little girl had been so blessed?

“What do you want your name to be?” I asked her. “It’s really a pain in the butt to call you little girl over and over again.”

“. . .”

“I’m assuming you don’t remember your name, right?”

“. . .”

“And you don’t remember where you come from too?”

“. . .”

“But, you’re certain you made the right choice in staying with me?”

This time, I got a nod, a strong nod from her weak, little body. I nodded along with her, and showed her the documents, scrunching them in my hands. 

“You know what this is?” I asked, and she nodded no. “It’s a written document, legally allowing me to claim ownership over you due to your slave collar, and unknown origin of your previous masters.”

“I don’t want to do this, since I don’t really think someone should own someone but,” I clicked my tongue. “If I don’t do this, you won’t be able to go adventuring or anywhere with me, for that matter. Would you want that?”

A shake of her head. 

I looked her dead in the eyes and decided to reveal a little of my motives in order to get her trust. “You see, I’m trying to beat the strongest being in the myriad realms. Do you think you can help me do that?”

I shook my head. “Let me rephrase. Do you want to help me do that?”

There was silence, but this time, it was short-lived. Again, I saw that steel-like fire in her eyes and I knew she had made her decision. 

“Alright then, let me give you 3 promises first then,” I told her. “First, I promise to get you cleaned up because you need it. Second, I’ll promise to clear the ownership over you as soon as possible. Third, well. . .”

I raised my third finger, playing around with it as I wondered the single thing the little girl needed the most right now. I thought back over her tragedy, her future endeavors, her speeches and wants as was described in the game and remembered what she had wished for when she was young. 

“I’ll promise to make you the strongest swordsman in history,” I said. But of course that wasn’t the real deal. 

“And, I’ll help you get revenge.” 

Suddenly, the air around me thickened with bloodlust, as the scent of steel turned sharp like the very air I breathed in had turned into little icicles of steel. Oh, it was a pleasure to see that the little flame in her eyes had actually been hiding an inferno. A shiver ran through me, with some arousal due to my constitution noticing I was around a dominant, strong person.

But this was no time to get horny. 

“Calm down.”

I bonked her on the head with the folded up documents, and the air returned to normal. Her fiery eyes died out, and returned back to that deadpan look of hers, no longer broken. 

I smiled at her. “So, what do you say?” I offered her a hand, as the moon shone bright behind me. It’s nice to know that my big, strong woman was watching over me. 

“Do you want to come with me, Reagis?” 

Reagis seemed to like the name I’d given her, forgetting that it was actually her original name she had forgotten, a name she had cherished so deeply before her tragedy struck. 

With what little strength she had left, Reagis shakily grabbed my hand, and I knew then what her resolve was - a desperation, a last hope she clung on that I was the right person to follow and trust one last time. 

She made the right decision. Oh, the smile I was holding back so that she didn’t know the plans I had for her.

“Great. Every great hero starts with humble beginnings,” I told her and luckily, she picked up what I had put down. 

“But, first you need to get a bath.”

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