Chapter 21: Chapter 17: The Talk II

"What I'm going to say now, is going to seem even harder for you to believe, but I want you to at least listen to me all the way through, okay?"

All 4 nodded in response, and Reilanis prepared to say what would possibly be the strangest thing they had ever heard in their lives.

"As you already know, this person, Reilan, was trapped in my body for all this time. Because of that, we were able to share each other's memories. That's how I realized that he was someone from another world."

Reilanis paused to see everyone's reaction. Elisa was the only one who kept her expression incredulous, doubting that this person even existed. Reilanis noticed the expression but she decided not to say anything about it.

"His world is, to be clear, far more advanced than this one. Hundreds, maybe thousands of years more advanced. Although, whether by coincidence or not, many of the items we use in the dungeon, are similar to those that existed in his world. But that is not the important thing. In this other world, there was something called, video games. To put it in simple terms, since even I can't understand it very well, they are like a dream you can see and control through a special box. These video games tell stories as if they were fairy tales or legends, but they allow you to participate in them by taking control of one of their characters."

"It seems very hard to believe. - Vistelia commented in a curious voice. Putting into words what they were all thinking. She seemed interested in this strange world and the things in it. - But I fail to understand what you're getting at by telling us that."

"The important thing here is not that this exists, it's that one of these 'video games' tells our story."

Hearing this, everyone, including Neminah, was surprised. Elisa, who was already incredulous enough about Reilan, had begun to get annoyed. She felt that the lie had gone on too long already.

"Do you have any proof of that claim, master?"

Reilanis noticed the annoyed tone with which the blonde questioned her, and though she was looking forward to reprimanding her, the question was more than valid, so she decided it was best to answer her.

"I do. I don't know if it could count as such, though."

Elisa settled back in her seat, ready to find any flaw in her words and reveal whatever lie she had been fabricating.

"I have a few things that could be considered the evidence you want, but I think I'll start with the simplest. Miriam."

"Y-yes?"

"In your inventory, you have something that you're not supposed to have, don't you?"

"…Eh?"

The young dragon's reply came in a sound that was barely heard coming out of her mouth. She looked into her mother's eyes in confusion, hoping she would clarify her question and wishing with all her might that she didn't mean about "that".

"You have something in your inventory that I forbade you to take, something that you stole from my room, don't you?"

Immediately Miriam began to tremble. Her worst nightmare had come true. She had been found out. The one thing she hoped they would never find out. And by the worst possible person! Miriam was terrified and her heart was pounding like crazy. Her head was screaming at her to run and hide, but her instinct was telling her that if she tried to escape, her ass would be in grave danger. And she wasn't willing to get spanked in front of everyone. Not after so many years of being a "good girl."

As she debated what to do, Reilanis slowly stood up, holding Neminah in her arms, who also looked frightened due to the menacing aura exuded by her mommy. She carefully sat the girl on the couch next to Elisa and stood in front of Miriam, who was looking smaller and smaller, wishing the earth would swallow her up.

"Give it to me. - Reilanis commanded, in a firm but calm voice, leaving her hand open in front of her cub's face. - If you do it now there will be no punishment or scolding. I promise."

Miriam had already begun to cry a little and looked up to meet her mother's calm eyes. She looked sincere and much calmer than she had expected. Still, she hesitated for a moment. Could she know what she was hiding, or was she bluffing to give herself away? "No, even if she’s bluffing, I'm already doomed. And if I say I don't know what she's talking about, and she does, then she's really, really going to discipline me right here." With no other choice, and very afraid of what might happen, Miriam raised her hand and thrust it into a sort of dark hole that formed in the air. From there she pulled out an object wrapped in a somewhat old but clean cloth.

Reilanis sighed as she held the object in her hands. It was an old golden sphere, barely bigger than her fist. An object that Miriam, at hers 4 years old, had found while exploring with Reilanis in an old ruin. The problem was that the cub had become obsessed with that golden ball, and always had it with her. Normally there would be no problem, but, when they came to a city, The ball had begun to act on people, driving them completely crazy. They were attacking each other in multiple ways. It was not until Reilanis discovered that Miriam had this artifact and used [Appraisal] on it, that she discovered that its effect was to corrupt people. From that day on she forbade her to have it and the girl had to hand it over to her. A few months ago, Miriam had found it hidden in Reilanis' room and stole it, hoping that she would never notice it, which seemed to be the case... until now.

Miriam had shrunk back, and in tears, she begged her forgiveness over and over again. Reilanis only brought her hand close to her head and stroked it gently.

"As I promised you, no scolding, no punishment. But I want you to promise me that you won't do something like that again, understand?"

"*hic* Y-yes. *sniff* I p-promise."

"Good girl."

Reilanis immediately put the golden sphere in her inventory, then took out a handkerchief and maternally comforted Miriam, gently wiping away her tears and reassuring her.

After a while, when she returned to her chair, she faced Elisa.

"That's the first one. Elisa, there's something about you too."

The blonde, who was now the center of attention, met her master's arrogant gaze, hiding her nervousness under a mask of feigned calmness.

"Dragon tales."

At that name alone, Elisa felt a shiver. Her eyes widened and she began to sweat. Reilanis noticing that reaction, smiled mischievously, seeing how she had hit the nail right on the head.

"The tale of the red rose and the Elf. About foxes and-"

"Stop!!! I understand I believe you, please don't go on anymore!"

Elisa panicked, closing her eyes tightly and covering her ears so as not to hear anymore. Her face was intensely redder than the skin of the Oni who watched her with a triumphant face.

"Um, my lady? - Vistelia asked, hesitating whether she should say anything. The confusion in her voice was obvious, and she was trying to understand what had happened with both girls. – I don't understand what this was all about."

"Hahaha, of course, you wouldn't know. Let me explain, to all of you."

According to what Reilanis said, she had inherited all of Reilan's memories, and many of these were about how he had "created" his characters in that game, which were, coincidentally, all of them, including Orpheanus. To each, he had written several pages in a book, in which he related a lot of the secrets of them. She had seized on that information to use as proof of their veracity.

"Oh, and don't worry Elisa. Besides the names of those books, I don't know anything else. Much less their contents, just a faint idea of what they are. Reilan left only a vague idea about it, and I don't intend to reveal it."

Although her words seemed kind towards the blonde girl, she didn't feel them as such, least of all because of the smirk on the Oni's face. Whether it was in revenge for the attitude she had had towards her, or it was for some other reason, Elisa didn't know, and after this, she had no intention of pressing the issue any further.

"Hmm, although it's a little scary if you think about it from another perspective, I guess it's not something that bothers me. Still, I don't understand the point of doing all this though."

"The reason I did this, was because I needed you to understand that I now know things that I shouldn't know. That includes also, things about the rest of the world... and about our future."

With the girls giving her their full attention again, Reilanis went on to explain what she had written in that book. Everything she could remember from the information Reilan had in his memories.

"That's the situation we have at the moment. Both countries will go to war shortly in the future. Unfortunately, I don't know the time when all that chaos will start. The only thing I know is the place where it will all start, which is a few kilometers northeast of the dungeon territory, on the road that crosses the forest."

"Are you sure about this, master?"

"More than I want it. To be honest, I wish it were all a lie."

"Unfortunately, I don't think it is."

They all looked at Vistelia, who had stood up and was walking towards Reilanis' desk, putting down a small stack of papers.

"If my lady recalls, you sent me to gather information on humans in the Empire's territory. More specifically, Dorgayano. - Reilanis took the stack of papers and began to read them. The further she went, the more bitter her expression became. - Almost everything I compiled, matches what you are telling us. Especially the movements the "bandits" have been making around Oastwill. My lady, this is going to happen very soon, we must prepare ourselves."

"Damn it. - Reilanis sighed wearily, throwing the papers on her desk. She nodded to Vistelia, who returned to her place next to Miriam. - If things have come to this, then we have less time than I wish we had. The situation has been turned against us, and I fear we are not only ill-prepared, but our strength may not be sufficient, especially for what comes after this."

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An air of concern pervaded the place. They all looked at each other nervously for the big events that were about to happen so close to their home.

Reilanis leaned back in her chair, eyes closed, trying to think of some plan to deal with what was coming. "If it has come to this, then we have to be quick. We can't just stand here and do nothing."

"Elisa, Vistelia, Miriam, Neminah - What are your current levels?"

"Since returning from Dorgayano, I've reached level 47."

"I’ve been stuck at level 36 for a couple of months now. I haven't been able to go out hunting along with the others. My alchemy research won't let me leave the lab."

"Mother I... was thinking of asking you permission to go out hunting in the southwest mountains. Orphy has been telling me that in the last few days, several groups of mountain trolls have appeared and started to overrun the forest, killing several of the nymphs and Dryads that usually protect the edge. It would be a good opportunity to go from level 35 to level 40 and get my second class."

"It would certainly be a good opportunity. - The Oni mused, contemplating the usefulness of that information. - Nemi, what about you?"

"Yes! I'm at level 30."

Reilanis thought for a moment. Being all of them at similar levels, it would be a good idea to send them together. Trolls usually give significant amounts of experience, and letting them attack any monsters found in the mountains together with the trolls would be like killing 2 birds with one stone.

"Okay, for the time being here's what we'll do. Vistelia, I know you just got back, but I need you to go to Tagal. Find out everything you can about that princess, when and for what reason she would leave her country and head west. Elisa, Miriam, Neminah, you 3 go to the mountains and exterminate any trolls and similar monsters out there. However, do not go further than Peak Mostla. From there it is Wyvern’s territory. Far above your levels, and you are no match for them, so don't even try to get close. If you see one, run, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

All 3 responded in unison, Reilanis nodded with a smile. She gave them some more advice about what they might encounter and what they’ll need on their mission. Then headed back toward them all.

"I will take it upon myself to review all the previous reports and everything we have about both countries. We need to know if, in case we can't stop that war, which of them would be more beneficial for us to win once the war is over. I'll pull the guild cards, we may need to travel to some city soon, plus we'll need to sell all the materials you may manage to get from your hunt."

"*Yawn*"

Reilanis looked at Neminah yawning and realized that it was probably getting quite late. It had been a long time since they had eaten, and it was surely late enough in the night, so she decided to dismiss them all and send them to sleep.

"Starting tomorrow will be quite hectic, prepare as much as you can, go get some rest for today, and again, I'm sorry for worrying you all."

"Master, I am also sorry for doubting you. I... - Elisa tried to say something at the end, but shook her head, retracting. - I'll go to sleep now; I want to get up early to prepare everything we need for the trip to the mountains."

With that, Elisa left the place towards her room. Neminah immediately approached and hugged Reilanis, clinging to her as she asked her to let them sleep together that night. Reilanis nodded, but told her to go first, she still had things to do. The foxkin girl pouted, thinking she was just making excuses, but the Oni bent down and promised her that she would go with her pretty soon, doing her best to make the girl believe her. Finally, after quite a struggle, Neminah agreed and went to wait for her in her room.

"M-mother... I... what I did..."

Miriam was the next to approach. Nervous, and still thinking about what had happened earlier.

"Riri, didn't I promise you I wouldn't do anything about that? Believe me, you don't have to keep worrying."

"I-I know, but... I don't... I don't want you to hate me for disap-"

Reilanis immediately covered her mouth. There was some anger in her expression as she looked at the dragon cub. The girl's words had been spoken in a soft and pitiful tone. Not just worried, but scared and sad that what she had done was going to make her mother hate her. But, as she looked at Reilanis’s face, she looked upset, though not for what she feared.

"Don't ever say or think anything like that again. I could never grow to hate you, not you, Riri."

Reilanis hugged the girl, stroking her back, trying to comfort her.

"Instead of being angry about it, I'm going to get angrier if you keep insisting. Now, go, you need to rest to be in perfect condition for tomorrow."

"Yes, I, uh... good night... mother..."

With a somewhat flushed but sad face, Miriam left the room, leaving Reilanis and Vistelia alone, both of whom sighed at the same time, although for different reasons. They both looked at each other and laughed in complicity.

"You know, it's a little strange to see you acting that way."

"In what way?"

"Motherly, protective, kind. It's refreshing and..." - The elf looked away, and with a slightly flushed face, finished her sentence. - Quite cute."

Reilanis began to laugh merrily, now sitting down on one of the couches near her. She then gestured for the elf to take a seat, to which she agreed, though for some reason she preferred to sit across from the Oni, and not next to her. Something that made Reilanis feel somewhat lonely, but which she did not show in her expression.

"You should have seen me when that little girl was born. I was a nervous wreck. I didn't know what to feed her. Should I give her milk or meat? Where was I going to get fresh milk? If I gave her meat, should it be raw or should I cook it first? How much should I cook in that case? It was problematic also because I had to improvise clothes for her with pieces of old cloth I had or with clothes from bandits who tried to attack me on the road. Oh, and the nights when she wouldn't stop crying because she was hungry, sleepy or because she got wet. Many times, I ended up stained by her feces, urine, or vomit. What hard days those were."

"Hard bad or hard good?"

Vistelia asked with a smile, knowing what the answer would be, but decided to raise it anyway. She wished to hear about her life, about her. "This is the first time she has spoken about herself and her life so freely, let alone in such a lighthearted way. I don't know when the next time we'll be alone together might be, so it’s better if I make the most of this moment." With that thought in her mind, she prepared to ask all the questions she had always wanted to ask and never had the chance, all that remained was to guide the conversation.

"Definitely the good one. - Replied the Oni, just as the elf had hoped. If things kept going like this, then there would be a lot of juicy information she could get. Things she had always wanted to know about her beloved. - But, that's not why I asked you to stay."

A slight frown appeared on Vistelia's face. Disappointed at missing such a precious opportunity.

Reilanis took from her inventory an old bottle of wine and a couple of glasses. She placed them on the table between the two couches and filled them with a reddish liquid. A delicious smell of fruit and alcohol tickled both women's noses. That aroma brought back memories to Vistelia. It was the same kind of wine they drank the night they met.

"So, what do you need from me, my lady?"

"Talk. - Oni replied, as she took a long drink from her cup. - There are many things we need to talk about."

The elf looked at her curiously and somewhat confused. Would it be about what was coming, or is it something she couldn't say in front of the others?

"About what?"

Reilanis kept silent and looked at the girl in front of her with a serious face. She looked her straight in the eyes, making the elf shiver, feeling nervous about her intense and beautiful golden eyes.

Ah, how much she loved that look, the gleam in those eyes like melted gold. Bright as the very sun that lit up each day. Her reddish skin, like the sunset, and her lips, oh her lips, as juicy as ripe fruit. Vistelia dreamed every day of being able to taste the sweetness of those lips. How much she wanted to simply throw herself into her arms and let their hearts join in the dance at the rhythm of their heartbeats.

What a painful wait that wounded her heart with each day she waited for her beloved's answer. How difficult it was for her to wait for something that might never happen. Her head told her to give up, but in her heart still burned the embers of that fire of love. Embers that fought against the wind and the rain that every day threatened to extinguish them.

"Part of Reilan's memories also included some things about Elisa's situation. And I want you to give me some advice about what to do about that. - The elf nodded in agreement. If it was that important, she could understand why she needed to talk about it now. - Also, I want to talk about us."

Vistelia froze at that instant. "Us? What?" the cup that was halfway to her lips was stopped and returned to the table. Her eyes reflected confusion, disbelief... hope.

The elf looked at Reilanis, who kept her expression composed and unperturbed. There was something different about her, very different, and Vistelia realized it, causing her heart to pound. That moment she had been waiting for so long, would it finally have arrived?

 

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