Cecia wiped her bowl clean with a piece of bread before stepping out, thoroughly satisfied.
Unlike the outer rim with its log cabins built from black pine, the town center featured pure white stone buildings. Sunlight fell evenly across the main street, and seabirds cried out as they soared nearby.
Cecia made her way toward the church at the heart of town.
Suddenly, a familiar figure passed right by her, walking in the exact opposite direction.
White gauze wrapped around her eyes, and a black cloak draped over her body.
Cecia turned around.
She grabbed Potato by the collar of her cloak.
“Where are you heading, Potato? Isn't the church back that way?”
“Oh, Miss Nightingale! I didn't take a wrong turn, did I? Isn't the church over this way?”
“No.”
“I've been walking for ages, and I really felt like the church was right around here. How strange.”
“Can't you see?”
“I can see, it's just... things suddenly got a bit blurry. My sight was perfectly fine back at the restaurant.”
“I see. Come on, I'll lead the way.”
“Thank you, Miss Nightingale!”
Cecia took Potato by the hand and led her toward the church.
However, the closer they drew to the church, the tighter Potato gripped her hand.
They finally reached the gathering point in front of the church entrance.
It was a spacious courtyard where a few people had already assembled.
A warrior wiping down a long katana sat cross-legged on the ground, busily honing her blade. Her focused expression radiated a sharp, formidable aura.
Beside her stood a cowboy holding an alchemical firearm, sipping liquor while telling cheesy jokes to a young, alluring woman.
The trace of mana leaking from the gun told Cecia that it was far from an ordinary weapon.
The alluring young woman was clearly no soft target either, though certain details about her remained obscure to Cecia.
It was as if she were concealing them on purpose.
In broad daylight, Cecia's passive ability, Favored of the Dark Night, couldn't be activated.
If it were dusk or night, Cecia was confident she could see right through her.
Cecia made no sound, simply letting go of the young girl's hand.
Miss Potato was visibly at a loss, but she refrained from acting rashly, merely stepping forward to offer a polite greeting.
Cecia waited for a while, only letting her guard down once she was certain no one in the crowd had noticed her stealth effect.
Before long, several more people entered the church courtyard. Most were local adventurers from the village, nowhere near as powerful as the three outsiders.
In total, seven had gathered.
With almost everyone present, the warrior was the first to stand up and introduce herself.
“Lan.”
“Rank One Martial Artist.”
A concise introduction, and nothing more. Cecia had originally hoped to hear more detailed information.
Unfortunately, that was all.
The cowboy holding the alchemical pistol nearby stood up and spun his flashy firearm around his finger.
Completely unconcerned about an accidental discharge.
“The name's Fekro, Rank One Hunter. My specialty is always finding a way to stay alive.”
“And I'm single.”
Lan continued wiping her blade.
Cecia pretended she hadn't heard a thing.
Miss Potato offered no reaction, quietly munching on a tomato she had produced from who knows where.
Only the voluptuous woman stood up, politely clapping her hands.
She smoothly picked up the conversation.
“Was that last line really necessary?”
“We're teammates. I just want us to get to know each other better.”
“Oh? I'd love to get to know you even better. For instance, how many gold coins do you have left?”
“People should still keep a few secrets between them.”
Quite thick-skinned.
The woman didn't mind and began her own introduction.
“My name is Amber. Rank One Mage, Chaos School, Mental Pathway.”
“Is that it?”
“Of course.”
“What are you specialized in?”
“My specialty is... a secret.”
This person was even more dangerous. Still, it was entirely normal for adventurers to be guarded around one another.
Cecia shifted her gaze to Potato.
Eager to give it a try, Miss Potato immediately introduced herself next.
“My name is Poteto. Rank Zero Shadow Mage.”
“My favorite thing to eat is beef.”
Cecia couldn't help asking, “Is that last part an ability too?”
“It isn't?”
“It isn't.”
Miss Potato lapsed into silence.
Fekro had been enjoying the entertainment, but his eyes suddenly fell on Cecia, and the smirk on his face instantly froze.
That lingering trace of amusement slowly vanished.
“When... when did you get here?”
Cecia feigned surprise for a second, then played dumb.
“What?”
“I asked when did you show up here?”
“I've been here the whole time. I even walked over while holding Miss Poteto's hand.”
“That's right, that's right. Miss Nightingale is very nice,” Potato chimed in from the side.
Fekro scratched his head.
“Strange.”
Lan paused her blade-wiping motion and glanced over at Cecia as well.
It wasn't that she hadn't seen Cecia at all, but when her eyes swept across the area earlier, she had subconsciously overlooked her.
Like a towering mountain, like flowing water.
Like a stone by the roadside, like a shadow in a corner.
Looking back again, she seemed to disappear entirely, naturally slipping from one's awareness.
The smile on Amber's face broadened.
“Interesting.”
She allowed her mental power to slowly drift toward Cecia like delicate strands of silk.
“Hey now, it's very rude to casually probe someone with mental power, you know.”
Though Cecia spoke up, she made no move to resist Amber's probe.
The woman tossed etiquette aside; she was simply far too curious about the girl's true nature.
Her mental power approached Cecia, but right at the instant it was about to make contact—
It slid right past.
The woman focused her mental power again, but time after time, a thought would inexplicably arise in her mind: Why was I trying to observe her just now?
It was remarkably strange. The girl was standing right in front of her, yet Amber couldn't get a clear read on her no matter what.
The woman pulled her mental power back.
“I couldn't see anything anyway. What's the harm in letting me take a peek?” Amber asked with a sweet smile, as if nothing had happened.
Cecia wore an innocent expression. “Well, you peeked, but you still couldn't see anything.”
“That's why I want to look even more.”
“Then isn't that all the more reason not to let you look?”
“...”
Amber blinked.
That made a lot of sense.
Fekro glanced at Amber, then at Cecia, and took a step back.
Both women were pretty when they smiled.
Yet for some reason, he felt it was best not to butt in right now.
Lan had no such reservations.
She lowered her head and resumed wiping her blade.
As if even if the sky collapsed, as long as it didn't hit her sword, it was none of her concern.
Amber didn't try to test her any further.
Hiding one's abilities from other adventurers was completely standard practice.
Her actively using mental power to spy was already stepping over the line.
Still...
She took another look at Cecia.
This time without using any magic or skills.
Ash-gray hair, ash-gray eyes, a slender frame—she looked even more harmless than the blindfolded girl beside her munching on a tomato.
Amber mentally made a note of her.
Dangerous.
As for where the danger lay...
She didn't know.
But people like this were the deadliest when they struck from behind.
Rate on N.U.
