Chapter 244 - Vol. 4 - 43

The Passing Festival, Part 4: Ash

Okay... This shit is starting to get old, pretty fast. 

The music and the festivities had been going on for a while by now. Certain things had definitely impressed Ash, like the flashy Ice and Fire spells that different mages shot up into the air at various points or the dancers who went down the street, swinging their hips in a way that made Ash wonder if her Lust  would start acting up. However, soon, this had started to feel like a massive waste of time. 

Sinneah and Yumi walked out of the Manor then. The two of them walked up to the group and Ash noticed that Yumi had a hint of a smile on her face. Sinneah, however, looked as steel-eyed as ever. 

"It's still going?" Yumi asked as she looked out onto the partying streets. 

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "Actually... I'm gonna take a walk, I'll be right back." 

"Hm? Is something wrong?" Keiko asked and Ash shook her head. 

"Nah, I just... Felt like stretching my legs a little." 

"Oh, okay then," Keiko replied and, with that, Ash stood up. 

"Be right back." 

The half-demon turned around then and walked back into the Manor. She had something in mind, which was to get a few of those spellbooks and bring them outside, so she could at least put some progress into learning her new spells during the festival. Of course, the inside of the Manor was completely empty, which allowed Ash to have a bit of a breather. Considering how much she had on her mind these days, any time she could sit in a bit of silence and get her head straight, she welcomed it. 

"Let's see," she muttered as she walked into her room. She had one spell in mind, which was  Energy Siphon, the Dark spell she'd gotten recently that she was fairly close to learning. Giving Kaori's sleeping body a quick glance, Ash adjusted the sheet that was covering her before grabbing the spellbook and walking out. 

And, immediately as she exited the room, she tripped on someone and pushed them down inadvertently. 

"Eh?" Ash looked down. "What the...?" 

And, when she saw the person she'd collided with, her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. 

It was that girl she'd seen from the first day she and the others arrived, and the same one she'd come across when she was sitting outside. Seeing her at this distance, and focusing on her intently, Ash noticed a few things about her. She had long, rose-colored hair and strange, colorful eyes. She looked like she was a couple of years younger than Ash, and was exceptionally thin. Strangely so, actually, to the point where it looked like she wasn't eating at all. 

"..." She opened her mouth and made a pained expression, as though she was groaning, but no sound came out. 

Ash watched her with narrowed eyes, as the girl's eyes blinked open and she looked up, seeing Ash. 

"You're that weirdo from before," Ash said, and the girl blinked twice.

The two of them just stared at each other for a while. She opened her mouth again, but, like before, no sound came out. Ash got tired of this fairly quickly and, with the girl's eyes still on her, she turned away. 

However, as soon as she started walking, she felt a pair of hands wrap around her right elbow. Ash stopped and turned toward the girl with one arched brow, and the girl removed her hands as though she'd been scalded. 

"... Okay, is there something you want to say?" Ash asked. "Who even are you, anyway?" 

When she heard that, the girl visibly gulped. Then, she did something Ash hadn't expected. 

She made her status appear over her head. All of her attributes, specifically, that was, and when Ash saw it, her jaw hit the ground. 

Level 1

MP: 100/100

---

STR: 1

DEX: 1

CON: 1

INT: 75

WIS: 10

L: 5

Traits:

Sylphia's Providence

(Gain 75 INT from birth, at the cost of the user's voice)

Ash blinked a few times and then turned her eyes back down to the girl. She looked up at Ash with a mixture of hope and anxiety in her eyes, and at that moment, a few things became clear. 

Oh, shit. 

Firstly, this was, of course, the Arcane's daughter. Second, considering how she was looking at Ash, there was clearly something she needed help with. And, third, just seeing this girl was probably going to involve Ash in something she really,  really, didn't want to be a part of. 

So, again, she turned away from her and tried to exit the Manor. A second time, the girl's hands went to Ash's elbow, and the half-demon took a deep breath. 

"Look," Ash said, "I don't know what you want, but I'm almost one-hundred percent sure it's gonna give me nothing but headaches. So, yeah, find someone else." 

The girl tried, however, to pull Ash back with all of her strength. Of course, as that Strength was a literal 1, she was completely unable to even make the half-demon budge, but Ash stopped. 

"..." Ash looked over at her and saw nothing short of desperation on her face. The girl let go, then, and got on her knees, pleading at Ash's feet for help with something. Ash narrowed her eyes at her. She didn't care about this girl much at all, but the sheer desperation with which she was doing this did make Ash pause. 

It reminded her of herself, early on in her life, before her dignity and sense of shame had slowly whittled away with every day that she spent on Jade's streets. So, taking a step back, she said:

"What the hell do you even want?" 

When she heard that, the girl looked up, hopeful. Ash was tempted to leave right then and there, but she couldn't deny that she was a little curious. 

Then, once more, the girl made her status appear over her own head. However, this time, she pointed up at the words, specifically, the part where it said  Sylphia. 

"Sylphia... Sylphia... Your family name?" Ash asked, and the girl nodded. "So... Your dad?" 

When she heard that, the girl grinned and nodded eagerly. 

... Oh.

Ash sighed at that moment. She'd never been good with words, and she'd never been one to sugarcoat things, so, she just told her what she knew. 

"Sorry to tell you this, but your dad's dead," Ash said, and, when she heard that, the girl's arms went limp, falling to her sides. The shock on her face was so clear that Ash felt like she had to follow that statement up with something, anything, to make it more tangible for her. "Yeah, there was a funeral and everything, just a day ago. Sorry," Ash added. 

Ash spoke simply, and directly, telling her what she felt she needed to know, and the girl fell to her knees. She stared up at Ash, with her lips quivering, almost as if she was hoping Ash would tell her that she was joking or something. Instead, Ash turned away from her for the last time. 

... Well, tough shit,  Ash thought.  But, I really don't need any more trouble than I already have. Good luck to her, I guess. 

As Ash walked out of the Manor, holding her spellbooks in her hands, she could vividly see the girl's pained eyes looking up at her in her mind. She wondered if she'd ever looked at anyone else that way, and that if she had, how had they reacted? Most likely, it had ended up getting some dirt kicked into her eyes. 

She emerged outside and instantly, the music of the festival re-entered her ears. Ash walked back to where her group was, finding them all relaxing while everything happened ahead. Ash went over to where Keiko was, and naturally, she sat down next to her, on the dirt ground. 

Keiko gave her a smile when she saw her, and Ash returned it easily, as she then opened her spellbook up and a bar appeared over her head. 

And, as she, unfortunately, continued to remember that rose-haired girl's sad look, the bar disappeared, as Ash lost focus. 

A question then came to her mind, and as Keiko leaned on her shoulder, Ash spoke up. 

"Hey," Ash started, "did Zafir ever say what the Arcane died of? Did I miss that part?" 

"Hm?" Keiko turned her eyes up at her. "Yes, I believe Zafir said the Arcane was deathly sick of something." 

"... Yeah?" Ash asked. 

... And, what, we were never told about it until after the guy died? They had no healers? When that one healer gifted me the Cure Poison spell, he said something else about a Cure Disease spell too. No healer in the entire city knew that one? 

However, as soon as these questions appeared in her mind, Ash sighed and looked back at her book. 

No, nope. Don't think about it, don't ask about it, just... Whatever is going on here has nothing to do with me. All I need to do is focus on my training. Then, maybe, just maybe, I can leave this place before anything goes down.

.... Hopefully, anyway.