The first mission

"WAKE UP!!!"

I was sleeping peacefully in my room when, out of nowhere, Ruma burst in, yelling at me with way too much excitement for this time of day.

"Uh? R-Ruma?... What time is it?.."

I turned my head toward the old square alarm clock on my nightstand. Its hands pointed to 12:29.

"Noon? Jeez, that’s still too early. My alarm doesn’t go off for another three and a half hours—"

"It's noon! How can someone sleep until this time and still say it’s not enough?! I’ve never met someone as lazy as you!"

How ironic…

W-Wait, not even the sleepy goth beats me?!

Uahhh… I just want to lie back down—

"We’re going to Lyndell—the royal capital!!"

"Lyndell?"

"You don’t even know the name of the capital of the kingdom you’re in?!"

"...No."

She put her hand to her forehead and shook it from side to side, then let out a long sigh.

"Lyndell is the capital of the Kingdom of Lyndell. Same name…
AND, AFTER WAITING FOR SO LONG, I FINALLY RECEIVED A LETTER FROM ANFANG!! HE SAID WE HAVE TO GO THERE TODAY!! FINALLY, A MISSION!!"

I pushed myself up in bed with another yawn, rubbing at my eyes.

"And what are we gonna do there?"

"I don’t know, Anfang just said he’s waiting with the other members! Now hurry, you’ve got fifteen minutes!"

And just like that, she slammed the door shut and left.

I really can’t believe I’m always the last one to wake up in this house…
Yesterday Mochiko and I stayed up late, could she already be awake?!

Well, here I am, trudging downstairs to the second floor in my usual outfit. Since I don’t know the weather in the capital, I tied my black coat at the hoodie just in case.

At the bottom of the stairs, I spotted Mochiko. She was crouched down, leaning against the wall, throwing supplies into a red backpack with visible irritation.

“Damn it damn it damn it!! That stupid ginger made me put all the food in this peasant’s backpack. HOW ANNOYING!!”

It was just… a backpack.

She hadn’t noticed me yet. Should I say something?
Like “good morning”? B-But what if I stutter? Or mess it up? Or just freeze completely?!

C-Come on, I can do this… I wasn't shy earlier!

“G-Good morning, Mochiko—”

“Oh, Theo! Come here!”

“S-Sure…”

She looked up with a forced smile, already setting me up for whatever scheme she had in mind.

“This is a, uh… a V-VERY IMPORTANT TASK I’M DOING—n-no, wait, actually I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN PACK FOOD INTO THIS BACKPACK!!
S-So, you’re volunteering to do this for me and give me time for something INFINITELY MORE IMPORTANT, right?!”

Just say you don’t want to do it…

“I-I don’t mind…”

She glanced aside, embarrassed, before standing up and leaving me alone.

“T-Thanks...”

I crouched down and started loading the backpack. Some sandwiches wrapped in aluminum filled most of the space. I had to be careful arranging them or the thing wouldn’t close.

“H-Hey, uhm…”

I turned. Mochiko was still standing there, arms crossed, trying to look intimidating though her eyes kept dodging mine.

“Y-You’re going to bring the sword, right? Y-YOU NEED IT TO PROTECT YOURSELF IN CASE MONSTERS SHOW UP!!… I-I mean, if you die, I WON’T HAVE A TEST DUMMY ANYMORE!!”

“I-I mean, no… I don’t even have a sheath. How am I supposed to carry it?”

“Ah? You do have one. Right there on your belly.”

W-What? What is she—wait…

“Mochiko… T-That’s just my hoodie pocket. It’s not a sheath…”

“Oh…”

She froze, and I swear I could feel the shame radiating off her.

“O-OF COURSE I KNEW THAT!! W-WAIT, MAYBE IT’S SOME KIND OF DARK MAGIC!? I-I ALWAYS SUSPECTED!!”

What a loli, wizard, tsundere…

“Hello, pals…”

A cold, terrifying voice drifted from the stairs. I turned to see the gothic assassin herself, Gota, descending, her black hair swaying as her sharp eyes swept over us.

“YOU!!!”

Mochiko instantly spun around, gripping her staff and pointing it at Gota with full suspicion.

“YOU’RE THE ONE WHO TAUGHT HIM BLACK MAGIC! APPEARANCES NEVER LIE!! YOU’VE BEEN MANIPULATING HIM!”

Wait, does she seriously believe that?!

“Calm down, Mochi-girl. Just because we slept together doesn’t mean I taught him anything.”

…

“W-WHAT?!?!”

Her words were such a bombshell that Mochiko and I both screamed in unison.

“HOW DARE YOU CALL ME THAT?! IT’S MO-CHI-KO!! KO!!”

W-Wait, THAT’S what she’s mad about?! Not the “slept together” part?!

“M-Mochiko… shouldn’t we address the elephant in the—”

“A-AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU S-SLEPT T-TOGETHER WITH HIM!? THAT—”

“Tsk. Relax. Just a silly joke.”

Gota smirked, turned her back on us, and started up the stairs again as casually as she’d arrived.

“I told you to get a better sense of humor, didn’t I?”

Her footsteps echoed away, leaving silence in the room she left behind.

W-Wait… she came down just to say that?!

“Did you really slept with her—”

“N-NO!!”

Damn it, my heart’s pounding so hard I can’t even read Mochiko’s expression. Is it disgust? Curiosity? Fear?
Or maybe… envy? Envy for something that didn’t even happen. Something not real...

Like this world itself. Would anyone ever really be jealous of me?

“Alright then… take some money and buy a sheath in the capital. The sword can rest for today.”

“I… I don’t have any money at all.”

“W-WHAT?! YOU’RE BROKE?!”

“…And unemployed…”

“J-Just ask Anfang for a loan! It can’t be that expensive.”

Another reason I prefer two daggers: I could just slip them into my pockets.
And honestly, isn’t that sword meant for use with a shield? Best not tell her…

I kept packing the sandwiches. “H-Hey, Mochiko…”

She tilted her head. “What?”

“H-Have you ever been there? To that city?”

“Lyndell? No, not really. I barely ever left my hometown. Even in Grimwerod, I only made a few trips to other cities. Most of my missions were around Holtmark.
But it must be amazing!! Just imagine the white-golden marble buildings shining in the sun!!”

Yeah… that’s exactly how I picture a royal city too.

Suddenly, Ruma’s voice boomed from the living room. She stretched her arms wide, then pointed toward the door.

“IT’S HERE!! OUR CARRIAGE HAS ARRIVED AT THE ENTRANCE!!!”

Mochiko practically teleported to her side, pressing her face against the window.

“C-CARRIAGE?! WHERE, WHERE, WHERE?! IT’S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I RODE IN ONE!!”

I’ve never even been in a carriage, much less on a horse.

But well… it must be like a car trip. Just bumpier. And waaay slower.