Purga

Cold.

A simple word, but the only one I could think of to describe the numbing hell that was Purga.

Without Bixey, I only had a vague notion of how to reach Stonewood; go east. But nothing in my journey was ever that simple. Between monster attacks, sheer cliffs, and the cold, every day was miserable. Oddly, I didn't mind.

Though she wasn't a great conversationalist, I'd gotten used to talking to Yahime. She was like a diary I knew no one would ever be able to peek into and I told her everything: my past, my reincarnation, my worries, and my random thoughts. She didn't judge and only gave affirming responses with no opinion of her own. It was nice in its own way. I just hated when I heard the familiar condescending comment on the wind.

"I'm glad we grabbed so many spears," I said. I looked down at the broken shaft protruding from the Frosthound I'd killed. "It's only been a week and I've already broken six."

"many… more… inside…"

"How many is many? We've been working on our numbers, haven't we?"

Yahime nodded and tossed the monster impaled on her claws away. In terms of mental capabilities, she'd graduated from dog to toddler. Counting with her fingers was proof of that.

"six… teen…"

"I'll have to be more careful. For now, let's rest. Can you store the bodies?"

Not that I had to ask.

The days are so short we're barely making any progress. We're barely out of the empire and it's already so different. The days weren't long before, but this is ridiculous. I wish I had [PERFECT SIGHT] like Yahime.

I leaned against the comfiest looking tree trunk I could find. I'd need to set up camp soon. If the days were cold, the nights were unbearable. I'd learned that the first night I'd neglected to set up the tent I'd pilfered from Shiro's hideout. I'd gotten so numb I couldn't even use my hands. If I hadn't had Yahime to help, Aurelie would have frozen to death for a second time. Or not since she'd slit her wrist before she froze.

"Am I really doing the right thing, Yahime? A lot of people are going to die if I keep going down this path, and their blood will be on my hands."

She didn't answer. Or more accurately, she didn't have the mental capacity to know how to respond.

"How many? Hundreds? Thousands? And that's assuming I can even rally the Exiled. I am human after all. It was different with Bixey supporting me."

I trapped myself in my self-doubt and before I knew it, it was dark. Using a flint and steel, I made a small fire out of sticks I'd stored in Yahime and set up my tent. For dinner, several pieces of mystery dried meat.

"How much longer do you think it'll be till we reach Stonewood? I bet we'll stumble on it tomorrow."

"maybe…"

"Yeah. Maybe."

I sprawled out onto the hard ground and looked at the night sky. It was the only good part about being in the middle of nowhere. Between my busy work schedule and the light pollution of the city, I couldn't remember the last time I'd been able to enjoy a starry night. Here, it was like a sparkling ocean streaked with orange and pink clouds. Had the developers of Royal Hearts created the sky? Or was it another natural part of the world they could have never fathomed?

I was entranced by its beauty either way and I could finally appreciate my peculiar family name. My ancestors could have been boring and chosen something like Tanaka or Suzuki. But instead of something tied to their lives, they'd chosen Yozora. It was kind of poetic.

Like every night, I opened my status window.

NAME: AURELIE SCELERAT

HP: 132/132

MP: 100/100

END: 56/100

P.ATT: 4

M.ATT: 2

P.DEF: 7

M.DEF: 0

[SKILLS]

[EARTH MAGIC (NOVICE)] [HEALING TOUCH] [OVERDRIVE]

My HP rose again today. I wish there was an experience bar or something, though. Then I could gauge how much progress I'm making. It only started jumping up once I started killing monsters on my own, so there must be some leveling system in play.

I'd scoured the menus for more information, but in the end I'd had to infer how my stats worked. Like my END. Rather than a fluctuating stamina level, it functioned more like energy points used to start battles in Royal Hearts. I still wasn't exactly sure how the usage was calculated. I only knew that the bar dropped the more I fought and refilled when I ate, drank, or rested.

The other stats were more straightforward. P.ATT and P.DEF were contingent on my equipment and physical wellbeing. If I held my spear, my P.ATT rose. If my HP or END was low, my P.ATT fell.

Magic on the other hand… I still didn't fully understand. How did a person become resistant to magic? Or increase the damage? There were no explanations and I could only guess that it had to do with magic equipment. Caster characters like Sarah and Richard used robes, staves, wands, and grimoires, so it made sense the "real world" equivalents would affect the stats. Not that I had any.

"I can barely even use my magic anyways," I grumbled, rolling to my side and tossing a stick into the fire. "Even though the magic isn't greyed out anymore, the spells are."

The most I could do was move small bits of dirt. I'd gotten excited thinking I could use it to manipulate the ground in a fight, but it was too slow and too insignificant to be useful. At best I'd be able to trip the old woman from Edgeton.

"Any luck with your skills?" I asked Yahime.

"no…"

Unease and frustration washed over me. Just like how I'd been struggling with earth magic, Yahime had yet to activate [BESTIAL TRANSFORMATION] or [VIDE'S FLAME], and I had doubts whether she'd ever be able to. She practiced nightly while I slept and if all those hours of practice hadn't produced any results…

"Don't let it get you down," I said. "Maybe we'll meet someone in Stonewood who can help. Besides, you're strong enough already."

"need stronger… protect…"

"I don't still blame you. I know Bixey wasn't your fault."

"but…"

"No buts. Besides, it wasn't like you could really understand what was going on back then. You were fighting the rest of the garrison on your own."

She didn't answer. She rarely did when the conversation got too deep. I still wasn't sure if it was out of frustration or inability to understand.

We do need to get stronger. Between how they were in the game and Aurelie's memories, the main cast is likely as strong as or stronger than Yahime individually right now. Especially Prince Stolz and the heroine, Sarah. They're essentially wearing suits of plot armor. If we're going to kill them…

Could we? I wished I could have asked Bixey. Been more forthright. She'd incinerated dozens without even trying and only died because Shiro got her to lower her guard. And what if someone had the nets the slavers had used on her? Would they work on Yahime?

Questions and more questions. I hated it. I wasn't a military strategist or fighter. I barely knew anything about politics. How was a normal nobody supposed to accomplish anything? Use my nonexistent knowledge of modern technology? I barely knew how to unclog my toilet.

"Don't let it get to you, Yahime. We'll be fine as long as we take care of one another."