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Vol 2 Chapter 26: We are the Eclipse
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“Since you’ve made your decision, Diana, I shall not stop you.”
“Thanks, Elyssa.”
“...Dreadful fish.”
“Am I smelly?”
“Not in that sense… Never mind.”
Elyssa uood that time was of the essend quickly moved to close the versation.
“So, when you said you would take charge, does that mean you io involve those people?”
“Indeed.”
“Even though that may cost you your freedom?”
“I… I’ve had my fill of fun.”
Images from over twenty years ago fshed through Diana’s mind.
At that time, having spent so long within the fines of the Dragon Pace, she had begun to yearn for the world beyond.
After various attempts, she eventually mao escape. Yet, she was still a sheltered princess, untouched by the world outside the dragoory, and while the allure of the outside world captivated her, it alsht a host of troubles.
Once her meager pocket money ran dry, she found herself having to hunt magical creatures in the wild to stave off hunger, a futile endeavor at best.
As she endured her hunger on the way back to the own, she collided head-on with another individual at a street er--a striking figure with silvery hair, mesmerizing crimson eyes, and a fad physique that seemed meticulously sculpted like a doll.
“Move, you wretched fish!”
“...Hey! Are you deaf? Are you looking for trouble?”
At that moment, Diana had mistakenly thought that the girl was trying to provoke her, but she was merely rendered speechless.
Of course, Diana was fully aware of her owy. Even if she had escaped, the fact remaihat she rincess of the Dragon , destio sacrifice her future for the stability of her kin. This girl before her, despite not appeariirely ordinary, was just that--nothing more.
Yet, fate had a peculiar way ing them together, for reasons unknown, they tio enter one another. Even when Diana wished tet her, the impression this girl left on her only deepened, until it reached a point where she found herself thinking of her incessantly.
“How e we keep running into each other… Never mind, I’m Elyssa. What’s your name?”
Joy.
Though she knew she ought not to deepen her acquaintah this girl, hearing her name filled her heart with nothing but delight.
And that was enough.
“Is ‘Silly White’ your name? I’m Diana.”
“You?! Who are you calling silly!”
Yes, this erfect. Let this feeling remain buried deep within her heart.
But why could she not suppress this emotion? Why did it seize her at the most crucial moments?
Why did Elyssa keep drawing nearer?
She wasn’t foolish; she uood the nature of her feelings, and she was aware of what Elyssa was experieng. She had genuinely pted whether to abandon her duties as a princess and simply run away with her.
Yet now, Elyssa wao assist those acquaintahey had met by ce, and so did Diana. For Elyssa, for those panions, and for herself, now was the time for her to stand tall.
“The Dragon ’s spies are indeed spread aany locations. If I were to reveal my identity, a mere and would set them into a on my behalf.”
“...And then, your location would be discovered, leading to your forcible return to the Dragon Pace, correct?”
At this, Farkonia revealed the part of the sario that Diana had yet to voice.
It was easy to deduce why Diana, a princess of the Dragon Empire, found herself alone iside world--she had obviously escaped. Should she expose her whereabouts, it wouldn’t be long before she was recaptured.
“...Yes.”
A fleeting shadow of loneliness crossed Diana’s face, only to be repced swiftly by a smile.
“Well... I suppose after twenty years of fun, it is time I return to fulfill my responsibilities.”
Suddenly, several individuals radiating a powerful aura appeared.
“Yhness, what orders do you have for us?”
“...Notify all nearby members of the Dragon to duct a thh search of this town for a woman with wine-red hair named Marlyno. You should already be well aware of any further information.”
At that moment, Diana transformed; her previously carefree demeanor and personality gave way to an aura befitting a princess, her tone now imbued with authority.
“Uood.”
The Dragon spies bowed and vanished from sight.
“...You…”
At that instant, a voice broke through.
“Um... Elyssa…”
“...Did you deceive me?”
In Elyssa’s mind, Diana had never shown such a side of herself. Though she had sensed something was amiss from the start, it was only when Diana ahe spies that she became vinced of the deception.
“What is this… Ugh!?”
In an instant, Elyssa seized Diana by the colr.
“Answer me.”
“I’m sorry.”
Faced with Elyssa’s fury, Diana chose to apologize ht.
“...I shall settle this debt with you ter.”
With that, Elyssa slowly released her grip.
“Alright, sihis fish has taken such steps, we’d best prepare ourselves.”
Elyssa anticipated that they would soon embark on a journey, ating a thh gathering of supplies.
At that moment, one of the Dragon spies returned.
“Yhness, we’ve tacted other spies and uncovered some intelligence.”
“...Speak.”
“Last night, we overheard someog the descriptioing with individuals bck. Based on our analysis of their versation, we’ve narrowed down the location to the mountai of this town.”
“...Wait, the eastern mountains? Isn’t that…!?”
Farkonia suddenly stood up.
“What is it?”
“...Do you remember those issions we uook outside the town?”
During this time, they had received tasks that involved colleg materials from the forest and dealing with ros in the quarry.
Whewo locations were plotted on a map, they y in the southeast and northeast of the town, respectively.
“Could it be that the anomalies we’ve entered are somehow ected?”
A moment’s refle revealed that Marlyno’s abrupt decision to leave, having seemed perfectly fine just yesterday, could not simply be attributed to intoxication or a fit of emotion.
The arrival of the guild staff bursting into the inn only firmed this.
“Everyohere’s an emergency! The vice guild master requests you all to hurry to the guild!”
“An emergency? ecifically has happened?”
“...The individuals who went to iigate the wild boar situation in the forest, as well as those dealing with the waste pile in the quarry, have gone missing.”
In that instant, it felt as if every clue had e together.
Whether it was the rampaging boars, the heaps of refuse, or Marlyno’s departure, a thread of e ran through them all.
“Rey this to the vice guild master; we shall take care of this matter.”
“But… but the situation is grave. Just the two of you…”
“We’ve said we’ll ha.”
Sisi and Mira silehe guild staff’s protests.
“We are ‘Eclipse.’ Although we’ve lost one insufferable fool, we will certainly bring her back.”
