“Hey, you should have told us your real identity before today. Had I known who you were, I would have asked you for help with some things.”
Rita had finally calmed down after getting the second biggest shock of her life. But Ava looked unconcerned with that shock and continued to look uninterested in Rita.
In fact, the earlier playfulness from her expression was gone, and Aurora felt that Ava did not find this situation as fun as she should.
“Why did I have to tell you about my business? Does it change how you see me? Or, do I become someone better in your eyes if you knew that I was an overlooker?”
Aurora had never realized that this was something Ava was bitter about. She had always acted carefree about her status, not trying to hide it so Aurora had never paid any attention to her.
Now that she thought about it, Aurora had no idea what kind of end goal Ava even had in helping Aurora with all this.
“N-No, I don’t have a problem. But won’t you be interested if one of your friends had such a big secret? Curiosity is a natural thing after all.”
Rita tried to correct her misunderstanding as soon as possible and Ava relaxed at her explanation.
That neutral expression melted away from that face to give way to a kind smile. This might have been one of those rare ‘true’ smiles Ava flashed rarely.
“Curiosity is good to have but don’t let it ruin your life. I did not take offense at your probing into my past because I knew that you did not mean any harm. But not everyone you meet down here will be as kind. You cannot keep acting like a kid.”
Ava warned before she laughed.
Truthfully, Aurora would have laughed out loud at the shocked expression that Rita showed them.
“Y-Y-You have no right to say that to me? Me? Being childish? Have you ever seen it in the mirror before? Hey, stop laughing. And you, Aurora. You stop laughing as well.”
“No way. Your expression was too hilarious.” Aurora joined in on the fun as well and Rita looked ready to cry.
It seemed like things would be alright in the end and Aurora felt like a burden had been lifted from her shoulder.
She had come to trust Rita as much as Aurora could. She had been so sure that this would never happen but it did end up happening.
And Aurora could not be happier in the end.
“Let’s go back. I don’t think we should leave Ur alone too long with Quince. The abyss is not a suitable place for kids.”
Since the atmosphere had been cleared, Aurora felt like it was appropriate for them to pack up and head back to their camp. Quince had been injured so Aurora needed to have a look at her wound.
“You both head toward the camp. I will try to find a settlement and call you all over it once I do. Since I am the overlooker and Rita knows it as well, I do not need to hide my powers.”
Ava suggested and Aurora saw no need to hold her back for now. She could go out all she wanted.
And it would also help their group in the end.
“You go out and do that. Try to also keep an eye on any medicinal herbs you find on the way. I don’t think we can rely on our magic to heal everything from here on.”
Aurora warned as Ava left. She seemed to have understood what Aurora had been trying to say but Rita looked a little confused.
As a first-timer who came to this depth, her confusion was evident and very much appreciated.
“Why can’t we use magic for helping? Why use herbs at all?”
Rita asked as she picked up the leftover supplies that they might need again. Her body was arched into a bend position that pushed out her assets even more clearly.
“Technically, it is possible to heal every injury with magic but it will not be possible in reality. Magic that we use and the monsters use can react and cause the injury to worsen. It is better to use natural means when possible since these herbs had adapted to this floor’s energy.”
Aurora’s words caused Rita to groan out loud.
“Does that mean we will have to get new herbs on the next floor and the next? How much effort would it take?”
Rita complained, instantly catching what Aurora had been saying. Her agony-filled expression caused Aurora to laugh out loud.
“Of course, we will have to make an effort in the next floors as well but it would be better if you are careful out there. After all, if we don’t get injured then we won’t have any need to seek out these herbs.”
Rita’s expression looked far better after Aurora’s assurance. She also seemed to have made up her mind about something but Aurora had no intention of asking her what she was thinking about.
They slayed down a few more monsters on their way back before they saw Ur’s shadow right on top of them.
Aurora whistled to get him to come down and the dragon did.
“What took you both so long? And where did you lose your third one? Don’t tell me she ended up dying.”
Quince asked with a detached voice but Aurora could hear the concern in his voice. Staying with their group had made Quince much less mellow and down to earth than before.
They could still not get along quite well but they were making a visible effort to respect each other’s boundaries.
“As if Ava could die so easily. She just went ahead to find us a settlement we can rest in tonight. She will message us soon…”
As if realizing that they were talking about her, Ava’s message tone rang through the clearing. Aurora opened her screen to read it out loud.
[Ava: I found the settlement so you should hurry up and come here. I will make sure you get fresh food and an adequate water supply.]
With the message came a location on Aurora’s map. It was not too far away from their current location.
“Looks like this is where we are heading for now. Be careful on your way over and don’t trust the local.”
Aurora had almost no memories of this floor but she did remember not feeling a liability for the locals.
There was something about their traditions that did not sit well with Aurora but she could not recall what it was no matter how much she tried to.
No one replied to Aurora but she had a feeling that her message had been passed on successfully to her group.
Not that they had to worry about anything when every one of them was capable of defending themselves.
The closer they got to the settlement, the more Aurora was sure that something was wrong with the place. There was an air of detachment around them that made the camp stand out.
Not a single person had walked out of that settlement to see the newcomers, nor did any of the beasts try and step closer to the settlement. There seemed to be an invisible divide between the two spaces.
“Wow! Talk about being creepy. Is this settlement abandoned?”
Rita asked as she ran to the settlement. By this time, the concerned people from inside should have come out to look.
But no one did. Not even a single soul seemed to be alive in this place. And Aurora had a weird feeling that she was forgetting something.
“This place feels so haunted. It’s like these people never existed.”
Rita commented that jolted Aurora’s memory and reminded her of what she was forgetting about.
Of course, she had not seen anyone in this settlement. It was because they were on the other side of this illusion. The settlement on this floor boasted about their special defense and being unique.
Since this floor had so much wildlife, no sane species could survive and coexist with them. As a result, the human-like settlement had to hide away with magic to survive.
Once Aurora remembered, it also became much easier to match her magical frequency with the surroundings and force the gate to open.
It opened up into a familiar-looking market and Aurora hurried inside.
She did not consider her actions as dangerous or attention-seeking until most people turned their eyes toward her and whispered while looking in her direction.
“W-What’s wrong? Why is everyone looking at us like that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because of the dragon flying behind us? Surely you realize that it is not normal under any circumstances.”
Rita asked but it was Quince that answered that question. He sounded tired and cranky but he still made more sense than most of the people in Aurora’s life.
And it was not like his words were not true. People were looking up at Ur in awe and pointing toward him.
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