Akari's eyes shot open as a ray of sunlight beamed over her face, the radiant sunset falling over her figure.
I only meant to sleep until the healing was complete…
Feeling her legs work once more, she smiled slightly, turning her head to the side to check the exact time.
"Eh?"
Her mouth nearly fell agape as she came face to face with a boy who was bent over in his chair, asleep.
His blond, wavy hair fell over his forehead, covering his closed eyes, while his rough skin was dyed a light orange through sun exposure and dust.
W-was he waiting for me to wake up?
Blushing red in embarrassment, thinking of Aaron watching her sleep, she sat up comfortably, making herself not look like she had just woken from a twelve-hour slumber.
October 13th. Nearly 5:40 in the afternoon…
Earlier in the day, after asking one of the women she had liberated to inform the Guild office of her quest completion, she had handed off the cores to the professor who had visited her in the hospital.
That guy was so scared he was going to get in trouble for my injuries that it was funny.
Laughing quietly to herself, she accidentally stirred the sleeping boy next to her, his expression immediately alert and ready.
"You're finally awake."
Akari's voice chided him from across the room, his very confused face a worthwhile reward to the girl.
"Isn't that what I was supposed to say…"
He rubbed his eyes with his fists, and his face tightened, a somber attitude exuding from his form.
"Did something happen during your quest? Overwork you or something?"
She teased him; however, as his frown only deepened, she faced him with a more serious appearance.
With a quiet voice, he spoke aloud.
"Raphael was transported off the island earlier today."
Akari's eyes immediately narrowed, the fear of the worst-case scenario flickering through her mind.
However, as she listened to Aaron's continued retelling of events, she was at least relieved to see he was physically well.
Taking a long look at her own condition, she finally responded to the news she had been given.
"That's terrible… Do you know anything else about what he told you? I noticed that the guild official who I spoke to after returning looked deathly pale, but is there anything else you picked up?"
Shaking his head slowly, the blond boy could only sigh as he swirled his hair to relieve his overwhelming stress.
Akari had seen him do the same thing when they were kids, which ignited a small sliver of hope in her heart that the same Aaron she grew up with was still inside the amnesiac's head.
"There is another thing that we both should really attend to."
He gazed up at her, his eyes locked onto her turquoise ones, so similar to his own.
"In the center of the city, a large-scale hypnosis spell was cast. I requested a two-person quest for both of us to end the enchantment."
He paused, watching the girl nod slowly as a look of realization began to spread across her face.
"Yes… That would be good… What rank did they assess it at?"
Pursing her lips and waiting for the boy's answer, she felt around instinctively at her waist for her pistol.
Hmph… Maxus won't be happy with this.
"The Guild listed it as an officer-level quest. Far easier than I had originally thought."
He smiled at the pink-haired girl at the sheer idea of the quick and simple mission, and she returned the smile in kind before speaking.
"Well? I'm not crippled anymore, and you seem peachy. Let's go hunt some mages and be back for dinner. What do you say?"
Placing a worn bomber jacket that the hospital had provided her around her shoulders, she watched as Aaron nodded his head in agreement.
"Let's do it."
…
"Make sure to apply a layer of mana around your head or else the spell will affect you as well."
Aaron's words were quiet as he faced the cherry-haired girl who followed him slowly, nodding in affirmation.
"How thick do you make your own barrier?"
Running her hands along her neck to apply the coating, she posed the question to the blond boy without much thought.
Aaron, however, paused, thinking of a response carefully.
"I don't apply one…"
Seeing a confused expression emerge on her face, he just shrugged and continued ahead into the spell zone.
And like before, right as the sandy road turned to stone, the whispers became apparent, but Penelope and the Naelith drowned them out.
The best companions a boy could ask for.
Chuckling to himself, he looked back at Akari, whose face had paled, her hand twitching slightly as she thickened the layer of mana.
"Ugh… They sound like squeaking mice."
Her comparison made the boy smile, and their walk through the magic-infested land was just beginning.
As they encountered the first group of civilians, Akari let out a tiny giggle at the sight of full-grown adults crawling around like toddlers.
"Is this really curse-type magic? This is hilarious!"
Wiping the dust out of her face, the cherry-haired girl couldn't keep a straight expression as they continued down the central path.
Aaron also struggled to maintain his stern appearance, the only thing keeping him from bursting out in laughter being Naelith's pleading for him to jump from a ledge.
"W-we… A-are here…"
Making direct eye contact with a man doing snow angels in the sand, he finally let out a laugh, his gaze then falling on the massive clock tower that stretched high into the sky.
Behind him, Akari's own chuckles disappeared, her expression becoming stern and focused as she stared at the door.
"There are two men behind it. Do you want to use lethal or non-lethal attacks on them?"
Her deadpan face made the scary words she said hit harder, especially for Aaron, who hadn't even entertained the idea of killing people during this mission.
Placing his finger on his chin, he thought hard, remembering the look on Raphael's face as he spoke of the massacre he committed in the underground caves.
"Non-lethal… If they aren't human, though, then anything goes."
Nodding her head and sheathing the small pocket knife she had found at a stall along the way, Akari stepped towards the door.
Holding her hands out in front of her, she cracked her knuckles carefully, then picked up a pebble from the floor.
"What are you going to do with that?"
Furrowing his brow in confusion, Aaron watched as she gently placed her hand on the doorknob.
Turning the handle and propping it open slightly, she tossed the rocks in her palm inside the crack, two gunshots ringing out in response.
Before they could reload, Akari dove into the room, kicking the ankle of the taller assailant and shattering one of his ribs.
Behind her, the other man had reloaded his gun, aiming it at her back and pulling the trigger without hesitation.
However, to Akari, he was simply an obstacle that had to be removed, and with a flip backwards, she grabbed his wrist, breaking it instantly.
"AGH!"
His scream was silenced as the pink-haired girl stuffed his mouth with a gag she had hurriedly made out of the man's own clothing.
Waving her hand in front of both men's faces, she spoke quietly, in more of a whisper than a speech.
"If you run, you die. Got it?"
The two men nodded fast, a smile coming across her face as she gave Aaron the thumbs up through the door.
The blond boy, who had watched the entire thing, had discovered a newfound respect and fear of the girl who was now his ally.
Thank crab we are apparently childhood friends…
Stepping through the door and sighing, he nodded to Akari, who had tilted her head backwards, staring straight above.
Following her line of sight, the boy could only blink repeatedly at the endless flights of stairs that ascended the tower.
Rubbing his eyes to make sure he was seeing right, he groaned loudly, kicking some dirt into the gagged criminal's face.
Turning to him, Akari laughed coldly and spoke in a questioning, yet not very hopeful voice.
"You got a faster way up or…?"
Shaking his head with a glum expression, he said nothing, beginning his ascent up the clock tower with a broken will.
Each step was made of wood, the irritating creaking echoing throughout the structure after every movement.
After around twenty steps, they encountered another pair of guards, each clad in crimson robes reminiscent of the same ones that the Cult of True Earth sported.
Both of them were asleep in their chairs, and with a quick whack over the head with Penelope's hilt, they were dealt with.
The same pattern continued as they made their way towards the top, with random assortments of interactions occurring throughout the climb.
There was a guard who hadn't applied his mana properly and had become a puppet of the hypnosis, as well as a fully armored warrior whom they had beaten by pushing him down the stairs.
"This was easier than I expected…"
Aaron's words were bland and tired as they reached the top of the building; Akari's own sentiment was practically the same as his own.
"Only one last place to go. You ready?"
Taking the lead as the best hand-to-hand fighter of the pair, she placed her palm on the door handle, her hand gripping her knife just in case.
"Damn mage made me walk this far, so he'll get his comeuppance."