Chương 9: Harsh Winter

"You're back."

"Sorry. I hope I didn't take too long. Are you three cold?"

"No, I'm not. Those two aren't doing well though." Alicia walked close to the three Vaelrin she saved, all sitting together near a fire that Vikar made. They were all wearing thick jackets that she gave them earlier. Unfortunately, she had to leave them for a few minutes in the cold to evacuate everything she had in her home at Veligrod. The two sisters were thus huddled together, hugging each other, covered in a blanket to stay warm.

It seemed that Helen already fell asleep, her eyes still puffy and red from crying. Lyra, on the other hand, was silently staring at the fire, completely spaced out. Alicia immediately felt her heart constricting a bit. It seemed that while they were now far away from human abuse, the sisters had a long way to go from the trauma they went through.

"Are we going to sneak into that village?" Vikar asked, throwing a stick on the fire.

"I've seen armed patrols posted outside."

"They must be Moshan's militia."

"Moshan's?"

"The village's leader. I know him. As I've said, he asked me to lead his village, but I refused." Vikar's eyes narrowed. The asura, of course, was still suspicious of Alicia. Not only that, but she could sense that he was still somewhat angry about the fact that his entire life had been uprooted. Alicia looked up at him, her face grimacing a bit.

"Do you have a family out there?" Alicia asked.

"No." Vikar shook his head.

"My parents died before I could even talk. I have 'friends,' I suppose, but I doubt they'd care if I disappeared. I should have long died in the tournament anyway, so I don't have anyone close to me. It's a miracle that I'm still alive and kicking."

"I see. I was worried that you left people behind because of me."

"I wouldn't have agreed to come here if I had family."

"Still, I wish to apologize about my interference. I just couldn't help it when I saw those two—" Vikar stood up, shutting her down.

"Forget about it," he said.

"Let's go. Those two need rest in a proper shelter. We can't stay here any longer." Alicia sighed. She didn't understand why Vikar would want her to simply 'forget' about the fact that her interference meant that Vikar wouldn't have citizenship and would now have to live in this far-away, desolate, frozen land. Shouldn't he resent her? She buried those thoughts away for now, turning to Lyra and Helen.

"Lyra. Can you stand up? We have to go to the nearby village. I'll carry your big sister." At last, the younger succubus snapped out of her stupor, looking up at Alicia, before meekly shaking her head.

"Uhm, I think I can carry her myself. You already did enough for us, Lady Vampire," said Lyra, but Alicia already cast [Levitation] on Helen, gently lifting her up without disturbing her sleep.

"Oh, you're going to—?"

"Stand up," Alicia said, a kind smile on her face as she offered her hand to Lyra. She still seemed somewhat shaky when she finally stood up, and she took quick glances at her big sister, still worried. Alicia simply gave her a reassuring pat on the back as they began walking toward Vikar.

"Just call me Alicia.

'Lady Vampire' is a mouthful."

"Okay…" Lyra clutched her hands near her chest as the two walked side-by-side. She looked up at Alicia with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you so much, Alicia. We're both in deep debt to you."

"Don't worry about it," Alicia replied.

"I chose to help, didn't I? It's only right that I see it through. Once we find a place for you two to sleep in, take care of your sister and rest. You both deserve it." Lyra nodded meekly, a grateful smile forming up on her face as she wiped her tears off. Soon, they caught up with Vikar, and they reached the road leading to Moshan's village. As they drew closer, a group of armed militiamen spotted them. They seemed to have recognized Alicia, because immediately, bells rang, and the militiamen rushed toward them.

Before Alicia knew it, the four of them were surrounded and escorted by the eager militia to the village. Upon knowing that she was present, the entire force seemed to have abandoned the warmth of their posts, braving their way against the cold just to form multiple security parties. Some of them flanked Alicia and her group; others rushed outside of the village to keep watch.

She could see other imp peasants coming out of their homes too, opening their windows, just to get a brief glance of the same woman who saved them from certain doom. Alicia felt slightly self-conscious about the attention given to her, but she simply trudged on forward, trying to ignore them.

"You seem rather popular around here," Vikar said from behind.

"I did save them from a wyvern attack," Alicia explained, finally listening to what the villagers had to say about her from afar.

"Mama, mama! Look! It's the girl who saved papa!"

"She's really here. There's no way she's back."

"Oh, Vael bless her. I hope her journey has been kind to her." Certainly, they were looking up to a stranger like her a little bit much. Soon, she reached Moshan's house. Outside, Moshan was already waiting for them at the middle of the road. The old imp immediately bowed slightly upon seeing Alicia, clearly taking a deferential stance again.

"Welcome again to our humble village, Your Grace," Moshan said, before eyeing Vikar, Lyra, and Helen.

"Who are these people?"

"... They're from the south," Alicia answered.

"They need a place to stay."

"Of course. I have extra rooms in my house. Will you stay here as well?"

"Yes. I wish to explain what happened to you, but I'm a bit tired."

"No problem, Your Grace. Please rest easy in my home." Alicia gave him her thanks, and they entered Moshan's house. As he had said, he had guest rooms in his house. It wasn't enough, though, as he had only two empty rooms, and they were rather small. But it wasn't a major issue. Lyra said that they were fine to share one room, while Vikar insisted that he was fine resting and sleeping in the living room.

In the end Helen was sent straight to bed after Lyra changed her clothes in their room, while Lyra barely ate before going to bed to rest. Vikar, on the other hand, went outside 'to pass time,' while Alicia was served hot tea and a hearty stew that Moshan's wife prepared for them. Talk between Moshan and Alicia was rather brief, and she later went to bed as well. So many things happened today that it drained so much of her mental energy.

She still had to think about many things too, but she thought she'd clear her mind first before dealing with that. After casting a few protective spells in her room just in case, she tucked herself into the cheap bed and fell asleep. The next morning, Alicia woke up early. After fixing her clothes, her hair, and her face, she finally decided to go out. She could smell the soft aroma of whatever Moshan's wife was cooking, so she walked to the living room, somewhat drawn to it.

There, she found Moshan having a cup of hot tea, and in front of him was a sleeping, snoring draco, his face resting on his arms on top of the table.

"Your Grace!" Moshan immediately stood up, bowing slightly afterward.

"I didn't expect that you'd wake up so early. I apologize, but breakfast isn't ready yet—""Don't worry about it," Alicia replied, gesturing him to stop bowing.

"I'm just your guest. No need to be so worked up. And don't even think about shouting at your wife to cook quicker for me. Anyway, why is Sir Vittorio here?" You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Moshan glanced nervously at the sleeping draco.

"I don't know, but he's been visiting this village on and off since you left, training the village militia for free. He arrived at the village last night and rushed to my home after hearing that you're back."

"He's been helping out for free?" Alicia raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't he a mercenary?"

"I don't understand him either, but he seems to be rather driven recently. So much so that last night, he fell asleep here within seconds while vowing to wait for you to wake up."

"... I see." Alicia noticed Vittorio's tower shield at the side of the living room, alongside his armor plates. The battle damage on it definitely was a little bit worse compared to what she'd seen back then, and she could tell that even his armor had a few extra marks on it. She'd never seen Vittorio yet outside of his armor, but now that she had a better look, he did just seem like an overworked young man. She wondered what could have happened for the mercenary to push himself this much for the past few months.

She pulled one of the chairs near the table to take a seat. That was enough to finally rouse Vittorio awake. The draco groaned as he struggled to open his eyes, resting his face on his hand while mumbling something.

"Shit, I overslept…" Vittorio said absentmindedly while Alicia watched him silently from the side. That was when the draco accidentally glanced at Alicia while massaging his temples, and his sleepy eyes froze.

"Good morning, Sir Vittorio," Alicia greeted, before turning to the village chief.

"Can you bring us tea now that he's awake?"

"Of course, Your Grace," Moshan said, bowing to her, before leaving.

"Lady Alicia!" Vittorio exclaimed, his reaction to her presence seemingly taking a significant lag as he recoiled in horror and embarrassment. Then, he lowered his head quickly and forcefully.

"I apologize. I didn't notice you were here. It is a great shame on my name and honor—""Don't worry about it. You must have traveled far to this village, and you arrived late at night. Considering the cold and the hostile environment, your current state is normal."

"Thank you for your kind words, but I swear this will never happen again!"

"Goodness, you worry too much about minor things." Alicia shook her head and looked away from him. Then, she began thinking about everything that happened before. Immediately, a headache formed as she realized she just dipped her feet into something she might not be ready for. She had already declared her intention to Vikar that she wanted to run this place for them, so that was what she was going to do. But now that she thought about it more, wouldn't this be too difficult?

She had seen how much the Virtuous Races and the Vaelrin hated each other. Worst of all, the people she was supposed to lead and save, the Vaelrin, lived in such gruesome conditions, whether it was outside or inside Vael. Was she going to be up to the task of helping out her people rebuild a peaceful home? For many minutes, she silently mulled about this dilemma until Moshan came back with two cups of tea in his hands. Alicia stared at it blankly for a good while before taking a sip.

As her mind cleared up, she finally came to a conclusion. I'm not backing down. If it's hard, then I just need to tackle it little by little. Like a bunch of quests with increasing difficulty levels. This village, Moshan, Vittorio, Helen, Lyra, and Vikar—all of them needed someone to lift them up. And Alicia, now the wielder of the Black Crown, possessing powers beyond what most people in this world had, seemed to be the only one who could take on this task.

Would she really shirk her duties any further, just because it would be difficult? The answer was no. She had enough of that already. Worldfall Online was supposed to be the world where her wildest fantasies could happen. Spending the rest of her life in a fantasy world that was too dreary and dark was simply unacceptable, not when she could change it eventually. She was going to create a peaceful paradise on the edge of this cruel world. Mind made up, she lowered her cup on the table and stood up.

Both Vittorio and Moshan immediately turned to her. Then, she dropped the bomb on them.

"I'm accepting your earlier offer," Alicia declared bluntly.

"I'm going to take this town under my wing." It was a busy day today in the office of an intelligence officer from the Veligrod Guards. The incident earlier, which happened in the middle of the popular Veligrod Major tournament, was a massive, open case. The incident was extremely public, with thousands of eyewitnesses and hundreds of angry businessmen and nobles demanding an explanation. It also didn't help that the government wanted to find scapegoats for the incident immediately, regardless of their innocence.

At the moment, most fingers were pointed at the Veligrod Guards, because they were the ones in charge of the city's security. But, of course, that wasn't going to stand. They wouldn't just let people blame them for the disaster. Most likely, if the officer and his colleagues were unable to find out who did this, they would simply grab random demons from the ghetto and then charge and hang them for suspected collaboration with active rebel groups like Vael Invicta to calm the public.

But that wasn't what this officer wanted. He knew it wouldn't help the kingdom, at all, to let a massive threat, someone who easily overpowered the combined firepower and expertise of the Veligrod Guards, simply slip away because their superiors wanted easy answers. And so, after their arduous field inspections earlier at the coliseum, the officer poured more hours analyzing and connecting the dots with the data he had. But he was coming up empty. Everything was utter nonsense!

Or, more accurately, he simply had no good information about the incident except for the kidnapping of three people and the fact that there was a barrier that was completely opaque to observers. And so, as the clock ticked by, the officer found himself crumpling papers, cursing at the portrait of the king, all while shoving more coffee in his system. That was when his assistant came in.

"Sir, someone's outside," his assistant said, adjusting his glasses.

"He's the first son of Lord Sikorski. He says he wants to report something about the incident." The officer frowned.

"The first son of Lord Sikorski? You mean, Kornel Sikorski?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright. Let him in." The assistant nodded before opening the door to let in a young man wearing a fine, black suit. It was Kornel Sikorski himself, the officer confirmed, having seen him once at a private ball in the city. Naturally, the officer stood up, offered his hand, and greeted the scion of the Sikiorski Corporation.

"Good evening, Mr. Sikorski," the officer said, smiling.

"What brings you here?"

"I wish to reveal something about the recent incident at the coliseum. I believe you are tasked with investigating it?"

"Indeed, I am."

"Have you looked into a woman named Alicia Brooks, perhaps?"

"Alicia Brooks…?" The officer frowned.

"No, I haven't. Who is she?" The officer picked up a notebook and a pen to jot down important details as Kornel continued speaking.

"She's a foreigner. I don't know from which country, but she arrived here a few months ago. I met her at a restaurant a few days ago, and I brought her to the Veligrod Major tournament today."

"You brought her immediately to the tournament? For what? A date, perhaps?" Immediately, Kornel shifted in his seat, a bit embarrassed.

"Yes. I brought her for a date. And what a disaster it was." Kornel frowned, now visibly irritated.

"You wouldn't believe this, but seconds before the incident, I was sitting next to her, and before I knew it, she was flying high in the sky!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I saw it clearly. Then she disappeared in that strange barrier at the arena. I swear, I even double-checked during the stampede where she was because I also thought I was just hallucinating, and I was worried for her. But I didn't find her at all."

"Do you know where she lives?"

"Yes."

"Bring me there then." In a rush, the officer stood up, closed his notebook, and grabbed his coat and hat. He quickly assembled a team of guardsmen to come with him, alongside a few specialized combat mages, and with Kornel Sikorski, they set out straight into the home of this 'Alicia Brooks.' Unfortunately, when they arrived for the raid, they found out that the house was completely stripped clean of any items.

While doing this, he sent his assistant earlier to check if there existed any records of this 'Alicia Brooks' within the city. And it did exist—it seemed like she was registered in a nearby bank, but her account was now stripped empty of money, and his assistant also found out that she was also attempting to acquire citizenship and was suspiciously close to approval. The night was getting colder.

The officer grumbled to his assistant as they stood outside of Alicia Brook's house, letting out a puff of smoke in the cold air after lighting up his pipe.

"Looks like the trail is cold for now, gentlemen," the officer said to his assistant and Kornel, who was still with them right now.

"She's now our primary suspect, but for all intents and purposes, she completely disappeared."

"... Do I have to be worried about this?" Kornel asked. He was rather pissed off earlier, probably because his date was ruined, but now, as he heard more and more details about the incident, including the fact that the woman he was with literally vanished without a trace, he seemed nervous instead.

"Who knows?" The officer's assistant, who was taking bites out of a sandwich he bought, laughed.

"Maybe you offended a demon. Like a vampire, or worse."

"Piss off," Kornel angrily said.

"As if this day can't be bad enough."

"What did she look like?" the officer curiously asked.

"Really pretty," Kornel answered bluntly.

"I mean, she has silver hair and red eyes. I'm pretty sure she was human. Rather pale too."

"Sounds like a vampire," the assistant joked again with a grin on his face. The officer was about to reprimand his partner because they were still talking to the scion of the Sikorski Corporation, so his assistant should be more respectful of Kornel, but that comment made him pause. A vampire, eh? A silver-haired, red-eyed vampire. He looked up at the night sky, snowflakes lazily drifting downward. Someone named Alicia Brooks. Memories of ancient folklore suddenly appeared in the back of his mind.

Before he knew it, he felt his guts turning as he considered something. Then, he shook his head, clearing it of the ridiculous thought. No, that's impossible. She couldn't be…