The Freebird Party
After finding a good resting spot, Morgana opened her Admin screen. She pressed on the tab that said "Item Box," promptly opening another virtual-like interface that had hundreds of tabs, displaying a variety of different items, weapons, potions, and resources, all neatly organized.
Morgana's finger glided across the screen, stopping at a specific tab, and pressing it, causing five 1-liter water bottles to materialize before her, shimmering with a cool, refreshing aura. The teenagers watched in anticipation, with their eyes fixated on the manifestation of the water bottles.
But Morgana wasn't finished. She continued scrolling, searching for something else. After a few more moments, she pressed another button, and five steaming bowls of fried rice appeared before her. The aroma of the fragrant dish filled the air, making their mouths water in response.
After another moment, Morgana pulled out a small wooden coffee table from her "Item Box," perfectly suited for their impromptu meal and adorned with the previously conjured bowls of steaming fried rice and cool water bottles.
With a warm smile, Morgana gestured for the party to sit around the table. Their hunger could no longer be ignored, and their expressions shifted from awe to gratitude as they realized they were about to satisfy their growling stomachs.
It was a moment of respite and nourishment after all the dangers the party had faced. With each bite and sip, their uneasiness and hunger faded away, replaced by a sense of comfort and contentment.
Morgana observed them, her eyes flickering with a mixture of satisfaction and empathy. It was a small gesture for the trouble she caused, but she knew the importance of nourishment, especially for teenagers their age who wanted to be adventurers.
The brown-haired kid was the first to finish his bowl, who thanked Morgana for the meal and introduced himself after placing his bowl down and letting out a satisfied grunt.
"My name is Ray. I'm the leader of the Freebird party. Sorry for not introducing myself before… Everything is still a little too much to take in." he said with an apologetic tone and an honest smile.
Next, a girl with jet-black hair wearing a ponytail spoke up. "I'm Kaede! Sorry for the late introduction as well…" she said while humbly bowing her head toward Morgana.
"My name is Angela, but all my friends call me Angie. Ummm…" she stopped momentarily, breaking eye contact with Morgana. "Thank you for saving us… I still can't believe everything that happened…"
Morgana smiled and nodded in acknowledgment, gazing at the last teenager, who had been the most wary of her from the beginning.
"I… I'm Conrad… Sorry, I know you saved us, but…" he stopped himself, bowing his head low in repentance, making Morgana giggle.
"It's nice to meet you. My name is Ren Morgana, although I promise I'm not a Demon Lord or whatever you called me," said Morgana playfully before sipping from her water bottle.
"Then… who are you really?" asked Conrad, now with more confidence in his voice.
"I told you, I'm a trickster…" she said nonchalantly. However, her words carried more weight on the teenagers than she thought.
Angela's eyes widened. "A trickster… as in…?"
"One of the Nine Tricksters!?" interrupted Conrad, slamming his palm on the coffee table with urgency.
"Yup, one of those. You could just use your appraisal and check for yourselves…" she said. However, the teenagers explained to her that none of them possessed that skill.
"I see. That explains why you chose this place to train. If you had the appraisal skill, you would've known it was not a good idea…"
Morgana calmly explained to the teenagers the danger they faced in Greenshade Woods. With monsters ranging from level 20 to 40, it was dangerous and foolish for a group of level 10 individuals to train there.
As her words sank in, the mood among the teenagers shifted. Disappointment enveloped them as they realized their mistake. Their dreams of becoming stronger blinded them to the harsh reality of their abilities.
Sensing their state, Morgana broke the silence with a curious question. "Why do you all want to become stronger?" Her gaze moved from one teenager to another, searching for the motivations behind their aspirations.
The group lowered their gaze as they recalled their experiences while Angie told the story.
They had met at an orphanage six years ago in the Gremoria Empire after their towns were burned to the ground by "Orion's Theocracy." A group of adventurers managed to find and transport them safely to the nearest empire city before they were executed along with their parents.
At that orphanage, they vowed to become adventurers one day, dedicated to protecting the people they loved.
But as Angie's words reached a critical point, Morgana's expression transformed. A deep frown etched across her face, her features becoming intense and intimidating. The air around her seemed to darken as an aura of anger emanated from her very being.
"Did you say… Orion's Theocracy?" Morgana's voice was laced with concern and fury. Her question hung in the air, demanding a response from the teenagers, who nodded simultaneously.
"What the hell have these guys been doing all this time…?" she muttered with a low tone of voice, mixed with anger and frustration, then allowed Angie to keep telling her story.
The people from Orion's Theocracy razed their towns due to their conquering of the lands that surrounded their capital, making the people subdue to their teachings.
Any town that refused to cooperate and assimilate would get destroyed and their people executed, which was the fate of all their parents.
"You see… In our town, people always praised the Tricksters and told stories of their deeds. But, for some reason, the teachings of the people at the Theocracy don't mention any of them. It only talks about Orion, The Blessed and The Cursed Demon Lord…."
Angie told Morgana that the people of the Theocracy had distorted the Trickster War narrative and called it the "Holy War." In this fabricated tale, Orion was depicted as a divine figure who ascended to godhood, supposedly sacrificing himself to seal the Demon Lord within the confines of the Underworld.
"I see… so that's the story they like to tell…" said Morgana with her arms crossed, slowly regaining her carefree tone, but just as she relaxed, Conrad spoke up.
"L-Lady Morgana! Are you truly… I mean, would you happen to be… The Cursed Trickster!?"
"That's me," she responded with a confident, captivating smile.
The group stayed silent for a moment, exchanging astonished glances with each other. However, Conrad's curiosity spiked even more. "Is it true that you destroyed their capital? And what about their holy knights? Is it true that you killed them all!?"
But his questions didn't receive an answer from Morgana. Instead, she broke eye contact and rose to her feet. "If you are all done, we can keep moving. Once we leave the forest, we will be traveling faster…"
The teenagers stood up obediently and decided to stop inquiring about past events, understanding Morgana's boundaries, and kept following her lead as they transversed the forest.