31: Inside the Cabin

Upon entering their cabin, the interiors passed Defolta's approval since it had everything that they need for them to live comfortably for the next two weeks or so.

A small comfy-looking bed was arranged at the left corner of the room, with a desk and chair in front of it, and a cabinet with drawer for them to store whatever objects they want.

The only thing that would complete their needs was a bathroom, but this was a military camp, so if you want to piss or take a bath, then you must share space together with your fellow soldiers, or Rangers, in this case, whether you like it or not.

Defolta remembered seeing the bathhouse when they were walking together with Yolan, and she sure as hell was going to take a nice long bath, a far cry from bathing in the rivers or lake back when they were still on the road.

As soon as they were in the privacy of their room and out of sight from the outside, Nekowa made her presence known and lay down on the bed as she dispelled her invisibility.

"Heh, you really fumbled out there, huh." Nekowa said to Defolta telepathically in a teasing tone, "But at least we can get cozy here for the time being."

"You sure are quick in making yourself at home." Defolta responded the same way while she sat down at the same bed. June did the same and joined close right at her side.

"Of course. After all, when you get to be an exile like me, then naturally, you have to move constantly from one place after another, while also being hunted by a certain Dark Magical Girl. Can't afford to be picky at where I sleep, and best to make myself at my most comfortable, then." Nekowa answered as she got up and went straight at June's lap as her new resting spot.

Despite June's emotionless look, she was quite happy at the cat's presence on her lap and proceeded to pet Nekowa, much to the cat's content as evident by her purring.

"You seem quite calm in this situation, kitty cat." Defolta said while eyeing Nekowa with a deadpan.

"Well, panicking would only make things worse, a whole lot worse." Nekowa gave her advice, "I mean, they will suspect you of lying if they so much see you acting all scared and anxious while you are here."

"Hmm, fair point." Defolta nodded in agreement, "But is it wise for you to show yourself?"

"Which is why we are talking with our minds instead of our mouths." Nekowa reasoned, "Don't worry, I've checked this cabin's vicinity earlier while I was invisible, and no guards are seen roaming around nearby. Although, that would change sometime, and this may probably the last we get to have talk like this in person."

"If you say so." Defolta believed her, "Your invisibility trick, how long exactly can you maintain it? I can only assume that it's not forever since you decided to show yourself in this instance."

"For as long as my own Mana permits." Nekowa answered, "And like I said before, I happen to have quite a lot of Mana, meaning I'm quite confident that I can maintain it for at least a day, 24 hours straight, assuming without rest. And for the record, 2 hours of rest is all I need to fully recover."

"Wow, that's actually remarkable." Defolta said in awe, "Is it possible to learn this trick?"

"As far as I know, only Nightingales are able to perform such feat that is similar to our Neko magic invisibility," Nekowa replied, "It is in their nature after all, as Magical Girl Assassins who constantly hide their presence while they hunt for their prey."

"Nightingale." Defolta thought of the word with curiosity, "Maybe I can evolve into one? While murdering foes in the open have its charms, silently killing them unnoticed is more efficient and having stealth in my arsenal opens more options in dealing with any scenario."

"Yes, I've seen how remarkably effective you were when you were Assassinating the Bandits a while back." Nekowa indicate agreement, "Let's see, from my experience, A Nightingale is extremely sneaky, preferring stealth over open combat. But make no mistake, that does not mean that she's a pushover when it comes to direct confrontation. With her quick first steps and agile movements, most enemies can't even keep up with her as she swiftly executes them efficiently without any remorse."

"I see." Defolta took note of what Nekowa said to mind, "How about their weapons? Based on Defolta Blade's skill description, it is said that every Magical Girl possess their very own signature weapon."

"Yup, you got that right." Nekowa nodded, "Regarding her favored weapon, I've seen most of them using daggers or any small blades for that matter, while others prefer killing their targets from afar with their magical bows or guns. A Nightingale with a sniper rifle is a force to be reckoned with since she cannot be located easily while she snipes her enemies from a safe distance."

"That's so fucking badass." Defolta smiled while she thought of wielding her own sniper rifle, "Then, it is safe to assume that being a Nightingale requires a high Dexterity who favors stealth. Maybe I shall prioritize raising my Dex next time? It's really tempting, if you ask me, but I'm afraid that I would be stuck in that path and potentially miss out on the other Magical Girl transformations."

"It's your choice. No need to rush as it shall come naturally." Nekowa answered her, "Nevertheless, Defolta is still good on her own, and can use every Magical Girls' abilities, albeit the weaker ones. But it still shows how extremely versatile she really is."

"Yeah, this form is awesome, regardless." Defolta agreed. Her curiosity got piqued at a certain thing that Nekowa mentioned, and she could not help but ask, "You mentioned having experience with Nightingales. Mind telling me about it."

"Hmm, since we got some time to kill, sure." Nekowa approved Defolta's request as they both relax in bed for some storytelling.

Before Nekowa began to talk about her story of the Nightingales, a System message appeared and told Defolta:

"A Magical Tale Start: A Song of Shadows."