Chapter 52: Realization

The cave was extremely wide but ominous, dimly lit by the faint glow of phosphorescent fungi that clung to the walls. The walls themselves were rough and jagged, glimmering with moisture that gleamed in the dim light.

The ceiling seemed to stretch endlessly above, disappearing into the darkness. The floor was rough and uneven, littered with sharp rocks and slippery puddles of water that reflected the dim light in a ghostly manner.

The air grew colder and thicker the deeper they went. Occasional stalactites and stalagmites loomed ominously in the darkness, their sharp points catching the faint light and casting eerie shadows on the walls. The occasional scurrying sound of unseen creatures could send shivers down the spine of most.

"This cave is quite eerie, would you not say?" Lucinda asked as she avoided stepping on a loose rock.

"I suppose...." Her current partner for the exploration, Agatha, spoke in a low whisper. The girl was fairly quiet, which in itself was not odd. On the ship, Agatha had seemed fairly quiet, only ever giving small inputs but mostly keeping to herself. But it was obvious there was something wrong with the girl.

Lucinda threw the girl a glance who slightly trailed behind her. Agatha's hair was disheveled, and her eyes seemed listless. They were just blank, more than usual at least.

("What had Mikoto and Agatha witnessed?") Lucinda frowned as she continued her train of thought. ("Mikoto had only told Professor Eugene but not anyone else.") Before her train of thought could continue, she took note of something.

"Hey, look!" Lucinda's exclamation caught Agatha off guard as she slightly jumped. "It's a baby Starbeast!" She finished excitedly as she pointed in a certain direction. It was a small creature reminiscent of a pup with black fur and patches of blue on its head and chest, its eyes were bright and blue, and there were something akin to wings on either side of its head.

Agatha stared at Lucinda in confusion; the latter was cooing as she cautiously approached the small Starbeast. The creature merely tilted its head at the approaching girl, the action causing Lucinda's smile to widen. After some contemplation, Agatha followed the girl.

Lucinda reached the small creature who still looked at her with childlike curiosity. Agatha just looked at it with confusion.

"It's an Astrothian, and non-hostile," she watched as Lucinda extended her delicate right hand. The Starbeast tilted its head at the action but nonetheless approached. If even possible, Lucinda cooed even louder as it rubbed its furry head against her palm.

"So cute!" She exclaimed, and even Agatha would admit that it was cute.

"This is a Starbeast?" Agatha questioned as she continued petting the Astrothian who seemed to thoroughly enjoy all of the attention. "One of the few non-hostile Astrothians."

"Yup!" Lucinda answered. "They're so adorable! Especially when they're so tiny." She softly squished the Starbeast's cheeks. "I always wanted one as a pet, but they only migrate up North."

"I see..." It was odd how enthusiastic Lucinda seemed with the Astrothian. This girl was supposedly one of the most powerful people on the planet. And her value was second to none, the fact that a war almost broke out between countries because they wanted her attributed to that fact. But here she was, gushing over a small creature. Agatha shook her head as Lucinda picked up the Starbeast.

("At the end of the day, she is just a human too, only slightly older than me,") she thought to herself as Lucinda approached with the Starbeast in her hands.

"Look, Agatha!" The girl again childishly exclaimed. "Is it not adorable? It's even staring at you!" Her childish enthusiasm was endearing, and the Starbeast was indeed staring at her with its big blue eyes that held curiosity and just looked so cute.

Unconsciously, Agatha reached out a hand and pet the Starbeast's head. It let out something akin to a purr in satisfaction, and even for Agatha, that was enough to crack a small smile.

"It is indeed adorable," she mumbled. Lucinda just giggled at her confirmation as she finally set the Starbeast down. It gave them something akin to a smile as it quickly ran away.

"Its mother is nearby, no doubt," Lucinda informed. "An adult Starbeast, while not hostile, is still formidable, even reaching Class A." Agatha looked surprised.

"That is quite powerful; if that is the case, then those cultists will not be here," she surmised. Lucinda nodded at her words.

"Indeed, I have heard Starbeast gain their name for holding the power of a star—whatever that may mean. But the cultists would not risk disturbing one," Lucinda confirmed. With that said, she turned to Agatha with a smile. "Now, Agatha, I know we have not been acquainted long, and it is none of my business, but I am aware that there is something bothering you. So if you ever need someone to talk to, then I would be glad to be of service. I would be even more happy to call you a friend, if you do not mind."

"Tha—" Agatha was interrupted when a tremor reverberated through the cave. It was not entirely severe but was extremely apparent. "What is this tremor?" Agatha questioned as Lucinda frowned.

"It's coming from outside," Lucinda surmised. "I can take us there more quickly, if you are fine with it." Agatha nodded her head as Lucinda placed a hand on her shoulder. And in the next instance, the crooked and expansive cave disappeared from view, replaced by the larger snowy landscape that stretched on endlessly. In the distance, they too noticed a large combustion of mana, covering at least 200 meters, maybe even much more. It quickly died down as the tremor subsided.

"That magic, it belongs to..." Lucinda frowned as she took note of the mana signature. "Let us make our way there."

"Right," Agatha nodded as Lucinda tensed at what they would have to face. She knew all too well.

-------------------

"My, my, that was a rather large combustion of mana," Victoria mused as she stopped beside Fiona in a forest of snow-covered trees. The wolf girl nodded her head in agreement.

"And this mana capacity is astronomical," Fiona muttered.

"And I detect a few mana signatures heading there as we speak, dear Princess Mirabella, Agatha, and Lucinda," Victoria noted.

"If Lucinda is there, then they have whatever is happening under control, so for now we can continue our investigation here," Fiona stated as Victoria nodded her head in agreement before following the now-moving Fiona.

Silence now quickly enveloped the two. Fiona was not so keen to talk to Victoria; that would just result in yet another bout of teasing. Of course, this was not something Victoria was going to slide, and so the spawn of Almeric contemplated on the perfect material. And then it hit her, a bout of inspiration!

"Say, Fiona, what is your age?" Victoria suddenly asked. Fiona stared back at the girl in confusion.

("There's that damn smug smile again.") Fiona frowned at the smiling girl but eventually relented with a sigh. She doubted Victoria wanted to make fun of her being too old, seeing as they were just one year apart. "I am twenty winters old."

"Twenty, you say, my, my." Victoria moved a dainty hand in front of her mouth as if she was shocked. "And yet still no lover?" The girl chuckled as Fiona's ear twitched.

("I knew it!") Fiona mentally exclaimed as she stared at the now-grinning blonde. "T-twenty is a perfectly fine age to remain alone!" She quickly defended with but a tinge of red in her cheeks.

"That sounds like denial, dear Fiona," Victoria shook her head as if saddened. "No need for shame, Fiona, you're old and alone."

"Oh hush! You are almost my age yourself," she stated, Victoria shrugged.

"Still younger than you~," the blonde chirped.

"You are but a year younger," Fiona huffed. "And you have no lover yourself," she shot back as a pondering look adorned Victoria.

"Hmm, my suitors were much too unsavory for my taste," Victoria spoke, and Fiona could relate to that somewhat. Her father would never force her to get married, but that did not stop the suitors from coming.

She was a rare demi-human after all, a Solkari, and most of her would-be suitors saw her as nothing more than an exotic prize.

"But I must say I am rather interested in Mikoto," Fiona spluttered at the unexpected words.

"Y-you're not serious, right?" She asked, and Victoria just gave a teasing smile.

"Who knows?" She questioned. "Maybe, maybe not. Worry not, I shan't steal him from you, I'm only joking," Victoria relented. Fiona would have sighed with relief, but that would just be what Victoria wanted. "Mikoto is rather young, but when is his name day?"

"I believe he said it was the 26th of August," Fiona answered, and then it hit her memory like a truck.

"What a coincidence," Victoria mused. "That's the day of the festival." She glanced at Fiona and could not help but stare at her with a quirked-up eyebrow.

("How could I forget when it happened to Lucinda, how violent she was!? And Mikoto is almost sixteen winters old!")

This was bad.