"Mr. Cross, could you stop by the Crystine Forest?"
The coachman's voice rang out from the driver's box:
"The Young Miss instructed me to drive straight to Florentine, Miss Elise."
Eli narrowed his eyes as he held the portrait of a mysterious woman.
"The Young Miss is a worrywart. A quick detour won't kill me."
Just then, another voice reached his ears from outside.
"What's the reason for this, Elise?"
The owner of the voice was Julianna Owens, Elise's good friend and trusted bodyguard whenever she was outside the estate.
Eli glanced at the young woman riding alongside the carriage on another horse.
"I just need some exercise. It's been a while since I wielded a sword."
"More of a reason not to stop," Julianna mumbled under her breath. "Mr. Cross! Don't listen to what this girl says!"
Eli sighed.
"Please stop by the forest, Mr. Cross."
The coachman hesitantly answered:
"…Alright."
"What!?" Julianna clutched her head in disbelief. "You're just gonna accept defeat like that? Mr. Cross! Don't be a pushover. You have to stand your ground!"
The coachman awkwardly chuckled.
Julianna was definitely… not what you would expect from a typical bodyguard. She was more like a travel buddy than a protector.
She rode with one hand on the reins and the other resting lazily on her thigh, her posture relaxed enough that you'd think she was out for a morning stroll. She had blonde hair tied in a crown bun, a leather vest over her riding clothes, and a short sword she probably hadn't drawn in weeks strapped to her side.
But make no mistake — she was formidable in her own right. In Elise's memories, Julianna attended Sienne Knight Academy and graduated summa cum laude in academics and First Sword in combat four years ago.
Of course, it didn't matter in the end. Eli didn't recognize her when they first met, which could only mean she was killed in the attack of House Lagranche.
He became certain of this because… well, a quest had popped up.
Eli summoned the game window and checked the new feature, [Quest].
╭────-·ˋˏ-༻𖤓༺-ˎˊ·-────╮
[Heroine Quest: Julianna Owens]
A knight who never found her starlight, soon to perish alongside House Lagranche.
[Objective]: Ensure the survival of Julianna Owens.
[Reward]: The Heroine of Starlight, Julianna Owens.
╰────-·ˋˏ-༻𖤓༺-ˎˊ·-────╯
'Fuck this game, man!'
He was reminded, once again, how much he hated HOTA for killing their heroines.
'And they had to go and murder the ones I never saw before. What a fucked up world. '
A chill crept up Eli's spine as he wondered how many other heroines had died off-screen without him ever even learning they existed.
He studied the portrait of the woman again. Aurifère was her name. She had left the estate eight years ago and never came back.
'Knowing this evil game, she's probably a heroine as well.'
Eli doubted he would find Aurifère in Sienne. She had been gone for eight years, so it made no sense that she would still be here.
Alfred hadn't given him much to go on, either.
He tuck the portrait back into his coat and sighed.
'One problem at a time.'
Eli leaned his head against the carriage wall and closed his eyes. The gentle rocking of the carriage filled the silence, and for a while, the only company he had was his own spiraling thoughts.
He must have dozed off at some point, because the next thing he heard was a sharp knock.
"Oi, Elise!" Julianna's voice cut through. "You've been dead quiet in there. Did you actually fall asleep?"
Eli rubbed his eyes and sat up straight.
"I was just resting my eyes."
"Sureeeee you were. We're almost at the forest, by the way. You still want to stop? I'm telling you, it's not a good idea. Just take a good nap and we'll be at Florentine in no time."
He firmly shook his head.
"I'm stopping, Juli. That's final."
"Ugh. You're impossible."
Julianna rode up closer to the carriage window and groaned loud enough for Mr. Cross to hear.
"Can't you just stretch your legs at the next town? Crystine Forest has monsters, Elise. Actual monsters! You can't shoo them away with a broom."
"I'm aware."
"Then why — you know what, forget it. If you get eaten by something, I'm writing 'she asked for it' on your grave."
Eli almost laughed out loud, but he had experienced enough assimilation with Elise to stop himself. He recalled the memories between Elise and Julianna.
After the Marchioness's passing, Elise had started training with Julianna whenever she could — late evening after finishing her duties, early mornings before the household woke — and the relationship gradually blossomed.
While the Marchioness was alive, she never let Elise near the training grounds. Navia wanted the girl she saved from the streets to have a gentle life and not suffer any more than she already had.
Elise respected that wish for years, because she loved Navia like a mother. But the day Navia was gone, she showed up at Julianna's door late at night with a wooden sword and refused to leave.
The grief and the desire to protect both Irene and Navia's legacy all culminated in that moment, and Julianna, soft-hearted as she was, couldn't refuse Elise, even though everyone in the household knew better than to let Elise pick up a sword or a grimoire.
'She trained in secret for two years and made solid progress.'
The carriage slowed. Through the window, Eli saw the canopy of Crystine Forest stretching along the road, pierced by pale moonlight.
"We're here," Mr. Cross called from the box.
Eli stepped out of the carriage, supported by Julianna's hand. He went to the back and grabbed an ordinary sword out of the trunk.
"Thank you, Mr. Cross. Please set up camp here while we're hunting."
After Mr. Cross confirmed with a nod, the two girls headed — wait, no… Eli and Julianna headed into the forest.
Crystine Forest was one of the earlier zones in HOTA where players could clear the stages with Rank I Heroines. The monsters here were as weak as it could get: frostfangs, goblins, and some occasional skeletons due to concentrated death energy.
'Alright! Let's see what this body can do.'
He menacingly rubbed his hands together.
'And grind some XP as well. Lots!'
Julianna walked beside him with her hand resting on her sword, eyes sweeping through the trees.
"So," she said. "What are we hunting?"
Eli shrugged.
"Whatever shows up first."
"Great plan! Very detailed, Elise. I can see why the Young Miss trusts you with everything."
Before Eli could fire back, he sensed movements behind the bushes to their left.
"You heard that?"
Julianna shook her head.
"No? There shouldn't be monsters in this part of the forest. We're not even—"
Just then, a low growl rolled through the cold air, and two pale blue eyes appeared between the frost-covered leaves.
"Frostfangs!" Julianna shouted in surprise.
Wolf-like, about the size of a large dog, with translucent icy fur that bristled as it crept forward. It might look intimidating, but in the game, they were trash mobs. A one-hit fodder for any heroine past Level 5.
'I'm Level 1, yes, but I got a cheat skill. I'm confident…'
Eli gulped, holding the sword the way Elise would. He borrowed the forms he had learned on the fly from Elise's memories, but it felt extremely awkward. The assimilation wasn't there to help him.
'…Tutorial monsters. I've killed so many of these things.'
Finally, the frostfang lunged.
'Come here for a beating, bastard!'