"You're from Laterano…?"
Skadi murmured the unfamiliar place name under her breath. "Hmm… and Yan as well."
"Eh? Miss Skadi, you don't know about those countries?"
Susie cupped her hands around a warm teacup, taking a small sip. Her tone was filled with surprise. This wasn't even about knowledge anymore—these were basics. Anyone who had grown up on Terra to Skadi's age couldn't possibly be so ignorant of the world, could they?
"Mm… I've heard of them," Skadi replied gently, her voice steady. "But I've never actually set foot on foreign soil."
"Eh… then where have you lived all this time, Miss Skadi?"
Susie tilted her head, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"…In places where there's water."
There was a trace of hesitation on Skadi's face, but she still gave her answer. And truthfully, it wasn't just Susie who wanted to know—Felix and the others were just as curious about this mysterious warrior, a woman whose origins no one could place.
Felix reached over to stroke Susie's soft hair. She nestled comfortably against his chest, listening to his heartbeat with contentment.
This warrior has to belong to some organization, he thought. Her equipment, her weapon—there's no way she could've acquired or forged those on her own. And yet, a fighter of this caliber, with such a presence… to have never even heard of her before? Not unthinkable. Terra is vast. From time to time, legends simply appear.
"And what about you, Miss Skadi? Do you have any plans for what comes next?"
Felix asked as he gently tousled Susie's hair.
Skadi turned her gaze on him again. She could tell, as everyone else had, that Felix was the quiet anchor of the group. He was unusual—different. After a thoughtful pause, she answered.
"…I don't know. Perhaps I'll just wander these lands for a while."
Felix didn't press. He offered no invitation, nor did he try to win her over with honeyed words. That, in itself, surprised Mostima—she had expected Felix to immediately try to coax Skadi into Tomorrow's Development. But he didn't. Instead, he let the topic drift to lighter matters.
After all, this mission had left everyone drained, body and soul alike. The twisted rites of the Deep Sea Church, the unnatural behavior of the seaborn… both had shaken their worldview. A change of subject was exactly what they needed.
Soon, Lance and his squad turned in for the night. For them, the job was done, and they would soon head back to Laterano.
Mahayu, however, still found her eyes drifting after Skadi, dazed. It wasn't until she stepped out of sight that she finally snapped back.
"Captain… oi, you're really gone, huh. Totally spellbound."
Yui hugged her knees, casting Mahayu a sidelong glance. "Well, I can't blame you. Skadi-nee does have that warrior's charm…"
"She's… too beautiful…" Mahayu whispered, voice faint.
Itō Ritsu twitched at the corner of his mouth, scratching his head.
"That's the exact same reaction Yui had when she first saw the Pioneer."
"Wh—what?! I wasn't fangirling like that!" Yui flared up instantly.
"…Weren't you glued to his side the whole time inside the Deep Sea Church? I'm honestly impressed you didn't trigger the NPC despawn mechanic."
"I—I'm a medic! Of course I had to stay close to Pioneer-oniisan, he was protecting me! Right, Captain Mahayu?"
Both of them turned toward their dazed leader.
"…Her name is Skadi…"
A long pause.
"Hopeless."
"Completely hopeless."
The two exchanged a look, then burst out laughing, joined by the rest of the players nearby.
Meanwhile, the high-rankers had their own discussion.
"I'll be staying here as an informant," one of them said helplessly. He was part of the strategy group and, as the intel lead for Iberia, it was his responsibility to remain. If he left, the group would lose all eyes and ears in the region.
"…Then I'll stay too," another high-ranker volunteered.
"No, you two should follow Pioneer," the intel officer countered firmly. "You're aiming for the pro circuit someday, aren't you? Gear matters more than anything for you right now."
The two younger players exchanged a complicated glance… then nodded.
The matter of who would stay, and who would go, was decided.
---
Skadi stood alone by the sea. She wore no shoes, her pale, delicate feet pressing into the cool sand. Her crimson eyes lingered on the dark, endless ocean, filled with a quiet, searching confusion.
After walking for nearly half an hour, she found herself back on the beach.
The tide lapped gently at her toes, and the cold water carried with it a strange comfort—like being cradled in a mother's arms.
"…As I thought."
From the ink-black surface of the waves, faint specks of light began to emerge. They were not schools of glowing fish, but… horrors of the deep.
The Seaborn.
"So they've come after all."
Her voice carried a trace of bitterness. She remained barefoot, toes pressing lightly into the sand, before reaching back and drawing her greatsword.
The creatures shrieked at her—whether in joy, or hatred, she could not tell.
And then they surged forward, crawling and slithering across the shore to devour her.
Skadi closed her eyes for a brief moment. When she opened them again, the softness was gone—what remained was the sharp glint of a warrior. Her feet pressed into the pliant sand as if it were solid ground; her body moved with the rhythm of the sea itself.
Her sword arced upward. Sand burst into the air, blinding a hound-shaped Seaborn that lunged at her, its gaping jaws filled instead with grit.
Shhk!
A sidestep carried her clear, her blade sliding in return. In one clean stroke, she split the petals of a flower-shaped Seaborn; blue ichor splashed across the beach as the creature shrieked in agony.
"*#￥%…&!"
"Noisy things."
Skadi pressed forward, her steps quick and sure. Her blade followed, fluid as a waltz. Each turn, each motion, carried lethal grace—her long sword spinning like a dance partner, slicing two coral Seaborns cleanly in half.
This was not merely combat. It was a sword dance, sharp and beautiful.
Shhk!
Her weapon pierced another beast, blue blood dripping down the steel to patter onto the sand. Skadi exhaled slowly, though sorrow clouded her gaze.
The once-pristine white beach was now marred by twisted corpses, the sand stained with streaks of unnatural blue.
"I was going to step in… but I couldn't look away."
Startled, Skadi turned. There on the rise above the shore stood Felix, watching her.
"Middle of the night, sneaking off alone, and you run straight into monsters… Lucky for you, your strength is more than enough."
He walked down to her side.
"Why slip away without a word? We set up a tent for you, after all."
"I just… wanted to see the sea."
Her gaze fell, red eyes avoiding his. She looked back toward the dark expanse of ocean instead. It had been Susie who set up that tent for her, and Skadi could never bring herself to refuse the child's kindness.
"You're hurt."
"…Yes."
Only now that the battle was over did she notice the scrapes along her arms and legs. Surrounded on all sides by Seaborns, she had still cut them down, but this was not her peak condition. Even Skadi could not come through entirely unscathed.
"My blade… has grown dull."
Her voice carried a trace of quiet frustration, tinged with sorrow. Perhaps, once, she had been able to slaughter such monsters without suffering a single wound.
"You're tired. That's normal. Even the strongest warrior needs rest."
Felix summoned his drone with a gesture.
"If you don't mind, I can treat your wounds."
Skadi's eyes widened slightly as the floating machine drifted before her. Its display flickered to life, showing a smiling face: （＾?＾●）.
"What… is this?"
"This little thing reacts to my commands. It has dozens of preset expressions coded into it, fit for different situations. For example…"
Felix thought for a moment.
"Activate annihilation mode."
The display instantly changed to (◣_◢).
Skadi blinked, a little confused.
"No, I mean… what is this flying thing?"
Felix froze. He'd completely misread the question.
"Ah—this is a machine I designed. I call it a drone. It can heal you."
"…I see. Then I'll be in your care."
Her words carried the politeness of formal speech. Though the drone revealed more of Felix's secrets, she still found him strangely enigmatic.
The drone extended a nozzle, more like a sprayer than a barrel, and aimed it at the cut along Skadi's side. A fine mist of medicine washed over her wound, and cool relief spread through her body.
"Could you lift your foot? The drone can't fly that low."
"…Understood."
Skadi sat down on a jutting rock and lifted her bare foot. Faint cuts marred the pale skin of her ankle and sole. When the mist touched those tender places, she couldn't help but let out a soft sound—part pain, part embarrassment.
Felix glanced over. Yes… that was an awkward spot.
"Do you need me to help? Or… are you planning to leave us?"
He looked at her, perched on the rock with her knees drawn in. Her crimson eyes trembled before she turned away, gaze escaping to the sea.
"If I stay, I'll only bring danger to you. You saw it yourself just now."
Her words were slow, gentle, yet tinged with sorrow.
"You'll be dragged into trouble. Susie will be dragged into trouble. You'll be hurt because of me. I don't want that."
"That's all you wanted to say?"
Surprise colored Felix's tone.
Skadi blinked, turning her head slightly to meet his eyes.
He chuckled and shook his head—not at her, but at the dark sea stretching out before them.
"No one on Terra lives without trouble. No life is perfectly smooth. No person escapes without wounds."
"If you believe your presence brings calamity, it only proves the life you've lived has been fraught with peril—that you've had to fight with your blade to survive."
He cast her a sidelong glance.
"I'm going through the same thing. Only my enemies aren't beasts, but people."
"…Eh?"
"Entrepreneurs. Nobles. Opportunists. Conglomerates. Families of power and wealth."
Felix flicked his hand, as if brushing away a fly.
"They're more terrifying than any monster. In battle, at least you can meet your foe head-on. Against these kinds of opponents, you can't act so freely—or you'll end up covered in filth."
Skadi tilted her head.
"I don't fully understand… but it sounds like you suffer greatly."
"It's not suffering. Just… a certain weariness of the mind."
He smiled faintly. Skadi caught something in that smile—an odd blend of fatigue and fulfillment. It was the look of someone who had chosen a path and was resolved to charge forward, no matter what.
Compared to her own confusion… Skadi found herself, for the first time, a little envious.
"Miss Skadi, will you come with me?"
"Eh? With… you?"
Skadi blinked, clearly caught off guard by Felix's sudden invitation.
"After all, you don't seem to have any clear plans right now, do you? You've just left your old home behind—this land is worth exploring. At the very least, I can offer you a temporary harbor."
"…A harbor."
She repeated the word softly. The sound carried both a trace of nostalgia and a fleeting warmth.
Then she raised her crimson eyes again.
"Are you sure it's really alright? My very existence… brings disaster to those beside me."
Felix extended his hand toward her.
"…If I take this hand, will you let go?"
"I won't let go."
For a moment Skadi only stared at him. Then, slowly, her lips curved into a faint, dazzling smile.
"You're a strange one… But I understand. For now—just for now—please allow me to walk alongside you."
"Welcome, Skadi."
"…Mm."
When Felix climbed back into the driver's seat of the truck, he felt the vehicle tilt noticeably to one side as soon as Skadi settled inside. It was as if the whole truck had sunk a little.
"…"
He deliberately avoided looking at her reddening, embarrassed face.
Back at camp, Skadi went straight into Susie's tent to rest. Felix returned to his own, only to find his squad awake and waiting.
"So, Miss Skadi decided to join after all, didn't she?"
Patia smiled knowingly. Though phrased as a question, her tone carried certainty.
"You're getting better at reading Felix," Fiammetta remarked with a nod.
Mostima chuckled.
"So then—how do you plan to arrange things for our new warrior?"
"For now, I'll have her take on mercenary work. She may be traveling with us, but loyalty isn't earned overnight. Let her walk this land, see more of it for herself."
Lemuen exhaled, her shoulders easing.
"Then we can call this mission a success."
"And another girl joins Tomorrow's Development. How wonderful~" Mostima said with a mischievous grin.