Chapter 70: Seeking Answers (4)
Lancell continued on to the path guided by Arkenvalle, until he finally reached upon a garden. It was massive. Lancell didn't know how exactly wide it was, but he was sure it was wider than 300 meters.
Lancell navigated through with Arkenvalle's guidance, and made his way into a flower garden filled with varying flowers. Most of which that Lancell didn't recognize.
And in the middle of it, Aria was sitting as she tended to a small budding flower.
Lancell paused in his steps, as a wave of nostalgia swept through him. Though it was only for an instant, Lancell was still overwhelmed by her presence.
He sighed, as he finally regained himself, but Aria who heard the sigh suddenly perked as her hand reached out for the rapier in her waist, smoothly pulling it out then thrusting it in Lancell's direction.
However, her eyes suddenly widened as she realized it was Lancell, but she couldn't retract the blade anymore as she had put too much force in the thrust.
"Not bad reaction," Lancell spoke as he evaded it by lightly stepping sideways. The blade narrowly passed by his cheeks, but Lancell's expression didn't have the slightest change. It was the same calm face as he always had. "But it lacks a certain finesse, I guess?"
Lancell wasn't aware of it himself, but the finessed he was talking about was the efficiency for killing. Aria raised a brow in confusion of what he was talking about, but more than that...
"Lancell?!" she exclaimed as her mouth unconsciously smiled, "you're back!"
Lancell shrugged with a faint smile. "I had things to do."
"For six days?" Aria asked, but her question intrigued Lancell.
"Six days?" Lancell muttered as he lowered his head, "I was quite sure we were only gone for about 20 hours at most though..."
Aria tilted her head, "Hm? What was it?" she asked, "I didn't quite hear you."
"No. It's nothing." Lancell shook his head, as his expression shifted to a serious one. "Anyway, I need to talk to you about something."
Seeing Lancell's expression, Aria too shifted into a humourless one. From the short time she knew Lancell, she knew that this expression meant a big deal.
"I understand." She said, and then turned around and began to walk, "Please follow me."
Nodding, Lancell followed.
◇ ◇ ◇
Lancell followed Aria, until they entered a certain familiar place. It was a room filled with barriers and detections runes, as well as a lot frilly pink. It was Aria's room.
"Oh?" Lancell uttered, "how nostalgic. This room."
Aria smiled a bit at his comment, and spoke, "Even though it hasn't been too long?"
Lancell shrugged. "It's not about whether it's too long or not," he then faced her with a solemn face, "as a warrior from this turbulent era, just being able to return to a place you've been before is a huge thing already."
Aria was stunned at his words, as she didn't managed to speak anything for a while. But after a while, she opened her mouth.
"Wow.." she said with widened eyes, "I never knew you were a guy who could talk like that. I thought you were just a crazy asshole who doesn't care about anything but fighting."
Lancell raised a brow, "Oh? What makes you think so?"
"Well..." Aria put a finger on her lips as she contemplated, "for one thing, you move like you're following a schedule..." she said casually.
Lancell's right brow twitched.
"Also... during most times, you look straight ahead like your impatient to reach to your destination. It actually makes me wonder why don't you just run ahead..."
This time, it was both brows.
"And you don't deviate from anything you planned beforehand unless it was during a fight. Just should I tell you, people tend to deviate from plans due to emotions, feelings, and/or interest.
"The fact that you don't do so would either mean that you're disinterested in what you're doing, and just wants to get over it quick." Aria added.
Silence took over for a moment, until Lancell let out a heavy sigh.
"As expected from you, I guess?"
Aria gave a sweet smile.
Silence took over once again, as their expressions became serious. The silence was the signal.
It was the signal for the small talks to end.
And so the serious talk began.
◇ ◇ ◇
Two hour later, Lancell finished giving his side of the story as Aria listened intently to his every word, as if trying to spot any loopholes in his statement. Though Aria asked some questions during Lancell's recollection, Lancell answered it all without any falsehoods. Of course, while keeping anything about his past life.
After a while of contemplation, Aria sighed.
"What a joke," she spoke in heavy tone, "to think elder brother died because of this... what a massive joke."
She let out a heavy sigh once again, as she stared at Lancell with all seriousness, "I'll be honest. You are mostly at fault here." She said in a near-berating tone, "You didn't mention anything about such dangerous and uncontrollable factor about yourself, and still went to fight in the frontlines."
Without a change in expression, Lancell answered, "Yeah. I won't deny that. In the first place, I had no idea that those brats would even come here. It was an oversight on my part."
"That too!" Aria snapped, "I completely don't understand. Why would you go to them when your instincts took over— wait, don't tell me..."
She paused for a while, then muttered, "You were...worried...?"
Lancell wanted to deny, but a serene voice spoke before he could.
"That's right."
Lancell and Aria's eyes widened for different reasons. Aria was shocked from the suddenly intrusion of an unknown intruder inside her room, which was laden with barriers and detection runes.
As for Lancell, he was shocked at the revelation, as well as why the person who spoke would show herself.
"Valle...?" Lancell called her name.
Arkenvalle, in her human form, looked at Lancell with a wry smile, as she called his name back, "Lancelot."
Seeing the two, Aria's confusion turned to intrigue, "Oh?... you know her, Lancell?"
Lancell snapped out of his daze, as he turned to Aria and nodded. "Yeah. She's my Divine Weapon."
Aria's eyes widened once more as her mouth gaped, "Whoa..." she uttered in disbelief, "I never knew Divine Weapons could also do this."
Lancell gave a wry smile, "N-No, she's a... special case..."
"Oh?" Aria raised a brow, but only spoke, "It's alright. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. However..."
She then looked at Arkenvalle and asked, "Will you elaborate what you meant earlier?"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Lievel_Veltrandt
Lievel_Veltrandt Another chapter as thanks for ApocalipseDragon.
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