Furious flames crashed against armor, causing flesh to bubble as it burned. Yet others withstood it, firing russet arrows at the beasts in the sky.
Rocky hides blocked these projectiles, their fiery breaths replaced by concentrated tempests and winters, which tore apart knights, archers, and mages.
At the same time, claws and teeth descended upon the small army of Demons, tearing them apart with brutal ease, to the shocked gazes of paladins and peasants.
Neia Baraja watched in barely concealed amazement as the swarm of Dragons descended upon the Demons, tearing them apart with ease, as if the role of the Demons tearing the Paladins to pieces had been reversed.
However, instead of brutality and cruelty, the Dragons simply brought fire and a swift and easy end.
And fortunately for Neia and the group of priests and paladins, the Dragons were not against them.
A mighty roar came from the shining, gold-and-green-scaled Dragon, standing proudly on a small rise of land, as if it were the master of all those legendary monsters.
At this, the Dragons flying frantically in the sky, or tearing apart Demons on the ground, looked toward it, and quickly stopped attacking and returned, with the enormous 'alpha' Dragon taking flight, sending out a strong air current as it did so.
As easily and swiftly as they tore apart what Neia believed might well be a spectacle of Titania defending the Paladins, the Dragons left, while the line of paladins and peasants were stupefied at the sight of such a massacre of beings who had practically brought down their kingdom.
On the other hand, the Deorum Regnum soldiers, who served as true escorts for the line of civilians escaping from one of the cities that was about to be attacked by that division of Demons, were unfazed by what happened, only waiting patiently for the people to continue walking.
It was, indeed, a sight of legends…
"Quite incredible, huh~?" Titania hummed, causing Neia to tense up at the sound of her voice.
"A-A-Ah! T-Titania!" She cried out in surprise, looking at the paladin, who looked back at her with an amused smile.
"I recommend that if you wish to participate in this crusade against the Demons, you do so behind our army~" She exclaimed, a shining white halberd appearing in her hand, its sharp-tipped pommel striking the ground, resonating majestically.
Seeing this, paladins, peasants, and priests gasped in awe at the mere presence of Titania, at her weapon so marvelous that it seemed only the Angels of Heaven could wield it…
But…
Neia repeated those same words over and over again in her head…
"'Behind our army'…" She muttered, grimacing…
After this, Titania just smiled, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder.
"I understand, Neia. You want to fight the Demons who destroyed your kingdom. But your people have already suffered so much. If you want to participate, tend to the wounded, give them supplies, or fight from a distance. In fact…" Titania murmured, looking toward a carriage in the distance, safely behind several Deorum Regnum soldiers Neia had seen at the Marble Palace… Basically, royal guards.
Neia knew… Hundreds of thousands had died since the arrival of those damn Demons… Everyone wanted to finish them off, but… It wasn't the villagers who had the weapons to do anything about it… Nor the power… Though she also looked where Titania looked, curious.
From the moment she woke up, she realized that the citizens of the Holy Kingdom had no place in the recovery of their lands…
She fainted for a few hours from the shock of being tasked with escorting Duchess Nyx Morgause and Paladin Titania, only to wake up and be informed that they had already arrived in the Holy Kingdom via teleportation.
Then, as if it weren't a feat worthy of fantastical legends, Nyx, along with the rest of the group that escorted them, explained that all the Deorum Regnum forces deployed were already in the Holy Kingdom.
In other words, in less than a day, an entire army was mobilized from one point to another, with a distance between the two places sufficient for a small, hurried group to take weeks to arrive.
There were two legions, at first she didn't believe it was much, until she learned that a legion was made up of 6,000 soldiers, not counting animals... That included Dragons... Or Wyverns... Which fell into another category... All of that in less than 10% of the time it took her and her group to reach Deorum Regnum...
Not to mention that the entire draconic army, which was used to wipe out the Beastmen who had tormented the Draconic Kingdom for generations in just a few weeks, also came, and was the reason why such powerful beasts appeared and eliminated that small army of Demons, hundreds of beings, each one so strong that Kelart herself choked upon seeing them...
And in just 2 days, Deorum Regnum, in which Titania or Lady Nyx herself, who was mentioned as a sorceress capable of using level 6 magic, that is, a magic user within the realm of heroes, didn't even participate, already liberated Four entire cities, wiping out hundreds, if not thousands, of Demons.
Because what Neia saw around her was only a vision of a legion.
As Titania explained, the cleansing would be like fire devouring paper, starting from the nearest border with Deorum Regnum, that is, the northwest of the Holy Kingdom, all the way to the south in a precise combing so that not a single Demon would remain…
Therefore, what Neia had just witnessed was perhaps only a small fraction of Deorum Regnum's power, given that those two legions and the entire draconic army were spread out over thousands of kilometers to cover as much ground as possible.
In fact… She had heard Titania talking about this from outside with Lady Nyx… They were calling it an equivalence to… The 'Blitzkrieg', which made her very curious. They were clearly foreigners from far away before settling in the remains of Baharut, and she was surprised to know they had done, or witnessed, or known of something like this before.
Blitzkrieg… Not because of the use of electric magic or anything like that, but because of the speed with which it was being done… Well, according to the predictions they had right now… The entire Holy Kingdom would be liberated in two days at this speed…
"My Lady. We're getting closer and closer to the capital, and the legion forces are being divided into garrisons to protect the liberated areas and the people. I suggest you prepare; perhaps tonight we'll have to act." Titania blurted out as she approached the carriage.
It was true… Deorum Regnum was leaving hundreds of soldiers for each liberated city, both legions, and that was a lot of cities… Before reaching the capital, it was quite possible that both legions would have fewer than 1,000 soldiers… Which made Neia nervous, since the capital was home to… The largest force of the Demon army…
The door opened, with Nyx poking her head out.
She looked around, then looked at the paladin, smiling contentedly.
"I see~ That certainly speaks to the enemy's progression~ Haha~" She hummed elegantly. "However, certainly, even if the army weren't divided, we'd still have to act, wouldn't we?" She murmured more seriously, carefully getting out of the carriage.
Kelart Custodio, who had remained absolutely silent since they arrived, speaking only when necessary, raised her head slightly.
Her state of being disturbed by the power of Deorum Regnum was evident, with her unfocused, disheveled eyes and dark circles under her eyes.
If Neia had to compare Kelart twice, it would be with her original state. The brilliant and kind High Priestess, who acted as the connection between the Holy Queen and the highest ranks of the religion in an even more united and direct way, and then with her state before and during the journey to Deorum Regnum.
Naturally, the second state didn't compare to the first, but this... Even compared to how Kelart was during the journey, she seemed like a ghost in comparison...
"... What... Do you mean...?" She murmured, her voice dry from not speaking for so long.
"Ah… Well, we were leaving more soldiers than necessary in each city, not only to take care of the population and rebuild. But also to avoid losing so many arriving at the capital and its surroundings… Well, if we're not mistaken, there should still be a Demon General, or even a Demon Hero…" Titania murmured, resting her halberd on her shoulder. "Ha… I'll have to warn my son somehow…" She muttered, scratching her cheek. Achernar was in the Second Legion, and while it was obvious nothing here could hurt him, she couldn't say Betelgeuse's summons were weak after what he did in Re-Estize…
"S-Son?" Neia blinked, paling at the news…
T-Titania had a son!?
"Don't get too excited, he already has a mate~" Lady Nyx exclaimed. Although she wasn't sure if it was true, she did occasionally see Achernar with a kiss mark… She was curious about that~
"Does he?" The paladin muttered with a raised eyebrow.
"Fu~ How mean of you to not pay attention to the poor child~ Though I'm still not sure who she is…" The duchess admitted, getting out of the carriage.
As if wanting to find some way to clear her mind, and at the same time, build a conversation, while also clearing her mind of the mere thought of whatever it is that might be in the capital, since Kelart herself flinched upon hearing about such a General or Hero… Neia spoke, careful not to probe too deeply.
"A-And who is the lucky… Am… Father…?" She stammered, noticing the absurdity of what she had just asked, blushing and paling at the same time… How can she ask Titania herself that kind of thing!?
"Yes, Titania, tell us." Nyx responded dryly, staring intently at the big-assed girl in white.
She sweatdropped, looking at her with a neutral face.
"You know exactly who it is…" She blurted out, pointing upwards, with the group staring up at the clouds…
"A cloud?" Nyx exclaimed.
"No… God… It's obvious who it is…" The Paladin blurted, giving the beautiful Nyx a small bonk.
"Aw~ Liar~ You just tricked me and went off with some random guy who flirted with you in a bar during your adventures in Re-Estize~" Nyx grumbled, crossing her arms and looking to the side with mock offense.
Such playfulness made Neia blink, glancing nervously between the two of them, completely incomprehensible.
And on the other hand, Kelart looked at them almost dumbfounded… With slight contempt for how… They were handling this situation. The country she grew up in, fought for, and cried for, was razed to the ground, and they were saving it… And joking around while doing it.
It's not as if she didn't understand that humor was a good way to keep morale high.
Low morale meant poor performance, and that could lead to defeat, fatal injuries, or enormous losses.
Still, it left a bitter taste in the priestess's mouth.
"He was already an adult by then..." The Paladin grumbled. "Leaving that aside. You don't have good equipment for what's coming," Black Ab-Titania said to the two of them.
"E-Eh?" Neia blinked, looking down at her own attire... It wasn't even proper armor, really.
The most protection she had was light leather armor and chain mail...
Kelart, naturally, didn't need very heavy armor, and perhaps had the same under her robes. Being a priestess, she wasn't meant to be on the front lines.
But even then, compared to the Deorum Regnum soldiers, clad in shining full-body armor of gleaming enchanted metal… They certainly looked like novices in comparison…
"Anything a Demon General does, without me or Lady Nyx around to cover them, could kill them. They are very strong creatures," Nyx explained, looking toward Nyx. "I'm here to take the front lines when all that happens. Is it really right for you to come? I know it's your kingdom, but… It's very, very dangerous…" She blurted out, looking back at the pair. "And if you did… I'm sorry, but I couldn't let you fight on the front lines with me, for your own safety."
"Certainly… And perhaps there are more than one Demon General…" Lady Nyx blurted out, with Kelart and Neia clenching their fists, feeling the helplessness of not being strong enough…
"I'm not backing down," Kelart hissed. "Once we find the refuge where my sister is… We'll join forces with two of the Colors of the Holy Kingdom… And Titania can return my sister's memories so she too can fight." She growled, the last bit sounding almost more like a prayer, trembling as her eyes watered slightly, but refusing to shed a tear.
Then, a pommel approached her, and she looked at the weapon doubtfully.
It was a one-handed mace, but one that… Was beautiful…
A fully silver maze with 6 'blades' at the edge instead of a heavy blunt object, however, it was still capable of dealing such damage. It had a silver ring almost at the lower end of its length, and looked quite simple, although it brighted with magical power.
"I understand, but if you want to go, you must have a good weapon." Titania exclaimed, holding the weapon above her head, the handle within easy reach of the priestess. Her mace looked like crap next to that one… Though to Titania, it was only a High-quality mace.
"That…" Kelart muttered, slightly shocked at the weapon's impressive quality, and also slightly suspicious, as if she were witnessing a tactic just to show how pathetic all her life's work was compared to an easily replaceable Deorum Regnum weapon. "… A regular mace is as good as that if I don't get within range of the enemy's sword…" She blurted out, almost hissing as she clenched her fists.
"A tool is a tool; the better it is, the more likely it is to do the job better. We will spare no expense in our security. It's not just for your safety, but for ours as well. We know the reputation of the Custodio sisters, so I insist, have it~" Titania exclaimed, bringing the weapon closer to her again.
The Priestess gritted her teeth, breathing deeply as she practically forced herself to grasp the high-quality object.
"... I appreciate it, Miss Titania…" She grunted under her breath, uneasily eyeing the artifact.
"I thank you, Miss Kelart~ Because of your great skills, you will be coming with me~ So expect a very violent journey~" Titania smiled despite the implications, with Kelart tightening his grip on the weapon… If he went with her, at least it wouldn't look so bad…
"As for you, little one~" Lady Nyx's beautiful voice rang out, with Neia feeling a pat on her head that made her look at the black-haired woman.
"E-Eh? Y-Yes!" Neia, having been entranced by the incredible gift the great Paladin in White had given to Kelart the Keeper, straightened, stiff as a rock, nervously facing the duchess.
"Well, naturally, as you are our escort, and considering the situations surrounding you, not giving you appropriate equipment would be impolite~ Wouldn't it~?" She hummed with a smile.
"A-Ah… N-No need to… Waste your nation's valuable equipment on my… I-I'm just a squire…" Neia muttered, swallowing a large mouthful of saliva as her palms sweated, looking to her sides in unease at how she had just rejected something from the great Lady Nyx…
"Not at all~ I remember you saying you had Ranger skills, right?" She muttered, silently surveying the vastness of the relocated peasants.
"A-Ah… Y-Yeah… A little…" She muttered, not very excited about it. "It's true that my bow skills are better than my sword skills… B-But still… I-I was told that I should focus on improving my swordsmanship." She replied, shuddering slightly at the thought of her skill as a swordswoman…
As a Paladin, being able to use a sword was vital, as it was the standard weapon Paladins used in addition to shields… If Neia had more talent with the bow, clearly inherited from her father, that made her closer to a bowman than a Paladin…
It's true that Paladins did use bows if the situation called for it, but it was only when defending when they had the high ground, such as standing on the walls against a siege, something that didn't require as much skill with a bow.
After all, while a Paladin had hand-to-hand combat training, letting the enemy into a fortified city just to engage in sword combat was stupid. Especially when the Holy Kingdom's recurring enemy had been the Beastmen, who were individually superior in physical power to a human.
Still, Neia didn't really consider herself an archer. Her father, the Black Color of the Holy Kingdom, was an archer, and a Ranger, of course. In comparison, Neia looked like a commoner holding her first handmade bow…
"I sense you're somewhat reluctant to the idea of using a bow, Neia." Titania said curiously, looking at her with such excitement.
"Ah, well… I-I'm aiming to be a Paladin after all…" She stammered embarrassedly.
"Hm… Is there a rule that prevents a Paladin from using a bow?" The Duchess asked curiously, watching as Titania ran off to help with a stuck wagon, even though the Deorum Regnum soldiers could easily lift it.
"A-Ah… W-Well, no… But…" She muttered uneasily. "I-It's just that... Uh…" Neia sweated, unsure of what to say…
On the one hand, refusing something from one of the highest-ranking figures in the country who was so fervently helping them fight a nationwide invasion was incredibly rude. But on the other hand, receiving gifts from the same woman also made her feel incredibly tense.
She wasn't sure what she was going to give her either… Lady Nyx kept talking about bows… But…
"I see… Mm… Do you really want to be a paladin?" The duchess asked more seriously, less of the syrupy tone she had before.
"Ah, er… Well… Yes… I do." She nodded.
"Why?" She asked, turning around and looking directly into her eyes, without looking away…
"U-Uh…" She sweated, shrinking back, intimidated by the duchess's direct gaze… Still, it made her feel somewhat… Less uneasy. The fact that Lady Nyx wasn't bothered by her eyes... At least in a serious situation, was... Refreshing, almost...
"Hm, I suppose I'm pushing it too much. It almost seems like I'm interrogating you. My apologies." The duchess sighed, almost seeming as if a nonexistent pressure had been lifted off Neia, only for another to rest on her shoulders...
Duchess Nyx apologized... I-It made her feel bad, or... Ugh!
Neia looked down at the floor.
"W-Well... I suppose it was simply... A form of... Rebellion..." She muttered, growing more and more embarrassed as she psychoanalyzed herself about choosing to be a squire. Ugh, did she really say that?
"Rebellion, you say..." Nyx said, interested.
"Uh… My mother is a paladin… And my father… He's the best archer and ranger I know… And, well… I inherited some of my father's talent with the bow…" She explained nervously.
"So…" The duchess narrowed her eyes. "You decided to buck fate and aim to become a paladin as a way of rebellion and a show of admiration for your mother…?" She tried to guess.
"Er… W-Well, no…" She declined, sweating at having found herself in the situation of having to say 'no' to that damn Duchess Nyx. "My mother always opposed me becoming a Paladin… If it weren't for my father, who used his influence to make me a squire, I wouldn't be here…" She explained once more.
Certainly, if it were up to her mother, Neia might as well have sat at home doing anything but being a Paladin, since the only way she would approve of Neia becoming a squire was if she could pass a 'test'…
Said test was defeating her mother in combat… In other words, something impossible for Neia.
Being a Paladin really wasn't 'simple' if you were speaking in terms from Yggdrasil to the New World. A Paladin was a hybrid class between a warrior and a priest, meaning a Paladin could act as a tank, healer, and attacker depending on their build, but practically anyone could do such a thing. There were more offensive Paladins, like Black Abyss, with great physical and magical power, as well as great healing abilities and, in her case, powerful CC and Stamina. In fact, it was a fairly broken build, albeit a difficult one, but… In this world, something like that would be practically impossible to replicate. One had to focus on the skills the world and genetics granted them; they didn't have the freedom to build that Dont and Black Abyss had thanks to Yggdrasil.
Simply put, if Neia decided to go down the path of the sword, she would never reach her full potential. And that was something that bothered Dont; she hadn't really found anyone talented at what she did, being an 'ADC'.
Technically speaking, Dont didn't have talent per se. It was what came with the absolute freedom of Yggdrasil. Still, it was true that there were builds that had greater or lesser affinity.
An Elf, after all, had more affinity with ranged weapons than with tank gear. That didn't mean you couldn't make an Elf with a defensive build that could match a Bulldog or a Black Abyss. However, it meant that their build would need to be a bit more refined and developed than a Marksman.
In other cases, there were builds that simply didn't work.
For example, an Angel couldn't actually be a Demonologist. They could hypothetically have the classes, though it would be more difficult, but unless they became a Fallen Angel, the Angel's Demon summoning abilities would be greatly reduced. It was possible, but not feasible. An Angel's own racial abilities, as well as the race's paths, would also be reduced or blocked if said player decided to have negative karma to boost their Demonology abilities.
It was a logical back-and-forth. Likewise, while one could have two different classes, unless they balanced them sufficiently, had an especially good build at it, or had exceptionally good skill at handling such a build, it would be catastrophic. It was like Black Abyss, instead of focusing 100% on their Paladin skills, chose mage classes halfway through.
And while Dont was a Shooter, or rather, a firearms user, which wasn't the same as an Archer, though they were close, Neia was certainly someone with the talent to match her.
Not that she was moved by it or anything, but she found it… Exceptionally special~
After all, it was like finding a random gadget that, oddly enough, closely resembled an incredibly valuable relic she had back home. What she found wasn't valuable, but it was so interesting that she'd like to keep it.
Wow… Was that how Black Abyss felt about Gazef Stronoff? No wonder she wanted to recruit him. Sadly, she wasn't successful in that, for one reason or another, but if she could have Neia in her possession, she had an inkling she could accomplish great things~ In terms of the New World, that is.
"Hm… I see… Say, Neia Baraja…" The Demon Queen muttered, reaching into her vest and suddenly pulling out an item… Or well, it was technically a kit, but it was understandable. "Would you be interested in this?"
In front of her, a dark bow, adorned with silver edges like blades, and a golden string, alongside a black quiver with silver decorations as well, with a… Huge amount of arrows of golden stick and dark feathers at the lower edge appeared…
The squire froze, staring in silent shock at the dark bow with a matching quiver… It didn't look exceptionally shiny, but… She could tell it was something beyond the ordinary. Its quality was… Impressive, even if Neia had no experience testing weapons, she could say so with certainty.
"M-Miss Nyx, t-this is…"
"It's called the Whistling Shadow. It's a fine magic item I have among my things~" She smiled slightly, before thinking for a moment. "Hm, though I have better things. Perhaps I should-"
"N-N-Nonono! T-That would be…! A-Ah! M-My apologies! I-I didn't mean to…!" Neia quickly tried to correct herself for the stupidity of interrupting Dont, but Dont chuckled.
"Fine~ If that's enough for you, then take it~ I understand that your desire to be a paladin, though it might very well be just a whim of yours if I may say so, is something important that you've pursued for perhaps years. But I think a talent for a weapon type should be put to good use. Not to make you feel guilty or anything, but not everyone is equally fortunate enough to have a talent for something. It's true that with effort, one could overcome talent barriers, but that's only true if said talented person doesn't put in the effort themselves. Consider it… An exploration of a more unique Paladin route~" She hummed, smiling.
After all, if there was one thing that was obvious in this world, it was that while the rules of Yggdrasil still applied to her, Black Abyss, and the NPCs, and it served as a foundation for the New World, there are things that surpass the Yggdrasil system. Not because they are more powerful, but because they are exclusive, like an extension of the open-ended limitations of reality, not a game.
This was evident from three things she'd already seen. One was Talents. Abilities someone could be born with, which could range from being able to learn magic faster than normal to being able to use any magic item, regardless of their condition. Another was Martial Arts, unique abilities possessed by the warriors of this world, which could even be created from scratch, not following a limited branch of martial arts, as Black Abyss exemplified with the swordsman who survived Katze, that Brain. And third, Wild Magic, but that was another topic.
But a fourth thing they could at least guess at was the existence of unique classes, races not limited to the Yggdrasil system. After all, there were Demihumans the Holy Kingdom had fought against, who were nothing that had ever existed in Yggdrasil. She didn't have all the details, but she was certain that stone-spitting monkeys weren't an eligible race. Likewise, while they had no real way to verify it, Dont at least theorized that acquiring martial arts could be due to a special class that the natives could acquire, as well as explaining how humans could level up without having had specific combat classes. For example, Princess Renner wasn't level 1, even though she'd never practiced magic or picked up a sword in her life. Nor was she level 100; her stats vaguely hovered around level 10, which might not be quite the case, because for a level 100 player, stats below level 20 were pretty much the same, not to mention other levels slightly higher.
Still, once again, this could very well imply that Neia Baraja could very well gain a unique class. An Archer Paladin~ Or something like that.
She couldn't say for sure, but she couldn't say it was impossible either. Naturally, she didn't know Neia's levels. She also wasn't entirely sure if class levels worked exactly like they did in Yggdrasil for the natives, since they didn't come from a game with that.
Therefore, simply letting her develop and seeing what came out of it wasn't a bad idea. On the other hand, considering what was considered 'talented' in this world, Neia might very well need some sort of personalized training not from the Holy Kingdom or from her own sources... Something more advanced and with more knowledgeable people...
"Nyx~" Titania called out to her, almost as if fate had placed her in charge of solving her problem, returning with a bit of dirt that she easily wiped away with one hand, drawing both her and Neia's attention. "Didn't we post the scholarship openings for the military~? I could be a Rear Paladin~" She explained, arriving at Nyx's side. After all, the Deorum Regnum army has greatly improved since its creation, and the term 'Paladin' was introduced for its soldiers, as they were 'Holy Warriors'. And for that, there were also archers, called Rearguard Paladins, although they weren't Paladins per se.
"Ah, right, that existed..." Dont muttered, holding her chin.
"Of course it did... You're so forgetful, and then you say I forget easily~" The white-haired woman exclaimed, amused.
Dont sweated a drop at this, looking to the side, slightly embarrassed.
"Neia, you want to be a Paladin, right? But your talent with the bow can't be dismissed either, based on what I've heard. It's not mandatory for a Paladin to use a sword~" She blurted out, looking at Neia. "For example, I use the halberd better~"
The squire sweated nervously, looking down, more specifically, at the bow the duchess had given her…
"... I-I suppose…" She muttered uneasily… This opportunity was presenting itself to her…
Thus, she stretched out her hand, slowly and carefully taking the bow Lady Nyx held towards her, as she let go, and Neia felt the weight of the weapon, a very light weight despite its metallic nature.
"And this~" Nyx said, giving her the arrows as well, taking them as she took a moment to adjust the object, feeling none of it weighty despite its size.
"T-Thank you so much, L-Lady Nyx… A-And T-Titania…" Neia exclaimed, bowing her head deeply towards the pair.
"After this, if you accept, you can return to Deorum Regnum with us if you wish to begin your studies and training~" Nyx explained with a pleased smile.
"…" Neia opened her mouth, then closed it, unsure of how to respond to that… They were basically offering her the chance to leave her country… Or well, not quite.
Neia had heard of scholars receiving scholarships in other countries or priests receiving invitations to the Theocracy, so it was more of a professional investment for her future… But…
"I-I promise I'll think about it…!" She stammered, tightly clutching the artifact entrusted to her.
"Fabulous~ Miss Kelart~ Will you accompany me to review the formations~? I need your knowledge to devise a good combat strategy with the Demons you know are in the Capital~" Titania exclaimed to the Keeper, who had been standing there this entire moment, listening and watching the conversation.
"... Of course..." The priestess murmured hoarsely, almost trembling with irritation and helplessness.
Neia simply watched Sister Custodio, with a sane mind, or at least not with amnesia, follow the wonderful Paladin without much enthusiasm, but without resistance either...
Then she looked back at the bow in her hands... And smiled slightly, finally excited for her future.
.
.
.