“Even if you say so... you haven’t introduced your na in this world. So I don’t know... or should I just call you Helen?”
She tilted her head playfully. “Hmm? Don’t you have an Appraisal skill too?”
I blinked. “Is it okay to use that on you?”
“Why not?” she said with a small shrug. “I’ve got nothing to hide. In my previous life, everything in war ca down to power—technology, strategy, and the commander’s ability to lead. In this world, if soone can see my skills through Appraisal, that’s fine. I don’t mind. It’s not like knowing would help them beat anyway.”
She really did speak with that sa carefree confidence as before... but there was pride in her voice too. Earned pride.
“O-Okay. But don’t worry, my Appraisal skill’s still low, so I probably won’t see much.”
Still, I activated it.
⟦ STATUS WINDOW ⟧
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Na: Selena Calytrix
Age: 397
Race: Half-Elf
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⟬ Essence ⟭
Vitality: 88710
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
⟬ Attributes ⟭
Strength: 77704
Agility: 95582
Dexterity: 91287
Status Points: 1161800
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
⟬ Elent Affinity ⟭
Light, Fire, Heavenfire
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
*You need the target’s consent to manipulate the target's status.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
“...Fuck.”
The word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.
“Huh?” She looked at , a brow raised. “What’s up?”
“N-No, nothing,” I stamred. “I was just... surprised. You’re really strong. Um—Selena?”
She chuckled, brushing so of her hair behind her ear. There was no arrogance in it—just quiet confirmation.
But I couldn’t stop staring at the numbers.
She was strong. Probably stronger than Sister Karin…
No, Selena felt stronger. More complete. More solid. She didn’t just have high numbers—she carried presence. And what the hell with those status points!?
I swallowed hard.
How small do I look next to soone like her?
If she, soone this strong, was still coughing blood... what chance do I have?
I shook the thought off. Comparing myself now was useless. But it lit a small fla inside —a whisper of determination, buried under everything else.
She tilted her head. “So? Did I pass the test?”
I blinked. “Huh? Oh—y-yeah. Definitely. You passed like... ten tis over.”
She chuckled lightly.
I noticed sothing else in her status window. “...Your last na’s Calytrix in this world too?”
She gave a soft laugh. “Ah... no. That’s just sothing I added. My real na here is just Selena. But... I loved my family in my past life. So, I decided to carry that na with .”
I nodded slowly.
Calytrix.
A na she cherished enough to carry into another world. Not like my last na, ‘Sentosa’—plain, ordinary, and mainstream in my past world. Still, it made smile. If mine were as cool, I’d probably bring it with too.
“So,” she continued, “may I call you Freed?”
“Un. Sure.”
“Then, Freed... would you mind telling how you ended up a slave?” she asked gently. “It’s okay if you’d rather not. I understand.”
“No, it’s alright,” I said, lowering my gaze.
I took a breath. The mories ca slower this ti—but heavier. Like stepping into water that only got deeper the further I went.
“It started a little over two years ago…”
I glanced at the wooden floor, then at my hands, quietly curling and uncurling.
A faint, fleeting smile crossed my lips.
“I was in town with my sisters—Celestia and Daisy. They were both newly registered adventurers… We lived there peacefully.”
I let the smile fade.
“Then... the stampede happened.”
Selena’s eyes flickered, recognizing the word.
“A monster stampede. Massive. Out of nowhere. It all happened so fast.”
“My sisters didn’t run. They volunteered to help defend the town.”
“They were just supports—backup healers and supply runners—but they were brave. I... I wasn’t. I followed their orders and rode ho to the village to tell our parents what was happening.”
I paused, my throat tightening.
“I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“But when I got back... the village was already burning.”
My fists clenched.
“Dead bodies scattered. Smoke filled the air. I saw people being dragged out of their hos, kids screaming...”
I swallowed hard.
“And then I saw them—my parents.”
“They were fighting. They were bleeding, bruised... but still standing.”
“I was… arrogant.” Tears stung the edge of my eyes, but I kept speaking.
“I tried to help—I really did. I rode straight at the bandits who were about to ambush them. Knocked them down with the horse. I thought I could do sothing… And I did it. We were running away with my horse. But…”
I shook my head.
“The bandits caught up. They surrounded us. And eventually…”
I hesitated, the sight of my parents’ last breath lingering in my mind.
“...My parents stood between and the blades.”
“They both died... protecting .”
I let the silence fall.
My voice cracked as I whispered, “I should’ve died with them.”
Her hand slowly reached across the space between us, hovering, unsure—then stopped short, fingers curling into her palm.
Selena didn’t speak.
She didn’t need to.
The look in her eyes said more than any words could.
“They tied up. Threw onto a wagon. And... I thought that was it. I thought I’d lost everything.”
“But then... they ca.”
Selena leaned forward slightly, listening.
“My sisters.”
My voice broke at the na.
“They found . Sohow, they tracked the bandits back. They were injured—badly. Their clothes were torn, soaked in blood. They were shaking... but they were still standing.”
“They didn’t hesitate.”
“They ran straight into the burning village full of bandits without a second thought.”
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I kept going.
“They knew they couldn’t win. They were outnumbered. Surrounded.”
“But they fought.”
“They fought with everything they had. Even as they bled, even when their knees buckled, even when the bandits laughed at how weak they were... they didn’t stop.”
I gripped my knees, nails digging into my palms.
“And then... I watched them die.”
The final monts played in my mind like a cursed dream I could never wake from.
“Celestia was blasted apart by the bandits’ aura. Daisy slashed by the bandits from her back. They scread so loud it still echoes in my head.”
“They fell right in front of .”
“And I couldn’t do anything.”
Silence stretched across the room.
I stared blankly ahead.
“Every night since then... I’ve seen their faces. The way they smiled before it happened. The way they looked when it ended.”
“I can’t forget it.”
I drew a long, trembling breath, voice reduced to a whisper.
“I lost everyone... right in front of .”
When I finished, the room felt heavy.
I didn’t expect comfort. I didn’t expect her to understand. But the silence she gave ... wasn’t empty. It was understanding.
“I see...” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I said, forcing a small smile. “If anything, I’m grateful you saved . I thought I was going to die and finally follow them... so, thank you.”
I bowed slightly.
She quickly waved her hands, flustered. “No, no... it was just a coincidence I happened to be there.”
“Even so... it doesn’t change the fact that you saved .”
“Haa... fine, you win.” She sighed and leaned back, eyes softening. “So, what now? Your village is gone, isn’t it?”
I stared at the ceiling for a mont, its smooth wooden planks now feeling distant again.
My village was destroyed. My family was gone. And I—
I don’t have sothing to call ho anymore.
“Originally... I wanted to beco an adventurer.”
“Wanted?”
“Yeah. My parents were both forr adventurers. My sisters were following the sa path. I wanted to be like them... But after being enslaved, I lost sight of that. I’m not sure I can go back to that dream anymore. But…”
I sat up straighter and looked her in the eyes.
“I think... I want revenge. On the ones who took them from .”
“Revenge?”
“Haha... childish, right?”
I laughed lightly, ruffling my hair, but it was hollow. The truth is... I hadn’t thought it through at all.
But she didn’t scoff or scold .
She shook her head.
“No. It’s not childish. It’s normal to want justice for those you loved.”
“...Really?”
She nodded with a faint smile. “I’ve freed many slaves. So wanted a new life. Others wanted vengeance. I don’t think either is wrong.”
“You’ve... saved others too?”
“Mm.” She chuckled quietly. “I was a slave once too. Saved by a traveler—a human woman. She had no grand mission, just a kind heart. She took in, trained , and we traveled together, freeing others wherever we could.”
Slave...
Even though it must’ve been a heavy chapter in her life, she spoke of it lightly—almost like she was telling soone else’s story.
But I could tell... her heart wasn’t on her ti in chains. It lingered on the woman who had saved her.
“But... she was human. Eventually, ti caught up to her.”
She paused, her eyes growing distant.
“When she died... I took up her dream.”
*Cough* *Cough*
Her hand flew to her mouth again.
Crimson flecks dotted her palm.
I leaned forward, alard. “A-Are you okay? Are you sick?”
She waved off, reaching for a glass of water and taking a slow sip.
“Haa... don’t worry. It’s just my age. You know I’m old, right?”
I frowned, not convinced.
【Half-true. Half-elves have an average lifespan of 300 to 750 years. Their physical aging is roughly five tis slower than that of humans.】
【However, while 397 years for a half-elf is quite old, coughing blood is not a natural part of their aging process.】
So... she was hiding sothing.
But she didn’t owe the truth.
I sighed. “Haa... If I didn’t know your age, I’d honestly think you were still in your twenties. You don’t look a day older.”
I joked to lighten the mood. Well, not really a joke. I wasn’t just saying that—I ant it.
“Oh my, what a flattering young man.” She giggled. “Did you practice those lines in your past life?”
I shrugged. “Just speaking the truth.”
Her eyes sparkled. Her skin was flawless. Her body was youthful. With an abundance of silver hair, anyone might mistake her for a woman in her twenties.
Well, elves always look young, at least that’s what the comics in my past life showed. As for the half-elves… Sis Karin looked young too, so they must be similar.
But, she gave an unexpected reply instead.
She tilted her head, a teasing glint in her eyes. “Thank you. I was a princess, rember? I do try to maintain my appearance. I’m glad it’s working. That ans the magic I developed is doing its job.”
“You made magic? Yourself?”
“Mm-hmm~” she nodded proudly. “I spend my free ti developing magic. Sotis magic tools too. My old world didn’t have any magic, so I’ve been making the most of this one.”
“That’s so cool! I get it though—when I realized this world had magic, I was so excited. I wanted to be an adventurer, travel, and eventually... maybe even recreate so of my old world’s tech with magic. You know, make tools and stuff. Live a quiet life when I’m old.”
I paused.
My voice grew quiet.
“But now... I don’t know anymore. Not after losing everything.”
I felt like I lost all the ambition I had ever since that day.
She didn’t say anything at first.
Just smiled.
A warm, quiet smile that made the silence feel... less lonely.
*Cough* *Cough*
And once again... red blood across her palm.
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