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4th of April, the Year 1202
19:43
Laeon Federation, City of Alexandria

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Having arrived in Alexandria a few hours, Cordelia had gone back to ‘Howard’s Home’ with Chloe and met up with her escorts again. They welcomed her back, not asking her about the exam at all. It was as if nothing had happened but it was just their etiquette as servants and soldiers. Never try to pry your way into your master’s affairs.

      The only one who Cordelia remotely opened up to was Kuro who had provided her with a much-needed bath. The journey back to Alexandria wasn’t pleasant by all means and the last time she had a proper rinse was before the written exam. She felt a shiver up her spine when she remembered those predatory gazes.

      “How was it, Young Miss?”

Kuro brewed some chamomile tea as she inquired about her mistress’ past few days. Cordelia didn’t reply for a minute or so, allowing for Kuro to finish and present her with the cup balanced on the saucer. Accepting it gratefully, she washed her parched throat with the warm and sweet liquid, feeling her muscles relax. 

      “Thank you. It was quite… for a lack of a better word, exciting.”

“Exciting?”

There were more than a few moments that had Cordelia’s blood running, especially in battles. For some reason, she could never get used to the exhilaration of fighting, no matter how much she clashed swords with another. It was like a drug to her. Her bloodlust episodes weren’t that rare either and had been witnessed by Kuro, Walker and Shiro, now including those three examinees from the Alemann Republic.

      “There are many interesting people.”

When she had finished the practical exam, she sensed at least a dozen people near or equal to her level of strength. They had that air about them that couldn’t hide from her Identify skill. She didn’t push too far with it though in case they sensed her intrusion of privacy, but it wasn’t like there weren’t people checking her stats out either… well, trying to.

      In a battle, information is important. That was why she had extensive knowledge of Divination spells. To be specific, she had Divination Counter and Utility spells to block enemies from scouting out her information. Spells like False Data was a revolutionary breakthrough which could interact with one’s status and change the stats that an outsider could view. 

      She had tried to use Identify on Soleil and his party but a few of them resisted her attempts, such as Soleil and Axel. Magical and demonic beasts could be identified but only their health, mana and stamina could be seen. It was based on these stats that they were placed in tiers.

      Cordelia then talked about the new people she met such as Soleil and Axel or the three examinees from Alemann. She kept silent about Hideyoshi Ichika, convincing herself that the girl was too odd to even be mentioned.

“The Young Master’s decision was correct after all.”

Walker was the one who prompted Cordelia to attend Cheiss Academy. 

“How is Brother doing?”

She hadn’t seen her older brother in days. In the past, the most they had been separated was around a month and even then, she reunited with him because the emptiness in her chest was getting too unbearable. 

“The Young Master is doing fine. You can contact him using the academy’s private Divination network, Young Miss.”

      Kuro’s words made Cordelia realise that she wouldn’t be seeing her brother for 6 years. 6 entire years. Including the leap years, that would be 72 months or 2192 days. Talking to someone from behind a screen wasn’t the same as seeing them face to face. The momentary desolation that had been layered on her face almost forced Kuro to tell the truth that the Young Master was attending the academy as well. Or that he had pushed everything aside so he could protect his little sister, even when she was safe in the confines of Cheiss Academy.

      Cordelia was silent, staring at the teacup in her hand. Emotion transformed into resolve and determination, not allowing even her sibling affection to get in the way of her vengeance. She would survive. Even if she didn’t get to see her brother face to face for 6 years, she would survive. Kuro sighed in relaxation, thankful towards the heavens that her mistress didn’t enter a bout of depression.

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5th of April, the Year 1202
7:58
Laeon Federation, City of Alexandria

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“I didn’t use it much during the exam because it’s very intensive on the weapon but I thought I would’ve levelled it up by now…”

Cordelia had woken up early in the morning to train in the back, having already bought a replacement katana. It was of lower quality than her previous weapon, as expected, but for now, it would do.

      Her original skill still hadn’t levelled up, something that she found strange. Even when she obtained Identify, a skill which was universally recognised to level up slowly, went up to level 2 in 5 days. It’s only the first few levels that this happens but once one gets to level 5, it becomes a tiring slog.

      Is this the result of it being an original skill? I didn’t think much of it before but I need to research more on this. To not even know the properties of one’s skill would be disadvantageous.

“Lass, a group of kids are lookin’ for ya.”

The door to the backyard opened as the owner of the inn stepped out, his potbelly swaying. 

“Thank you, innkeeper.”

She sheathed her sword and bowed to him, studying his features once more. 

      It wasn’t the same man that she had met on her first day here. It wasn’t ‘Gregory’. She didn’t ask why they had changed but having observed the changes in the city before the practical exam, Cordelia could say with confidence that ‘Gregory’ was an instructor. The number of examinees she had seen had plummeted before the ‘exam’ even began, so that meant somehow, people were being eliminated. 

      Looking at Eldrich who was already waving her over to his table, she washed away those thoughts. The past was the past and there was no point on ruminating about irrelevant subjects. 

“Big Sister!”

Eldrich and his friends had already gone up to her room to fetch them, only to find that Cordelia was absent, training outside. Instead, he waited for her to finish while talking to Chloe in the restaurant, passing time until Cordelia arrived.

      Catching the petite blonde who had leapt at her, she reprimanded the girl for her dangerous behaviour.

“Don’t run around so much. You’ll disturb other patrons.”

Patting Chloe’s head, Cordelia nodded to the three in acknowledgement and sat down with her ‘sister’ bumbling around in happiness.

“Good morning, Eldrich, Mareike, Abelard. Did you want something today?”

Having planned to train all day to level up her Flicker Sword Arts, she was reluctant to change her schedule. Many people had arrived at the summit before her, motivating Cordelia to become even stronger. If she couldn’t conquer this stage, how could she avenge her parents?

      “Do we need something to see you? We just wanted to be with ya for today!”

Eldrich grinned cheekily, waiting for her reaction. He predicted 2 things. One, she would stare at them with a blank face for about a minute before walking away. Two, she frowns and says something like ‘how silly’. Three, she leaves straight away.

      “Oh.”

Visibly startled, she hummed before ordering food for the entire table. Completely out of my expectations… This was the collective thought for the group. Too shocked to speak a syllable, an awkward quietness settled on the table, only shattered by Mareike’s and Chloe’s animated conversation. 

      Cordelia sipped on a cup of water she ordered, making a slight moue of annoyance at her sweaty appearance. Her vision was then filled with an extended hand holding a cloth which originated from Abelard. She blinked.

“Thank you.”

Not even asking if it was used, she took the cloth and wiped her face down, feeling the homely air of the inn fan her skin.

      Blushing, Abelard glared at Eldrich and Mareike who snickered at his embarrassment. The group of five had a wholesome breakfast, laughing without a care in the world as Cordelia was soaked in the sunny mood. Feeling something warm bloom in her chest, she placed a hand over her bosom. 

      What is this feeling? Something she had only felt a long time ago, where Cordelia Auster was not the heartless doll she was no… a time which she had cast away since that day, leaving only a husk of her former self. But she couldn’t recognise this feeling as it had been locked away in the deepest crevices of her mind. 

“Heeey, what are you doing Cordelia? Come on, we need to buy some stuff for the academy!”

      Eldrich, Mareike, Abelard and Chloe looked behind them, waving Cordelia over who had stopped to stand in the middle of the street. Around her, citizens and foreigners passed by, a whole story behind their gait, appearance and steps. But what did that matter to her when she killed those men and women? Did she think about the family that they had? Friends? Bonds? No. 

      So why am I so fixated on those days all of the sudden… when I’ve been running away for so many years? 

“Sorry, I was thinking about something.”

She caught up to them, still trapped in her vortex of conflicting thoughts.

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vaexis

There are a few things that I've neglected about the story, especially skills. One perfect example would be the Identify skill which I've elaborated in this chapter. It's a very important and useful skill and I have no idea why I forgot about it, not to mention its basically a staple of litrpg stories. Anyways, I'm going to try and expand on these aspects as the story goes on so please tell me if I've forgotten anything significant. I'm still gaining experience in writing stories so criticism would be appreciated, as long as it isn't brash and offensive. 

      Have a nice day.