Episode 1

The sailor’s shout didn’t only draw Elia’s attention but also the people below deck. Those who had seen the Bastion didn’t move from their spot, preferring to sit and finish their drink. There was nothing for them to see. But those who hadn’t immediately rushed up the stair. They joined Eila to see the Bastion in all its glory, even if the place itself was still far away.

“So we are finally here….” a female Krieger casually said as she walked up to Elia. She was wearing brown leather armor covering her body and shoulder on top of a blue tunic. Her short pale hair was hidden under her brown leather helmet, but her plump lips and her cerulean eyes were still clear for all to see. For the bottom part, however, she wasn’t wearing any armor. Just tall black leather boots and long black pants. The standard equipment for a Krieger.

“Feeling nervous, Rin?” Elia asked the Krieger.

“A bit,” Rin shrugged her shoulders. “The stories I heard about this place are really mixed. The bad stories almost exclusively came from the soldiers and military staff. In contrast, the good stories mostly came from the merchants and travelers. Definitely no correlation there.”

Elia chuckled at her friend’s remark, “Don’t worry. You will be fine. Most of the danger is beyond the wall. So since you are my bodyguard, leaving the safety of the wall would be the last thing you do.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Well enough about me. How about you?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Are you ready to meet him? I mean… It’s been six years. I know I asked you this before we departed, but I want to ask you again now that we are almost there. Aren’t you worried that he has forgotten you?”

“And my answer stays the same. I don’t. Vox would remember me, considering I don’t really change that much. Besides, he is not the type of guy that breaks promises,” Elia said confidently, betraying her own feeling. Deep down, she agreed with Rin. She was worried that all her efforts to meet him at the Bastion would go to waste. That Vox forgot about her or even married someone else.

But she had to know for sure, or it will haunt her for the rest of her life.

Back at the Capital, Elia couldn’t really ask around about Vox since it would arouse suspicion from her father. Everything she knew about him came from reports that had listed his name. At the very least, she knew Vox was still alive and active on duty at the Bastion, acting as a Wall Guard after 3 years of being a Convoy Guard.

Most of the reports looked normal, except for one—a convoy ambush report where no one except Vox and a girl survived. All other Krieger and merchants were either missing or dead. It was after this event that the Commander in charge of the Bastion moved him to wall duty.

“Alright then. I trust you,” Rin said before sighing, “So how are you planning to find the guy? Don’t tell me you will only rely on the color of his eyes or hair? Or worse, based on your feeling?”

“None of that. In fact, we don’t need to look for Vox.”

“We… don’t?” Rin repeated Elia’s answer, turning her head around to see whether her friend had a loose screw or not.

“Yeah. We don’t have to because I have arranged it so that Vox would be my bodyguard and guide while I’m at the Bastion.”

There was a brief silence

“… So that’s the plan?! Why didn’t you just tell me when I asked you before?!” Rin raised her voice, causing the people around them to instinctively back away while looking at the Krieger. Realizing the attention she drew, she apologized to the people then threw an annoyed glance at her ‘friend’.

“No reason, honestly, “ Elia said with a devilish smirk. “Just thought it would be fun to not tell you earlier,”

Hundreds of curse words crossed Rin’s mind to throw at Elia, but in the end, she only sighed. Old habit dies hard. Even after she became an Overseer, she still liked pranking people, or at least her friend.

“… I hate you so much,” Rin finally said. Elia had to bite her own lips to stop herself from giggling.

The ship eventually ported, and it took Elia all of her self-control to stop herself from just running off. When Rin returned after taking their bag from the cabin, the two left the ship. They walked with the crowd for a bit and saw two Krieger standing near the dock’s beginning. A guy and a girl both were wearing the same outfit as Rin. The girl had short blonde hair and blue eyes, while the guy’s feature was hidden since he was facing away from Elia.

She couldn’t see the guy’s expression, but the girl seemed to smile a lot while talking to him. They looked close. Perhaps, too close. This sight alone caused anxiety in Elia. Because she could already guess who the guy was.

“… Krieger Vox?” Elia asked the male Krieger when she was close enough. The male Krieger turned around and immediately put his hand on his chest, followed by the girl. The man’s face, which had a couple scar, was emotionless and his eyes were half shut. He looked nothing like the Vox Elia knew.

“Madam Overseer,” the man said with a respectful manner. “It is an honor to meet you. In case the information fails to reach you, this is my apprentice, Enara. We will be your bodyguards and guide while you are here.”

Just as she feared, he didn’t remember her. Elia could feel her stomach dropped, the whole world spinning around her. But thankfully, she managed to regain her composure and posture almost instantly.

Three years spent, and when she finally stood before Vox, he treated her like a stranger.

She wanted to tell Vox her identity right there and then. But she couldn’t do it.  Mainly for two reasons. The first one was that the Enara girl would also hear it, and Elia wasn’t sure whether it would be safe or not. She could just accidentally spread the news, and then suddenly, her father sent a whole fleet to pick her up. The second reason, she was just… taken aback by how he didn’t remember her, even though she shouldn’t be surprised. Six years apart, and Elia foolishly thought he would remember her.

The young woman knew it from the beginning; she just refused to believe it.

“At your service, Madam Overseer!” the girl chirped, unaware of the turmoil she caused inside of Eila’s heart.

“Nice to meet you two,” she said calmly. “This is Krieger Rin, my personal bodyguard.”

“Krieger… Rin…” Vox repeated the name while staring blankly at Rin.

“So, where should we start?”

Vox turned his focus from Rin to Elia. For a second, Elia thought he finally realized who she was. That mentioning Rin’s name would remind him of her. Yet he just kept staring at her without saying anything. Perhaps Vox did remember, and he just couldn’t piece it together that she was Elia.

“…Krieger? Krieger Vox!” Elia raised her voice almost to the point of shouting, most likely out of disappointment.

“S-Sorry, Madam Overseer. Apology for the question, but have we met before? You look… familiar.”

“I-I don’t think so,” she answered, secretly relieved that maybe everything wasn’t over yet.

“I see… You look like someone I know. Now, please follow me. We should start on where you are going to be staying.”

They walked through the street filled with shops and bustling with people. The crowd of people was so big that they almost had to push their way through. Thankfully Vox and Enera made enough room for them to move, at least without bumping into other people every second.

“Is it always this busy?” Elia asked.

“No. It used to be less crowded than this. It’s because of the regulation that it become like this,” Vox answered.

“I see…” Elia nodded, making a mental note for later to write down the phenomenon as an unwanted side effect of the regulation.

The two arrived at a small building, which looked grander than the surrounding buildings. Its walls had brand new paint, the windows were shining, and the door had a writing ‘Overseer Office’ made out of wood hanged on it. Vox unlocked the door, and the group walked in.

The inside of the building was surprisingly clean and spacious. There were two bedrooms for Elia and Ri. One bathroom complete with a small tub. And a kitchen, with ingredients already prepared in its cupboards. She didn’t expect to get such luxurious accomodation even if she was the Overseer.

“I hope this lives up to your standard Ma’am! We spent almost a whole day cleaning the house!” Enera blurted out innoncently.

“Really? What was this building used for?” Elia asked, lifting one of her eyebrows.

“Guesthouse, Ma’am. But it has been some time since we have a guest, so it was in a bad state,” Vox explained.

“I see…”

After Elia and Rin dropped their bags in their room, the group left and headed for the famous wall protecting the colony. Its height was supposed to be around 15 adults stacked on top of each other. But when Elia stood right before it, it looked much taller and more intimidating.

The wall had already existed when they arrived. Even the mountain dwellers didn’t know who created the walls or even when they were created. It was made out of an unknown material capable of withstanding even the mages’ most potent spell. So the Council decided to take advantage of them and used them to defend the colony.

When the group reached the top side of the wall, they faced a strong wind current. After a brief tour of the defenses for attacks that never come, Vox turned around to face the Overseer.

“That should cover everything. Is there anything else you want to know?”

“Yes, about your apprentice. Why wasn’t it on the report?”

“I’m sorry, Madam Overseer, but her apprenticeship is not an official one. So the Captain deemed it not essential to mention on the report. But suddenly, just earlier, he told me he changed his mind and told Enara to accompany me on my mission.”

“I see…”

Elia made a mental note to scold the Commander later. Then, he would think twice about omitting such an important fact.

“I will start the inspection tomorrow. The trip on the sea has taken a toll on my Krieger and me, so it would be best for us to rest today. So please come by the house tomorrow morning. I will immediately start the inspection then.”

“As you wish.”

Vox and Enera dropped them off back at the house, saluted, then left.

Elia walked in, immediately run to her room, and jumped to her bed. Then, she rolled around while stuffing her face with a pillow.

“HMPHHHH!” Elia screamed into the pillow with all her lungs. She was furious, sad, and hopeful at the same time. It took all of her willpower to ensure she didn’t explode right in front of Vox’s face.

“Told you he wouldn’t remember,” Rin said while leaning on the doorway.

“Shut up, Rin,” Elia momentarily lifted the pillow to respond to her friend’s remark.

“And what about Enera? She seems very close to Vox.”

“…”

“Ah, sorry. I went a bit too far. Look. If you want, I can ask around about the two for you.”

“They are clearly dating. I can see it in the girl’s smile.”

“But Vox looked really different. Like he had his life sucked out of him. But, look, you never know. Do you want me to ask around or not?”

Rin’s offer was only met in silence. The Krieger sighed and was about to head for her own bedroom when Elia threw her pillow to the side.

“… Fine. I order you to ask around about the relationship between the two. I will be just… waiting here.”

“Understood. Be right back in around an hour then.”

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