"You've got about five seconds to explain what the hell you're doing," a sharp female voice snapped behind me. "And I'd think twice about lying."
I muttered a few choice curses about my luck under my breath and, more out of surprise than strategy, took a step forward. Fortunately, the woman wasn't the trigger-happy type and let that little "misstep" slide, still waiting — quite patiently, actually — for my response.
"Easy there, kid," I said, mostly to Rimuru, hoping he wouldn't jump in and turn a bad situation into a disaster.
"Ahem." I cleared my throat, not wanting to test the stranger's patience further. "I'm a monster hunter. Been staying in Springvale for a little while now. I was out here on a job clearing out hilichurls, when I stumbled across some corpses. Thought it might be the missing hunting party, so I dragged the bodies closer to the path. Planned to head back to the village and see if anyone there could help identify them."
That was the official story, anyway. I might've left out a few messy details — like the ones that got me caught red-handed in the first place.
"And you couldn't ID them yourself?" she asked, tone dripping with sarcasm as the blade — or was it a spear? — dug a little deeper into my back.
"I'm not a local," I said carefully, nodding toward the stacked bodies. "I've only been in Springvale for about a week. Never seen these guys before. Or if I did, I didn't remember them."
"Hm. Fair enough. Your story does hold together," she replied, still keeping that cold, even tone. "Buuut… there's one tiny little problem." Her voice shifted — amusement creeping in like a cat toying with its prey. "For someone who's supposedly hunting monsters, you don't seem all that… geared up. Don't you think that's a little suspicious?"
Right. Nuclear physics had a term for this moment: oops.
So much for keeping a low profile. I'd planned to keep my abilities under wraps a bit longer, but the universe had other plans.
"My gear's with me at all times," I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "And if you'll allow me, I can show you."
I could practically feel her curiosity pressing in now as much as the weapon at my back. With practiced ease, I summoned my spear from the inventory — its weight settling into my hand like it belonged there.
"…Weird," she muttered, clearly intrigued. "I don't sense any elemental energy coming off you. Nothing like what I'd expect from someone with a Vision. So… who exactly are you?"
A fair question. Predictable, really.
"Let's just say I'm a slightly unusual traveler," I offered, keeping my tone light, maybe even a little disarming — hoping she wouldn't dig too deeply into things best left buried.
The last thing I needed was extra attention. And someone with powers that don't fit the local mold? That sort of thing spreads fast. Once word gets out, there's no putting it back in the bottle.
The only question is: how much longer can I walk around as just another nameless adventurer before I become front-page news?
Seriously, what is it about me that screams, "Please complicate my life today"?
"Slightly unusual, huh?" the woman echoed, mimicking my words with a trace of mockery. Slowly — too slowly, in fact — she lowered her weapon from my back, which honestly caught me off guard. You don't expect someone to back off right after you feed them something that ambiguous.
"Turn around. Hands where I can see them. No sudden moves." She made her terms very clear.
Not eager to test her patience, I complied. As I dismissed the spear back into my inventory, I made a point of keeping my movements calm and deliberate — no need to spook someone already holding a weapon. Then, pivoting on my heels, I finally faced the woman I'd been having this charming little conversation with.
"Last question," she said, just as I caught my first glimpse of her face — striking features, sharp gaze — and the blade that was now hovering right in front of my eyes. It was a sword, as it turned out.
"Did you kill those people?"
"No." I met her stare directly and answered without hesitation. Honest, blunt, and with the kind of clarity you only get when your life might be on the line.
One beat. Then another. Nothing happened — until the sword slowly began to retreat, deliberately, almost ceremoniously, before vanishing in a flash back into the scabbard at her hip. I barely even saw it move — just a blur of steel.
Something told me that flourish wasn't just for show. It was a warning, sure — but also a signal. I was suspicious, maybe even dangerous… but not kill-on-sight dangerous. Not yet, anyway.
Lucky again, huh, Mark? What's that now, the third time today?
The pause that followed finally gave me a chance to take in her full appearance. And to my surprise… she wasn't exactly a stranger.
Blue hair, medium-length, streaked with pale silver and tied at the crown with a simple headband. Her eyes were a curious blend — violet shading into gold near the iris, glowing faintly in the forest light. She wore a black-and-white uniform that made me mentally roll my eyes skyward and curse whatever fanservice-loving designer thought this was battle-ready attire.
But there was no mistaking her. Standing before me, very much in the flesh, was none other than Eula Lawrence.
Eula Lawrence
Lv. 102
Funny thing — last time I booted up this Chinese online casino masquerading as an open-world RPG was over two years ago. I'd forgotten a lot since then.
But not her. No, the image of this ice-cold, tsundere Sasuke-in-disguise had burned itself into my memory.
"As Captain of the Knights of Favonius, I — Eula Lawrence — offer my sincerest apologies… and my gratitude." She stumbled slightly, the well-rehearsed line faltering for a brief second before she caught herself. Then she slipped right back into her usual composed, aristocratic air, raising one perfectly sculpted eyebrow in silent expectation.
"Mark," I said, finally catching on after a few awkward beats of eye contact.
Big thanks to Rimuru for the discreet jab in the ribs — how long had he been trying to get my attention?
"…Then allow me to thank you properly, Traveler Mark."
The way she said it carried a trace of amusement, like she was enjoying herself just a little too much.
"I hope it wouldn't trouble you to accompany me back to Springvale — so we can sort out the misunderstanding between us."
"Not at all," I replied.
The walk back to Springvale turned out to be… well, interesting.
For starters, Eula was surprisingly closed-off. The moment she'd wrung every last drop of useful information out of me, it was like her interest just evaporated. At least, that's how it looked. But the newly acquired "intuition" skill in my mental HUD whispered otherwise. She hadn't stopped paying attention — far from it. She just preferred to observe in silence rather than engage in chit-chat, which, honestly, was more effective for someone in her position.
As a Knight of Favonius, Eula was probably expected to follow a bunch of formal etiquette rules. But right now, she wasn't acting like a knight. She was acting like someone keeping a close eye on a stranger who might be trouble.
Weirdly enough… I respected that.
She wasn't putting on a friendly, sugary-sweet front like so many of her fellow knights, whose forced smiles and rehearsed politeness made my inner cynic itch far more than open hostility ever could. I've learned the hard way — those overly pleasant types usually bring the worst kind of problems. Bitter truth, served cold by personal experience.
Still, even with her carefully cultivated mask of detachment, I managed to get a few things out of her.
I suspect it wasn't just due to my persistent curiosity. Maybe a part of her — the part she tries hard not to show — was genuinely intrigued by the oddball "traveler" walking beside her. Even if she'd never admit it out loud.
Sure, I remembered bits and pieces of Eula Lawrence's backstory from her in-game lore — frozen text blurbs I'd read years ago. But I didn't want to rely on that. Something about it felt… wrong. Like cheating on a test you hadn't studied for.
It made my teeth clench with frustration. Not because I was doing anything objectively bad, but because the whole thing felt disingenuous.
Digging a little deeper, I figured out why it bothered me so much — and even found a way to make peace with it.
The Eula from the character sheet? She belonged to that other world — the game world. The one I'd left behind.
But this Eula? The one walking beside me now, breathing, thinking, judging me with those sharp violet-gold eyes? She was something else. Someone real, in her own way.
And I wanted to get to know that version of her. Not the cardboard cutout from someone else's lore dump.
I wanted to form my own opinion. Based on my own experiences.
Not just with Eula, but with everything in this world.
Because that's how it should be.