Chapter 22

True to her word, Annabelle took me to a lounge-looking room with a bunch of people in it. Even though it was already nighttime, they were partying it up in there. I even saw glimpses of board games, cards, and other stuff that one usually wouldn't see in a world set in medieval times.

Unsurprisingly, I was unable to recognize a single one of them, because everyone had different faces. I'd expected that, since Annabelle looked completely different. The atmosphere, however, did contain just a slight tinge of nostalgia. With everyone sitting around, talking about nothing in particular or playing games for the sake of playing them, it was almost like I'd made it back to my homeroom classroom during lunch break.

In fact, they seemed so normal that I had a hard time believing that these were the people who were going to take on entire armies with just a group of 70.

I turned to Annabelle. "I'm not exactly sure what seeing this is supposed to do for me here..."

"Well, perhaps nothing yet." She said with a smile. "But if you stick around for morning practice tomorrow, you'll know what I mean. They might all look like just normal kids right now, but seeing them in action is a little terrifying, actually."

"You talk as if you're not part of the group." I noticed.

"I'm not. Even though I came from the same world as they, I have no combat ability. I'm just a little more than a maid, if nothing else." Her turquoise eyes gazed at something far away. Was she disappointed that she was left out, I wonder?

I decided I should change the subject. "Your eyes and hair seem uncommon for the people of this world. Does that have to do with anything?"

I knew it sounded a bit weird coming from someone who literally has green-silver hair, but I was genuinely curious. There wasn't anyone with blonde hair in this world. I expect elves to, but their hair was either full white or full black, with no in-between. As for humans, I've seen pretty much hair of every shade of the rainbow and more, just nothing near golden or blonde. Apparently in this world hair color didn't depend entirely on genes, but on one's Affinity, too. The top mage families (that's what I'm referring to them as) all had really vibrant shades of hair color, from what I've heard.

"My hair?" Annabelle took a look at her own hair. "Oh, I guess it wasn't always like this. It just changed along the way, I guess. It's happened to a couple of us. I think I used to have just the normal brown hair and eyes that you'd expect from an unassuming maid."

"You're really stuck on the maid thing, aren't you?"

It was strange. The Annabelle that I knew was timid, sure, but she was not afraid to talk herself up when needed to, especially around friends. Hearing her call herself an "unassuming maid" and look all far away like that was strange to see.

Well, it had been quite a while and a whole jump between worlds since I'd seen her, who knows what happened during that time?

"It's the only job I'll have around here. That's probably why."

I'm pretty sure I almost gave her a weird look. That level of self-doubt was definitely not something I'd expect from Annabelle.

"You shouldn't treat it as if it's such a bad thing." I said. "Zeik wouldn't like to see his girlfriend all depressed just because she'd rolled a bad set of dice, you know?"

I realized I was talking like I knew him personally, and that was totally going to blow my cover. "Well, from what I've been told about him, anyway." I added.

"Then, you're saying I should be thankful?" Her voice had a tinge of anger behind it. She'd probably been told something similar before. I decided that I needed to choose my next words very carefully.

"Not that either." I shook my head. "If that's all you can think of yourself as, that's all you'll be. So you're not exactly wrong. A maid isn't the worst thing to be, but I'm sure you feel left behind if the others are as amazing as you describe."

I paused for a second. I didn't want to come off as too harsh.

"I guess what I'm saying is that you'll be stuck in the position of a maid if you are stuck in the mindset of one. What you might lack in talent compared to the others, you'll just have to make up for in hard work. That's how the turtle beat the hare, was it not?"

Another small mistake on my end, referencing a children's tale that probably didn't exist in this world. I was dropping too many hints, and there wasn't really a way to fix it. All I could do was hope that she wouldn't catch on.

Annabelle stood there, looking downwards. I think I was a bit too harsh still, but there wasn't anything I could do about it anymore.

With that subject spent, I looked around the room to find something else to talk about.

"Say, you said that there were over 60 of you guys, right?"

"y-yes. We've been split into two groups. I'm with this support group, we're more or less just backup for the others." Annabelle was a little flustered, but it seemed like I was successful in changing the subject.

"So where is the main group, if the support is here?"

Annabelle glanced around nervously before scooting closer and whispering.

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone this, but you seem trustworthy."

"Sounds like something I really don't want to get involved in, but go on."

"The main group was sent to the Elven Islands to take their supplies and knowledge as preparation for a war against Demons."

My breath caught halfway in my throat.

She said "Elven Islands."

If I read the maps correctly, that would have been directly East from the Human Empire, which is exactly where I came from. If they were attacking there, that means...

I took a small step back, panicking. I wasn't sure why I was panicking. Did I, of all people, have an attachment to that little town back there?

A hand over my heart, that signaled a promise.

That's right. I had promised to return. How was I supposed to keep that if there isn't anything to return to?

I felt tempted to just leap out the window and fly East as fast as I could, but I held myself back. I had to act rationally.

"You said to 'take their supplies and knowledge,' did you?" I asked, to make sure. "Does that mean they're there to negotiate a treaty of sorts and cooperate?"

"No." Annabelle shook her head. "I was told they were to attack with the element of surprise, and to leave no-one."

Only 30 or so people, wiping out an entire race? Anybody would find that doubtful. But for some reason, I couldn't get the possibility that they just might do it out of my head. I wasn't surprised that an Emperor would pull something like this, especially in a world where magic or something else of the like was existent, but for my old schoolmates to go along with it? I couldn't see that happening at all. As edgy as he acted, I knew that Zeik would never hurt a fly.

But that was about all that I knew, I realized.

The issue with being one of the social outcasts and introverts is that you really only get to know a couple of people. I was great friends with Zeik and Annabelle, but I hardly knew anyone else at the school, and I didn't dare try and assume that they were all alike.

I turned towards the door, and took a deep breath before taking a step into the hallway.

"Are you... alright?" Annabelle asked, worried.

"I'm perfectly fine." I didn't dare turn towards her. At that moment, the expression on my face was nothing I wanted to show someone else. I was the most frustrated I'd been for a long time.

Just how the hell was I supposed to work around this one?