Everyone Knows Of Valkyrie's Wrath

The guard nods, allowing them to pass. Mizuki narrows her eyes at Hinata's words, wondering why he had to use an alias.

"What, was I not supposed to use my real name either?" she grabs his sleeve, whispering into his ear. She peeks backwards towards the entrance. "What are you planning?"

"Nothing," Hinata states bluntly.

"Is that really your name?" Mizuki bombards him with further questions, eyes darting around as guards stand watch at each entrance of the castle. The ceiling is high and the walls are spaced apart, any little noise gets echoed off the walls. Hinata stops her in her tracks, keeping a tight grip onto her shoulder.

"It's my father's given name to me. My mother is from Sigma and she wanted me to have a Sigmane name for her family's honour. Easy enough? Now, I have some important work to do around the castle. I'll be meeting you by the fountain when you're done, yes?" Hinata explains in the lowest voice he can.

Mizuki's heart skips a beat, turning her head towards him. 'How is it that he's always hiding new things from me every day?'

"Okay," she exhales, flicking his hand away from her. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Oh, do I ever, Snowball?"

Mizuki turns away. Her daggers are tucked under a pocket of fabric in her dress where the guards wouldn't be able to catch notice of them. She rests her hands gently, non-suspiciously, over the area as she side-eyes the guards, the heels of her boots clicking loudly and rhythmically as she passes.

The air in the castle is still, almost like it's sucked out of all life. Something about the hollowness makes Mizuki wince, it's out of place. There should've been magic, stories, hopefulness like they show in the books. It's only after she's roaming the interiors of the castle walls that she realises how lifeless it is. The blue wisp arrow guiding her stops at a wooden door labelled "Scholar's Lounge". Mizuki pushes it open, glancing around cautiously before taking a step in properly.

There's not many people in the room. It's silent, as any library should be, only the sound of pages being flipped and the occasional buzzing from the ceiling lights.

Mizuki glances around, trying to find the librarian, eyes then falling on a lady silently seated in front of a bookshelf away from the tables. She has one leg crossed over the other, hair tied into a ponytail that falls only at her neckline. She pushes up her glasses, lips pursed in a judgemental manner.

Mizuki approaches her cautiously.

[Side Quest: Never Talk to Strangers - Inquire About Valkyrie]

"I've never seen you around here before," the librarian mentions in a stable, monotone voice before she raises her gaze. She arches an eyebrow, expecting an introduction.

"Hirashi Mizuki, I've never visited the library before," she introduces, bowing out of habit. The librarian stands, bowing in response.

"Adelia Williams," she introduces. She wears a long, forestry green dress that reaches her calves, black slacks that cover the rest of her legs. It has a collared hemline, giving the dress a touch of formality to it. Her glasses are rounded and thin, ones that make her gaze look even sharper than it would be without. "I've been serving this library for 30 years," Adelia smiles politely, earning an expression of shock from Mizuki.

"Ah?" she exclaims in a hushed tone, appalled at the way she can look so youthful at her age. She has to be at least fifty, but there's barely any wrinkles on her face.

"Do you have any concerns?" she questions, once again reminding Mizuki of her initial intention of coming to her. She nods.

"I have something to ask... about a... Valkyrie?"

Adelia's face pales. "Let's go somewhere to sit. I'll bring out a couple of books. This is going to take a while for you to understand."

Mizuki somewhat understands the reaction. After all, she got a bad feeling about Valkyrie even before being revealed to her true form. She could imagine the horror of anyone who has been knowledgeable about her true capabilities from the very beginning.

Mizuki helps herself into a seat at an unoccupied table, sliding forward whilst resting her cheek against her elbow. Her gaze follows Adelia as she expertly navigates the ginormous library, climbing onto the ladders and perfectly picking out the books she needs.

"Did you have an encounter with Valkyrie?" she asks, letting out a breath. Mizuki nods. She raises her bandaged arms, undoing them. The glowing purple in her arms have almost vanished and she can walk without feeling a pain in her gut every now and then. Sitting down's still a pain, especially with the corset constricting her breathing.

Scars are left etched on her skin, not that they bother her much by appearance (in fact, she thinks they're kind of cool). They serve as a deep-rooted reminder of the incident and many others, all the fighting and ruthlessness she has experienced since joining the world.

Adelia looks up to Mizuki for permission to touch the scars, which Mizuki grants. Adelia runs her fingers gently along Mizuki's joints, pressing lightly on growing spots. She pushes her chair forward, flipping her book open.

"I'm not a physiologist but I've studied the effects of dark magic for a large part of my life and know a lot about the physical effects," Adelia starts, sliding the book towards Mizuki for her to reference. "I am a mage but even I would not dare to go against Valkyrie or her sisters."

Mizuki analyses the sketches of Valkyrie and they look exactly like the person she remembers seeing. Valkyrie's sisters look much scarier than her, one even having wings of knives. Valkyrie, Pandora, Lilith, Lamia and Hecate: The Five Sisters of Chaos. They're said to be the most powerful, most destructive enemies for an adventurer to come across. According to claims, anyone who is inflicted by their dark magic doesn't emerge alive.

Mizuki feels a bead of cold sweat trickle down her forehead. "What does this mean?" Mizuki splutters.

"Valkyrie must've had great mercy on you for you to be alive right now. Even as the youngest sister, her magic can take a great toll on an average traveler's health," Adelia ponders, quite shaken by Mizuki's shaken herself. "Are you trained, perhaps? A Knight maybe?"

"I was a Peasant when I fought her, ma'am."