Layla clung to the pillow and rolled around under the blanket, mumbling something in her sleep.
"A little more... I'm tired..." She groaned quietly, and then she opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling in confusion.
The sun was lighting up the room through the window, almost blinding her.
She rubbed her eyes and sat up on the bed, looking around curiously. "Is this a bed? It's comfy... But where am I?" She raised the blanket, looking at her bandaged body.
"Why am I bandaged...? I don't remember anything..." He then touched her cheek, tracing over the bandages on her face and ripping them off.
"I don't feel any pain at all... those bandages are just itching..." She stretched her back and arms.
The door opened and Alis walked into the room with a glass of water and a sandwich.
She smiled softly. "Oh, you're already awake, Layla?" She said, walking up to her and giving her the glass. "Here you go."
Layla hesitated for a moment, but she took the glass and sipped from it. "Thank you..." She said shyly.
A look of surprise appeared on Alis's face, and she sat down on the bed. "Oh? Your good mood is back?" She asked softly.
Layla looked at her in confusion. "W-What do you mean?" She drank the entire water in one go and held the glass out to Alis.
"I don't want to be mean... but you were quite mean to everyone lately... You didn't talk, and when you did, you were uncooperative and cold... it was kinda scary to be honest... but I'm glad you're back to normal!" She patted her head.
Layla blushed softly. "I was...? I don't remember anything... the last thing I remember is that I was in the cave with Orion... and there was a growl-" Her eyes widened as she immediately tried to get up from the bed. "Where is Orion?! Is he alright?!" She shook Alis softly.
Alis wrapped her arms around her head, caressing her hair softly. "Shh... calm down... everyone's alright... Orion is with Electra right now..." She said reassuringly.
Layla's eyes widened even further, and a jealous look appeared on her face. "Electra?! Who's Electra?!" She shook Alis in frustration.
Alis raised a brow, a smug smirk appearing on her face as she poked Layla's nose. "Oh~? I see, I see... but don't worry! Electra is just your guardian for the time being."
Layla's cheeks flushed a deeper red as Alis teased her. She looked away, pulling the blanket up.
"I-I'm not jealous or anything! I just… I was worried, that's all…" She mumbled, hiding under the blanket.
Alis chuckled and ruffled her hair softly. "Don't worry, you're safe now. You should rest more, okay? I'll be back soon. I need to let the Guildmaster and Maeryn know you're up." She placed the sandwich on the blanket.
Layla peeked her head from under the blanket in confusion. "A-Am I… in trouble? You've mentioned something about a guardian earlier... but why does Orion need a guardian?"
Alis stopped at the door. "Don't worry about anything for now... Everyone was just really worried about you. You've been out for three days, so all you need right now is rest."
She then stepped out of the room, closing the door behind herself.
Some time later, Alis was standing in front of the Guildmaster's Office door. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, grabbing the door knob and walking in. "I'm sorry for interrupting!"
She said softly.
The Guildmaster looked at her in confusion. "Hello, Alis. Did anything happen?"
"She's awake," Alis said quickly, her hands shaking. "The girl woke up just a little while ago."
The Guildmaster raised his eyebrows. "Awake, huh? Already? That's unexpected… How is she?"
After a moment of hesitation, Alis stepped forward. "She seems… uhh, how do I put it into words... She's different. Softer. Shy, even. She didn't recognize where she was, and…" she hesitated, "…she doesn't remember anything from the cave..."
The Guildmaster leaned back in his chair, frowning. "What do you mean by 'she doesn't remember anything from the cave'?" He sighed softly. "She was already uncooperative, so she might be just lying... in the worst case, she might actually be connected to the culprit and is just trying to sweep everything under the rug, don't you think so, Alis?" He asked firmly.
Alis shook her head softly. "She asked about Orion right away, and was clearly panicking after she remembered the growling in the cave. But everything after that seems to be gone. She didn't even remember being aggressive to anyone or fighting the beast. Nothing. Zero."
She clutched the fabric of her skirt in frustration.
He shook his head. "That doesn't mean anything. As I said before, she might be just trying to burn any information by pretending to be stupid. But if she really was under some kind of influence, or is the culprit, then it may have left some evidence."
Alis bit through all the fear and uncertainty and stood up for the girl. "She is just a kid! They both are! She would never want to put Orion in danger! I can see it in her eyes!" She said loudly and firmly, closing her eyes in fear.
The Grandmaster sighed deeply, rolling his eyes. "Alis, you are not new here. You've already seen newbies setting up things like that just to skip to Tier 1 or 2."
"B-But-"
"There are no buts, Alis. The girl, Layla, can go home, but Electra will stay with her and the other one for some time until we find enough evidence, or the culprit turns themselves in. The End. Now leave." He pointed at the door.
Meanwhile, in the room where Layla was.
She was eating the sandwich that Alis left, then the door was opened.
"I told you to wait on the outside! You are not family, so you shouldn't be here!" Orion groaned, walking into the room with a pie on a plate.
"But the food you made looks tasty! I want to take a bite!" She smirked. "I mean it's not like the girl's gonna eat it when she's out for a couple of days, don't you think?" She reached her hand towards the pie.
Layla just curiously watched them argue over the pie, something heating up inside of her.
He slapped her hand away. "I said no, and no more complaining-" As soon as he saw that Layla was awake, staring at them, he dropped the plate and rushed to her side, hugging her tightly.
Electra caught the plate in time, saving the pie. "What the hell are you doing, hatchling?! Not the damn pie!" She yelled in anger.
"LAYLA! FINALLY... I WAS SO WORRIED THAT YOU'D NEVER WAKE UP! YOU JUST FELL ASLEEP SO SUDDENLY... WITHOUT EVEN SAYING A GOODBYE!" He cried into her shoulder.
Layla blushed, hugging him back softly. "Uhh... I'm sorry, I guess?" She then pointed at Electra. "W-Who is that?" She asked quietly.
Electra stuffed her mouth with the pie, smirking with pride. "I am the Summoner, and I am one of the greatest adventurers this guild has ever had!" She mumbled, spitting out some crumbs on the ground.
"Summoner? Is that a name?" Layla tilted her head to the side.
Orion looked at Electra and back at Layla. "Nah, she's kinda delusional," He rolled his eyes. "I've been forced to spend some time with her and I can say that she doesn't have it right in the head, y'know..." He sighed.
"Oh..." Layla looked at him and smiled widely. "I'm glad that you weren't alone... and that you actually let someone near yourself..."
Electra walked up to the bed, stuffing more of the pie into her face. "You know that I can hear you, hatchling?" She flicked Orion's forehead.
Orion frowned. "Can you leave that goddamn pie alone? It was supposed to be for her, not you, brat!" He said with a low voice, pulling her ear.
"I'm older than you!" She yelled.
Layla giggled, poking Orion's cheek with a smug smile on her face. "Did she just call you a 'hatchling'?"
Maeryn kicked the door open, walking in calmly. "And here we have the whole team," She smiled widely. "Perfect!"
"H-Hello, Lady Maeryn..." Layla said quietly.
"Tempest? W-What are you doing here?" Electra put the plate away, wiping her mouth.
Orion leaned away from Layla, looking at Maeryn.
"I have a couple of things to say, so the three of you listen to me carefully, as those are coming directly from the Guildmaster." She said firmly, lying her back against the wall.
The three of them nodded.
Maeryn pointed at Layla. "From now on, you're a Tier 1 adventurer for defeating a Rank F beast- the goblin champion."
After hesitating for a moment, Electra spoke up. "Why Tier 1 when defeating a Rank F beast is the requirement for the Tier 2 adventurers like me?"
"Experience and thinking are also very important in adventuring, also we don't know how she managed to deal with the beast without even knowing Sage Arts..." She paused for a moment, rolling her eyes. "And you, Electra, you know that you are a special case."
Electra opened her mouth to say something, but Orion pinched her elbow to prevent her from doing so.
"Ouch!" She squeaked.
"Now the most important thing." She said loudly. "The Grandmaster himself ordered the three of you to form a party for a couple of months."
"HUH?! HELL NO!" Both Orion and Electra yelled in disbelief.
Electra pointed at Orion. "I cannot stand his sorry ass! I only feel pity when I look at him!"
He pointed at her. "You are no better! You're annoying, and you were constantly stealing the food I made for Layla or myself!"
"You two can cry about it as much as you want, the decision has been made!" Maeryn groaned.
"Lady Maeryn... why do we need to be with that girl...?" Layla asked quietly.
Maeryn walked over to the bed and looked straight into her eyes. "Someone is trying to kill you and your friend. That's why this girl needs to be around to protect you."
"Someone... wants to kill us?" She grabbed the blanket, gripping it tightly in fear.
Maeryn then grabbed Orion's wrist. Electra didn't even dare to giggle or make a joke.
She looked at Layla and Electra. "You seem to be fine, so Summoner will go with you, but your friend here will stay and exchange a few words with me."
Layla puffed out her cheeks. "Why do I need to go? Orion is family! I should-"
Orion pinched her cheek softly. "Nah, sorry, Layla, but you need to go."
"B-But!"
Electra shook her head and grabbed Layla's hand, pulling her out of the bed and dragging her out of the room.
Layla shoved her hand away, stomping and pouting. "Why did you do it?! It was mean!"
Electra shook her head, cupping Layla's cheeks as if she were a kid. "Listen, Layla... you don't want to fuck with the Tempest, it's a really bad idea." She then patted her head softly, caressing her hair. "Now, come on, let's go to your home and wait for the hatchling to come, okay?"