Trouble
Chapter Text
The beautiful dimension of spreading galaxy, was as mystical and empty as always.
With only a large circular table and many different chairs filling the place up.
Juny leaned forward, lying her head on the table.
"I'm bored~"
It's been multiple hours since Jonah, Gen and Kalim left, leaving her alone in the Pocket Dimension.
She did not count the Elementals she couldn't sense.
This Body Double was tasked to simply look over matters concerning the Abyssal Troop.
This was dine by staying in the head seat at all times.
But it was boring and there was mostly nothing to do.
'I have to ask the Main Body to give me some work to do when she's not so busy.'
As Juny tapped the table, her eyes momentarily moved up.
She looked around, not seeing anyone or anything.
She lightly sighed, looking at her tapping finger before decisively turning her head up.
"Hey..."
Juny felt the atmosphere around her shift, although she still didn't see anything.
"Hypothetically speaking... if you were to fight an Beyonder of The Void Pathway, which one of you would be the best counter?"
She went silent for a couple of seconds before scoffing.
"Heh, not like I can hear the answer anyway."
Just as she was about to lay her head down again, a bright orange light caught her attention.
She looked to her right, noticing the glowing, fiery symbol on Dager's chair.
Juny hummed, lifting her head and standing up.
She walked over, drawing the Find Rune onto the glowing symbol.
A scene of a sharp-looking man with loose clothes sitting opposite Dager filled her mind, together with the location.
Juny blinked twice, processing the scene.
After a moment, her jaw dropped.
'That... was that Gehrman Sparrow? Dager met him? But didn't the Main Body tell him about it not even two days ago?'
Juny blinked as she hurriedly returned to her seat.
She spread out her spirituality, trying to get permission from the Main Body to use Self Telepathy.
Thankfully, the Self Telepathy was allowed.
'What is it?'
Juny sighed upon hearing her own voice in her head.
It sounded much more tense and tired than herself.
She once again tapped the circular table.
'It's Dager, he met him. He met Gehrman Sparrow.'
...
The ships subtle creaks filled the cozy Captain's cabin.
Dager leaned back, staring at the man across from him.
The man had clearly cut features with short black hair and sharp dark eyes.
He was observing Dager in silence.
It was enough to make Dager feel the awkwardness.
'I can't believe Juny actually knows this guy. How can she handle this... coldness?'
After a while more, the cold man, Gehrman Sparrow, spoke.
"Who's your boss?"
Dager blinked, straightening his back.
"Boss? Do you mean the Scoutmaster?"
Gehrman nodded.
Dager's lips twitched.
"I'm sure you've met. The Scoutmaster told me to be nice if I ever saw you."
Gehrman's eyes narrowed.
"I've met a lot of people."
Dager chuckled upon hearing that.
"I'm sure you have, but you should be able to remember the Scoutmaster. She's quite memorable."
He motioned with his hand.
"You see she's... quite young for a Scoutmaster."
Gehrman fell silent, falling into deep thought.
Dager smiled wide, watching the cold man with amusement.
After a long pause, Gehrman looked back at Dager.
"A troop?"
Dager blinked again, processing what he just heard.
'Is he referring to the Abyssal Troop? Oh! Is it because of the title 'Scoutmaster'?'
Dager's eyes narrowed into the shale of a crescent moon.
"Bullseye! Congratulations, you've got yourself a point. Just don't expect me to keep a score."
Gehrman didn't bother replying to him, falling back into thought.
Some time passed before he looked up again.
"A child? Little girl with long black hair and strange clothes?"
Dager's smile fell, his mouth agape.
And then he just laughed.
Watching this, Gehrman's eye twitched, but Dager calmly finished his laughter.
He then gave Gehrman a teasing smile.
"You know who she is yet you still call her a child. Heh, you won't survive long with that attitude."
Gehrman kept his eyes narrowed.
"What organization do you belong to?"
Seeing that Gehrman had no intention of humoring him, Dager rolled his eyes.
"You're so boring."
"..."
Dager blinked, turning to the quiet but cold man.
After a while of staring, Dager exclaimed.
"Oh! You freeze when you don't have your question answered! I'm sorry, I didn't know you've been cursed."
Dager was not smiling, instead, he gave Gehrman the most honest and empathetic face he could whip out.
The problem was that it looked exaggeratedly honest, thus, it stank with sarcasm.
After noticing that Gehrman still showed no reaction, Dager clicked his tongue.
"You really are boring."
He sighed, finally deciding on answering the question.
"I'm the Junior Assistant Scoutmaster from the Abyssal Troop."
Gehrman didn't waste a second thinking.
"I've never head of it."
Dager nodded.
"Yea, you shouldn't have. Except if the Scoutmaster personally told you, which she wouldn't."
Gehrman was about to question further when he froze.
His head turned to the side as Dager followed.
The space cracked and shattered, opening a mystical door.
From there, Juny walked out.
Dager immediately stood up and saluted.
"Greetings, Scoutmaster."
Juny looked at him with a nod.
"Greetings."
She then looked at Gehrman Sparrow who stayed sat.
"Mr. World, it's nice to meet you."
Gehrman lightly nodded.
"Same here, Miss High Priestess."
Juny glanced at the confused Dager before pointing to the open rift behind her.
"May I invite you over?"
Gehrman was silent for a moment before getting up.
"Sure."
Juny looked at Dager.
"Well done."
Dager smirked, sitting back down.
"Of course."
He watched as the two entered the portal before it closed.
Juny walked without looking back as the scenery around her changed.
From an empty space to bright room with windows and carpet.
This Pocket Dimension was different, it was one where the Elementals couldn't enter.
Gerhman paused, the floor underneath is feet shifting.
Before he realized it, he found himself in a cozy room, it looked fancy, maybe even too fancy.
Forget fancy, it was modern.
He looked around, his eyes wide.
Seeing this, Juny smiled.
She walked over to a metal and glass table with a comfortable but small chair.
She sat down as if everything was normal before speaking to the frozen Gehrman.
"You know, I always thought that the bronze chairs were uncomfortable. Don't you think so?"
His eyes moved to her, not saying a thing as he stood not too far from the table.
Juny leaned forward with her hands supporting her chin.
She looked on for a while, tilting her head with a smile.
"How about we drop the pretenses for a moment-"
Her tone was bright and steady, but with a sharp edge.
Narrowing her eyes, Juny calmly finished her sentence.
"-Mr. Fool?"
...
The room was damp and mostly silent.
A young man, whose face was fully covered by a white mask, sat by a dark wooden table.
Jonah pushed a finger against the table, his hand once again touching the mask covering his face.
"Does it bother you?"
His hand flinched away, looking at the small girl holding a book before him.
He shook his head, the mask showing a light smile.
"Nope, it's just a weird sensation, having a mask glued to my face."
Juny's Body Double nodded, getting back to the book.
"It must be annoying. But unfortunately there's nothing we can do about it."
Jonah leaned back, his eyes moving to the paper before him.
"So... how is it going to work?"
Juny once again looked up from her book.
"Are you referring to your powers? Or the fact that you're always at risk of turning into a monster?"
Johan lifted the corner of the mask's mouth higher, pointing at Juny.
"That. Both of those."
Juny placed the book down, thinking for a moment.
"Well, since all you've even ingested was one singular, but powerful ingredient, taking off the mask is out of question. Your body is like a broken glass glued back together using a heat-sensitive glue. If you stand under the sun for a second too long you'll break back apart."
Juny looked at Jonah, unsure if he understood the analogy.
Jonah nodded.
"I see, I see. So I'm a snowman?"
Juny sighed, not answering.
"If that's what you took from it, that's what you are."
She ignored the silly expression on the mask and tapped the table.
"The fact is, your Beyonder abilities are a bit weaker and inconsistent. But the mask shouldn't hinder you too much. I'll first get you some artifacts connected to the Fool pathway. You should probably slowly ingest Beyonder Potions to make up for the missing pieces. That will help you with learning how to get used to the inconsistency in your spirituality."
"You should be fine then, as long as you make sure to keep the mask on. Not like you can take it off anyway. I'm pretty sure there is a way to control it, but I have to look deeper into it. We'll be seeing each other often anyway, so I can run some tests when I feel like it."
Jonah nodded along.
"Okay. That's cool cool."
Juny sat up straight, motioning up with her hand.
"And after this, you can do whatever you want. You'll have my support while you do it. Of course, as long as it's not against the moral codes."
Johan tilted his head.
"Riiight... and what is it that this 'Abyssal Troop' even does?"
Juny blinked, her eyes stopping on the table.
"We choose to uphold justice and spread our views through the world. Helping those who are suppressed or suffering because of people with higher influence but bad hearts. We fight and get rid of corrupted nobles or those who believe in the words of Evil Gods. Even if that means using death as a trigger."
Johan silently listened to Juny's explanation, humming after it was done.
"Hmm~ So you kill people? That's nifty, I seem to be a professional at that!"
Juny flinched at the light tone, her lips forming into a smile.
"Perfect, you'll fit right in then."
"Heh."
Juny shook her head in disbelief.
"Anyway, what do you wish to be? I'll allow you to be it."
Jonah was silent for a while.
"Humm~ Is there any reason for me to be 'here'? In this Kingdom? Or are there better work opportunities?"
Juny smirked.
"That depends on how you think about it. But no. As the Feynapotter Kingdom is our starting point, we've got enough manpower here."
Johan nodded.
"Expected! Hm~ you know, I always wanted to be someplace colder."
Juny shrugged.
"You could always make your way to the Feysac Empire. I heard it's pretty icy over there."
"Awesome! I hope I can build snowmen there! Perfect target practice."
Juny nodded.
"I believe it'd be better if you went traveling when it gets a bit warmer. Familiarize yourself with your abilities and study up in the meantime."
Jonah groaned.
"Do I have to study? Can't you just tell me- oh! Or I can go in blind."
Juny sighed, shaking her head.
"Just study."
Jonah clicked his tongue.
"Well, whatever."
...
The clock gently ticked above the entrance door.
The room was bright and comfortable, filled with cozy chairs around a glass table.
"So you've known since the beginning."
Juny nodded with a smile.
"Yes, but it had nothing to do with your acting. I just have special eyes."
As if to demonstrate, Juny's eyes momentarily flashed Violet.
Before her sat a man with a scholarly look to him.
He introduced himself as Klein Moretti, but also said that his previous name was Zhou Mingrui.
Klein nodded, his cold expression replaced with a light smile.
"You said you're Juny? Is that your name, or the name of your body?"
Juny supported her chin.
"I'm Juny, but this body is little girl's named Kalia. She died alone and had no other family or friends. Thus, I never had to take on her name, nor did I ever want to."
Klein nodded, his eyes scanning the modern room they were currently in.
"I see, and this place is?"
Juny leaned back, her eyes softening.
"It's a place I made based on my memories. But I can never recreate the people who used to live here. It's just to keep my mind together when it gets chaotic."
Klein's hand lightly traced the table, rubbing the edges.
"Have you been here for a long time?"
Juny immediately shook her head.
"A little over two and a half years, can't really be considered long. But I know quite a bit."
Klein kept looking around, his eyes paused on a photo framed on a nearby wall.
It was a picture of a happy family with two dark-haired children.
Juny observed him, following his gaze.
"I don't know anything about it. Whether I can ever see them again, or if it's a lost cause. I think I have to be stronger to see it through."
Klein looked back at her, lightly rapping the table.
"If you were given a choice to return back now, leaving your current life behind, would you do it?"
Juny froze, her eyes moving from Klein to the picture next to the family photo.
It was a picture which was not there when she still dreamt of becoming a writer.
It's a picture she added there not too long ago.
The picture was a group photo of around ten people, Juny as a small, black-haired girl standing in the middle.
It was a made up picture, not an event which took place, but it had its place on the wall.
Seeing it, Juny smiled.
"I don't like to think about it like that. Having to leave my current family to return to my previous one... I don't like that. I just want to know how they're doing. I want to know if they're still alive. And if not, I want to place a flower down for them, their favorite flowers."
Juny then turned back to Klein, who was observing her with a calm expression.
Juny then turned back to Klein, who was observing her with a calm expression.
"I just want to make sure I won't lose my new family. I want to make sure I will not have any regrets even if I do."
Klein's face didn't change, Juny was sure she could attribute it to the Clown's ability.
Not waiting for Klein to choose his words, Juny leaned forward.
"Anyway, I always wanted to know..."
Klein blinked, waking up from his second-long daze.
Seeing that he was paying attention, Juny asked.
"What language are Roselle's texts in? I can't remember which Asian language it is. Is it Korean? I think it's Korean."
Klein scoffed, shaking his head.
"No, it's simplified Chinese."
Juny frowned, clicking her tongue.
"What a bummer."
She moved back, crossing her arms.
Klein spent a moment contemplating before asking.
"So... you created the Abyssal Troop?"
Juny looked at him, sneering.
"Yes, I suppose it's a gimmick that us transmigrators have. But, if you ask me, you took it to a whole another level. Acting like a god... I must say, at times I couldn't help but feel like you're very believable."
Klein wore a smile.
"Isn't it a bit disappointing?"
Juny tilted her head.
"For me? No, I knew from the start when you were not even a Beyonder. For the rest of the Tarot Club members? Eh~ we could argue."
Juny shrugged.
"I's say that Miss Justice would not take it too badly. I'm not sure about Mr. Hanged Man tho... he seems to idolize you a lot."
Klein nodded, seemingly having reached to the same conclusion.
"You said you were a Sequence 5 when the first Tarot Gathering took place."
"That I did."
Klein was silent for a moment.
"So then, are you a Demigod?"
Juny immediately nodded.
"Yes, a Sequence 3 to be precise."
Klein went silent once again, observing Juny as she leisurely leaned back.
After a while, he asked.
"What Pathway?"
Juny instantly sighed, unfolding her arms.
"I knew the question would come. But unfortunately, I cannot tell you."
Before Klein could comment, Juny quickly added.
"It's not that I don't want to, it's because I can't. You physically can't handle the knowledge. The memories of me telling you would be forcefully erased. And trust me, it hurts a lot."
Klein was silent for a while and then shrugged.
"There's a lot of weird stuff going on, I don't even find that strange anymore."
Juny snorted, placing her elbows onto the table.
"I mean. I can tell you that I can literally read minds if I want to and my ability is similar to telekinesis. I also create stuff out of nothing, so that's nice. Oh, and I have an ability similar to an Artisan, so if you need something made, you can always ask me."
Klein nodded.
"I appreciate it, but I still owe you 54 pages."
Juny smirked.
"Well then, I guess you better level up soon so you can pay me back. But don't worry about it too much. I'm not one to keep track of debts. Maybe if you ever figure out something about our past world you can tell me. Or just when something fun happens. I am always up for an adventure."
Klein stared at Juny for a while before slowly nodding.
"Sure."
Seeing the delayed response, Juny tilted her head.
"Is there something?"
Klein's eyes narrowed.
"Can I ask you for something?"
Juny blinked as her smile widened.
"Already? Wow, you're seriously abusing my goodwill! Well alright, what is it?"
Klein sighed, deciding to ignore Juny's remark.
"A book on Charm making. My knowledge is quite limited."
Juny hummed, shrugging.
"Sure, I can give you that, but it's going to take a while. A few days maybe?"
Klein nodded.
"That's fine."
Juny smiled, her eyes moving to the clock on the wall.
It was connected to the actual time outside.
Seeing the time, Juny lightly stood up.
"I've got things I need to tend to, can I see you out? Where do you need to be?"
Klein nodded, getting up from his seat.
"Is anywhere fine?"
He looked skeptical as Juny shook her head.
"Just tell me where to and I'll tell you if it's possible."
Klein didn't take long before answering.
"Bayam, the City of Generosity. Can you take me there?"
Juny nodded.
"Sure, that's no problem. I've got the coordinates of most important places memorized."
Klein hummed in understanding as he rubbed his palm against his face, his features shifting.
Just as Juny opened the room's door, Klein's appearance changed to the cold hunter, Gehrman Sparrow.
Seeing him step out into an empty alley, Juny couldn't help but point out.
"By the way, I love the references in your name, it brought a smile to my face. But it made you very easy to track."
Gehrman flinched, turning back to give Juny a nod.
"I'll remember it."
With a smile, Juny gave him a wave before closing the door.
As the click rung out, Juny sighed, turning to the modern table.
She took a step back leaning against the door.
"Haa~"
After a deep exhale, her gaze moved to her right hand, lifting it to her eye level.
It was hazy, as if trying to change shape and morphing.
'My body hasn't been able to hold its shape for a while now...'
Juny pushed herself off the door, her eyes moving to the pictures on the wall.
Slowly, her phasing hand turned back to its solid form.
"I can't help but wonder what the Main Body is up to... she didn't even say hi to our transmigrator friend."
A light groan left Juny's mouth as her hand split again.
"God damn- I just hope she won't kill us. That'd be troublesome."
...
With her back leaning against the cave wall, Juny opened her eyes.
She blinked a few times before inwardly scoffing.
'Ha! So it was Chinese.'
She grabbed a Recovery charms before looking at her right hand.
Her wrist was cut in half, holding to the rest of her arm by few Recovered muscles.
Right before the sharp wound was a strange and complex Rune, one which Juny never saw before.
Juny once again rubbed against the skin where the Rune was before placing the Recovery charm on her open wrist.
'Who would've thought that someone made up a Rune to slow down the working of other Runes...'
She sighed, watching as strands and veins sprung from her red meat, trying hard to connect.
The process was unreasonably slow and much more painful.
'Only half of my wrist regenerated after sleeping for an hour. And I didn't even get to the bone yet.'
As her thoughts moved, Juny's attention shifted to the Rune by her wrist.
It was a price she payed for taking a risk, but it was worth it.
"It's as I thought. That bastard, it's a Battle Elementalist. A half crazy one."
Juny mumbled under her breath.
'I don't get it, how is he still alive? Is the Beyonder also from the Lapis family? How can he attack me and not be affected? Even just plotting against a person, whom you know is from the Lapis bloodline, should cause for the Curse to activate, but this guy just... went half crazy. I guess that's better than nothing, I now at least have an actual chance of defeating him alone.'
Her eyes moved to the map on the nearby table.
It was something Juny Solidified in this dark cave.
She tightly grabbed her Recovering hand, moving closer to the map.
Her eyes traced the scratches of her pen.
There were many scratched out and circled parts, some even had comments next to them.
Suddenly, a strange shadow caught Juny's attention from the corner of her eye.
She realized that she was no longer alone, but she didn't panic.
Juny slowly looked up.
Her eyes were calm, expecting even.
'It's all in my head, isn't it?'
She couldn't help but sigh in her mind.
Her gaze landed on the group standing by the cave's wall.
Multiple figures watched her silently, not speaking a word.
There were surprisingly many of them, she didn't think it would be that many.
Dager stood by the cave's entrance, arms crossed.
His eyes were narrowed with anger, as if demanding an explanation.
Ellone sat on a stone next to him, her body looked unusually stiff with concern filling her eyes.
Shake leaned back against the wall, his hand resting on his side in a casual way.
Juny noticed the tight grip.
It was just like Shake, showing worry in the most inhumane way possible.
Airina sat next to Ellone, her head turned away, but her brows furrowed.
Darmine sat quietly on a small shelf, her tail sticking to the dark wood.
Degster leaned against a wall near the lamp, tapping his finger against his own arm.
Daimira stood right beside Juny, looking down at her with a calm expression.
Noticing that Kein, Tarkel, Mariel, Gen, Jenica, Madam Petrison and even Lancer were present, Juny looked away.
Her gaze was now back on the open map and spread out notes.
After going over it once again, Juny scoffed.
She motioned with her arms, one hand still gripping the other's wrist.
"What? No applause for the master strategist?"
Just as the words left her mouth, Juny's body shuddered.
Her head whipped back to the side.
Fright and anxiety rising inside of her chest.
There was noone there, the place was empty.
Juny placed her forearms of the table, eyes still cautiously scanning the place.
She bit her lip, looking back at the map.
'F*ck... I might actually be going crazy. I need to lower my use of spirituality. Maybe change the number of Body Doubles from two to one?'
Juny allowed her neck to give out, placing her forehead on the table before breathing a sigh.
'Well, if I'm going crazy, at least I don't have to worry about being lonely. My sanity left, but it looks like my imagination brought friends.'
The corner of Juny's lip went up before defeatedly falling back into place.
"Yea... that one wasn't funny either."
...
Apart from the clattering sounds, the workshop was filled with heavy tension.
The spheres sat on the workbench silently yet menacingly.
Their runes slightly glowed, but the flickering's speed was slightly quicker than when Juny first gave them to Jenica.
It was a small, but unmistakable detail.
One which brought even more stress to the overworked members.
Even through Jenica's sharp focus and steady hands, the unease from her previous realization still lingered.
Tessa stood nearby, handing tools with an occasional playful remark.
Though even her bright energy subsided by the increasing danger of the task.
Carol hovered at the edge of the workplace, his presence almost unnoticeable.
Jenica gave terse explanations as she worked.
It was to make sure the two understood what she was doing and why.
In case of an emergency, the two would be somehow able to finish the task.
Even if she was unable to do so herself.
Jenica was precise, making sure to leave no room for error.
But no one can be perfect.
Unaware of her mistake, Jenica reached deep into the trap's mechanism.
Carol's eyes lightly narrowed as Jenica deliberately adjusted the crystal-like core present among the pulsing runes.
The core itself had engravings of different kinds.
These Runes were showing major difference from all the other ones Jenica has worked on till now.
But Jenica didn't catch this minor detail, this change which greatly affected the result.
And so, just as her fingers brushed the core, the trap reacted violently.
A sudden burst of light shot through the runes.
Before Jenica could pull her hand back, a sharpened edge of the internal mechanism pierced straight through her palm, locking her in place.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips.
Jenica's body jerked instinctively at the searing pain spreading through her arm.
The trap's runes flared with vibrant, shifting colors.
Blue and green flames ignited from her blood as it trickled down the sphere's surface.
The strange fire touched and burned her skin, spreading into the wound.
"Miss Jenica!"
Tessa's cry cut through the chaos as she rushed to Jenica's side, panic etched on her face.
Jenica bit back a scream, her composure momentarily slipping at the overwhelming pain.
Her fingers trembled, and for a moment, Jenica faltered, unable to think or act right away.
Tessa stood frozen, her usual confidence wavered as she took in the sight of Jenica's burning blood.
"H-hang on!"
Tessa exclaimed, her voice high-pitched.
Jenica gritted her teeth, suppressing a wince as the sharpened edges twisted when she tried to break free.
Such actions only served to further lock her in place.
"Tessa, tools. Now."
She managed to mutter, her voice as steady as she could make it.
But before Tessa could move, Carol stepped forward.
His usual anxiety was now gone from his face, just determination.
"Miss Jenica, you need to let me handle this."
Hearing this, Jenica shot him a glare.
"Carol, step back. This isn't-"
"This isn't like the others you described."
Carol interrupted, gesturing to the glowing runes.
"But it's close enough. I can follow your work, just trust me."
Even with those words, Carol didn't wait for her response, kneeling beside her.
His eyes narrowed as he scanned the sphere's surface, noticing the unfamiliar Runes.
As he traced them with quick glances, he mumbled to himself.
"The symbols are more rugged and aggressive and the mechanism's tighter, but the way it's preparing to trigger... it's similar."
"You don't have a clear view."
Jenica hissed, the pain in her arm growing sharper.
"One wrong move-"
"I'll make adjustments, small ones."
Carol cut her off again, his voice filled with confidence.
"I'll follow the process you started."
Carol grabbed a small metal tool and a pair of tweezers from the workbench.
His hands moved with steadiness similar to Jenica's, maybe even more precise.
He pressed closer to the trap, his expression focused.
His eyes moved around the inner part of the mechanism.
He pointed to a cluster of overlapping runes near the base, muttering.
This section here was where you were working before it locked you in. If I shift the core housing just slightly, I can... slow it down."
Jenica's eyes followed his movements, her teeth still gritted from the pain.
"Clockwise rotation, not counterclockwise. The activation sequence will-"
"I know."
Carol gently cut in, adjusting his grip.
"You've told us about this during your disarming of the other traps."
Using the tweezers, he carefully lifted a small latch on the mechanism.
A soft click echoed throught he room, followed by a flicker in the glowing runes.
Seeing this, Jenica nodded.
"Good. Now, the pressure plate. You need to use light touch. Any heavier and-"
"Got it."
Carol finished her words, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
He reached for the plate.
His fingers brushed by it so lightly that Jenica almost doubted he had touched it at all.
With a slow, deliberate motion, he eased it back into place.
The Runes instantly dimmed, their light returning to its previous, stable state.
The sharp-edged mechanism withdrew, releasing Jenica's hand.
Jenica immediately pulled back, tightly clenching her bleeding palm as the fire disappeared.
Her breath was shaky, still colored by pain.
Tessa instantly arrived at her side.
She carefully wrapped the wound with a clean cloth, since there weren't any of Juny's Recovery charms around.
Carol stood up, letting out a deep exhale he didn't realize he'd been holding.
He glanced at Jenica, his expression cautious.
It was as if he was waiting to be reprimand for stepping in.
But instead of that, Jenica studied him for a long moment.
Her usual sternness softened, shifting to something which almost resembled approval.
"Well done."
She said quietly, it was clear that this wasn't something she said often.
Carol blinked, caught off guard.
Then, with a small nod, he replied.
"Thank you, Miss Jenica."
Tessa instantly grinned, her confidence returning.
"Told you he'd be useful!"
Her tone was full of pride, as though she had disarmed the trap herself.
Jenica raised an eyebrow at Tessa's enthusiasm but didn't argue.
Instead, she turned her attention back to the now-disarmed sphere.
The faint remnants of its glowing runes a reminder of just how close they had come to disaster.
But even as she inspected it, her mind lingered on Carol's steady hands and quiet confidence.
In the end, she couldn't help but think.
'Maybe, just maybe, he might actually be worth the trouble.'