☀️ Arselia and Akonia

When Alaria arrived at the villa with the "Carnelian" party, she was in for another surprise – her sister had taken Naria's place, while the heir apparent was nowhere to be seen. Had she also fallen victim to Despair? Unlikely, as the new occupant of the throne didn't seem to surprise any of the party members. There were no reports of a tragic death, which meant that Naria was either away or that news of her death was being carefully concealed. Perhaps she had encountered a dragon even before today, which is why "Carnelian" knew about its existence in advance. It's all very strange. Very, very strange. Nadya didn't bother with formalities or explanations, simply making a series of tired magical gestures and sending her Kumarian party directly into the swamp, into the arms of an unknown warrior with a huge sword. The reaction was predictable – upon seeing the party that had appeared out of thin air and was fully armed, she took a fighting stance. However, she didn't rush to attack and, apparently, was willing to listen to their explanation. The stranger didn't seem to be a local. She was also unlikely to be a participant in the upcoming tournament, as it would be impossible to reach Laplace in just one day without magic or the help of higher powers. It was highly likely that they were now facing one of the sought-after saints – Ruby. According to the words conveyed through Erefir, the warrior was known for her heartlessness. Not the easiest person to talk to, but Erefir clearly had ideas on how to gain her support. Of course, the rumors about the lack of a heart could be nothing more than rumors. If Erefir relayed Eugene's story word for word, the phrase Ruby uttered sounded less like a manifestation of indifference and more like the reaction of a sister angered by the stupid and bloody conflict, in her opinion, between two other sisters, each of whom was trying to sway the saint to their side. They had just fought off the otherworldly beings, but immediately clashed with each other – as if they hadn't had enough pain and destruction. She couldn't stop them. She also didn't want to participate in something she considered unworthy. And so, she uttered such a phrase and left, hoping that such an act would at least make one of the pair think. But to rely on the truthfulness of such an interpretation would be, at the very least, foolish and naive. Until recently, she had never even heard of Ruby and her story, and everything else could easily be attributed to inaccuracies in the wording and the quirks of her own perception. In any case, some kind of conversation seemed to have begun. All that remained was to remain vigilant and carefully monitor the reaction that Erefir's words would provoke. She had nothing to add to the knight's words.