Milly yawned and stretched as dawn's first light crept through the trees near the edge of the training field.
She had found a small cave tucked behind the guard barracks not very spacious, but warm enough to sleep in. A few embers from her campfire still glowed faintly near her boots.
She rubbed her eyes. "That wasn't so bad… comfy enough."
She leaned back against the rock wall and froze.
Something cold and metallic pressed against her wrist.
She looked down.
Her hands and legs were tied to a wooden chair, glowing faintly with blue runes that hummed like a living chain.
"Wha- huh?!" She tried to move, but the runes flared, and her limbs locked instantly.
"Hey who did this?! Is this some kind of weird morning greeting!?"
The sound of boots echoed.
A tall figure entered the dimly lit room short blonde hair, silver armor, and a pair of sharp green eyes that practically glared through Milly. She carried a clipboard and a faint frown.
"So, you're the mysterious trespasser who blew up our training range last night."
Milly blinked. "Trespasser? I was just borrowing it!"
The woman sighed and scribbled something on her clipboard. "Name."
"Milly."
"Full name."
Milly tilted her head. "...just Milly."
The interrogator raised an eyebrow. "Occupation?"
"Uh… ex-daily-quest-giver? Current adventurer? Also part-time chef, sometimes."
The woman stopped writing, stared at her for a solid three seconds, then continued without saying a word.
"Reason for entering Berbeign City's restricted zone."
Milly hesitated. "Training?"
The interrogator looked up again. "You trained by exploding half the field?"
"It was a misfire!" Milly protested. "I was controlling it! …Eventually."
The woman let out a long sigh, muttering under her breath, "Why do I always get the weird ones…"
She set her clipboard down and leaned forward slightly. "Listen, Miss Milly, this place isn't open for wanderers. You're lucky I found you first, or the guards would've thrown you straight into the dungeon."
Milly's eyes widened. "You have a dungeon!? Cool wait, no, I mean, that sounds terrible!"
The interrogator pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly running out of patience. "Stay here. Don't try to break those runes. They react badly to… fire users."
"Wait fire what?!"
Before Milly could ask, the woman was already walking away, her armor clinking lightly as she exited the tent.
The sound of the door flapping shut echoed behind her.
Silence.
Milly sighed and slumped back. "Well… this is fine. Totally fine. Just tied to a chair by glowing magical noodles. Could be worse."
She looked down at the runes, squinting.
"…Right?"