“Sothing tells you’re planning to keep the sword, after all.”
I nodded. It wasn't even about the sword’s true nature – given the many tis its properties as an adamantium weapon saved my life, I’d be foolish to trade it away for sothing that’ll only beco useful so ti in the future.
After all, it’s not like I could make use of my non-existent magic right now. Nor would I have any proper weapon enchantnts for quite so ti, to be honest.
Bestow Blaze was a largely useless cantrip, and even tier 1 spells for weapon enchantnt were pretty underwhelming. Not to ntion the ti it'd take to learn them.
“Still, a redsteel sword would be useful, too.”
At my words, the MIS branch leader gave a funny look.
“I know I said the damage you helped prevent was massive, but if you’re thinking of asking for that as a reward, I’m going to have to disappoint you.”
“No. No, of course not.”
I shook my head. Of course, given that its cost was comparable to the (false) one of my sword, I never expected sothing like that as a reward. However…
“When you were still in the Rising realm, did you use redsteel right away?”
“You’re planning on swapping them as you rise throughout levels.”
As expected, it didn't take long for Theodore to catch on.
Well, not that my sword couldn’t support them, but since I couldn’t reveal it’s true nature, I’d have to use a secondary weapon for enchantnts.
“Is it so strange?”
The big man's expression indicated there was a reason for why he'd not initially consider my chosen route.
“Under normal circumstances – no. However, beyond a certain point, you'll either be spending significant ti selling the old equipnt, which you cannot afford, or you'll have to settle for bargain prices, costing you a significant sum. In your case, with no powerful patrons or family, you'd still be forced to spend so of the ‘saved’ ti on missions, trying to recoup the expanses, while also taking greater risks.”
“I’ll manage. Taking risks is sothing I'm starting to get used to, anyway.”
His words made sense, but I never expected things to be easy. In fact, just having another goal to look forward to, as related to my Soul Corrosion, was already far more than I could reasonably expect at this point.
Actually…
“Why did you tell about the priestess?”
Theodore threw a stone-faced gaze.
“Is it so strange? For to share this old information, that could as well beco irrelevant at this point, holds great value to you, but costs nothing?”
“Not too strange… Still. It feels like.. hmm.. like a debt. One I can't refuse, either.”
The high-ranking MIS official paused for a mont, before throwing a smirk – not one of mockery, but one of mild amusent.
“Fine. How about this, then? In exchange for my help in this matter - which might end up with disappointnt, too - you will make a promise.”
“A promise?.. What.. kind of promise?”
Theodore expelled his amusent with an exhale, his expression turning solemn in an instant.
“If you are to survive… If such a possibility exists, I'm certain you will travel far and wide to unearth it. Promise that during those travels, whenever you are put to a choice, you shall strive to take the path that's best for Valoria. To a reasonable degree, of course. I wouldn’t expect you to throw yourself to the dragon, or to go chasing imps.. which, with your limited ti, could be even more deadly.”
For a few seconds, we both sat in silence.
“By promise, do you an so kind of sacred oath?”
From his wording, painting the promise in extrely broad strokes, I could already spy a few loopholes. No, rather, this type of sacred oath could be considered sacred Swiss cheese. Of course, he'd probably expand upon the defi-
What cut off my line of thought was an exhale, through the nose, that contained the sa note of faint amusent as before.
“No. Just a regular promise.”
“But.. why? I could.. just.. you know, not keep it.”
At my hesitant response, the amusent in Theodore’s eyes reached palpable levels.
“But, you will keep it. To whatever extent you find reasonable, at least.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Belatedly, I realized my defiant, annoyed response would better fit an angsty teenager. Still, I wouldn't take it back. What would make him think sothing so-
“Because I’ve t dozens of thousands of people over my life. I can tell, with certainty – as long as you don't consider the promise extrely unfair, or believe you were coerced into it, you'll not break it. Maybe bend it a little, at tis, but never to the extent that would make it snap.”
I opened my mouth, trying to refute him…
Haaa
The inford words ca out as an exasperated sigh, a few seconds later. My lips were faintly curved upwards, in an exhausted smile.
“I can't really win against you, can I?”
“It would be strange if you could. I’ve held this position over twice as long as you've lived.”
His subsequent smile was that of consolation.
“Still, you've held up better than many who sat in this chair would.”
“What even is ‘best for Valoria’?”
“Hmm?”
“That’s how you'd want to act. But, Valoria is countless things – people, values, faiths, systems of governance. How am I even supposed to keep this promise?”
A few seconds of silence passed, with the MIS branch leader taken aback for the second ti. Then, for the second ti, as well, he burst into laughter.
“Truly, I did not expect to hear this question from soone your age. Actually, it's been a while since I've last heard it at all.”
His eye locked in with mine, the gaze in it unlike any he'd shown before. It felt.. heavy. Not due to pressure, but rather, due to the sheer weight it seed to carry.
“The best for Valoria… to keep this promise, you'll have to do what we've been doing for the last 300 years.”
The bittersweet smile on Theodore’s face reflected his true age, which likely eclipsed a century.
“Keep looking. For the right answer, even in the wrong situation. And when you know you did your best searching, go with that answer – stick with it to the end. And be ready to carry the weight of whichever consequences it entails.”
Haaa
Once more, I exhaled.
It would seem the price for his invaluable help wouldn't be negligible, after all.
***
“We should head back.”
This book was originally published on . Check it out there for the real experience.
Xin’s voice, while still steady, carried a note of tension.
“Xin.”
His temporary companion, Evelyn, turned her head, her eyes eting his.
“If you’re worried about going farther, you can turn back. I’ll handle this myself.”
“Haa…”
Undeterred by her stubbornness, Xin spoke, once more.
“This tunnel leads to dangerous depths. It won’t be the sewers anymore.”
“You speak as if you know those sewers better than .”
Eve’s unconcealed annoyance failed to evoke a change in Xin’s expression.
“Probably not. But I know this particular area.”
“How co?”
“Like I told you… we’ve been gathering intel on the Shadows for a long ti now.”
For the first ti, Evelyn showed a hint of hesitation – however, that hint was quickly erased.
“This isn’t anywhere near their territory.”
“No. But so of their lower mbers have been spotted around here. If this is where the trail leads, we can safely conclude that the Grays are, in fact, planning sothing with the Shadows.”
For a few monts, the pair stood in silence, with Evelyn carefully studying Xin’s expression.
“Even if it’s true, that changes nothing. My mission is to bring back confirmation, not presumptions.”
“Even if it costs you your life, Rabbit?”
The half-elf woman, once known as ‘Rabbit’, locked her eyes with her forr friend.
“Yes, Xin. Even if it costs my life.”
“You know they wouldn’t even rember you by month’s end.”
At his sudden rebuke, a flicker of anger shot through Eve’s eyes – however, biting her lip, she simply turned her head.
“Actually, if you don’t return, there’d be no report to receive, and the Angels would’ve lost a promising Path-bearer. Is continuing even worth the risk?”
This ti, it was the woman who sighed, before bringing out the left hand, which she previously kept near her waist. In her hand was a tiny sphere, with a crystal inside it.
“They’ll know where I disappeared. Also…”
She tapped the sphere a few tis, in a rhythm only she understood.
“Now, they’ll also know I received partial confirmation. If I don’t make it back, with more information, they’ll have to assu the worst.”
“...why are you going this far?”
After Xin’s soft, quiet question, the silence descended once more, thicker than before.
“You wouldn’t understand, Xin. We were the ones who stayed. You were the one who left.”
With those words, marred with a mix of sadness and contempt, she turned her back, entering the darkness.
After a few seconds, the other half-elf followed.
***
“Greetings. What do you need?”
I stood before the sa clerk, just like I did barely a week ago. However, it felt like months had passed since that day.
“Here you go.”
I handed him the form. This ti, it was a full reward form, not just a reference to one. I also noticed his eyes pausing for a mont, upon his gaze reaching Theodor’s inked seal, engraved into the paper.
“One mont, please.”
After verifying the seal behind the counter, he flashed a genuine smile.
“That’s one big payout. But for what you did, this is more than deserved. Thank you for your service.”
“Ah.. yeah, you’re welco.”
Laughing at my awkward reply, he quickly disappeared into the depth of the warehouse. After a few minutes, he erged, carrying my reward. Well, rewards.
“I presu you know how to use currency cards?”
“Yes, thank you.”
My coin pouch remained all but empty. However, two shiny currency cards entered the reinforced case on my waist. Both cards had the number ‘500’ engraved on them.
“As for this, I took the liberty to add in a standard sheath. Consider it a token of my personal gratitude.”
“Thank you!”
The mories of my sheathless trip through the mines and woods, as well my first morning in Pine Harbor, flashed through my mind, further reinforcing my gratitude. Well, the sword would probably be delivered in a package, otherwise, but still, I’d never not be thankful for a sheath.
“...may I?”
Upon touching the hilt, I threw a glance at the guard behind – the one who escorted here from Alrox’s office.
He nodded. Surprisingly, a hint of respect could be found in his gaze. Perhaps he put two and two together, after hearing the logistic guy’s remark.
The blade was slightly shorter than my Arcane Harmony, yet, despite its length, the overall weight was a bit lower, and the center of gravity was different. I made a few quick swings, promptly adjusting my movents to the new sword.
After a few dozen seconds, its bright-silver, nearly white blade, its surface almost shining under the pulsating oil light, flowed almost as smoothly as my usual weapon.
‘It almost doesn’t hurt.. I think I could train properly by tomorrow. Hell, maybe I should visit the Guild later today.’
“By the way.”
As I sheathed the sword, the clerk spoke, once more.
“I’m no smith, but I know a bit about maintenance. Brightflow Steel, like any alloy based on Radium, requires careful maintenance. Even more so than usual - using Mithril as a secondary material heightens its arcane conductivity, so certain solutions ought not be used – or, at least, so I’ve heard from our in-house smith.”
I turned my head towards the man.
“Thank you. I’ll definitely visit the Guild’s smithy as soon as I’m there.”
I’d do this even without his warning, though. The last thing I wanted was for this sword to be damaged due to neglect.
After all, even though it was considered a re ‘starter’ weapon in its category of ‘enchantnt enduring’ ones, its value was even higher than the monetary reward.
He nodded, before placing a leather case on the table, slightly larger than my potion case (but lacking any protection).
“Was there sothing else?..”
I was confused – the two rewards Theodor granted were already given out.
“Oh, this isn’t a reward. Rather, the main form said you’re going to be on the 4th stage at the Bloodleaf Incident awards..”
“Bloodleaf?”
“That’s how they’re calling it now. I’m fairly certain today’s newspaper already used it in the title.”
“Ah.. I see.”
Beyond that one ti, I didn’t read any more newspapers, and I had no desire to start now.
“Anyway, those capes are usually given out a day or two before the event, but since you’re here today, I thought I might as well save you the trip. Oh, here, sign this.”
I promptly signed the short form, before reaching for the case.
“It’s fine if you take a peek, but please don’t wear it until the event. Coming out to the stage with stains on this thing is its own category of embarrassnt.”
Carefully, I opened the flap. Upon reaching inside, my fingers felt the smooth, soft, yet firm material.
Slowly taking it out, holding it high enough for its bottom end to remain above the floor, I took a good look at my ceremonial cape.
Its height just so happened to match mine perfectly – once placed upon my shoulders, its bottom end would reach slightly below my calves.
Its inner color, which also gracefully flowed along its upper outer sides, matched that of a rose, its uniform scarlet hue reaching the neck pads.
The pads, along with most of the cape’s exterior, were porcelain white – or, at least, I thought that’s how that hue was called. All those particular off-white nas (or any off-color nas) never really stuck in my head for long.
Regardless, this was definitely a clothing piece worthy of the second-largest stage of the award ceremony.
After admiring it for nearly a minute, I cautiously folded it back to its previous, compact form, returning it to the case.
“It’s yours to keep after the ceremony. Sa as the dal. However, those aren’t handed out until the event itself, obviously.”
I nodded, intending to thank the man once again before leaving, yet suddenly, a look of recollection appeared in his eyes.
“Ah, right! You might not receive the physical dal yet, but the token engravings are already underway. You should visit Miss Silver. Would be a waste if you had to return here after I already gave you the cape.”
At the ntion of Anne, I suddenly felt a tinge of uncertainty. No, in fact, throwing a glance at the corridor to my left, I felt a certain asure of reluctance.
‘...’
There was no direct remark, yet, for a mont, I felt Sebastian’s… disapproval? It was more akin to an exasperated sigh.
“Sure. Thanks again!”
With a slightly rushed gratitude, I strode towards the office door.
‘Two doors to the right…’
The familiar sign greeted my gaze – “Logistics Wizard - Anne Silver”.
Slowly, I tapped on the door.
“Co in!”
The office hasn’t changed since I last saw it. Sa tall tal drawers. The sa old lady sitting behind the large desk.
“Oh, Sebastian! Are you here to engrave your dal?”
“Y-yes.”
I tried to show a friendly smile, yet, my awkward attempt did not go over well.
“Is sothing wrong?”
“It’s nothing…”
Despite my words, I failed to et Anne’s confused gaze.
“Sebastian. Even a blind man could see it – sothing bothering you.”
“...”
I didn’t reply. My gaze was taking in every minute detail of the pear-colored tiles on the office’s floor.
“Please. If sothing is going on.. if there’s anything I can do to help, please, tell .”
Hearing those words, sothing tightened in my chest. I didn’t want to speak, but I could no longer remain silent, either.
“I-Im… sorry.”
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