Salvos

Jake was a relatively young man— just a few years older than Edithe— who’d once been a part of the Valiant Dreamers Company. He was quite talented for his age, having reached Gold Rank under the age of 30. It was a feat. Genuinely. Edithe thought it was a stellar achievement. She, herself, took pride in having accomplished that very same thing just three and a half years ago, even if she was far above that level at Diamond now.

Perhaps it was said feat that gave Jake the confidence he had to strut up to Leopold without any hesitation and speak as boldly as he did. Still, there was nearly a hundred level difference between them, so maybe it was more foolish than brave.

Leopold seemed disinterested— slightly confused, at most— but Jake spoke nevertheless.

“Ah, this is the delegation from the Rising Veterans Company, is it not? We’ve been expecting you. It is unfortunate that you ran into these… posers before us.”

“Posers? True Valiants? Explain, Hadrian.”

Claire frowned as she glanced between the two groups of adventurers. Edithe pursed her lips as Hadrian quickly tried to clear things up.

“The True Valiants are… a splinter group from our company. After Baris’ death, some of our members decided to form their own company.”

“That is a vast oversimplification of what happened and you know it.”

Jake crossed his arms and faced Leopold.

“Mr Leopold, I must ask you to listen to our plea— this man and the rest of the ‘Valiant Dreamers’ were aware of the Primeval Demon’s goals and refused to act. They lied to us and betrayed us. Do you truly want the assistance of such backstabbers in your cause?”

There was a pause. Claire exchanged an uncertain look with Leopold, and Edithe herself moved to speak up. But it seemed Jake had ignited something within Hadrian as the leader of the Valiant Dreamers stepped forward.

“We are not backstabbers. It is true that we lied about some things but we did not do so to mislead, nor did we betray anyone in our company. We didn’t even know that the Primeval Demon was after the Sword of Alexander. In fact— that was exactly what feared and it came to pass.”

“It was what you feared? So you knew that someone would pursue that weapon, and you did not tell us. Isn’t that exactly what I said? Just because you didn’t know it would be the Primeval Demon doesn’t mean you didn’t know it would happen.”

Hadrian hesitated.

“I—”

“Enough.”

Leopold cut them both off.

“I do not care about this infighting in your company, Hadrian.”

He gave the blond a disapproving look as he started past the company’s headquarters.

“I’d rather you settle this as soon as possible before the morrow. I am here not to resolve your petty politics— we’re here to gather companies that are willing to put aside their differences and face a common foe. If you cannot settle this, we’ll be leaving Viechester with neither of your companies.”

Leopold left for an inn. He would not stay in the city for long. Jake clicked his tongue and turned as well— Edithe knew that he probably thought Leopold would see things his way. As it was right now, Leopold and the rest of the delegation from the Rising Veterans Company were just annoyed.

They took their leave, departing from the gates of the Valiant Dreamers Company headquarters.

—--

“I can’t believe Jake would do that.”

It was not something Edithe expected just three months ago. It hadn’t been long ago that they were together in the battlefield, fighting against a common foe— allies that valued and trusted each other above all else.

Now, the Valiant Dreamers Company was torn. Hadrian tried and failed to give the red-haired woman a reassuring smile.

“We’ll be able to resolve it, Edithe. He’s still… upset. As are the others. But they are dreamers— they will…”

He hesitated. His words convinced no one. Shaking his head, Hadrian headed back to the headquarters of the Valiant Dreamers Company.

“We’ll figure things out later. For now, I’ll have to discuss Leopold’s proposal with the others.”

Edithe watched him go. She could only clench her fist, unable to do anything else as she stood there in the cobbled streets of Viechester. Alone.

There was not much the red-haired woman could do— pursue Jake? She’d tried talking him out of it once before. It didn’t work, then. It wouldn’t work now. Help Hadrian? He seemed like he wanted to be left alone, and there wasn’t much Edithe could do to help other than to brief those not in the headquarters.

There was also Leopold. She could’ve followed him. But after such a long trip to reach Viechester only to be met with a company’s squabbling, Edithe was certain Leopold would not take to her kindly if she tried to approach him now.

Anyway, while Edithe was mulling over what she could do for others, she didn’t stop to consider what she could do for herself. She was only reminded of her own limits when a voice called out to her, breaking her from her thoughts.

“Edithe?”

She turned to face the source of the voice. A man dressed in white robes stood at the street, staring at the red-haired woman. He had graying hair and a wrinkled face, but a kind smile. One that Edithe recognized. No— she more than recognized him. She knew him with great familiarity.

“William?”

A [Priest]. One who had raised Edithe as a little girl. When her Mother was off with work in the slums of Viechester.

“What are you doing here?”

The man smiled.

“It’s been a while since we’ve spoken. I’d have thought you’d be happier to see me.”

She shifted uncomfortably, and he chuckled. Before the red-haired woman could protest, a small voice squeaked from behind her.

“Old man! You’re here!”

Rachel dashed out of the headquarters of the Valiant Dreamers Company, grinning. Edithe blinked.

“Wait, what’s going on?

—--

“So, Sophia asked you to take care of her for today?”

Edithe looked down at the little brown-haired girl as she happily skipped ahead up the stairs of Viechester’s Sanctum of Elements. The temple didn’t look as lavish or luxurious as the red-haired woman remembered, and she wasn’t sure if that was her mind playing tricks on her or if it really was falling into disrepair.

Everything just appeared bleaker these days.

“Yes. Since I have cared for Rachel before, Ms Sophia requested for my aid as she had a mission to carry out.”

That was right. There’d been an uptick in monster activity as of late. Sophia left with Cless to clear a [Dark Wolf] pack that had apparently been terrorizing a few towns to the north of Viechester. It wasn’t the most difficult task for Gold Ranks like them, but Cless had just barely recovered from his injuries, so he was still taking things slowly.

“Well, after all that happened the last time we asked you to look after her…”

Edithe trailed off, thinking of the whole debacle with Stephen. It truly didn’t feel like it happened too long ago, but it had been over two years since then. A lot of time had passed in what felt like a shorter span than it truly was.

“Thank you.”

“It is no trouble.”

William shook his head.

“Rachel is a delight to watch over. Watching her progress— her curiosity that leads her to grow. It truly is astonishing. Have you noticed? She has leveled quite a bit at her age.”

Edithe certainly had been keeping the occasional tab on Rachel. Seeing the brown-haired girl level was something she’d noticed, to a certain extent. But the fact that Rachel was nearly Level 15 and that was something special was lost to Edithe, until William pointed it out.

“A prodigy. Truly.”

A small smile crept over William’s lips as they strode through the halls of the temple. Suddenly, Rachel paused. She turned to the [Priest] and raised her chin.

“That’s right! I’m amazing, aren’t I?”

Edithe stared at Rachel as she grinned triumphantly— a grin that was quite similar to a certain Demon’s. Even the words sounded like something a certain Demon would say. The red-haired woman shook her head.

“Rachel, I’m glad you’re taking after Salvos. But you really shouldn’t be so… uncouth with what you say. People may think you’re a braggart.”

“Psh— but it’s true! Even William said it himself!”

The [Priest] just shrugged, and Edithe shot him a half-glare.

“Well, William shouldn’t be praising you too much. There’s such thing as too much pride, which, unfortunately, Salvos suffers from.”

Rachel gave Edithe a look of astonishment.

“What? How can Salvos be too proud? She’s amazing!”

The brown-haired girl spun around, continuing to walk ahead as she babbled on about the Demon.

“She’s so fast and strong and she always seems to arrive on time… you know, I bet she can beat up that ugly Demon everyone is talking about these days!”

Edithe pursed her lips. That… wasn’t true. Even with Edithe and Daniel present, Salvos herself had admitted she didn’t stand a chance at beating Belzu.

But the red-haired woman didn’t just want to burst the girl’s bubble. So, she tried to put it lightly.

“Salvos is my friend. I trust her with my life. But she isn’t…”

She hesitated, trying to come up with the right words to say. Especially in front of William.

“Salvos isn’t a [Hero].”

The red-haired woman finally settled with that. Rachel nodded, uncaring.

“Yep! She’s not a [Hero]. She’s better than a [Hero]!”

“What’s better than a [Hero]?”

“A Princess adventurer!”

William laughed as Edithe just sighed. Rachel didn’t back down, insisting that it was true as they arrived at the temple’s library.

The [Priest] spoke as he ushered the girl forward.

“I believe you, Rachel. But now it’s time for you to catch up on your studies. I’m sure you can find lots of books about princesses and adventurers in here.”

“’Kay…”

Rachel scurried off to grab a book to read. Edithe massaged her temples as William gave her a pat on the shoulder.

“Let her dream, Edithe. She has someone she looks up to, and there’s no need for you to convince her otherwise.”

“I’m not telling her not to look up to Salvos. Just… that Salvos has flaws, like the rest of us.”

“Like the rest of us, huh?”

William muttered as he took a seat. He offered Edithe a cup of tea, which she gratefully accepted. She’d been drinking too much ale as of late.

“What, do you disagree?”

“I agree with you. But I don’t think telling someone that their idol isn’t who they make them out to be will just strengthen their beliefs even further. It is counterproductive.”

The red-haired woman scowled. She took a sip from the tea and grimaced. Bitter.

“What makes you say that?”

“It is in a person’s nature to inherently disagree with someone who claims you are incorrect, no? Otherwise, you’d be admitting ignorance over a matter you are impassioned about. And as much as we strive to be modest and openminded, we cannot simply mold ourselves to what others claim with certainty, as we’d then be no more than a piece of paper for them to draw on.”

William spoke as he watched Rachel run between the shelves, quickly sifting through the titles in search of a specific book she couldn’t find.

“Everyone has a set of beliefs, and if those beliefs are threatened, so is our individuality. That is why we disagree. And that is why changing minds isn’t merely a matter of talk.”

That made Edithe paused. She thought for a moment about Jake— about Hadrian. About both the Valiant Dreamers and the True Valiants. They had been bickering like children. Neither side gave the other any room to speak.

But… what Jake had been saying was partially right. Fact of the matter was— Baris did have some faults. He wasn’t perfect. No one was.

It was just like Edithe said, everyone was flawed in some regard. But the way the remaining Valiant Dreamers had been dismissing the True Valiants— it was like Baris had done no wrong his entire life. However, he had made mistakes. Even Edithe thought it had been a problem before others found out.

So, why did she have to reject the True Valiants completely?

“Now, what has been troubling you, Edithe? You don’t normally come to me unless you need your help.”

William chuckled and turned to her with a gentle look. That of a father peering at his daughter, ready to comfort her and lend an ears

“I… it’s nothing.”

She finally realized what needed to be done. The True Valiants were not evil. They’d been comrades once, and they could be comrades again. A proper dialogue had to be made. But not just with the True Valiants. Edithe had to speak with the Valiant Dreamers too.

“You’ve already helped me plenty. Thank you, William.”

He smiled.

“It is my pleasure.”

Edithe got to work, leaving the temple.