Chapter 189
The story continues off the page
The Last Dance Before Midnight
A masked dragon asks the lanternwright for one slow dance
Valdrova donned her armor and left Hestia Village.
The people of Hestia Village recognized her and greeted her respectfully.
“Welcome, Armored Knight!”
“Are you well today, too?”
She was already an important figure in the village, and everyone greeted her warmly when they saw her.
Whenever that happened, she would flounder, then answer with a slight nod.
It was an awkward reflex, but to others, she looked tremendously dignified.
Instead of heading to the labor union she usually visited, she made her way to the Adventurers’ Guild building.
“Armored Knight! You’re early!”
Nod.
“The guild master will arrive right on time. I’ll show you to the conference room.”
The guild receptionist welcomed her and opened the conference-room door.
Three people were already gathered there besides her.
Valdrova looked at them in admiration.
‘They’re all strong.’
As someone who could perceive the hierarchy of power, she could easily gauge their strength.
She could vividly sense the pain and years they had endured to possess such power.
A thought suddenly occurred to her.
Am I really allowed to be in a place like this?
“You there……”
A blond-haired archer opened his mouth as he looked at Valdrova.
“Are you perhaps the Armored Knight?”
He was acting as if he knew her, but it was distinctly different from the way the villagers did.
He was asking with an unpleasant look in his eyes.
Valdrova nodded.
“Hmm……”
He seemed about to say something more, but closed his mouth and leaned back against the chair.
It was not just that archer.
The looks directed at the Armored Knight differed from the ones she normally received.
‘Did I do something wrong?’
Valdrova felt needlessly disheartened.
Thinking she might as well sit and wait, she took a seat.
As time passed after she sat down, several more people filled the room.
The seats were gradually being filled, but the awkward tension did not break.
At last, someone standing broke the awkward tension.
“Uhaha! How is everyone!?”
The eyes of those who had been sitting as if bored sparkled.
“Huh? You look familiar……”
“Indeed. I feel certain I’ve seen you somewhere before……”
Though he was certainly a stranger, everyone felt they knew the huge man who resembled a massive wall simply by standing there.
Hearing that, the giant crossed his arms and grinned.
“Could it be that you saw my face on a statue while passing by?”
“A statue? Ah…… no way!”
“It’s Jonathan Sina! He’s a perfect copy of Jonathan Sina?!”
The adventurers clapped their hands and called out his name.
“I’m told you are Jonathan Sina’s ‘ancestor.’ I would appreciate it if you showed some respect to the great warlord.”
“Ah, I-I’m sorry!”
“I can forgive a first mistake. But how about you buy me a drink and we have a chat!?”
Even his hearty laughter carried an intimidating force that seemed to crush people.
It made even proud Gold-rank adventurers whimper like puppies.
Those who had known Jonathan from before welcomed him warmly.
“Welcome, brother. You drank that much, yet somehow you weren’t late!”
“Would a warrior really lose to something as trivial as alcohol?”
With his hearty laughter, the room instantly became boisterous.
He was not merely talking to people he happened to know.
Jonathan drew in the people around him, displaying his natural sociability.
Valdrova found herself envying him.
‘I want to talk like that, too.’
She imagined herself as the center of attention.
But once she imagined actually being in that position, she only felt as if her breath had caught in her throat.
Even so, it seemed better than worrying over what to say, as she was now.
Valdrova waited for Erika to arrive.
The appointed time drew near, and at last the person who had organized the gathering arrived.
Blue hair and an outfit that looked free-spirited.
The woman, whose pair of horns had vanished from her head, went to the host’s seat and greeted everyone.
“How do you do.”
The woman who had summoned them here to prepare for an expedition into the Demon Lands.
She was the Platinum adventurer known as Eri.
But unlike everyone else seated here, only one name stood out to Valdrova.
Iorga Spon, Erika.
Though she had neither horns nor a tail, her distinctive aura and appearance could not fool Valdrova’s eyes.
Erika walked to the end of the conference table.
“First, I sincerely thank all of you for coming here from across the land.”
Erika’s voice carried weight.
“One person has yet to arrive, but we will begin first. You have gathered here to embark on an expedition into the Demon Lands.”
Erika continued speaking, indicating each person in turn with her eyes.
“From now on, you will become teammates and comrades who overcome difficulties together. Let us begin by greeting one another and introducing ourselves……”
Erika’s words trailed off.
Someone had shot his hand into the air.
It was the blond-haired archer who had looked at Valdrova with disdain.
Erika knew his name.
“Please speak, Mr. Virgil.”
“Yes. I know how much you’ve done for our Adventurers’ Guild, Lady Eri, and I also know that you led us in subjugating monsters.”
“Is that right?”
“You have always emphasized that adventurers maximize their abilities through trust in their comrades, rather than through individual ability.”
“That is correct.”
“In that regard, I think I should say this in advance.”
He turned his eyes, full of discontent, toward one person.
Those eyes were aimed at the Armored Knight.
“I question whether that man called the Armored Knight should be allowed to participate in this expedition.”
Valdrova felt her heart plummet.
“Why is that?”
Despite his aggressive tone, Erika asked calmly.
“She is praised as the Armored Knight in the village, but look at her record! She may have beaten a few monsters to death with her bare hands, but she was nowhere to be seen during the subjugation! If it’s beyond her capabilities, she’ll definitely run away again!”
Run away.
At those words, Valdrova bit her lip.
She suppressed herself as much as possible so she would not be swept away by her emotions.
Virgil continued.
“And furthermore, look at this! Wasn’t she caught trying to quietly claim credit for another knight’s achievements just because she couldn’t speak? Adventurers risk their lives to receive fair compensation. A shameless person who does something like that is the greatest cause of division!”
Virgil passionately explained that the Armored Knight should not be here, apparently determined to drive her out by any means necessary.
Erika, who had listened quietly, tapped her temple with her index finger and spoke.
“Mr. Virgil.”
“Yes.”
“It would be best not to make a hasty judgment before we have even begun.”
Erika defended the Armored Knight’s actions.
“She did not run away from the monster subjugation; she had already left. I do not know where she went, but she had her own reasons. It is not right to insist she ran away simply because she did not appear then.”
“Then what about her trying to steal that achievement……”
“It was also confirmed that she could not speak about the matter because of an oath of silence, not that she tried to steal the credit. She settled the matter amicably with the person involved, and I gave it careful consideration as well. I do not think it is something a third party should dispute.”
“Wouldn’t it be a serious problem if such personal flaws had a major negative impact on the entire team?”
Though it had begun with Virgil’s emotional outburst, the others seemed to share similar sentiments.
Erika thought she should take this opportunity to convince them.
“Have you heard of an adventuring party called Ground Foot?”
The sudden mention of another adventuring party.
“Yes. I heard they are Gold-rank adventurers who received Lady Eri’s favor.”
“Do you know what kind of people they are?”
“I heard they successfully explored and returned from the ancient ruins in the southern desert.”
“But you don’t know what each of them was like, do you? The thief suffered from kleptomania and gambling addiction, the mage was an alcoholic, the priest suffered from severe depression, and the swordsman had anger-management issues. They were people who picked fights at every turn.”
“……”
“Separately, they were the sort who might have been imprisoned in a castle dungeon or confined to a monastery. But do they seem that way now?”
“They don’t…… appear to be like that.”
“The moment a person becomes part of a team, they are reborn. Stop making hasty judgments before we have even begun.”
“……I understand. I’m sorry.”
The man named Virgil seemed to agree reluctantly.
“If anyone has any other complaints, would you please voice them now? It seems important to correct them before we begin.”
“I have none.”
“I understand to some extent as well, so it’s fine.”
As if pleased, Erika addressed the gathered adventurers.
“Always remember this. There is no such thing as a flawless hero among those here. The same was true of the twelve expedition heroes who threw themselves into the Demon Lands before us.”
Erika gave the Armored Knight a sidelong glance one last time.
Her gaze seemed to say that everything was all right.
‘She really is Iorga’s child.’
Her intelligence, eloquence, and charisma made Valdrova admire her all over again.
At the same time, one question lingered in her mind.
‘Am I not suited for a place like this?’
Getting along with everyone and overcoming difficulties together was the image she had dreamed of.
But that was only how things looked if they succeeded.
What would happen if they failed?
What if someone were seriously injured because of her mistake?
Valdrova felt she might never be able to forgive herself.
‘I might really run away then.’
Valdrova felt that this choice had been far too reckless.
While Valdrova was agonizing, a middle-aged mage brought up another subject.
“But I heard that one person has yet to arrive.”
“Yes.”
“Who on earth is this person to be so late?”
There were twelve seats prepared, with one still vacant.
Every adventurer here was at least Gold rank, valuable people whom even ordinary nobles could not handle carelessly.
For someone of such importance to arrive alone, late, was unforgivable.
“He has so much backlog that he said he would finish only the urgent work and come straight here. He should be here any moment now……”
Knock, knock—.
“I was wondering whether he would come, but it seems he has arrived.”
Erika gestured, and the door opened.
The last latecomer appeared.
Everyone was startled by his identity, but no one more than Valdrova.
Clank!
The sound of two suits of armor colliding rang out as she reacted most violently.
The face behind the metal plate was several times more astonished than the armor’s great jolt.
‘Mr. Ferda?!’
Ferda Valdrova.
The lord of this village and regent of Valdrova Castle.
A personage of no ordinary importance had appeared.
The moment Valdrova saw that face, it felt as if her mind went completely blank.
It felt like receiving a gift on a day that was not a holiday.
Unlike Valdrova, the adventurers’ faces looked displeased.
“Lady Eri, I wasn’t told we would have to escort a noble, no matter how you look at it.”
The others cautiously began to protest.
The Demon Lands were a dangerous place, and common sense dictated minimizing risks as much as possible in such dangerous work.
Erika was well aware of this, too.
“Unless there is a formal request to escort a noble, it is only common sense not to allow observers, either.”
Nobles always created unforeseen situations.
If they caused trouble and suffered harm, their distinctive prideful natures would lead them to demand accountability, and that would make things troublesome for at least several weeks.
“However, Regent Ferda will not merely observe. He will act as a member of the expedition, with the same status as all of you.”
“The Grand Duke’s fiancé is joining us as a member?”
“Hmm……”
Even setting his status aside, the reaction was still mixed.
He had reached the Fourth Circle at a young age, possessed outstanding magical ability, repelled demonkin, and proven himself in command as well.
But as was always the case with nobles, most of it was likely just boasting, and they would not believe it unless they had seen it themselves.
Besides, he had excellent potential as a mage, but being an adventurer was always a separate matter.
This was a world where there were Fifth-Circle duds and Third-Circle saviors.
Erika glanced at Ferda.
It was a signal telling him to say something—anything.
Ferda opened his mouth, apparently deciding he should do so.
He made it clear to them that they had nothing to worry about.
“You need not worry about me.”
Up to that point, it was certainly fine.
“I only hope you won’t trip over a rock for no reason and blame me for it.”
“……”
The atmosphere grew even more hostile.
They looked like they wanted to curse him, but could not bring themselves to say anything because he was a noble.
Erika had to desperately suppress the feeling that her Blue Circle was about to shatter and make her vomit blood.