Josefine was a hero too. Of that Cless was 85.435% certain. She looked at the smug face the barmaid? was making and her certainty only increased. She went back through her memories and saw the evidence. Josefine was never asked to leave when they discussed sensitive issues. She didn't sleep at the inn but Cless had no idea where she lived. She was able to run the inn alone with Karen. She seemed to be looking straight at the boys when she said they weren't in town. And she never displayed any discomfort with Cless' appearance. Only congeniality.

She was also angry that she deceived herself. If Josefine was a hero, the Sharpshooter was not her mom. Feeling dejected, she avoided meeting anyone's gaze and made her way to the door.

"Cless, wait." Josefine tried to stop her. She went sideways but the girl held her. "I didn't want to deceive you! Neither did Karen."

"Are you Josie? Who are you anyway?"

To Cless it was like the girl in front of her was a total stranger. Her rational mind told her she was mixing her own frustrations with the wounded pride she didn't even know she had that she couldn't pinpoint as a hero someone that interacted with her on a daily basis for two months even after she knew they were around. But the hurt Cless told her rational mind to sit on a corner facing the wall because she wanted to feel angry.

"Neither of us used a fake name, Cless. It is not our fault that hundreds of children were named after us once we got stuck on the Infernal... Do you even know our story?"

"Only the church-approved one the peasants know," Cless answered. "You never told me I couldn't ask around." She raised an accusing look at the five sitting at the table.

"We expected that you would go after answers on your own," Balthus told her. "We can't talk, but the truth is out there."

Cless' eyes moved back to Josie. "Did you guys really kill the Devil?" She felt a shudder run through the body of the barmaid? holding her.

Josefine hesitated before answering. "Yes, we did. Does it make you angry?"

"No. Not angry. Disappointed," Cless replied. "Not only you guys did the Church and probably the Celestials' dirty work, but you also fucked up the entire three Realms. Did you do that or was it just rumors?"

"Guilty as charged," George slammed his mug on the table and declared.

"We were naive and at that time we believed in the Church," the Priest complemented George's words. Cless noticed that she never knew the Priest's name too.

"Besides we had a good damn reason to go there for a second time anyway. We needed to rescue our friend that was trapped there." Balthus confessed and earned some glares from his companions. "What? I swore no stupid oath. And I have half the mind of going there and telling her the truth. Wimps." Balthus croaked, chugged his mug, and also slammed the table. He crossed his arms and rested his case.

"Cless, I think I'll go upstairs with Silverfang and get everything," Venaris said as she walked past the two girls, hero and guildmaster, holding each other.

"Going anywhere?" Karen asked.

"Yes, we got a commission to harvest more wood from Anders at the Sawmill. Someone has to help repair the association," Cless vented with some vitriol. "We are also thinking of looking for Shane. If you... Hold on a second. Josie, are you an elf?"

"Yes, but the fact brings me no joy." Her somber mood became sad as she answered. "I'm using a spell to shapeshift into a human right now."

"Being the last of your kind sucks. I can kind of relate." Cless hugged Josefine back. "I'm sorry everyone. You took the time to shelter and raise me and here I am, lashing out my frustrations at you. I even made the Great Sage work as a barmaid!"

When one spends a lifetime with everyone around telling that everything is one's fault and that one has no place in the world, one could develop the kind of mentality where you expect nothing from others or yourself. It flared back now because Cless was feeling powerless. How many hundreds of levels one of them had?

"Well, I can only speak for myself but I am grateful for being here for you. Working as a barmaid was not hard, and a thirteen-year vacation felt like bliss. Nothing to worry about, no pesky students or teacher doing childish power plays, just clean mugs and serve ale. If the pay wasn't crap I'd love to be here forever." Josefine confessed.

Cless even tried to laugh. "Do you have a school?"

"That is a subject for another day, but I do," Josefine answered. "Later after all is over, we can talk again."

"So," Cless tapped Josefine's arm to let go and went to the table. Pulling a chair, she sat between Olson and Balthus. "What are we here for?"

Josefine came back with another round of ale for everyone including her. She also sat at the table. "The Inquisition is here but I already told you there."

"What you might not know is why they are here," The Priest completed. "But our mouths are tied shut unless you ask the right questions."

"How is the Sharpshooter?" Cless asked forcing a knot down her throat. She knew she would break down if they said 'dead'.

"Last I knew she was teaching archery at Josie's academy," Karen answered.

Theory discarded. The Sharpshooter was not Cless' mother. That left a huge blank. Was Cless mother not one of the heroes? That didn't fit the information she had. The Priest told her she would deserve an S-rank Skill because of her Legacy. From the gnomes' knowledge, it meant either someone that worked for the better of Midgard either fighting monsters or ruling people.

That was a realization of the real nature of Legacy. It was a rewards system from the Ruler of Midgard. Do a good job today protecting the Realm and earn a reward for your children so they can do even better stronger deeds. This would mean that if everyone strived, their family Legacies would increase and prosper, eventually leading to very strong people that would drive back the monsters for good.

Everything fit together. The gnomes' knowledge and lore, the Priest's teachings...

"Father, do you have a name?" She asked the Priest.

"I gave up that name when we failed during our first incursion into the Infernal Realm. I'm only known by my occupation now. I'm nobody." He humbly said. The weight and sorrow of failure rang true in his voice.

"Do you know that this game of 'ask the right questions' is really, really annoying?" Cless vented. All six nodded. "But there is no other way you can give me information, right?" Their heads went up and down again. "And if I ask straight questions you will either not answer or deflect them." They nodded a third time. "Fuck it. Let's do it. Do we have a time limit?"

"No, ask away." Karen smiled.

Josefine grumbled and punched Karen's arm. "I hate when you shift the time frame. It messes up with all my spells' upkeep."

Now that she said that, Cless could feel that her golem was taking more power than she could recover. "Mine too. I got a golem outside."

"Well, now we have a time limit," Karen chortled, irritating Josefine even more. "When Cless runs out of power. How much magic do you have, girl?"

"A hundred-fifty," She answered.

Olson whistled, "That is a whopping lot for a fifty."

"No shit," Balthus guffawed. "That's my apprentice."

"Yes, look at the damage you caused," George replied. "She spent points to put three of the four basics over the hundred mark."

"Are you guys appraising me?" Cless felt invaded.

"Only the basic," the Priest answered. "None of us can get your full status. And it helps level your resistance. Focus on that and enjoy the free proficiency at our own brains' expense."

"Thanks, father. Back at the questions." Cless paused to focus and think. "You guys went to the Infernal twice. The first time nine went in and you lost. But only seven came out, is that correct?"

They nodded. Cless continued. "The two that stayed behind were a male and a female... Right. Josie said something about rescuing a single person, you rescued only the female."

Shoulders slumped but they nodded. "That female was my mother. And my father died in the Infernal Realm."

"That's the gist of it. But you are not going for the gold, just skirting around the silver." Balthus confessed.

"None of you will tell me who or what my parents are, right? I think I got enough for now," Cless said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "And I am tired of these stupid games. I'm going out of town to kill something, probably just vegetation. Josie, can you eavesdrop on the boys again? I'd like a location so I can go and meet with them."

Josie opened a mischievous smile. Fae did love their silly games, Cless reminded herself from her bookish knowledge. "What? I never eavesdropped on them."

"Oh, my bad, Great Sage. You didn't eavesdrop on them, you spied on them. That is why you looked far away when I asked about them. Could you please spy again?"

She giggled, her voice rising an octave. "Fine. Karen, throttle the time back to normal, please."

"Far Sight!"

"They are in a gully, a cave by the foothills. A lot of them are wounded."

Cless stood up. She winked at Venaris and Silverfang, that were hiding on the stairs landing watching them. "Well, I have some people to rescue and vegetation to destroy. And I got the feeling that the less time I spend in town less time these church fanatics have to find me. No offense, father."

"None taken. I am forced to stay in the church charter for reasons but I also think they went too far."

"Cless," Karen stopped her by grabbing her wrist. "All of us here are your friends. We will do anything we can to support you. We did some shitty terrible things and some shittier deals but that's what kept you alive."

"I appreciate that. I got two questions for you, Karen. Were you really related to my mom?" Karen nodded. "Are you of noble birth?"

"I am," Karen confessed. "I was once a countess of a fallen kingdom."

"From expensive wine and ballroom galas to piss ale and taproom vomit," Cless whistled. "How the mighty have fallen."

"Cless, entertain us," George called her. She turned around. "How did you know Karen was nobility?"

"That was easy, I was suspecting it for some time already. Only the blue bloods would care about tracking familial relations to the tenth degree, peasants either won't bother or will just use the intimate terms without bothering with that much precision. And Balthus there, he slipped his tongue twice during training.

"In the end, it boils down to the knowledge about Legacy. I don't think just a heroic Legacy would lead someone to inherit an S-rank Skill. There must be more to it. It might be a burden that I don't want to bear, but it is what my parents left to me. The Legacy and a memory of a dress." She started to cry. "I'm sorry. I really have to go."

She came to the foot of the stairs. Venaris and Silverfang came down, the gnome bowing deeply to the heroes. "All of you, it is an honor to meet six of you here. I owe my life to you for raising Cless to be a splendid person. Thank you."

"Well said, Venaris," George clapped his hands. "Please keep an eye out for our girl. She means the world to us."

"Will do, constable, sir!" Venaris saluted as the guards do and trailed after Cless toward the door.

"Blind Eye, we are on a rescue mission. Let's go onwards!"

Cless ordered as she crossed the threshold out into the street. Venaris nodded and went after SIlverfang.

"Yes, your Highness." The gnome replied.

Delta Status:

Proficiencies, Appraise: Resistance 50 (+10)