357. Grudge

He was Orgaf. Thief of the Golden Scales. Elite Ranked adventurer. A [Nightcrawler Shadower]. He was someone of great import, and he had been… embarrassed.

Humiliated.

He had a reputation to uphold, but it had been ruined.

It had been a gathering of very many powerful people. Those who were held to high esteem. However, what they thought of him didn’t matter— he couldn’t give a rat’s ass whether his standing fell in front of a bunch of posh nobles.

However, there were some present whom he’d respected. And to be left red-faced and ashamed in front of them? In front of the one woman in the world he even held in high regard? He couldn’t forgive it.

He left the gathering because of his embarrassment. He didn’t even hear of the Wyvern attack on Catark until it was too late. His chance of redeeming himself was ruined. It irked him.

And it was all because of that damned girl. He blamed the girl for what happened. He wouldn’t forget this humiliation he felt. No matter what.

I made a promise to my companions. I’d help them grow stronger. It was just like before the Plaguelands all over again. After my brief contribution in the company war where I killed Stepehen and saved Edithe’s life. My companions came to me, and I helped them overcome their weaknesses and become something more.

It was the same scenario. Except, this time, I… didn’t know where to go.

I tapped a finger on my chin as I paced around the gilded room. I’d been given a place to stay in the grand palace of Alyras since I was Rana’s friend, so I didn’t have to stay at the dingy campsite just outside of the city. Saffron Merryster sat to the side, watching me as I tore my hair over what to do.

“Maybe I could bring them to the Plaguelands again? But the Lich is dead. The undead are leaving the land in droves, and the blight is disappearing. It’s not as dangerous as it was anymore. What about the Bloodied Gulf? No— the Matriarch Centinel would definitely kill me if I returned…”

I mulled over my options, and Saffron lowered her cup of tea. Her butler, Matthew, took the cup as she stood up and faced me.

“Salvos… first of all, I’m going to ignore the fact that you somehow angered the Matriarch Centinel of the Bloodied Gulf to the point that it holds a grudge against you—”

“I didn’t really anger her. I just killed one of her children, and she’s mad now or something. I don’t know.”

“Right.”

Saffron didn’t waver. She stared at me, arms-folded.

“Secondly, what exactly are you stressing about now?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

I waved a hand off casually. Saffron Merryster quirked a brow, and Matthew answered from behind me.

“It seems to me that Ms Salvos—”

“Salvos.”

I corrected him. The butler nodded.

“Salvos appears to be concerned about her other companions, Daniel Song and Edithe Dawnrise. If I had to guess, they made a request to her and she’s struggling to fulfill them despite promising she would do it.”

Saffron turned to me inquisitively, as if checking if Matthew was right. I snapped a finger and pointed at him.

“Yep! How did you know? Can you read minds, Matthew?”

I gasped, leaning closer. He shook his head.

“Unfortunately, I cannot. But I have been listening to you murmur to yourself for the last hour while Lady Saffron has been preoccupying herself with her notes.”

“Notes?”

I cocked my head, and Saffron shrugged.

“Helena Warshade called a meeting. A bunch of kings and queens from all around the Helbir Plains will be gathering next week. We’ll need to figure out how we’ll deal with that second Primeval Demon and the Inoria Empire.”

“Why can’t you just declare war on them?”

I asked the obvious question. Both Matthew and Saffron exchanged a glance. The pink-haired noble sighed.

“It’s far more complex than that.”

“But you guys have proof that they’re taken over by Demons, right? Emperor Rowyn said so.”

“That is correct. But we’d be forced to fight against an army of our own kind to get to them, Salvos. And revealing the fact that we know about these Demons ruins the element of surprise we have on our side. We can’t act brashly. We need to collect ourselves then retaliate in one swift blow.”

She spoke simply, wagging a finger as she explained the situation to me. I listened to her carefully. My brows furrowed as a thought crossed my mind.

“What about Belzu?”

“That Primeval Demon… I don’t know. But last we heard, its army was shattered. It would take a while to build its army back to size.”

“Then isn’t the best time to deal with him right now?”

I stared at Saffron with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged.

“Perhaps. We already have [Scrying Mages] trying to track down its location, but it is not easy. Its magic is masking its movement. We just know that it is somewhere in the Motharis Mountain Range with an army less than a tenth of the size it had been before Mori Gladius and the Remembered Order Company faced it.”

“Huh.”

It made sense that the adventurer army led by Mori Gladius dealt quite the blow to Belzu. They were all elite fighters— and I didn’t mean it in the sense that they Elite Ranked. Adventurers just tended to be higher-leveled than common soldiers.

However, to challenge Belzu’s army to the extent that it did? It didn’t make sense to me. Not unless Belzu’s army had already been weakened while in Inoria. And that was very much a possibility.

There were a lot of things to consider. But none of it was really my problem. There was a possibility I considered.

“Hm, maybe I could find Belzu and kill him right now with Daniel and Edithe…”

“Uh, did I just hear you right, Salvos?”

Saffron blinked at me a few times. I shook my head and spun around.

“Nope, it’s nothing. Just a thought.”

She didn’t look like she believed me. Instead, she just gave me a resigned expression and gestured vaguely around her.

“Look, before you do anything reckless, just consider asking your princess friend for some help. Alyras is sure to have a plethora of information that can aid you in not getting yourself killed, Salovs.”

“You’re right!”

My eyes widened. I leapt out of the room and burst down the corridors, waving at Saffron.

“Good luck with your meeting thingy! I’ll be hanging out with princess Rana!”

I beamed, excitedly searching for the princess.

—--

When I found Rana Alyras, I was reprimanded. I’d caused a bit of a ruckus by running around the palace. The princess wasn’t the one who scolded me, of course. Neither was it her father, the king. It was actually her maid.

Sevika folded her arms and spoke in a stern voice.

“I understand that you are a guest here, and we have offered you our most luxurious lodging. But I must ask that you reciprocate our kindness with your own by, at the very least, maintaining the peace of the palace.”

“Princess Rana… your maid is being mean to me.”

“There, there.”

I sulked, hiding behind Rana Alyras as she comforted me. The maid glared at Rana, and the princess jerked back. She straightened, creaking her head slowly to turn around. Sevika sighed.

“And princess Rana, please don’t indulge Salvos’ mischief.”

“I wasn’t being mischievous! I was just excited!”

I protested. Sevika wasn’t like Saffron who was tired of dealing with me. She didn’t sigh or give me an exasperated look. All she did was speak in a stricter voice.

“Then I ask you to curb your excitement the next time this happens.”

I pouted, and she spun around. The maid left us alone. I looked at Rana as the princess smiled.

“So, what did you need of me, Salvos?”

“I’m looking for, um, dangerous places.”

“Dangerous… places?”

“Yep! Full of wild monsters that want to hurt me! Not monsters that are nice. I don’t want to fight nice monsters. Just wild monsters.”

I nodded eagerly as Rana sat there, listening to my explanation. She scratched her cheek uncertainly.

“That sounds like you’re describing a Dungeon.”

“Woah.”

I was taken aback. That was right. I’d been to far too many dangerous regions lately that I forgot Dungeons existed. I narrowed my eyes.

“Wait, but are there any Diamond Ranked Dungeons nearby?”

“There aren’t very many Diamond Ranked Dungeons, Salvos. Those are incredibly dangerous. If they’re left unchecked, they can end up bringing destruction to entire cities. Small countries, too. So they’re usually exterminated once they’re made known.”

“Huh.”

Rana shrugged as I hesitated.

“Aw, that sucks.”

She watched me twiddle my fingers together, looking up at her hopefully.

“But surely you’d know of some super secret Dungeon that Alyras is hiding, right?”

“Unfortunately, keeping such a secret would be harmful to all the countries of the Helbir Plains. And as the head of the Helbir League at this moment, my father would never do such a thing.”

My shoulders went slack. I deflated. Rana pursed her lower lips as I dragged myself away from her room.

“Well, I’m sorry for causing trouble over nothing…”

I slinked away. The princess shifted slightly. She called out to me just as I reached the doorway.

“I can’t help you, Salvos, but maybe… maybe the Adventurers Guild might know something?”

I paused. I brightened and grabbed Rana by the shoulders.

“You’re right! You’re a genius, princess Rana!”

She bobbed back and forth as I shook her.

“T-t-t-thank you?”

I let go of her, about to dash out. I halted when I remembered Sevika’s words. I calmed myself, straightening my back as I shifted from a run to walking with poise.

“I must be the one to thank you, princess Rana.”

I bowed at her as I stood by the decorated doorway.

“It’s nothing? Like, it’s really nothing.”

Princess Rana started, and I smiled.

“I owe you a great debt. Truly. You are wise in the ways of the world.”

“Alright, now I’m not sure if you’re mocking me.”

She gave me a flat stare. I waved at her and started out the door. The princess blinked and raised her hand.

“Wait, Salvos—”

“Yes, princess?”

I spun on my heel and faced her. Rana chewed her lower lip, averting her gaze slightly.

“I know we just met and all, but I was wondering if you would…”

“I would?”

I gave her a curious look. She closed her eyes as she shook her head.

“It’s nothing. I hope you find what it is you're looking for, Salvos.”

I tilted my head, slightly confused. But I didn’t question her further. Instead, I continued down the palace before eventually entering the streets of the city.

—--

I walked down the streets of Alyras in thought, not noticing the passersby giving me a weird look.

“What if there aren’t any Dungeons? Hm…”

A susurration ran through the street vendors and the [Traders] as they faced me. A man stopped me, rubbing his hands together as he smiled.

“I heard you’re heading to a Dungeon, dear adventurer. Perhaps you would like to look through my wares to stock up before you go? I’m sure someone of your status could afford a few healing potions, yes?”

“No thanks! Daniel will handle that!”

I waved him away before I continued on, mulling out loud.

“Would a Diamond Ranked Lair work? Or, no— what about the other Wyverns of Sharik?”

But that wasn’t right. The Mistress of Remnants had asked me to save them. I wasn’t too keen on listening to her request, but I also wasn’t going to go out of my way to spit on her last wish and kill off the last Wyverns from her flock. If I heard something related to the Wyverns, I’d definitely consider intervening, at the very least.

“Hey, miss adventurer, I see you’re in drastic need for new armor. Why not try out this brand new breastplate I got from—”

Another [Merchant] tried to get my attention, but I ignored him. And another one. Again and again.

“Miss adventurer, would these spell scrolls catch your eye—”

“I have a berry that can grant resistance to—”

“No! I don’t want any of it! Go away!”

I ran past all the [Traders] trying to get my attention. It was weird. I was never really bothered by street vendors before. Not like this. And they seemed to be targeting me, for whatever reason. Eventually, however, I entered the Adventurers Guild, safe from their hounding.

“So annoying.”

I rolled my eyes. There had been music playing when I opened the door, but now when I spun around, I didn’t hear any songs. A few heads were turned, facing me. Wide-eyed. I gave them confused looks, but otherwise just walked in. The music resumed after I reached the counter. The receptionist on duty blinked as I showed her my Diamond Ranked badge.

“Hi!”

“This is…?”

Her eyes bulged out of their sockets. She stared at it for a moment, and i waved my hand.

“Hello? I’m Salvos!”

I greeted her, and she instantly straightened. She slowly spoke stiffly as she tried to adjust her uniform.

“I— uh, y-yes? How may we— I mean, I help you?”

She sputtered as she faced me. Why was she so startled? It was odd. With a shrug, I pointed past the counter at the bulletin board behind her.

“Can I have a list of all Diamond Ranked Dungeons nearby?”

The receptionist stared at me for a moment. Then she tried to work her jaw.

“D-D-Diamond Ranked Dungeons? I-I am not sure we have such a list…”

I frowned.

“Aw, but I—”

“But I am not entirely sure!”

The receptionist squeaked, cutting me off. I looked at her as she stumbled past the counter, knocking down a stack of documents. She nearly slipped and fell as she turned to me with a pale look.

“I-I-I, uh, am sorry for the mess! I’ll try to find what you’re looking for— I mean, I will find it!”

She took off as I stared at her. I placed my hand on my chin, curious. First there were those [Traders] and [Merchants] acting weird. And the receptionist actually seemed to be afraid of me. I wasn’t accidentally in another form, was I?

I looked down at myself, and only saw my Human form. Nope— so what was it then?

“Why is everyone acting so weird?”

I wondered aloud. A voice answered me.

“The reason is simple, Ms Salvos.”

My brows snapped together. I whirled around, raising a hand warily. A shadowed figure stood behind me. I didn’t even sense his presence. He snuck on me with a hood up and a grind on his face.

“Who are you?”

I asked, tense. The figure just chuckled as he lowered his hood. My eyes flickered in recognition as I saw who it was. A man with gray hair. Pure black eyes. He looked young, yet he wore the scars of experience on his face. I stared in disbelief.

“You’re—”

And I paused. Wait, I don’t actually remember his name. I just remembered seeing him yesterday when I reunited with Edithe. But I barely paid him any mind. He quirked a brow, but his head turned as whispers broek out amongst the gathered adventurers.

“That’s Orgaf! The Thief of the Golden Scales!”

“Seriously? What is he doing here?”

“I hear he’s with Helena Warshade’s company now—”

Orgaf’s eyes darted to the one who said that. The man shrank back in his seat, hurriedly looking away. Snorting, Orgaf looked away from them. He faced me with a scowl on his face.

“I told you, Liberator of the Plaguelands, the reason is simple. It is the same reason they dare not even make eye contact with me. It is because you are a high-leveled adventurer.”

“Because I’m a high-leveled adventurer?”

“Of course. I’m sure you’re used to being in large cities in the central Human lands. Maybe even around Mavos Academy where Diamond Ranks aren’t too unusual. But Alyras is not such a city. It is a city in the Helbir Plains. Adventurers are a scarce commodity here as most of the able men and women join their city’s military. Furthermore, since the city is small compared to the ones you’re used to, the sight of those at your level and mine is far more rare.”

He explained simply, giving a sidelong glance to the receptionist. Shaking his head, he turned back to me.

“I’m certain that you are bothered no matter where you go, but in places like these… it is far more of a pain in the ass. That’s why I prefer to travel in obscurity.”

He gestured at his hood and a necklace around his neck. I recognized it as a Necklace of Obfuscation. I looked down at myself, realizing my Necklace of Obfuscation wasn’t active.

“Huh, I see.”

I was more used to being praised for being high-leveled. But, here, the adventurers were scared of me, and the [Traders] saw me as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sell all their wares at once. I didn’t really consider hiding my level here, but maybe I should’ve.

“That’s helpful to know. Thank you, Orgaf.”

I smiled at him. He nodded.

“It is my pleasure. If I could recommend, however, the next time you seek assistance from the Adventurers Guild, you could simply send a servant or pay someone to make the query for you. Trust me, it saves you a lot of the trouble and the ogling.”

That was true. I could’ve actually asked Rana’s maid to help me out. Then I furrowed my brows.

“Wait, then why are you here?”

That was contrary to his advice. Orgaf’s lips curled up before he drew closer.

“Ah, it is simply because I have heard about your plight—”

He bowed deftly, taking my hand as his eyes glinted. I met his gaze, and he spoke in a soft voice.

“And I’d like to offer you my help.”