462. Heroic Behavior

After getting distracted three more times, Clayton Skyshredder finally got me into the room he wanted to bring me into. It was an ordinary room. There was nothing too special about it— other than the fact that it was one of the few rooms without a window up here. Well, there was also that weird armorstand draped in a white cloth waiting at the center of the room, but other than that, there wasn’t really anything of note.

“Huh. So what did you want to show me, Clayton?”

“Please address me appropriately, Salvos.”

The Headmaster of Mavos Academy spoke in a reprimanding tone. I rolled my eyes as I turned to the elderly man, before speaking in an overexaggerated manner.

“What did you want to show me, Headmaster Clayton Skyshredder of Mavos Academy and Mr highest-leveled [Mage] in the Human lands?”

Clayton narrowed his eyes, but otherwise didn’t press the issue any further. He turned expectantly to Centina, who nodded in response.

“Yes, Headmaster.”

She stepped up to the armorstand and peeled off the cloth covering it. There was a glimmer. A flash of iridescent light. I blinked, eyes growing wide.

“That’s—”

“The Breastplate of Alexander.”

Clayton spoke over me, walking over to the Mythical Grade artifact. He tapped the metal three times. Clink! Clink! Clink! It was almost as good as new. The Breastplate of Alexander was nothing like it had been when I left it with him. It shimmered with the colors of the rainbow— its polished surface as reflective as a mirror.

“Woah.”

I gaped at it for a moment. Clayton stepped back, standing in parade rest as he let me inspect the repaired artifact.

“Did you really fix all this up? It was broken when I gave it to you— it was in multiple pieces! That’s amazing!”

I was genuinely impressed. I had thought the Breastplate of Alexander was left beyond fixing after my battle with the [Ancient Centinel]. When I gave it to Clayton Skyshredder, I did it on a whim, not really expecting anything from it. This exceeded everything I thought was even possible.

Centina beamed in agreement. As if she was the one responsible for putting the Mythical Grade artifact back together.

“It is very impressive, indeed. Headmaster Skyshredder has spent most of his free time in his already-busy schedule researching for a way to repair the Breastplate of Alexander which you gave him. He even consulted some of the greatest Dwarf [Smiths] from the east—”

“Centina…”

Clayton stared at the [Evolved Centinel]-turned-Human. But Centina didn’t listen.

“And through his hard work, he managed to put it all back together, albeit with some flaws…”

“Centina.”

“But it is truly quite the feat, considering he even leveled—”

“Centina!”

Clayton cut her off, raising his voice. His stare turned into a glare, and Centina finally noticed it. She shrank back as she scratched the back of her head.

“Oh, oops.”

I cocked my head at them.

“Huh? What was that?”

The Headmaster sighed.

“It is nothing.”

He reached for the Breastplate of Alexander and removed it from the armorstand. I watched as the man held the glimmering chest piece up in the air, before shaking his head.

“But as Centina said, it is not fully repaired yet, Salvos. While it may look like there are no chinks in the armor, there are still some flaws to it.”

“What do you mean?”

I lifted a curious brow. He handed me the Mythical Grade artifact, gesturing me to try it on.

“Wear it.”

I hesitated.

“Are you, um, sure you want me to do that? The last time I used it, I broke it in a few months, remember?”

“I highly doubt you will be using it anytime soon, Salvos. Nor will anyone be using it anytime soon.”

Clayton Skyshredder replied simply. I didn’t understand what he was saying, so I decided to just do as I was told and put on the Breastplate of Alexander to see what he was talking about.

“Here goes…”

I hefted the armor over my blue jacket, waiting for something to happen. I wasn’t sure if it was going to break or shatter or immediately fall apart. I looked down at myself, ready for the worst. The Breastplate of Alexander shimmered as it usually did. It fitted right over my body as it was designed. And then— nothing.

Nothing happened.

I twirled around, puzzled. When nothing continued to happen, I turned to Clayton accusingly.

“Was something supposed to happen?”

“Yes.”

The Headmaster of Mavos Academy nodded. He ran a hand over his flowing beard as he met my gaze.

“Something was supposed to happen. And that is the problem.”

“What? I don’t get it— oh…”

It finally clicked in my head. I looked back down at myself— at the Breastplate of Alexander. It was a Mythical Grade Armor. One of the strongest defensive artifacts that supposedly existed. Its protective enchantments were supposed to be nigh impenetrable.

And it did nothing. It didn’t offer me any inkling of an Aura of Protection. It didn’t give me a boost to my [Vitality]. There was no additional resistance against anything.

I had used the Breastplate of Alexander before. I was the reason why it was broken, after all. And I knew what it was capable of. I knew that it granted me three Temporary Skills, just like all the other Treasures of Alexander. However, for whatever reason, the repaired Breastplate of Alexander gave me nothing.

I looked back up towards Clayton who just crossed his arms at me.

“It seems you’ve finally realized the problem.”

“I do.”

I nodded in agreement.

“It’s still broken.”

“Please don’t do this, Valda.”

“I told you it’s the only way, Jonas.”

“But it’s embarrassing. You can’t just ask students to—”

Valda ignored her friend’s protests, strutting up to the group of students waiting right outside of the Tower of Truth. They had been there when Salvos challenged Clayton Skyshredder to a duel. Four boys and two girls. They were older than the young prodigy, of course— about five or six years older, by the looks of it. And they were still gushing over the fight.

“And did you see the way Salvos—”

“Yeah, but Headmaster Skyshredder didn’t even—”

“Excuse me!”

The group of students paused. They turned to see Valda standing there, hands behind her back, facing them with a smile. One of the boys scratched his cheeks.

“Uh, do we know you—”

“Did you guys see the duel between Headmaster Skyshredder and Salvos the Sentinel of Secely?”

Valda asked, practically speaking over the boy. He turned to his friends with a grin before nodding.

“We did— it was so cool! I was personally rooting for—”

“That means you know the reason why Salvos was fighting, right?”

The group of students blinked as Valda interrupted them again. They exchanged a hesitant glance with each other, and the first boy shrugged.

“About getting Headmaster Skyshredder to join the war? Yeah, we sorta got the gist of it.”

“Do you support her, then?”

Valda pressed the group. They shifted back uncomfortably.

“Support her?”

“Her cause! Do you support Salvos’s cause?”

“Well, I guess we do? I don’t think anyone wants to see the world end…”

They voiced murmurs of agreement. Jonas watched on, pressing his lips into a thin line since he knew what came next.

“Great.”

Valda clapped her hands together. She raised a slip of paper to the group, still smiling.

“What do you think of enlisting for the war effort?”

And the group paused. They stared at Valda.

“Excuse me? What exactly do you mean by enlist?”

One of the girls asked with a tilted her. Waving the piece of paper, Valda explained simply.

“Obviously, I mean to join the war! We’re all equal to any Gold Ranked adventurer, after all. I mean, you’re Level 45 and he’s Level 52! There are tens of thousands of Gold Ranked adventurers taking part in the war effort— hundreds of thousands, even. And there are millions more soldiers who aren’t even Level 40 marching to the Inoria Empire as we speak!”

Valda gestured emphatically towards the southeast— in the vague direction of where the Inoria Empire was located. She shook her head, shoving the sign-up slip into the middle of the group.

“If you truly believe in Salvos’s cause, then you would join the war. It is as you said, the fate of the world is at stake.”

She held their gazes. They looked at the young girl— the prodigy who was accepted in Mavos Academy. The gravity of the situation sunk in. The implications settled into their minds.

And they immediately uncomfortably backed away from her.

“Uh, sorry, we’re a little busy at the moment.”

“We’ll think about it and get back to you!”

“Let’s go, guys.”

The group of students scampered off as Valda was left standing there, blinking. The young girl didn’t move. Her hand was still outstretched, holding the piece of paper that blew with the wind. Jonas sighed as he walked up to his friend.

“I told you, Valda, a petition to get Clayton to join the war would be better than this. No one is going to sign up to join a war on their own volition.”

“But a petition wouldn’t get anything done.”

Valda snorted. She turned to her friend, crossing her arms.

“Everyone in Mavos Academy is already in support of the war. But that doesn’t mean that Headmaster Skyshredder has done anything about it. The only way we can actually get him to go to the Inoria Empire is if enough of us head out to the battlefield and fight.”

Jonas raised a dubious brow.

“And why is that?”

“Because then he’ll have no choice but to fight with us. He’s obligated to protect Mavos Academy and all its students, after all. Otherwise, he’ll lose his Title as Headmaster of Mavos Academy.”

Valda explained simply. Jonas nodded slowly.

“Right. Well, I still don’t think it’ll work. You’re not going to recruit anyone in Mavos Academy to join a war.”

She snickered.

“We’ll see about that.”

—--

“They all said no…”

Valda slumped over a wall as Jonas snickered at her.

“Of course they did. No one wants to lose their life in a war, Valda.”

“But… why? I don’t get it. Don’t they understand they will die anyway if the planes continue to merge?”

“They just think someone else will deal with it for them.”

The teenage boy shrugged. Valda pursed her lips. She cast her gaze over the courtyard. The evening crowd had gathered, now. Students, teachers, and citizens of Mavos Academy were rushing about for their dinner or other activities. There were more people to recruit than before, but the likelihood of getting anyone to sign up was as low as before.

Valda looked down at herself, feeling worthless. Like there was nothing she could do. And it was an unusual feeling for her. The young prodigy was accustomed to getting everything she wanted. Perhaps she would’ve given up there and then. However, something drove her— forced her to get back up.

“I’m not going to give up.”

She whispered. The young girl raised her head, casting her gaze up above the clouds.

“Salvos wouldn’t give up. Because She is a [Hero]. A true [Hero]. I know she’s up there, doing everything she can to convince Headmaster Skyshredder to join the war.”

“Do it, Centina!”

I urged the [Evolved Centinel]-turned-Human, bracing myself. The Sword of Alexander shimmered in her hands, but she didn’t swing it just yet.

“But—”

She started. And I spoke over her, tightly clinging onto the Mythical Grade Armor covering my chest.

“This is for the sake of research! Just swing it at me! The Breastplate of Alexander must hold!”

“What if it breaks? Can’t we test it under safe circumstances?”

Centina hesitated. I shook my head.

“Just do it—”

And Clayton just picked me up with a sigh.

“That’s enough, Salvos.”

“Aw…”

Valda rose to her feet. Jonas rolled his eyes at his friend.

“Are you serious, Valda? We’re going to do this again?”

“Yes.”

She spoke adamantly, meeting his gaze.

“And we’re going to do it right.”

“Valda—”

Jonas wanted to argue. He opened his mouth, but stopped when Valda began to march away. He gritted his teeth and hurried after her. She ignored him. The young girl didn’t care whether he’d help her or not. She was going to do this—

And she bumped into a young boy before she could get any further. The boy— younger than she was— fell over with a yelp. Her eyes grew wide and she immediately began to apologize.

“Oh, I’m so sorry—”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

He waved her off and got to his feet. Valda blinked, recognizing him as he dusted himself off.

“You’re…”

She trailed off. The boy smiled politely at her, proffering a hand.

“I apologize, I know it was rude of me, but I overheard what you were saying.”

Valda absentmindedly accepted the handshake as Jonas stared with wide eyes. The boy stepped back, bowing lightly as he introduced himself.

“I am Rowyn Ino, former emperor of the Inoria Empire. And I’d like to offer you my help.”