Crow Town, the Tavern of Life.
In the pitch-black night sky, a few stars flickered faintly. The previously bright moonlight had been obscured by dark clouds, and in the deathly silent atmosphere, only the passing breeze brought a slight scent of woodsmoke and life.
With the conclusion of the Hero’s Party selection, the adventuring groups from all corners of the world had departed one after another, and the entire tavern had returned to its former desolation.
However, in this quiet moment, several swaying figures broke the serenity.
Creak—
The door to the room was pushed open gently. Accompanied by the flickering candlelight, several faces of ethereal beauty were reflected in the glass mirror of the room.
“Phew, I’m exhausted!”
A slender figure sat down on the soft sofa without a shred of ladylike grace. “Lucy, give me some light. That Miss Anna’s special training is going to be the death of me!”
Despite her spoiled tone, her bell-like voice sounded like heavenly music to most. If the person she was speaking to were anyone else, they would have likely rushed forward to help the young lady with her grooming and make her comfortable.
However, the person called by that slender figure ignored her alluring face and her tempting plea, turning her head away with an almost cold attitude.
“Freya, my mana was exhausted in the training just now. I need to meditate to replenish it.”
After speaking, she walked to the other side of the room without a care, sat cross-legged, and quietly closed her eyes.
“Tsk, if only that big idiot, that ungrateful wolf, were here right now…”
Freya, the leader of the Star-Moon Adventure Team, known to the outside world as the ‘Valkyrie,’ a legendary figure who had risen rapidly within a few short years without a single failed commission, and the daughter of a Duke, pouted in dissatisfaction.
It was strange.
Even though her strength had improved significantly, why did she feel so empty inside?
Although she was so tired her whole body was cramping, Freya was actually in a good mood. That string of complaints was just a habitual vent.
It was just that, in the past—specifically, when the fourth member of the team, that ungrateful Green, was still around—he certainly wouldn’t have dismissed her so casually with just a few words.
If it were him…
“My Lady, you’ve worked hard. This is hot soup I just brewed; please enjoy it slowly.”
“To be able to subjugate these monsters, you truly are a young lady worthy of your father, the Lord Marshal. He would certainly be proud of you!”
“It is my honor to be able to complete a mission with you.”
For some reason, fragments of her past time with Green surfaced in Freya’s mind.
Actually, actually, he wasn’t always that annoying.
It was just…
Freya suddenly remembered the gossip she had heard in the Adventurers’ Guild when the adventure team had just been promoted to five stars.
“Hey, have you heard? The Star-Moon Adventure Team has already been promoted to five stars! They are the first team in the guild’s last few hundred years to rise from one star to five within ten years!”
“As expected of the daughter of that Kingdom Hero. I heard their members all have extraordinary backgrounds? The Saintess of the Church of Light, the disciple of the Chairman of the Mage Council?”
“Eh, did you forget? There’s a fourth person in the adventure team. What was his name… Green?”
As the adventure team’s fame grew, the attention on Green also increased.
“Hehe, look, that Green came to the guild again. I heard he’s here to handle the paperwork? He calls himself a member of the adventure team, but I think he looks more like a servant, doesn’t he?”
In the beginning, Freya would speak out to stop such comments.
“Hey Green, there are some things you don’t need to rush to do. We can handle them ourselves.”
At those times, Green would always wipe the sweat from his forehead with a grin and reply nonchalantly, “It’s fine, My Lady. Anyway, I don’t contribute much to the team as it is. Being able to serve everyone with these chores is also very good.”
But how did things end up with Green leaving the team?
Freya fell into deep thought.
Right, Sophia was the first to raise the suggestion.
“Leader, haven’t you been clamoring to participate in the Hero’s subjugation team selection? Then… what about that person?”
That person? Which person?
“Sophia, you’re talking about that Green, right?” Lucy had giggled at the time. For some reason, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes. “True, the mission to subjugate the Demon King is extremely dangerous. It’s not like the previous commissions to deal with monsters or complete ruin explorations.”
“If Green gets into a crisis then, it wouldn’t be good if he drags us down too.”
That was what Lucy had said at the time.
“Then, let’s find a way to let him stay quietly at the tavern for a while.”
Sophia had asked indifferently, “Although he’s been quite diligent over the years, well, at worst, we can just give him some compensation when the time comes. With our respective family backgrounds, even a small share of the profits would be enough for him to live without working for many years.”
“Right, right, right. It’s enough for our team to keep the three main combatants.”
Lucy had nodded repeatedly with excitement.
Yes, it seemed Lucy had disliked Green for a long time.
Freya remembered that in the team, whenever something went wrong or didn’t go smoothly, Lucy wouldn’t say anything on the surface, but she always liked to secretly pick on Green’s faults behind his back.
But no matter how much the other members looked down on Green, he would only nod foolishly and say, “I understand.”
What an irredeemable idiot.
Green really wasn’t suited for the adventure team.
That was what Freya thought.
He had no talent as a professional, nor was he clever himself. If he continued to follow their adventure team, he would eventually hurt himself one day.
“Anyway, that Green was never from the same world as us to begin with.”
Sophia had concluded with finality, then looked at her and asked, “Freya, what do you think? You’re the leader; you decide.”
Me?
Freya couldn’t help but recall her first encounter with Green.
It was a stormy night.
At that time, she had been stuck at the bottleneck of a mid-tier professional for who knows how long, unable to advance an inch.
To make matters worse, the old man at home had received intelligence from somewhere that the Demon King showed signs of tearing up the armistice treaty. The neighboring Empire was watching like a tiger eyeing its prey, and the Empress had personally led an expedition to seize several small countries, her military spearhead pointing directly at the Kingdom.
“Freya, you don’t need to feel too much pressure, but His Holiness Pope Lawrence of the Church of Light actually has a deep history with our Kiran Kingdom. This time, he is taking the lead to introduce a Prince from a neutral city-state who is indeed quite excellent. Would you… consider it?”
Consider it?
With a stranger she had never met?
Freya never expected such a thing would actually fall upon her. That father, who had always doted on her and followed her every whim, now seemed so strange.
“But I, my adventuring…”
“Adventuring?” The Lord Marshal was expressionless. “Ah, children like to play games, I understand that. But Freya, your talent… well, it’s not bad, but it’s only that much.”
“I know you dream of becoming the Hero of old, but, but…”
For some reason, the Lord Marshal’s expression seemed a bit subtle. “In the end, it is impossible for you to become him.”
Impossible?
Just because of talent?
No, no, no!
I will prove it!
In a fit of rage, Freya rebelliously slipped out of the house, even leaving the Upper District and walking alone into the slums of the Outer City.
Then, when she had wandered into a certain alleyway in a daze, she could no longer hold back. She drew her side-sword and swung it repeatedly, yet she could never grasp the key point of the breakthrough.
In her blurred memory, that figure who displayed fierce swordsmanship and moved forward with unstoppable momentum grew more and more indistinct.
“Cough, cough, cough!”
A staggering figure stumbled into her sight.
“The sword, the sword isn’t swung like that. Hiccup, I’m so full~~”
The youth, carrying an old lyre and tightly clutching a tattered journal, said, “Raise your, your hand a bit higher.”
A passerby who knew nothing about anything was actually giving her pointers?
Was he trying to hit on her?
That being said, Freya still tried to swing her sword as he said, treating it like a last resort.
“Eh, why does it look like I’ve seen this sword style somewhere before?”
The man who was speaking nonsense widened his eyes.
But Freya had no time to pay attention to him, because at that moment, she sensed the mana in her body surge more than twofold for some reason.
She had broken through.
“I have no talent?” Freya laughed. “It seems this time, Father was wrong.”
And so, on that night, Freya ran away from home, and she had an additional companion by her side named Green.
The first to join, and also the first to be forced out.
Bang.
Freya suddenly slapped the table.
“What is it, Miss Leader?” Beside her, Sophia, who was removing her clothes with sleepy eyes, asked with a yawn.
“I, I’ve decided to give Green one last chance.”
Freya crossed her arms over her chest. “After all, after all, with Miss Anna’s guidance, there’s a great possibility the three of us will break through to the Legendary rank. With three Legends, it should be very easy to ensure Green’s safety in the Expeditionary Force, right?”
“So?” Sophia asked in total confusion. “We’re going to war, not on an outing.”
“Anyway, anyway, I’ve already decided.”
Click.
Closing the door and throwing on a coat, she walked excitedly toward the Adventurers’ Guild.
Hmph.
So what if he’s favored by that old woman of a Branch Elder? Is that any reason to be so arrogant?
This time, our adventure team was chosen by Lady Anna, who even went as far as handing over the Imperial Secret Art just to train us to break through to the Legendary rank.
Meanwhile, outside the Adventurers’ Guild.
“Is this alright, Your Majesty?”
Anna, the Imperial Ambassador dressed in formal attire, was looking with a worried face at the breathtakingly beautiful woman beside her, who was dressed as a maid.
“What’s not alright about it?” Under the moonlight, the peerless beauty tilted her head slightly, forming an elegant curve. “Anyway, I’m just taking a quick look at him from outside.”
“By the way, did you give our Empire’s Secret Art to those three?”
Empress Androlika of the Empire asked leisurely.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Although it cannot be confirmed, it seems the people Mr. Green chose this time are them?”
Miss Anna said with some uncertainty, “Though based on Your Majesty’s experience, as well as the previous Hero’s, that gentleman usually only helps one person at a time. Perhaps this is a special situation?”
“Maybe.” For some reason, the Empress’s face turned a bit gloomy. “But regardless of the situation, those three… are simply not worthy of Green’s kindness.”
“…” Lady Anna remained silent.
“Forget it. Thank you, Anna, for being willing to stay by my side and accompany me.”
No longer thinking about those unpleasant things, the Empress of the Empire stood outside the Adventurers’ Guild with a bright smile, gazing at the rooms alone. Even though she didn’t see the figure she missed, her heart was exceptionally satisfied.
It was fine.
“Even if we cannot meet in person, even just watching from afar, I am already satisfied.”
It’s just…
Back then, we agreed that when I became the Emperor, I would appoint you as the Prime Minister. How could you just disappear on your own?
After a moment of thought, the Empress smiled again. “Well, you were always that kind of person. Just like when you seized the disputed territory of the Orc Kingdom, always doing the unexpected.”