Iris spoke up next to my surprise. “I’m Wrath, a sword user.” That was all she said. She was the only other person besides us and Ambition’s team who veiled herself in order to remain anonymous, so she was also using an alias to go along with it.
The muscular woman slammed her hands on the desk and then stood. “Good! I agree with you, Devil. I’m Gragan, I’m a bit stupid but I can dish out lots of damage and take even more, so leave the frontline duties to me!” She finished her boisterous statement by flexing both of her biceps, but due to her wearing heavy armor not much could be seen, further supporting her earlier claims about not being the brightest tool in the shed.
“My name is Abudha, I have the Monk class.” If I’m not wrong in my RPG knowledge, then that means he is a brawler-type fighter who uses his fists to dish out hurt and also has some self-sustaining or tanky elements to himself.
Though, I’m not exactly certain what a Monk is doing here. There’s only one deity here, that being the Goddess, and her fervent believers are the Arch-Priests. Maybe this class doesn’t originate from religious roots in this world but is simply a fist-fighter.
“Cedric, I’m a swordsman, and this is my fian-” His introduction was cut short when Selene abruptly interjected.
“I can introduce myself just fine, thank you. I’m Selene, a Pyromancer.” So I finally know the Plump Fox’s official class name. My theory of her graduating from the Wizard class was proven correct.
Pyromancer. Sounds very badass, it’s just sad that I will have to kill her.
“Soren is the name, but you must’ve heard of me already so me introducing myself is very redundant. I’m somewhat of a legend, after all. I’m a Geomancer and most certainly the most fit individual to lead this mission.” Soren was evidently very quick at overcoming Vex’s earlier ‘teasing’ which saw him nearly crap his pants.
His class revelation also led me to believe that these were the natural paths normal Wizards take. They get the Wizard class, try out the basic elements and select one they like and are talented with, then master it. At that point, a ‘mancer’ class becomes available to them. The water Wizard likely was something akin to an Aquamancer then.
“You? You only have a single surviving team member, you’re not fit to lead at all.” Cedric scoffed and was then hit on the back of his skull by the Plump Fox.
“Kekeke…” I couldn’t help myself and burst out with light snickering. At least my enemies were entertaining. The reason behind my amusement was that Cedric’s statement alluded to the fact that he believed the best leader candidate would be the one who had managed to come here with most Heralds intact, which would be me and Ambition, hence Selene’s strong outburst at her seemingly mentally handicapped fiance.
“In that case, I believe Devil would be a great leader. He is the reason both of us still have five Heralds each. My name is Ambition, and I’m a tank. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” I’m starting to like this elf woman more and more. She swiftly arrived at my conclusion as well and capitalized on the mistake the guard dog made.
“I don’t like backliners being the leaders… They’re wimpy and die from a loose arrow.” Gragan, the big woman stated.
“I have no preference nor do I wish to lead this expedition. You can decide it among yourselves. However, if I think the leader made a decision that would put me and my team at unnecessary risk I won’t listen.” The monk decreed.
Iris didn’t say anything. She with her exactly 0 surviving teammates didn’t strike much confidence in the rest, or perhaps she was much more focused on what to do with me and the others who knew of her identity.
Soren wasn’t happy with me being the leader either. “The reason I lost my other Heralds was because they were trash, not due to my lack of foresight and ability to lead. I believe myself to be the best candidate.”
“And I think it should be Selene.” Cedric announced.
Yeah, that won’t be happening as long as I’m alive, since that would be akin to receiving the death sentence. Read exclusive content at
Also, this conversation showcases why hierarchy is so important in bigger organizations. If there was an Eclipse Enforcer or Shadow Vanguard here who were ready to assume leadership none of this conversation would’ve taken place to begin with.
I spoke up next. “Let’s settle that dispute at a later date. Maybe we won’t need an actual leader if we can agree on dividing the tasks sufficiently.” I then turned to Vex, who was watching the round table’s discussion with eyes that gave off no emotions or thoughts. “Miss Vex, could you confirm whether we can count on you in case we are attacked by a strong entity? That’s a point we must know to plan properly.”
Hearing my question she had a faint smile tugging at her lips. “It depends. If a rogue high-ranked member of theirs happens to cross your paths I will intervene, however, if you make a stupid mistake like storming a stronghold that is swarming with high-level Phantom League guards then don’t expect me to save your dumb hides.”
So Vex will only help if she believes our plan to be good but we get unlucky by a variable we couldn’t possibly account for. That’s better than nothing.
Iris’s smooth voice rang out suddenly. “Do we know anything about the duchy of Silverwind to begin with? I’ve never been there and these reports are very speculative. Calling them reports is generous, to begin with.”
Her question wasn’t a random one at all. She knows that Ayame is a Fujimori Samurai, so chances are that she was born there, or at least knows something about the place. I can’t help but shake my head. This crazy girl is trying to give us trouble. Well, people getting to know the fact that Ayame is a Fujimori is not that big of a deal, after all, there are hundreds of thousands of them in this kingdom.