The two faced each other in the corridor of all dangers. Dora, suspicious, took a look at the surroundings.“Don’t worry, there’s no one else here, it’s only us.”"Oh, really? What happened to your vanguard?"He asked, never looking directly at the girl but only scrutinizing the surroundings, expecting to get jumped on, much to the amusement of Freya.“They had other businesses, speaking of which, have you found the toad you were looking for?”"... Maybe? Why the interrogation thought? Is there a problem? Is this because I joked a little with the prince?""I'm telling you not to worry, I'm here on my own terms, for myself." She knows with a serious tone, "You've picked my interest, so I would like to confirm a few things about you."Her voice and facial expression didn't show any malice, she wasn't just a beautiful girl, her grace, tone, and antic were of the level of a sovereign. Maybe because his senses were getting sharper, Dora understood that it was better to behave for now.“Wha
Marie's POV***It's been a month since we officially joined the Southern Guild. I remember how the first day was a total blast.Several minutes after our registration, Leon and the others managed to join us. They were infuriated, Leon wanted to go right away to the capital to find Idiora and make him pay. We tried to convince him that it wasn't necessary but then Erick labeled us as traitors.But eventually, after a little while, their anger had subsided. We officially became an E-ranked team from the Guild and were dispatched to more missions than we were used to, of course, we weren't beginners, so we accomplished many achievements in a very short time period.The salary was a little short for a whole party, but we knew that things would get better as time passed. But it actually tends to be the opposite.During the very same week, we noticed a considerable increase in our power, and after the guild re-evaluated our level, we were promoted to D-rank. It was honestly our peak.But s
Freya's entrance caused an uproar in the room, no one remained silent."L-Lady Freya?" "What is she doing here? Will she also participate in the ceremony?"She walked forward, accompanied by the strange gentleman, observing the students with indifference."What is she doing here?""It looks like she's looking for something... Oh! Could it be that she still doesn't have a knight?Voices rose again and the agitation resumed. Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, a person showed up.With short black hair and his pair of glasses, Thomas crosses the room until he stands right in front of Freya, then puts one knee on the ground."Lady Freya, it's an honor to be graced by your presence, even though I didn't expect to see you so quickly."Thomas, although he was second in rank in the academy, prostrated himself before the Duke's daughter, testifying to the superiority of Saint Nova's students.However, Freya didn't look at him, continuing to look around and eventually responding in her graceful
A week had passed since the St. Nova ceremony. According to the exchange program, the students involved had to temporarily leave the academy and live with the noble affiliated with them.It was an interesting and funny experience, funny when you think about some of Nebula's students who might come from a higher social rank but will end up in a lower domain, due to their inability to be a true heir.In my case, it was a nice breath of fresh air. Zuri's family lived on a small plot of land surrounded by a vast forest where weak monsters could be found, making this place my favorite playground.The Baron's financial situation was delicate and he could not afford to call on knights to protect his own lands, making my presence very welcomed and I could get absolutely everything, non-financial, that I wanted.I was sitting on a huge stone next to a swamp, while Zuri was in the swamp, collecting disgusting toads.She stood still for a moment then, with a sudden movement, grabbed a blue toad
A rift was a formation with the shape of a dome, or more precisely a ball buried half in the earth. It could extend over ten meters but in some cases up to more than a kilometer.In the kingdom, three major authorities were charged with dealing with them: the Royal Knights, the Guild Association, and stray emissaries.When a rift appeared, its level was first determined using magic devices for a whole day then from the second day it was made public.The kingdom then assessed its ability to take care of it and if they did not have sufficient troops to deal with it in the time before the opening, they placed a sum on the rift and sent the announcement to the association of Guilds which, in turn, made the information public and the guilds purchased a subjugation license from the association.If they managed to clear the rift, they received the prize money offered by the kingdom.Depending on its level, a guild could use its own guild member or buy the services of a straight emissary, but
Dora stood in front of the tree, looking annoyed and Zuri at his side. The girl patted her witch hat to dust it off.“Well, it hasn’t been 10 minutes, you owe me 5 coins.”"Ngh... Wait, she's an outsider, I said the party members, technically, it doesn't coun-"Before he could finish his sentence, a projectile hit him at high speed, but surprisingly as soft as a cushion."Idiora! It's really you! You really came...""Ah... Oh, Marie..."She hugged him tightly, it was probably the biggest show of emotion from the young girl since he knew her, tears welled up in her eyes."Hey, why are you crying? There, there, this isn't a nightmare, I'm back."He stroked the head of the young girl who quickly rubbed her eyes."I'm not crying, Idiora, I just got surprised a lot today... You're really back."Lillith and Liliana joined them in turn."You didn't change, always the center of attention.""It's amazing! Mister Anesidora, you're really back."Each of them hugged him from each side, making him
A violent wind filled with energy waves blew over the group. The happy faces had given way to tight expressions, each holding their weapon firmly in the face of the invitation from this mouth of hell.They knew that from this moment on, their lives were at stake, it might be the last time they could set foot on familiar ground. Silently, Kraim walked in front, followed by Eryl and the rest of the group.Hope, very driven by this moment, kept his eyes wide open to fully enjoy the experience of his very first raid. Once he made contact with the portal, he felt all the energy focus on his body and lost his footing momentarily, but as he fought in the air to keep from falling, he regained his balance. He was disoriented, processing what had just happened, and was looking at his hands."Mr. Hope?" Liliana, noticing his stop, called out to him."Ah... Oh, sorry, I kinda... What..."As his gaze shifted in focus, he realized the universe around him. A minute ago, they were in the scariest for
Around them, on the rocks and ruins, a thick black smoke spread and engulfed everything around. A creeping sound could be heard and multiplied.Kraim cocked his arrow."What pain, it seems like there are many of them."The sound gradually grew louder and suddenly, from the smoke, a swarm of creatures emerged.Masks on their heads, gray bodies in decomposition, and equipped with weapons of all kinds, Hope shuddered."Undeads?!""Let's go!"At Kraim's signal, the members of Shining Sword rushed toward the swarm."Brave aura!"A wave emanated from Leon's body, armed with his great sword, he leaped several meters and swung his sword, sweeping away several undead at the same time."Materia."Marie, alongside Sana and Liliana summoned 10 puppets equipped with armor, a shield, and a one-handed hammer."Cover everyone!"The puppets rushed forward and each supported a fighter.Hope, paralyzed, looked at the chaos around him when a spear landed on the puppet's shield at his side."Oi, the Knigh
(A few weeks ago)In the royal castle, the Queen sat on the edges of her fountain. Charming ladies, wearing chitons, sat around her, some singing captivating melodies and others with harps, playing light music, a true heaven on earth.The Queen took a glass of grape juice served to her by one of the young ladies and drank a few sips, when further away, the wind blew, followed by the appearance of a servant with elf ears."Queen Gloria, I'm back."She curtseyed to the queen who handed her her glass, smiling."Well, I felt bad for letting one of my precious nymphs perform such a shameful task.""Do not worry, my Queen, it is my pleasure to be a weapon for the kingdom.""Hm, come, join us."She took a few steps forward, and one of the ladies opened her hands and blew towards her, spreading a pink wind that covered the servant and illuminated her clothes.The spark faded gradually, revealing the outfits replaced by an angelic white chiton.The servant slowly walked towards her but suddenl
"Hello everyone, I hope you've been well during these past months, for those who got chosen as knights of course. For the others like me, it has been a wonderful 2 months, going to studies learning new things, with the same people, having to see the empty seats of our classmates who got chosen... Even some E-rank have beautiful noble ladies... There were boys but maybe there are ulterior motives..."“HM-HM!!!” Thomas coughed."Oh, yeah, let's get back to today's topic. I am Maxim, but for the ladies, Max, or Sir Max, or Sir M... Sounds like maso... And today we are reunited for the 3rd meeting of the student council, after the break. Allow me to introduce you to some special guests."Maxim took a few steps stopped in front of Iris's table and curtsied."From the very first time, this year, we have the blessing of enthroning our wonderful princesses, the Queen in our heart, the symbol of grace and beauty, Lady Freya... and Cid, the unworthy."Cid groaned in his seat while Freya ignored
The train, carrying Dora's group, towards the capital passed through a sleeping landscape. Cabins equipped with beds served as dormitories and were divided between the girls and Dora and Hope.Dora turned around in his bed, seeing the images of Mary and Lilith leaving, again and again.He clutched his chest, troubled by this burning sensation that hadn't existed in him years before.Regret? Sadness? Melancholy? He couldn't give it a name and decided to walk to clear his mind.He disappeared from his bed and reappeared in another car, but as he used his power, he held his hand.Our power shouldn't be wasted on this.He opened his eyes, looking at his reflection in the glasses as if he had just seen a monster.He was breathing heavily and his hands were shaking."What is happening?""!!!... Mid... Midget...?""What are you doing? You don't need to speak out loud, do you want someone to hear you?... What's bothering you so much?"He calmed down a bit, looking at his fingers, even though
Leon was lying on his back, looking at the blue sky, he wasn't thinking about anything in particular, or even feeling.Little by little, everything turned white, everything around him disappeared and when he blinked, he was in his hometown, in his little house next to his grandmother.She was about to read him a book about the hero, but as soon as she opened the book, he felt uneasy."Being a hero isn't so great after all."A hero must fight to the end, isn't that too tiring? Maybe a normal life as a shopkeeper would be better? Especially when we have the blessing of the emissaries. You can work better and you don't have the burden of always getting stronger. You're not competing against nature's tricksters like avatars...He didn't feel anything, but he smiled, he was happy.He raised his hand and whispered."... just... just... you wait... andma... I'll... I'll take care of... the shop... don't... don't... do not worry..."The hand hit the ground, and his fighting spirit disappeared.
Leon's eyes twitched frantically and his poor self fell back, perhaps in an attempt to wake up from a nightmare, as the monster before him looked at him curiously, its yellow eyes reflecting the soul of a soon-to-be broken hero."Wh-What... What...""Hm?... Curious, it's too early for you to be afraid of us. Take a breath and calm down."Leon took a step back, feeling a shiver across his back."How do you plan to reach us if you keep walking away? You wanted to play the hero, so we're just giving you a suitable opponent. Let's play."He took a step forward and spread his arms."Hello, Hero. We are the monster with the yellow eyes, and our name is... G####"A powerful wave of energy emanated from his body, spreading across the plain.Leon felt his body burning and freezing to the extreme, several times in the blink of a second and instinctively dropped his sword... Or so he thought."....?"He tried to move his body, to move backward, but nothing happened. He realized he could no longe
The sun was high in the sky, as was the tension in the air as a hero prepared to face a monster on a plain. Everyone was gathered in a corner, and several meters in front of them, the 2 founders of Shining Sword were facing each other. Kraim stood in the middle and was about to give the signal."Very well... So this is a battle to determine the future of the Shining Sword team. If the gray-haired snake wins, Shining Sword will be dismantled, the false hero will retire, and many dreams will be crushed... If only someone with just a little compassion, a little love, and a human heart, would certainly have mercy... But who am I kidding?""Indeed." Dora nodded indifferently. Kraim sighed and glanced at Leon with annoyance."Well... I'm not a hype man, but it really is suicide. The rules are the same as a traditional mock battle, you use everything in your power, and kill if you want to live a life in prison... Well, even there, the law is fine for royal knights, so... Begin when I'm far
The night was cool and the breeze brought a sweet, and spicy scent to Dora's nose as he sat alone on a plain. He had his arms crossed and kept his eyes closed."You're awfully quiet tonight, little toy."A familiar voice woke him from his torpor."I'm just thinking.""Are you sure? I should be able to read your thoughts, so what is this silent thought?"He opened his eyes and looked at the starry night."My heart and brain are bothering me."" What's wrong? Do you regret parting with your friends?He remained silent for a few seconds and sighed."I don't know, I've never felt like this before... We have to go our own way but... I wouldn't mind if it lasted longer."The silence was deafening, broken only by Dora's breathing.Suddenly, he felt the presence of someone or something behind him. A chill ran down his spine as a shadowy figure materialized and sat beside him.Midgard was next to him, in her normal form, that of a young adult with tired eyes and unkempt hair."... Oh, I forgot
I don't remember who I was or where I came from, I know I'm not from there because my parents were discussing crossing a border. I saw snowy fields, white, cold, and endless lands, but what I remember most was the anguished faces of my parents.I know today that they were worried, I didn't understand why, but I suppose they were right since they were killed.We were in a car going at high speed when I heard a deafening noise.The car hit a group of bushes and several people approached us. My mother came to pick me up and hugged me warmly, telling me that I had to survive.My father hugged us, then took something out of his bag and rushed towards them, my mother focused her magic to create a bird that grabbed me and took me away.My last memory was the roar of gunfire. The bird carried me for a few minutes before disintegrating further into the forest.I got up and walked around a lot crying, I don't remember why I cried, I'm more intrigued by why I kept walking.I don't remember what
“The healer is the most important role in a party.”It's a teaching I received in the orphanage where I grew up. When I was 14, the director of the orphanage explained to us that the rift situation was getting worse. I never really understood what it was, boys often use that term when playing heroes and monsters, so I just thought it was a childish game, but if the director is talking about that then should that be important?They called people in black suits, I've been here long enough to know it wasn't moms and dads coming to take us to better places, no one cares about us after all, we get old and then we leave, it has always been like that.They came with strange crystal balls to search for something in us, I just wanted to do it before lunch, there's usually not enough food for everyone so you have to hurry, but this day was very strange for me.People in suits would ask us to put our hands on the crystal balls and then usually say something like fingers or nothing, but when my t