NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12: Friends in High Places
“Please! Spare me! I…i didn’t mean what I said I was just-”
BOOMF!
“Shut up”
Amelia placed her boot firmly down on the face of the man as she entered the guild, scanning the faces and expressions of everyone she saw. The expressions ranged from pure terror to disbelief towards her, she then shifted her gaze to the receptionist's desk and saw all four receptionists, a harpy, a wolf beastkin, an elven maiden, and a female dragonkin, the latter two having faces of disbelief while the harpy hiding behind the wolf beastkin shared the expression of terror.
“‘Sigh’ Sorry, about that. I came here to try and exchange this for some coin” Amelia said as she pulled out a bag filled with monster crystals and gestured at it.
“R-right! Please, just come over here and we can see how much it's worth” the elven receptionist answered after a small silence, waving her hand and gesturing to the line in front of the counter to Amelia’s far right.
Amelia stepped off the man and looked down at him, he was frothing at the mouth and was clearly out cold thanks to the stomp she gave him earlier. Shrugging it off, she continued forward, walking over to the counter where the elven receptionist was, the people who were in line before her had all stepped aside, some of them gesturing for her to proceed before them. She saw that their expressions were uneasy and some were terrified of meeting eyes with her,
‘Well, if they are so generous’ she thought as she walked past them, side-eyeing them as she did.
wump!
“Here, one full sack of S-Class monster crystals” she stated as she plopped the leather sack on the counter, her words earning her wide eye stares from everyone in the lobby and cafeteria.
“O-oh…a full sack…right, let me just open it up and see-”
Shake, swip, Rattle rattle rattle, tumble tumble tumble
“Alright, I will begin counting…..Wha?”
The receptionist was stunned as she counted a total of 130 S-Class monster crystals, each of them was bright yellow with a singular horizontal black stripe. The other adventures who were watching all dropped their jaws as they realized what beast had just been felled,
“These are the crystals, from a Holostreaker Hivemind…and they were all mature as well” the receptionist stated as she picked up one of the serving spoon-sized crystals and held it up close to her face,
“Where did you fight these things?”
“There was a huge nest in the northern mountain range, specifically Mary Grace Range, I destroyed it” Amelia replied, many of the adventurer's faces lit up and eyes widened even more at her answer
“To think such a nest was hiding a few hours away. Wait, Mary Grace Range you say? Are you the one that orchestrated those giant floating rings we saw a month ago?”
“No, no that wasn’t me” Amelia replied, her expression serious
“Ah, alright then. Well, this haul will give you 15 gold for each crystal” the receptionist's words shocking everyone again as if they heard something new
“That’s good, you can donate a quarter of it to the local orphanage. I don’t need that much anyway” Amelia stated
“Understood, please take a seat in the cafeteria as you wait for your money” before finishing her sentence, a telepathic message was sent into her mind which made her nod as she once again focused on Amelia “And don’t worry about those adventurers you were fighting, the guild will…take care of it for you”
“Will do and Thank You.”
The receptionist then began to scoop the crystals back into the leather bag and she handed it over to another guild worker who was running over, Amelia on the other hand, walked over to the cafeteria and saw that a group of female adventurers had their eyes locked on her, one of them even stood up and offered her the seat.
‘Well, I already failed in hiding my identity, might as well embrace it for now’ Amelia thought to herself as she walked over to the group
“May I sit here?” she asked
“Yes! Yes you can!” one of them answered,
Amelia looked at her and saw that she was a girl who looked younger than her by two years, her curly brown hair stopped right at her shoulders, and her cute small face had some freckles on either cheek with a button nose. Her bright blue eyes locked with her and she could see excitement burning inside them. She was wearing a mage’s robe that had a tan color, her chest and limb joins had small silver armor braces, and the mage staff had a chestnut color body that twirled around a red crystal in the top.
Amelia sat down and saw the girl make another chair with magic, and pulled it up right next to her. A smile on the adventurer's face as she did so,
“Ah! Where are my manners, I am Lily Rymor, a B-Rank mage and these are my party mates” Lily said as she gestured to the other four sitting at the table
“The first is my best friend, Erma Hal, she is also a B-Rank and her job is to soak up damage” she said as she pointed to the black-haired girl in silver plate armor at the opposite end of the table
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance” Amelia said with a small nod
“The pleasure is mine…miss Leviathan Princess” Erma replied sheepishly
“Amelia will suffice”
“Ok then…Miss Amelia” Erma said again as she shifted her eyes downward
“Alrighty, next is another friend of mine, our skirmishing swordfighter Pillia” Lily continued as she gestured at the girl who had long blue hair stretching down her back and was dressed in a green long-sleeved polo that had a small armor chest plate and shoulder pads
“Hello there” Pillia greeted as she nodded her head
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance”
“Up next is the final two of our group, the twins' Gilly and Tilly, who are our all-rounders who help where we need them the most” Lily added as she pointed to the pair of girls who had silver hair but one of them had a noticeable black streak on the side, each of them was wearing the same outfit Amelia would use during her adventuring. That being a long-sleeved white polo shirt and black pants and boots, they also had lightweight combat armor pieces on their chests and joints.
“So what weapons do you both use?” Amelia asked
“Oh uhh. I use a mace, and I am Gilly” the girl with the all-silver hair answered
“And I use a rapier and I am Tilly” the girl with a black streak answered
Amelia nodded as she took the names and faces of the people she was with, making sure to memorize them if they were to ever meet in the future.
“So yeah, we are all B-Ranks here, and we are called the “Violet Brigade” Lily added as they finished their introductions.
“A pleasure to meet you all, I hope we can go on a hunt one day” Amelia replied with a smile that made the Violet Brigade blush and turn away, all except Lily who was looking at her with a sparkle in her eyes.
“So why are you all here?”
“Oh, we are here for a request regarding a B-Class monster infestation in the area, we were about to head out a moment ago” Pilia answered for the group who all nodded along
“Oh? And what were the monsters supposedly?”
“A herd of Tuskers that had become more hostile” Erma answered
“I see. Well, I hope that you complete your task safely and make it back in one piece” Amelia said as she flashed another smile that made the girls swoon, even the adventurers who were watching and listening in were not safe from its effect.
At that moment, the elven receptionist from earlier had walked over to the table and placed down a large sack of gold that made an audible THUMP as it landed on the hardwood.
“Here is 1460 gold pieces out of 1950, the rest will be given to the orphanage run by the town”
“Good, good thank you very much” Amelia replied as she stored the gold away, she then stood up and bowed to the Violet Brigade
“And thank you for allowing me to seat here, I will be taking my leave, it was very nice meeting you all”
“And we feel the same” the members of the Violet Brigade answered back,
BANG!
“Waiit!”
But as Amelia was about to leave the building, a shout came from the balcony above the cafeteria, all eyes then shifted towards it and they saw Yleta standing there, her eyes locked with Amelia,
“The guild master requests your presence, miss Leviathan Princess”
At those words, everyone's gazes once again shifted to the blonde beauty, each of them wondering what she was about to do.
“Alright then, tell them I’ll be right up” Amelia answered, earning a raised eyebrow from everyone listening in,
Yleta nodded as she turned back and walked into the room she came rushing out from,
“If you will excuse me ladies” Amelia said as she waved the Violet Brigade goodbye and proceeded up the stairs and entered the room waiting for her on the top.
Amelia sensed the presence of two people waiting for her beyond the door, one of them was stronger than the other which made her take a quick breath as she opened the door
FWIP!
CATCH
“Dang it!” a voice shouted as Amelia caught a knife that nearly hit her head between her fingers
“You really should stop trying at this point, Killian” Amelia stated as she closed the door behind her and stored the knife away.
Standing behind a desk, was a fairly tall man with a good build, with his arm stretched out in a throwing fashion, dressed in a dapper suit, and a scarf covering his neck, with chestnut brown eyes, tan skin, and dark pointy hair was the guild master, Killian Techo.
“Tch, you were just lucky this time” Killian bitterly said as he sat back down, waving at Yleta to leave which she promptly did,
“So what is it now?” Amelia asked as she sat down on the couch to her left,
“I heard you were in town, hell I FELT it earlier. Wanted to see how you were” Killian answered as he leaned back into his chair,
“Well, I am fine and I plan to bring my friend back here later”
At those words, Killian flinched, the word friend coming out of Amelia’s mouth brought about some unpleasant memories as his life suddenly flashed before his eyes, quickly trying to regain his composure, he glanced at Amelia again, seeing her smile, said smile adding to his nervousness as he recalled a certain noble lady beating him within an inch of his life and holding the side of her blade pressed on his throat. Killian then quickly stuffed down his fear as he fixed himself and looked towards Amelia,
“You don’t mean HER do you?” he asked as he was shaking with nervousness
“No, it’s someone else this time around” Amelia answered with a smile, clearly enjoying the man’s shakiness.
“‘PHEW’ Alright then, you can do that later…but before that, I need to ask a question”
“Shoot”
“Was that really your doing last month?”
“I don’t know what you mean”
“Don’t take me for a fool, Amelia, I am an SS-Rank too and I know for a fact only one fellow SS-Rank that can use Holy Magic. So please, was it really you that devastated Mary Grace Ridge and summoned those giant circles?”
Amelia simply smiled at the question, which made Killian nod as he leaned back into his chair, his suspicions confirmed.
“You're a monster you know that” he added with a defeated tone as he held clasped his face with his hands
“I try my best not to be” Amelia replied as she stood up, taking out the knife from earlier and tossing it over to Killian, who caught it mid-air as Amelia was walking over to the door
“There are people looking for you, you know? Your display caught the attention of the wizard tower, they have been sending parties out and about trying to find the source of last month's incident and I have been doing my best to deflect them based on my suspicions. If I were you, I’d keep my head down for the time being”
Turning around, Amelia locked eyes with him and nodded
“Thanks for the warning, be seeing you around”
“Unn. stay safe”
She then exited the room and closed the door behind her, making her way down the stairs, and waving goodbye to the receptionists and adventurers in the building before making her way back to the inn. Taking a small detour in the form of another food shopping spree that lasted an hour before finally arriving back.
Opening the door, she saw that both of them were still soundly asleep, the cool air circulating in the room also made Amelia feel a bit sleepy. Quickly storing everything she had bought, she brought out a sleeping mat and blanket and placed it on the floor, switching into a more comfortable gown, and laying down on the mat, she drifted into a cool and refreshing sleep of her own.
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
“SIGH”
Killian sighed as he sank into his chair, his assumptions had just been confirmed and for better or worse, he would have to do his best to make sure that the wizarding tower never got wind of it.
“It complicates things more since my sources tell me she is now the newest crowned Saintess” he muttered to himself
The Saintess was a position that was deeply entrenched in the mythos of the empire and its founding, it was a Saintess that helped banish the demons that once ruled the land with an iron fist, it was a Saintess that united the people in a common cause, it was the Saintess who crowned the emperor, all that and more. The position of Saintess was by all accounts a position that held so much power, but for the past few decades, that power was seldom being used through the intentions of the Saintess herself.
“To think that the Leviathan Princess would be the next Saintess…’sigh’ this empire really is doomed” Killian resigned as he stood up from his chair, walking over to the bookshelf in the room.
On the bookshelf itself besides the books containing guides and manuals on adventuring, was a crystal ball. Picking it up and placing it down on his desk, Killian began muttering an enchantment that made the ball begin to glow an orange hue.
“A message to the Hillsbrooke Empire guild management board. LEVIATHAN PRINCESS SUSPICIONS ARE CONFIRMED. PROCEED AS PLANNED”
After his message, Killian stowed the ball away and moved towards the large window in the room, looking outside at the dimming sky that was now a very warm orange, he felt a stinging feeling in his palm, the stinging made him smile as he knew that the pain was directly linked to other guild masters and they were sending him replies to his message.
“‘Sigh
’ I swear, this is all a big headache. If it were not for her, the guild wouldn’t have made it this far in the empire” he muttered to himself as he walked back and sat down on his chair“I still owe her for everything. That damn Starlight, ‘sigh’ at least she’ll know I paid my due”
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
“Nnghhaaa” Amelia yawned as she rose up from her slumber, looking at the window she saw that it was now night, which made her bring out her pocket watch from her inventory.
“7:00, huh…guess I was really tired then” she muttered to herself as she stood up and quickly tucked away the sleeping mat
Walking over to each of their beds, she saw that Lance and Sharon were still out cold which was understandable, both had had a tiring day and their bodies were sore. They still had a long way to go in her eyes, eyes that had been trained ever since she was young. Fond memories of Ophelia teaching her the simplest of things such as knitting clothes to the more complex things such as strategy, tactics, and techniques in adventuring. Sighing to herself as she also remembered the hellish training that Ophelia had put her through, the memories of being beaten so badly that she had to spend weeks inside the Erstad Manor getting treatment.
“But those experiences are coming in handy now” she muttered as she balled up her right hand into a fist before relaxing it back to normal.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, Amelia glanced at the two still sleeping and saw they had no reaction, making her sigh in relief. She then walked over and opened the door a bit, just enough to see who was knocking. And standing outside the door was a little girl with brunette hair and a cute face, the five-year-old daughter of the proprietor of the inn, Jessie.
“Hmm? Yes, why were you knocking”
“Umm, good evening miss, my father asked me to tell you that some sharpy looking dressed man is downstairs looking for you” Jessie answered as she held her bunny doll close to her chest.
“ Does this man have a scarf covering his neck?”
“Uhuh” Jessie nodded
“Alright, I will be down in a few. So can you go tell them that please?”
“Ok miss!” Jessie answered as she walked away,
Amelia looked over at the two and saw that they were both still soundly sleeping, After making sure that they were both really sleeping just to double check, she then changed into a simple shirt and pants and proceeded downstairs, and saw Killian standing by the entrance to the inn, chatting with the proprietor. A man with gray hair and a scar on his right cheek, who was the same height as Killian and had a smile on his face as they were chatting. Mr. Joseph.
“So Killian, why are you here?” Amelia asked as she stepped down the stairs,
“Ah, well. I have some things to discuss” he answered with an honest smile
“Young lass, you and Mr. Killian here can use the empty room down the hall, if you need I can also provide refreshments” Mr. Joseph added as he shifted his glance between the two
“That would be lovely, thank you, Mr. Joseph”
“Yes indeed, thank you”
At his suggestion, Amelia and Killian entered a small room with a table and some chairs, the light in the room was good as it lit up the entire place in a bright enough light. Taking their seats, both of them faced one another and began to chat
“So, mind telling me what this is about?” Amelia asked as she leaned back into her chair
“It’s about your status as the next Saintess” Killian answered, a wry smile on his face
{!}
“And how did you know about that?” her expression from before had hardened into a stone-cold poker face
“Some of my informants, in the clergy and the academy, but rest assured what I am about to say is beneficial to you, and the guild in the long run”
“I’m listening” Amelia answered as she leaned forward, her face showing a bit of interest, making Killian smile
“The guild has unilaterally decided to give you aid in any shape or form, in any amount, and in every capacity we can to help you in your escape plan”
“H-how did you?!” the moment she heard this, Amelia had pushed the table aside and had placed the tip of one of her daggers on Killian’s throat, but his expression had not changed and he was holding his left hand up as to try and stop Amelia’s other dagger from piercing his heart,
“L-let me finish Amelia…it will explain everything” he stuttered as the tip was pressed a tad harder, a bit more and it would’ve been deep inside his throat already
“Speak”
“As you know, Starlight - I mean Duchess Ophelia, was the one the guild had asked to help expand their influence and status within the empire, to the point where we enjoy our own set of laws and restrictions that totally different from the one’s everyone else has to abide by, the guild has literally become a cornerstone of the empire thanks to her. That's why we owe her so much, and she knows that. Hence why she called in the favor to get you and everyone else out” Killian finished as his eyes were locked with Amelia, although showing nothing, there was a large amount of fear behind the thinly veiled strength.
Amelia continued to lock eyes with Killian, trying to take in all the information he had given her, using her Holy Magic to see if he was lying, and with it coming clean, she slowly retreated a few steps and sheathed both of her daggers, making Killian sigh in relief and hunch forward, his heart racing fast as the near-death experience took its toll. Turning away from the very much panic-stricken Killian, Amelia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down
“Does anyone else know of this?” she asked as she glanced back at him
“No, I was instructed to only tell you, she told me you would know who to talk to about this” Killian answered
“Right…thank you, and I am sorry for startling you like that”
“Don’t….don’t mention it, I would have acted like that too if someone were to just casually talk about a secret plan”
Amelia let out a wry chuckle as she turned back and bathed Killian in a shower of golden light, relieving him of his panic and restoring him to normal, before fixing up the table and sitting back down on the chair.
“If you have anything else to say, now is the time” Amelia said as she placed her hands on the table, looking up at a newly revitalized and smiling Killian
“Right then” he answered with a smile
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Later that night, in the Erstad Dutchy
“Haah….Seems that girl just told me something that was being kept from you Percy” Mother Felice said as she turned back into the dining room, looking towards the kitsune beastkin in a head maid outfit still looking over a long list of shipment reports and security debriefs
“Well, care to share Madam Felice?” Percy answered as she glanced up at the orphanage proprietor before continuing to read the reports
“Well, for starters. We don’t have to worry about the adventurers guild leaking information and our resource troubles, it seems that the duchess has called in a favor, and it seems the guild has answered the call”
Percy had a confused look on her face as she glanced up again and saw that Mother Felice had a grin from ear to ear
“Can you elaborate on that?”
“The guild has pledged their resources to our little escape plan, everything from their manpower and staff to their raw materials and coffers, it seems that they owe her everything”
“I vaguely remember the duchess explaining how the entire guild was built thanks to her. Everything has been a bit fuzzy after that concussion to the head before she left”
“Well, as long as it does not hamper anything else, I say that this news can put us in a very good position” chimed in Sister Mary as she entered the room
“The children have been put to bed and I checked with the security patrols, the nearby bandits were dealt with swiftly and mercilessly making another problem go away” she added as she handed over a handful of papers to Percy
“Thank you for doing that dear, I take it you had fun with the knights in destroying their encampment?” Mother Felice asked with a playful smile
“Oh yeah…their screams were very pleasing to the ears” Sister Mary answered with a smile
“Alright, enough of that. Madam Felice, can you tell me everything Lady Amelia told you, in detail please?” Percy asked as she put down the papers and looked up at the still-smiling Mother
“With pleasure” Mother Felice answered an even bigger smile as Percy a glint in her eye
A/N; Hi guys, sorry this one took long, I was dealing with some piled-up school work and had to do them all before they were due, anyways. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and oOoOoO more things are being revealed bit by bit on Ophelia's past dealings, I hope you guys continue to enjoy the content I post and I hope you have a wonderful day/afternoon/evening ahead of you! p.s the rest of the chapters after this will be some side stories, specifically continuing on Ophelia's adventure on the other continent and some of the characters like Percy or Mother Felice, even Sharon is getting one in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for that. bye now!