Solomon: Ah, so that how you did it?  

Walking alongside Gareth, Solomon was listening intently to his animated explanation. Since they had started their trek back, he'd asked Gareth to tell him what happened. So while walking alongside him, Gareth had told him all of the details. Starting off with how they had been struggling to hold back the parasites. Saying that although they weren't having issues with them individually, their sheer numbers were too much. Realising they were slowly getting pushed into a corner, Gareth said he'd come up with a plan. Going on, he told Solomon how his plan had gone off perfectly.   

Still holding onto his pride for achieving such a feat, Gareth made sure to embellish certain aspects of the story. From his heroic leadership to his deadly attacks, he was sure to exaggerate them all. As he lost himself in his own words, Gareth went on and on about the nerve-wracking scene. Telling and retelling with so ever greater detail each time. From his words, Solomon easily painted a vivid picture of the scene in his mind. Listening to this glamorised tale, Solomon could roughly tell what was real and what wasn't. But even when he could so easily tell apart the fact from the fiction, he didn't call Gareth out on it. Hearing the usually quiet ex-soldier talking to such lengths, he worried that it would disrupt his flow. After all, this was one of the rare times the man would speak so much. How could Solomon bear to interrupt such a rare occurrence? Merely listening quietly, he let the older man talk to his heart's content. As the picture in his mind grew clearer and clearer, he couldn't help but become even more amazed. Just knowing that Gareth and Alice had killed this massive horde had shocked him. But now learning how they'd done it, he was even more impressed.  

Thinking about Gareth's plan, he developed an even deeper appreciation for him. Not only as a fighter, but also as a leader and strategist. Without Gareth's intervention, Solomon doubted Alice could have pulled off this type of tactic. She just wasn't the sort to fight in such a way. In a sense, the outcome of their battle was in a large part due to Gareth. As his thoughts went in that direction, Solomon felt a bitter feeling in his heart. Hearing about Gareth's display of both leadership and planning, he felt guilty for not achieving the same himself. If he had, then the strain both on himself and Pluvia wouldn't have been half as much. If he was on the same level, Pluvia wouldn't have needed to put herself at risk. As his mind kept reminding him of his own failure, the bitter feeling in his heart grew larger. However, he didn't let that feeling envelop him. Instead, he used it as motivation to improve. Knowing that there was no way to change the past, he promised himself he'd change the future. Settling his emotions, Solomon refocused on Gareth's over the top storytelling. Though he was bored of it at this point, he didn't stop Gareth's steady stream of words. Still appreciating the rare talkativeness of Gareth, he refused to ruin it. Especially when considering how impressive the story he was telling was. For actually pulling it off he had more than earned the right to brag about it. 

Gareth: It was really nerve-wracking. As soon as I had attacked, it felt like my heart would explode!   

Finishing his story for the 5th time, Gareth suddenly stopped talking. Realising how much he'd been speaking made him feel a little awkward. For the last ten minutes other than the occasional words from Solomon, his voice had been the only sound in the entire cavern. Without realising it, he'd monopolised the entire conversation. Because of the comfortable atmosphere, he'd lost himself for a while. The words just seemed to naturally flow out of his mouth. For him, who had spent most of his life in some form of military group, that was extremely weird. In the past, he had been a man of few words. Being raised in a brutal environment had quickly turned his heart cold. So from a young age, the number of words he spoke was extremely few. Eventually, he gave up on talking about unnecessary things altogether. He gave most people a distant impression like he was purposefully avoiding them. But since he'd arrived in Domain, that attitude had slowly begun to change. Walking the line between life and death at all times had made him reconsider his personality. When he could die at any moment, his desires had taken a huge change. Wanting to survive, along with his allies, he'd gradually opened up.  

A huge part of that change was Solomon. His constant friendly attitude and his treatment of his comrades had worn down Gareth's cold exterior. In the past, only two people could bring him out of his shell like that. One being his wife, and the other being her father. Remembering the old King, Gareth couldn't help but become sombre. Glancing at Solomon, he was reminded of the striking resemblance between the two. Though they were two people from vastly different backgrounds, they both had something special about them. An intangible feeling that compelled those around them to follow them. In the king's case, it was a natural talent that he'd built up with experience. In his role as king, he'd had to develop the skill to move his people's hearts. But in Solomon's case, it was different. For him, it was something more primal. It was like he had the instincts of a leader. Though Solomon hadn't noticed this himself yet, it was glaringly obvious to those that followed him. At times when they were in need, Solomon would always be there to support them. Even in the short time, he'd been following the man, Gareth had seen him display that talent over and over.  

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Gareth: I won't let it happen a second time.  

Feeling fortunate to have found such a great person for the second time in his life, or technically the first time in his second life, Gareth became determined to protect him. 

Solomon: what was that?  

Hearing Gareth mumble something, Solomon looked over at him. Realising that it had become Quite, he became a little worriedly. Looking at the half troubled and half determined face of Gareth, he was concerned as to what caused the sudden change. Seeing his heartfelt expression, Gareth felt his determination grow much stronger.  

Gareth: It's nothing. Anyway, you still haven't explained how you brought down the Queen.  

Slightly embarrassed by his own thought, Gareth didn't want to tell Solomon about them. Diverting the conversation to the Queen, he hoped Solomon would soon forget about it.  

Solomon: honestly, it's not too exciting. At first, we didn't have a solid plan. So we just went in and tested out her power. But even after the first clash, we knew that she far outclassed us. If it wasn't for Pluvia's experience and my skills, we wouldn't have lasted a minute.  

Looking up at the dark cave ceiling, Solomon's eyes became unfocused. Deciding to drop the previous topic, he went on to talk about the fight. Unlike Gareth, he didn't draw out his explanation. After all, it was a fairly simple battle. Compared to Gareth's master plan, his fight with the Queen was an embarrassment. Not only had he failed to even make a plan, But he had also forced Pluvia to endanger herself. As the leader, he was responsible for everyone on the team. Putting her in that situation was an absolute disgrace. So wanting to quickly get away from the topic, he glossed over the battle. But even though he was just recapping the main points, Gareth listened to his words seriously. 

Gareth: Wow, so she was even stronger than we thought! Even though I only watched from a distance, I could still feel the huge pressure. Being so close, I can't even begin to imagine what it was like.  

Remembering the waves of fear he felt just spectating from afar, Gareth had a chill run down his spine. If it felt like that for him, how did it feel for them?  

Solomon: Yeah, even now it's hard to believe we actually killed her.  

Looking at Pluvia laying in Gareth's arms, Solomon considered themselves to be extremely lucky. With how overpowered the Queen was, it wouldn't be surprising for one of them to have died. Even a good outcome would have resulted in them being seriously injured. So them both getting away with such light injuries was a miracle. 

Solomon: Anyway, we were basically pushed back at every turn. Though we got a couple surprise attacks in, we could only manage to slightly injure her. More than anything that just angered her. In the end, it was Pluvia that won it for us. Even then it was only by using up all of her power. That desperate last move was fortunately enough to turn the tables.  

Looking back at the Queen's corpse, or rather her puddle at this point, Gareth doubted their last move was as desperate as he said. But nodding along, he listened to Solomon's summarised story. Though it lacked any of the embellishment that his own had, Solomon's battle didn't sound any less intense. 

Gareth: Seems like you had it rough, But you managed to pull it off. Just thinking about all that points we've earned here's making my blood boil.  

Roughly calculating it, Gareth had made a little other 9,000 points. Including the G rank reward that Solomon had won for him, he would easily be able to double his current power. If that was what he'd already had, how many points would he earn by the end of the mission? 

Solomon: Don't get cocky. This is still only the start. We have a long way to go till we finish this mission.  

Worried that Gareth would grow arrogant, Solomon quickly gave him some words of advice. Though he was also happy to have earned so much, he was still contemplating how the rest of the mission would go. After all, he still needed to earn an F rank reward. Thinking about how difficult it was to get the G rank reward, he knew the getting the F rank would be several times harder. Thinking about the challenges that lay ahead of himself, Solomon couldn't help but feel downtrodden. They had spent so much energy here and yet it didn't contribute to their original mission at all. If anything it delayed them for quite a while. Though they were rewarded for it, they now had to face the rest of the mission in their weakened state. But worse that that, Solomon still had a very bad feeling. When he first noticed that feeling, he thought it was just his nerves. But as time went on and his mind calmed itself down, the feeling hadn't disappeared. In fact, it had gotten worse. 

Gareth: Don't worry, I won't. I'm just a little excited, that's all. 

Bringing himself back to reality, Gareth answered Solomon seriously. Though he was overjoyed with his rewards, he didn't want Solomon to think he was being careless.  

Alice: SOLOMON!!!  

Hearing Alice's voice, Gareth was briefly stunned. He thought he was hallucinating for a moment before he looked up to see the young girl running in his direction. Looking around, he realised they'd made it back to the tunnel entrance. Looking back at Alice, he wondered how she'd react to Pluvia and Solomon's state. Gently sighing, he prepared himself for what was to come. 

Gareth: Haaah, one struggle ends and another begins.