I can’t believe I was so stupid, I messed up– I really messed up!

I raced through Brooke Street and hopped from the building rooftops using my Rush skill. Sweat ran down the sides of my face as I cut through the air at full speed.

{Rabbit’s Foot has been set to default skill}

“Faster– I need to go even faster!!”

The meeting didn’t last much longer after that old guy gave the order, so I rushed out of there the first chance I got.

I was supposed to fix their opinions on dragons, at least with the talking ones. I hadn’t done anything to better humanity's relationship with them– I completely failed!

ASH came into view from a street away and I got there in the blink of an eye. I cleared the entrance steps in a single bound and disappeared into the shadows of the lobby waiting room.

{Shadow Step activated}

Kana hunched over a massive pile of paperwork, her head sunken into it with disarray. She let out a deep sigh right before my shadow emerged from the ground.

“Kana–”

“EEEEEEKKKK!!!!!”

“Kana it’s me, don’t freak out.”

I waved my hand in front of her as I tried to calm her down but she was way too shaken to pay attention.

“What do you mean calm down, you appeared out of nowhere! How did you even get in here, the doors are all closed?” She peeked over my shoulder with a curious glare.

I grabbed her hand and with it, her attention. She looked at her hands with a red face and went silent.

“Kana, listen to me! They’re going to kill Alice, they’re going after her and I need to do something!”

“Alice…? You mean that dragon girl?”

She’s still in shock, I can’t catch her up. It’s going to take too long, I need to hurry!

“Yes, the dragon girl, Alice! Shared Sword’s guild is sending a team out into the Tower to kill her and all the dragons of that floor.”

The corners of her mouth dropped with horror.

“What do you want me to do, I won’t be able to stop them?” She asked gingerly.

“I know… I don’t want anyone else getting involved in my mistake. Warning them is enough, I’ll be able to get there in time if I go alone. I needed to tell you since I won’t know when I’m coming back.”

“Rei…?”

As I walked away, I felt her grip stop my movements. Kana held my wrist, I turned towards her determined glare and froze. She had never looked at me like that, with genuine anger.

“You’re strong, you grow and get stronger so quickly…almost too quick for me to adjust how I should advise you. Even so, you can’t beat the number one adventurer as you are now, so please Rei– stop trying to do things on your own!”

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“...then what?”

Her grip loosened. Kana stood up from her seat and placed her hands over her hair. She tied her messy bun tighter and shifted her anger into a determined glare.

“Leave it to me. You said they’ll be making a team, right? That would mean at least three days to collect supplies and gear before they’re ready to move out.”

Kana extended a finger in front of my face with a serious stare, I felt the intense gleam from her eye and couldn’t argue back.

“Just three days, that’s all I ask for.”

“To do what?” My expression softened under Kana’s overwhelming gaze.

“Prepare. In just three days I’ll get you all the firepower I can manage, so wait for just three days.”

Her eyes carried a sharp aura that left no sense of doubt, I could tell she meant every word. After such a powerful emotion, how could I have not believed her?

“Okay…”

I wasted no time and went to the smithy. Veldor mentioned before that he wanted to get his gear fixed so I knew they’d both be there. While they were together, I needed to ask for their help.

I hated to admit it but Kana was right… I didn’t have the strength to go against someone as powerful as Mister Eren. Even with their help we probably didn’t stand a chance but we had more of a chance to stall them with three of us.

“What’s this about, I was here first so if you wanna get your gear repaired, then wait in line,” Veldor said with a stubborn tone.

Arga stood over her anvil and gleamed from ear to ear with a bright smile, she didn’t bother to look up even after I entered the room.

“I need your help, both of you.”

“You sound serious, did something happen?” Veldor’s eyes sharpened.

“Something terrible is going to happen soon and I don’t know what else to do. Please… will you hear me out?”

I filled them in on everything but the room fell quiet. I didn’t want to rush them, after all, I was asking them for help with a dangerous mission. But time was also important, while we stood around, Mister Eren was preparing to head into the Tower.

Every second I wasn’t moving felt like a waste, I could barely think straight. I felt the nervous pool of tension swirl in my stomach and the faint ticking of the clock drove my frustration through the roof.

Tic–Tic–Tic–Tic!

“I know it’s a lot to ask–”

“A lot to ask? You’re asking me the impossible here!” Veldor shouted.

“...!” My eyes lowered.

“I partied with you guys because it was fun and somehow always interesting but I’m still a member of Heaven's Gate! If I go against one of the other pillars… forget that, if I so much as help you, I’ll be screwed!”

“I know… that’s why I’ll understand if you can’t.”

I had no right to ask him, I knew his situation and how he felt about his guild, the guild Mister Ed had built. But even so…

“What are you–?!”

Veldor’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open. I bowed before him with my head planted against the floor of the smithy and begged,

“I understand why you can’t do it but please… please help me protect them!”

The room was silent, nothing but the sound of Veldors footsteps filled the air. He walked in front of me and spoke,

“I can’t…not yet.”

My head rose and I saw my desperate reflection bounce off of his sullen eyes. I looked pathetic but I didn’t care.

“Veldor…?”

He extended out his hand to help me up and averted his eyes,

“That doesn’t mean it's a no, I just can’t give you an answer until I’m absolutely sure I can just yet. If I can be there to help, I will but if not…”

“I understand, you have your guild to think about too. But I’ll be waiting for your answer.”

Veldor’s eyes took a sullen shift,

“Thank you but you’re still missing one big aspect of this whole thing. How the hell are you expecting to go against members of Shared Sword?”

…

He was right, it was something even I feared about the whole ordeal. They were part of the number one guild in the city, even their lowest ranks were at least high-grade silver ranks. Not to mention their group would be led by the best of the best… Eren Gardner himself.

Suddenly Arga broke her silence and a childish cackle erupted from her toothy grin.

“Looks like it’s finally time for me to shine. You’re not the only one with cool secrets anymore, Rei.”