Everyone looked around, fearing another surprise but gradually realizing that the fight was over.
"Is it over? We... won?" Sana whispered.
Zuri and Freya turned, looking worriedly at Dora.
"Is that it? Is it over?"
Eryl patted the dust on her suit, smiling.
"Lady Freya, do you sense any other remaining energy? If not, it means the boss is dead."
An incredulous smile appeared on their faces and everyone jumped for joy. Morgiana lifted Zuri into a powerful hug and twirled her around, much to the latter's displeasure. Kraim sat down, morally exhausted, and Leon, with a disappointed expression, looked at the temple.
"Synergy: Beta-Sigma" a blue light appeared on Dora's eyes.
"Yeah, do that, let us clean up your mess... Oh, that reminds me..."
He glanced at his quest screen.
|Main quest: The frog who wanted to be as big as the ox
|Complete a Rank D dungeon| Quest completed
|All stats +10
|+10128 Exp
|Jobs have leveled up
|+5 stats points
Jobs
Warrior lvl1
Knight lvl1
Healer lvl30
Swordmaster lvl1
Archer lvl30
Rogue lvl30
Mage lvl30
|
He smiled a little, but before he could enjoy his victory, his joy disappeared.
"...? What is this... Urk!" His legs left the ground, under Morgiana's powerful embrace.
"You're awesome! Thank you! Thank you!!!"
"What?... Why are you... Wait, stop whirlin-" Another projectile hit him in mid-air, one with a familiar softness.
"We really did it! Dora, you are amazing!"
Marie hugged him with all her might, and Morgiana displayed her power by lifting both of them. The poor boy quickly understood that he wouldn't get away easily.
"D-Don't forget Lilith and Liliana, they might be injured."
"I didn't know you were so modest." Freya, crossing her arms but with a gentle smile, approached.
"You did really well, I'm honestly surprised."
"... Why are you all even thanking me? Liliana and Lilith murdered the boss, you should worry about them!"
"Just accept the compliment!" Zuri joined them. "It's your moment, we know everyone helped but you shined brighter than anyone else."
They gathered around him, these conflicting emotions could be understandable in a way. For the members of Shining Sword, it was a fight to determine their future, not only as emissaries but also in their lives. For the knights and nobles, this was the first contact with the real world of the emissaries, and this contact was a disaster.
Cid, considered the strongest potential knight after Iris was quickly knocked down and had to lose a leg, and Erick, a reliable teammate, lost his fingers. One moment they were in hell, the next moment Dora was doing alone what they couldn't do together. Even if He wasn't alone, their attention was focused on him before and when he shined, they won. It was that simple. "The hero responds when we need him," right?
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
But for Dora, it was just another quest, his biggest concern wasn't even succeeding but seeing his other jobs level up, he was powerful enough to join any team he wanted so it was just one rift among a thousand.
Morgiana placed him on the ground and he nervously walked towards the ruins, followed by Marie and Freya, while Morgiana started running after Zuri for another hug.
"You really impressed me, Idiora, now I understand why you never take training seriously."
"I'm taking this seriously, I'm just lowering my standards to match... You really impressed me there, tank master."
"... Jerk."
They laughed amicably, and as they got closer to the temple, they grew closer to their other teammates, but not in the same celebratory mood as them.
"My Lady, with all due respect, I cannot allow this!"
"WHO are you to stop me?! I could very well beat them, stop being such a nuisance!!!"
"I'm your knight, it's my job to... Hey Dora, why did you send her to those monsters? Who gave you permission?!"
"He did that because he's smarter than you! Stop blaming him, I'm an emissary too!"
Hope and Mercy clashed over what happened in the fight, Dora could barely remember that it was what caused Gamma to send Lilith and Liliana in his place.
"My lady, this is now personal, please. Hey Dora, a noble doesn't fight, why did you send her?!... Wait, did you make Lady Freya fight too?"
"... Listen... sigh... Nah, ignore him." He passed by him without a care,
but Hope, determined, grabbed him by the shoulder, making Marie and Freya flinch, remembering Erick's fate.
"Who do you think you are? You don't know her like we do! You know nothing about nobles and you have no chivalry!"
A sharp noise echoed through the temple, choking everyone. All eyes were on Hope who had just been slapped by Mercy.
"You... know... nothing... about ME."
A silence fell as Hope placed a hand on his cheek. Mercy, whose breathing had returned heavily, turned to Dora.
"Sorry... For not being up to the task."
"... It's okay, you're alive, you'll have another chance."
"Do you think so? Like tomorrow? The day after tomorrow?"
"We'll think about it. For now, I need to quickly treat the children."
"Ah, yeah, sure... Everyone's tired, I'm stupid."
She turned her back on him and walked away, without a glance at Hope who hadn't moved an inch, but as she reached Zuri, she said in a very audible voice.
"You're lucky, you have a great knight."
Everyone remained silent, exchanging some gazes. Mercy's words were a dangerous weapon and at that moment, no one wanted to be on her bad side. But the worst was to come from Freya.
"Indeed, I don't know why, but despite all your shenanigans, you were gifted by the best one of them, an annoying one though, but very reliable."
Their gazes turned back to Dora, surprisingly silent.
"Hm? Aren't you going to say something? Are you modest or just shy after all?" Freya asked, a little amused.
"I foresee a dangerous future if this debate keeps going... So I'll just go heal the brat and Liliana."
He entered the temple, accompanied by Mary, and left a devastated Hope near Freya. She glanced at the temple and headed towards the rest of the team.
"If you have no respect for yourself, have some for her, every one of your defeats is a stain on her name."
She passed Kraim and Leon and stopped to deliver the final blow.
"I am a D-rank red mage, I don't need to be protected in a simple D-rank rift, especially from immature knights, and so-called veterans, if you want to show off, don't be ridiculed later."
She left towards the rift entrance, no one could object to her and Kraim just shook his head. Thus ended this expedition rich in emotion. But the world is bigger than the heart could feel, and since the party took place in hell for a long time, there was a heaven somewhere else, not so far away.
Rich in decorations, rising above the other luxurious residences and embracing the last rays of the sun which tinted it with a golden color reflecting its grandeur: the Royal Palace.
In a magnificent garden covered with flowers of all kinds, statues, and fountains, a woman was sipping the best wine. She wore a long light purple silk dress and her long blonde hair sparkled in the sun.
"Ah, there you are."
She turned and faced a knight wearing golden armor, short blue hair, and two swords on his back.
"Lancelot, good to see you so soon."
The knight placed one leg on the ground and lowered his head.
"My Queen, I have returned as you asked, has something happened?"
She happily took a few sips and placed her cup on a table next to a basket of fruit.
"Something happened, I thought about it for a while, and I'd rather hear your answer now."
The knight did not move but drops of sweat beaded on his forehead.
"... My Queen... It hasn't even been a minute, I told you I needed some time to think."
"I know, but I decided I didn't want to wait after all, so I want your answer now. Will you become the people's hero?"
This time the knight trembled, his face tense. He opened his eyes and met the queen's azure gaze, smiling warmly, and lowered his head.
"... My Queen... I am a Holy Knight... I cannot turn my sword against the people I protect."
"What are you saying? Did you mishear what I said?"
"My Queen, even if there is darkness among the nobles, I cannot rebel against them, even to help the poor, please try to understand."
The wind rose in the garden, the Queen looked at her knight and sighed in disappointment.
"And you had the perfect haircut for it, what a waste."
The knight flinched but maintained his position. The queen returned to her table.
"It's okay, I'll find someone else then. Raise your head."
She sat down in a chair and picked up an apple, looking at Lancelot thoughtfully.
"I will need your swordsman skills, and Moon Slash, for my Cartouche."
"... I believe that anyone else of the same level as me would be enough, my Queen."
"Yes, but they don't have your Swordsman skills or Moon Slash, so yours will do just fine."
Lancelo's face froze as the apple in the queen's hand turned orange.
"NOOOOOOO!!!!"
"Voracity"
She bit the fruit and at the same moment, Lancelot let out a muffled cry and then slowly collapsed to the ground, without a word, his eyes empty and clutching his chest.
The queen placed a finger on the fruits and 2 apples turned orange.
"Now, who will Lancelot and Cartouche be?"