Once the main door of the cathedral closed, the crowd inside fell silent. The mood was an awkward one and no one really knew how to break it. Nearly all of the nobles let out sighs of relief when Edward left but most realised that such actions are unlikely to help curry favours with the other Heroes, so they quickly tried to hide it. This weird atmosphere only hung around for several seconds, though. The monarchs, in an attempt to have everyone forget about this whole situation and all the associated unpleasantries, started taking their assigned Heroes to the side for discussions. This left the oldest of Edward’s students, Lucas, standing alone in the middle of the cathedral. Soon, he was approached by the High Priestess, Alleya. Despite the fact that Lucas was supposed to be acting under her, the young girl seemed fairly shy in his presence, as if scared of him. The only guess the Hero had to explain this was that she was afraid he would try to retaliate for all the unfair treatment his friend and mentor received. And he thought about it already, quite a bit, too, but he wasn’t quite sure yet if Edward would approve of this. He finally gave up on that idea, deciding to wait until the two met up again. He will ask his friend then if he wants to get back at those church folks or not. Perhaps that small king that took him in will prove hospitable enough to him and he will abandon the idea of revenge. He knew his friend could be quite a bit spiteful when someone forces things onto him, though. After all, he himself learnt this first-hand.
-Sir Lucas…?
His train of thoughts was interrupted by the young girl. Her voice sounded oddly high-pitched and she seemed to be cowering a little. This took away any and all dignity she had, making him even more mad that someone like this was responsible for potentially ruining his friend’s life. Despite that, he tried his best to sound at least neutral.
-Your lady. I have a question.
-What is it, Sir Hero?
-Where was he sent out to?
Alleya didn’t seem to immediately understand what Lucas was referring to but once she followed his gaze towards the cathedral’s door, she seemed to get it.
-To the Frontier. It’s a developing region to the far East.
-Is it dangerous?
-Relatively but Gunthar is pretty good at handling his kingdom. I also doubt he will just send this guy off to be eaten by monsters. Sir Edward is an asset for king Gurthan, after all, and a pretty valuable one.
-An asset? Please explain.
The girl looked up at Lucas, clearly not wanting to talk anymore about Edward. Seeing the Hero’s determined gaze on her, however, made her reconsider if it was worth angering him over just a short explanation. She still let out a tired sigh before speaking:
-I officially announced that he will retain his title as a Hero, with everything it entitles. This means that Gurthan’s kingdom now holds a lot more influence within the Holy Alliance. He can use that to potentially secure funds and general help with developing the region, strengthening his position even more in the coming years. This king might be old but that’s what makes him a dangerous player on the political scene. He’s wise and cunning. He will know how to use Edward best and won’t risk losing him.
-That’s reassuring, at least. But wouldn’t spreading out the information that there is a magicless Hero stir up the public?
-About that… Before your summoning, the Holy Alliance agreed to withhold the information that you, Heroes, have been summoned from another world. This also includes the fact you all have been blessed by the Seventh Pantheon. We will share this information when you already make a name for yourselves. You will all still be branded Heroes and given many privileges of course… but him having no magic is indeed an issue we were not prepared for. We will have to think of something.
-Hm, there might be a solution but you will have to run it by Edward and that old man first.
-Let’s hear it.
-Hide his status as a Hero from the public. Simply mention he’s one of your men sent to this Frontier region to help develop it. Officially, it serves the same role. Publicly, him not doing any hero-related stuff and avoiding using magic will make much more sense. Behind the closed door, his status as a Hero will remain, with everything it entitles.
Alleya thought about this idea for a moment. Lucas wasn’t too sure Edward would sign up for something like this, especially if he was out for revenge. Still, this could potentially open some doors for him, or so Lucas thought. After all, he always let his friend handle all the strategies and other complicated stuff. He was clearly the brains of the duo, while Julian liked to keep to the muscle-related stuff. Even if he kept losing against his teacher in actual combat since the first spar they had all those years back, he was still much more physically fit and stronger than Edward. That, his skill at gaming and looks were all Lucas had going for him over his friend, after all.
-I will consider it. The information about you all will not go public immediately anyway. I’ll be reaching out to all the monarchs to ensure things are fine some time after they all arrive back in their countries. I will discuss it with Gurthan then.
-Sounds good to me.
Alleya let out a sigh of relief. She seemed satisfied that Lucas seems to be less confrontational than his friend. However, he didn't seem as much of a musclehead as she initially thought. The Summoning spell clearly didn't work properly either. According to the scripts, the Heroes should be practically dancing to her whim. What could have caused this disturbance, though? The fact that two more people were summoned? But one clearly got the favour of all the Gods. It would seem odd if the other extra got here by complete accident. The Gods should be able to stop this if they didn’t want it to happen, shouldn't They? They must have let him through to be transported into this world, nothing else would make sense. So, was the failure of the Summoning spell also part of Their will?
She kept staring at Lucas’s back as the Hero walked away to chat a bit more with his friends before they all went their own ways. This was understandable, many monarchs had a long way back to their kingdoms, so most wanted to leave early, like that old fool Gurthan. Speaking of which, what was he planning? A magicless Hero won't do him that much good. Sure, he's a bargaining chip for requesting help from the Holy Alliance but this influence could also make him a target. If his country starts to flourish, the neighbouring small kingdoms might want to invade it and seize this wealth and influence for themselves. Did that old man see something in this rebellious excuse of a man that she couldn't?
-Odyilla.
-At your service, your holiness.
A tall woman in her late twenties, with pale expression, empty gaze and medium, straight pitch black hair, stepped in from behind the girl. It was impossible to tell where she came from, almost as if she was there this whole time, just outside of view. She was wearing a dress suggesting she's a maid but a trained eye could potentially notice a set of leather and chainmail inserts that provided armour in all the most vital spots.
-Make sure you send your best spies to the Frontier. Update me on anything regarding this… Hero that went with Gurthan.
-Shall I intervene if anything happens?
-No. Inform me first, as soon as you learn something. Take action only if I authorise it. He's still formally a Hero, we can't do anything rash. And if the word somehow gets out and the other Heroes learn about it, we’ll be in much greater trouble.
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-Understood. I'll send my men to the Frontier immediately.
The maid bowed and took a step back, right into the shadow, disappearing as mysteriously as she appeared. To most people in the cathedral, she was never there. The others would probably just assume she was a regular maid that they failed to notice before or ever after. Lucas, however, was keeping Alleya in the corner of his view all this time. He knew he didn't see that woman enter and he couldn't spot her moving in the crowd attempting to leave. That meant she was either still inside the cathedral or used some type of magic he didn't know about. He couldn't hear what the two were talking about but it confirmed his suspicions. Something wasn't right with this church and the whole Alliance, or at least with the people leading it. He couldn't take anything he hears for granted anymore. He should probably find people who he could use to get information for him and verify what the church ends up telling him. But he didn't know who he could trust here either. He knew he had to find a way, though. Edward wouldn't just give up in a situation like this. Lucas knew he wasn't as cunning as his friend but he had to face up to the challenge. For his friend and all the other students. He was put at the centre of this whole gig. He had the best chances of influencing things. Even if he wasn't the most suited for this whole ordeal, he had to give it his all.
Seeing the girl walk over to some of the monarchs to have a last chance to talk to them, Lucas decided to seek out the old captain. He found him standing away from the general crowd, near the side entrance they used earlier. The soldier was leaning against the wall, holding his arms crossed, observing others. Noticing the Hero walking over to him, he didn’t seem particularly thrilled but didn’t show any obvious discontent either.
-Sir Lucas…
-Captain Tserkit. I have a few questions. I was hoping you could provide me with some answers.
-That all depends on the questions. But ask away.
-What exactly will I be doing as a Hero of the Holy Alliance? The High Priestess wasn’t particularly explicit about it.
-At first? You will spend a lot of time training, understanding magic and your Skills. The most important thing is making sure you won’t die out there.
-How long will that take?
-That depends on your progress. If you’re a quick learner, I expect you to have a good grasp at it in maybe a month. If not, Alleya will make sure you’re ready within the next three months.
-I think you all might be underestimating me. I trained under one of the best swords-
-Sorry, kid, but save the crap. I know you all hold your mention in high regard but you’re all in a new world now. Old knowledge might not apply and old habits might be your quickest road to death here.
-...Point stands.
-Whatever. We’ll see about that tomorrow. You’ll be sparring against me first thing in the morning and I won’t go easy on you for that smug talk.
-Sure, bring it. Anyway, after I learn to use this magic, what then?
-Then, you will need to start getting some practical experience. Go out there, kill some monsters, clear out some bandits, support the church troops. Easy jobs. That will also give you some merit which will be useful later.
-Why is that?
-At some point, people will learn about you. Even if Alleya wants to keep your existence hidden for as long as she can, for whatever reason she has, people will find a way to learn about someone new and important in our ranks. Sooner or later you will need to make a formal public appearance and at that point, it is better that you already have some achievements to your name.
-Fair. Not everyone would trust in a hero that only now arrived in town and that no one ever saw wield a sword before.
-Exactly. And after that? Who knows, really. You’ll probably have to help Alleya with some errands, keep her reputation up and such. But don’t think of it as such a bad thing, you’ll benefit from this too.
-In what way?
-You might be required to travel to different countries. Normally, that’s pretty difficult, even more so for someone like you, who should stay inside our borders at all times, not dilly-dally outside of them. This will give you a chance to explore foreign lands and learn new things. You might even get to meet your friends over there too. Not too bad of a deal now, eh?
-I guess it does sound reasonable. What can you tell me about the Frontier?
-Didn’t I mention it already at our long talk earlier today?
-You skimmed over that it’s a dangerous land but that’s about it.
-Well, I’m not in a mood for geography lessons, so I won’t go into too much detail. But what interests you the most about it?
-What kinds of dangers are out there?
-Mostly? Bandits and monsters. There’s just a lot of them and the deeper you go, the crazier the former and more ferocious the latter. There’s also the weather. It doesn’t happen often but sometimes it can really mess someone up. It can change suddenly and some conditions are fairly unnatural and dangerous. Nothing to worry about in the city but out there in the wild? That’s a different story.
-Why are people even settling there, then?
-Mining and monster hunting, mostly. Most deposits of ore in the Holy Alliance are depleted, while the mountains in the Frontier are rich with minerals of pretty high grade. Also, monster pelts. They fetch a fair price themselves but leather made out of them is usually much sturdier than regular one. This makes it popular with armourers and adventurers but also with some rich folks who like to dress up.
-I see.
-Please, Sir Hero, you do not need to bother yourself with this subject. The people living in the Frontier are all capable and the Holy Alliance is also supporting their endeavours. Your attention is much more needed here.
Lucas let out a heavy sigh. He didn’t like what he just heard but he also knew that this would be the correct course of action. He was not in any position to influence things just yet and Edward definitely will be able to handle himself out there. What he just learned only confirmed that. As such, he simply nodded to the captain and walked off to exchange some last words with his other fellow students. Most of them were already getting ready to depart. He couldn’t know when he would get a chance to meet with any of them again but he knew that all of them will keep giving their best even without his or Edward’s supervision. That didn’t change the fact he didn’t like the idea of separation one bit. But then again, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
As such, Sevondrea, the Holy City, was slowly being covered by the darkness of the night, one much thicker than anything Lucas has ever seen in his world. This marked the first day the Heroes spent in this new world, their adventure only just starting. With that perspective, that everything was now done and his new life finally began, Lucas started feeling the excitement. It will take some time before he can enjoy the thrill of true adventure and properly explore what this world has to offer, though. Just the fact he will be taught how to wield magic tomorrow was enough to have him forget his hitherto worries and be optimistic about the prospects of the future. Whether those were his true feelings, or merely the effects of the Summoning ritual, he never stopped to consider.