Sadly, I apparently left too early as lunch was still a ways away… What to do, what, to, do… Hmm, I guess I could speculate on what my robes might be able to do. Having a list makes planning tests much easier, after all.

By the time lunch was ready, I had a decent list of things that I should, shouldn’t, and might be able to deal with. Hmm, I wonder if my robes can deal with radiation or things that infect your bones and the like?

Well, I don’t know if I will ever find out, considering I would have to use myself as a test subject. Well, we do actually have spells that can fix some of those problems, though, so it could be fairly safe… Hmm, I guess it’s something to think about at least.

As I was thinking, the Hero started to pass out everyone’s lunch. “So, still no Rapunzel? And now we’ve even lost Melly. I wonder whos going to disappear next.” I commented.

“I presume Melly’s business with her family was delayed. I do not happen to know anything about what Rapunzel is doing though.” Greg answered.

“Rapunzel should be trying to earn some new special arrows in preparation for our journey.” The Hero informed us.

“I see. Well, I hope they can finish whatever it is they’re busy with soon so they don’t have to rush to get ready.”

“Indeed.”

We didn’t end up talking all that much afterwards, so we just ended up doing our own things once we finished eating. Haa, without Melly or Rapunzel, our party really doesn’t talk all that much. Like, I enjoy my in-depth conversations with Greg, but we study two completely different branches of magic, so it’s rare that we can properly discuss our magic. The Hero is an oddball at the best of times. And Hansen, well, Hansen is Hansen.

So, I guess I have some free time until dinner then. Hmm, while there are still a few things I can do without using my quite drained mana, I should probably just relax for now. I mean, who knows what’s going to happen during our travels, would I ever get a chance to relax?

Yeah, I should just relax for now. So, I pulled out a history book and read until Melly had to fetch me for dinner.

“Melly! I take it that you've finished your business with the family?” I asked.

“Of course!” She boasted. Okay then. While I don’t know what made her so proud, I’m glad that she’s happy.

As usual, it didn’t take long for us to arrive at the cafeteria, where the Hero had already passed out everyone’s food. Huh, I guess they just waited until the last moment to fetch me.

After we’d finished eating, the Hero asked. “So, is everyone ready for tomorrow?” He paused. “Good. While we’d end up leaving regardless, I would at least try to assist everyone to the best of my abilities.”

Huh, this is different. While the Hero is normally fairly rushed, this is on a whole other level.

“Why are you so rushed?” I had to ask.

“That’s a secret.” He smiled. Ah, of course, it is, why wouldn’t it be? Why do I even bother…

“Oh yeah, Rapunzel, did you know about the plan?” I asked, just in case.

“Yes, I was told about our sudden journey yesterday. That’s the reason why I went to earn some new arrows.” She replied.

“Ah, I see.” So we didn’t actually have to inform her. Well, that’s actually pretty good, as she’d have to rush to get ready otherwise.

“You decided to properly earn your arrows?” Greg asked.

“Well…” She hesitated. “Haa, I didn’t exactly plan on it, but the archery guild wouldn’t allow me to receive any new arrows if I didn’t show them how capable I was. At least they would have given me the arrows regardless of my results.”

“I see, that’s good. So, I guess they just wanted to better understand you?”

“Not exactly.” Greg denied. “I did some research, and all resources related to our power and growth are not allowed to be restricted for us, as we will need them for us to have the best chance to save the world. But, that does not mean everyone agrees with such sentiments, so they may end up doing various acts of protest.”

“Like delaying my acquisition of new arrows by requiring me to take a test,” Rapunzel confirmed.

“Is that allowed?” I asked.

“Yes, as long as they do not actually inhibit us. It is similar to how a few members of the church are against you being the saintess and do not desire to assist you, but still will as it is required of them. So, in a similar vein, people are allowed to cause us some minor problems.” Greg answered.

“Well, mostly.” Rapunzel corrected. “They do need some sort of excuse at least, as openly going against us is a quick way to anger the church, like with that one annoying bishop. Still, requiring me to at least try the test is allowed, as it would only take some time, and me flat-out refusing without a proper reason would imply a lack of maturity.”

“Ah, I see. I didn’t realize that everyone was experiencing similar things.” I sighed.

“Don’t worry about it, Eli.” Melly comforted. “Though, you do have it far worse than us. We only have the occasional person who doesn’t think we should have high-level stuff yet, especially since we should still have a few years to grow. Also, some of them believe that using high-level stuff will inhibit our growth, so most of them don’t tend to have bad intentions.”

“Sadly though, some just do it out of jealousy.” Rapunzel sighed.

“Well, that’s true. Some people are jealous, or just plain dislike us. People are people after all. So, was that the case with the guild, Rapunzel?” Melly asked.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Yes. There are a decent amount of more talented archers just in the capital, so most people do not believe that I actually deserve to be a companion.”

“I see… Though, how many of them can actually scout properly?”

“Not many, but there are some that I’d even call decent. And that’s not even considering how there are other arrangements that are proficient at scouting that could replace me, like rogues or summoners.” She sighed. “Especially since the Hero is more than capable of being our guide instead, removing the entire reason I was specifically chosen.” She finishes sadly.

As we wondered how to respond to that, the Hero spoke up. “That’s not quite right. There were a few reasons why you specifically were chosen. First, you are an archer, which would not only fit nicely in the backline instead of crowding the vanguard but gives you access to special arrows which can drastically improve our combat power at no actual in-combat cost. And while we can’t rely on them all the time, they are extremely useful against powerful foes, letting us use money to lower the gap between us, and our enemies.”

“True, unlike spells and techniques, using more powerful arrows barely costs me anything in the moment. But there are other archers that would perform that role far better than me.” She argued.

“True.” He admitted, causing Rapunzel to flinch. “But that leads to the second reason, you being a scout. While yes, other classes (Ah! A Hero word!) can scout, only archers and summoners are particularly effective, excluding high-level wind mages and the like, of course. But, while summoners are exceptional at mass scouting and tracking, they lack the perspective and priorities of human scouts. As such, you would ideally have both. In addition, being a ranged attacker not only makes your scouting safer, it also allows you to easily eliminate any minor threats you discover.

“Fair enough, but I doubt I am of a sufficient level where my scouting really has an advantage over Hansen’s.” Rapunzel continued to argue.

“Not yet. Third, you were chosen as a guide. Yes, we ended up not really needing you to do that, but when you were chosen, that wasn’t known. So, while now that might not seem very valuable, remember that hindsight is twenty-twenty, so choosing someone different back then would have been idiotic. In addition, you had experience leading. While yes, you didn’t perform very well at the time, you at least know why, which could be quite useful, not to mention how proficient you are at planning and assigning tasks. Again, while not particularly useful to us, any other party would have been blessed to have you.” He smiled.

“Yeah.” She said, holding back her smile. “But could haves aren’t really that comforting.” She sighed.

“Fourth, while you don’t particularly have any specific motivations for this journey, you are hard-working and, most importantly, loyal. You are the most trustworthy person here, other than Eli of course, but no one saw that coming, so she doesn’t count. (Hey!) Adding your maturity, you were seen as someone who could be trusted to make sure we weren’t slacking off or doing something wrong. The only reason why we were allowed to wander around as freely as we did was because of you.”

“And look at how well that went.”

“In my opinion, it went amazingly. We never caused any actual problems, never stopped training, and to cap it all off, we returned with the body of a dragon! Without you, we would not have had the freedom to do that. Without you, we wouldn’t have been trusted to go further than the neighboring towns and cities. So, don’t say that you aren’t worthy of your position and that someone else would have done better. Yeah, you might not be the best at any specific thing, but combined, you are more than worthy to occupy your spot in our party.”

“I, I don’t know what to say.” Rapunzel stuttered as she struggled to respond.

“Oh, and one last thing. How well do you think anyone else would have gotten along with us, hmm? What guide would let me lead us as I did? Traveling as we did, fighting what we did, and working as we did? How many would have gotten along with Eli?”

“Hey, what did I do?”

“How many would have gotten along with Eli? You know how she is, and that’s not even counting her negative reputation.”

“Eli’s reputation was not well known outside of the church, Hero.” Greg corrected.

“That doesn’t mean that someone else would not know about her, especially if they were chosen from the church. Regardless, a decent amount of people wouldn’t have been able to get along with the party as well as you are.” He shrugged. Eh, while he is correct, I think he’s overreacting. Well, about me at least. Most people wouldn’t, have…

“By the Gods, he’s right!” I exclaimed.

“Eli!?” Rapunzel questioned.

“Ah, no, not about me, but about Mr. Roosevelt. It was only because of Rapunzel that we even gave him a chance. Without her, we probably wouldn’t have even tried half of the stuff he suggested.”

“Ah, you’re right!” Melly realized.

“Indeed.”

“That is correct. I am surprised that I never realized that. Thank you for informing us, Eli.” Greg agreed.

“So, you are responsible for allowing Mr. Roosevelt’s greatness to shine,” I smiled. “and also for the problems he’s caused.” I teased.

“I take no credit for Franklin’s chaos.” She quickly denied.

“Too late, we’ve already discovered your plan.” I laughed. “Congratulations, your meticulous planning has successfully resulted in us killing a dragon.”

“I see. In that case, you have my thanks, Rapunzel.” The Hero said while giving her an extravagant bow. “I shall remember this favor.”

“Haa, what am I going to do with you?” She said with an annoyed voice, but I could see her smile. Phew, hopefully, this time we’ve actually restored some of her confidence. However, I’m almost surprised that it was the Hero that spoke up. Like, I’m certain that he cares about us, but he's never actually gotten involved with this sort of thing, right?

Actually, has he ever even gotten the chance to? Hmm, Oh yeah! When I first had my nightmares! That’s right. Though, I think he was a bit nicer this time… grumble grumble. Whatever, he’s helping. Besides, it’s not like I need a pep talk or anything, I’m currently fairly content with how things are going.

…

It feels strange how much I enjoy my current life. Like, it’s completely different from what I had always wanted to do with my life, you know? I’ve always wanted to become a priestess, even before I learned healing magic, wanting to help raise the next generation of orphans… And considering how I dealt with Jesica and them, I think I would have done quite well, though I’m certainly underestimating the job.

Regardless, I can still see myself living that sort of life, even now…

Honestly, the thought scares me. I know, know, that’s my obsession speaking. I know it’s unhealthy to listen to it, yet… why? Why do I still listen? Why do I still crave that life? My current path is good, arguably better than my best hopes, so why am I not satisfied with it?

…Why am I so certain I’d be happier as a priestess…

Well... It’s obvious that I’m still noticeably affected by my obsession. Which does make sense, considering I never actually did anything to change that… but that doesn’t mean it isn’t annoying.

Haa. Whatever, that’s just another thing I’ll need to work on in the future. At least I won’t be bored?

Indifferent to my thoughts, though, it’s getting late, so it’s time to go to bed. We need to be certain we’re ready for tomorrow, after all.