The atmosphere grows tense as Alpha and Rue lock eyes, attempting to maintain their composure. Rue's cheerful facade begins to crack, and he forces out a laugh.
"Let's start over," Alpha says sternly. "Tell me your true identities by stating both of your names."
Rue lets out a sigh and then opens his mouth to respond.
"Okay, okay. Ahem!" Rue clears his throat, placing his left hand on his waist and pointing at himself with his thumb. "My name is Rue, and the other person here is Darky."
His expression shifts to a more composed and calmer tone.
"It's Dark Serenity. Don't mind him and his annoying pronouns, he calls me that all the time."
“Dark Serenity, huh? I don’t see any ‘serenity’ when you did that to the bandit earlier,” Alpha folds his hand in disbelief, while still gazing at him.
“Tck, It’s a long story. Let’s keep it at that unless I tell you summaried of our travel. That’ll take your lifetime.” Dark clicked his tongue, looking away while wondering about the awkward situation he’s in.
It's the first time I've encountered someone with such distinct personalities. Now the mystery had been solved: No wonder Rue tends to mumble; he's essentially talking to another personality inside himself.
Josh looks frustrated, his hand resting beside his waist, ready to act if things go south.
"Alright... I'm still not used to conversing with two individuals sharing a body," Alpha sighs, placing his hand on his forehead. "What is your true purpose for joining our group? I suspected something was amiss when you volunteered and showed us that artifact of yours."
"So you noticed," Rue says, grinning before he shifted again. "For now, we have two missions: observation and warning. Judging by your remarkable performance, we believe all of you are ready for the next step. Dealing with a couple of small fries like this bandit leader is nothing compared to what lies ahead."
We exchange glances, waiting for more information.
"What about the message?" Alpha asks.
"Well, about that..." Dark looks at each of us in turn.
"We're going to deliver the warning directly at this point. I'm sure you've noticed that the calamity itself is already in motion. The incident that occurred in the village was just the beginning."
My eyes twitch involuntarily.
"If we were them, the attack was a right thing to do, given that those villagers aren’t combat-made. However, a more, sinister things are yet to come, as they know they won’t stop there until they find what they seek."
"Wait… does that mean you've been there, watching us this whole time!? Why didn't you help when the village was under attack!?" I shout at him while feel myself trembling.
"Well, we did consider helping them back then..." Rue says in his usual childish tone before transitioning into a bitter expression. "But, on the contrary, we need to find their motives, along with pursuing a people suitable for helping me on our mission. In which, their soul signature is--"
I clench my fists, unable to contain my anger.
"So you're saying you were there, doing nothing while you could have saved them all? Do you have any idea how much they suffered? How we, the remaining survivors, lost our homes, families, and friends!?"
I lunge towards him, attempting to throw a punch, but he effortlessly brushes off my hand and lightly strikes my stomach with his palm, sending me stumbling backward.
"Now, can you please calm down for a moment? We don't have much time to indulge in your outbursts," Dark dismisses as he shakes his hand, waving his hand dismissively.
"Grrh..." I hold my stomach, growling in frustration.
"As we mentioned," Dark then continues, "things are spiraling out of control. As for you," he then points at Alpha, “Those who possess the
"Me? I am just a village fella who happened to become a General of the Capital. What are you interested about me?” Alpha interjects, rubbing his face with his hand. "And could you stop with the cryptic hints and provide us with some concrete details that we can understand?"
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Rue, switches out and walks in Alpha’s direction with his cheery face. “You’ll know soon enough, my old comrade, Kidley!”
Alpha’s heart skips a beat.
A sense of familiarity rushes inside Alpha as he stands there in a brief shock. However, he seems not to recall anything as he did nothing to do with Rue in his lifetime.
“... Interesting,” he mumbles afterward after regaining his cool.
"For now, there is nothing to be done. We don't want to interfere with the prophecy," Dark Serenity states after switching out again, his tone leaving no room for argument.
He then walks and leaps onto the edge of the tower, his cheerful traits returning.
"Anyway!" Rue switches out and exclaims. "Honestly, I don't really care about the quest's rewards. My objective is already complete!!"
"Wait, what are you gonna do? Jumping off the cliff!?" Josh asks, extending his hand.
"It was a pleasure meeting all of you, especially the archer. We've had enough fun for now! We’ll see each other again!"
With that, Rue finishes speaking and jumps off the tower.
"Wait!!"
We rush to the edge of the tower, looking down below. Rue is nowhere to be found, as his presence is completely gone.
“…What just happened?” I ask in a really confused tone.
Alpha glances at us calmly and walks towards the door as if nothing out of the ordinary occurred.
"We're finished here. Let's rest on the second floor and head back tomorrow."
Josh and I nod in unison, though an uneasy feeling still lingers.
"Don't let it bother you," Josh says, patting my shoulder.
As both I and Josh take a rest on the nearby bed, Alpha, gets himself back at the rooftop of the tower, and looks in the distance calmly.
"... Kidley, huh?"
...
The next morning, we pack our belongings and begin the journey back to the Capital.
Along the way by the grassy plains, we encounter several boars on the plains and engage in combat. Alpha takes the opportunity to teach me effective sword techniques for more impactful strikes, while Josh stays close by, offering his support.
In less than a day, we reach the capital’s front gate. The guards seem to recognize us already, so we are getting inside easily and effortlessly.
However, we did notice that the security is being tightened. The amount of guards guarding the gate increased almost three times of the quantity than the last time we left.
"Let's submit our reports at the guildhouse. I'm starving!" Josh exclaims.
Alpha nods, and we simply make our way to the guildhouse right after briefing to the guards.
…
"Welcome to the guildhouse!" the receptionists greet us with smiles, offering a slight bow.
"We have completed the [B]-ranked bandit quest. We'd like to fill out the reports," Alpha informs them.
"Please wait a moment." The girl searches through the desk drawer for the necessary paperwork. "Here it is! Wait... Weren't you supposed to be a group of four?"
"One member dropped the quest, leaving just the three of us," Alpha responds.
"I see... Anyways, please fill out this form. Do you have any proof of completing the quest?"
Josh approaches the receptionist, pulling out a fragment of the shield looted from the bandit leader at the tower.
"The leader used this enchanted shield. I believe it serves as proof."
"That will suffice. We'll send reinforcements to reclaim and secure the area. Thank you for your cooperation, Mighty Hunter Josh!" the girl cheerfully exclaims.
"Not this again," Alpha sighs.
...
"Excuse me..."
We turn to see a heavily armored guard with a sheathed sword at his waist closing the door and approaching us.
"General Alpha from the division?"
"In the flesh," Alpha confirms. "State your business."
"His Highness requests your presence. He expects you, the archer in blue, and the newbie swordsman in yellow tomorrow morning. His invitation also extends to you," the guard says, bowing his head while placing his right hand over his left chest.
"Understood. Please inform him that we will arrive at the appointed time," Alpha acknowledges.
"Appreciated. I shall take my leave now. Carry on with your activities."
The guard exits the guildhouse.
"It seems their discussion has concluded," Josh remarks.
"Indeed."
With Alpha having filed his report, we each receive a reward of four thousand Cevel and some potions.
Josh treats us to a late dinner in the pub, and we spend our time feasting.
Alpha seems quiet as he eats. His eyes tell me that he is currently diving into thoughts of something. However, I pay no attention to him and keep eating along with Josh.
We then bid each other farewell for today. I make my way to the inn, still feeling uneasy within myself.
#
End of Chapter 18