Rana Alyras hung her head in defeat as the weird woman sat down at her table. Sevika wasn’t going to be returning anytime soon— the maid had said she was going to acquire food, but that clearly was a lie. Otherwise, she’d be back by now.
And now, the princess was trapped. She fidgeted in her seat, casting nervous glances at the weird woman. Please don’t talk to me. Please don’t talk to me. Please don’t talk to—
“Hi! I’m Salvos, what’s your name?”
…why?!
I faced the other girl who was sitting at the table. She had long black locks that were tied into various different braids. Her skin was tanned— dark like most of the people I’d seen from the Helbir Plains. And Ivonne Vigil. That [Merchant] who held the auction for the Fruits of Y’gdrazil at Mavos Academy.
undefinedObviously, they didn’t look related. I could tell that this girl sitting across from me had a different… everything from Ivonne. So I wasn’t going to stupidly lean forward and ask if she knew Ivonne just from that.
Instead, I happily introduced myself to her.
“Hi! I’m Salvos, what’s your name?”
The girl froze. Her entire body tensed. I watched as she slowly turned to face me, tilting her head.
“A-are you talking to me?”
She asked, and I nodded.
“Yep!”
I watched as she bit her lower lip. She tried to work her mouth, but nothing came out. I tapped a finger on the table patiently.
“Um, hello? I am talking to you.”
I waved a hand in front of her head. Her face turned crimson red, and behind me, Willy snorted.
“She heard you.”
“Well, why isn’t she replying then?”
I posed the question to the [Will O’ Wisp]. He flitted up in front of my head, speaking simply.
“Because annoying.”
“I’m not annoying!”
I raised a fist. He just laughed as I swatted at him. My face twisted into a scowl. I sat back into the chair while Willy continued to fly around me. Then I noticed the way the girl’s eyes widened. She stared up at the floating piece of flame.
“That’s… a Grand Spirit?!”
The princess couldn’t believe her eyes. She’d never seen a Grand Spirit before. There weren’t very many [Summoners] in the Helbir Plains. The Sanctum of Elements and the Sanctuary of Fauna didn’t extend to this part of the Human lands. And while the Den of Souls was prevalent here, they didn’t exactly encourage summoning. Not in the same way the Sanctum of Elements and the Sanctuary of Fauna did.
The Den of Souls still looked at Spirits as hallowed creatures. They were the servants of the Spirit Lord, and thus, were to be treated with respect and dignity. To be summoned at the beck and call of any individual Human and fight and die for them.
No— Spirits were summoned in a ritual with numerous [Priests] providing offerings to them in exchange for the completion of a task. It reminded Rana of what she read about [Cultists] and Demon summonings, but she never once voiced her comparisons since she knew the Den of Souls would be gravely affronted at that.
Anyway, all this just meant that there were even fewer Spirits in the Helbir Plains in comparison to other parts of the Human lands. To see a Spirit was already a very rare sight. And to see a Grand Spirit?
Rana’s jaw dropped as she just stared. The [Will O’ Wisp]’s fire blazed.
“I am.”
It took the princess a moment to realize he was answering her question. She lost all sense of her decorum and poise. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him. Like what was his level? Why was he here? Or what even was he a Grand Spirit of?
But before she could continue, the weird woman— Salvos— interrupted the Grand Spirit.
“Nope. Willy’s lying. He’s a Stupid Spirit.”
Salvos clearly emphasized the second last word. Rana blinked a few times.
“...pardon?”
But neither the weird woman nor the Grand Spirit paid attention to her confusion. Instead, they bickered. Almost like children.
“Shut up. You stupid.”
“No you!”
Salvos stuck her tongue out at the [Will O’ Wisp]. He giggled. The princess was at a loss for words. It took her a moment to realize they were just messing with each other. Almost in the same way Sevika would with Rana. And judging by the odd way that the weird woman was dressed, it must’ve meant one thing.
“Are you a [Summoner]? An adventurer?”
“Yep.”
The weird woman nodded eagerly, swatting the [Will O’ Wisp] away.
“I’m Salvos, Secely’s Sentinel. Liberator of the Plaguelands. Death of the Destroyer. Diamond Ranked adventurer.”
She listed out a long list of Titles. Rana’s eyes went round at that. Titles were a rare thing. And it was even rarer to cycle through so many Titles. Also—
“Wait, you’re the Liberator of the Plaguelands? As in one of the three adventurers who killed the Lich?”
“That’s me!”
Salvos beamed. The Grand Spirit groaned in the back.
Rana was in complete awe. The princess just sat there in a daze, trying to parse this. She’d heard news of the Lich’s death. Of the three adventurers who traveled deep into the Plaguelands and slayed it once and for all.
A [Warrior]. A [Rogue]. And a [Mage].
But wait… Rana furrowed her brows.
“I don’t recall there being a [Summoner] amongst the Liberators of the Plaguelands.”
The silver-haired woman cocked her head, in thought.
“Well, there was Edithe? But she’s not a [Summoner] anymore.”
Rana was certain there was some kind of a misunderstanding here. But it’d have been too awkward to explain, so she just bit her lips and tried to move on.
“I have never met such a high-leveled adventurer before. Or a Grand Spirit. I’m sorry if I was rude, I am usually less flustered—”
The princess paused mid-lie. She realized that she’d made another blunder. One far worse than anything else she could’ve committed.
“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself…”
“Yep. You haven’t.”
The princess felt her face burning at that. Salvos and Willy both exchanged a glance. Rana hurried to her feet, managing an unrefined bow.
“My name is Rana Alyras. I am the sole princess of Alyras. I am so sorry for my rudeness.”
There was a pause. Rana could hear the feast continue on around them. The room was bustling, filled with ambient music put on by an orchestra Artik had gotten to entertain the guests. And the awkward silence dragged on for a moment longer.
Rana wanted to cry as she felt Salvos’ gaze bore into her.
I messed up didn’t I? She hates me now—
“You’re the princess of Alyras?!”
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