Chapter 386: Side Story, Dream Flower (9)

Rachel grabbed the crystal ball from Fermin, who cried like a sick puppy.

Glancing at her subordinate, she spoke to the crystal ball.

"... It's you, right?"

She truly believed their guide was 'Xtra.'

- Yeah.

She didn't expect him to admit it right away, which made his answer quite bewildering, but it wasn't an incomprehensible response. He was probably already prepared for this kind of situation even before he set out on this mission.

"... You're brave. I'm sure I told you before-"

- I know, I know. But it would be best for you to stay quiet about this instead of showing how inflexible you are.

His attack was far too sudden. Rachel blanked out for a moment, followed by her veins pressing against her temples.

Nevertheless, she answered him casually.

"Inflexible... That's the first time someone told me that."

She wasn't kidding. It really was the first time she had been labeled as such. It was quite annoying.

'Me, inflexible? He doesn't even know me.'

- Pfff. Okay.

His intentional scorn scratched her nerves even more. Rachel bit her parched lips.

- Anyway, this is what Dake wanted me to do, even if it meant doubling my pay.

"..."

The Royal Guild fired Drake, which meant he could no longer get the funds to pay for mercenaries. Even so, he didn't let Xtra go. His trust in him confused Rachel.

What the hell made him think he was reliable?

- Considering your situation, he made a great choice. If it weren't for me, you'd all be lost.

Of course, she knew that. Although he had only been with them for 12 hours, Xtra's prowess as a guide was definite and undeniable. She also had to admit they were in dire need of his help, at least for now.

- On that note, why did you refuse the lucky opportunity Reisleufer presented? It would've been convenient for your guild to come with them. Was it because of pride?

The Hall procession wouldn't just affect her. It was a matter of life and death for England. With her country and her guild at stake in the 'procession,' she couldn't act upon her personal or moral reasons without affecting them.

She and her members needed a guide.

At this moment, she had to exhibit flexibility.

"... Alright."

Rachel once again made a compromise with herself.

"Then I ask you to keep guiding us, please. However, I'll handle the communication and control."

- If you want to hear my voice that badly, so be it.

"That's not... sigh."

She bit down on her lip, preventing herself from cursing out of sheer dislike for this unknown mercenary's words, tone, and everything else about him.

"... Take a break."

Rachel hung up and put the crystal ball in her leather armor's pocket. As she turned back, her eyes landed on Fermin, making her flinch.

"Let's go inside." She said, clearly back to her usual self.

"Huh? W-why?"

"We need to rest."

"... Oh, yes. Of course. L-Let's go in, Vice-captain."

By the time the two entered the cave with a slightly awkward atmosphere, its interior had already been transformed into a cozy campsite. Eleven tents were lined up with sufficient gaps intervals, and a stable had been set up at the end of it.

The British Royal Guild members sat around a bonfire in the center, preparing a meal.

"... Hey, hey. You, what are you guys doing? Is that a bonfire~?"

Fermin glanced at Rachel, then joined them as if running away from her.

"D-Didn't you bring a burner and stove?"

"We did, but we made one anyway to create a nice ambiance. Oh, Vice-captain, come sit down with us. The fire will keep you warm."

Rachel came over and did what they requested, taking a seat on a chair while Marcus and the other members sat on the ground. They laughed as they looked at her, the only person whose eye level was higher than theirs.

Basking in warm heat and a bit of fatigue, they conversed about various topics. However, the subject that piqued their interest the most was their extraordinary supporter's identity, which had also been featured in the media.

"... I mean, I asked the other guilds. There weren't many of them with better items than us."

"Yeah, I know, right? Those tents are extremely expensive. The price on its tag shocked me."

"They're not even simply rentals. I heard we could use them later when attacking dungeons."

The tents, burners, compasses, stoves, saddles... Even after the procession, every anonymously donated item they received would greatly help the guild.

"So..."

Marcus's complexion grew pale as he turned his gaze to Rachel. He looked like he had something he wanted to say.

"Um, Vice-captain."

Sitting still, she tilted her head at him. She was a bit slow in this kind of conversation.

Marcus grinned and pointed to the tents lined up next to them.

"Have you seen what they look like inside?"

"Yes. Don't you like it?"

She had already checked their interior. It wasn't very spacious, but they had a bed installed within them. Magic tents with beds.

That was already a luxury in itself.

"No, no. I like it, of course. If I didn't, I'd be crazy. They make me wonder, though... Who really sponsored us?" He asked, raising his eyebrows slightly. Considering the slight blush on his cheeks, he secretly seemed to have drunk alcoholic drinks.

"That's-"

"He said they were Cube classmates," Fermin said before Rachel could speak.

"Oh, Cube classmates? Then maybe he met me too?"

"I'm-"

"Of course not. We had a really hard time graduating. Oh, come to think of it, we barely graduated."

"..."

In fact, no member here was younger than Rachel, and the only ones who entered and graduated from Cube were Fermin and Marcus. The rest were all from the British Academy.

"That's true, but I still sometimes saw the Vice-captain around. We heard a lot of rumors back then, too. Remember the gunman? Rumors spread that that very unusual first-year student liked you. Do you remember?"

Marcus hit a nerve amid his rattling. Rachel's shoulders flinched slightly.

"Huh? Oh, that guy-"

"Hey. Even I know that gunman, but he's not rich. He dropped out of Cube."

"..."

Unable to say a single word properly since Fermin kept interrupting her, Rachel glanced at her with a slightly piercing gaze, but she didn't notice.

"Dropped out? How do you know that much?"

"I was keeping an eye on him because I heard that someone adored our Vice-captain, but it turned out he wasn't that big of a deal."

Not listening to Fermin's chattering, she thought of Kim Hajin.

The first thought that came to her mind was his 'extraordinary brain,' but she had many other memories of him.

That time they fought off Lancaster's minions that broke into the testing ground, that time they shared food during the final exam, and when they met by chance at Clancy Islet, resulting in unexpected companionship...

The memories made her lips draw a faint smile.

"Oh, it was a man!" Fermin exclaimed loudly, noticing it.

Rachel panicked.

"W-What?!"

"Oh, I got it right~"

"If I were super-rich, I would have sent these too. Our Vice-captain is extremely beautiful, after all."

"S-silence. It's not like that."

Rachel wiggled her arms, trying to cover their mouths.

"... But don't you know how much that tent is? Would you really burn tens of billions of dollars to get someone to like you?"

"If it's her, why not~ but more importantly, what kind of person is he? Oh, he must be a hero since he was your classmate."

"No, no. I said that's not it."

The members continued to speculate, ignoring her altogether.

"But among your classmates, who would have that much money... no way. Shin Jonghak from Desolate Moon?!"

"No way!"

"Wow, I guessed right, didn't I? Oh my god. Thirty billion is nothing for Shin Jonghak."

"You're right! He's-"

"Stop it! I told you he's not the donator!" Rachel shouted in an attempt to discipline them and make them fall back in line, but her face was already too red for her words to have that much effect. It felt like ketchup would come out if someone pressed down on her two puffed cheeks.

"If not him, then who?"

"bit's not like that..."

"Come on. Dinner is ready~ You'll regret making fun of her like that later, so just eat instead~"

Rachel was about to cry when they finished cooking. Due to the heroes' high basal metabolic rates, the meals they prepared were of huge size and quantity. The starving members got up as if possessed, moving towards the food.

"... I'll eat inside."

Rachel took a portion of the food and ran into the tent, but not out of embarrassment or anger. It was just that she had learned on the Internet that there was nothing good about having someone of higher position at a meal.

Ziiip!

She closed up the tent tightly and ate by herself.

* * *

'... Inside... memory and... trauma...

Formed... there... still...

However... we... watching...'

A strange, disrupted voice echoed in Rachel's ears. She initially thought it was coming from the members talking outside her tent, but the sounds it made were hazy and distant. It seemed as if she was slowly being sucked into it.

'However... how... really.

Inside... tower ... situation-'

At some point, the noises mixed and disappeared. At the same time, an intense headache dawned upon her, the pain it caused almost like being stabbed in the temple with an awl.

"Ugh."

Rachel got up from her bed to a sitting position, applying pressure against her head. Looking at her watch, she breathed heavily until the pain went away.

2:30 in the morning. Two hours left before departure.

She came out of the cave, sat on the ground, and looked up at the sky to get some fresh air.

The world was divided into two: the sky and the ground. This view of nature, untouched by human beings, felt unfamiliar and mysterious.

"... Whew."

Amid this uninhabited place, Rachel inhaled and exhaled, her icy breath spreading white vapor. As she stared up, she bore witness to a meteor shower, several of its trajectories' traces clearly visible in the indigo blue sky. It was a beautiful sight, but strange sounds emitted from where they were coming from.

Among the noises, some sounded like faint mortal screams.

Quickly understanding the situation, she pulled out the crystal ball.

"Is this your doing?"

- Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm dealing with some monsters. There's a lot of them in your path.

She jumped up.

"From now on, I'll take care of the night watch. You should go to sleep."

- As expected, you're not flexible.

"... What does this have anything to do with that?"

Her annoyance suddenly peaked. He was still talking about flexibility.

Fortunately, she managed to hold back her rising anger, but Xtra fired yet another attack.

- Without the ability to back it up, your passion is just a nuisance. Just go to sleep.

"W-What?"

She lost her composure for a brief moment. Unconsciously clenching her fists, she pointed to the sky.

"I said this to help-"

- You don't have to. I am much more experienced in this than you. And I can see this whole area, what you're doing, and even what you look like. You're pouting right now.

"..."

Rachel gently licked her lips.

- Just leave this to me. Don't overact. I've already dealt with the situation anyway.

He wasn't wrong at all. There would be no reason for her to hire a mercenary if she had to stand guard herself anyway. All she wanted was for him to speak a little more kindly.

Regaining her composure, she replied, "...I searched a little about you. No, I did an investigation."

- Really?

"You didn't seem like an ordinary mercenary."

- Yeah. I think so too.

Xtra remained incredibly calm.

"This isn't something you can pretend to be calm over and just ignore until it passes. The Congress is planning something. Once the Hall is over, the Hero Association will go after you."

- I'll be waiting for that to happen. Finley was a villain anyway. If I hadn't killed him, he would have killed everyone in that building with a magic bomb, including himself.

"Even the wicked are human. Not all people have to die just because they are evil."

He became silent for a moment.

- I don't care. I'm not a hero. I do things the way I want to. It doesn't matter what methods or means I have to use for as long as it helps me achieve my goal.

Rachel's expression hardened. The reason behind her hostility and dislike toward him became clear. They had a gap that prevented them from coexisting.

A difference in fundamental values.

As a hero, Rachel did her best to keep true to her faith and beliefs. Her sense of goodness didn't stem from her royal blood. Rather, it came from a choice she made that emphasized only purpose. It resulted in countless people being sacrificed and the creation of her worst enemy, Lancaster.

She didn't want to repeat her past mistakes.

"... Why did you accept this mission?"

Even so, their goals were the same in the end.

Xtra was here to help. It was only proper for her to cut down on their disagreements since she had already acknowledged she needed his help anyway.

"I don't think 700 million is all that much to you."

No. No one in the world recognized her ideal anyway. As he said, passion without the ability to back it up was just a nuisance. It was nothing more than the hollow roar of a wild dog who thought of him as a lion.

- Well...

The wind blew. The cold air, which Rachel thought she had gotten used to, pricked her skin again. She rubbed her arms.

- Could it be because I'm your fan?

He gave some hints about his identity in his own way, but she didn't think of his words as such.

She couldn't connect the thankful and kind benefactor Kim Hajin with Xtra, a mercenary she wanted to hit on the head.

"What?"

- I even joined your fan website. It has so many members.

"... Hmph." She scoffed in reply, then remained silent.

But the more she thought about it, the more persuasive it became. After pondering about it a bit more, his remarks didn't sound like a joke anymore.

Why did such a talented mercenary agree to protect her in exchange for only 700 million won, if not for a reason more closely connected to emotion than logic?

Swooosh-

A wooden stick flew out of nowhere and passed by her shoulder.

"Huh?"

Rachel looked at the sky.

'Where did it come from?' She looked in both directions, trying to find its source until another stick flew in again.

"What."

She eventually got up and looked around. A third stick dropped on her, this time striking her shoulder.

"Ouch."

Realizing what was happening, she narrowed her eyes on the horizon.

"... Is that you?"

- Of course, who else would it be?

She answered bluntly, "Why are you throwing twigs at me?"

- I'm bored. I want to see if you can avoid them.

"I don't have time to play with you."

- You're playing right now.

He threw one more at her, and she caught it out of instinct alone.

- Oh~

"Enough."

- 'Enough'...

"..."

Rachel's eyes shook. She crushed the stick she was holding with her bare grip.

"You're so immature."

- I don't care. This one will be faster.

"It doesn't matter- Ahh!"

Before she could even finish her words, a projectile struck her stomach, startling her. She was in more pain than she had imagined, and it was faster than she expected. She couldn't get a sense of where he shot it from either.

- Here comes another one.

When she heard the signal, she instinctively cleared her senses. However, it still far exceeded her expectations.

Swiiish-!

The stick hit her thigh.

"Ugh!"

It hurt quite a bit. Slowly, she began to get annoyed. The fire from the bottom of her chest reached the tip of her chin.

Rachel gritted teeth and corrected her posture.

- Oh, do you want to continue?

"... Don't get too ahead of yourself." She pulled out the Gallatin. With it, she thought this game was as good as over.

It was time to return the favor of embarrassing her.

- I'll be sending more sticks your way, then.

"Yes, go ahead. Keep going."

- Hmm... nope. Playing this game alone isn't any fun. How about a bet?

"... A bet?" She answered, focusing all her nerves on her surroundings to ensure she could hit any projectile that would come her way at any moment.

- If you hit or catch even one stick I throw at you from now on until you get to the Hall, you win. If you do... I'll grant you one wish. You can even ask for a full refund of my fees. This will also help you train your spirits, killing two birds with one stone.

Rachel found the notion absurd.

How could a person be so arrogant? Had he completely forgotten who she was? Rachel of England was a hero the entire world knew.

"... You don't have to. I will go find you myself now."

- Is your wish just looking at my face?

"Just start shooting."

Once she had figured out where he was through the stick's trajectory, she planned to chase him down and come face-to-face with his arrogance. If possible, she'd also hit him on his head several times.

"... Exhale."

Preparing for it with utmost concentration, she began a royal sword dance that left no blind spots or gaps.

"You asked for it-"

Swoosh!

A wooden stick hit her forehead.

"...?"

Reacting a little late, she stood dumbfounded for a moment, then slowly raised her left hand and touched her forehead.

A part of it had swelled up.

"What was that?" She mumbled, but she didn't have enough time to ponder about it. The next attack was already inbound.

Only this time, it was a volley of ten.

"W-wait!"

The unexpected continuous attack almost made her shout 'time.'