I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The King was offering a mber of the Assassins’ clan a new ho in the royal palace.
"Brother, please rethink this decision. Don’t allow this devil spawn to live in the castle." The man standing next to the King said.
"Gerard, she might be the daughter of that vicious lair, many lives in this kingdom were lost because of them. But is that a reason to kill her? A child?" The King asked his brother, with no intention of backing down.
On that day my village was burned to the ground, and my fate changed completely. If soone from my clan saw living in the castle they would call a traitor, but I didn’t care at all, since the Stollen clan wasn’t known for their honorable values. That night I had the choice between the light and the darkness, and stepping away from the shadows, I went to the castle and beca Alicia’s bodyguard.
Aside from my duties, I was just a bit older than Alicia, and I got the impression that the King and the Queen didn’t treat differently from their daughter.
At the beginning I thought the blond-haired girl was just a shrimp that wouldn’t survive one day of my training, but as the days passed I beca fond of her, and she beca my first true friend.
I started to see the royal palace as my ho, and when I ca of age, I made a proper vow before the King to honor him and protect Alicia with my life.
...
"So that’s your story?" I said after hearing Diane’s entire monologue.
"Yes," she replied without enthusiasm.
"So about your clan..."
"I don’t seek any kind of revenge against Gerard for that. His wyverns might have been the cause of my clan’s destruction, but as I said, I don’t feel anything toward them. I never liked him, and he tried to kill Alicia. That I cannot forgive."
"I see. So you’re trying to protect your family, right?"
"My family?" she asked in surprise.
"Yeah. You said they didn’t treat you much differently from Alicia, so that ans they treated you like a daughter, you protect Alicia as if you were her older sister."
Diane looked startled, as if the ground had disappeared beneath her feet. "Eh, I don’t think... I an, they got new clothes, and they let eat at the royal table, and the Queen put to sleep, and I always took care of Alicia but..."
"Ha, hahaha!" I couldn’t help laughing at Diane. Seeing that serious woman act out of character was hilarious.
To , it was as clear as day. Even if Diane wouldn’t admit it, she saw the royal family as her true family, and Alicia as her little sister who needed to be protected. And I believed Alicia felt the sa way about her.
"What’s so funny?" she asked, sowhat annoyed with .
"Nothing. Don’t worry, I don’t intend to tell Alicia how her older sister feels," I said, still smiling. Then I extended my hand to her and added, "Co on, Diane. We need to talk to the others about the mission."
...
After hearing about Diane’s past, we went back to the room. The white-haired woman was still keeping her distance from the Silver Fang girls, but I was already expecting that.
There wasn’t much I could do about her distrust toward them, so the two of them would have to earn her trust themselves. It was already good progress that she was even in the sa room.
Sarah spread a piece of paper on the floor so we all could see it. "I asked Joseph for a map of the mine. With this we have an idea of how to reach the depths of the mine."
"Yeah, but there is a catch there, right?" Erina said, "They didn’t work in the mine for days. What if so parts crumbled after they stopped operating?"
"Eh," Sarah looked impressed at Erina, "Are you actually smart?!"
"Are you implying that I look dumb?" Erina asked Sarah, and then she turned towards , "It would be good if we could check the situation inside the dungeon, but with a large group it could be troubleso if we get outnumbered by Ghosts."
Erina was right. I thought that it would be a good idea if one of us could handle the recon, entering the dungeon, checking if the paths match the map and looking out for ambushes. Imdiately I thought that it would be good work for Diane.
’Brandish, could Diane handle the recon for us? I rember Freya said I could use only my Valkyries in battle, but that is for fighting, right? If we use her only to gather information, is it ok?’ I asked Freya’s servant.
’Yes, but she is prohibited to fight. If she does, you won’t receive your Valkyrie slots.’
I sighed deeply, preparing myself for a leader’s speech, "There are so things that I have to explain. First, this mission was asked by Freya, the goddess of Love and War, herself."
"Wahh! This is really incredible, Rick!" Alicia said in amazent, as expected from one of the goddess’s followers. The girls kept listening, knowing the situation was important.
"There is a requirent to fulfill the quest as Freya demands it. I can’t enter this dungeon with people that aren’t my Valkyries." I said, rembering the little tip Freya had given , "But I can still transform one of you into my Valkyrie. Justine, I would like you to be that girl."
"I see, magic is more effective against Ghosts so you plan to maximize magic in your composition." Justine said.
"Exactly. Diane, I also have a job for you. You can’t fight alongside us under this plan, but I would like you to check the dungeon pathways with the map. You don’t need to fight, just get in, and get out as quickly as you can. Can you do that?"
Diane didn’t say anything, but she nodded to .
I nodded back at her and then I said to the others, "Today, I wanted to test the waters in this dungeon, and test Justine’s powers and Sarah’s new skill. Is it ok for you girls?"
All of them nodded, prepared to face our challenge.
"Ok, so let’s explore that mine!"
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