The Vanguard's Request
"Well, I'll be in your care!"
The green-haired elf bowed politely.
"N-not me! Wade is the leader of our party, so..."
Claire waved her hands frantically, looking awkward under the elf's gaze.
"Really? But... aren't you the stronger one, Claire? I heard you even took down a Behemoth last time!"
"Well, uh... that's true, but..."
Publicly, Claire was the one who had slain the Behemoth. Unfortunately, she had no intention of exploiting that fame, nor did she seem to enjoy the attention.
"Well, whatever! Honestly, I wouldn't have joined this party if it weren't for you anyway!"
Lilian turned her head and quickly grabbed my hand.
"Hmm?"
As expected of an archer, her speed was hard to track. It was a swiftness befitting an elf.
"I saw what you did in history class! You really put that bitch Katarin in her place!"
...
Come to think of it, Lilian was also an elf who harbored a deep, intense hatred for Katarin.
Fortunately, her animosity didn't extend to dark mages as a whole, which was why she could shake my hand without any hesitation.
Considering her background, her hatred for Katarin was as natural as the sun rising in the east.
"Now that I think about it... this is my first time seeing an elf!"
"Me too! It's my first time seeing a priest who isn't affiliated with the Holy Order!"
Hmm...
This was unexpected, but Lilian surprisingly didn't seem to harbor any hostility toward a Dark Priestess.
If she were human, she would have inevitably heard terrible rumors about them.
Stories of sinister, wicked cults sacrificing people in isolated villages before being purged by the Holy Knights.
However, elves had their own gods and their own priests.
To them, the concept of serving a deity other than the main god of the Holy Order was perfectly normal.
"I thought you'd be a bit more... snobbish."
"Oh, come on. We aren't all shut-ins in the forest. How could an elf like that survive in the city?"
Generally speaking, elves were far superior to ordinary humans.
With their long lifespans, they mastered swordsmanship and archery, and they possessed a natural aptitude for spirit magic, balance, physical ability, and mana.
Yet, they could not stand against raw political power.
Even a master swordsman who had dedicated sixty years to the blade could not defeat a well-organized mercenary group if they couldn't wield mana.
Very few beings could escape the tyranny of numbers.
Even dragons, who freely cast magic beyond human comprehension, had fallen to the sheer numbers of soldiers and the blades of skilled warriors.
"People here don't seem to care much, but there are so many high-born nobles in the imperial cities, right?"
"That's... true."
To live among them, they had to accept that reality.
Though many demi-humans lived within the Empire, it was ultimately a nation ruled by humans.
"Anyway, let's do our best! We have an elven archer on our side. With a party like this, we can definitely take first place!"
"I-I might be an elf, but I'm still young, just an Academy cadet. I'm not really that strong..."
"Don't be like that!"
Lilian wasn't wrong.
Right now, her archery skills were only slightly above average for a cadet.
She was nowhere near the level of Katarin, who displayed achievements far beyond her years, or the Imperial Princess.
Yet, Claire's confident claim wasn't entirely baseless either.
Lilian possessed enough raw potential to enter the Academy purely through self-taught archery, driven by nothing but her burning emotions.
Even now, her skills were improving at a remarkable pace. By the time she graduated, she would likely become the Academy's top archer, even without any special catalysts.
"Besides, the prize money is huge. You can eat whatever you want!"
"...I don't care about that."
Lilian offered a bitter smile.
"I only need enough money to get by, and I don't eat much to begin with."
There was something she could never afford to forget.
"Could you follow me for a moment?"
"...?"
A female knight with purple hair quietly called out to me.
It was Kellin.
I didn't expect her to approach me first...
She feared me, but I knew better.
Simple subjugation wouldn't be enough to keep her completely under control. Kellin's loyalty to Katarin wasn't born of the fear and terror common among those who wielded dark magic.
I could suppress her for now. If I stood before her and gave a direct command, Kellin would have no choice but to stab Katarin through her tears.
But the moment she left my sight, she wouldn't be able to bring herself to abandon Katarin.
Following her into an empty classroom, I hid my wariness and offered a faint smile.
Katarin must know this too...
I released a light pulse of dark mana. The empty classroom instantly filled with a dense shroud of dark energy.
Even if someone noticed, they would assume it was Kellin's doing—or perhaps that of her master, Katarin.
"Ugh..."
"Ah, sorry. Was that a bit unpleasant?"
It couldn't be helped. If Katarin was spying on her, I had to at least ensure she couldn't overhear our conversation.
I sensed a faint, foreign trace of dark mana. It felt like something the size of a tiny insect.
As I thought, she was being watched.
It might have been different during our first encounter, but there was no way Katarin would leave her unsupervised now.
...I don't know how effective this will be.
My dark mana was powerful, but my ability to control it with fine precision paled in comparison to Katarin's.
I could sever her connection to gather information, but I couldn't manipulate it to feed her false intel.
I couldn't hide the fact that I was having a conversation with Kellin here—one that Katarin would remain ignorant of.
"Speak."
"Could you... place me in the vanguard for the team tournament?"
"...?"
That was unexpected. I hadn't anticipated her making such a request.
I needed to think.
What are the chances of Kellin suggesting this on her own initiative?
No matter how I looked at it, the probability was extremely low.
She did look rather pale lately...
Others might not have noticed, but I could see the faint, fine lines etched onto her fair face.
It was the mark of torture. Prolonged exposure to hostile, sharp dark mana had left physical traces on her body.
Katarin was certain of it. She no longer viewed Kellin as her subordinate.
Even so, I didn't think Kellin had called me here to openly oppose Katarin.
She perceived me as a far greater entity. She had likely guessed whom Claire had sworn her allegiance to.
If she had sought me out for her own salvation, she would have used much more direct and desperate language.
"Did Lady Katarin order this?"
Beating around the bush was pointless. Katarin, Kellin, and I all knew exactly what was going on.
"That is..."
"If it's hard to say, you don't have to answer."
She was trembling with fear. There was no need to provoke her further.
"You are correct."
Having made up her mind, Kellin finally confessed to Katarin's plan.
"What did she order you to do?"
"It's... I-it's not that she harbors malice toward you specifically, but..."
"Would you tell me?"
"There is... an organization. I don't know who they are, but those insolent bastards have clouded Lady Katarin's eyes and ears! They simply told me... to kill someone."
Dealing with dark mages was incredibly convenient.
If I were a righteous man walking the path of light, Kellin would have never broken, no matter the torture.
But the possibility that I was a far greater entity—one capable of swallowing both her and Katarin whole—ultimately forced her mouth open.
"I see."
It was Kazot. They likely intended to cause a death, using it as a catalyst to stir up chaos.
"That must have been their request, and sending you to me was Katarin's own decision."
"...That is..."
She was desperately trying to defend Katarin. It was a pitifully forced effort.
Clearly, Kellin dreaded a direct clash between me and Katarin.
I hope this is all.
But this was Kazot. There was no way they would entrust their entire plan to Katarin, who wasn't even an official member.
Regardless, my course of action was clear.
"Join us. You're welcome to. We happened to be lacking a vanguard anyway."
"T-thank you!"
Katarin hadn't abandoned Kellin just yet. In any case, Kellin was the most accessible link I had to Kazot.
Even if I turned her away, it would only be a temporary fix.
Though she couldn't compare to Katarin or the Princess, Kellin was still a proper escort knight trusted by the Erast family.
Those who wielded dark magic were far stronger than knights of similar age and rank.
The gap between Kellin and the other cadets was significant.
Even if she didn't join my party, another team would gladly take her. And in the end, Kellin would carry out Kazot's wishes and kill someone.
That was not an outcome I desired.
"However... I'm sorry, but you mentioned having to kill someone? I'm afraid you won't be able to keep that promise."
I had to keep her close and keep her in check.