Daphne Epiphone (Part 2)
"Please, have a seat."
The Hero's voice was lower than his appearance suggested. Moreover, he didn't seem to have heard any of the rumors about her. Daphne shook her creaking head and approached the chair. She still couldn't believe she hadn't run away and had walked into this interview room in one piece. Well, maybe not entirely in one piece. Daphne steadied herself in the chair, her mind still hazy as if yesterday's alcohol hadn't fully cleared.
Just say you're sorry and leave right now.
It felt like she was hearing someone else's voice, not her own. But Daphne didn't budge. It felt as though those teal eyes sitting across from her were telling her not to leave. She didn't know why she felt that way, but she couldn't tear herself away from the Hero, who was staring straight at her.
It's fine. Even if this is just an illusion, even if I fail without any dramatic twist. I can just go back to living the way I used to.
Daphne offered herself this half-hearted consolation. It was as if she had already assumed they would reject her. Meeting the gaze of the giant of a man standing behind the Hero with his arms crossed, Daphne quickly lowered her head. He was probably the Hero's companion—Georg, was it? That man was just terrifying to look at.
"Don't be so nervous."
The Hero's words seemed to tug-of-war between coldness and kindness. Was it sincerity disguised as indifference, or was it mere politeness? Somehow, Daphne found herself thinking that this was a very Hero-like trait. Daphne's constantly trembling eyes locked onto the Hero's. Once she regained her composure, the Hero smiled faintly and interlaced his fingers.
"Are you ready?"
At the Hero's question, Daphne nodded. Did the Hero wait for me? For me? Daphne almost furrowed her brows in confusion, but realizing what she was doing, she quickly widened her eyes.
"Daphne Epiphone. From the Naia region. A 4-Circle Mage and a graduate of the Magic Tower. Two years of experience as an adventurer."
The Hero murmured, reciting Daphne's resume. Hearing her own life described by someone else made it sound incredibly meager. A mere two-line career written on that paper. Just a few small words keeping her anchored to this world.
"It hasn't been long since you came to the Royal Capital. Did you live in the Naia region the entire time before joining the Magic Tower?"
"Yes..."
The Hero let out an intrigued hum and unfolded the paper. Behind him, Georg, the giant with crossed arms, frowned and looked down at the Hero. He looked thoroughly displeased with the Hero's actions. Paying no mind to that terrifying glare, the Hero began his questions.
"What made you apply to our party?"
"Ah, that... that is..."
It was a textbook question. Daphne stammered out the answer she had prepared.
"A sense of duty to save—no, to protect the world..."
Those teal eyes stared at her as if piercing right through her. They seemed to ask if that was really all she wanted to say. Daphne's purple eyes wavered. There was no need to carefully choose her words. Though she hesitated, she began to speak, one word at a time.
"...While I do have that sense of duty, I also wanted to use this opportunity to change myself."
Exactly, the Hero's eyes seemed to say.
"So, I... I summoned the courage to apply."
The corners of the Hero's mouth curled upward. Daphne couldn't understand why he was smiling at her answer. She only prayed desperately in her heart that it wasn't a smile of mockery.
"What aspect of yourself do you wish to change?"
"I want to overcome my fear."
Fear. The Hero seemed to savor the word in his mouth. Daphne expected to be grilled with several more questions about this vague answer, but the Hero simply stared at her in silence for a long moment before moving on.
"Very well. Then, let me ask a few other questions. You are from Naia. You entered the path of magic quite late. Is it correct that you only began learning proper magic after entering the Magic Tower?"
The Magic Tower and Naia. Those words made Daphne's heart ache. Memories flashed through her mind.
"...Yes, that is correct."
The Hero let out a hearty chuckle. It felt as if a shackle had been placed on her heart, and the Hero was holding the leash. A single laugh, the meaning of which she couldn't fathom, made Daphne's heart sink, and cold sweat dripped down her back.
"Do you have any specialties? Like a specific mana attribute?"
"It hasn't manifested yet, but..."
Yet, at the same time, it was a strange feeling. She was trembling with fear just as she always did, but somehow, she was able to answer all of the Hero's questions. The interview proceeded in this manner, seemingly smooth yet walking a tightrope. Just as Daphne's face was turning pale from the mounting tension and Georg's expression was slowly distorting, the Hero tapped a piece of paper down onto the desk.
"That concludes the interview."
Daphne was exhausted from the rather lengthy interview. However, the two words—rejection and acceptance—still weighed heavily on both her mind and her heart. With a rustling sound, the Hero rummaged through his drawer and pulled out a sheet of white paper. Behind him, Georg's face, which had been on the verge of contorting in anger, froze completely.
"Please take this to the next room and fill it out."
It wasn't, We regret to inform you, but we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. Daphne blankly accepted the pen and paper the Hero handed her. The pen was a luxury item she had never even touched before, and the paper was incredibly crisp and of high quality. What was this? A contract? She stared down at the paper with a dazed, foolish expression.
"Um... Excuse me, what is this?"
"It's a contract. Since time is of the essence, I hope you'll understand why we're notifying you of the results immediately."
Dazedly, Daphne stood up and prepared to open the office door to leave. Just then, the Hero's voice calling out to her echoed from behind. When Daphne stopped and turned around, the Hero was pointing behind the bookshelf.
"You can leave through this door."
Daphne nodded repeatedly, her movements creaky and unsteady. She walked toward the door like a broken doll. *Creak.* The hinges groaned, and Daphne was ushered into a space that looked like a waiting room next to the office. While the hinges creaked once more, Daphne looked down at the paper in her hands.
"...Did I seriously pass?"
*Thud.* As if in response to her murmur, the waiting room door closed behind her. Even then, Daphne stood there for a long time, staring down at the contract.
"...I'm too tired to even nag you anymore."
I shrugged at Georg's words. My mind was much more at ease now that I had wrapped up one major task. I had quickly interviewed the remaining applicants and sent them home. In the end, Daphne was the only applicant who walked into the waiting room holding a contract. After all the interviews were over, I went over the details of the contract with Daphne and told her to report for work tomorrow. Perfect. ...Actually, now that I thought about it, I didn't know why I had made such a big deal out of this when I could have just tracked her down. I had held these public interviews to reasonably convince this musclehead, but Georg didn't look convinced at all.
"I have no idea what goes on inside that head of yours."
"Did you ever even try to find out?"
I replied half-heartedly as I organized the applicants' documents. Well, thankfully, Georg hadn't tried to object during the interviews. Though he did look quite bewildered a few times.
"Fine, let's find out right now. You rejected all those applicants, only to choose a female 4-Circle Mage who's plagued by bad rumors among adventurers?"
"I didn't know you cared so much about the gossip in the Royal Capital's marketplace."
Veins popped on Georg's forehead. By now, I was somewhat used to his reactions. Seeing how he stayed put even when I kept acting like a jerk, I honestly felt like someone was holding a knife to his throat, threatening him not to leave the party.
"I have to care when the rumor is that no one has ever seen this 4-Circle Mage actually perform up to her level. And that's leaving aside all the other scandals trailing behind her."
I let out a deep sigh.
"She lived her entire life in a remote countryside village without knowing the first thing about magic, and yet, within four years of awakening to it, she reached the 4th Circle. To me, it seems stranger not to recruit someone like that. At least, I've never seen or heard of such talent."
"So that's why you went out of your way to accommodate her. You seem to have forgotten that we already have another mage in our party. This is highly inefficient."
The other mage in the party. I felt like throwing up just thinking about her. If I could have kicked her out in the first place, I would have, but right now, she was probably enjoying her vacation on the kingdom's western coast. Just wait until she gets back.
"It's also inefficient not to secure a talent like Daphne, Georg."
Upon hearing my reply, Georg's expression seemed to ask, If you know that, why the hell did you banish two of our core party members?
"Fine, let's say her talent is indeed incredible. Even so, what's the use if she can't perform up to her level?"
Why was this guy nitpicking every single decision? Was he a rebellious teenager who just wanted to argue with everything I said? I knew very well that Elroy wasn't trustworthy, but if things kept going like this, Georg might become the biggest obstacle to my survival.
"Are you not interested in why Daphne can't perform up to her level?"
"Even if we knew, is there a way to fix it?"
"People who've never even tried always say things like that."
Georg raised his voice. In contrast, my voice only grew lower and more exhausted.
"Either way, I'm against it. No matter how brilliant a mage is in theory, if they're useless in actual combat, I have no intention of partnering with them. If you force this through, I will risk everything to report this to the higher-ups."
I tapped the desk. This seat felt surprisingly stable. Perhaps because of that, I was able to remain calm even in front of Georg, who was practically fuming.
"In the end, your issue is with Daphne's unstable performance."
"I don't think it's a matter that can be dismissed so simply, but yes, that is the primary reason."
Did you think I would just meekly say, Alright, I'll reconsider recruiting her?
"What if I fix Daphne before we set out on our next expedition? What if I make her pull more than her own weight?"
Georg scoffed and glared at me.
"Then not only will I accept Daphne Epiphone into the party, but I'll also never question your decisions again and just shut up and follow you. I'll even let slide the fact that you banished Aryen and Isis."
Oh, well said, Georg. If I played my cards right, this might be the perfect opportunity to resolve two of my biggest anxieties at once.
I let my lips curl into a smirk. The Hero's smile reflected on the polished wooden desk looked quite underhanded and villainous. Oops, I shouldn't smile like that. I slightly covered my mouth, softening the smirk into a less sinister smile, and looked back at Georg.
"You'd better keep that promise."
Unaware of my thoughts, Georg nodded firmly.
"Of course. You'd better prepare yourself. You need to feel the weight of the title you hold."
Prepare myself? I think you're the one who needs to do that. I kept that thought to myself and began to reread the contract Daphne had filled out.