Epilogue: Internship in the Hero’s Company (part 2)

After Vaska had shown Spledorf’s recommendation letter to Voran, Amalia’s group received completely different treatments both from the military and the castle’s civilians. By having that letter alone, Vaska and Rita had gotten enough authority to act as an intern or a trainee of the Hero’s Company.

Rita had been asking Vaska for half an hour non-stop whether the letter was something he just made up by himself. Facing Rita’s persistence, he used his new authority for the first time to summon Spledorf to meet up with the group,

“Mas—Vaska! Glad to see that you are safe!”

“MASTER!”

Without wasting any time, those two grown-ups began hugging each other while jumping around. They were currently inside a private room reserved for the Hero’s Company use. Then, Kyle cleared his throat. From Vaska and Spledorf’s interaction, he had no doubt that the letter was real. Nevertheless, it seemed that Rita still couldn’t believe it,

“Ehm...”

“Oh, sorry Kyle. Hahahaa, I am just too happy to see my disciple again after we got separated during the evacuation.”

‘What?! Vaska is Master’s disciple? Just how? When I visited his room, I knew that his artificing skill is decent. But I don’t think that it is enough compared to the other disciples.’

Noticing Kyle’s doubt, Spledorf explained the story to him. The same story as the one he had told everyone during the evacuation the night before. With several twists and turns, Kyle finally bought Spledorf’s story.

Spledorf continued by addressing Vaska,

“I see. You finally used my recommendation to join the Hero’s Company.”

“Hahahaa, yes, Master.”

“Good, good. After years of thinking, you finally resolved yourself to join the Hero’s Company, hahahaa! But one thing here Vaska. Unlike Kyle there, your status is still a trainee. You are considered lucky enough that we are in war time so General Voran had no other choice to acknowledge you and your sister and give both of you a trainee title.”

Spledorf continued,

“Even with influential people’s recommendation, it usually still takes several steps before someone could be considered a trainee of the Hero’s Company. Well, just work hard from now on to become a full-fledged member like Kyle, hahahaa!”

Then, Spledorf look at Rita,

“Your name is Rita, right?”

“Y-yes!”

Suddenly addressed by Spledorf, Rita answered him in panic.

“Hahahaa, you look exactly as your brother, Vaska, had described. So, yes, my recommendation letter is real and congratulations on becoming an intern of the Hero’s Company!”

Rita’s mind still couldn’t process anything. Everything just went too fast for her. From finally dating Kyle, surviving the demon army’s bombardments, and suddenly becoming a trainee inside the Hero’s Company without her doing anything. But Rita’s mind believed in one thing, they were all Vaska’s doing just to repay her back for the seminar fee she had given him as a gift one month earlier.

‘Thank you, Vaska. Rita is really really happy with your gift.’

However, there was someone in the room who strongly believed that something fishy was happening under the surface of that letter. Amalia. She was trying to discern whether Spledorf was colluding with Vaska or Vaska just somehow conned him. After all, Spledorf’s claim about living together with Vaska around ten years ago didn’t match Amalia’s history with Vaska; Vaska had been living with her every day during that time.

“Are you feeling unwell, Lieutenant? Oh, I know, you are probably feeling lonely because Big Sis and I will join the Hero’s Company, aren’t you?”

Noticing Amalia’s ‘mood,’ Vaska called out to her. And noticing Vaska’s intention by asking exactly that, Amalia answered him,

“Of course, I am. Rita is my favorite subordinate after all.”

“Boss.” Rita looked at Amalia with a sympathetic look.

“Oh, sorry, Rita. I am fine, I am fine. We can just meet somewhere if I miss you~”

Spledorf interrupted their banter,

“So, what do you say, Kyle?”

“About, about what, Master?”

“Do you think that Lieutenant Ray right there could also join the Hero’s Company as a trainee like Vaska and his sister?”

Kyle tried to think about Spledorf’s question for a while. Recommending someone to the Hero’s Company was not a matter to take up lightly after all. The name and the reputation of someone who gave such recommendations could be stained if their nominees failed to meet the Hero’s Company or the public’s expectation. There was an extreme case where it had ended with an execution.

“To be honest with you, Master. I actually haven’t seen Ri—, Ri, Rita in action too. The same as her brother and also Lieutenant Ray there.”

“Don’t you think that it would be fun if four of you form a unit or something inside the Hero’s Company? Of course, you are their supervisor.”

“WHA—WHAT?!”

Kyle gulped. The idea of him and Rita being at the same unit inside the Hero’s Company hadn’t crossed his mind at all. He looked at Rita and he saw that Rita, too, was somehow embarrassed. Kyle’s face slowly became hotter and he casted his eyes downwards.

“That’s a good idea, Master! Big Sis and Lord Kyle will be together for twenty-four hours! I could already see my future nephews and nieces smiling, hahahaa.”

“VASKA!” Kyle and Rita shouted at him at the same time.

“So, do you want to join them, Lieutenant? Of course, I will test your talent beforehand to know whether or not you have what it takes to join the Hero’s Company.”

“There’s no need to test me, Master.”

Without any signs, Amalia suddenly appeared behind Spledorf’s back and touched his thick shoulder while she was saying those words. Spledorf jolted in surprise. The same as Rita and Kyle. No one knew when Amalia moved from her seat and no one knew how Amalia pulled that stunt, except Vaska.

‘So, you are colluding with Spledorf, aren’t you?’

“I want to join the Hero’s Company, Master Spledorf. And if my little prank is not enough, you can freely test me.”

Spledorf laughed,

“Hahahaa! Hahahaa! Young-un nowadays are scary. Well Lieutenant, I will write your recommendation letter later and give it to General Voran myself.”

Spledorf continued,

“Kyle, Vaska, Rita, any objections?”

“No, Master. Lieutenant Ray just demonstrated something that even my barrier would have a difficult time to keep up.”

It was only Vaska who answered Spledorf. Rita and Kyle were still flabbergasted by Amalia’s performance. In the end, Spledorf also wrote a request to Voran, and eventually to Rondine, to put the four of them inside the same unit in the Hero’s Company with Kyle as their unit’s leader.

***

After Amalia’s group became trainees of the Hero’s Company, they got treatments equal to the middle or high-class nobles. They were given a personal living quarter separated from the other castle residents. After their discussion with Spledorf had ended, the group was heading to their exclusive living quarters in the castle.

“So, how many people live there, Lord Kyle?”

“Please stop calling me ‘Lord,’ Lieutenant. We are in the same Hero’s Company right now.”

“Hahaha, sorry. You’re right. Then, please drop my rank here and just call me Ray. You are our senior and also our supervisor after all.”

“Got it, Ray. I expect great things from you.”

“Thank you, Kyle.”

Amalia continued,

“By the way Kyle, don’t you want to say that to Rita?”

Kyle stopped to look at Rita. Rita fidgeted but Kyle took a step forward to face her,

“I expect great things from you, dear.” Kyle said while he placed his hands on Rita’s shoulder.

“Un....” Rita quietly replied while she nodded several times in quick successions.

In the background, Vaska and Amalia quietly chuckled while they whispered to each other,

“Somehow, I just got a second-hand embarrassment.”

“Right! But Vaska, you can call me ‘dear’ too if you want.”

“No, no, no. You tend to violence, so maybe a gorilla or something is more appropriate compared to a ‘deer.’”

“Bastard.”

Several minutes later, they arrived at the living quarter reserved for the Hero’s Company and its trainees. Kyle opened the door and all of them then entered together. The moment they entered the quarter; its residents stopped their activities and looked at them. There were nearly ten people inside, and Vaska noticed that Lumi was among them. Unfortunately, all of them, except Lumi, were looking at Amalia’s group with a sign of hostility in their eyes.

“Well, well, well. Do you know what you are doing here, Kyle?”

A golden-haired elf man greeted Kyle with a mocking tone. The Hero’s Company was a multi-racial group and so it was not surprising that there was another race beside human there.

“Isn’t it Mr. Elnar? I am just supervising the new trainees here.”

“I was surprised when General Voran told me that there were some new trainees going to join us. But I was more surprised that those new trainees are that weak.”

The elf, Elnar, observed Amalia’s group with an intimidating look. Just like Kyle, Elnar was another Hero’s Company member and not a trainee. That was why the other trainees beside Amalia’s group could easily share Elnar’s feeling after they heard his arguments.

Then, Elnar continued talking about his disappointments,

“I know that it is the war time procedure that every recommendation-letter-holder could become a trainee. But isn’t it just too much? Everyone here had spent their entire lives for rigorous trainings and joined the harsh selection process before they could become a trainee, even with the Hero’s or the High Priestess’s recommendation letters. That is why you should know that everyone here will not easily welcome cheaters like them, right?”

Suddenly, Elnar vanished from their views as if he was consumed by the thin air. Seconds later, he appeared behind Amalia with his beautifully crafted elven-dagger placed against her throat.

“Mr. Elnar!” Kyle shouted at Elnar.

But Amalia didn’t even flinch under such a crisis. Instead of paying attention to Elnar on her side, Amalia fired three ice projectiles to an empty corner of the room. Before the projectiles went any further, tree branches appeared right in those projectiles’ path. But before those branches could block Amalia’s projectiles, Vaska’s spatial gravity magic appeared on the projectiles’ path.

“UGHHH...”

As a result, Amalia’s projectiles perfectly penetrated those branches and hit something behind those branches. Suddenly, Elnar’s figure beside Amalia completely vanished and blood splattered on the ground behind the branches.

Elnar had used the elven version of illusion magic to threaten Amalia by making his illusion placed a dagger on Amalia’s throat while he hid himself using [Camouflage]. Unfortunately for him, Amalia was an illusion specialist. She saw his tricks and aimed directly at his [Camouflage]-ed body.

Elnar tried to block Amalia’s attack using elven magic, [Tree Creation], but Vaska was faster to reinforce her. As a result, Amalia scored three direct hits on Elnar’s body.

“Should I finish him?”

With cold eyes, Vaska looked at Elnar’s direction while pointing his right hand there. Whiteish magic power particles began swirling around his right arm, indicating the activation process of his spell. Vaska grinned but someone unexpectedly approached and shouted at him,

“VASKA, YOUR HAND! STOP IT!”

It was the overly-shy healer, Lumi. She cutely shouted her lungs out and hurriedly ran over to Vaska and wrapped his right arm with both her hands. She then looked at Vaska with a worried expression. Everyone, including Amalia, was completely taken aback.

“I give up, I give up. Everyone, lower your weapons.”

From behind the branches, Elnar showed himself and surrendered. Blood trickled from his body. Both his hands were completely torn apart by Amalia’s projectiles. To make it worse, Amalia’s last projectile penetrated just right below his heart.

The tension gradually subsided because Elnar had told the other trainees to lower their weapon. The other trainees followed his command even though some of them were still seeking revenge. Reading the situation, Amalia quickly de-escalated the situation by apologizing first to Elnar,

“My bad, Lord Elnar. We just fought a demon today and the demon used an illusion magic to hide its real body. So, I instinctively went onto my hunting mode here.”

“You did what?!”

Amalia told Elnar and the other trainees about how her group encountered and fought the demon and why they retreated instead of trying to help Charles and Vivianne. During Amalia’s story, Lumi had released Vaska’s arm and she was currently healing Elnar.

“I didn’t think that Colonel Charles would lose to that demon Azuria, that was why we covered the evacuees under his order instead of assisting him. But sadly, both he and Captain Vivianne haven’t come back until now.”

Elnar commented on Amalia’s remark,

“If that Charles could not hold his ground, then that demon must be that strong. So, did you manage to scratch that demon?”

“Unfortunately, not, Lord Elnar. I tried finding its real body but I failed. But Rita, Kyle’s girlfriend, over there got one of her attacks connected but I didn’t think that it was enough.”

Rita was still confused by Amalia’s explanation. She didn’t think that the demon, Azuria, had another spare body nor used an illusion. Nevertheless, Rita was being Rita, she trusted Amalia’s judgement because Amalia sounded very convincing.

“Un, yes, Lo-Lo-Lord Elnar. Rita punched that demon woman but Rita didn’t think that it was enough.”

In front of the Hero’s Company’s member, Rita’s short-circuits symptoms resurfaced again. And thus, their first bonding night had ended with the new trainees telling them stories about their encounter with a demon earlier. Elnar, Kyle, and the other trainees were truly captivated by their stories; even though some parts of the story were fabricated by Amalia and Vaska.