[Vol. 9] Chapter 3: Their Legend
The young nobleman of the Stephens family was still as elegant and playful as ever. The red-haired woman only gave a small smile and nodded without saying a word. Yet, many who knew her well understood. For the “Crimson Flame Flora,” a legendary adventurer equal to Farnell and one of the kingdom’s greatest guardians, to smile openly in public was no less shocking than when the Princess herself had personally greeted the two girls earlier.
As far as people could remember, the last and only person to ever receive such an honor had been her good friend, the current Queen of the Human United Kingdom, Her Majesty Lilya Melchior.
These two young girls…
Because Kairos was sitting nearby and was strong himself, he had managed to overhear most of what Farnell and the others had been talking about. Recalling the name that had accidentally slipped out, he thought hard for a moment. Then his pupils shrank suddenly, and even his heavy armor trembled slightly in shock!
“It’s them? Even they were stirred to come!?”
His voice wasn’t loud, clearly suppressed at the last moment, but the three teammates sitting at the same table still heard him clearly. Though they weren’t as experienced or as strong as Kairos, their eyes lit up at once. Lowering their voices eagerly, they asked.
“Who? Who are they, Captain?!”
“Our kingdom has so many strong people, but the ones who really matter all have well-known names. I’ve never heard of such a pair before!”
“Exactly! This is the first time I’ve seen Lady Crimson Flame Flora smile at someone on her own. Those two girls look at most around the same age as Her Majesty the Queen. Even if they started training in their mother’s womb, how strong could they possibly be?”
Like a box suddenly opened, the three, one woman and two men, started chattering nonstop. Many others around the tavern also joined in guessing the girls’ identities. But a few, like Kairos, who already knew, grew serious instead. He shook his head and said,
“If it really is the two of them here in person, then everything that’s happened so far makes perfect sense… You’ve been in the adventurer’s world long enough, you must have at least heard the legends of the [Priest] and the [Lightscale], right?”
“?”
Hearing this, the three paused. Soon, the party’s cleric, responsible for support, suddenly showed visible excitement. Though she was nearly thirty years old, a mature and charming woman, when this subject came up, she flushed red like a young girl just starting out.
“Of course! That’s a living legend! They’re my idols! It was exactly those two who appeared years ago, helping Her Majesty the Queen cut through countless challenges and finally seize the throne. But afterwards, they stepped back, showing no interest in the power and glory that could have easily been theirs. Just that purity of character alone makes them role models every adventurer should strive to follow!”
The middle-aged man dressed like a thief nodded slightly and added.
“After only three quests, they rose straight to legendary rank, then traveled across nations, leaving behind countless incredible tales. The kingdom’s greatest holy spellcaster, Miss Violet. I heard she was even invited personally by the Academy City of Sainz, becoming the only new honorary professor in decades. Many believe they may have already surpassed the limits of the legendary rank, reaching an even higher level.”
“If we use the new ranking system the Guild just introduced, that would mean Saint-rank Adventurer. People say that maybe even Farnell himself has broken through to that level, but that’s still just rumor. The [Priest], however, has the Academy City’s official recognition. That makes it almost certain. And it makes sense, otherwise how could they have achieved such miraculous feats and left behind so many famous stories?”
In the end, the young mage in the team, holding a staff but not showing clearly what kind of magic he used, added his own opinion seriously.
“Yeah, honestly, I always thought that with how well Miss [Priest] matched with the Goddess Church, she would definitely become one of the chosen heroes. But in the end, it seems she didn’t even go to that big ceremony. Even though she uses Holy Light magic, she dared not to give face to her own god. She really is a strange woman.”
“Hm…”
Of course, Kairos had also heard the things his teammates mentioned. He carefully glanced again at the two young girls who had already sat down with the Princess and were talking in low voices. He took a deep breath, confirming his guess even more.
“They are [Priest] and [Lightscale].”
“What!?”
The three teammates were shocked at the same time. But before they could ask more, Kairos seemed to recall something from the past and murmured softly.
“Did you see? Their outfits are almost exactly the same as the descriptions in the legends. And more importantly, back a few years ago, during the civil unrest in the capital, when I was still just an Earth-rank adventurer, I followed the current Queen, who was only a princess then, on a mission to destroy a cult base at the Iris Orphanage…”
“In that battle, both [Priest] and [Lightscale] also took part. But at that time, they were not yet recognized as Legendary adventurers. They were not famous, and they didn’t fight together with the main force. That’s why I only saw some traces they left after the battle was over, and from far away I once caught a glimpse of their backs.”
“That scene… I can never forget it for the rest of my life. Too strong, absolute violence and absolute salvation. Those are the only words I can think of. Many survivors saved by [Priest] even worshipped her as a goddess. I never thought that after so many years, I would get the chance to see them again. But… it’s both happiness and worry. This is not good news.”
“Huh?”
The female cleric, who admired [Priest] the most, froze for a moment and looked at Kairos with confusion.
“Captain, did you hit your head or something? They are Saint-level adventurers that only exist in legends! Being able to see them in person is something people would do anything for, even fight to the death for the chance! And you’re sighing about it?”
“You guys… you’re just looking at this too one-sidedly.”
The oldest member of the team, and the only one who had truly reached the Legendary level, sighed. As he saw the other two nodding like chickens pecking rice, his huge tower-like body showed a faint look of worry on his face.
“Think carefully. Why would [Priest] and [Lightscale], who had already left for years and were traveling the world, suddenly return to the Courage City? Even if their relationship with the kingdom is close, would they still show up just to wander around?”
“But Her Majesty has been on the throne for many years. Many big and small events have happened, but never once did [Priest] and [Lightscale] return specially for her. Now that they suddenly appear here, and the royal family also called all of us together… do you really think this is a good sign?”
“Uh… this…”