302. First Impressions

“Tell me, Salvos: why do I sense Divine Essence coming from you?”

Clayton Skyshredder posed the question to the silver-haired girl. Right now it was soft— difficult to discern. If he hadn’t sensed it as she was making her way to his office, he wouldn’t have thought twice about it.

But make no mistake, this was Divine Essence. The very same he could sense from the Watcher. The very same one he had been pursuing for his whole life but failed to achieve.

Before him was a young woman, roughly twenty years of age. A child. Not in a literal sense, but compared to him, she was nothing more than a child. In such a short amount of time, not only had she reached Level 130, but she somehow attained a Divine Essence.

It was the same power that the Immortal King Alexander was said to have exuded. An aura that commanded respect and authority. His words alone would compel those under him to heed his will.

It was the same one that the Oracle of Light Melissa had. And the very same one the Quisling Zacharius had before he became a Lich.

So, how?

How did Salvos learn this power?

Was she taught by a divine being? Or did she slay an unfathomably powerful creature? Or perhaps, did she study an artifact of great? A Mythical Grade item equivalent to the Treasures of Alexander?

The Headmaster of Mavos Academy took interest in such questions. He was a researcher. He had to know. So, he leaned forward, peering into Salvos. Into the silver-haired girl.

And she shrugged.

“I dunno.”

I watched as Clayton nearly fell off his chair at my answer. He coughed, trying to straighten. Then he faced me with a serious look.

“Are you joking right now, Salvos?”

“I mean, I kind of know how I got it? It was given to me through a Skill.”

“A Skill?”

His brows furrowed. Then he stood up, wide-eyed and staring at me.

“A Grand Skill? You learned a Grand Skill before reaching Level 150?”

“Um, yep? Is that a big deal?”

I cocked my head. I was always under the impression that it wasn’t that special. Well, Grand Skills were special and hard to learn. But I didn’t think it was exactly unusual to have it before Level 150. Apparently not.

“A Grand Skill is rarely awarded, even to Elites, Salvos. I only earned my Grand Skill in my Level 150 advancement. And that was because I slayed a Greater Wyvern in battle.”

Clayton shook his head. I tapped a finger on my chin.

Huh. That meant Zix was pretty awesome, wasn’t he? And I wanted to duel against him on my own.

To be fair, I did have Daniel’s [Hero] Skills boosting me. But that was still very stupid. I wouldn’t have won if not for the flames around the arena. Wait, what did they call it again? Divine Flames?

I creased my brows, mulling what that meant for a moment as Clayton pressed me further.

“Now, Salvos, what could you have possibly done to earn you a Grand Skill?

“I killed, um, a lot of Centinels. Well, I also had the Breastplate of Alexander on me, and I’ve been studying it…”

I scratched the back of my head. Clayton massaged his temples.

“You have the Breastplate of Alexander on you, too…”

“Um, yep. But I didn’t steal it, I promise. Saffron lent it to me.”

“The Merryster child?”

His eyes flickered. Then he leaned back on his chair.

“It’s all starting to make sense, at least.”

“Is it?”

I raised a brow. Clayton drew himself to his feet, running a hand on his desk as he approached.

“The Breastplate of Alexander is a Mythical Grade artifact. It is blessed with divine power. By studying from it and extensively using it, it only makes sense that you should have learned how to use its power for a brief moment. A very brief moment. But even now, I still sense it from you.”

He came to a stop before me.

“What is this Grand Skill of yours, Salvos?”

“It’s called [Divine Essence of the—”

Wait. I caught myself. [Divine Essence of the Daeva Cambion]. Cambion. A half-mortal, half-Demon. And Daeva Cambion. My Subspecies.

Clayton furrowed his brows as I tried to work my jaw.

“[Divine Essence of the…?”

He waited. I quickly waved a hand off.

“Um, I meant to say that it’s… the [Divine Essence of the Mystic of the Nexeus]! That’s right! And it’s what gives me this!”

I showed him my rainbow-colored flames, and he inspected it.

“I see… this divine fire… interesting.”

Divine fire…? Then it clicked. Wait, is this the same kind of fire that the Kobolds had used in their ritual during my duel with Zix? If that was the case, I could probably deal with Zix easily now if we fought again.

That was cool!

“Yep. Anyway, now that I’ve answered your questions, I need your help, Headmaster.”

“I cannot promise anything, Salvos. Even to a student of Mavos Academy. However, I am willing to hear your request.”

He crossed his arms, and I nodded.

“So, there are, um, these monsters… that I met while in the Bloodied Gulf.”

I explained the situation about the haven. About how I helped work with them to escape after they helped me. I also explicitly made sure to bring up Willy. Having a Spirit at his level working alongside the monsters gave the monsters some repute, right?

Well, apparently, Clayton wasn’t too surprised by the idea of a monster haven.

“I have heard of such places. Monsters, unrelated to each other, cooperating in an extremely hostile environment. They have even worked alongside Humans if they share the same enemy. That is how many [Beast Tamers] or [Beast Masters] have formed their bonds. I heard that once there was an Elite [Beast Master] who’d even managed to befriend a [Ceph of the Deep] because both were stranded in the middle of a devastating mana storm.”

“So… does that mean…?”

I gave Clayton a pleading look. He eventually sighed, nodding.

“I shall evaluate the threat of these monsters myself. And if they truly have nowhere else to go, I shall grant them a home in Mavos Academy.”

“Yay!”

I clapped my hands together. Well, it wasn’t like Centina or Kron couldn’t live anywhere they wanted to. They were pretty high-leveled. The only thing was, well, at least Centina didn’t want to live in the wilderness. She wanted to explore the Human lands. Fall in love.

But there was no need to bring all that up to Clayton.

“Alright, I’ll bring you to them.”

I beamed, leading the Headmaster of Mavos Academy out of his school.

“Do you think it’s going well?”

Centina looked over at Kron. The [Evolved Centinel] was restless. She was afraid things would go wrong. That it wouldn’t end well. And while she was looking for reassurance, the [Krokodis] was looking for a nap.

“Mm?”

Kron groused, blearily looking up. Centina shook her head.

“Nevermind.”

There was no point talking to the [Krokodis]. All she cared about was if she had food to eat and a place to sleep safely. Centina had learned that much over the years.

Years. Had it really been years since she met Kron? She didn’t know. In fact, she had no sense of what time was until Erhard explained it to her. Thanks to him, she had learned a lot about the world. A lot she never understood before.

She knew it had been a long time since Erhard's death— since she was forcefully entrapped beneath the Bloodied Gulf. However, she was never given a clock. The object that was supposed to be able to tell time. So, she still never understood what time was.

All she knew was how to compare a moment to how long she lived. And while this moment wasn’t very long— it hadn’t been too long since Salvos left— it felt like it had been forever and more. Sighing, she took a seat and closed her eyes.

“Maybe I should just sleep as well…”

She trailed off. But before she could doze off, an ethereal voice woke her up.

“Here!”

Willy flitted over both the [Evolved Centinel] and the [Krokodis]. Centina scrambled to her feet.

“Salvos is back?”

“Bringing Human. Come!”

He quickly ushered them out of the Lair, bringing them a bit away to a clearing nearby. Centina fidgeted nervously. She didn’t know what to do or say. Willy turned to her, speaking softly.

“Level high. Careful.”

Centina gulped, tensing up. But there was no reason to be afraid, right? Salvos was bringing him here to protect them.

But who was coming? Was it Clayton Skyshredder? The one who Salvos said was related to Erhard? If so— well, Centina was nervous for more than one reason. And this reason definitely was not fear.

She shifted her many feet, scratching her cheek.

“Hey, Kron, can you maybe use your illusion magic to make me look like a Human? I want to give him a good first impression.”

Kron scowled.

“Me only asked for illusions. Me tired.”

“O-oh, but—”

Before Centina could argue, she heard sharp voices cutting through the trees of the forest. Footsteps on fallen leaves crunched their way over along with a pair of Humans. Well, one of them was Salvos in disguise.

“It’s fine, Clayton. Just try not to scare them. They aren’t used to being around Humans.”

“Do not worry, Salvos. I have interacted with monsters before. During my stay in the Rainforest of Monsters, I’d even saved an Orc commune from an invasion of Wasp Locusts.”

“Good, good.”

The figures reached the end of the thicket, stepping into the clearing. Salvos smiled and shook her head as Centina perked up.

“I just don’t want you to—”

And the man standing next to her— a man with a flowing white beard and majestic robes— paused. His gaze snapped towards Centina.

“Get back, Salvos! An [Evolved Centinel] followed you out of the Bloodied Gulf!”

“Wait, Centina isn’t—”

A longsword with a crooked guard that curved up like horns appeared in his hand as a dark aura appeared around it. Clayton Skyshredder, an unidentifiable high-leveled Human, lashed out at Centina with a powerful magical strike. The ground tore as Willy and Kron threw themselves out of the way.

“[Darkblade’s Sunder].”

And Salvos appeared before the [Evolved Centinel].

“[Protection of the Sentinel].”

Centina blinked as her body was wreathed in rainbow-colored flames. They formed segmented parts over her body. A kind of… outer carapace, made entirely of Salvos’ fire. The dark blade clashed against this flaming carapace, sending trees behind Centina toppling without even touching them. But it didn’t harm her. The attack dissipated as Clayton frowned.

“What are you doing, Salvos?”

The Demon scratched the back of her head.

“Oops, did I forget to tell you that one of the monsters was an [Evolved Centinel]?”

She laughed, and Clayton drew back. His brows creased as he glanced between Centina, Kron, and Willy.

“To think you can block one of my offensive Skill... but that doesn't matter. This is unprecedented. So, you’re telling me that this Centinel was working alongside a monster, a Spirit, and a Human against its own kind?”

“Her own kind.”

Salvos nodded.

“Anyway, she’s nice. Please don’t be mean to her.”

Centina lowered her head, her shoulders sagging. That was already not a good first impression. And Clayton was dubious.

“How do I know this is not a trick, Salvos? You could be fooled by this Sage Centinel. They are crafty and dangerous. The most intelligent of the Centinels.”

Wait, he praised Centina. He called her intelligent. That was a good thing, right? Centina looked hopefully at Salvos, and the Demon shook her head.

“Centina is not dangerous! Look, you can trust her— even your great, great, great, great grand-whatever did. Centina, show him your ring!”

“My great, great… what?”

Clayton narrowed his eyes, but Centina quickly pulled out the ring in her finger. She showed it to him, bowing her head.

“This was given to me by the man I loved. His name was Erhard Skyshredder. I was told you were related to him.”

Salvos nodded eagerly.

“Yep, see? Centina’s trustworthy.”

And Clayton’s eyes grew wide.

“You knew Erhard? But… how? He died hundreds of years ago…”

“Please, Clayton. We’ll explain it all— you can even take a look at his research and his diaries. I saved a few things from the haven.”

Salvos stepped forward, placing a hand on the Headmaster’s shoulders.

“I shall listen to… whatever story this is. But whether or not I trust this Centinel… is something I shall determine for myself.”

Clayton folded his arms, marching off.

“Hey, he didn’t kill you, at least. And he agreed to hear this out. Good first impression, right?”

Salvos looked over at Centina. The [Evolved Centinel] pursed her lips, unsure of how to feel. But before she could even reply, the Demon suddenly took a step back.

“Now let’s… why do I suddenly feel very tired?”

She wobbled. The iridescent armor protecting Centina turned to a blue color. Salvos’ eyes closed as if they suddenly grew heavy, and she collapsed to the ground.

“Wha…?”

“Salvos—”