438. Heartbeat

Amanda paused right by the doorway. She could hear the muffled voices from the other side— she could feel the excitement leaking out from the hall. There was a large gathering there. A party of sorts.

To most people, now wasn’t the time to be celebrating. It was a time to grieve. A time to act. It made no sense to be holding a celebration now, so soon after so many lives were lost during the siege of Alyras. But there was a cause to celebrate— there was a reason why this party was being held.

It was the reason why the room was quite literally vibrating in excitement. Both common folk and people of import came here for one reason and one reason alone. To meet a man. But not just any man. Not a king or an emperor. In fact, kings and emperors congregated here to see this man.

His name was Daniel Song. A [Hero] from another world. The first [Hero] to step foot in the Nexeus— in the Human lands— in over a millennia. It had been two thousand years since the last [Hero] was summoned. Well, actually, that wasn’t true. A few hundred years ago, a [Hero] summoning was carried out to repel the Centinel invasion of the Human lands.

Unfortunately, he died in his first battle against the Centinels. A mere [Junior Centinel] got to him. The average person didn’t know of him or this tale. Those who were well-versed in the subject knew him as Steven the Failure.

But before him, there hadn’t been an attempted [Hero] summoning in so, so long. Especially when compared to how relatively commonplace they were thousands of years ago. And it was all because of Zacharius the Quisling.

The infamous [Hero] summoning that resulted in the destruction of dozens of small kingdoms and nearly brought about the fall of the largest empire at the time. One that resulted in the creation of the Diamond Rank zone known as the Plaguelands today. A [Hero] that betrayed his summoners, all because of his forbidden romance with a foul [Necromancer] that seduced him.

Such a story— such a cautionary tale— was the reason why some folks came here today.

“Excuse me.”

A tinny voice spoke as Amanda blinked. She stepped aside as a woman wearing a knight’s helmet pushed the single side door open. Kaitlin Darkhelm, the Commander of the Vaun Qieur Empire’s Swordsguard Forces, was clearly here on business. And Amanda could sense the aura being exuded— it was one of skepticism and doubt. Not on the veracity of Daniel’s claims as a [Hero], rather on the adverse effects he could bring about to the Human lands.

But most others gathering here were more optimistic. In the brief glimpse into the large hall, Amanda could see the hopeful faces. It only made sense. With the looming Demon threat, the sudden appearance of a [Hero] seemed like a miracle. A blessing bestowed upon all of the Humankind. Surely this Daniel Song would be the one to put a halt to Regnorex for sure, right?

Amanda didn’t believe that. She sighed, shaking her head as she strolled into the decorated hall after Kaitlin Darkhelm. She forced herself forward. She fought back against the apprehension seizing her back.

The former assassin was used to attending events similar to these. She’d killed plenty of high value targets in parties before. Yet, for some reason, she was extremely nervous today.

She looked down at herself— at the dress she wore. It was a black silk dress that went down to her ankles, with its collar hanging low to reveal her shoulders. Her sleeves were short with a gray pleated edge of frills that stuck out in a glamorous way.

Her appearance didn’t typically matter much to her. Not unless it was pertinent to whatever task she had been given by the higher ups in the Harrowed Vindicators. But she dressed nicely today. And it was for the exact same reason she was nervous.

It had been two days since the siege of Alyras. She hadn’t seen Daniel Song at all during that time. He’d been swept away and interrogated by kings and queens and other important people— meetings held in private. And during that time away from him, Amanda had a lot of time to herself.

See, she didn’t really know too many people here in Alyras. She was barely acquainted with Daniel’s friends, and everyone else was basically a stranger to her. So she had a lot of time to herself. A lot of time to think. A lot of time to make a realization.

The susurration in the room was drowned out by the beating of her heart. Amanda looked around the room, seeing shadowed faces. She felt completely alone, even when surrounded by so many people. Standing there by herself when everyone had a partner to converse with made her regret her decision to even enter the hall. She wanted to leave. Where even is that idiot Daniel? she wondered with a scowl.

“Quite the gathering we have here today, huh?”

Amanda blinked, broken out of her thoughts. She looked up at a familiar pink-haired woman. A young noble. A Vampire.

“You’re…?”

The former assassin knew the Vampire’s name, but it escaped her at this moment. The young noble just sighed.

“Saffron Merryster. We spoke briefly just over a month ago.”

“Right.”

Amanda pursed her lips. The former assassin shifted back as Saffron stepped forward and offered a glass.

“Care for a drink?”

“I’m good.”

A curt reply. Amanda didn’t really know what else to say. She wasn’t close with this Saffron, even though they were both vaguely related to each other through Daniel and Salvos’ friendship. Saffron just shrugged and took a sip from one of the glasses.

The pair stood next to each other, looking around the room as the crowd continued to eagerly await Daniel’s appearance. Amanda could feel the awkwardness in the silence between the two, but she couldn’t be bothered breaking it. Eventually, Saffron finally spoke.

“This is quite surprising, if I’m being honest.”

“What is?”

Amanda asked, still not facing Saffron.

“The fact that Salvos’ friend turned out to be a [Hero].”

“Oh.”

The former assassin didn’t really react. But the young noble raised a brow.

“You don’t seem all too surprised by this. Were you already aware of his Class, then?”

“...”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Saffron scoffed. She waved down a servant and handed her drinks away before facing Amanda.

“I’ll be honest, if someone had actually turned out to be a [Hero], I would’ve expected it to be Salvos. I don’t think anyone expected her friend to be one instead.”

And Amanda’s brows snapped together.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I’m just saying, if you went back in time to when I first ever met Salvos and Daniel and told me one of them turned out to be a [Hero], the idea of Daniel being the [Hero] wouldn’t have even crossed my mind.”

Saffron spoke casually. And it irked Amanda. She glared at Saffron, crossing her arms.

“And why would that be the case?”

“Well, I simply believe that of the two, Salvos is the more competent fighter. She does hold more achievements than him, after all. And her rise has been sensational. In a few years, she has become one of the most talked about adventurers in our generation.”

That was certainly true. Amanda could acknowledge that. But the former assassin was still irate.

“Perhaps so, but do not forget that half of Salvos’ achievements would not be possible if not for Daniel’s help. He is one of the Liberators of the Plaguelands, just like her. He was there at Silvergrove with her. Her rise is just as much his as it is hers.”

Saffron tilted her head back and rubbed her chin.

“That’s…”

But Amanda didn’t let the young noble continue. Her annoyance continued to build before spilling out in a deluge of words.

“And furthermore—”

Amanda hastily spoke over Saffron.

“Sure, he may be a bit of a coward at times. Or annoyingly stubborn. Or an idiot who doesn’t know how to care for himself. But despite all that, he always tries his best to do what’s right. He embodies all the traits of a [Hero], not that whimsical, naive, annoying girl that fucked right off before those Demons invaded Alyras.”

The former assassin only realized she was panting when she was finished. Saffron stared at her as a few heads turned their way. They were staring quite clearly at her outburst. Amanda flushed and bit her lower lip.

“I…”

Saffron cleared her throat.

“I apologize. I didn’t really mean any offense to your friend. Perhaps I am biased because I am more familiar with Salvos than Daniel, and I have been following her growth for a long while. But I should’ve been more considerate with what I said.”

Amanda lowered her head. She spoke softly— barely a whisper.

“...it’s fine.”

The former assassin placed a hand on her chest. Her heart pounded like a smith’s hammer. Normally, she was much better at controlling her emotions. But there was a reason why she lashed out. It was the very same thing she’d realized over the last two days.

And it was why she jolted up as she heard a sharp voice call out.

“There he is!”

Everyone turned their heads, facing the gilded main entrance of the hall. The crowd hushed quickly as Amanda raised her head. She looked past the many faces blocking her way and stared straight at a young man stepping into the room.

“The [Hero] of Earth A1.”

Daniel Song. And the man Amanda had fallen in love with.

It was stupid, really. So immature. But she knew it was true. She knew how she felt— her heart fluttered as she watched him smile. She blushed as he nodded at the noblewomen fawning over him from the side.

Here he was. The man everyone was just vying to meet. Finally, after two days, he was making a public appearance and going to answer everyone’s questions once and for all. Amanda watched as he made his way up onto a stage, accompanied by king Artik of Alyras and princess Rana of Alyras.

The crowd whispered, some still skeptical, while others already believed in him.

“Is that really him?”

“My [Identification] isn’t working on him. Is he really a [Hero]?”

“He’s a [Hero], alright. [Lesser Appraisal] never lies.”

“Do you think he’ll be the one to put a stop to those Demons?”

“Well, it could still be a trick—”

Nevertheless, they spoke about him. They speculated harder now, seeing him in the flesh as the [Hero] he was. And they waited in anticipation for him to speak. To address all that was being said about him. Daniel took center stage with king Artik as princess Rana took a seat at a nearby table.

The young man cast his gaze over the room, stopping only to meet Amanda’s gaze. He smiled, and the former assassin instinctively flinched— even though she had no reason to— before steeling herself. She knew he was simply acknowledging her presence. There was no way he was happy to see her… right?

He was just there to give a speech. To dispel any doubts about his status as a [Hero]. To explain why he was even here in the Nexeus. Daniel Song took a deep breath as everyone in the room leaned forward, ready to hear what he had to say.

“I—”

Daniel started. And the heavy double doors at the entrance flew open once again. A loud voice drew the attention of everyone in the room. Amanda frowned, and Daniel blinked.

“Hello? Daniel? Are you in here? I’ve been searching everywhere for you!”

A silver-haired girl called out as she kicked the doors open. She carried three pink creatures— each about four feet tall— in front of her like they were just a stack of books as she looked around the room. A pair of guards stumbled after her, clearly trying to stop her, as a [Will O’ Wisp] trailed after her.

Salvos paused as she came face-to-face with the large gathering. They stared at her, and she cocked her head.

“Um, hello? Am I, um… interrupting?”

Daniel just sighed, and Willy snorted. Saffron smacked her forehead. The three of them muttered.

“Idiot.”