96.1. Siege
After Daniel rejected Faith’s request, he retired straight to bed. I wanted to follow after him, but I didn’t need to sleep. Especially not after the night before— I did not want to try sleeping again!
However, I almost regretted the decision when dinner continued, and no one said a word. Apparently, his answer was not what they were expecting. But I did not get why they were surprised.
Daniel was my companion, but he was also a [Hero]. He was obsessed with helping other Humans— in fact, he even helped me because I was a Demon. It was in his nature to try and do what he considered was ‘right’ in that weird Human way.
But what Faith was asking him to do was stupid. It would be like telling him to charge straight at Belzu and slay him, just because he had an army of monsters that was threatening the nearby countries.
As evinced by how he and I were not dead in the Brilsum Ruins, he would never do that.
Still, it had left everyone sitting around the fire in silence. I wanted to talk to someone, but they all seemed too deeply engrossed in their disgusting meals to talk. Zack especially. His head almost seemed buried in the bowl.
There was only one person who wasn’t busying themselves with their food. Only one person was available to talk. And that was…
I perked up and sidled over to Faith’s side.
“So, you’re a princess, right?”
The Human woman jerked as I curiously peered at her. She worked her jaw slowly, unsure of what to say until she finally found her words.
“...Yes. I am a princess. At least, that’s what I had been when I was in the Elutra Kingdom.”
“You’re not a princess anymore?”
“I’m… not sure. But even if I was, I wouldn’t be one for much longer. It seems my only hope for our country to survive has been crushed, and now I’ll have to return empty-handed and face my fate.”
I nodded along and followed Faith as she looked at the night sky. The wheeling stars above were scintillating, an undulating glow that almost seemed to fade before coming back into existence. Glancing back down at her, I saw a similar effect with the light from the flickering flames on her face.
Something was there. It had almost been snuffed out. But it still existed.
I cocked my head.
“Why do you need a [Hero] to save your country? Can’t you get a Level 100 adventurer or something to do the same thing?”
“Ms Salvos—”
“Just call me Salvos.”
“...Salvos. I don’t know how much you know about history. I’ve been told by your Gold Rank friends that you aren't the most… knowledgeable person on these kinds of subjects.”
“I am not!”
I happily concurred. She blinked but slowly continued.
“But Demons are the natural enemy to [Heroes]. Ever since Alexander’s reign ten thousand years ago. He had repelled the Kobold invasions, brokered a treaty with the Spirit Lord, and even conquered part of the Elven lands. But his thousand-year rule over the Human lands came to an end by a Demon.”
“A Demon killed a [Hero]?”
“Yes.”
Faith turned to face me.
“The one they call the Demon King slew him.”
Regnorex? I blinked, taking in this information.
“That’s right. And since then, [Heroes] have been summoned countless times to deal with Demon threats. While there are sometimes different circumstances that lead to summonings, like with Daniel or the Quisling, most have been brought to this world for that very reason. The Oracle of Light, Melissa, had been said to have killed over a hundred Archdemons on her own in single combat.”
“Woah.”
“We can hire adventurers— those willing to fight for us. And we have. But they’ve always died. We never know how they do. Just that they’re slain on the battlefield by some force the Inoria Empire has that we aren’t aware of.”
“And you think those are Demons?”
“They have to be. Otherwise, they would have approached Daniel sooner when he had fought with us.”
I frowned and raised a hand.
“Why wouldn’t they just face him?”
“Because he’s a [Hero]. He has powerful Skills— I’m sure you had to have seen them before. Even a Greater Demon would’ve fallen to him if they faced him when he was Level 10.”
I remembered the battle against Lucerna in Silvergrove. Then I remembered our fight meeting. Nope, I don’t think so.
“Plus, we always had him wear that necklace he has. It would show his level to be far higher than it actually was, and there’s no way the Inoria Empire would risk one of their key assets against an unknown threat.”
Faith finished her explanation. The moment she did, her face twisted. She bit her lower lip and spoke in a shaking voice.
“That’s why we needed him… and he said no.”
I looked at her. The princess was clearly upset. I barely knew her, but it was normal Human social convention to cheer others up when they were upset, right? So, I shrugged.
“I don’t think Daniel would make much of a difference. He probably would just die.”
She stared up at me in surprise.
“You think a [Hero] who was able to take out dozens of assassins at his level— or higher than his level— wouldn’t be able to even do a little thing to change the course of the war? If a high leveled general were to face him, he would surely win the fight.”
“Not surely. He can win. But he can also die. And if you put him in that situation a hundred times over, what do you think his chances are of surviving?”
“I…”
Faith trailed off as I gave her a firm look.
“Daniel would die. He wouldn’t change anything. So don’t worry about it!”
Sighing, she hugged her knees.
“I don’t think that makes me feel any better, but thanks for trying.”
“No problem!”
I sat next to her as she grew quiet. I just looked at her the entire time. Until finally, she eyed me.
“Is there something else you need? You’ve already made me feel even worse than before.”
“Yep! I was wondering…”
I leaned closer, right until my face was next to hers.
“What is it like to be a princess?”
Faith furrowed her brows. She must have thought something about my intentions before changing her mind. Slowly, she smiled.
“There’s a lot of things about it. A lot of things I loved and hated. Would you like to hear about it?”
“Sure!”
When Daniel went to bed, he felt guilty. Ashamed of his cowardice. But not only did he not trust Faith, but he also valued his own life. More than that?
He had seen tragedy once. The act of a real hero. However, death had consequences. And those consequences resulted in those who knew the hero being hurt.
Daniel had been hurt. He understood what that pain felt like. So, he was not going to impart that suffering to Salvos or Rachel.
Pushing open the tent’s flap and exiting into the light of day, Daniel couldn’t help but rub at his eyes. He did not get a good night’s sleep, even if he had lain in his bedroll for the last twelve hours. It was noon when he awoke. And he wasted more time by hiding, refusing to go out to meet the judging looks.
The nasty gaze of those who saw his actions as selfish.
That was what Daniel expected to meet when he went outside. What he did not expect to see was a princess excitedly chatting with a Demon.
“—and he actually did that for you?”
“Well, yes. And I would’ve felt bad if not for the fact that viscount Blaz was just trying to cozy up with my brother. Honestly, being the fifth and second-last in line for the throne sucked.”
Faith spoke in a casual cadence. She had dropped almost all pretext of being a princess, her diction sounding almost like that of a regular young woman. Huffing, the young woman crossed her arms.
“So many people try to use you, and not even for the power or influence you can give them, but to climb further up that ladder of politics.”
“That’s rude! You’re not a thing, you’re Faith! A princess.”
Salvos pointed out. Faith chuckled.
“That I am.”
The two women paused as Daniel approached them. He lifted a suspicious eyebrow at the princess.
“I hope you’re not still thinking of trying to use Salvos to convince me to help you. Because I won’t.”
Standing up, Faith dusted off her dress and replied.
“I am unfortunately not as shrewd as you seem to think of me, Daniel. No— Salvos and I were just conversing.”
A small smile appeared on her face as she cast a glance at the Demon.
“As friends.”
“Yep!”
Daniel frowned, looking down at Salvos. She just opened her palms and shrugged.
“She’s a princess. I’ve always wanted to meet a princess.”
Two months is not ‘always’, Daniel almost retorted. However, he held it back in and shook his head.
“Well, I’m glad that the two of you are getting along, but Salvos and I have places to be.”
“You’re the one who slept for so long!”
Salvos argued, raising an accusing finger at him.
“Faith went to bed and woke up in half the time you took to sleep!”
“And how about you?”
Daniel grinned back at her. She hesitated.
“Uh… I slept too. Just for a bit, though!”
“A General Skill then?”
The princess knowingly touched her chin.
“I’d love to get one of those. My father has one called [Morning Grace], and it lets him work for most of the day without stopping. It almost lets him be like one of those machines from Daniel’s world.”
The [Hero] from Earth was taken aback. How did— Then he remembered all the secrets he told her. All the times he thought that the two of them could…
“Let’s go, Salvos. We should leave as soon as possible.”
The Demon tried to object. However, Daniel had already turned and was walking away.
“Aw, but can’t we stay with them for at least another day! Helen and the others are here too!”
Faith placed a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s fine. I’ll let them go with you if you really want. I had hired them as my escorts as they were the ones who told me about Daniel and his general vicinity. Knowing that let me use a scrying artifact I had to find the two of you. But now…”
Daniel had paused and was waiting for Salvos to follow. Faith eyed him with a sidelong glance.
“It seems like there’s no need for that or their services any longer.”
Salvos brightened, then instantly deflated.
“Does that mean you’re going back to your country?”
“I have to. It’s my duty as a princess.”
The pretty words did little to convince Daniel. Salvos didn’t care as much as he did and just believed it.
“Princesses are amazing! A little bit stupid but amazing!”
“I do agree with that.”
Faith laughed. She got up and walked with Salvos as the two approached Daniel, just talking. Like real friends. And Daniel did not think to say anything until the conversation shifted when they stopped right by him.
“Where are you headed, by the way? I don’t believe I remembered to ask.”
“We’re—”
“We’re reporting a very important piece of information to the Adventurers Guild.”
Daniel spoke for Salvos, giving her a look. She pouted but let him continue.
“It’s none of your concern, so please don’t follow after us.”
“I won’t. But if it’s really something important that you have to report, I can help you with that.”
Offering him a friendly smile, Faith called for one of her servants. They returned with what was a rolled-up piece of parchment and an almost translucent quill. She unfurled it on a wooden crate and frowned.
“Hmm, seems like there’s a bit of news for me today.”
“What’s that?”
Salvos asked, leaning over the shoulder of the princess.
“It’s a Messaging Scroll. A High Grade artifact. My contacts send me any intel or even just news that might be noteworthy with it. That’s how I first found out that the Inoria Empire placed a bounty on Daniel, and that they hired the Harrowed Vindicators to take him out. Look— as you can see, after what you two did to them last night, they’ve raised the price.”
Daniel’s eyes grew wide at the sum displayed. The number of zeroes there could not be right, could it? But it had to be.
Whatever the Inoria Empire had placed on his head before only attracted Level 60 assassins. Not the Platinums or Diamonds he expected. The reward showed here— now that was what a Level 80, 90… or even 100 bounty hunter would accept.
Salvos ‘oo-ed’ at the magical item. Her voice was filled with alacrity, as usual, ignoring the fact that Daniel was probably a walking dead man right now if assassins at Level 100 came after him.
“What else can it do? What else does it say?”
“I mostly use it to receive information, but it’s a two-way street. So, I can inform my contact of this… report you want to make to the Adventurers Guild.”
“Oh, alright then. Tell them—”
“Why should we trust you?”
Daniel snapped at Faith. She rolled her eyes.
“Unless you think this Messaging Scroll doesn’t actually work, I don’t see what’s not to trust.”
“I—”
This time, Salvos spoke over him.
“It’s fine, Daniel. We can always go to an Adventurers Guild later and check if the message has been sent.”
He acquiesced.
“Fine.”
“Alright, so tell them this—”
Salvos explained the situation in the Motharis to the princess. Faith’s face grew grim as she heard the story, and she picked up the quill as it glowed with magic.
“...and I’ll write that this Archdemon is using some kind of illusion and curse magic to do this.”
Salvos nodded. Faith scribbled on the magical board easily, and the words shone. They vanished moments after, as whatever magic sent it far somewhere else.
“Wait, it just disappears?”
“The recipient will have about a day to read the message before it disappears. And I’ve sent it to quite a few of them, so I’m sure one of them will be around to see it and spread word of what I said. Usually, I have one of my servants watching over the Messaging Scroll. The messages sent are encrypted in code, so they won’t know what it is. I just have them trace it and jot it down to show it to me if I’m busy.”
“Did you receive anything important today?”
Faith shrugged as her eyes scanned through the long scroll.
“Not really. Let’s see…”
She began reading out what sounded like news article titles to Daniel as Salvos attentively listened.
“Fear of possible Kobold invasion grows as the Forsaken Company wanes in strength. Elven diplomats arrive in Dwarf lands, marking a possible end to Dwarven neutrality. These are the two big news stories of today. There are a few smaller things of note like the Valiant Dreamers declaring war with the Iron Champions Company or the typical squabbling with the city-states in the Helbir Plains—”
Salvos had been listening with keen interest while Daniel was off to the side with his arms crossed. But the moment she started listing out the minor news stories, the two of them jerked.
“Wait, what did you say?”
Daniel asked the question hurriedly. Faith glanced up, blinking.
“Oh, uh, the Helbir Plains—”
“No, not that!”
Salvos placed both hands on the scroll and spoke worriedly.
“What’s happening between the Valiant Dreamers and Iron Champions?”
Faith fumbled at the scroll and reread the part from before.
“The two companies, the Valiant Dreamers and the Iron Champions, are now officially at war after what is allegedly an assassination attempt by the latter company against the former. There are also accusations of sabotage and even murder instigated by the Iron Champions Company, which is why the Valiant Dreamers made the declaration of war. It was made this morning, and—”
Daniel felt his heart racing as the words were read out. But he wasn’t prepared for the last part. The part which made Salvos burst into action.
“Since the declaration has been made, the headquarters of the Valiant Dreamers Company in Viechester has been in lockdown. The Iron Champions Company have begun their siege, and the entire city has been thrown into chaos.”
96.1. Siege
After Daniel rejected Faith’s request, he retired straight to bed. I wanted to follow after him, but I didn’t need to sleep. Especially not after the night before— I did not want to try sleeping again!
However, I almost regretted the decision when dinner continued, and no one said a word. Apparently, his answer was not what they were expecting. But I did not get why they were surprised.
Daniel was my companion, but he was also a [Hero]. He was obsessed with helping other Humans— in fact, he even helped me because I was a Demon. It was in his nature to try and do what he considered was ‘right’ in that weird Human way.
But what Faith was asking him to do was stupid. It would be like telling him to charge straight at Belzu and slay him, just because he had an army of monsters that was threatening the nearby countries.
As evinced by how he and I were not dead in the Brilsum Ruins, he would never do that.
Still, it had left everyone sitting around the fire in silence. I wanted to talk to someone, but they all seemed too deeply engrossed in their disgusting meals to talk. Zack especially. His head almost seemed buried in the bowl.
There was only one person who wasn’t busying themselves with their food. Only one person was available to talk. And that was…
I perked up and sidled over to Faith’s side.
“So, you’re a princess, right?”
The Human woman jerked as I curiously peered at her. She worked her jaw slowly, unsure of what to say until she finally found her words.
“...Yes. I am a princess. At least, that’s what I had been when I was in the Elutra Kingdom.”
“You’re not a princess anymore?”
“I’m… not sure. But even if I was, I wouldn’t be one for much longer. It seems my only hope for our country to survive has been crushed, and now I’ll have to return empty-handed and face my fate.”
I nodded along and followed Faith as she looked at the night sky. The wheeling stars above were scintillating, an undulating glow that almost seemed to fade before coming back into existence. Glancing back down at her, I saw a similar effect with the light from the flickering flames on her face.
Something was there. It had almost been snuffed out. But it still existed.
I cocked my head.
“Why do you need a [Hero] to save your country? Can’t you get a Level 100 adventurer or something to do the same thing?”
“Ms Salvos—”
“Just call me Salvos.”
“...Salvos. I don’t know how much you know about history. I’ve been told by your Gold Rank friends that you aren't the most… knowledgeable person on these kinds of subjects.”
“I am not!”
I happily concurred. She blinked but slowly continued.
“But Demons are the natural enemy to [Heroes]. Ever since Alexander’s reign ten thousand years ago. He had repelled the Kobold invasions, brokered a treaty with the Spirit Lord, and even conquered part of the Elven lands. But his thousand-year rule over the Human lands came to an end by a Demon.”
“A Demon killed a [Hero]?”
“Yes.”
Faith turned to face me.
“The one they call the Demon King slew him.”
Regnorex? I blinked, taking in this information.
“That’s right. And since then, [Heroes] have been summoned countless times to deal with Demon threats. While there are sometimes different circumstances that lead to summonings, like with Daniel or the Quisling, most have been brought to this world for that very reason. The Oracle of Light, Melissa, had been said to have killed over a hundred Archdemons on her own in single combat.”
“Woah.”
“We can hire adventurers— those willing to fight for us. And we have. But they’ve always died. We never know how they do. Just that they’re slain on the battlefield by some force the Inoria Empire has that we aren’t aware of.”
“And you think those are Demons?”
“They have to be. Otherwise, they would have approached Daniel sooner when he had fought with us.”
I frowned and raised a hand.
“Why wouldn’t they just face him?”
“Because he’s a [Hero]. He has powerful Skills— I’m sure you had to have seen them before. Even a Greater Demon would’ve fallen to him if they faced him when he was Level 10.”
I remembered the battle against Lucerna in Silvergrove. Then I remembered our fight meeting. Nope, I don’t think so.
“Plus, we always had him wear that necklace he has. It would show his level to be far higher than it actually was, and there’s no way the Inoria Empire would risk one of their key assets against an unknown threat.”
Faith finished her explanation. The moment she did, her face twisted. She bit her lower lip and spoke in a shaking voice.
“That’s why we needed him… and he said no.”
I looked at her. The princess was clearly upset. I barely knew her, but it was normal Human social convention to cheer others up when they were upset, right? So, I shrugged.
“I don’t think Daniel would make much of a difference. He probably would just die.”
She stared up at me in surprise.
“You think a [Hero] who was able to take out dozens of assassins at his level— or higher than his level— wouldn’t be able to even do a little thing to change the course of the war? If a high leveled general were to face him, he would surely win the fight.”
“Not surely. He can win. But he can also die. And if you put him in that situation a hundred times over, what do you think his chances are of surviving?”
“I…”
Faith trailed off as I gave her a firm look.
“Daniel would die. He wouldn’t change anything. So don’t worry about it!”
Sighing, she hugged her knees.
“I don’t think that makes me feel any better, but thanks for trying.”
“No problem!”
I sat next to her as she grew quiet. I just looked at her the entire time. Until finally, she eyed me.
“Is there something else you need? You’ve already made me feel even worse than before.”
“Yep! I was wondering…”
I leaned closer, right until my face was next to hers.
“What is it like to be a princess?”
Faith furrowed her brows. She must have thought something about my intentions before changing her mind. Slowly, she smiled.
“There’s a lot of things about it. A lot of things I loved and hated. Would you like to hear about it?”
“Sure!”
When Daniel went to bed, he felt guilty. Ashamed of his cowardice. But not only did he not trust Faith, but he also valued his own life. More than that?
He had seen tragedy once. The act of a real hero. However, death had consequences. And those consequences resulted in those who knew the hero being hurt.
Daniel had been hurt. He understood what that pain felt like. So, he was not going to impart that suffering to Salvos or Rachel.
Pushing open the tent’s flap and exiting into the light of day, Daniel couldn’t help but rub at his eyes. He did not get a good night’s sleep, even if he had lain in his bedroll for the last twelve hours. It was noon when he awoke. And he wasted more time by hiding, refusing to go out to meet the judging looks.
The nasty gaze of those who saw his actions as selfish.
That was what Daniel expected to meet when he went outside. What he did not expect to see was a princess excitedly chatting with a Demon.
“—and he actually did that for you?”
“Well, yes. And I would’ve felt bad if not for the fact that viscount Blaz was just trying to cozy up with my brother. Honestly, being the fifth and second-last in line for the throne sucked.”
Faith spoke in a casual cadence. She had dropped almost all pretext of being a princess, her diction sounding almost like that of a regular young woman. Huffing, the young woman crossed her arms.
“So many people try to use you, and not even for the power or influence you can give them, but to climb further up that ladder of politics.”
“That’s rude! You’re not a thing, you’re Faith! A princess.”
Salvos pointed out. Faith chuckled.
“That I am.”
The two women paused as Daniel approached them. He lifted a suspicious eyebrow at the princess.
“I hope you’re not still thinking of trying to use Salvos to convince me to help you. Because I won’t.”
Standing up, Faith dusted off her dress and replied.
“I am unfortunately not as shrewd as you seem to think of me, Daniel. No— Salvos and I were just conversing.”
A small smile appeared on her face as she cast a glance at the Demon.
“As friends.”
“Yep!”
Daniel frowned, looking down at Salvos. She just opened her palms and shrugged.
“She’s a princess. I’ve always wanted to meet a princess.”
Two months is not ‘always’, Daniel almost retorted. However, he held it back in and shook his head.
“Well, I’m glad that the two of you are getting along, but Salvos and I have places to be.”
“You’re the one who slept for so long!”
Salvos argued, raising an accusing finger at him.
“Faith went to bed and woke up in half the time you took to sleep!”
“And how about you?”
Daniel grinned back at her. She hesitated.
“Uh… I slept too. Just for a bit, though!”
“A General Skill then?”
The princess knowingly touched her chin.
“I’d love to get one of those. My father has one called [Morning Grace], and it lets him work for most of the day without stopping. It almost lets him be like one of those machines from Daniel’s world.”
The [Hero] from Earth was taken aback. How did— Then he remembered all the secrets he told her. All the times he thought that the two of them could…
“Let’s go, Salvos. We should leave as soon as possible.”
The Demon tried to object. However, Daniel had already turned and was walking away.
“Aw, but can’t we stay with them for at least another day! Helen and the others are here too!”
Faith placed a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s fine. I’ll let them go with you if you really want. I had hired them as my escorts as they were the ones who told me about Daniel and his general vicinity. Knowing that let me use a scrying artifact I had to find the two of you. But now…”
Daniel had paused and was waiting for Salvos to follow. Faith eyed him with a sidelong glance.
“It seems like there’s no need for that or their services any longer.”
Salvos brightened, then instantly deflated.
“Does that mean you’re going back to your country?”
“I have to. It’s my duty as a princess.”
The pretty words did little to convince Daniel. Salvos didn’t care as much as he did and just believed it.
“Princesses are amazing! A little bit stupid but amazing!”
“I do agree with that.”
Faith laughed. She got up and walked with Salvos as the two approached Daniel, just talking. Like real friends. And Daniel did not think to say anything until the conversation shifted when they stopped right by him.
“Where are you headed, by the way? I don’t believe I remembered to ask.”
“We’re—”
“We’re reporting a very important piece of information to the Adventurers Guild.”
Daniel spoke for Salvos, giving her a look. She pouted but let him continue.
“It’s none of your concern, so please don’t follow after us.”
“I won’t. But if it’s really something important that you have to report, I can help you with that.”
Offering him a friendly smile, Faith called for one of her servants. They returned with what was a rolled-up piece of parchment and an almost translucent quill. She unfurled it on a wooden crate and frowned.
“Hmm, seems like there’s a bit of news for me today.”
“What’s that?”
Salvos asked, leaning over the shoulder of the princess.
“It’s a Messaging Scroll. A High Grade artifact. My contacts send me any intel or even just news that might be noteworthy with it. That’s how I first found out that the Inoria Empire placed a bounty on Daniel, and that they hired the Harrowed Vindicators to take him out. Look— as you can see, after what you two did to them last night, they’ve raised the price.”
Daniel’s eyes grew wide at the sum displayed. The number of zeroes there could not be right, could it? But it had to be.
Whatever the Inoria Empire had placed on his head before only attracted Level 60 assassins. Not the Platinums or Diamonds he expected. The reward showed here— now that was what a Level 80, 90… or even 100 bounty hunter would accept.
Salvos ‘oo-ed’ at the magical item. Her voice was filled with alacrity, as usual, ignoring the fact that Daniel was probably a walking dead man right now if assassins at Level 100 came after him.
“What else can it do? What else does it say?”
“I mostly use it to receive information, but it’s a two-way street. So, I can inform my contact of this… report you want to make to the Adventurers Guild.”
“Oh, alright then. Tell them—”
“Why should we trust you?”
Daniel snapped at Faith. She rolled her eyes.
“Unless you think this Messaging Scroll doesn’t actually work, I don’t see what’s not to trust.”
“I—”
This time, Salvos spoke over him.
“It’s fine, Daniel. We can always go to an Adventurers Guild later and check if the message has been sent.”
He acquiesced.
“Fine.”
“Alright, so tell them this—”
Salvos explained the situation in the Motharis to the princess. Faith’s face grew grim as she heard the story, and she picked up the quill as it glowed with magic.
“...and I’ll write that this Archdemon is using some kind of illusion and curse magic to do this.”
Salvos nodded. Faith scribbled on the magical board easily, and the words shone. They vanished moments after, as whatever magic sent it far somewhere else.
“Wait, it just disappears?”
“The recipient will have about a day to read the message before it disappears. And I’ve sent it to quite a few of them, so I’m sure one of them will be around to see it and spread word of what I said. Usually, I have one of my servants watching over the Messaging Scroll. The messages sent are encrypted in code, so they won’t know what it is. I just have them trace it and jot it down to show it to me if I’m busy.”
“Did you receive anything important today?”
Faith shrugged as her eyes scanned through the long scroll.
“Not really. Let’s see…”
She began reading out what sounded like news article titles to Daniel as Salvos attentively listened.
“Fear of possible Kobold invasion grows as the Forsaken Company wanes in strength. Elven diplomats arrive in Dwarf lands, marking a possible end to Dwarven neutrality. These are the two big news stories of today. There are a few smaller things of note like the Valiant Dreamers declaring war with the Iron Champions Company or the typical squabbling with the city-states in the Helbir Plains—”
Salvos had been listening with keen interest while Daniel was off to the side with his arms crossed. But the moment she started listing out the minor news stories, the two of them jerked.
“Wait, what did you say?”
Daniel asked the question hurriedly. Faith glanced up, blinking.
“Oh, uh, the Helbir Plains—”
“No, not that!”
Salvos placed both hands on the scroll and spoke worriedly.
“What’s happening between the Valiant Dreamers and Iron Champions?”
Faith fumbled at the scroll and reread the part from before.
“The two companies, the Valiant Dreamers and the Iron Champions, are now officially at war after what is allegedly an assassination attempt by the latter company against the former. There are also accusations of sabotage and even murder instigated by the Iron Champions Company, which is why the Valiant Dreamers made the declaration of war. It was made this morning, and—”
Daniel felt his heart racing as the words were read out. But he wasn’t prepared for the last part. The part which made Salvos burst into action.
“Since the declaration has been made, the headquarters of the Valiant Dreamers Company in Viechester has been in lockdown. The Iron Champions Company have begun their siege, and the entire city has been thrown into chaos.”
