Chapter 90: Older Sister

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The King was offering a member of the Assassins’ clan a new home in the royal palace.

“Brother, please rethink this decision. Don’t allow this devil spawn to live in the castle.” The man standing next to the King said.

“Gerard, she might be the daughter of that vicious lair, many lives in this kingdom were lost because of them. But is that a reason to kill her? A child?” The King asked his brother, with no intention of backing down.

On that day my village was burned to the ground, and my fate changed completely. If someone from my clan saw me living in the castle they would call me a traitor, but I didn’t care at all, since the Stollen clan wasn’t known for their honorable values. That night I had the choice between the light and the darkness, and stepping away from the shadows, I went to the castle and became Alicia’s bodyguard.

Aside from my duties, I was just a bit older than Alicia, and I got the impression that the King and the Queen didn’t treat me differently from their daughter.

At the beginning I thought the blond-haired girl was just a shrimp that wouldn’t survive one day of my training, but as the days passed I became fond of her, and she became my first true friend.

I started to see the royal palace as my home, and when I came of age, I made a proper vow before the King to honor him and protect Alicia with my life.

…

“So that’s your story?” I said after hearing Diane’s entire monologue.

“Yes,” she replied without enthusiasm.

“So about your clan…”

“I don’t seek any kind of revenge against Gerard for that. His wyverns might have been the cause of my clan’s destruction, but as I said, I don’t feel anything toward them. I never liked him, and he tried to kill Alicia. That I cannot forgive.”

“I see. So you’re trying to protect your family, right?”

“My family?” she asked in surprise.

“Yeah. You said they didn’t treat you much differently from Alicia, so that means they treated you like a daughter, you protect Alicia as if you were her older sister.”

Diane looked startled, as if the ground had disappeared beneath her feet. “Eh, I don’t think… I mean, they got me new clothes, and they let me eat at the royal table, and the Queen put me to sleep, and I always took care of Alicia but…”

“Ha, hahaha!” I couldn’t help laughing at Diane. Seeing that serious woman act out of character was hilarious.

To me, it was as clear as day. Even if Diane wouldn’t admit it, she saw the royal family as her true family, and Alicia as her little sister who needed to be protected. And I believed Alicia felt the same way about her.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, somewhat annoyed with me.

“Nothing. Don’t worry, I don’t intend to tell Alicia how her older sister feels,” I said, still smiling. Then I extended my hand to her and added, “Come on, Diane. We need to talk to the others about the mission.”

…

After hearing about Diane’s past, we went back to the room. The white-haired woman was still keeping her distance from the Silver Fang girls, but I was already expecting that.

There wasn’t much I could do about her distrust toward them, so the two of them would have to earn her trust themselves. It was already good progress that she was even in the same room.

Sarah spread a piece of paper on the floor so we all could see it. “I asked Joseph for a map of the mine. With this we have an idea of how to reach the depths of the mine.”

“Yeah, but there is a catch there, right?” Erina said, “They didn’t work in the mine for days. What if some parts crumbled after they stopped operating?”

“Eh,” Sarah looked impressed at Erina, “Are you actually smart?!”

“Are you implying that I look dumb?” Erina asked Sarah, and then she turned towards me, “It would be good if we could check the situation inside the dungeon, but with a large group it could be troublesome if we get outnumbered by Ghosts.”

Erina was right. I thought that it would be a good idea if one of us could handle the recon, entering the dungeon, checking if the paths match the map and looking out for ambushes. Immediately I thought that it would be good work for Diane.

’Brandish, could Diane handle the recon for us? I remember Freya said I could use only my Valkyries in battle, but that is for fighting, right? If we use her only to gather information, is it ok?’ I asked Freya’s servant.

’Yes, but she is prohibited to fight. If she does, you won’t receive your Valkyrie slots.’

I sighed deeply, preparing myself for a leader’s speech, “There are some things that I have to explain. First, this mission was asked by Freya, the goddess of Love and War, herself.”

“Wahh! This is really incredible, Rick!” Alicia said in amazement, as expected from one of the goddess’s followers. The girls kept listening, knowing the situation was important.

“There is a requirement to fulfill the quest as Freya demands it. I can’t enter this dungeon with people that aren’t my Valkyries.” I said, remembering the little tip Freya had given me, “But I can still transform one of you into my Valkyrie. Justine, I would like you to be that girl.”

“I see, magic is more effective against Ghosts so you plan to maximize magic in your composition.” Justine said.

“Exactly. Diane, I also have a job for you. You can’t fight alongside us under this plan, but I would like you to check the dungeon pathways with the map. You don’t need to fight, just get in, and get out as quickly as you can. Can you do that?”

Diane didn’t say anything, but she nodded to me.

I nodded back at her and then I said to the others, “Today, I wanted to test the waters in this dungeon, and test Justine’s powers and Sarah’s new skill. Is it ok for you girls?”

All of them nodded, prepared to face our challenge.

“Ok, so let’s explore that mine!”

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