Chapter 49 – New Challenger Approaches

It took less than a minute for the group to find where the fighting was happening.

Grim stood with his cleaver up and ready, a smirk on his face. He didn't seem to have any damage on him.

His opponent was a few feet from him, a longsword in her hands. A cloak with the hood up obscured her face, but she was breathing heavily. The top half of her armor was made of small scales that were fitted around the frame of her body, which clued Reina in to her gender. That, and her bottom half was covered with shorts and a pair of long boots; Reina doubted a man would wear something like that. The scale armor went down further in the back, making it into a sort of coat.

"Crap!" The assailant cursed, briefly looking at Reina before returning her attention to Grim.

"Ah, Reina." Grim did the same. "Sorry you had to come by. She was much noisier than I thought she'd be."

"What's going on?" Reina asked, her Crimson Blade Ceremonial Sword in hand.

Grim held his arm out to his side. "I can handle this myself. No need to get involved."

He didn't answer her question. More pressing, the woman turned around and started to run. With a quick flourish, Grim threw a knife at her back, prompting her to spin around and deflect it.

"I didn't know you used throwing knives." Reina commented as she walked to the side. She wanted to get a better view of what was going on.

"I bought them mostly for this. Thought we were being followed again. Or, well, that you were being followed." Grim admitted. "Plus, it doesn't hurt to have something to use at range."

"How long were we being followed?" That and other questions floated in Reina's mind, but she was willing to wait for Grim to subdue this person before receiving any answers.

"So?" Grim spun his cleaver around. "Are you going to attack? Or did the appearance of the Totem Hero throw you off?"

The woman clicked her tongue. "I wouldn't be so flippant if I were you."

Grim just continued to smile. "Try me."

She did just that. The woman lunged forward, closing the distance between the two more quickly than she should have been able to. Grim brought his cleaver down to deflect the thrust, quickly spinning in place and using the momentum to deliver an overhead chop.

The cleaver connected to something solid beneath her cloak. She brought up her longsword in an arc to slash at Grim's face, only for him to sidestep the attempt.

Grim stood back with his arms out to his sides, as if welcoming an embrace. The woman growled at that, charging at him once more. She slashed at his head with her blade from the side. Grim ducked underneath and stepped forward, grabbing the woman's cloak. From the spot his cleaver had struck, the cloak tore and was ripped from the woman.

Her face reminded Reina of Maphai, except kinder. That was to say, her expression was fierce, but not of someone looking down at humans as if they were insects. The blond hair also added to the similarity, though it was much shorter, the longest of which resting just above her shoulders with the hair above her eyes cut shorter. Also unlike Maphai, this woman's eyes were a piercing blue.

"Really?" Grim laughed. "You were the one sent out here? Someone this weak?"

The woman snarled and spun around to yell. "Take this seriously!" She charged again.

Grim gripped his cleaver with both hands. "If you say so."

The woman leapt in the air, her sword overhead for a massive slash. Grim held his cleaver low before sweeping it up high. The two blades met in a powerful clash. The sound of something cracking echoed in the air.

"Shi—" The woman yelled out, only for her blade to break a moment later. What followed was an explosive burst of force and energy. The woman was thrown back through the air. Grim was also pushed back, though he kept his feet on the ground. When she landed, her body dug up dirt as she plowed through the earth before stopping a few feet in front of Reina. Her mouth was open, gasping for air.

"Well then." Grim rested his cleaver over his shoulder as he began to walk—swagger—over to them. "That wasn't too difficult."

Reina kept her eyes on Grim for a moment longer before looking back down at the woman. She was able to regain control of her breathing, taking in a deep breath. Aside from her sword broken a few inches from the hilt, she didn't seem to have taken too much damage. Her armor took the brunt of the damage, strange burns marking where it did so. A few marks on her face that looked like they could be from physical strikes, and would likely become bruises later.

"What just happened?" Reina asked.

"That's what happens when a mana brand weapon breaks." Grim responded.

"I didn't know that…" Maria let out. "Does that mean…" She gestured to herself.

Grim shook his head. "Armor doesn't work like that. When it starts to break, pouring MP into it just makes it deteriorate faster.

Maria sighed in relief. Reina also relaxed a little. The last thing she wanted was for Maria to get hurt like that.

"Who are you?" Reina then asked the woman, who shrank back on the ground from the glare she was receiving.

"I…" She cut herself off, quickly scrambling on the ground.

Reina took a step back and readied her own blade, but the woman knelt on the ground with one knee, head down. Her sword was in both hands, pointed at the ground.

"I am…" She began again, but stopped once more. She raised her head slightly to look at her sword. As if it offended her, she threw the broken sword off to the side. She then rested one arm on her knee with her other fist on the ground, head lowered again. "I am Cassandra, knight of the Branded Order of Hascain. Totem Hero, I am here in service to my lady to request your aid in defending against the Waves in Hascain."

The woman, Cassandra, continued to kneel as Reina looked down at her. Reina took in a deep breath and let it out. "I have so many questions."

Cassandra raised her head and brought her fist to her chest. "Ask anything, and I will answer to the best of my ability."

The professional manner this knight addressed her was in stark difference to what she just witnessed.

"Why did you attack Grim?" Reina asked first.

Cassandra's eyes widened. "I…"

"Yes, do tell." Grim slid closer, a grin on his face.

Cassandra snapped her head toward him, scowling. "I thought this ingrate was using you for his own benefit."

"Only a little." Grim shrugged in response.

"That's it?" Reina asked. "You thought he was using me, so you decided to kill him?"

"Urk…" Cassandra stiffened, then slowly faced Reina again.

"She wants you to aid the princess in her political conflict." Grim said.

Cassandra snarled at him. "Treasonous brat!"

Grim continued to smile.

"So it was just for politics?" Reina wanted to hear it from Cassandra herself.

"No, Lady Totem Hero." Cassandra shook her head. "The Waves are my lady's prime concern. However, if you decide to support my lady after meeting her, I would be forever grateful."

"She could use all the help she can get, that's for sure." Grim commented.

"Dog of Balta!" Cassandra hissed.

"Ooh~. Scathing insult."

Reina wasn't sure what to make of this knight. She was clearly easily riled up, but it might have been personal between her and Grim.

Grim had talked about the princess a little before. The way he said it, it sounded like Princess Angeline didn't want to make Grim a noble. There was probably tension between the two of them, in addition to what Duke Balta passed onto him from his own plans for the throne.

"That's enough, Grim." Reina said. She wanted to hear more from this knight. "Is that why you were following us? To find a chance to kill Grim?"

"I didn't recognize Grimwald when I first saw him, though I only met him once in person. He looks…significantly older now." Cassandra said.

Grim, for his part, held back a retort.

"You knew we were being followed for a while." Reina made the next question for him. He nodded. "And you didn't tell us that because…?"

"You aren't the best actor, Reina." Grim responded.

There was some truth to that. A lot of truth. "What about the others?"

To answer that, Grim pointed to the rest of the party behind her. Maria was the only one to turn her head away, scratching the back of her head.

"You all knew?" Reina asked.

"I spotted her today." Maria admitted. "Grim seemed to already know, and he handled it well last time, so…"

"I became aware of her yesterday, though I didn't realize she was following us until this morning." Vyrdrun said, eyeing the knight. "She stinks of magic."

That was another thing to ask about, apparently.

"It felt like someone was watching us." Kuromo said.

Kuromo, at least, wasn't totally aware of Cassandra. He was just being protective of her.

"I don't like it when something like this is kept hidden from me by everyone in the party. It feels too much like Savia." Reina told them, looking at everyone in the eye.

"Got it." Grim nodded.

"Yes, Mother." Kuromo was passive in his response, but his tail drooped a little.

"I will tell you in the future." Vyrdrun said.

"Sorry, Bo—Reina." Maria said, quickly correcting herself.

Hearing the slip made Reina feel a little better, see that Maria's word choice was much more conscious thought than feeling. That must have shown on her face, since Maria huffed and turned away.

"If you distrust your party, perhaps speaking with Princess Angeline will—"

"You aren't nearly as clever as you think you are." Grim interrupted Cassandra, earning a glare from the knight.

"Not everyone can be favored by a usurper!"

"A ruler who can't control her country is hardly a ruler."

"You say that like you had no part in what's happening!"

"Grim." Reina stopped him from retorting again. It was clear that, despite being a knight, Cassandra couldn't restrain herself.

"And after everything she's done for you!" Cassandra also couldn't take the hint. "You were a commoner, too, and she elevated you to nobility, despite the backlash. Instead of thanking her, you spat in her face when you refused the engagement she helped set up. You insulted her further by marrying that thing—"

Reina's eyes widened. One moment, Cassandra was kneeling before her, yelling up at Grim. In the next, there was a loud crack, and Cassandra had flown a dozen feet to the side, landing on her back. She twitched as she lay on the ground, blood running down her broken nose.

"Speak of my wife again and I'll use the other side." Grim eased out of his backswing and rested his cleaver over his shoulder once more.

"Grim, don't kill her!" Reina yelled, though she knew saying that would be pointless if he already did.

"She's not dead." That was true, given Reina didn't see an XP notification…Cassandra just coughed up blood. It began to dribble down her mouth. "Or, not yet. Maria?" Grim nodded his head toward the fallen knight.

"You're scary~." Maria said as she casually floated toward Cassandra to provide healing.

"Strong." Kuromo had a bit of pride in his voice, though Reina didn't look to see his face. Vyrdrun remained silent.

As Maria began casting her spell, Reina turned her attention back to Grim. "Seriously, you got that mad over…" The knight's words just sank in, as did Grim's. "Wait, you're married!?"

In response, Grim raised an eyebrow, stowed his cleaver on his back, and worked off one of his gauntlets. He presented his bare hand, a silver band on his ring finger.

"What did you think this was? I know you saw me without any armor on before." He asked.

"I just thought that was a focus for maintaining spells and I just realized how dumb that sounds." Reina knew Grim wasn't good at magic, but she didn't think twice about the ring on his finger. It was hardly worth thinking about once. Even she wore a few rings to maintain spells.

She also, once again, realized how little she knew about her party. Getting close to people was never her strong suit, and that didn't change after coming to this world. She also wasn't the type to prod for personal details, and this sort of thing never really came up in conversation organically.

However, Grim had mentioned wanting to be home, but was more than willing to continue traveling with Reina. With a wife at home, it was a little surprising he would still be out here. Then again, with the Waves happening, being able to teleport right to where hordes of monsters fell from the sky would be a good way to keep her safe. She also remembered Meru saying she specifically should fight in the Waves, so there was probably something more to that.

"Would I…be able to meet her?" Reina hesitantly asked. She was curious what kind of woman Grim married, and she did actually want to know more about her party, even if she didn't always act like it.

"I imagine so." Grim said, reequipping his gauntlet. He looked to Cassandra, who stopped twitching on the ground thanks to Maria's healing. Then, he started walking over to them.

"Don't kill her." Reina repeated more calmly, walking after him. "I still want to know more about Hascain, and…" She wasn't sure how to say the next part without actually saying it.

"You don't know how biased I am." Grim understood her meaning.

"That's fair, don't you think?"

Grim hummed. They stopped next to Maria and Cassandra, Vyrdrun and Kuromo just behind them. "Duke Balta taught me many things. One important lesson was that the people who helped you today could be your enemy tomorrow. There are no true friends. Anyone could turn against you."

Reina considered his words. "That would include you to me."

It wasn't a gotcha or something he tried to hide. It was a simple fact.

Grim nodded ruefully. "Do you see why I hate politics?"

Reina was of the same mind. Even before the templars betrayed her, Keston was a bit of a headache. In Savia, she would have been used by the prince and the nobles he surrounded himself with. If not for Derdir and his family attacking…well, that might have been the single good thing that came from that whole ordeal. She was confident she'd have heard about the Waves at some point, or read about them in her help menu, though she didn't know how long that would have taken.

But what he said wasn't just politics. It was true of anyone, whether or not Reina thought about it. That didn't mean it was likely.

Vyrdrun saved her life when he had no obligation to do so, and has continued to stay with her, despite her effectively being the successor to the one who killed an important figure to his people. She remembered him basically saying he followed her to find his path in life. While Reina didn't know how to help, she would if he asked.

Kuromo saw her as his mother. There wasn't going to be any betrayal there.

Maria…she loved Reina. There was no denying that. Nor was there any denying that Reina loved her back. Even with how things were now, Reina couldn't see the girl betraying her, though harming her emotionally was clearly on the table.

"In any case," Grim went on, "I make no plans to betray you, even if Duke Balta demands it. The friendship we've been building and my disdain for politics aside, I value my life. Master would find out, and she would have more than words for me for betraying a hero."

His mentioning of the Cleaver Hero reminded Reina of something else to look forward to. There were two other heroes in this world besides her. If Grim's message got through, then she'd be meeting this hero in Keston's next Wave in 11 days.

"Ugh…" Cassandra held her face as Maria slowly helped her sit up. "What just…" She sounded disoriented, which was to be expected from having a large, metal stick slam into her face. Reina wondered what her level was to survive that, or if Grim actually held back beyond not using the sharp edge of his weapon. Cassandra was lucky her nose wasn't permanently disfigured.

"Let's get a few things straight." Grim began, pointing a finger at the sitting knight. "I don't need the princess to do anything for me. Duke Balta made me a noble; the princess was irrelevant in that. And the marriage proposal was nothing more than a political maneuver that even I could spot, and I knew hardly anything back then. Hell, Duke Balta even suggested I go along with it, but I refused. I married the woman I love, the best woman in the world. Forget that at your peril."

His tone was even, but Reina could feel the anger emanating from him. He was angrier now than she'd ever seen him, even when the templars in Keston attacked him. Reina could only imagine how much love he held for his wife.

"…I understand." Cassandra's voice was noticeably softer. She looked between Grim and Reina. "Forgive me for my lack of tact."

Grim just turned his head away, looking almost bored.

Reina breathed in and out. It wasn't so much to calm herself, but to give her a moment to think. There was a lot she wanted to ask about, but it would be better to do that away from Grim. Given their short interaction, he was probably going to keep riling her up. Plus, she wanted to hear what Cassandra had to say without Grim nearby.

That could be for later.

"Alright." Reina decided on a course of action. "Right now, we're on a quest from the prince to help deal with the recent violet rain problem. You come with us and help for now. But don't attack Grim again." She looked to her first Hascain companion. "That goes for you, too."

"She knows what not to say." Grim responded. That was probably as good a promise as she was going to get.

"Yes, Lady Totem Hero." Cassandra pushed herself off the ground and stood again, giving a short bow.

"Just Reina, please." Reina said.

"Yes…Lady Reina." Like a few others she's met, Cassandra insisted on using some form of honorific.

"Is everyone else okay with this?" Reina looked to the rest of her party. There were no objections. "Then let's keep going."

"Ah, a moment, Lady To—Reina." Cassandra jogged over to where she threw her sword, picking it up.

"Why throw it away in the first place?" Reina wondered.

Cassandra walked back, examining the blade. "Would anyone happen to have a spare longsword? I only have a dagger as a backup weapon."

Reina opened her item drops and looked through it. There were a few in there from so long ago, when she fought the group of bandits with Maria and Vyrdrun.

"Here you go." Reina said, handing it over.

"Hm." Cassandra looked it over, nodded, and put it in her sheathe. "It's been quite some time since I've used a non-mana brand weapon." She quickly waved her hands in front of her face. "Not that it's necessary, or that I'm ungrateful, Lady Totem Hero! I will prove my usefulness in combat regardless."

"Alright then." Reina nodded, ignoring the slip with her title. "Then let's—"

A loud grumble seemed to echo in the small clearing. All eyes were on Cassandra, who held her stomach with her hand.

"…I have rations in my pack." She murmured.

Reina watched as the knight went over to a small pack near a tree and rummaged through it. "Her change in demeanor is giving me whiplash."

~Forging Legends~

Snakes. She was surrounded by snakes.

Princess Angeline sat on her throne while holding court, receiving counsel from her advisors. She had long grown used to hearing their words and acting on them. It wasn't until recently that she began to see them for what they truly were: snakes.

"There are reports that Gromnar activity has increased as of late, indicating a high likelihood of attack. We must send knights close to their largest settlements in preparation." Said one in particular. Others in the room either nodded or voiced their agreement.

Her chief advisor, Count Marco. Time and again, she deferred to his wisdom, seeing the older man as far more knowledgeable than herself. Time and again, she paid for it.

Was it always like this? No, of course not. At one point, Princess Angeline knew him to be an honorable man; at least, the advice he gave seemed more earnest. It wasn't until her affair with her cousin was exposed that things began to decline, when she should have taken notice.

Perhaps the fallout with the king of Ostrington convinced him to no longer support her. Perhaps he was always a snake, waiting for the right moment to start making moves. Perhaps he was the one who exposed her relationship with her love…

Regardless, he was doubtless a snake. But her current standing in the kingdom wasn't his fault alone. There were times she regretted her decisions and went back on them, only to make things worse for her. Like with Sir Erin.

She didn't regret knighting him. It wasn't common for a commoner to become a knight, but it did happen from time to time, more so from the royal family. Even more, he was an apprentice to the current Cleaver Hero. His martial skill couldn't be denied.

No, what she regretted was her actions taken after her letters to her cousin were exposed. The nobility was already fractured. Ordering a war against Ostrington in defense of Laleah would have caused a civil war. Count Marco advised against it, though perhaps he was bidding his time.

But Sir Erin…he wanted to go to Laleah. He wanted to fight. She understood completely, because she wanted to go for the same reason. The woman he loved was in Laleah.

And what did Angeline do in response? Did she give him her blessing? Did she ask him to act in secret to prevent a war that would break apart her country? No. Sir Erin, a man with ties to the Cleaver Hero, a man she came to regard as a trustworthy friend, was imprisoned in the castle on her orders.

From there, things spiraled out of control. Former mercenaries that became his men-at-arms rebelled. The crown was forced to fight back. In the end, his retinue was slaughtered, leaving him with no allies. Angeline was so distraught from what occurred, she immediately ordered his release.

Sir Erin did not take things well. Not even a day later, he attacked royal knights. His death soon followed.

Just like that, Princess Angeline lost one of her greatest supporters, even if most of the nobility regarded him as a fake knight. She once met the woman Sir Erin was fond of. Had she survived the war, she too would have hated Princess Angeline. It was a miracle the Cleaver Hero didn't cut all ties with her. Though she knew the true reason for that.

It wasn't always Count Marco that made suggestions to her. Other advisors came and went, shuffling the content of her court. That was how he kept his machinations secret for so long. Admittedly, her spy network was not robust. She had to rely on one of her few remaining loyal vassals for that.

That's when she truly realized things were not as they appeared in her court. That was when she knew she had been a fool for far too long. She regretted that deeply, and her lack of true experience in political maneuvers, thanks in large part to her loyal advisor. And it was the reason for her most recent gambit to keep the throne away from those who would not serve her country well. She could only hope things would pay off.

Author's Notes:

Something I've become more aware of is how I've done end-of-chapter scenes outside of Reina's perspective that didn't have any payoff. Well, sort of. Some are for down the line so they don't appear out of nowhere, but the amount of time it's taking to get there makes the earlier scenes almost pointless. I'm trying to speed things up a little bit so the scenes become relevant more quickly.

On that note, I'm trying to get to the next Wave quickly, so that we can get to Hascain and have all these things come together.