The Guardian

Parallel Story New Beginning Chapter 16: Presentation

In the training room, a group of people were resting after a hard workout.

“Are you ready? This will be the first mission for our guild that has just arrived. Rumor has it that it might be difficult,” said an adventurer earnestly to his companion.

“I don’t know if it’s true about the difficulty. They call it an Ark mission, but I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. I mean, it’s just escorting some refugees,” replied the disinterested companion.

“Don’t underestimate it. The veterans say the magical forest is full of magical beasts and lunatics are prevalent among the warlords.” Explained the adventurer and in a low voice, he muttered. “Goes the church, the militiamen, and I’ve heard that the one in charge is one of the two Protectors of Zerzura.”

“A title too exaggerated and inflated by the villagers,” the companion interjected.

“No, no. They say the Protectors of Zerzura ended up assassinating a Great Warlord. You know, those guys have other powerful individuals under them. There’s a lot of rumors among the people, though there’s brief description of them,” said the adventurer and, giving a long sigh, he stated. “This will be the first mission of our guild... The moment we Red Bulls will become known and powerful.”

Edward, who was listening closely, simply gave a glance and withdrew from the training area.

Those who were speaking were members of the new medium-sized adventurer’s guild that had arrived.

They were called Red Bulls, and that name came from the guild leader.

Arnold Fawkes an S rank slightly renowned for his rare innate ability.

The man could transform into a minotaur style creature, which made people feel terrified and at the same time surprised by the strangeness of such an ability.

He was not the only one with that kind of ability, as in different regions there were innate abilities related to some transformation and when one thought about it in detail, beast tamers had similar abilities the higher their ranks rose and the more they connected with their beasts.

Also, shapeshifters were capable of such feats, but this time, unlike the other times, it was not because of something external to oneself. It came from an innate ability.

An ability that is got at birth and that, although they needed to awaken it somehow, it was in the human being.

Some shamans related it to some ‘animal ancestor’, others to a particular animal form, but all agreed it was a rarity... Like most innate abilities.

Edward didn’t care for this guild leader.

It was true that it was quite surprising that a medium-sized guild would come and settle in Zerzura thanks to the Apicius Enterprise’s ability, but he also didn’t find that innate ability so rare.

In the east there were some who took on tiger characteristics in their transformations and the most recognized of all were the ‘lycanthropy’ types.

Being an innate ability related to the constitution, there were rare changes in the body that granted strength, but if they were talking about rarities, the shapeshifters were not that far off.

It was true that the reason and cause why someone could have that innate ability was interesting to anyone, but on Earth there were stranger things.

Maybe some legends in ancient times about individuals with strange abilities were true.

If names and titles of otherworldly deities came to Earth throughout history, it wasn’t hard to imagine that something magical would also arrive and eventually be treated as ‘legend’.

The Earth Gods protected the dimensional barrier for most of the birth of mankind, but at the same time, historians agreed that there were times or places where the barrier was weaker, as it is today.

Perhaps at that time, the legends were formed.

What Edward was interested in was the Ark mission, as he had heard about that mission since he arrived, but lately it had taken more emphasis in the daily talks.

He had completely ignored that ‘girl’ he had been supposed to ‘obey’ and had wandered off on his own to train with militiamen, adventurers, or mercenaries and now that they were at the end of March, the mission was about to begin.

They didn’t bother him, but now that the mission was getting closer and closer, Edward was more annoyed.

He didn’t know how, but when he wanted to enlist to take part in the mission by trying to get closer to those he had beaten to show he was capable, he was told he had to ask Aurora Campbell... Who was supposedly his ‘boss’.

That only made him even more upset.

The worst thing was that his master was still busy and as the European-demon war was at its ever-increasing climax, not everything could go to his liking.

The news from abroad told of those demons starting to pray to fearsome deities, guided by the sects in which only humans used to be.

That meant that the situation was slowly worsening, even though it was the demons who were losing the war.

Adding the difference of opinion among the allied forces, the demons were being marked as enemies and even the Pacific Demon King, who had raised his force together with the guild ‘The Fallen’ in Turkey.

That meant that, if the situation was not brought under control, everything could escalate into an all-out war of major proportions.

That was why his master was urging him to stay in this place where no one knew he was.

“Tch...”

Edward clicked his tongue, annoyed.

The Ark mission was an opportunity to take part in something interesting, but to get to that point, he had to ask permission.

Having to ask permission... It was, for Edward, an annoyance and it pissed him off.

Taking a deep breath to try to calm himself, he decided to act.

He would not sit around waiting for someone else to have to decide what he could or couldn’t do.

******

Aurora let out a long sigh after reviewing the documents through her holographic watch.

It was exhausting, but it was something she needed to do and more so when this mission was proposed by her.

She needed to check from the participants, their histories and their general activities to then verify the medical and food supplies and what else they were about to bring as humanitarian aid.

Cardinal Brousseau was in charge of some of the administrative work related to medical and humanitarian aid.

Just as Makeba was in charge of the militiamen and Abdellah were in charge of the mercenaries, but in the end all documents had to go through her.

Fostering a hierarchical order was of extreme importance... That was what James pointed out to her.

The only good thing she could point out was that the tasks at hand she could do for herself and no overwhelming knowledge was needed and with common sense, she could understand what was necessary.

How much medication they carried and what it was going to be used for... The use of artifacts if needed, potions in case of emergency or the reason why one type of food was carried and not another.

Asking for help greatly reduced her work, but in the end everything always came to her and since she wanted to understand as much as possible, Aurora ended up going through the documents one by one.

Technology made it a little easier to organize and control over the different issues, but it wasn’t as if it reduced the work to zero.

Aurora sighed.

She understood that James was trying to give organization to everything that was being done in Zerzura and that meant knowing where the money was being spent and what it was being spent on.

That man gave her a budget, but she had to be in charge of managing it.

James with her work was demonstrating that there were responsibilities that everyone had to take care of and although Alice had recommended that she let the old man take care of everything, Aurora understood that if she wanted to do this work continuously, she needed to learn to do it on her own in the future.

In that sense, she prioritized this kind of learning more than her own education... To which she was trying to finish in a virtual way.

—Education is important, but if you want, we can switch to an educational program that targets something more administrative. Maybe I’ll end up helping you cut down on work.

At sixteen, she had not yet finished high school and while she had prioritized her own desires, her parents always stressed that she should study.

It was important, it was true, and she had the choice of where she wanted to focus her secondary schooling, or what was left of it.

In a world with psionic or magical energy, where gods existed and all kinds of monsters, magical beasts and phenomenons were present along with abilities, education was very varied.

Focusing on learning and control over the awakened abilities or, in another case, requiring more specialized environments necessary for daily life and that remained fundamental for the development of society.

In her case, she had her master who taught her about her skills and she had minimized her study by focusing on the basics and some of the subjects she did not know.

Of course, that basic also was a pretty big study program because her parents were always strict about sending her to schools that took advantage of the children’s ability.

Now, however, it was different.

She was in a virtual study mode and, as her system had mentioned, she could choose to focus on a more administrative mode to allow her to help in another way.

Aurora never enjoyed studying and was always into training, but now this was a possibility to help her accomplish her goal.

“Can you take care of organizing it? If I have to study, I’ll try to do something that will help me with what I’m working on,” Aurora said with a half sigh.

Her holographic clock lit up, letting it be seen that her system was moving.

She was someone with money, which meant she had quite a few possibilities when it came to choosing the school she could study at, and it was even possible to select the training she wanted to receive, along with the perks.

It was a priority that it should be virtual and not take up all her time, leaving her room to take care of other tasks.

As for exams, it could always be by holographic means, as was the current education in Zerzura.

Approving some final paperwork and reviewing the new guild, the Red Bulls, that would be participating in this mission, Aurora took a deep breath at the recruitment value.

It wasn’t as if many guilds wished to settle in a new place and more so in these parts, where there was too much danger, but the Apicius Company had managed to contact this guild.

From what James reported, that guild cared about wealth and that was why they decided to come, and this was the first mission in which they would officially participate.

Guilds had importance wherever they were and this was going to be the same in Zerzura, so it was clear the reasons why they came.

Supporting a city in its construction was a risk they had to take, and more so when one thought of the future benefit.

After finishing the task and looking at the time, the door suddenly opened, and Edward entered.

“What do you need?” Aurora asked with a frown.

Edward had walked in without even knocking and it was certainly rude and if she wasn’t in an office, she would have been more upset.

She had let him do as he wished during this time he had arrived and had only warned James and Cardinal Brousseau to keep an eye out in case someone came after him.

If a demon came after him, then she would have to fulfill her mother’s favor to take care of him.

“Get me out of being your ‘subordinate’ and set me free. I want to participate in other missions and I don’t want to be limited,” Edward ordered with a serious look on his face.

He had ‘ordered’ and not ‘requested’... Aurora caught arrogance in his look, as if he was in another league.

There was even a hint of hidden contempt in his expression.

Aurora knew what he was looking for, but the answer his recent acquaintances gave the young man made sense, and it wasn’t just because of the status he was given when he arrived.

Still, she couldn’t deny that she was a little annoyed by the situation.

Part of that annoyance went to her mother, who sent her someone so troublesome, but since it was an honest favor, she decided to accept it.

“I understand,” Aurora replied and, glancing at her holographic watch, noting the time, she added. “Come with me.”

“What for?” Edward asked, giving her a serious look of rejection.

What was the reason he had a problem with her?

Was it his arrogance or his youth?

Aurora didn’t understand and didn’t take the time to understand, so she simply signaled for him to follow.

“If you want to participate in the Ark mission, follow me. I’ll let you sign up,” Aurora said before walking back.

Edward followed her as he realized what this was about and his expression was full of rejection, perhaps because of her indifferent tone.

Aurora had too many personal problems and enough work responsibilities to pay attention to someone like that young man.

If he wanted to sign up to take part in the Ark mission, she would accept it.

Since she was in the office of a building dedicated only to administration, she didn’t have to walk far until they reached a large meeting room.

Inside was Abdellah, Cynda, Zhan Tian, Turay and Makeba.

Aurora greeted those present until after several minutes, Cardinal Brousseau and James arrived, accompanied by a man.

The man was in his late thirties and what stood out was his serious look and piercing eyes that gave him a commanding appearance that only stood out due to the luxurious suit he wore.

“This is the first meeting where we have a new guest who, with his guild, will help in this mission. Arnold Fawkes rank S. He is the leader,” James introduced with a smile and seeing the man nodded a greeting, he looked at Aurora and announced. “This is Aurora Campbell, also known as one of the two Protectors of Zerzura... She will be the one to take charge of the mission having all the authority.”

Aurora’s expression quivered at the ‘title’ which did not please her.

Unfortunately, it had been spread by rumors and it was already hard to get it away from her person.

Now she had no time to dwell on such an embarrassing title and watched those present seriously.

She had noticed Edward’s expression change along with Fawkes’... They were both surprised and slight at the refusal of her leadership.

While Fawkes immediately fixed it like a pro, Edward showed his displeasure openly.

It was a displeasure and rejection, but he also looked angry.

The reason he wasn’t allowed to participate in the mission when others recommended it was because he had to ask her for ‘permission’... All those who wished to enter the mission had to ask her permission, because she was the one in command of the entire mission.

Aurora ignored him.

She had invited him here on purpose so that he would realize the reason why he was being rejected, but what really mattered were those who were in charge.

Abdellah was to lead the mercenaries, Makeba the militiamen, Cardinal Brousseau the paladins, and Zhan Tian, along with his wife Cynda, would support her in another area.

Leaving Arnold Fawkes to lead the force of his guild, Red Bulls.

However, in the end, they were all to act on her orders and this was to be the first time she would personally lead a large mission with such a large group and different forces.

Still, Aurora was clear about one thing.

“We all have different goals, different reasons and attitudes, but today we are gathered to carry out the Ark mission... Bring the refugees to safety, prioritizing their lives and care,” Aurora announced and, giving a glance at the group, she added. “I hope that in this pre-meeting, we settle all differences before we begin the mission.”

Aurora couldn’t ask them to risk their lives if the situation arose, but what she did ask was that they keep the mission objective in sight with the code name Ark.

If they had complaints about her person, the mission or the method by which it would be carried out, it could be settled during these pre-meetings.

There was always space to talk and in case they had irresolvable conflicts, both groups could divide their way and look for another way.

But it was better to do it now than during the mission in which they had to follow orders.

That was what Aurora wished to point out and in this meeting that was held by the Red Bulls guild and their leader, who brought a lot of general strength, it was also useful to point out to Edward, who was against her being his boss.

Everything needed to be settled now, as before they knew it, they would be starting this great mission.