Word got around fast in the Valley. Not just with what had happened with the appearance of Pride and me saving the Kingdom, but also about the mission I was to oversee.
Ryo really had a big mouth. And the people he told have even bigger mouths…
I was bombarded with articles like: "The Underdog Captain of the Black Wolves Comes Out From the Shadows and Becomes the Light of the Valley", "An Apostle Appears, But a Black Wolf Emerges", "A Black Wolf, The Newest SS Rank Mage!?", so on and so forth.
There were even adjusted articles about me and Belle: "The Reason the Golden Rose Knights Captain Fell for the Underdog of the Valley", and "The Story of the Princess and the Dark 'Wolf' of the Valley".
And every single one had brushed under the rug the fact that they all hated me just a day before. Typical.
As I passed by a newsstand, the newest article there said, "The Cerberus Trio of the Black Wolves Take Down One of the Valley's Greatest Threats"…
Cerberus Trio? That's almost a cooler name than Nash's 'Black Crown Gambit', I thought to myself.
I even had to be careful walking through the streets, as people constantly stopped me to take pictures and even record me for their social media. Within a day, I had a random page with over half a million followers… The most trending post was one of me surging through that dragon-insect monster and a trendy song playing in the background. I had no idea who made it, nor did I care for that matter.
It got to the point where I started avoiding people, vanishing through alleyways or leaping on rooftops just to get away. They called my actions 'modest'… But had this been a few days ago, they'd call it 'suspicious'. These people were ridiculous.
It also didn't help that Daz and Ezkar had officially changed my title to SS rank mage—right up there with Belle, along with an official Captain title for the Black Wolves in Kingdom records. That one was a given, but it was ironic that a 'mage' with no magic such as myself was considered an SS rank by any standard. And the one that shocked me the most was the Black Wolves Guild shooting up to number 1 Guild in the Valley just over the Golden Rose Knights, quite literally, overnight.
I understood receiving credit where it was due, but this was a bit much…
I had given myself a day since the incident to fully make up my mind about my team for this Zion Orb Retrieval mission. Even though I already knew who I wanted, I wanted a day to breathe—to do nothing. So when the decision came, it wasn't rushed or not thought through.
I attempted to visit Ariella today, but when I arrived at her building, she wasn't there…
I guess I'll try again tomorrow before I leave. I didn't forget about the promise I made her. And since we'd be away from the Valley for some time, I might as well use the opportunity to keep an ear to the ground for her son.
Since it was the second day, some other events had occurred. Like a random showdown between Snow and Rex at another location of the Kingdom, and a new Guild that the Valley had apparently appointed.
I was surprisingly not up to date. Though I did watch their match, I didn't know anything about this new Guild. It was apparently this morning's news. That was something I wanted to look into today, along with recruiting my team.
Snow and Rex's battle had ended on a close call. They had a point system in place for their match, and whoever reached four strikes won. Problem was, Snow and Rex both had four points with the last point landed at the same time. I could tell they bickered endlessly about that. In any case, they left it to the experts and the votes of the Valley to decide who was the true winner of that battle. I didn't want to be in between all of that… but at least it was a nice distraction amidst the news about me.
I made around a corner of a nicer and heavily walled area of the Kingdom, occupied with vines and moss. When I turned, I was met by a friendly face that welcomed me.
"There he is! The Savoir from the Shadows!" he said to me.
"Can it, Ryo… all this attention is smothering. How do you deal with it all?" I replied.
He laughed, "I'm nowhere near as popular as you right now, so I wouldn't know!" he said, laughing obnoxiously at the end.
I sighed nasally and proceeded ahead of him in this neighborhood area we were in, hands in my pockets as I said, "Whatever. Hurry up so we can recruit this first guy. He's gonna be less of a headache to deal with than the other two…"
As Ryo followed, ahead of us was a castle that resembled a church, covered in many vines, and at its highest point was a large clock bearing the symbol of a panther.
When we passed through the winding pathways to get there, a group of nuns bowed to us and went on their way.
"This neighborhood's as pleasant as ever. Maybe I'll move here," I said, instantly regretting it the moment Ryo replied.
"Ah, say hi to your next-door neighbor Tubolt for me!"
"Never mind. I take it back."
Ryo's joyous laugh trailed behind us as we made it to one of the entrances of the place. The walls were extremely thick, and the gates that held them together were tall and worn.
As he neared, the gates beeped, and a green light shone, opening automatically; I was surprised to see it.
"Huh? No guards or clearance? Just full access?" I asked.
"Nope. The Purple Panthers cathedral is open to all who reside in this area. It acts as a public church, along with being home to a Guild."
I pondered the thought and then asked, "Wait, you said 'all who reside in this area.' Do you have a second home I don't know about here?"
"Me? Not at all! The gate didn't open for me," he said as I scowled, remembering that after becoming an SS rank mage, that also came with many perks I did not need. One of those perks was access to every facet of the Kingdom—anywhere, anytime.
I could be like Ryo and have clearance over W.M.A. in certain jurisdictions. Or do what Belle had done when she abruptly concluded my Trial by simply flashing a badge. There were too many perks with this title, especially when yesterday I was nothing more than the Bane of the Kingdom, and everyone hated the Black Wolves. This was going to take some getting used to.
As we walked through the courts, the whole place was made of old stone. Fountains and statues decorated the place, and it was peaceful. It was a serene place where residents often came to pray or simply just be.
Many nuns and other residents who saw us bowed as they passed by, and even some from far away who caught sight of us did the same from where they were.
I got that it was customary for the nuns, but the people here were also just regular citizens. Why were they bowing as well?
"You really are popular throughout the Kingdom!" Ryo joked as he glanced at me sidelong.
"Shut it… I messaged everyone, but they all seemed busy, so we gotta do this in person. In and out" was all I said.
"And it's customary to recruit others from other Guilds in person for missions if you are given the authority to do it. We are doing things the right way!" Ryo assured.
"Joy…" I said with the combined energy of a slothpanda and a cuckoolemur.
When we made it to the cathedral, the enormous double doors creaked open. The inside of the place looked just like how it appeared on the outside—a grand church with seating to both our right and left. Giant windows trailed from both sides, letting the natural light and rays decorate the place beautifully. Above us, it was even more intricate with otherworldly paintings of the Keeper among the clouds.
I had almost gotten sick with how religious the place was, especially when I remembered Pride claimed his cult were Apostles for the Keeper. On top of that, when I had spoken to Daz about it, and how the Keeper could potentially be…
My thoughts stopped midway as I spotted a Purple Panther Knight knelt down at the other end of the place as we walked through it. His back faced us as he kept his head bowed in prayer. And when he raised it, his distinct reddish-purple hair shone through amongst all the distractions here.
"I've been waiting for you, Savior from the Shadows."
"Shut the hell up."
"My, that's no way to speak to a priest, now is it?"
"You? A priest? Don't make me laugh."
"Yes. Please tell me you're joking."
"Please tell me YOU'RE joking." I scoffed, "More like a lovesick bard or a homeless preacher. That makes more sense."
"Now you mock my passion and my clothing? Quite shallow."
"To be fair… you should get a new robe… You're like a dude who can't throw away his tattered socks and underwear because it's 'comfortable'."
"Has it gotten to the point where the Keeper sends the Savior from the Shadows to give me an intervention?"
"Would you quit calling me that and join me on this mission already, Zeno."
"Well, when you ask me personally like this, how could I refuse?" He turned around, and his bicolored eyes met mine at last as he said with a pleasant smile that could warm the coldest of hearts,
"Count me in, Dweeb!"