Sylvia makes a face at Rikard like he's deranged, but she turns to face Leo again.
"Well, I don't know about all that other crap, but I agree with Rikard that Mizuki doesn't necessarily outmatch me." (Sylvia)
Leo sighs and shakes his head in exasperation. Levi, who seems to have finally recovered from Sylvia's outbursts, interjects with a disapproving tone.
"Alright you two, that's enough. This isn't what we wanted to discuss, and it's rude to talk about Mizuki like he's not even there. Mizuki, could you tell us why you asked us to join your party…please?" (Levi)
When addressing me, Levi's tone softens, and he gives me an apologetic smile. I'm glad he's finally gotten over whatever his issue was…he was acting strange earlier.
Leo and Sylvia fall silent, looking a little embarrassed. I smile at Levi and nod.
"Sure, that's simple. We need help protecting Elmesia and completing jobs in human countries…we're a little too conspicuous now. You, and by extension your party, are the only other humans I'd currently entrust with such important tasks." (Mizuki)
Levi looks surprised, then grins sheepishly.
"I'm not sure what I did to earn it, but I'm flattered." (Levi)
I smile back at Levi earnestly.
"I'm glad to hear it! So, does that mean you'll be joining us?" (Mizuki)
Levi hesitates, and his expression becomes apprehensive. Before he can respond, however, Sylvia snorts.
"Not so fast there, Mizuki. If you're not forcing us…why would we even want to join your party? What's in it for us?" (Sylvia)
Levi looks a little nervous about Sylvia's phrasing, but he doesn't say anything. His whole party is looking at me expectantly…I guess they're all curious. I think it's a fair question.
I shrug at Sylvia.
"First, everyone in my party gets their choice of equipment as soon as they join. Second, I vehemently protect my party members…even if it means going against an emperor. Third, you'd be able to apply for S-rank promotion if you were in my party, though you may not want all that attention. If there is something else you want, then feel free to ask. If it's reasonable and within my power, I'll grant it." (Mizuki)
Sylvia makes a curious expression, then looks off thoughtfully.
"Mizuki, you mentioned completing jobs for you in other human countries. Would that include within the Empire?" (Levi)
Levi is watching me nervously, and I see Sylvia glance at me expectantly as well. Is that a problem for them or something? Hmm…
"Possibly, but I wouldn't send you into a job without contingencies in place to keep you as safe as possible. Also, I'm asking you to join my party, not become my slaves. You could decline jobs if you have a legitimate concern, and I'd respect your wishes." (Mizuki)
Relief washes over Levi's face, and I see a similar but less severe reaction from Sylvia. I feel like there's something there, but…it's not my place to pry. Leo catches my gaze, and he seems skeptical. I raise my eyebrows at him inquisitively.
"Mizuki, what would the chain of command be like if we joined your party? Would you be splitting us up to work with the other members of your party in new teams? Would joining affect our ability to take other guild jobs? What would your expectations of us be?" (Leo)
I widen my eyes in surprise…that's a lot of questions. Leo just stares back at me, waiting patiently for an answer.
"Your party would operate as-is, with Levi as the point of contact between us. You could still take other jobs at your leisure, so long as they don't hurt innocent people…human or non-human. My expectations…hmm. Never share anything we tell you without my express permission. Treat your fellow party members with respect. Keep us apprised of the situation in Elmesia regularly. Accept the jobs we give you or justify why you can't." (Mizuki)
Leo nods absentmindedly at my answers, and he remains silent. I turn to Rikard with a questioning gaze, expecting him to have requests or inquiries. Rikard looks back at me in confusion for a moment. Then, seeming to pick up on the reason for my gaze, he shakes his head and smiles.
"Thank you Mizuki, but I have no questions or requests. I will follow whatever decision Leo makes, and I trust that he'll ask for anything we need." (Rikard)
"Very well, Rikard. I'm a little curious though…why Leo? I thought Levi was your party leader." (Mizuki)
Rikard nods and gives a very serious expression.
"Leo and I traveled alone together many years before we joined Levi's party. He saved me when we were kids, and since then he's always taken care of me – I've never regretted following him. I like Levi and Sylvia, and I consider them friends, but my loyalty is ultimately towards Leo. I'm only in Levi's party because it's what Leo suggested, but I think he's a good party leader." (Rikard)
My my…how interesting. I already thought Leo was peculiar, but this just increases my intrigue. I glance at Leo, and he just looks back at me like he's curious how I'll react to the information from Rikard. Hmm…
I smile warmly at Rikard.
"Wonderful, Rikard, I'm glad to hear that you've found someone you can trust so much…that's something to cherish. I'd love for you to indulge me with the full story one day if you're willing." (Mizuki)
Leo quickly redirects the conversation before Rikard can answer.
"Speaking of indulging people with full stories…are you going to explain all the strange things I witnessed today if we join your party? I have several questions." (Leo)
I smirk at Leo.
"Perhaps with time, but probably not everything right away." (Mizuki)
Leo nods and shrugs.
"Yes, I suppose that's understandable. Oh well…it was worth asking." (Leo)
I smile at Leo apologetically, and the area falls silent for a moment. It's quickly interrupted by the sight of Alto and Theresa walking back towards us. They breach the silencing spell's bounds and Theresa's already puzzled expression becomes outright bewildered.
"Remarkable…is this some kind of magic spell? I've never seen anything like it…we couldn't hear you talking at all." (Theresa)
Theresa is glancing around my party intently…probably wondering who cast the spell. I better nip that in the bud.
I smile back at Theresa and nod. Then, I grab Nina's hand and pull her toward me into a hug.
Nina seems like she was about to fall asleep from boredom after so much talking, so the action makes her yelp in surprise at first. When she sees what happened, she grins happily. The others seem uncomfortable, but I ignore them and just keep smiling at Theresa as I address her.
"Yeah, you guessed it. Isn't Nina awesome? Even among the other Elder Dragons, she's quite exceptional. In fact, none of them come close to her range of incantation-less magic." (Mizuki)
Several members of Levi's party raise their eyebrows at me, no doubt wondering why I'm lying about who cast the silencing spell, but they remain silent. However, Theresa's eyes widen in surprise, and she stares at Nina with something adjacent to reverence. I guess I can mark her as convinced.
I look over to see Nina grinning widely at my comment, and I sense waves of satisfaction rolling off her.
"I could get quite accustomed to this level of praise, Mizuki. Fufufu…do you have any other sweet things to say about your mate, hmm?" (Nina)
Compliment fishing!? I sense Ilina's influence here....that's not good for me.
[Not that I can say in public.] (Mizuki)
Nina's eyes widen in surprise, then she cuts me a mischievous look and I sense…smugness…from her. I roll my eyes at her, then look back to Alto. She's just smirking as she watches the interaction play out.
"Nina and Zara, why don't we join Theresa and Alto and go chat elsewhere. I'm sure Levi's party has some things they'd like to discuss in private here." (Mizuki)
Nina and Zara nod their agreement, and I direct a follow-up thought message to Levi's party.
[Feel free to talk over the option of joining my party amongst yourselves for now. We're going to settle things with Theresa, and then we can all chat one more time in private after she leaves.] (Mizuki)
Their eyes widen in surprise, then they all nod their acknowledgement.
I turn to Alto and Theresa and gesture towards the other side of the room where they were talking earlier, and they nod and lead us outside of the silencing spell.
"So, how did your chat together go, Alto?" (Mizuki)
Theresa's face becomes saddened, and Alto just shakes her head apologetically.
"It seems that Theresa is generally aware that elves live much longer than humans, and that we're more advanced as a magic society. She thought that, to live so long, elves must have access to rare magic that can cure things like rot and other illnesses. She wanted us to help her acquire such knowledge." (Alto)
Wow…as far as requests go, that's an admirable one. It's a shame that there's no way for the elves to grant it, even if they wanted to.
Nina's prior explanations about human-elf offspring made it clear to me that elves are probably modified humans. The god responsible obviously found genetic modifications that buffed elves' lifespan and resistance to illness. I'm sure that molecular biologists on Earth would kill to know what those were.
I nod sympathetically towards Theresa.
"Ah, yes…so, that's why you look so disheartened, Theresa. As I'm sure Alto explained, the elves have no such healing magic to teach you. They just have a truly enviable natural resistance to aging and illness. Looking at how drastic the difference is, it's hard to believe they were once human." (Mizuki)
Theresa looks at me in bewilderment. Huh…I guess that's not something the humans knew about. I suppose that makes sense – the elves are very secretive.
To my shock, however, Alto is also staring at me like I'm insane.
"Mizuki, explain yourself! Are you implying that elves and humans are related!?" (Alto)
Holy shit...do the elves not know either!? Nina knew that Elder Dragons were modified humans, so I just assumed the elves must have similar ancestral knowledge.
I stare at Alto blankly for a few moments.
"Well…yes. Based on what I've learned about elves so far, it's likely that a god created the first elves by modifying humans. Elder Dragons are humans that a god modified much more drastically…it's why Nina can take a human form. Do the elves really have no such story in your histories?" (Mizuki)
Alto goes pale and looks towards Nina with a dumbfounded expression. Nina chuckles and nods her acknowledgement. Alto looks thoughtful for a while, then looks back to me with a strange expression.
"No…we don't have any such historical records. However, when our ancestors were brought to this planet, it's well known that we lost a lot of our history in the transition. Mizuki…if what you say is true, it could change the whole way we interact with other races. We must discuss this at the next...err, meeting!" (Alto)
Alto glances nervously at Theresa as she mentions what I assume is the next nobles' meeting. Yeah, we've been kind of sloppy about talking in front of her like this, but I don't think I've mentioned anything harmful.
[I don't know, Alto…how do you think Tessa and Jorah will react to me telling them that elves are related to humans? Let's discuss this another time, though…when Theresa isn't listening.] (Mizuki)
Alto seems to cringe at the mention of Tessa and Jorah, and she nods her agreement. I turn to Theresa, who has remained surprisingly silent, and she's staring at us with her mouth open. Crap…so, there were definitely bombshells for her in my exchange with Alto.