"I've heard plenty about the members of Party 1 ever since I arrived here."
The veil-cladded woman said from atop the walls.
She swiftly climbed down the structure without any hint of struggle.
A cat would wish to have her agility and composure.
The woman landed on the training ground and walked straight to me.
"Of all five members of Party 1, it is you who I heard the most about, Lady Serafina Magda Zeref."
The woman performed a graceful curtsy though she was wearing rough pale brown pants. It matched well with her orange blouse layered with thin leather armor along the torso.
The woman's outfit could blend her in easily in desert or arid environment.
Now that I was looking at her closely, I noticed her dark shade of skin was similar to Tarran's,
"Surya's blessing be upon you, Lady Zeref. My name is Devisha. I worked as a mercenary in the Tsahanam Sultanate."
The Great Desert region held spiritual reverence toward the sun.
'Surya's blessing be upon you' was a common way to greet an acquaintance for the first time.
It was also used to greet someone who had greater social standing than yourself.
Finishing her curtsy, Devisha rose back to my gaze level.
Her pitch black hair, tied in two buns, each hanging on the side of her head, bobbed slightly as she straightened again.
I could tell from the huge bundles they formed, Devisha's hair would extend all the way below her waist.
Her amber eyes nestled like a pair of gemstones right above her veil.
The brown silk fabric concealed half of her face, but the exposed half alone already portrayed her as one of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
"May the radiance of the Sun shine your way, Devisha."
I replied her greeting.
Norn and Arian had stopped their duel. The two were standing still, watching us. Especially Arian.
I continued.
"What have you heard about me?"
"That you're basically the ruler of this place. Aside from master, of course. And that you know many things others don't. I'm particularly more interested to that latter fact of yourself."
"Is that so? What do you wish to learn from me?"
I asked.
Devisha's amber eyes above her veil were fixed to mine.
She spoke with a firm voice.
"Is it true that we are all here to save the world?"
I arched my eyebrows in interest.
A 3-star should had known what they were supposed to do in the lobby. Which was to fight according to master's orders.
Apparently she was not satisfied with knowing just that.
"You have been fighting monsters in the trials, Devisha. Considering how many lives and cities they had destroyed, I doubted they were the ones who wished to save the world instead."
Devisha's gaze turned into a puzzled one.
"I have heard of these trials from brother Tarran. They are battles with certain goals you must accomplish. He told me of a trial in which you all saved a city that was supposed to fall."
I shifted my gaze to Zecht with a frown. My comrades were doing the same.
He had expected for us to react this way.
"Master had not sent any of them to the trials. They haven't even watched the Quintal Trials through the Replay Stones. But they have experienced synthesis."
That would explain why Devisha was slightly clueless about the trials and yet she had levelled up once.
The last time master sent all five 3-star heroes into a trial together, one of them 'ended' himself after all.
I supposed master was being cautious.
That was also probably why master had not let them see the records of the Quintal Trials.
It would be a waste of Replay Stones if they wasted themselves like Lisham in the end.
"The man who arrived with me said we chose to come here to save our world. But I never remembered making such important decision."
Devisha added.
Arian nodded to her. She joined the conversation.
"I'm the same. I was hunting in the mountains when suddenly I found myself here. Right then, somehow I came to possess this knowledge that I have to fight for this 'master' I don't know."
"I'm used to working under those whose faces or names I never knew or learned. But it would be a first for me to fight under such a great and noble cause."
Devisha said.
Given her skill set, I could tell being a 'mercenary' was just a cover to Devisha.
The woman worked as something else in Tsahanam.
Devisha could either be a valuable comrade or a threat to the raid team even worse than Jyrgil.
"It is true. We are here to save the world. Our world. Dunia."
I declared to the two new 3-stars. To everyone there.
I had become more certain of this fact after our exploration in Damai.
"Fighting overwhelming battles, solving near-impossible scenarios, correcting terrible histories, saving the lives that should had been lost.
"Those are what the tower trials existed for. The trials the heroes of the forged land strived to overcome. The trials master sent us to win.
"By climbing the tower, toward the 100th floor, we would direct Dunia to salvation. Thus saving the world."
Now the truth had been revealed to these two heroes, how would they react?
What would they decided to do from this point on?
Would they choose to become comrades we could rely on?
Or would they try to hinder our goal?
I was being too lenient with Jyrgil.
Not again.
If they showed a hint of being a hindrance to our climb endeavor, I would make sure to get rid of them myself!
Suddenly, Devisha fell to her knees in front of me and untied the veil hiding part of her face.
Dear Goddesses! When I thought she could not be any prettier.
Zecht even gagged upon the full sight of her.
The Tsahanam 'mercenary' laid the curved swords on her back to the ground beside her veil.
The woman then began pulling out knives hidden all over her clothing and laid them neatly beside the scimitars and the veil. 22 of them!
Once all of her weapons were laid out in front of my feet, Devisha gently pressed her forehead to the ground behind her weapons. Prostrating herself fully before my presence.
"Under the brilliance of Surya, I, Devisha, pledge myself to the forged land's master's and Lady Serafina Magda Zeref's leadership in the effort of climbing the tower of trials. All for the sake of saving the world. Should I betray this pledge, my corpse shall rot in the darkest pit where no light will tread."
Seeing Devisha's act of offering herself, Arian drew her ivory knife and sliced her right palm. Blood poured out before the lobby's healing power closed the wound.
With red matter soaking her hand, the girl grasped her left breast.
"I, Arian Zenithar, offer my beating heart and spear to the cause of the great chieftain of the forged land, master, and their war chief, Serafina Magda of the Zeref blood. No mountain, storm, nor ice shall break this pact or the might of Kutub shall claim my soul."
The Light Pledge and the Blood Offer.
People of Tsahanam did not voice the Light Pledge lightly.
I heard Fajar was rumbling with the sound of hundreds of thousands of people voicing the Light Pledge to the sultan when the city was besieged by monsters.
All the tribes of Kutub warriors sang the similar Blood Offer to Yuriana Bromstead when the Guntur invaders were mooring their ships off the northern coast of Dunia.
Then again, I had heard of people betraying stronger oaths.
Seen one once in my life, even. An encounter that changed my life forever.
Even so, I would never get anywhere without trusting people to some degree.
Devisha's Light Pledge and Arian's Blood Offer would have to do for now.
Their true loyalty and dedication would still need to be tested.
But with these oaths, at least, I could always demand them to obey my orders and ensure they did not cross any lines.
"Warden."
I called the fairy. She immediately appeared as always.
[What's the matter?]
"Have master assigned them to a party yet?"
I asked, eyeing the two 3-stars in front of me.
[No. The only thing master had done with these two was synthesis. I think master is waiting for your opinion on what to do with them]
I turned to the sky and found it having its rainbow-ish hue.
Master was present.
It was time to fulfill my promise.
"Warden, tell master to remove Trudy from Party 1."
The fairy raised her eyebrows in surprise. But she suddenly cooled her expression.
[I see. So that's your plan.]
She vanished for a moment and a window appeared above us.
[Serafina (★★★★) proposes to exclude Trudy (★★) from Party 1.]
[Accept?]
[Yes / No]
Zecht and Norn were surprised to see the window.
My comrades in Party 1, aside from Trudy, only bore a troubled gaze.
Trudy had told them of the arrangement we made in the magic hall. She definitely succeeded in convincing them of the decision the same way she did with me.
Trudy herself was smiling gratefully.
Arian simply stood there and watched us with her blood-soaked hand still on her chest. Devisha was still pressing her forehead to the ground.
The fairy returned as soon as she disappeared.
[Serafina (★★★★) proposes to exclude Trudy (★★) from Party 1.]
[Accept?]
[Yes (selected) / No]
It took a while, but master agreed to it.
I spoke to the fairy once more.
"Now ask master to appoint Trudy as the combat instructor to the first floor training ground."
The fairy did not question me and vanished once more.
[Serafina (★★★★) proposes Trudy (★★) to be appointed as the Combat Instructor to the Training Ground Lv.4 (1st floor).]
[Accept?]
[Yes (selected) / No]
Master quickly approved Trudy's appointment. Probably since that would explain why I wanted to remove her from our party.
With the decision made, I made a nod to Trudy to acknowledge that I had kept my promise to her.
I then turned to the two 3-star newcomers.
"One of you will replace Trudy in Party 1. Keep hold to your oath and make yourself worthy to join our ranks."
Devisha lifted her head from the ground with gaping mouth.
She exchanged a look with Arian who was just as shocked.
Before they could say anything, I went on.
"Get on with your training for now. We will talk of this further later. I still have to greet the rest of the new arrivals."
Indeed.
From what the fairy told us, Devisha and Arian were not the only high ranking heroes summoned after our departure to Damai.
Finally!
It was about time we had more mages in the forged land.