Salvos (A Monster Evolution LitRPG)

Chapter 637: Reconciliation

637. Reconciliation

***

They had to keep moving. Lest they would be killed. And that frustrated Daniel Song.

He didn’t know how far behind his assailants were. However, he knew that they could reach him at any point in time. After all, according to Ivonne Vigil, they were tracking his location, and they were incredibly high-leveled.

It seemed ridiculous to him that he wouldn’t be able to take them down. He had already slain many Elves, especially back when he had been fighting in the front lines alongside Scarlet the Red Rose and the armies of the United Coalition of the Human Lands.

He was a [Hero]— a Level 150 [Hero]. Well, in actuality, he was Level 147, but with his Necklace of Obfuscation, he displayed himself as Level 150 to others. The reason he did so was simple. It was because he had already unlocked his next Class advancement.

He had been given the choice to advance early at Level 145. A rare thing, especially for those who were above Level 70. It was much more common for early advancements to happen at Level 10, 40, or 70. But for Level 100 and 150, it wasn’t a frequent occurrence at all.

Anyway, Daniel hadn’t planned to advance just yet. He was still a [Hero Of Demon And Man]— having become one at Level 100. The only reason he showed himself to be Level 150 was for purely intimidation purposes. In the first place, no one could even tell what level he actually was because he wielded the Sword of Alexander.

That had been more than enough to resolve most of his battles. But not this one.

Because even with his Class, and even at an Elite level, while simultaneously wielding a Mythical Grade Weapon, he wasn’t strong enough to overwhelm his opponents. They were powerful— they were capable of massacring an entire Fort City all on their own, even though there were only three of them.

Perhaps Daniel could have dealt with them if he underwent his Class advancement. Unfortunately, he did not have time to do that. It was too risky. He would pass out for hours, and right now, all he could do was keep moving until he was certain he was out of danger.

Otherwise, he could have been killed while unconscious. So the [Hero] followed along as Ivonne Vigil led him further away from the Human Lands, heading deeper into the undulating mountains in the distance.

They were traveling relatively slowly, moving at walking pace because of the [Trader]’s artifacts. She was able to mask their movements to a certain extent against the scrying spell, as long as they did not exceed a certain pace. If they had run straight forward, with Daniel carrying them both, they would have been caught with ease.

After all, Daniel was a [Hero]. [Agility] was not his greatest Stat. So moving slowly was the best option as of right now. Because then it would be much more difficult for the Elves to track the two Humans. Not that it reassured the young man one bit.

He glanced back as he tightly gripped onto the Sword of Alexander. He saw nothing around him but tall darkwood trees that rose up to a hundred feet. He looked towards the front, eyes narrowing at the woman leading the way.

“Are we getting close?”

“Patience, Daniel Song. I shall let you know when we have arrived at our destination.”

Ivonne Vigil answered simply, being as obtuse as ever. The [Hero] bit his lip as he eyed her back.

“And what about the Elves? Are they close?”

“I shall let you know if that happens too.”

She replied as she strode forward, seemingly unbothered by the fact that their lives were in danger— that they could be ambushed by the hunting Elves at any point in time.

Daniel shook his head, watching her go. He knew there was no point in pestering her any longer. Not when she was never going to give him a clear answer. He sighed as he looked back once more. And that was when he saw the rustling of a bush.

He spotted the shifting leaves of a tree. His eyes flickered, and Ivonne Vigil craned her neck back fractionally. He raised a hand as he unsheathed the Sword of Alexander.

“Someone’s there.”

The [Hero] whispered, and Ivonne came to a halt. He heard the soft trudging of footsteps, before he swiveled to the side. He saw a shadow moving towards him as he swung out with his blade. And he paused right before the attack struck true.

The approaching figure collapsed to the ground, yelping in surprise. Daniel blinked a few times as he stared at who it was. Ivonne Vigil just raised a curious brow, a smile slowly slipping onto her face.

“So you actually followed us.”

The [Trader] spoke softly, and Daniel frowned. He looked down at the collapsed woman, before uttering her name.

“Kacey… what are you doing here?”

Daniel asked brusquely. He took a step forward as he aimed the Sword of Alexander dangerously closed to her neck. The [Crusader] paled as she backed away from him.

“I-I…”

She started, and he spoke over her.

“If you’re trying to lead us to another trap, just give it up. Or do you really have no shame or honor?”

Kacey bit her lower lip as Daniel shook his head.

“Are you not a [Crusader]? Can’t you at least have the dignity to die fighting, rather than giving your life for the enemy?

He towered over the [Crusader], and she gritted her teeth. Finally, she exclaimed, before Daniel could press her any longer.

“I am not doing that!”

He paused. He stared at her as she squeezed her eyes shut and dug her fingers through the dirt ground. She took in a deep breath, before looking down at herself.

“I am not going to do that again…”

Daniel furrowed his brows as Ivonne Vigil stepped up behind him. Slowly, he lowered the Mythical Grade Weapon as he looked down at the [Crusader]. She wore a pained expression on her face as tears slid down her cheeks.

“I know you do not have the highest opinion of me after what I’ve done. And I know I do not deserve your trust. I understand that I was in the wrong, no matter how I try to justify it.”

Kacey took in a trembling breath, before exhaling as she tried to steel herself.

“But I do not want to die a death of dishonor. It is as you said, I am a [Crusader]. And I understand that I have disgraced myself. So I want to redeem myself, not with my words, but with my actions. I will not slow you down, I promise. I will do whatever it takes to help you, so that you live and escape these bastard Elves.”

She looked up and apprehensively met Daniel’s gaze. He stared back at her as she rose to her feet. He didn’t want to trust her. Why should he? He had never liked her. Not from the very beginning.

Even back during the war against the Demons— when she had been assigned to be his bodyguard when he assumed the role as the leader of the Council of Cremont— he never trusted her. Because he knew that she never cared a single ounce about the innocent lives that were being lost. That she only swore her loyalty towards an organization that cared about its own power over all else.

But for whatever reason, when Daneil saw the look on the [Crusader]’s face right now, he felt… bad for her. He didn’t know what she went through back at the Fort City of Taritos, however he knew something must have broken within her. And perhaps he could empathize with that.

He closed his eyes, remembering when he fled Elutra, abandoning the country that had summoned him, before hiding away in some backwater town in a nearby country.

And when the [Hero] opened his eyes again, he saw the determination to improve reflect in Kacey’s eyes. She placed a hand on her chest as she took a step forward.

“Please, let me help. If I have to die, sacrificing myself to guard you, I will do just that. I will do what I must. I was assigned to be your bodyguard, so I promise you, I will not fail again.”

Daniel heard her words. And perhaps it was pity. Or maybe it was sympathy. Whatever it was, it didn’t drive him to forgive her. However, he felt inclined to at the very least give her a second chance.

So the [Hero] nodded.

“Fine.”

He spoke as he took a step back. He turned towards Ivonne Vigil and gestured at her.

“As long as she doesn’t have a problem with it, you can come with us.”

“I have no qualms against this arrangement.”

The [Trader] replied casually. And Kacey’s eyes grew wide hearing that. Daniel nodded as he sheathed the Sword of Alexander.

“Then you may come.”

He looked away from the [Crusader] as she straightened. Kacey looked down at herself, before nodding and giving him a salute.

“Thank you, [Hero] of Earth. I promise you, I will protect you with my life.”

Daniel just shook his head as he marched on.

Author's Notes:

The Salvos kickstarter is 55% of its way towards its final stretch goal! Check it out and back it so that we can hit the first bonus rewards of a map of the Human /projects/1943799137/salvos-book-1-an-epic-litrpg-fantasy-novel

Also, sorry for short chapter. We're back to Salvos next chapter!

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