“You’re always like this, Krai Baby. That church is totally boring, but you went anyway.”
“No, it wasn’t. It was quite pretty. Though the Father looked at me like I was crazy when I told him about the Ansem statue I had in mind.”
He had also given me that look when I told him what our usual adventures consisted of. If Ansem hadn’t been present, I might have been purified.
That aside, the people at the church seemed like good folk, much to my relief. Ansem had a bit of an inclination to self-sacrifice, so knowing he was surrounded by good people put me at ease.
Liz was showing her usual high energy as we made our way to her mentor. I had been looking forward to meeting everyone’s instructors, and there was something sad about the thought that this would be the last one. Was this how parents felt seeing their children go off? (No, it wasn’t.)
“So, is the mentor you found this time, y’know, all right?” I asked.
“I told you it’s fine!” she said with a giggle, hearing the concern in my voice. “Besides, looking back, that one’s training wasn’t too bad. But I appreciate the concern!”
I was particularly worried about Liz because her first mentor back in our hometown wasn’t great and had nearly destroyed her. It was long in the past now, but it still made my heart ache recalling how Liz had been pushed to the verge of death from enduring pointlessly brutal training day after day. She was a hard worker and didn’t like to complain, so we were slow to notice what was going on (Liz had since critically wounded said instructor in a sparring match, preventing them from ever fighting again).
But perhaps I didn’t need to worry for her any longer. She was improving every day. Raiding treasure vaults had improved her skills as a scout, making her a better Thief. Hunters in the same age group would shiver when they heard her name. If I worried about her now, there would be nothing if she found that concern patronizing.
“My mentor, you see, they’ve got this esoteric technique called ‘Stifled Shadow.’ It only gets passed down to one pupil at a time! And I’m gonna learn it!”
“That’s great. Esoteric technique sure has a cool ring to it.”
Seeing my dear friend in such good spirits put me in a good mood as well. I began to grin as I listened to her talk.
“It’s super strong,” she said with the passionate look of a maiden in love. “But if you fail to master it, your heart will rupture and you’ll die.”
Wait, wait. Hold on. Is that something you should be messing with? What? It’s a skill that ruptures your heart if you botch it?
She said it only got passed down to one student at a time, but maybe that was because everyone else died of heart failure?
“Don’t worry, with the proper training, you can endure it! It might take a while, but I’ll definitely learn it. So keep an eye out for that.”
Liz said this with a big smile. I couldn’t stop her. Not when she was making that face.
“Y-Yeah,” I eventually managed, unsure what else to say. “Just don’t push yourself too hard.”
I made up my mind. Once we reached her mentor, I would ask them to train the hell out of Liz. Seeing her on the verge of death was much better than her heart exploding. As she was now, Liz could probably overcome any harsh regimen thrown at her. I’d also, uh, have us clear vaults faster. She could use the mana material to temper her heart. I wasn’t keen on going anywhere dangerous, but it was better than letting her die from a ruptured heart.
She wrapped her arms around me from behind and leaned into my back. “I’ve got an idea! Why don’t you train with me?”
No way!
Liz might be able to learn some esoteric technique, but I would definitely destroy my heart if I tried that. Besides, it was only taught to a single student. If Liz survived, wouldn’t that mean I would have to die?
“I’m just kidding, that’s all! By the way, have you found yourself a mentor?”
I didn’t respond. Honestly, I had totally forgotten about it at some point. Luke’s training looked tough, and I’d only cause explosions if I joined Sitri. I’d be getting lectures from Lucia if I joined her place, and Ansem’s colleagues might try to purify me. And if I trained with Liz, my heart would explode.
I was trapped on all sides. I had only one path left. I let a heavy sigh put on a half-hearted smile.
“Don’t know what else I can do but go to Matthis,” I said.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Piss off! I’ve got nothing to teach a Relic-obsessed brat! Get out!”
“Don’t say that. Here, I’ll grovel! I’ll get on my hands and knees! Grovelgrovelgrovel!”
“Don’t do that in front of my shop! Are you trying to ruin my business?! Besides, you’re not an appraiser. Aren’t you a hunter?!”
Enduring both his verbal abuse and very reasonable objections, I boldly pushed forward with Operation Grovel. It’s not like I wanted to do this. I just didn’t have any other options, so here I was.
Appraising Relics didn’t require me to train my body, and if I didn’t sell anything, I wouldn’t even have to learn negotiating skills. With my love of Relics, I couldn’t think of anything I was better suited for. I guess the one issue was that there were no hunters who appraised Relics? But in that case, I could just quit being a hunter!
Faced with my passionate grovelling, Matthis the appraiser let out a loud cry, almost like a scream. “Fine! If you come to me when I have time, I’ll teach you. So quit groveling, you goddamn hooligan!”