Alicia cleaned the tears from her eyes. She was sobbing, but she controlled her sadness, looking deep into my eyes. Even though her eyes were moist, they were determined.
"Richard, I know that I'm already in debt with you, and probably I will never be able to pay it back, but I have to ask you. Please help us return to the capital." Alicia asked me with a pleading voice.
I was already waiting for this. Following the story events, I'm pretty much on the main route, right where the MC should be. So I knew exactly what Alicia would ask me.
"Diane is strong, it's thanks to her that I survived until now, but she can't fight alone. She almost died, so I think that this trip is too much of a burden for her. I hate to say this, but I am useless in combat, so I can't support her in fighting." Alicia said with weight in her voice.
"Alicia…" Diane was listening to her conversation. She didn't want to make Alicia feel bad, but she knew the girl was right. If she had difficulty against a group of mercenaries, what would it be like to fight and run away from the Silver Fang? It was too much for her.
"We need more people, and you two are the only people that I know and can trust now. So please, help us." Alicia said, deeply bowing her head. Diane was hesitating, but facing the truth, she followed her master's gesture.
[ New mission!
Protect the Princess: Bring Alicia and Diane safe and sound to the royal castle, in the capital of Ashia, the Royal City. This is a bigger mission, so you'll get a bigger reward in exchange for completing it.
Objective: Bring them to the Royal City
Reward: 1 Special Skill for you for each Valkyrie that you will have when the mission is finished. ]
"This is a huge decision to make. Can I talk to Sarah in private before giving you a proper answer?" I asked her.
Alicia got surprised by my question, thinking that it was a "let me ask my wife before" type of situation.
"Of course, feel free to talk as you like." She said this to me, but I was sure that she wanted me to just accept.
Sarah and I stayed a bit distant with our backs to them, whispering our not-so-secret meeting. From the look on her face, she already knew what I was going to say.
"I want to help them. What do you think?" I asked her.
"It appears to be a huge deal, but I can't look away. I want to help them, but…" Sarah stopped her sentence.
Sarah sighed deeply and told me her suspicion.
"You want to turn them into Valkyries, don't you?"
"Yeah."
"So what do you want to talk about? You already made up your mind, and we already discussed that before. That I would follow you regardless." She said to me.
"So you won't feel jealous?"
"Of course I will feel jealous!" She whispered angrily at me. "But I like you, so I have no other choice."
Sarah turned around and looked at the girls that would join our party.
"You can blame me for feeling jealous. Alicia is cute and delicate, and Diane has good manners and a more alluring body than me. I can't stop thinking that you would get tired of me." Sarah said, her voice filled with sadness.
"Are you an idiot?" I asked bluntly.
"Eh! Don't call me an idiot."
"If you don't like to be called that, don't act like an idiot, idiot."
"Huh!!" She started to get irritated, forgetting her sadness.
"Even if I get a harem with one hundred women, I would still love you the same. For me, you will always be the number 1."
"I'm… the number 1…" She repeated my sentence. "What do you mean I'm number 1?"
I avoided looking into her bright blue eyes gazing in expectation at me.
"You know what I mean. You were my first love, and the first one to accept my love, so that makes you the number one. So don't even think that I will forget you, or I'll be angry at you."
Sarah's expression changed into a beautiful smile. "I see. I'll remember that. As I said before, I'll stay by your side. So take responsibility for that."
"Hmm, you don't even need to remind me."
…
"Alicia, we decided that we will help you go back home, but there are some conditions to do that." I said to the princess, but she didn't look surprised at all.
Helping her already demanded a lot from us, fighting and putting our lives in danger, so she must've thought that favor would come with a cost.
"What are your conditions?" She said, genuinely trying to negotiate. "If it's money that you guys want, I'm sorry, but I'll only be able to pay after. I lost every coin that I had while running away."
"Well, money would be good to start, but we can deal with this later. The bigger problem is you." I said to Alicia.
"Me?" She said, startled by my words.
"Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but you guys are still too weak to follow us. If you are going to adventure throughout the country, we will have to fight the Silver Fang or someone sent by them."
"What do you suggest? I'm weak, but if there is a way to cooperate with you, I'll do it. Just say the word."
"Easier said than done. You already saw my power when I healed Diane. My class is a very peculiar one." I said, trying to make room before telling Alicia what she had to do. "My power is capable of making my underlings stronger. I have a special class called Valkyrie Tamer. If you girls become Valkyries, I'm sure that you'll become stronger quickly."
"The way you're saying it looks like there is a catch." Diane broke her silence.
"Yeah, there is. I didn't want to hide it from you, but it's something that is difficult to say directly." I sighed, preparing myself to tell the princess and her Assassin the truth. "This power can only make women stronger, and for you to be allowed to use it, you need to be my lover."
Alicia's eyes opened wide when she heard me, but Diane had a more vivid response. Her body trembled while she was pulling a knife.
"How do you have the courage to make such a disgraceful offer to the princess? Did you lose your mind?" The so calm and good-mannered Diane snapped, revealing her killing aura.
But I didn't budge. What was done was done, so I needed to continue.
"I think there is a saying that desperate times call for desperate measures. Anyway, I don't make the rules, this is the best that I can offer you both." I said, defying her knife.
"I should cut your tongue for suggesting deflowering a royal member." Diane was still angry with me. Sarah was drawing her sword, preparing for a fight.
"Diane, stop!" At her side, the princess of Ashia ordered her to step back. Diane obeyed her, lowering her weapon. "Is it true? About your power."
"Yes, it's real." Sarah said, letting her sword into her sheath. "I… I can say that from my own experience."
"So I will accept your offer."
"Alicia…" Diane was clearly against this, but Alicia didn't want to listen to her.
"You don't have to if you don't feel like it, Diane. But I'm the princess of Ashia. If they try to kill me, how far are they from trying to kill dad or mom? I can't let this happen. I need to go back as soon as possible."
"Alicia, think twice before doing that. You are a princess. Your chastity is too precious to give to a commoner. Think about your future." Diane said in a cold tone.
"If I have a future, you say." Alicia said, as cold as her, and then she turned to me.
"Richard, I will become your Valkyrie." She said with determination.
"Well said." I said, supporting her decision.
Diane was pensive, but she made up her mind too. "Let me do it instead. As her bodyguard, I feel obligated to protect her honor, so… you can do it with me in her place."
"Sorry, but I can't. I need to have a bond between me and who is supposed to become my Valkyrie. Alicia meets the criteria, but you don't, Diane."
Diane looked at the ground, frustrated at not being able to help her master the way she wanted, and Alicia stayed there, her cheeks red, with her hands on her chest, avoiding my stare after her feelings were revealed by me.
"We can talk more about my powers later, but before that, let's get out of here. I don't think this is a good place for your first time. Am I right, Lady Alicia?"
As I said that, we decided to go to the town.