"Sir Elias, she is a strong fighter and her sword can cut anything. She is a better candidate than anyone. And this is just a short raid…" Sani began to explain.
"It isn't about how powerful one is. It's about honor and what a person will do in the heat of battle. No matter how powerful one can be, if they left their comrades amidst danger, they're not worth teaming up with. Dicing Edge has a bad reputation in my eyes and she is disqualified. It's better we take Arrow for the distraction."
Buddhist Hand sighed, he was conflicted. He wanted her in the team but then it was not up to him. In fact, he had thought Sasha would be the one to say no due to past conflict; he didn't know it would be the bodyguard.
Heck, Sasha was ready to accept her but was hesitant now. Her gaze moved from Elias to Buddhist Hand.
Elias could see what was happening here. Hooking up with Noble Family members was good at moments like this. Though Buddhist Hand didn't introduce her directly to avoid appearing imposing to them, now as the opportunity arose, he did that.
To push away doubt in Sasha's heart, Elias faced her and addressed her weakness, "Sasha, you are a compassionate girl. I would say naive, but that trait is good. The negative of that is, people will use it against you. They will exploit your compassion, care, and optimistic view of the world and take advantage of you."
His gaze glanced at the conflicted woman. She was still tall, but in a black uniform with her sword dangling on her hip. Her hand clenched as she heard everything Elias was saying. Not only her, but the other candidates as well.
"Your brother will not always be there to bail you out if someone betrays you. Or if someone uses cunning to take advantage of you. Of course, no one is above being deceived, but one should not allow themselves to associate with those that have a record of that."
His voice rose, "We are facing creatures that caused the destruction of the world; we only need those with good records. And that should be what you always do when associating during exploration."
Sasha nodded to Buddhist Hand. "What he said" She sounded sad about Elias's stand.
"Alright then. Arrow." He said, and another girl came forward.
"Let's go explore our target!" Buddhist Hand said.
The five-member team walked toward the two paths that went in opposite directions. One toward Fearmonger—it was still sealed, and awakeners were moving there trying to see if they could get close. But most froze in their steps while the rest ran back.
The other way was windy, and the first beast was also inside an alley. It was silent, because a fight had just finished and they didn't win. Blood was still on the ground and the beast was recovering from its minor injuries.
Interestingly enough, they were close but there was no plague in the air. It was like they were checking a casual beast with no aura.
However, gazing at it made their scalps tingle. It was not as ugly as Fearmonger, that they knew despite not remembering what it looked like, but this calamity beast was equally strange.
Looking longer made them begin to feel its plague on them. It felt like being poked softly around the body, but that increased the more they stayed until it was unbearable and they walked away back to the red tent.
When they were back, Buddhist Hand was called by the doctor and registrar, the one that registered relics obtained.
Moments later he was back in the tent.
'Noble families have deep connections inside everything, and if they want their Scions to get something, they will pull a lot of strings,' Elias grumbled.
Though he was a Grimhammer, he never truly felt he was part of them. And the little time he spent with them, he knew their ways were just relentless in what they wanted.
"Red. The organizers begged me to hear Dicing Edge out before you kick her out," Buddhist Hand said; he too seemed to have been forced to say that.
"Sani, can you give us some space please!" Sasha quickly said.
"You can't convince me, Sasha!" Elias said with finality. "If you want a connection with Blademourn, your talent is more than enough for them to look away from this rejection!"
Sasha hesitated. "Well, I do want a connection with them. But certain events may lead to another."
She took a deep breath, seeing Elias's closed and leaning figure wasn't even giving her attention.
"We need to give people second chances. Fear, confusion, and other reasons may cause us to make certain actions that we regret later. And if we judge everyone for that mistake, then we won't be doing justice. Even we can make that mistake. Many hunters run away from a fight, leaving their comrades, and they regret it later. Sometimes that affects their mental health…"
She sighed. "You are totally right. Sometimes I feel like you are just another Elias. My brother said the exact same thing to me. I'm too kind-hearted, too helping, too emotional, which irritates him most of the time, knowing that people will use that against me. I get it, and I know I might become a victim, but that doesn't mean I will just become mean and cruel and do all the bad things…"
"And the only reason I was interested in her was my brother asked me about her. He called her Anita, but I didn't know she was the one until I saw her coming, and I told him what happened between us. He said in the Blademourn she was some kind of different, more like a… failed experiment. And now she has to prove her worth for them to truly take her back and allow her to take the Blademourn name. Now she can only use Dicing Edge name."
"You mean she wants to join us because that is an accomplishment that will push the bar and help her family accept her taking the Blademourn name?" Elias asked. He was still not convinced, but the fact his namesake was interested in her meant more than the girl's tragic life.
From what he heard and learned about Elias Thunderspark, the man carved his way not just by raw power but also incredible intelligence and insights of the world.
The man was a Platinum Hunter, a rank that only Rank 3 could reach.
"There is that!" Sasha said expectantly.
Buddhist Hand also said, "They expected her to awaken A-rank at least, but she awakened C-rank!"
Both Sasha and Elias turned to Buddhist Hand. "She is a C-rank?" they both asked in unison.