"..."
Arthur couldn’t help but whistle from the side. He hadn’t expected her to defend him. His perception of her changed a little after that.
"In that case, let me be blunt. Victoria Vegas, I want to personally recruit you into the Valkyrie Squad. I wanted to speak to you personally since this is, well, a personal matter. But I’m guessing you’re going to tell Arthur all about it once I leave anyway."
Both Victoria and Arthur perked up. The Valkyrie Squad sounded badass, but he also guessed it heavily involved death and fighting. Was that really a place he wanted her to be?
"The Valkyrie Squad is an organization composed of the nation’s most talented individuals, whose purpose is to serve as a beacon of hope for the people. It’s the squad the nation calls upon whenever they need something done. It’s also funded completely by the Government of Vivum, so all of your expenses would naturally be taken care of."
She paused for a moment, gauging both of their reactions.
"I know it sounds too good to be true, but the alternative is experimentation. The scientists over at the government really want to open you up and see exactly how your brainwaves move whenever you perform such extraordinary feats."
Well, she was right in a way. The alternative was pretty scary to think about. He guessed that if Victoria declined this proposal, the government would stop holding back. The Valkyrie Squad would certainly explain why they’d been so lenient with her.
Still...
"So I’m curious about something. You mentioned that the squad is a beacon of hope for the people, but what do they actually do?" Arthur asked.
The woman nodded. "Good question. You train daily, kill monsters, and level up. I can’t say much more, since my boss only allowed me to speak about such things if you agreed to join..."
"Is there any experimentation?" he interjected.
"No direct experimentation."
"So she will still be indirectly experimented on."
The woman raised a brow. "If she provides consent, yes. If not, no one is going to force her." She placed a hand over her heart. "I swear that by my name, Celestia Windsor."
Silence ensued after she stopped speaking. Arthur had nothing more to add, while Victoria remained deep in thought. Clearly, though, it didn’t last long, as she soon asked a question of her own.
"In the expenses you mentioned, does that include my personal endeavors?"
Celestia paused. "...If by personal endeavors, you mean any business ventures you make, then yes. The government has a fund for that."
Victoria leaned forward slightly. "In that case, I’d like you to make that fund unlimited for me. I want all the resources, not a small nibble. Get me that, and I’ll join your little organization without a second thought."
"..."
Yeah, Arthur was starting to feel like he should’ve left.
The intensity of the conversation had shifted, and if he didn’t know any better, a fight was about to break out. But it seemed like he couldn’t have been further off the mark.
"That’s doable. Do you mind if I visit your home with the revised deal once I get clearance?"
"You may."
"In that case, that is all." Celestia stood up and dusted herself off. "I’ll be in touch, Miss Victoria."
Before she could leave, though, Victoria added:
"One more thing. I’m planning to attend Vivum Academy. Could you pull a few strings and get me in without the need for any sort of examination? I’d like to use the facility for research purposes, mainly."
"Sure. Is that all?" Celestia asked.
Victoria turned toward Arthur and spoke directly into his mind.
[Do you want to come with me to Vivum Academy?]
Ah.
I do.
He hadn’t thought he’d get the chance to enter it so easily, but when an opportunity like this presented itself, he sure as shit was going to take it.
"Almost. I also want you to get Arthur into the academy in the same manner. It’s non-negotiable."
Celestia rolled her eyes. "That’s not an issue, but ever since he came to this world, his status screen hasn’t been registered. He’ll need to go through some general testing, which should take an hour at most."
Arthur had a feeling they knew he was a healer. They just didn’t know how powerful his healing abilities were. He was also very close to reaching Level 5 in his Class.
Just how much better would his healing become after that?
He wasn’t saying he was anywhere near as special as Victoria, but he was definitely not at the bottom of the food chain, either.
"I agree," Arthur said. "I’ll do the tests. Just tell me when."
"Mhm. Have fun, you two. See you soon."
With that, Celestia finally left.
The conversation had been very fruitful, and he was glad it hadn’t gone south. He wasn’t exactly keen on dying today.
"I thought you’d want to join the Valkyrie Squad as well?" Victoria asked, confused.
"Hm? Why would I? I’m not that big on fighting." He chuckled. "All I really want to do is build a clinic and heal people there. I want a peaceful life."
"Peaceful? Hmm... Just how much did you research on the internet?" Victoria stood up from her seat and walked over to him. She sat down on the table, brushing her hair back slightly. "Since I can tell you didn’t do much research, let me tell you firsthand..."
"This world, despite its size, is actually not as peaceful as it looks. Sixty percent of this world’s land is controlled by the Dark Forces, twenty percent by the Elves, and the remaining twenty percent belongs to Vivum and a few other nations. In short, if I were you, I’d be prepared to do some fighting part-time. Otherwise, you’re going to become fodder and get killed."
"..."
What?
The world was in ruin?
He could’ve sworn that when he read the articles, no one had mentioned anything about this. Was it because the situation was so common that no one bothered talking about it anymore?
In just a few sentences, his perception of the entire world had changed.
He still wanted to do what he had set out to do... But how was he supposed to account for the state of the world in his plans? Healing on the front lines?
That thought alone brought back a wave of déjà vu.
He had once been deployed deep into enemy territory. His comrades were killed, and the few who survived were people he had been forced to treat and bring back to base, only to discover that the base itself had been destroyed.
That day, he was the only survivor.
But he needed to move on, now more than ever.
A Combat Healer.
A healer who actively participated in battles on the front lines while still maintaining a carefree life on the side.
Was that even possible?
No, it didn’t matter whether it was possible or not.
He needed to make it possible.
Finally, he had made up his mind.
"Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?"
"Nothing. You know, I think I’ll enter some special regiments and try to get myself into that Valkyrie Squad after all."
Victoria tilted her head. "If you want, I can talk to Celestia. She might be able to alter her offer."
"No, it’s fine. I doubt I’d actually be able to do much if I joined that squad anyway. I’ll just focus on myself for the time being."
Yeah.
That was his plan.
Focus on himself, level up his healing, and train enough to avoid randomly dying.
He didn’t want to do it, but it seemed like he needed to find a dungeon raid and get his first taste of combat in this world.
Anyhow...
"Let’s go home and set everything up now."