Chapter 986: [986] : Excuses

Shin couldn’t wrap his head around what Alice was plotting, but he figured it was something beyond his understanding.

"Alright, since you put it that way, I guess that means you’re cool with Lucy coming with me."

"Let’s hit the quest board."

"And about this A-Class insignia... does this officially mean my power level is recognized as A-Class?"

Shin knew damn well his true power was vastly superior to a mere A-Class, but the thought amused him.

He wanted to poke around and see how this whole system worked. It might seem a bit forward, but he’d rather ask directly and get a straight answer.

"I understand how your ranking system works. An A-Class badge means I can only take on A-Class quests, right?"

"Which means S-Class quests are strictly for S-Class mages."

"But here’s the kicker: why didn’t you just give me an S-Class badge? You felt my power firsthand. There is no way I’m just an A-Class."

Alice looked at him like he had just told a hilarious joke. "It’s obvious you have absolutely no idea how things actually work around here."

"It’s not nearly as simple as you think. If you want an S-Class rank, you have to be officially recognized by the Magic Council."

"There are twelve major Mage Guilds in this empire, and all of them are packed with heavy hitters."

"Sure, you could probably wipe the floor with all of them single-handedly, but doing that would just paint a massive target on your back."

"You don’t possess any magic power. While there are a rare few who can fight without it..."

"...like those people who showed up a long time ago wielding magical weapons, their combat style is completely different from ours."

"Our biggest advantage is having virtually limitless magic reserves, but even that comes with a catch."

"Because everyone relies on magic, their mindset is completely rigid. They firmly believe that only those with magic can be strong, and your rank is dictated entirely by your magical capacity."

"It doesn’t matter how godly your actual combat skills are. Those stubborn old fools on the Council will never acknowledge your power."

"So even if I handed you an S-Class badge right now, there’s no way you’d ever pass their official exam."

Shin was genuinely frustrated by this.

"Then what the hell am I supposed to do? I’m VERY strong. Forcing me to settle for mere A-Class quests is an insult. I have zero interest in wasting my time on bottom-tier jobs."

Alice just laughed. It had been a long time since she’d met someone this amusing.

"You really don’t have a humble bone in your body, do you? Most people would have dropped it by now, but you just laid it all out there."

Shin chuckled, resting his hands behind his head. "That’s a given. If I have one flaw, it’s that I’m brutally honest. I know that kind of bluntness can rub people the wrong way sometimes."

"But that’s who I am. I’m not going to pretend to be someone else."

Those words struck a chord deep within Alice.

Just be yourself...

It sounded so simple in theory, but putting it into practice was a totally different story.

The real world rarely allowed for that kind of freedom.

’Easier said than done,’ she thought bitterly.

Looking at Shin now, she found him surprisingly tolerable. Plus, there was that eerie, overwhelming strength of his, and his ability to resurrect the dead.

"Even with God Slayer Magic, I couldn’t beat him. If he’s on our side..." she mused, glancing between him and Lucy.

"Then I could step down and hand the empire over. Father is getting old. With Shin backing us, the empire could reclaim its former glory."

The empire she belonged to was named "Restoration," a name chosen by her father.

A long time ago, their empire hadn’t been this weak. Three-quarters of their original territory had been forcefully annexed by a rival nation.

That nation was the Valcor Empire. Even though her current guild was considered top-tier, the Valcor Empire boasted the Five Guardians.

They were the absolute strongest fighters in that empire, and any single one of them could fight Alice to a standstill. Because of this, her empire had suffered under the Valcor Empire’s constant aggression for years, completely powerless to fight back.

And now, the Valcor Empire was pushing the envelope even further. They were demanding that her kingdom send a princess to marry into their royal family. But Alice knew the truth—it was nothing more than a thinly veiled power play meant to humiliate them.

She had originally planned to take her sister’s place and go herself. But both she and the King knew the harsh reality.

If she left, the kingdom would be completely defenseless and doomed to fall. Naturally, she kept this grim truth hidden from Lucy.

She loved her sister, but weighed against the survival of their entire nation and their parents’ desperate pleas, she couldn’t afford to break. But over the past few years, her growth had completely stagnated. She had pushed her body to its absolute physical limit.

Under these circumstances, she could, at best, hold off three of the Five Guardians simultaneously and fight them to a draw.

——————

"But that isn’t nearly enough. If all five attacked at once, they would kill me instantly. And that would spell the absolute end of our empire."

"The only reason I lost my temper earlier was because this guy threw a wrench in Father’s plans. But seeing as he’s significantly stronger than me..." she trailed off, a new plan forming in her mind. "If we team up, maybe we actually have a shot against those five."

But even then, the odds were terrible. The Valcor Empire’s military might was too overwhelming.

Noticing Alice completely zoned out, lost in her own thoughts, Shin awkwardly tapped her on the shoulder.

"Let’s go check out the quest board. Even if we’re stuck with A-Class jobs, they should still pay out a decent chunk of change, right?"

"Of course. A-Class mages are considered heavy hitters. How many S-Class mages do you think are actually running around?"

"There are only ten in this entire empire."

"Well, make that nine now. You just killed one."

"Wait, you mean Jela?"

Shin asked slowly. Only nine S-Class mages left? But how could trash like him ever qualify as S-Class?

He gave Alice a skeptical look. "You’re serious? That guy was S-rank?"

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