Dark Clouds Over The Future

"Help! Someone is threatening my purity!"

"I told you it was useless. No one can hear you here."

"As if I was going to listen to a criminal..."

"Maybe, but what can you do about it? You're not going anywhere unless I want you to, you're completely at my mercy and even if you talk no one will believe you."

Dora found himself in utter shock as he gazed at the woman pinning him down. The woman, who symbolized the kingdom itself, was present, holding down a young boy with unknown intentions.

Despite his struggle, Dora had to acknowledge the truth, he may be a strong E-rank, but he was still just that, an E-rank. The figure before him was of S-rank status, an emissary of such caliber was revered as a national treasure globally. Slowly, he started to comprehend her perspective.

"Are you serious? Are you threatening me to recruit me? Is that really how you get what you want?"

Dora stood up with curiosity and began to massage his wrists, even though he was certain she was being as gentle as she could, the power in her hands was terrifying.

"No, this is only what I must show you to convince you. Tell me, if I really tried to do something, what do you think would gonna happen."

"... I don't know, what's about I tell everything to Hope?"

"Go ahead, one word from me, and no one will believe you."

"You're really getting on my nerves... I know that already so I'll just save myself, by staying very far from..."

"The privilege of the powerful."

Dora glanced upwards at the sky before deciding to retreat to his dimensional room. However, the fear instilled in him by Elizabeth prevented him from doing so, as he dreaded the possibility of seeing her find a way to break in. In order to maintain his psychological well-being, he chose to submit to the situation for the time being.

"Tell me, have you ever wondered if this world was perfect?"

"... Since you're supposed to be a National hero, no."

"Yup, me neither, and I don't mind your little joke. I don't understand neither why people see me as the heroine of this kingdom. I'm not trying to say that I don't enjoy it, being the strongest comes with its share of benefits, as I showed you, I can do what I want, I am entitled to several privileges, I even have my say in political discussions, You know why a post was opened near this village?"

"The center with a lot of soldiers? Was that you?"

A melancholic smile graced her face.

"And yup a lot is going on behind the scenes in politics, I wouldn't advise anyone to go in there haha... But thanks to that I got to touch some words and they couldn't refuse the heroine's request, some of them even blamed me for using my status to protect my folks, isn't that funny?"

Dora found himself overwhelmed by the amount of information he was receiving. It was astonishing to discover that Elizabeth, who hailed from the same village as him, had started with an E-rank Avatar status but had swiftly climbed up the ranks. She had achieved what no other simple peasant had before - being recruited into the royal academy.

Through her remarkable achievements and battles, she had surpassed everyone else and reached the prestigious S-rank. In their village, her accomplishments were almost mythical, so Dora was taken aback to learn that there were people openly opposing her decisions. The strongest voice had spoken, who would dare to express their opinions?

"I can't say everything I know about this side of the Kingdom, I'm supposed to be their face among the citizens now, but I'm still amazed at how problematic it is to do a small thing just to help people. Just a small gesture can make a huge difference in someone's life, but..."

"Well, I guess there are too few talented emissaries to protect everyone? That's why I'm surprised you want me out of here."

"How would you protect the village in the event of a higher-rank disaster?"

The young boy fell into a brief silence, pondering over the words she had just spoken until he finally grasped the hidden meaning behind her insinuation.

"… A higher level? What do you mean? The Rifts?"

It was widely known that in this Kingdom, there was a predictable occurrence of rifts following a specific pattern. Certain areas experienced only low-level rifts, ranging from a basic E-rank rift to a maximum D-rank.

However, in regions with higher risk, the severity of the rifts could surpass that limit. For many years, our village had only encountered E-rank rifts. Therefore, the revelation from someone who appeared to possess profound knowledge about the world was truly concerning.

"Elizabeth, what do you mean? There has never been a higher rift here, why do you say that?"

"... Dora, as I told you, things are going on in the background, and for reasons that even I don't understand, I can't say anything. But I heard what you said earlier about your family, you really want them to be safe, don't you? So you'll have to think of something better than your E-rank powers to protect them."

"Could you at least tell me what's going on with the Rifts? How can I really prepare when I know nothing?! Think about my situation."

She gazed at him contemplatively for a brief moment, then beamed at his countenance.

"We can no longer predict what type of rift will appear in a region, last month's report revealed a worrying increase in energy in the atmosphere, the greater the energy, the more dangerous the rift will be, but with the level raised, it would be hard to imagine that E-rank rifts will continue to exist in the future."

Cold perspiration trickled down his face, the Rift danger was escalating uncontrollably? How? Why at this moment? He couldn't comprehend, but his main worry was that this was only the fraction of information Elizabeth chose to disclose, what events in the world led the top warrior to ask the help of a mere E rank?

"I... I see... This is worse than I'd imagined... You should have started by this instead of your ridiculous act earlier."

"Haha, sorry, really thought that showing you how untouchable you'd be as an S-rank could convince you. So? Do you agree to come too?"

"... Look, I really hate to be this guy, especially since you trust me, I think, but now that I know that, how could I follow you and leave my sister and my mother alone?! My mom wants to stay here because this is where all her family has been buried, my dad died in the forest nearby but his body has never been found, she will never leave, I know, I asked her before so I know she won't."

"Hm... But you still want to improve right? To protect them, so what's about this instead: as the person with the biggest authority in the kingdom, after the crown, I will personally assure their safety, and nothing will happen to them, in this case, would you consider joining me?"

Doora found himself in a predicament. He had a strong desire to ensure the safety of his family. He understood the importance of moving forward, considering the potential threat that the Rifts posed in the future.

Additionally, being a royal knight would grant him the ability to protect his family from various situations. It would provide his sister with a good childhood and the opportunity to attend school while relieving his mother from the burden of work.

It seemed like an incredible opportunity. However, on the flip side, there was now a chance that a highly-ranked rift would appear near their village. The main issue with these rifts was not just the level of the monsters inside, but also the environmental impact caused by the energy they emitted.

This energy resulted in the creation of monsters of equal strength to the rift itself in the surrounding area. While it took 5 days for a rift to open, a monster formed from the energy emissions only took a few minutes.

"Are you still hesitant?"

"... Sorry."

"It's alright... What a good son."

Dora sympathized deeply as he witnessed her laughter, feeling a pang of guilt for rejecting someone who was challenging her lord's authority for his own benefit. Taking a brief pause, Elizabeth adjusted her hair and fell into a contemplative silence, absentmindedly scratching her chin.

"Tell me, does your mom know that you were in an attack force?"

"Huh? Yes? We are the only team in the village, she knows."

"And... Is she fine with that? Even after your father died?"

"I understand your perspective, but she's fine with it. Initially, it did bother her, but... What are your thoughts?"

Dora was somewhat curious, yet within minutes he had already learned so much about this mysterious woman that he realized her questions were not arbitrary.

"Nothing, it's getting late, could you lead the way?"

"Lead?... You mean..."

"Eyupp, I want to meet your family."