Chapter 57 - A Bright Future

It had been a day since the surviving adventurers were evacuated. The military had brought them all to the northern hills that overlooked Alfrum, where the refugee camp had been placed. They could make out the corpses of some undead around the camp.

Griff was sitting inside one of the Carriages that had been used to transport the injured to the camp. A majority of the expedition force was set to return back to the capitol, with about several hundred remaining to aid in the repairs of Alfrum. It was surely a miracle that a large margin of the city's denizens had survived, but the lost numbers of adventurers would certainly impact it in the future.

[Now that you have no excuse to run away from me it's time we had a talk, Griff.]

Griff sighed and closed his eyes as he brushed back a couple lose strands of his messy hair.

'Alright alright... what do you-'

He suddenly felt like he was falling, and he opened his eyes. All he saw was a table with two chairs. Caphriel was already sitting on one, playing with a teacup placed in front of her.

"Well?"

She didn't have her wings out this time, but her radiant white hair and pupils were enough to compliment her. She had donned a white loose dress.

She sighed seeing Griff still looking at her, and crossed her legs, leaning forward on the table towards his direction with a slightly smug smile.

"I know that I'm captivating, but I don't want to lose time. Get a move on."

"Sheesh. I never did get a good look at you before."

He said as he walked and sat in front of her. She still had her smug smile on.

"Now, before we start it would be nice for this place to be more colorful."

"Huh? Like a garden or something?"

The area around them which seemed to be like a white box suddenly fluttered into life as a garden took its place in a mere second.

"Better."

"So, this is my mind."

"That it is. Now first things first. What you did was reckless, and I bet you had no idea what you die."

Griff shrugged nonchalantly. Of course he didn't know. He just took a gamble from something he had felt previously.

She sighed and pinched her nose.

"Yeah what was I even expecting. Look, you actually managed to contradict your own existence, and by extent your magic. You tapped in to the magic reserve of the person who had inhabited your body before you. The hero sent by the previous gods. I guess that can explain your weird hair."

She nodded to herself as she felt that her analysis was spot on.

"That does make sense... my hair has changed colors when I did use stronger magic, but it has always been black."

"Well, then that's a defining feature of your predecessor. To be honest, I'm not sure how you even contradicted your own existence to bring out the one before you, but I guess that... that's the contradiction of what you define yourself as. Two sides of the same coin? I don't know... this is odd even for me."

She sighed in slight defeat as she took a sip from her teacup, looking towards the grass.

"It's insane though... you can use the magic reserves of someone else, a hero. Even if it's short right now-"

"With enough training I'll actually become stronger."

He finished her sentence with enthusiasm as he stood up because he realized where the conversation was going.

"Sheesh sit down. Yeah, it's not unfair to say that this is your magic now. You've taken it for yourself. Now, something like this happening is nigh impossible in reality, even using very powerful magic... but your body has been yours yet not yours. I'd say nothing like this will happen ever again."

She then put down her teacup and laughed.

"Great job! This really is entertaining for me. I never expected you to be so interesting. I'd say you'll be growing strong very soon by attending that academy. You've not only tapped into a power that resided in you, but made it yours."

Griff squeezed his fist in excitement as he had the face of an enthusiastic child.

"I haven't made it mine yet! I've got to learn more spells, and you'd better be ready to see me mastering this magic."

Caphriel smirked. This kid, Griff. She really did like the kid's naive yet determined personality. Now if he'd falter in face of the world, or thrive in it? That was something yet to be decided.

"Then prove that to yourself and me."

She snapped her fingers as a white door appeared behind her.

"I bet your friends will want to talk with you."

"Yeah. The damn dog's gonna growl at me for having not told her about that Academy stuff."

As Griff walked to the door and opened it, ready to wake up, Caphriel called out to him one final time.

"And Griff. Next time, don't ignore me calling out to you."

The words sent a shiver down his spine as he quickly went through the door, but not without shouting back.

"Yes ma'am!"

Caphriel chuckled seeing him leave. Yeah. He was funny. Funny? Wasn't he only entertaining? Well, never-mind that.

She continued to play with her teacup.

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Griff slowly opened his eyes to see the wooden ceiling. He quickly got up, and hopped off the carriage.

"Oi so there you are!"

A hand suddenly found itself behind him.

"Ehehee... if it isn't Sylvie... what a coincidence..."

"Hehehehe isn't it?"

Her grip tightened as she looked at him with a slightly feral grin.

"Now why did you run away from me?"

Prior to Griff sitting in the carriage Sylvie had asked what the Knight Commander Luke had talked with him. And Griff, being Griff, decided that running was better than saying he was going to attend some Academy away from them. It felt hard to tell his friends he'd be leaving...

"Uhh... I wanted to have some me time?"

"Yeah I'm not buying that shit you idiot. I may not have been with you for a lot of time, but I know when you're being an idiot... err you're always an idiot, when you're being a super idiot."

She grinned as if she thought she had just made a very smart pun.

'This stupid dog...'

He composed himself. They'd all learn one way or another.

"Well. I didn't want to tell you what the Knight Commander told me."

"Eh? Just spit it out what's the harm."

She said as she let him go from her armlock. She was a bit taller than him, so Griff felt he was being pressured.

"Have you, uh, heard of something called an Academy? Well... he said I'd be going there to study because he took a liking to my magic."

"Alone?"

"He... didn't say anything about any of you coming with me."

Sylvie put her hand to her chin as she started to think. She looked at Griff who seemed to be anxious. This idiot was a handful, and a brat at times... but she didn't dislike that. It would be a nuisance to be separated from him.

She patted him on the back a few seconds later, earning a very confused, yet cute look.

'Sheesh. He's not a bad looker.'

She thought to herself.

"Look no biggie! I'll just ask that knight guy to come along too. Seriously, how did you not think of this?"

He knocked on his head slightly with his tongue out.

"Dunno!"

He said.

"Ugh. Alright I'll go and talk to him."

Just as she turned to walk away, both of them saw Luke walking fast without his helmet.

"Well time to talk I guess."

"Wait not so fa...st."

Sylvie had already ran, blocking Luke from walking. Griff facepalmed. This was going to be odd.

He watched as Sylvie spoke, and even though he couldn't hear anything he could read their expressions. Sylvie's face was bright. He hadn't seen her like that a lot... unless when they were eating. If Luke's merry laugh was to go by anything, she'd be coming along!

Griff smiled in relief. He might be leaving Alfrum behind, but it seems that he made something more valuable than Alfrum itself, something he thought he had lost with James's departure: a true friend...

"Griff... Griff?"

Griff snapped out of his thoughts as he heard someone calling out to him, and turned to his right to come face to face with Rin and Reiner.

"Uh... Rin, to close! To close!"

Rin slightly blushed as she pulled herself back, leaning on her staff.

"So... you guys want to know too? What the Knight Commander said yesterday?"

"Well yeah. You've been avoiding us for a while now."

Reiner said slightly pouting.

Rin was looking at him, and if her look was anything to go by, she wanted answers. And she wanted them now.

"Well. I've been recruited to attend an Academy at the capitol."

The two's faces first twisted in surprise, and then into happiness.

"Seriously! That's awesome! Getting to go to the Capitol is one of the hardest things, especially as a student!"

Rin blurted out as she started to shake him.

Reiner patted him on the back.

"You deserve it buddy. What you did there wouldn't have gone unrecognized anyway."

"Well... I couldn't have done it alone! Without your help I wouldn't have even made it in time you guys... Still, not being able to see you two for a while will be

"Well. Who said we're not coming too."

"Eh?"

"We're adventurers Griff! We can't continue here like this... but at the Capitol? There are endless opportunities!"

Rin shouted by raising her hands high up in the air excitedly.

Griff grinned. All of them may be going their different ways in the near future, but for now, they'd be together.

"What would I do without you guys!"

Griff said as he literally pounced on the both of them, hugging them.

"Ahem..."

Griff quickly turned to see Luke smiling with Sylvie next to him... looking slightly? Angry?

"Don't want to break your heartwarming moment, but we're leaving."

Griff quickly let go of his two friends as all of them nodded.

"You lot can travel in the same carriage anyways. I'll arrange it."

He said, but before he left he turned to Griff and said one last thing.

"Oh, and you'll be having a friend joining you at the academy kid!"

The future... was really looking bright this moment.