Ch.107107. In the Wild

“Zaide is a rookie I recruited that I’m particularly interested in watching.”

Vivien, who had already pulled out a plush chair to sit on, muttered while resting her chin on her hand.

“He was the first one I brought in, and above all, his skills are the most outstanding. He has a strong desire to grow, and compared to the other children, he’s less arrogant. Though he does have the drawback of being too loyal.”

Charlotte looked at Vivien with a stoic face. Vivien let out a bitter smile and added:

“Still, he was no match after all.”

“What did you expect?”

“I thought he’d at least exchange a few blows. I didn’t expect him to be toyed with without being able to do anything. Rex’s level is higher than I thought. Even though he’s mid-Radiance, he didn’t use blessings or abilities… Even with such a handicap, Zaide couldn’t properly use his hands once.”

The outcome of the duel was as everyone had expected. Unlike the previous two, Zaide fought valiantly but ultimately lost. He couldn’t inflict any meaningful damage and collapsed after being one-sidedly pushed back from start to finish. Though he wasn’t carried away on a stretcher like Daros, he fainted after taking a direct hit to his side, so it would take some time for him to regain consciousness.

“That’s only natural. I personally taught him, so he shouldn’t struggle against such amateurs.”

Charlotte replied in an indifferent tone. However, judging by the slight twitch at the corner of her mouth, she seemed quite satisfied with the situation. Vivien glanced at Charlotte with narrowed eyes and said:

“Anyone listening would think you’re his master or something. He was already at the Radiance level before you brought him in. Hard to believe, but if he reached Radiance at just fifteen, he would have achieved similar accomplishments without your teachings. Besides, wasn’t it a knight of Lindveil who passed down the Order’s secrets to him?”

“I raised my disciple well, so my disciple taught Rex well. In the end, it’s all thanks to my excellence.”

Charlotte snickered with a smirk. It was technically true, and Vivien didn’t have the energy to argue. She sighed deeply and stood up.

“Rex.”

At her call, Rex, who had been tapping the unconscious Zaide’s cheek, turned around.

“You really went all out.”

“I showed as much mercy as I could.”

“I know. Only Daros ended up crippled, and the other two are… fine.”

Vivien nodded with a disgruntled expression. Her original intention was to teach the rookies humility. Daros was too crude due to his field experience, while Maya tended to get carried away with flattery from all sides. In Zaide’s case, the problem was his excessive self-righteousness.

She had hoped these flaws would be improved through duels with Rex. What she hadn’t anticipated was that Daros’s character would be so disgustingly vile. Even Vivien hadn’t expected him to be so incompetent. If Daros had been a talent worth keeping, Vivien would have intervened to prevent the incident, but unfortunately, he wasn’t worth that much.

Having invested the considerable sum of 2,000 gold coins, she couldn’t just let him go. But leaving him be would obviously cause discord with others. The cost of his treatment was also a loss.

The Order of Wealth never tolerates losses. Once they’ve received a contract fee, Daros would be unable to die even if he wanted to until he earned back twice that amount.

‘There are plenty of ways to make up for the expenses.’

It was quite arduous and unfortunate for Daros, but Vivien no longer concerned herself with him.

“It didn’t turn out exactly as I’d hoped, but it’s not bad.”

Maya flinched under Vivien’s gaze. Her arrogance had certainly diminished. But perhaps she had become too timid. Vivien smiled bitterly. Comforting and reassuring her was precisely her role.

“I apologize for Daros’s rudeness.”

“It’s fine. I paid him back sufficiently.”

Rex answered in a calm voice. Daros wouldn’t be able to use the bathroom by himself for at least half a year. Of course, Rex felt no guilt. He only felt sorry for whoever would have to take care of him.

“I haven’t met him much either. I didn’t know he’d be such a fool. Even if you say it’s fine, I can’t just let it slide. Daros will receive quite a heavy punishment. It won’t just be a salary cut… I can’t go into details, but he’ll probably regret today’s actions for a long time.”

Vivien snapped her fingers. The air split, creating a small crack.

Rex stared at the crack with wide eyes. An ability that interferes with space. He had seen it before. Shaharon’s darkness and Charlotte’s Infinite Void were similar.

Three years had passed, but Rex still hadn’t reached that level.

“Take it.”

Vivien felt around the crack and pulled out something gold-plated. It was about the size of a palm, with a large eye carved into it.

“This is…”

“A token indicating you’re a guest of the Order of Wealth. Just to be clear, not just anyone can receive this. Even the highest-ranking members of the Order can’t give it out freely, and it can only be issued after review by the leadership. No one has received one in the past ten years.”

Rex looked down at the token with a bewildered expression. Vivien wagged her index finger and continued:

“However, as an Apostle, I can ignore such trivial rules. With this token, you can use not only the merchant groups affiliated with the Order of Wealth, but also most inns and stables for free. If you request an item, you can purchase it at the lowest possible price, and besides that…”

Rex’s mouth slowly opened as he listened silently. The things one could do with the token were so extensive that it was hard to remember them all. Being able to use inns and horses for free was already incredible, but that wasn’t all. Even rare items that could only be obtained through black markets could be acquired with the help of the Order of Wealth. They would also uncover secret information not known to the public if requested.

Above all, the Golden Apostle would personally grant one favor. Excessively demanding requests would be impossible, of course. After all, an Apostle is one of only ten such figures on the continent. While they may not surpass kings or emperors in terms of bloodline legitimacy, in some respects, they wield even greater influence.

“Curious? Why I’m showing you such favor?”

Vivien said with a grin.

“First reason is, you did me a favor, so I should give you a corresponding reward. Our Order of Wealth doesn’t extort unconditional profits. Some might laugh, but we operate on the principle of mutual benefit. If we receive one, we return one. As an Apostle of the Order, I shouldn’t violate that principle.”

“Still, isn’t this too much? As a reward for just a duel…”

Rex asked in a stammering tone. He knew it would be wise to simply accept what was given. But he couldn’t help asking.

“Really? I don’t think it’s excessive at all.”

Vivien shook her head and spread her fingers.

“This is the second reason: I like to invest. And while investing in people carries high risk, it also offers the highest return. Material things eventually disappear, but hearts are eternal. The feeling of goodwill lasts throughout a person’s lifetime. Especially since you’re a top talent with a guaranteed future.”

Showing kindness to an ordinary person would be useless. But if the person is a genius with a high possibility of becoming an Apostle in the future, that’s a different story. Rex is eighteen. Though an adult, in Vivien’s eyes, he’s just a child. He may have shortcomings now, but what about ten years from now? Or twenty, thirty years… The longer the time, the more exponentially Rex’s value would increase.

If she established a friendship in advance, became close, and maintained regular contact… there would only be benefits, no downsides.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, just think of it as a gift from a big sister who likes you.”

“Big sister? What nonsense from an old monster who’s eaten over sixty years.”

Charlotte sneered with an incredulous expression. Vivien’s smiling lips trembled at the sudden remark.

“…Old monster?”

“What else would you call a woman who acts childish all day without living up to her age? Calling yourself a big sister is so awkward to see. I’m glad I don’t age so disgracefully.”

Charlotte chuckled as she watched Vivien frown, then turned her head.

“Though Vivien is unsightly, I agree with what she said. Rex, what did you think while facing those guys?”

Rex scratched his cheek awkwardly and replied:

“Honestly… I thought they were too weak.”

That was his true feeling. If they were widely known rookies on the continent, they should be at the top of their age group in terms of level. He was aware that he himself was an outlier, but even accounting for that, they didn’t meet even half of his expectations. Maya and Zaide were at least better than Daros. Still, he wondered if they deserved to be praised as rookies.

Charlotte clicked her tongue with a disinterested face, as if she had expected this response.

“You lived in an isolated village until you were fifteen, then moved to Lindveil. Though Lindveil is one of the major cities in the south, it’s practically countryside compared to the center of the continent.”

“What?”

“Your standards are high. Since leaving Lindveil, you’ve been staying in Edenhar, so it’s understandable that you don’t grasp the level of ordinary sacred warriors.”

As Rex tilted his head in confusion, Charlotte wore a faint smile.

“Listen well, Rex. In fact, the ones you faced are indeed geniuses by common perception. Since the timing is appropriate, I should broaden your perspective on this occasion.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t know the level of ordinary sacred warriors; he was just a bit disappointed. He even had experience guiding the recruits at Edenhar. Rex swallowed the rebuttal that was about to emerge. He knew that if he talked back, Charlotte would get angry and spank him.

Instead, he asked something else.

“What do you mean by broadening my perspective?”

“Let’s go to Elysium.”

Charlotte shifted her gaze.

“Vivien.”

“What.”

Vivien pouted with a displeased expression. She was still upset about being called an old monster. Despite her sharp gaze, Charlotte got straight to the point, unconcerned.

“The princess’s coming-of-age ceremony is in three months. Will you be returning to Elysium soon?”

“…Why do you want to know?”

“Still sulking over silly jokes, I see. Are you that upset about being called an old monster? I don’t understand.”

“What?”

“If you truly have the heart of a fair maiden, it shouldn’t matter what others say. Why are you so bothered?”

Vivien glared at Charlotte with an incredulous expression.

“Who’s bothered? Such nonsense… To answer your question, yes, I’m going back. There’s nothing more for me to do here, and it takes a long time to get to Elysium anyway.”

“Perfect.”

Charlotte nodded with a pleased smile.

“We’ll hitch a ride with you.”

Vivien’s lips contorted.