Chapter 81: Master Freyna

POV Eliza

“Tell me more.” <Elem>

“One evening, I found an injured person in an alley who was being followed. I rescued her and brought her to safety. There I realized she was a little girl from the beastfolk. She went on to tell me that she had been driven out of her settlement by soldiers. She fled to the city with friends and was attacked by bandits. The attackers captured her companions. I had to help her and then freed the others. A lot of it was a coincidence, but I still managed it. I then handed Dilara over to her companions. I'd like to know how she's doing.” <Eliza>

“I've heard about it before, but I didn't know the details. So it was you who saved her. We should be grateful to you.” <Elem>

“Nothing to be grateful for. I'll help any beastfolk if they're not hostile towards me. Especially children who can't fight back.” <Eliza>

“You're the best, Eliza.” <Tamina>

I received an unexpected compliment from Tamina. I was surprised and blushed.

“She's right. You've already done a lot of good.” <Elem>

“I even got a badge for it.” <Eliza>

“Let me see.” <Elem>

I took out the letter and the badge to show him. He looked at it and nodded. Then he handed it back to me.

“This is our badge. If you had approached the contact here in Lightburgh, you would have come into our circles. But regardless of that, you've earned entry to us again. Congratulations.” <Elem>

“Welcome to us, Eliza. I'm delighted.” <Tamina>

“You can go through then. Turn to the others inside. You know what to do, Tamina." <Elem>

“Yep, I'll do it. Come on, Eliza, let's go.” <Tamina>

Elem opened the door behind him and let us pass. Tamina grabbed my hand again and led me into the corridor beyond. The corridor was illuminated and continued after a bend. Various doors led off from it.

Tamina led me to one of the doors and knocked. A female voice could be heard from inside. Tamina opened the door and led me inside. Inside, it looked like an office. A desk, overloaded with documents. Two shelves with even more documents. The only chair was occupied by a woman in her 30s, a foxlady judging by her reddish, puffy ears. She finished writing something and then looked up.

“Ah, Tamina, who have you brought me here?” <Woman>

“This is Eliza, Master Freyna.” <Tamina>

“And why is she here?” <Freyna>

“She saved me when I had to flee from the soldiers. She even bandaged me up and fed me.” <Tamina>

“Soso. Were you careless, Tamina?” <Freyna>

“I was as careful as possible. Elem let us through, too.” <Tamina>

“Are you sure, Tamina?” <Freyna>

“Yes. I only turned on the bare minimum of lights on the way here. She didn't see anything. I had to lead her by the hand.” <Tamina>

“So she did. What do you say to that, little guest?” <Freyna>

I looked at the woman and tried to assess her. Unfortunately, I couldn't do that without appraisal. I urgently needed to improve the skill. But I lacked EXP in all areas.

“I can tell you the story of how I met Tamina again.” <Eliza>

“That's not what I meant, but let's leave it at that. I wanted to get to something else.” <Freyna>

“Uh, what's going on here? I don't understand anything here anymore.” <Tamina>

“Tamina, you've brought a very interesting person here.” <Freyna>

“Huh, why is that, master?” <Tamina>

“How many people have you met so far who have been so willing to help you? But we've already covered that. Now to you, my dear. I have the feeling that there is more to you than your demeanor reveals and I can usually rely on my instincts. You still seem to have a lot of potential. Be honest, would you find your way back here if you started out by the river?” <Freyna>

I wondered how much I should reveal. But since Tamina has revealed so much about herself, I'll admit more. There was also an aura emanating from Master Freyna that reminded me of someone. I instinctively felt that I could trust her. So I nodded.

“Yes, I would. I have good senses, so I can probably see better in the dark than most people.” <Eliza>

“What, why didn't I notice that?” <Tamina>

“I didn't want to make you feel insecure. Besides, it's always an advantage not to admit directly what you can do.” <Eliza>

“Do you hear that, Tamina? You should take that tip to heart.” <Freyna>

“Yes, Master.” <Tamina>

“So, Eliza, are you going to betray us?” <Freyna>

“Absolutely not, why would I?” <Eliza>

“I was just asking for formality's sake. Let's move on to how we can reward you. What are you interested in? Gold? Items? Knowledge?” <Freyna>

“I'm always in need of friendships and teachers. I have a big goal and I need to get stronger without losing the fun in life.” <Eliza>

“I'm glad to hear the second one. Even though we have a hard life here in the Empire, we want to do our best to enjoy life as much as we can. Do you hear that, Tamina?” <Freyna>

“Yes, master! Get stronger and have fun!” <Tamina>

“If you agree, we'll accept you into our little community and offer you our company as well as our skills. What do you think?” <Freyna>

“That sounds very good, thank you. The goddess must have guided me so that I could save Tamina.” <Eliza>

“The ways of the gods are inscrutable.” <Freyna>