Lys and Selene sat on a low wooden bench just outside the main doors of the guild hall. The evening light had turned soft and orange, stretching long shadows across the dirt street in front of them.
Around them, the buildings, shops, and inns were still busy, though not as before, because of the news of a dungeon break just around the corner. Lanterns were being lit one by one, their warm glow spilling out through the windows as the sounds of gear being checked, quiet conversations about routes and supplies, and the occasional clink of metal drifted out to them from inside the guild building behind them. The strike team would leave at dawn. So, all preparations for it were still ongoing, and will probably be finished before night falls completely.
Lys leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring at the ground between his boots. Selene sat beside him, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. She kept her voice low, almost private even though they were in a public spot.
"Do you think they're actually going to pull it off?" she asked. "Like, really stopping the dungeon break by closing the dungeon's gate?"
Lys stayed quiet for a second, then answered in a flat tone. "You're the one who is more knowledgeable on this topic; why ask me? All I can say is, they look quite serious about it, seeing how thoroughly they are preparing for it, taking every available fighter with them."
Lys had listened to everything Selene explained earlier about how powerful a Tier 5 mage was supposed to be by this world's standard. The tier structure had made sense to him when she said it, but sitting here now, after knowing that an actual tier-5 mage was going to be among the strike team tomorrow, and it was Rhuvia, the small guild master of theirs, the doubt about the success rate of this mission still sat heavy in his chest.
A small team walking straight into the source of all this mess felt way too dangerous, no matter who led them. He had seen enough already after coming into this world to know how fast things could go wrong out there, and how strong the monsters were. So, he wasn't sure if he should relax yet, while a monster attack threat was still looming over him and everyone he loved in this world.
Hearing his outright answer, Selene didn't say anything after that. The silence stretched between them, broken only by the low voices and footsteps from inside the guild.
Lys rubbed his hands together slowly and looked back, thinking if it was Maya or Vessa behind him.
But it was, Pell, the guild staff. The guy approached from the side of the building, while stuffing his hands inside his long coat. He had clearly caught the tail end of their conversation, but he didn't make it awkward. He just stopped near the bench and leaned against the wall like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"I guess Lys still feels uneasy about this whole mission, right?"
Lys didn't say anything. Looking at the now half-empty road in front of him.
Pell continued, as if he hadn't expected any answer from Lys in the first place. "Kid, even if you don't think the people inside can handle what's coming, or complete the mission as planned, I think it'll go fine," Pell said it very calmly.
Feeling the quiet confidence from Pell's words, Lys turned his head toward him, genuinely curious instead of challenging. "You really think so, Mister Pell? Is our Guild Master Rhuvia really that good?"
Pell gave a small nod, his expression steady. "Well, although I haven't seen her in action yet, as far as I heard from the top brass people at the capital, she's the first mage in recorded history to reach Tier 5 at her age. That alone tells me more than anything else possibly could."
"So, kid, don't worry too much. Whatever's waiting out there, she probably faced worse than those already. Have some faith in her. If she is saying this is the only way, then I'd say she knows better."
Hearing this, Lys hummed to himself, the sound low and noncommittal. He wasn't dismissive here exactly, but the skepticism he had carried since the reveal in the hall still sat there, unchanged. Pell's words helped a little, but they didn't wipe away the pictures in his head, the blood on the road, the way Sara had pushed herself until she nearly collapsed, the size of that first wave. Having faith in this crisis sounded nice, but it didn't change how dangerous this all felt to him. He himself realized this too well: that he probably doesn't handle crisis situations like this too well.
The three of them sat in that quiet moment for a bit longer. Then Lys pushed himself up from the bench, brushing dust off his pants. He reached a hand down toward Selene. "Let's go home for now, Selene. If Mister Pell says, then we should also have some faith in our guild master Rhuvia, too. Plus, it's not like we can do something about it anyway by ourselves. So, let\s leave them to do their thing. We'll come check on them early tomorrow."
Selene smiled a little, took his hand, and stood up beside him. Pell gave them both a small nod and stood up, too.
"Yeah, you should do that," he said. "Go home and rest tonight, kid, while you still can. They'll probably leave early tomorrow, and before going, Miss Vessa will probably hand you your own portion of things to do too. So go and rest tonight."
Lys didn't fully understand what Pell meant by his own work to do, but he brushed it off for now. Too many things were already spinning in his head. "Alright. Thanks, Mister Pell. See you tomorrow. And let Maya and Miss Vessa know that we have gone home tonight."
Saying that he just turned around fully and continued on the road toward his home, leaving Pell behind, standing in front of the guild gate.
----
Pell stayed leaning against the wall for a moment after they left, watching their backs disappear down the street. And just as they vanished from Pell's sight, the guild door creaked open behind him. Vessa stepped out, wiping her hands on a cloth, her face tired but focused.
"Lys already gone home?" she asked, glancing down the road.
Pell nodded. "Yeah. I told him to rest tonight. He'll come early tomorrow anyway."
Vessa exhaled slowly, looking in the direction Lys and Selene had gone. "But I still hadn't told him his role for the couple of days we'll be out of the village."
Pell shrugged lightly. "Let the kid go home and rest for now, Miss Vessa. He'll come early tomorrow, so you can tell him then."
Vessa looked at Pell for a second, then gave a small nod. "Yeah, that's probably for the best."
Both of them stood there for a couple of minutes, getting some fresh air, before going inside to their respective parts of intense preparation and work.