On the trail leading out of Cambross, Saiba rips the [Celebratory Helm] off of his head and shouts,
"There's no way I'm wearing this thing! I don't care how good the buffs are! I can't look dumb if I'm a legendary hero!"
Lily giggles behind and says,
"Even though it's a gift from the people of the Kingdom? You said you would accept any gift!"
Annoyed, Saiba asks,
"Where did that town get these strong items anyways? I thought it was just a normal village."
Lily answers,
"I wouldn't really call them strong, but I guess I forgot to tell you. That's where the current #1 Adventurer is from. Apparently, he frequently sends items and drops back to his village. His father is actually the mayor of that town."
Saiba thinks,
"That chubby man's son is the strongest Adventurer? I guess he didn't inherit his Dad's genes..."
Saiba shouts,
"If they get such good items, why'd they have to give me this one!? You got those cool things with magic powers, and all I got was a stupid hat!"
Lazaro chimes in,
"I'm sure it'll come in handy at some point!"
Saiba sighs and says,
"Anyways, I'm still tired from the fight with all those skeletons. Those guys were pretty strong, even though they were basic. I haven't gotten a good rest ever since I got here..."
Lily says,
"Hopefully we can rest up at Calderon."
Lazaro shouts,
"I can't wait! The last time I was there, I couldn't even count to ten!"
Saiba sighs and slouches over while saying,
"Hopefully..."
Suddenly, two armed-men and a woman come falling out of the sky. They land on the ground with a big thud.
Saiba quickly gets off of Uma to check it out. He reaches his hand out and the woman grabs it. Saiba pulls her up while saying,
"Are you okay?"
She replies,
"Oh yeah! Thanks..."
Quickly, she retracts her hand and places it at her side while posing upright, very formal-like. The armed-men do the same behind her as the woman announces,
"Greetings Adventurers! I am Alizandria Valsieg, Commander of the Royal Army's 4th Division! I have come as per the orders of the Great King Gladius IV! An emergency has arisen and he requires that you come with me!"
Alizandria is a silver-haired lady that is wearing a navy-blue pantsuit, similar to a businesswoman. She also has lavender eyes and some sort of heavy-artillery machinery strapped to her back. Lily mumbles,
"Emergency..? Is it finally time?.."
Saiba asks,
"What do you mean, Lily? Do you know what's going on?"
She answers,
"Don't worry about the details! We need to go with her!"
Saiba says,
"Let's go Ms. Alizandria!"
Alizandria takes a deep breath and puts her hands together. Suddenly, a cloud appears beneath them, as it lifts them up into the air and they zoom off through the sky.
Finally, they land on a courtyard in the middle of a large, square-shaped building. Lily is in complete shock as she mumbles,
"Wh-What's this..? This isn't what I was expecting..."
Saiba whispers,
"Hey Lily, can you explain what's happening now?"
Out of the shadows, King Gladius appears while the armed-men and Alizandria all bow. Gladius says,
"Raise your head Liz. You know you don't have to be formal with me. Good to see you again, Hero! It's good to see your companions again as well! As I'm sure Liz has already said, there's an emergency and we need your help."
Saiba asks,
"What do I have to do? Fight a strong monster? A lot of monsters? Or maybe fight a lot of strong monsters?"
Gladius replies,
"Oh, no no. Nothing like that!"
Saiba pouts. Gladius continues,
"Right now, we're in the Academy for Aspiring Adventures, or the AA (Double A) Academy, for short. This is a school to learn the basics of adventuring. You see, the first-years seem to be in a rebellious phase right now. They're getting a little too ahead of themselves and it's becoming a problem for the professors."
Saiba asks,
"So what do you want me to do?"
Gladius answers,
"I'm glad you asked! We need you to act like a role-model for the students! If they have someone to look up to, they'll be more motivated to learn!"
Saiba replies,
"Couldn't you have gotten someone more qualified for the job? I have a more important task, don't I?"
Alizandria gets annoyed as she shouts,
"How dare you doubt the King's ord-!"
Gladius stops her, saying,
"It's okay Liz. We could've gotten someone else, but I guess you could say you got lucky!"
Saiba replies,
"Lucky? I'm just gonna be a babysitter for those kids!"
Gladius says,
"Oh come on now, Hero! Don't think of it that way! Think of it like practice for when you need to be a role-model for the Kingdom! It's much easier to start with a small audience, is it not?"
Saiba answers,
"I guess... Alright! I'll do it! I'll whip those first-years into shape! You can count on me!"
Gladius replies,
"Perfect! I like your determination! Now then, I'll introduce you to them!"
Saiba interrupts,
"Wait, what about my friends?"
Alizandria answers,
"Do not worry, we will have them properly accommodated while they wait for you to complete this task."
Saiba nods. Gladius begins walking away as Saiba intently follows behind.