A few days after the conversation I had with Virina, the direct commission came for Vier and Marcta. They immediately headed to the Chalcen mansion, and at the same time, two individuals showed up at the Oris Inn looking for Rea and I.
"Greetings, Ava-sama. I am Ris, the deputy head butler. This is Sel, the deputy head maid. We have been sent by Virina-sama to undergo training and to carry out any orders you may have for us."
"Nn. I have received you. Ris, Sel, you will undergo training for one week. Afterwards, you will teach my squad etiquette and social mores in noble society, as well as how to perform the functions of being a maid or butler."
"Eh? One week? Isn't that too little..." Sel's voice leaked out, prompting a stern look from Ris.
"Too little? Trust me, by the time you've gotten through one day, you'll be begging for the training to end," Rea said, almost sadistically.
Ano...did my cute Rea suddenly become an S?
"Come upstairs with me. We'll leave immediately."
""Understood, Ava-sama.""
I brought them upstairs, then teleported them into the 55th floor of the [Labyrinth]. As they were both C-rank, I figured that this floor would be the best starting floor for them. It was teeming with C-ranked monsters, but the occasional B-rank monster would also be roaming around.
"Survive."
With my trademark training catchphrase, I took Rea and vanished, leaving the two of them stranded in the middle of the 55th floor, facing down a pack of [Vulkits], fox-like monsters with three tails each. Unlike the nine-tailed fox of legend, these [Vulkits] had a coat of dark grey, and spines ran down their back. They also had no relation to [Fire Magic] whatsoever. Instead, these monsters utilised a combination of [Dark Magic] and [Earth Magic] for combat.
Despite my unreasonableness, Vis and Sel were clearly trained to keep their composure. They pulled their weapons out from their storage rings and began to fight, first by themselves, but slowly with more and more coordination. It took them a while, but they finally ran into their first B-ranked opponent.
Having no means of escaping, the two of them settled in to fight. It took almost an hour, but at the end, Vis and Sel had barely survived the ordeal, the slain corpse of the B-ranked monster lying prone in front of them. I appeared in front of them and healed them, then explained to them the mistakes they made that almost cost them their lives. Once they realised I had not simply abandoned them, they began fighting with more and more fervour, going deeper into the [Labyrinth].
This cycle continued for a day or two before I decided that they were strong enough in body and mind for a greater challenge. I teleported them into the 70th floor, just like I had for the [Voidfall Arcana], and explained to them how the 70th floor worked. Rather than fear, the eyes of the two showed hunger. They had tasted the rush of killing a stronger monster and the growth in strength over the past couple of days, and wanted more.
Satisfied with their resolve, I took Rea to the 80th floor and continued our training where we left off. This time, both of us fought against A-rank and S-rank monsters, albeit by ourselves. While we could coordinate if we wanted to, I was saving that for confronting the S+ ranked monsters on the 87th floor where I was reincarnated - the [Hydra Wolf King] and the [Citrosian Queen]. In the process, though, Rea had gotten badly hurt fighting an S-ranked monster and used [Voidfall] to teleport to my location. I healed her up and told her to take it easy for the meantime, but her resolute eyes said no.
In this way, we slowly fought our way through the 80th, 81st, and 82nd floors, causing our strength to continue ballooning. By the time we returned to the 70th floor, just like the first time, rivers of blood were flowing through the corridors. It seemed that Vis and Sel were doing well. Apparently, during this time they had evolved and reached B rank, and there were still two days left on the training schedule.
Thinking for a while, I teleported them into the 74th floor. There was a mix of A and B-ranked monsters here, with relatively fewer low-ranked monsters. It was probably one of the more efficient floors to grind on. Meanwhile, Rea and I continued to train on the lower floors. In between killing monsters, I would teleport back to check in on them. If they were doing well, I'd keep training. If they encountered a particularly strong monster, I'd keep watch until they'd defeated it. We kept this up for the two remaining days, then returned to the house where the squad lived.
By this time, Vis and Sel were much, much stronger than they had been before, albeit not quite at the level of my protégés.
"Everyone, listen up. They are Vis and Sel, on loan from Lady Virina as compensation for us allowing her to have Vier and Marcta protect her for a while. They'll live here with you and instruct you on preparing food, etiquette, and lessons for nobility and serving nobility. Learn well."
"""Yes, Master!"""
Vis and Sel looked slightly shocked at the young children who had already risen to such combat strength, and the kind of loyalty that they displayed towards me. However, professionals are professionals, and they quickly recovered and greeted the squad.
"We are Vis and Sel. We are in your care. Ava-sama has given us the go ahead to draft a schedule for your learning. Please do humour us and learn earnestly."
"If Master has given the order, we will execute that order to the best of our abilities," Karan said resolutely, the other children showing firm looks on their faces.
"In that case, I look forward to working with all of you," Sel smiled at the room.
The communications crystal that Jessa had given me for organising meetings began to vibrate. It seems that she had sent me a communique. It said, "Empress wishes to meet. Direct request via Adv Guild or teleport into waiting room?"
I sent her back a message with just one word, "teleport."
It seems that just like in my previous life, I was terrible at texting. After working out the details with Jessa a bit further, I teleported into the meeting house. Some time after, Clee emerged from the shadows. She handed me a map of the Palace and an image crystal that displayed the interior of the waiting room.
I nodded at her, then took Rea and teleported. It seemed that the sooner we met with the Empress, the better. We emerged in a beautifully decorated waiting room, with lush seating surrounding an ornate table and lavish bookcases lining the walls. Jessa was already present, pouring two cups of tea for us. I smirked at her and teased, "ara, Jessa-san-yo, you're normally so regal during our meetings and here you're pouring us tea?"
"Ava-san, please hold back your jests. After all, I am Her Majesty's aide. This is a required skill," Jessa replied, her composure unruffled.
"Aah, boring. It seems that I can only unsettle you by being out of the ordinary, rather than through any kind of regular jabs."
"Indeed, that's true. By the way...did you two get stronger yet again???"
"Oya, you noticed. Indeed, we've been working hard."
She held a hand to her forehand, muttering, "seriously, just how outrageous are the two of you going to get?"
"Anyway, please wait here for a few minutes. Her Majesty will receive you shortly."
"Nn. Thanks, Jessa-san."
True to her word, a few minutes later the door opened and Jessa brought us to see the Empress. The Empress' office was a large room with a huge table in the very middle of the room, with shelves of documents and recordings lining the walls. Behind the table was a large, high-backed ornate chair, and on the table were writing implements and stacks of documents. Clearly, this Empress was working hard. Seated atop the chair was a young woman who looked like she was in her early twenties, with a golden hairpin holding up her long blue hair, a crown inlaid with gems sitting atop her head, and a long flowing dress that covered her body. Her arms were patterned with blue scales, indicative of her race. She was clearly a dragonkin [Rochur].
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Ah, we finally meet, Ava-san. I've heard so much about you from Jessa."
"All good things, I hope?"
"Ahahaha, I don't know if it's good, as much as it was refreshing. It was the first time I'd ever seen Jessa here so flustered as she described you."
"Oh?"
"Your Majesty!" Jessa yelled, mortified.
"Ah, she talked about the [Killing Intent] that you possessed and the speed at which you gained strength...not to mention the speed at which your training makes others gain strength. Whenever it came to you, Jessa was always a little out of sorts. I think you broke her common sense."
"Maa, what can I say? I haven't had a common sense life."
"Umu. Very true. Now, on to today's topic. I wanted to commend you on the work that you and your squad have done. Eight villages in the Arzin Barony that were slated to be pillaged and looted by bandits under the thumb of the local Baron were saved by the intervention of your squad. The Baron seems much more interested in pursuing your people than going after his own. I also received Viscountess Virina's audience thanks to you, and we now have a new addition to our efforts. She is going to continue her work in disrupting the slavery pipeline."
"Additionally, I hear that you are volunteering to take on the S-rank squad that lurks as the protection of the government. I thank you for your courage. We've been planning this for over ten years, and the strength of these special forces has always been the thorn in our side."
"So, I wanted ask you, what would you like to receive upon the conclusion of this rebellion?"
"It's simple. I want a place where my kin and I can live peacefully and happily."
"Is that all?"
"Pretty much. I don't need to own land, I don't need wealth, I don't need political power. I just need my kin and I to live undisturbed and happy."
"Well then. That much I am absolutely free to grant. I guarantee it. You can pick any place you wish to set up your own housing, or I can give you a mansion in the capital. We can work out the details later, but this I promise you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The audience with the Empress over, Rea and I left the Palace and returned to the squad home base to check on their progress.