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Arton felt a weight off his shoulders hearing the king speak and the high-strung tension slowly relaxed. His majesty’s words only strengthened Arton’s opinion on Galahad as a person to put his faith in. Between him and Ranbu, there was much he gained to learn from them. The viera, in particular, had shown him that in order to protect the others he would need to get not only stronger but faster. He lowered his eyes and took a slow, deep breath letting the events of the night settle in his mind. This quest had already shredded what preconceptions he had and they had barely taken the first step 

	[color=537DAE][b]“Of course, I’m looking forward to seeing you work.”[/b][/color]
 
	The peace lasted only for a moment as he heard Ranbu inviting the Skaelian woman to the group, turning his head to them. Her appearance and fighting style was too refined not to be a student at the Academy. He supposed that any of the Skaelians here would be seeing that the Academy produced the best of the best of Skael. As Ranbu approached them, Arton tried to find a place to avert his gaze after realizing he had been staring a little. Neve had been the one addressed so he held his tongue for her to reply first. 

	At the very least, these otherwise hot-headed individuals were quick to apologize to her. Neve’s smile returned to her lips as she gave Izayoi a nod of understanding, then did the same to Eliane. They appeared to be approachable, after all. Before she could give them a reply, however, Izayoi wandered off and began to speak about a chain of command. That was something that Neve knew that she shouldn’t be part of. 

[color=659EC7][b]”No worries, friend. With so many people here, misunderstandings are bound to happen.”[/b][/color] she told the red-haired woman in turn. Then, she glanced back up at Arton, silently suggesting that they be on their way. 

Arton nodded and had begun to walk away from the group alongside Neve when Zeidgram dropped his name for leadership. The notion was not one he had harbored in his mind for a moment. Whoever was in charge wouldn’t change how he would act nor affect his goals, though he supported Ranbu’s nomination. The Skaelian warrior had practically frozen in place with a bit of color washing from his tanned skin. What had he done that warranted the red mage’s confidence? 

	Arton turned to face the group with uncertainty in his eyes. The words of Galahad and Leifur stung slightly but he was in agreement. He worked fine and well as a lone mercenary solving issues of petty bandits and invasive monsters, but he had never once led others on something as dangerous as this quest. He shook his head to dissuade Galahad’s worry [color=537DAE][b]“I admit that there is much I have to learn. I will do my best to be of help, but Neve and I must get going if we are going to help the injured.”[/b][/color] With that, he turned to Zeidgram [color=537DAE][b]“I may not be ready for such a mantle, but I will earn it. You can be sure of it.”[/b][/color] He spoke almost like a promise. Arton took another deep breath as he regrouped with Neve, gesturing with a nod that he was ready and eager to get moving.

	The two made their way into a large chamber inside the castle that had been converted into a makeshift field hospital for the injured. Arton followed Neve’s lead as they treated the most severe injuries first. His job was mainly to stabilize and prepare the next patient while Neve used her white magic to quickly heal the wounds. While she focused on the patient, Arton did his best to raise the spirits of those next in line. He exchanged warm words and laughter with many of them, taking their mind off their pain. Despite Ranbu’s advice, one could say the two of them may have overdid it. Arton walked closely behind Neve as they returned to their quarters, wary she might faint or lose her balance. Arton stripped the bare minimum of armor to be comfortable and practically collapsed on his bed.