HI3: I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

"Skyfire, Platinum, you may enter now."

At Amiya's voice, two more girls walked in.

One was dressed in red and black, with a short black skirt and black stockings. She stood at about 162 centimeters tall, wielding a strange staff. Cat ears adorned her head, and a lazy swishing cat tail trailed behind her.

Without a doubt... this was a cat girl, incredibly adorable! And she seemed to be of the mage type.

Next to her stood another figure, about 5'3" tall, significantly taller than Rosalia and Lilya. Her snow-white long hair was tied back in a single ponytail, framing a pair of large white ears that stood upright atop her head. The inner fur of her ears formed cute tufts, adding to her charm.

She wore a white crop top that exposed her waist, along with slightly longer-than-thigh-length white shorts. Adorning her legs were knee-high black boots, and strapped to her back was a bow, though it was hard to discern what kind of animal it might represent.

But her class is probably Archer...

"Your Majesty, Great Mage (Teacher)!"

As soon as they entered, both girls respectfully addressed the trio.

"Mistress Rozaliya, this Kuranta girl is named Platinum. She's one of the finest assassins in the Demi-human Kingdom now.

Before becoming an assassin, she was once a knight too. I'm sure she won't disappoint you." Amiya introduced the white-haired archer to Rozaliya.

"The Kurantas?" Rozaliya listened with a blank look.

"They're the White Horses..." Amiya explained immediately.

"Oh..." So her ears were horse-like, were they? White horse maiden... White horse rider...

"Skyfire, that master here, is the head disciple of Great Mage Eyejaffjala," Amiya continued her introduction.

"Skyfire has already finished her apprenticeship. Like how azure surpasses indigo, she has outdone her teacher's abilities. Given enough time to cast her spells, she could summon meteorites from the sky to crush enemies with devastating force.

"She is still very young, so I hope having her follow Great Hero will allow her limits to be even higher." Eyejaffjala looked at Skyfire with clear pride; this was by far the most satisfactory disciple she'd ever had.

"Dear teacher, you praise me too highly..." Skyfire seemed somewhat helpless at these words.

-

"Rozaliya-sama, what do you think of these two followers?" Amiya glanced at Rozaliya.

"Both are exceptional! But... aren't you worried something might happen to them if they follow me?" Regardless of their current loyalty levels, these two girls would make excellent followers.

However, Rozaliya certainly didn't want to play babysitter.

"Being able to follow the Hero is already their good fortune. If any mishaps truly occur, well, such things are often unavoidable. Besides, giving one's life for the Hero is a noble duty for any follower.

Demi-humans have never feared death, nor have we ever learned to value human life in the same way," Eyjafjalla replied matter-of-factly, echoing the demi-human perspective.

"I agree with the Great Mage," Amiya concurred with Eyjafjalla's sentiment.

"Well, in that case... Very well! I'll accept them provisionally." With that convincing display, Rozaliya could no longer find reason to refuse.

"We vow to follow the Hero to our death!"

Platinum and Skyfire promptly began performing the traditional demi-human loyalty ceremony towards Rozaliya and Liliya.

It wasn't that no demi-humans had ever become a Hero's follower before, but... those Heroes were all humans. Having a Hero who was also a demi-human was different; it fostered a sense of belonging and camaraderie that had been absent before.

The first demi-human Hero in tens of thousands of years signified that, at last, demi-humans on this continent would gain true recognition and influence.

Without their own Hero, they had no voice in matters of consequence.

It was akin to how a country without nuclear weapons could not truly be considered a major player on the world stage.

-

"Arise!" Rozaliya's hand rose in a gesture, allowing the two girls to stand.

"Yes, Hero-sama," the two maidens replied promptly. They immediately moved to stand behind Rozaliya and Liliya, symbolizing their new allegiance.

From this moment on, they would be followers of the Hero.

"Hero-sama, I wish to follow you as well!" Unable to contain herself any longer, Savage rushed forward and pleaded with her eyes fixed intently on Rozaliya.

"Sav—"

Just as Amiya was about to speak, Eyjafjalla gently restrained her with a shake of the head.

-

"Huh?" Rozaliya looked at Savage.

"Please grant this humble servant's request. Though I may be clumsy, I will learn how to serve the Hero with utmost dedication." Savage put down her hammer and bowed her head.

"This... well, alright, you can come along for now..." Rozaliya thought for a moment... and decided not to refuse.

"Thank you, Hero." Savage's face lit up with joy at these words; she had actually succeeded.

"Now that we've discussed the matter of followers, I have something else I'd like to discuss with you, Hero-sama," Amiya said, her mood buoyant. Seeing Savage join them as a follower was even better than she'd anticipated.

"What's on your mind?"

"As a Hero, the only way to stay strong is through constant training and combat. I'd like to entrust you with a task, of course, with a suitable reward."

"What's the task?" Rozaliya perked up at the mention of a quest.

"On the border of our Demi-human Kingdom lies an ownerless land infested with demonic creatures. Over a decade ago, a passing Hero slew a dragon there. For some reason, countless demons and undead have since flocked to the area.

I'd like to request that you investigate the cause, and if possible, take care of the problem. If it can't be resolved immediately, simply report back to us.

As compensation, I offer you five Originium stones."

Commissioned Quest: Clear the Undead Cemetery in the Undead-infested Land

Quest Reward: 300 Crystals, Each Twin +3 Levels, 400,000 Gold

"We accept."

A 300-crystal quest must be no simple task, but how could one possibly refuse 300 crystals?

"As a gesture of goodwill, I'd like to gift you these three Originium stones, noble Heroes. These stones contain vast amounts of energy and are incredibly rare, even across the entire continent. They're incredibly precious—you might not be able to exchange them for any amount of gold."

As she spoke, Amiya produced an exquisitely crafted gift box. Opening it revealed the three Originium stones within.

The three beautiful stones, each about the size of an egg, emitted a rich, energetic aura.

"Originium stones..." Rozariya accepted the gift box.

"Rozalia-dono, each of these stones is worth tens of thousands of gold," Cellinia whispered softly to her side. "But no one would ever sell an Originium stone, as their value far surpasses that of mere gold."

"Oh, I understand!" Rozaliya nodded, her eyes sparkling with newfound knowledge.

Because...

Item Recharge Found: 1 Originium = 30 Crystals

Holy shit! A single originium is worth 30 crystals?!