"Your mission has been assigned," my father said seriously, fixing his gaze on us.
"As you already know, a couple of months ago, you both passed the clan's mid-level trial. So, you're officially Rank 3 members now."
"It was only a matter of time before you got your first Rank B mission," he added.
Judging by the look on my father's face and on Alice's parents' ; I could tell this wouldn't be an ordinary Rank B mission.
Honestly, I was already expecting that...
The Evans Clan divides its members into three levels: low, middle, and high. Each level is split into ranks:
Low Level:
Initiate
Apprentice
Novice
Mid Level:
Rank 3 Member
Rank 2 Member
Rank 1 Member
Captain
High Level:
Commander
General
Elite
The most powerful among the Elites are granted the title of Paladins, and together with the Leader, they rule the entire clan.
Currently, including the Leader, there are nine Paladins in the Evans Clan.
My father and Alice's parents are among them.
Yeah… appearances really are deceiving.
That's why Alice and I have been in the spotlight since the day we were born.
Mainly because there are two factions in the clan right now: those who want to dominate the other six clans… and those seeking peaceful coexistence.
The pacifist side currently holds power, backed by five Paladins including our parents and the Leader.
But the extremists still wield considerable influence, with four Paladins. All they need is one more to reach a balance.
If the pacifists gain one more ally, they'll have total control.
That's why, as children of Paladins, there are a lot of expectations placed on us. And those expectations only grew stronger when we showed a natural talent for combat from an early age.
Add to that the fact that we passed the mid-level trial at just 20 years old , which is considered extremely young…
So, within the clan, there are people who desperately want me to live… and people who just as desperately want me dead.
Fantastic....
Since missions are assigned in meetings where both factions participate, I'm sure ours was designed with two goals in mind: either we earn enough merit to rise quickly… or we die trying.
The only comforting thought is that, theoretically, there's a limit. If the mission is too dangerous, our parents' faction can legitimately intervene, claiming it's an obvious assassination attempt. But if the danger level is "moderate" for Rank 3 members, and we screw up or get killed…
There's not much they can do. And complaining about that kind of mission could spark internal conflict that ends up stalling our progress and keeping us from getting more missions.
In conclusion.
Damn politics...
My father's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
"The highest mission Rank 3 members can be assigned is B-mid. Yours is B-low."
There's got to be a catch.
"However… it takes place in the slums."
There it is.
The slums , a place with a lot of history, and one I know well. The problem is, they hate outsiders there. And more than anything, they hate the Evans. The moment we step into that area and they figure out we're from the clan, they'll try to kill us.
That said, the slums are the poorest region in all of Nexus. There are practically no resources, and people struggle every day just to survive. Because of that, there aren't many strong fighters around. At most, the strongest among them should be a very strong Novice rank.
Although… if they all attack us at once, things could get messy. Still, unless we make a serious mistake, two Rank 3 members like Alice and me shouldn't be in too much danger.
"What's the mission objective?" I asked my father.
"A Novice was found dead in the slums. No one knows who killed him, but it's believed to be someone from inside, since he was the one assigned to patrol the border."
"A Novice patrolling that zone?" Alice raised an eyebrow.
"He was the son of the Rank 2 in charge. Apparently, that Rank 2 was called on a mission off-world, and the Rank 3 replacement wouldn't arrive for another day."
"He left his son in charge just for that one day, thinking nothing would happen. After all, a Novice should've been fine as long as he didn't go too far in. But..."
"It was clearly premeditated. The slums cover a pretty large area, and several Rank 2 and 3 members patrol the borders. The fact that the only Novice on duty was attacked that day, in that spot… there's no way that's a coincidence," I said aloud.
"Yeah, something about the whole situation feels off."
"By the way, what about the kid's father? Hasn't he done anything?" Alice asked this time.
"He… doesn't know what happened yet."
Alice and I were both surprised by that. Noticing our confusion, my father explained:
"The mission he was sent on is a joint operation with two Rank 2, one Rank 1, and a Captain. It's a pretty important one."
"Much more important than a Novice's death…"
"Hey, don't look at me like that! I didn't make the call," my father said, a little embarrassed by our stares.
"Anyway, they wanted to avoid the possibility that he'd hear about it and rush back to the slums to cause trouble. A rogue Rank 2 could cause a serious disaster there."
"His mission will last a few more days. Ideally, by the time he returns, we'll have everything cleared up and the people responsible in custody."
"Kids, I was worried at first about the hostile environment in the slums… but honestly, I think you'll be fine. Even though you just got promoted to Rank 3, you're both far better than most of the other Rank 3 in the clan. The only reason you weren't promoted earlier was to avoid drawing too much attention from the extremists," my father said, his tone firm.
"He's right. Those idiots don't know your true potential. They think you barely qualify because of your age," Oliver added with disdain.
"Yeah. It was a good move to hold back during the trial," Grace nodded.
And they weren't wrong. We're stronger than most people think. That's why a mission that might be considered challenging for others… honestly feels a little underwhelming for us.
We need to make the most of this opportunity.
"Alright, your mission starts tomorrow. Rest up and get ready," my father said.
"Are we staying here or heading home?" I asked.
"We're staying. I'm exhausted from the clan summit trip. Thank the stars it only happens every three years."
Oh, right...
The summit. He'd been gone for a week and a half because of that.
"How'd it go?"
"I'll tell you later."
"Kids, lunch is almost ready! Go take a shower and come eat," Grace called out with renewed energy.
"Okay!" we all replied in unison.