"What do you mean?" Rigerif stood stunned for a long while, her silver-gray eyes filled with confusion.
She looked at Amon as if she had not understood the simplest sentence. "What do you mean, you haven't thought of one yet? You joined so casually—it feels like I asked you how the weather was, and you just said it was fine. That would be one thing—but you don't even have a name?"
Amon laughed. His smile looked both open and sly beneath the warm cabin lights. "Because before you, this organization only had me in it."
He leaned forward slightly, his voice carrying the weight of a declaration. "Girl, consider yourself honored—you have become a founding elder of an organization destined for greatness, the first cornerstone besides me."
Rigerif looked utterly dumbfounded. A few seconds later, she suddenly came back to herself, her face full of disbelief. "Damn it! You mean—you're just a lone wanderer? You don't have any organization at all?"
"Don't get so worked up." Amon's tone was relaxed, as if he were discussing the wind and snow beyond the window. "Don't all vast organizations grow from nothing, from weak to strong? Look on the bright side—because I was short on people, I accepted you so easily. Otherwise, what use would you be to me? What can you do?"
Rigerif thought it over carefully and realized that apart from being somewhat capable in a fight, she had no particular strengths. And even that ability seemed useless before someone like Amon. She knew some Dragon Raja-related knowledge? It was probably only superficial. She suddenly realized that her little bit of "specialness" was indeed depressingly ordinary on a larger chessboard.
"...Fine." She finally sighed, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "I've joined, then. If other organizations want to harm me, you'll protect me,