After a few minutes of walking, Arthur finally arrived at the Adventurer's Guild. The building was as busy as usual—adventurers coming and going, some just returning from quests, others pretending to look cool while reading the mission board in front of their party members.
Arthur stepped inside, his eyes scanning left and right.
Most of the adventurers had already left. The only group remaining was a party standing in front of the receptionist's desk. Behind the desk stood Rae—the cat-eared receptionist—speaking with a restrained smile, like someone watching a badly acted drama.
"For this mission, you need four people," Rae said politely.
Standing in front of her were three individuals.
The most striking one: a young man clad in armor so polished, it almost hurt to look at. His face was handsome, with a sharp jawline and slicked-back blonde hair—but his expression was unbearably arrogant.
Behind him stood two others:
A curvy woman in a tight white dress, holding a crystal staff,
And a tall, slender man dressed in black, wearing a mask—his mysterious aura a little too overdone.
'Priest… Assassin… And that one in front… rich kid?' Arthur thought, already feeling a headache.
At that moment, Rae glanced toward him.
"Blooppp!" The slime on Arthur's shoulder let out a cheerful sound, as if introducing itself as a heroic volunteer.
Arthur sighed. Of course.
Rae's smile widened. "Perfect timing. Arthur, you can join this party. They need one more for an orc extermination quest."
Arthur frowned. "I'm still rank F."
"Two S-ranks are enough to meet the combat requirements. The last slot just needs a formation filler," Rae replied flatly, her hand motioning politely toward the two people accompanying the elegant young man.
The young man finally spoke, turning slightly toward Arthur.
"I am Levain Ervant von Caelstrad. Third son of Duke Caelstrad," he said calmly, as if everyone in the room was supposed to know who he was.
Arthur remained silent. Unimpressed.
Levain continued, "I possess mana capacity far above average. My level may not be S yet, but my bloodline guarantees my future."
The woman in the white dress and the masked man behind him both gave a subtle bow toward Arthur. A small, barely noticeable gesture—but clear enough: an apology for their master's behavior.
Arthur observed them for a moment, then looked away.
'I see… Looks like they're stuck with this kid. Must be hard dealing with someone like that just because of his status.'
He let out a short breath and nodded. "Alright. I'll go."
Rae gave a small nod. "This mission will last for three days."
Arthur turned to her. "Three days?"
"Bloop?!" Bounchiechomie let out a surprised sound on his shoulder.
Arthur frowned. "What about preparations?"
"No need," Levain cut in. "A noble is always prepared. Let's not waste time. Don't go anywhere. We're leaving now."
Arthur wanted to reply, but didn't. He just followed them out of the guild.
As he glanced back, Rae waved at him. "Make a lot of money, okay? Casca's going to need it."
Arthur looked back for a moment. "I still don't get why you keep linking me with Casca."
Rae simply smiled. "Take care."
A few minutes later, they arrived at a field full of horse-drawn carriages.
The woman in the white dress—with her notably large chest—motioned for Arthur to get into one of them.
The masked man entered first, followed by the woman, and then Arthur and his slime got in last.