In my day, adventurer wasn't a career path that many people pursued.
I only knew about it through word of mouth — conquering dungeons, exploring ancient ruins and discovering new lands.
Then I am hit by the reality of today.
I am standing in a vast, noisy hall teeming with people.
Noise is everywhere: laughter, the strong smell of alcohol mingling with tobacco smoke and the constant clinking of coins. On the wooden tables, dice are rolling next to overflowing mugs and cheers are mixed with betting.
This is the headquarters of the Clitus Adventurer Guild, where a group of drunks have just pulled me in.
The scene is far removed from what I had imagined.
Although no one is scrutinising me, I am made uneasy by those curious gazes.
"Enough! Let me go."
"Huh? Didn't you say you had agreed to join us?''
"When did I say I agreed?"
The most sober person in the group — a blonde guy with a flushed face — wouldn't let me finish.
"Noir, we already have enough people!"
"So, we've been assigned that mission, right?" He laughed loudly as he staggered over to the reception desk.
TThe girl behind the counter is an elf. Her rare pink-red eyes regard the man unfriendly.
"Even with a new member, it's too late now."
"Too late? Aren't we still within the deadline to accept the mission?"
"Your sister has already found us another group of qualified mercenaries."
"Claire, hmph."
He slammed his hand down on the table.
"That annoying little brat... Doesn't she know her brother's broke?"
'Tsk.' The elf clicked her tongue. "She also asked me to relay this: As long as you keep drinking, you won't be getting any more diamond-tier missions!"
"What? Isn't that bullying?" he asked, gritting his teeth.
"Where is she?"
"Her team has just been summoned by the Centre Guild."
"For what?"
"Some unusual geological activity has been observed in the Matterhorn Canyon. The Guild must gather more information and investigate the cult's potential involvement further."
"That's too long-winded."
"In short, until you stop drinking, don't expect to see her again."
The guy turned back to look at me, looking frustrated.
"Hey knight, you've heard it. We're unemployed now. Your wife and kids will have to eat stale bread for a whole week."
Matterhorn.
I was speechless.
The name struck me like a bell ringing from the past.
It is situated in the far north of the former Dwarven Kingdom.
It was one of the ancient gates leading to the Abyss.
A feeling of unease crept all over my body.
For a moment, I forgot that I was a Lich...
I walked.
Uncontrollably.
With each heavy step, the noise gradually faded as it echoed off the wooden floor of the hall. Arguments were cut short and the dice stopped rolling. The only sound that could be heard was the snoring of a few drunkards slumped over the table.
"You… You are…?"
The elf lady stood at the counter, taking half a step back.
"Just a few small earthquakes, enough to scatter the Wyverns."
"Are you interested in them?" The drunk mercenary slung his arm around my neck and laughed loudly.
"Wyvern meat is tough and smelly. No one wants to eat it. However, if there's nothing else available, a little wine might make it more palatable."
I ignored it and stopped directly in front of the counter.
"Receptionist. Could you tell me more about that canyon?"
The elf paused. "May I ask again, who are you?"
"Our new member. I just told you."
The drunken mercenary nodded and patted my armour to prove it.
"Hades," I said, my voice dropping. "A wandering mercenary."
"Well, Mr Hades, unfortunately, we cannot disclose any information about the mission to outsiders."
The elf's pink-red eyes narrowed as she scanned me from helmet to boots.
"So then…"
"Is there any way I can find that information?"
"This information is top secret."
I nodded slightly and lowered my voice.
"What if I became an adventurer here?"
She paused for a moment, as if carefully considering her words.
"At that time, you will have the right to access some of the society's records."
"And… Matterhorn?"
Although her gaze wavered slightly, she responded smoothly, as if her answer had been programmed.
"I can't say for certain. It depends on your rank."
After a few seconds of silence, I leaned towards the counter.
"Then.. do it for me right now!"
Documents, signatures, seals... everything fades into a blur. The sound of the Matterhorn, however, remains etched in my memory.
The metal card sits snugly in the hand.
At first, this identity was merely a fabricated façade.
It has now become a reality.
"Please let me take part in this mission!"
A young female voice interrupted quickly and urgently.
I turned around in surprise to see a girl — or rather, a very young girl — burst through the door, breathing heavily.
She firmly placed a sheet of paper on the counter.
"Sister Noir! The convoy is about to depart. I hope you approve the mission for me."
The girl's tiny arms are covered in scars.
"Chloe, you always rush things, don't you?" The drunken guy glanced at the girl, his tone mocking.
"So what? You're older than me, yet you always have your face buried in alcohol."
The girl ignored the man, her eyes fixed on Noir.
"Chloe, that's not a place to play," the elf said sternly.
"As I told you yesterday, Gold-level adventurers like you are not permitted to participate in missions like this."
"But this is just the Duchess's optional commission. It doesn't require a level." "Even so." The elf girl shook her head.
"But my mother…"
Chloe had only just started speaking again when she stopped, her voice fading away.
"Ah, it .. it's nothing."
The girl clenched the piece of paper in her hand and looked up at her, pleading with her gaze.
"Just this time only.."
"Please.. please approve this!"
The elf shook her head and spoke firmly.
"I said no !"
Chloe's face darkened. Without saying another word, she turned around and practically ran out of the door. Her old cloak caught on the furniture and nearly tore, but she didn't stop to fix it.
I watched her small figure disappear into the late afternoon sunlight.
..I suppose it's a scene that has played out here before.
"Mr Hades, I apologise on the girl's behalf," Noir said softly.
"Why would a girl of that age become an adventurer?"
The elf sighed, her ears trembling as she recounted a familiar story.
"Her father has passed away and her mother is seriously ill. The guild lets her take on missions to earn money for medicine, but she always picks the most dangerous ones."
Suddenly, the sound of rustling paper could be heard.
The drunken mercenary picked up the piece of paper that Chloe had left behind. He squinted at it and burst out laughing.
"Noir, can we participate in this mission?"
"Surely not! Are there any groups of knights who just spend all day getting drunk?"
The guy spoke slowly, as if he wanted the scent of money to fill the entire bar.
"Four hundred gallons per person... Only a fool would turn that down."
Then, in a lowered voice that was part laugh, part scorn, he said:
"Is Guild planning to keep that rental money for themselves?"
Noir gritted her teeth.
"These drunkards..."
"I hope you get beaten badly! Now, go and gather your team at the Duchess's mansion."
"Hmmm, just wait and see." The man laughed joyfully and the smell of alcohol wafted out.
Noir turned back and took a deep breath.
"Mr Hades, now—"
All that remained in front of her was emptiness.
Guild is behind me.
The drunken mercenary dragged me into the street and pulled me along with his friends as they headed straight for Blade's mansion.
The Hammer Arena is one of the oldest and most renowned arenas on the continent.
Blood is shed here every week during the gladiator battles. The people here are consumed by their hunger for money and their thirst for violence.
However, the atmosphere today is completely different.
Although the duel between the Count and the Duchess started as a political dispute, it attracted a huge crowd. The stands were filled with people cheering, laughing and betting as though it were a street theatre performance.
"I've never seen knights fighting before!"
"which side do you bet?"
"Hmph! Your gambling habit is impossible to cure."
The stands were adorned with Vinni flags, which were so densely packed that they concealed the symbols of the other noble houses.
Knight. Horseman. Guards bearing the Vinni emblem are everywhere.
"Look, my little granddaughter."
Vinni Duke wore a heavy, luxurious fur coat and smirked.
"If you lose here, you will lose everything. For the honour of the Blade family, I advise you to—"
"The honour of the Blade Family..." Angelie interrupted. "There's no need for you to worry,"
Vinni's eyes darkened. "Do you dare talk to me like that? That's truly disrespectful."
"If I lose,"
"I will keep my word."
"Hmph! When you lose, I hope you won't turn around and blame me."
Angelie didn't turn her head. Her gaze seemed fixed on the arena in front of her.
"Don't worry," she said softly. "I won't lose. I hope you remember your word, too."
_
"The match will begin in a few minutes."
The announcer's voice echoed through the arena, reverberating among the thousands of pairs of eyes fixed upon him below.
"According to the rules, each side will take turns sending knights and horsemen into battle."
"A person is considered defeated if they lose the ability to fight or voluntarily surrender..."
"The side that runs out of knights first will lose."
The entire arena seemed to shake when the announcement was made.
"If Count Vinni loses, he will have to swear allegiance to Duchess Blade."
"On the contrary, if the Duchess Blade loses, she will relinquish her title.. and marry the son of the Count Vinni."
The crowd's gaze immediately turned towards Vinni's house, where knights stood in a straight line.
At the forefront are the horsemen, their shining steel armour reflecting sunlight in dazzling streaks. Each holds a long spear touching the ground, the spearhead adorned with a red flag bearing a crossed sword, which flutters in the breeze.
Behind them stood a row of knights in full armour. They marched in time to the sound of battle drums, the iron of their shoes creating a thunderous echo against the stone floor.
The pungent smell of newly oiled weapons mingled with the scents of leather and iron dust, rising into the air as if the entire army had just emerged from a war-forged furnace.
Meanwhile, it is much quieter at the Blade family's camp.
There were only around twenty knights and horsemen, as well as a group of amateur soldiers who were hurriedly selecting weapons and armour. No one was wearing matching armour. The formation was chaotic, with the sound of random clashes of weapons ringing out.
"There are barely forty of them, and yet they dare to confront a hundred knights?"
"Is that Duchess out of her mind?"
"I bet one hundred gallons for Vinni Count!"
"Just a hundred? I'll bet five hundred!"
The mocking voices of the commoners spread across the stands like waves crashing against rocks. But in the gallery above, reserved for the nobles, the Duke of Vinni chuckled softly, as if he had predicted this scene.
"Don't worry about those shallow commoners," he told without turning around.
His tone is full of pity.
"I know you're always trying to prove yourself.."
"Don't worry — I won't let you lose too badly."
Vinni smiled, with a hint of malice. He tapped a rhythm on the armrest of the chair, as though humming an triumphant tune.
The sound of metallic footsteps echoed from behind her. A knight in silver armour approached Angelie and bowed deeply.
"Madam, the mercenaries are ready."
"The strategy has also been finalised."
Angelie nodded, her face as cold as ice.
She let out a quiet, long breath.