We finally arrived at the guild about thirty-five minutes after we parted ways with Yuu-chan and Hime.
Of course, we had thought that Hime wouldn't be that angry, but well—
When we entered the guild, we didn't find the two of them on the first floor. And the most likely possibility was that they were on the second floor.
I had also heard before that the second floor was a place for important people, including the Guildmaster.
Since the Guildmaster was the reason we came to the guild today, they should be upstairs.
And to make sure of that, Luke and I went to the reception desk and asked about the two of them.
"Um, were there two girls earlier—one with short black hair wearing purple clothes, and another brown-haired girl beside her?" I asked.
"Ah, the two of them were already allowed to enter the Guildmaster's room. If I may ask, who are you two to them?" the receptionist asked.
Well, it was only natural for her to ask. This wasn't a place where just anyone could freely go up to the upper floor.
"We're their friends," Luke said as he stood beside me.
The receptionist looked at us sharply, as if she suspected us of being suspicious people who were lying.
"Oi, Luke. Take it out," I whispered to him.
He nodded, meaning that he understood what I was talking about.
Luke took something out of his pocket and handed it to the receptionist.
The receptionist took the item Luke gave her and examined it carefully.
"Alright, if that's the case, I'll allow you. But please wait a moment, okay? I need to go upstairs first and confirm this with them," she said as she handed the item back to Luke.
She left her desk and went up to the second floor to meet the two of them.
Even though she herself said that we were allowed, she still wanted to check it personally.
If that was the case, why didn't she go upstairs earlier and ask them about us from the start?
"By the way, Luke, what rank are you actually?" I asked.
"Oh, I haven't told you yet, have I? If I remember correctly, the last time I took on a mission, my rank at that time was B," he answered.
One rank higher than Hime, huh? If that's the case, does that mean Luke is stronger than her?
"I've been an adventurer since I lived with Charles-san. Well, he was the one who forced me into it at first," he added.
"What about you?" Luke asked back.
What should I answer? The first time I took a mission with Yuu-chan, I hadn't even received an identification card proving that I was an adventurer.
"Maybe I'm still rank G. I haven't checked it again until now. I thought that since we're a party now, it wasn't really necessary, right?" I said.
"That's not wrong. But even so, that card is very important for you. It can serve as proof that you're not a suspicious person when you visit certain places," he said.
"The problem is, I've never been given the card in the first place. So I still have to make one," I said.
"Hah… When we meet the Guildmaster later, I'll talk to him about your card as well. Who knows, maybe you can get it faster," Luke said.
"Hm, alright," I replied.
Not long after that, the receptionist returned and finally allowed us to enter the Guildmaster's room.
"Thank you for waiting. Please enter the second room after going up these stairs," she said, gesturing toward the stairs with her palm as if guiding us.
This person… her attitude changed just like that. She must be really annoying.
——
Knock, knock.
Luke knocked on the door, and we heard someone inside tell us to come in.
"Come in," he said.
Luke and I glanced at each other briefly, then turned the doorknob and entered.
This room wasn't that different from the Guildmaster's room in Necvalion, but in my opinion, this one was larger.
There were also more items inside, such as desks and shelves filled with books and scrolls.
There were two long sofas facing each other, and behind them was a desk that was probably a little more than half the length of the long reception desk.
Hime and Yuu-chan were sitting on one of the sofas, and someone was sitting on the sofa across from them. Ah, that was Lancer-san.
"So you two are friends of these girls?" Lancer-san asked.
"A-ah, yes. We had some business to take care of earlier, so we ended up being a bit late," I said.
Luke and I sat down on the sofa, right next to Hime and Yuu-chan.
"Why were you two late?" Yuu-chan asked.
"I-it's…" I said.
"Hah… never mind, Yuu-chan. There's nothing we can do about it. At least they still came," Hime cut in.
Wait a second, why was Hime's reaction different from what I had imagined? Luke looked surprised for a moment when Hime said that.
"Ahem, so is what you said earlier true?" Lancer-san asked Yuu-chan.
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes," she replied.
"Even so, I can't believe it without proof, even though the four of you did go together with the group to the forest yesterday," Lancer-san said.
I whispered something to Luke and asked him to whisper it to Hime.
Naturally, I asked Hime to take out the letter bearing Charles-san's signature and give it to Lancer-san.
"How about this?" Hime asked as she opened her Alter Box.
Lancer-san's expression grew more serious as soon as the Alter Box was opened and everyone in the room could see it.
Hime took out the rolled letter and handed it to Lancer-san so he could examine it himself.
It didn't take long before he folded the paper again and handed it back to us.
"No one can imitate the signature of a high priest like Charles from the Church of Necvalion. So, the two of you among them are the chosen ones according to him?" Lancer-san asked.
"Yes, it's the two girls beside me," Luke said.
"Alright, then I will accept the information you've given me. And please forgive me for my lack of courtesy earlier," Lancer-san said.
Hime and Yuu-chan left first, because Lancer-san said he wanted to talk to Luke and me.
"Um, you've already met those two girls several tens of minutes ago, right? Why does it feel like you just met them a few minutes ago?" I asked.
It felt as if Hime and Yuu-chan had only entered this room a few minutes earlier.
"There were still many other guests besides you before your party," he replied.
"Then what exactly do you want to talk to the two of us about? Why not speak with those two instead?" I asked again.
"First, you should already know that I come from Riruyo because I am of elven blood. However, there is something I wish to ask of you," he said.
Regarding that continent, the timing was perfect, since Luke and I had just been talking about it.
"Even though my people believe they can endure when war eventually breaks out, I want you to help the princess," he said.
"The princess? What happened?" Luke asked.
"Since long ago, there has been a tale passed down from elder elves to the younger ones. It says that if a man from the hero's party visits Riruyo, then the first princess there must form a romantic relationship, thereby awakening her hidden power."
"That power can create a barrier that protects the entire forest inhabited by the elves," he continued.
That means—
"Wait a moment, why do you trust us so much right away that we're the hero's party?" I asked.
"Long ago, I once met a very kind priest when I visited Necvalion, and I promised him that I would repay him someday," he answered.
"That's why you immediately trusted us?" Luke asked again.
"Besides that, I'm quite close to the princess, and she told me that she will continue waiting for the arrival of the hero's party no matter how long it takes, because that is the duty given to her," he said.
"Isn't there another hero's party that was summoned some time ago in Necvalion?" I asked.
Kuro was still there—the one summoned together with me—and he had the same status as us, that is, a hero's party.
"Ah, I already know about that. But I can't trust them. They only carry out tasks to defeat monsters around Necvalion! Moreover, when they go to other cities, they only go to Centram, the very crowded city, and never visit other places," Lancer-san replied.
"I've also met a hero from that party, and he showed me no respect at all just because he thought I was an ordinary person not worth remembering. Even so, he does possess the strength to defeat very powerful Abbys monsters," he continued.
"I won't allow a pure and kind-hearted princess to be ruined by an ill-mannered hero like Kuro!" he said.
Ah, now I understood how Lancer-san viewed Kuro's party.
Well, I hadn't liked him either ever since our first meeting, simply because he looked down on me due to my status screen attributes being too weak at the time.
"Even if you're not heroes yourselves, you are part of the hero's party. And if High Priest Charles has chosen you, then I can only place my trust in you. So please, help us!" he said as he bowed his head to us.
"P-please raise your head, Lancer-san," I said.
"Besides, why are you in such a hurry? Abbys has only declared war on the islands in the southeast of Velmoria. That's still very far from Riruyo, isn't it?" Luke asked.
"The princess… She is a very kind girl and has a dream of defeating Abbys. Moreover, she already knows about Abbys's actions in the past, when they came to Riruyo and slaughtered most of our people, leaving only young elves behind," he said.
"At present, there are only a few elves who are over nine hundred years old, and most of the rest are under five hundred."
"The princess even once said that she would sacrifice her life if she still hadn't met the hero's party by the time Abbys attacks again. Because she believes that it is the best way for the elves to survive in this harsh world," he continued.
Luke and I looked at each other and nodded.
"Lancer-san, we'll consider this matter with those two girls. But I'm sure they'll accept it," I said.
He looked at us with eyes that seemed to be welling up with tears.
"Th-thank you very much!" he said.
"Ah, sorry, I got carried away. I'll call for you again when Marcen-sama gives new orders," he added.
"Alright," I said.
Before leaving, Luke told Charles-san our home address so that he could come to us to provide new information.
Now, our party has a task—no, a request from an elf who wishes for his people to survive the threat of Abbys.
Even though I don't know what will happen, I will still do it.