A few hours later, I found myself in line at the adventurer's guild, handing in my official rank examination result.
The events from just prior still swirled as I struggled to comprehend the surreality of the events that happened. It kept my mind from fully focusing and being present.
Master Harghen… Just what kind of person is he exactly?
Well, for one, I know he's a liar—and a confident one at that—who apparently considered me as an actual threat. And there's still that look he gave me as he was being escorted away.
One of pure disdain.
…Still, I wonder if—
"—ey! Are you even listening!?" "S-sorry?" I quickly said, snapping out of my daze.
My flickering gaze landed on the clerk in front of me, whose stature belied the nature of her profession.
She was waving some type of thin plastic around with a slightly incredulous expression.
Eventually, Lady Sasha sighed, shaking her head.
"...Seriously, you. You oughta get your head in the game if you wanna live as an adventurer. Anything can happen, not even the sky's the limit. And I mean that in both a good and bad way."
Her tone lacked its usual indifference, hints of genuine concern seeping through.
"So, never space out. Remain vigilant at all times, if you wish to survive. And if you think I'm taking it too seriously, then you would be a much bigger fool than I thought."
There was a brief lull as her words settled, and my jaw worked silently filtering through a dozen responses for the right one.
"Please, don't worry so much. I value your words and kindness greatly, Lady Sasha, and would never think such a thing about you. Thank you for your consideration on my behalf, and forgive me for not being fully attentive."
I reached out, taking her hand in mine, giving her a sincere look, and a silent conversation between our eyes ensued.
Uncertainty, slight worry, and curiosity reflected at me; I met them with equal hints of appreciation and understanding—a sustained note.
…Eventually, she relented, turning away.
Sasha sighed, her eyes wandering, never truly settling on anything.
"...No, it's my fault, I got too worked up over it. I apologize," she began, "In any case, congratulations on your rank. I figured you were special, considering your… sponsor, still I hadn't expected you to make such an uproar. Well, another one, that is."
My mind reeled back to a few months prior, when I had first signed up, waving around the sigil of House Vorlet. The reactions I received still made me shudder to think about.
"Yeah… good times," I muttered, though the words came out as more of a sigh.
"Word travels quite fast here. However," she continued with an uncharacteristic half-smirk, "I think that it all ended well, despite that. So don't worry too much about what happened at your examination. Though there are rumors circulating, of course. All sorts of them, though from the ones that I've managed to pick up, they're mostly centered around the idea that you are some type of repeater, who somehow lost all of his "progress" in the Merit System, and is now determined to reclaim his rightful place again. Some type of lost or forgotten adventurer. Another one mentions that you are an upcoming Legacy mage, adopted by House Vorlet. Neither of them make sense, of course, nor are they true, but they are interesting."
She paused, a sort of belated realization flashing across her features, and her eyes slowly met mine.
"...Are they, at all, true…?"
"No!" I shot back, and she stifled a giggle.
"Well, in any case, I still believe things could've been much worse. Trust me, it always can be. This life we live is as fickle as can be, and times are ever-changing. But, those who can find themselves sitting at the forefront of that change, or at the very least, of the change in their life, I believe, can find a satisfying conclusion; one that is not preordained, nor tainted by the motions of fate. That is what I wholeheartedly believe."
As her words reached their conclusion, resonating within me in an unseen way, I found myself wondering just what kind of life the woman in front of me lived. She hardly shared her experiences with the past, only tiny bits of vague information.
Lady Sasha and I had an interesting kind of relationship.
Ever since those months ago, when I first arrived, I'd frequently drop in to the Adventurer's Guild & Association building, looking for more information about the life of an Adventurer, and how the system worked.
The ins-and-outs, the mundane details, tips and tricks, and whatever else I could gather.
For some reason, whenever I entered, her line usually had the least amount of people going to it, which is how she and I ended up growing much closer to one another.
Basically, I picked her brain whenever I could, and she didn't seem to mind, obliging every time.
Thus, it led to us having such a relationship now—one where she could casually drop such a heartfelt, inspiring quote, without the worry of being judged or thought of as weird or unusual.
And from the bits of her life that I did know about, that very thing was something she struggled with quite a lot, since she was actually half-dwarf—the reason for her smaller stature.
While there wasn't usually a stigma or prejudice against dwarves, the Adventurer's Guild was an amalgamation of people from all types of backgrounds, cultures, and upbringings, also offering a system of hierarchy, which tended to bring out the worst in people.
Of course, there was racism against every race, but up until now, I'd only encountered this amount.
I didn't think any differently about her because of it, though, and if anything, I thought it was kind of… cute? Intriguing?
Or amusing, I guess.
Maybe it was an irony I felt, what with her younger appearance, bright-colored hair all contrasting against her more serious and experienced demeanor.
It could have also very well been a misguided sense of understanding and relatability.
In any case, it was hard to explain, but I enjoyed her company and deadpan expressions—which have started to recede a bit more, now that she seemed to be more comfortable around me.
"I should get going. It's starting to get more crowded now, and I'd prefer to slip away before anything happens…" I sighed, holding out my hand.
She eyed me for a second longer than expected before handing me my license, and a small smirk found its way on to my face.
"Any more tips I should know before heading out?"
"...No. I've told you everything I know already. If you've managed to forget all of that in such a short span of time, then maybe you should start to worry."
Ah.
She's back to normal it seems. That's good.
"Just joking, I'll be fine. It'll probably be awhile before I return so… take care of yourself while I'm gone. I know it'll be hard without your favorite passtime—talking to me—but just hang in there a bit."
I turned on my heel, waving a hand as if brushing her words out of the air as I headed for a section a bit further away from where she was located. Seraphina followed silently.
It was only across from her and she'd still be able to see me, but due to how big the building was, making an effort to communicate from such a distance would only be disruptive and unprofessional.
I could feel her gaze boring into the small of my back, and so I made an extra effort to appear as confident and unbothered as I usually did. To show her that my words would ring true.
And with that, I settled at the Quest Board section, surrounded by varying amounts.
They all ascended in terms of difficulty level, so I found myself having to shuffle over quite a bit in order to reach the B-rank ones.
Let's see here… An escort quest, vermin extermination—woah, those are some big serpents—resource harvest for a dungeon, a regular dungeon excursion, and… item recovery?
Huh.
Nothing as crazy as I thought.
Most of these are pretty simple, streamlined quests. Though, I guess that is fair, and to be expected.
B-ranking is meant to be a crucible upon which the outstanding are forged, finally distinguishing themselves from the average—the C-ranks.
And I guess, as such, while they still possess a difficulty spike from the rest, they don't yet get into things that are too outstanding. That's reserved for the A-ranks.
However… I have a feeling that I'm still taking these too lightly.
There's a pretty big gap between each rank, with them only getting larger and more substantial the further up you go.
So, the jump between C and B-rank is still quite considerable, and as such, so are the quests.
It would be wise not to forget that. And there's still more quests, too.
I went over all of the types there were, carefully trying to decide which one would be best for me.
To ascend to the next rank—B+—I would need a total amount of 500 Merit points.
Each of these quests ranged anywhere from seven to ten, with the absolute highest being ones that awarded 10.
However, those… Let's just say I wouldn't be getting to those for a while.
That left me with the others. So, let's see. Doing the math, that would amount up to… uhm.
Just how much exactly?
…Slowly, and discreetly, I splayed the fingers of my palm. A current of despicable resentment flowed through my veins, and I struggled against the thought of grinding my teeth to dust.
I hate math…!
…7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49…
…84, 91, 98, 105, 112, 119…
This is so humiliating…
…217, 224, 231, 238, 245…
…287, 294, 301, 308, 315…
….336, 343, 350, 357, 364…
…372, 383, 395, 307… Wait. No, that's wrong.
…Crap, where did I leave off? And how many full hands have been counted so far?
…I guess I'll have to restart. How convenient that I have a pen in my dimensional storage.
I should've used it to begin with! Back to the beginning.
7, 14, 21, 28…
Suddenly, I could feel a subtle trickle of emotions leaking into my own mind. 'Papa dumb…'
Hey! I-I'm not, okay!
Like this, I continued all the way up until I reached the desired amount of 500 Merit—roughly 72 quests.
By the time I was finished, my hands were covered in black ink, and it had been apparent to others that I'd been here for a while.
There were questioning and oddly intrigued looks—some even betraying unreasonable hints of suspicion and worry, for whatever reason—but I tried to keep them from discouraging me.
At least, outwardly.
This is the most shameful thing I've ever done in my life… Two lives, even!
Damn it, this is what I get for not paying much attention to Esil's arithmetic lessons!
Never again. That's a promise.
Placing a palm on my neck, I swirled my head a little, trying to relieve myself of the pain that accumulated from staring down for too long.
In the process, I murmured to myself, also accidentally meeting the eyes of a few onlookers.
"...So much to be done. How did I ever do this before, I wonder? Damn it."
Of course, by that I meant math.
How in the heck did I ever even manage as far in school as I did in my past life?
Somehow, I made it all the way to my sophomore year in high school, before…
The line of thought trailed off, unbidden, suppressing unwanted memories.
Not just because of that thought, though. It was primarily because of what I laid my eyes on at the time.
A small line of text near the quest paper that I eventually decided on—an extermination of magic beasts worth 7 Merit.
"Attention: This quest—nor similar ones of its ranking—cannot be completed, nor taken on, without having an assigned party of at least three participating members," is what it read.
…What?
I had to restrain myself from screaming out loud.
Just how in the hell could I have forgotten something that important so easily? Was my memory really that bad? Did training my magic so much somehow begin to erode it? Was that even possible?!
Or was it just the accumulating stress?
Realistically speaking, of course neither of those were the case.
There was no logical, nor reasonable evidence to suggest that using magic could deteriorate the capacity of memory your mind was capable of—and I was sure there wouldn't ever be.
Actually, that last one might not be too far off…
In any case, this turn of events was quite dire, to say the least.
Not only had it thrown a massive wrench in my current plans, but it also affected my adventuring life as a whole. I would need two other members in order to even attempt a quest of B-ranking, meaning… I'd have to socialize.
My worst fear!
…Hm? What's that? I'm a prince, so my avoidance of such a thing is irrational and doesn't make any sense?
Well, to that, I say: Who cares if I'm a prince!? Dealing with people can be quite tiring, and I was here to get stronger, not fraternize!
Though to be fair, it's not as if I was forbidden from such a thing, and if I remember correctly, Lady Alice did hammer into me the importance of having people with you.
It increased your chances of survival, after all, so why wouldn't you?
But still…
I performed the mental equivalent of a sigh. Who would I even team up with?
Not to sound too cocky or anything, but was there anyone else who could amount to me?
Really, I would rather not have to pull all of the weight in the group… I at least needed people who could complement me, or the other way around.
Either way would work.
It's a shame that I couldn't simply materialize copies of myself from, say, I don't know, shadows or anything. Reminds me of a novel I once read in my past life. Something about a slave?
Actually… I wonder if there's some type of magic like that somewhere. Perhaps as a form of Heavenly Exchange?
…Ah, thinking about that is getting me sad. Why couldn't I be born with such a cool ability?
I briefly considered the implications of this worry of mine, and explored the idea of facing an opponent with abilities similar to that.
Dealing with someone who could manipulate shadows would be quite fearsome and scary.
That'd be a nightmare… but it'd sure be one hell of a spell.
But then again, if there was anything I'd learned about Heavenly Exchange thus far with my encounters, it was that—while grand—it always resulted in a sort of downside.
A Flaw, as they were officially referred to as.
Just what the heck am I thinking about?
I resigned this train of thought, returning to the present issue.
Finding a team… I should've considered this more before I did anything.
…Thankfully, it seemed I wouldn't have to worry about this trouble of mine for much longer.
Two familiar figures approached from the corners of my vision, stopping just short of me.
I turned to look at them, intrigue lining my features.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
…The girl stepped forward, her long, silver-hair brushing across her shoulders lightly.
"Adventurer Crownless. And… Little One," she began, sparing a glance at Seraphina, "it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Caelora Ire-Saerin, and this is my partner…"
"—Ivignes Bahamuel Ire-Saerin," the other figure finished.
I turned to look at the boy at her side, whose wild appearance seemed fiery enough to ignite the world on fire, if he so desired, his mere presence a cautionary sign in and of itself.
His golden eyes settled on me, curiosity, intrigue, and genuine consideration lighting within them.
For a moment, I thought that if I was anyone other than myself, I'd have felt a deep sense of uncomfortability, or perhaps even fear, as if I was prey being assessed by a predator.
But I didn't. I met his sharp gaze with a rather unbothered one of my own.
…He smirked.
"Forgive me, but we were wondering if you'd be interested in forming a party with us. We're both new adventurers who have been assigned with a B-minus-rank, and were looking for a final member to complete our group." I considered her words carefully before speaking, going over her tone, noting her clear enunciations, and confident inflections.
This girl… She has a silver-tongue. Something about her reminds me of myself.
If I'm not careful, I could end up being swept up in the current of her smooth talk.
"I'd like to ask something, first. Why me? There are other adventurers roaming the halls, most of which are much more experienced and capable than myself. So, what is it exactly that's led you to approach me?"
I frowned as these words came out, realizing the distrust that I'd suddenly wielded against the two.
They were undeserving of it, but it didn't come without reason.
…After all, the same person who was betrayed by other adventurers, is the very reason I'm here now.
The fresh adventurers before me didn't seem bothered by my demeanor, however, and Caelora went forward with an immediate answer of her own.
"It's because I believe you to be the final piece we're missing." I raised a brow, prompting her to continue.
"…Not just literally, of course, for the quota, but I mean it in the fact that you're a conjurer. But not just any. Put bluntly, you being a conjurer capable of skirmishing, as well as possessing the means to fight at long ranges, make you the perfect choice. I, too, am a conjurer, but I find myself falling into more of a supportive role, what with my Silvermeld magic, which allows me to manifest a special kind of substance and meld it in any way I see fit. It's an Inherited, or rather, Special Divergent magic art."
I felt a bit of surprise, hearing this.
Inherited magic is usually really rare, meaning that she's quite special herself.
Silvermeld, huh? So that's what it was.
I guess that makes sense, considering how she was fighting before, during the rank examination.
And if we're both conjurers, then that would make him…
"I'm an enhancer." He deadpanned, as if he could read my thoughts, his voice possessing the cadence you would expect from a youth.
"My speciality… I only have one. And it's fire magic."
Figures.
That'd be a solid foundation.
Two conjurers, both flexible in their own rights, and a single enhancer with a keen talent for swordsmanship.
Well, I have to admit, if these guys were planning on kidnapping me, then they did their research to the utmost degree.
It'd be unreasonable to not take them up on their offer. And besides, I don't think I could harbor distrust against everyone for the entirety of my adventuring career.
…That'd be too cruel.
I performed the mental equivalent of a sigh, resigning myself to my fate.
"...Very well then. I'll accept. Thank you for your offer, Lady Caelora, Sir Ivignes. I hope we get along."
They both visibly recoiled as I said this, indescribable expressions twisting their faces.
Confusion knit itself onto my brow, before realization found its place naturally between the seams.
Ah. It was the title… Yeah, they did sound weird. How embarrassing…!
Faking a cough, I continued.
"I-in any case, now that we're officially acquainted and have a group, why don't we decide on a quest to take on? You know, to build cooperation. It would be better if we spent some time in the field together, rather than merely going over theoreticals, before jumping straight into the unknown and hoping it all works out."
Caelora seemed to second this idea, meanwhile Ivignes seemed less than excited.
That was to be expected, though. For various reasons, he didn't give off the feeling of someone too interested in the details of such things.
"Sound reasoning," she noted.
"If we're going for such an approach, then I would like to suggest that we collectively decide on a quest that is a rank lower than ourselves. That way, we won't have to be under too much pressure to perform, and things would be much more manageable. I'd say… about two or three weeks worth of this together should build up a sufficient enough foundation. We could decide what to do from then on, once we finish."
"Yeah, that sounds about right. Then, we'll do just that. As for the quest itself, I'm sure we'll be able to find something sufficient enough."
"Yes, I agree. However…" Caelora began, seeming to realize something, genuine curiosity lining her features, "I realize now that this is a bit belated, but you're a conjurer with a dual speciality for fire and water magic, correct? Forgive me, but this is something Ivignes and I have had a bit of a disagreement on. He claims that you're a trio-elemental capable of wind magic, as well, and that you used a wind spell during the the beginning of your examination with Master Harghen. I'd appreciate it if you could offer a conclusion to this discussion of ours."
I met both of their gazes in turn, brows furrowing with intrigue.
Then, I smirked.
"Dual-elemental? Trio-elemental? …And just who, exactly, decided that?"
***