The road to Vailor felt calmer than any path we had faced in recent months. The wind blew gently, carrying the familiar scent of the hills and the river that crossed the city. After so many shifting cities, monsters that walked through walls, and dreams that wandered on their own, returning to something stable felt almost strange.
Vespera walked at my side, stretching her arms as if trying to reach the sky. "Finally a place where the floor doesn't turn into the ceiling. Seriously, I couldn't take that anymore."
Elara, holding a small recovery crystal in her hand, took a deep breath. "Just thinking about those walking buildings… my mana drops again."
Liriel, who walked distractedly flipping through an almost empty grimoire, murmured, "At least no spirit tried to devour us today. That's progress."
Lyannis observed everything with a soft smile, as if every detail were new. And maybe it was — for someone who had lived her entire life among demi-dragons, Vailor was just as exotic as their kingdom had been to us.
When we finally spotted the city gates, Vespera ran a few steps ahead, raised her arms, and shouted, "Vailor! Home of eternal debt!"
Rai'kanna — who was still accompanying us to the entrance — sighed. "I thought you were exaggerating when you talked about your financial situation."
"Exaggerating?" Vespera laughed. "The house rent almost kicked us out by itself. I'm sure it talks when we're not listening."
Elara added, "The blacksmith threatens to put our names on the wall of debtors every time he sees Takumi."
Rai'kanna looked at me as if trying to figure out whether that was real. I shrugged. "Yeah… it's complicated."
When we entered, the city looked as lively and welcoming as ever. Fruit stalls, blacksmiths hammering armor, children running between stone houses. The sound of merchants calling customers was almost comforting.
But the feeling didn't last long.
The Guild Master was literally standing at the door, waiting for us with his arms crossed.
"Takumi." He said my name like a sentence being passed. "I need to talk to you… and your team."
Vespera whispered, "Here comes the bill."
Elara put a hand to her forehead. "Again…"
The Master led us to the main guild hall. He opened a huge parchment and slapped it onto the table with a thud so loud it startled Liriel.
"Let's review: armor repairs. Arrow restocking. Basic enchantments. Three days of overdue lodging. Guild exploration fee. And… the damage caused the last time you tried to do a simple gathering mission."
Vespera raised her hand. "That wasn't my fault. I slipped in the mud."
"You fell INSIDE the cart," Elara corrected.
"And I only broke a little of it."
"You destroyed the entire cart," Liriel reminded her.
"Minor details."
The Master ignored the argument and tapped the parchment. "In short: you're in debt I can't ignore. If you want to keep using the guild house, you'll need to accept missions as soon as possible."
I nodded. "That's why we're here."
He pulled out a handful of mission tokens. "No extreme levels, no ancestral monsters, no living portals or demons. Light missions. No destruction. No explosions. No—"
He looked directly at Vespera.
"No arrows ricocheting off walls and injuring innocents."
Vespera raised her hands. "I promise I'll miss with dignity."
Elara sighed. "I think you meant 'hit,' Vespera."
"I said what I said."
Despite everything, the Master just shook his head. "Choose a mission to start. You have a lot to pay."
Rai'kanna watched in silence. It was clear she was concerned, but there was also an amused sparkle in her eyes. When the Master left the room, she stepped closer.
"You really live like this?"
"Unfortunately," I said.
Lyannis smiled. "It's… chaotic. But fun."
Rai'kanna moved closer to me. "I'll need to return to the kingdom now. I still have obligations there, but… I'll try to find a way to visit Vailor when I can."
Elara, Liriel, and Vespera froze immediately.
Rai'kanna continued, "I really enjoyed this journey with you. Especially… with you, Takumi."
Vespera gripped her bow tightly. Elara blushed. Liriel closed her grimoire in the middle of a page.
I just smiled. "See you around. I enjoyed it too."
Rai'kanna nodded, spread her wings, and took flight, leaving a soft trail of warmth in the air. Lyannis watched her, smiling with a strange expression — part happy, part thoughtful.
As soon as Rai'kanna disappeared among the clouds, Vespera nudged me.
"You… have any comment about that?"
Elara crossed her arms. "Any?"
Even Liriel tilted her head, waiting for an answer.
I took a step back. "Let's… choose a mission first?"
The three of them sighed at the same time.
The first mission seemed simple: collecting medicinal herbs for a local apothecary. After everything we had faced, it was almost embarrassing to receive something so basic, but it was perfect for starting over.
"Great," Elara said. "Something that doesn't require too much mana."
"Something that doesn't involve giant monsters," Liriel added.
"Something that doesn't include walking buildings," Vespera said.
I took a deep breath. "Let's start slow. One thing at a time. No chaos."
Lyannis smiled. "You say that as if you believe it."
Before I could answer, Vespera raised one of the mission tokens.
"Takumi, this mission will earn enough money to pay at least… part of the debt."
Elara looked at the amount. "A very small part."
Liriel finished, "But it's better than nothing."
So, with a strangely light feeling after so much chaos, we left the guild for the first time in a long while without fear of being attacked by colossal monsters, fragmented spirits, or entities from other worlds.
And for the first time in weeks, the flame inside me was quiet. Not extinguished — just resting.
As if even it was relieved to return to a place that didn't move when we blinked.
And so, our life in Vailor began again. It wasn't epic, it wasn't grand.
But it was peace.
At least for now.