Lys stepped out of the guild building and into the afternoon sun. The door closed behind him with a quiet click. He stood on the dirt path for a second and looked toward the village road.
The paper from the quest board sat folded in his pocket.
He thought about visiting Sara first before going into the forest. But seeing how busy and crowded the shop was, he changed his mind.
Although he wanted to see how things were going after the merchant trouble, but he stopped himself, thinking he can do that after the quest was done.
The herbs quest would not take long, as Vessa said, and he could drop them off at the guild before heading home. Then he could visit Sara on the way back.
That felt right. He did not want to show up while being in a hurry.
He started walking toward the village wall. His legs still felt heavy from the morning drills, but the excitement in his chest pushed him forward. This was his first real quest. He could already picture himself coming back with the herbs, handing the paper to Pell. The thought made the corners of his mouth turn up.
"Lys! Wait up!"
The voice came from behind him.
He turned. Calla and Bren were walking out of the guild door, having changed into lighter clothes. Calla had a small bag over her shoulder and moved with quick steps. Bren walked beside her, steady and quiet.
Calla waved. "Hey, where are you off to without telling us? You left so fast after the break."
Lys waited until they caught up. "Just heading out for a quest into the forest. Nothing big."
Her eyes lit up at the word quest. "A quest? Miss Vessa let you do one already? What kind? You need help? I'm free right now. Bren too."
Lys shook his head. "Hey slow down. No need for help with this simple herb collection job. I can handle it alone."
Calla nodded, still smiling. "Yeah, fair enough. Three people for herbs would be overkill." She glanced at Bren. "We should probably head to the market anyway."
Bren gave a single nod. Her eyes moved to Lys for a moment, not curious, just watching, like she was evaluating him in her mind. Then she looked past him toward the gate.
"Watch yourself out there," Bren said. Her voice was low and flat. "The forest's been strange lately, some say."
Before Lys could ask what she meant, Calla tugged Bren's sleeve. "Come on. Let's go before the stalls close." She waved at Lys. "Good luck, Lys! See you tomorrow."
They turned toward the village square. Lys watched them go for a moment, then shook his head and kept walking.
----
The wall gate came into view. Joren was on duty, arms crossed, leaning against the post with the same lazy confidence as before. He was talking to a woman just outside the open gate.
She was small. Thin. Her clothes were old and torn in places, hanging loose on a frame that looked like it hadn't seen a full meal in weeks. Her face was pale, her shoulders hunched forward. She held onto the gate post like it was the only thing keeping her upright.
Before Lys reached them, Joren put a hand on the woman's shoulder and gave her a rough shove backward.
"Out. You heard me. No citizen card, no entry."
The woman stumbled but didn't leave. Her fingers stayed wrapped around the post. "Please. I just need to get inside. For a little while. I told you about the quest before, didn't I…"
Joren cut her off, his voice bored. "Rules are rules. Go back. Don't annoy me, woman."
Lys walked up and stopped a few feet away. "What's going on?"
Joren glanced at him. His face didn't change. He didn't turn his body or acknowledge Lys as anything more than a piece of scenery. "Nothing that concerns you. This woman's from outside the settlement. Has no citizenship document, yet wants to get in. Same story every day."
Lys remembered the rule. Everyone inside the wall had to carry a document. Without it, you couldn't enter. Every merchant, every visitor, or anyone, even nobles, had their citizenship card on them when they entered a settlement like this. So, being an outsider from any type of settlement who lives outside, one can't enter any villages like this at will.
He looked at the woman.
Up close, she looked even smaller. Her arms were thin. Her dress hung loose. She kept her eyes on the ground, like she was used to being looked past.
"Why is she trying to enter?" Lys asked Joren. "Did she say?"
Joren didn't answer. He looked past Lys, down the road, like none of this was worth his time.
Lys felt something tighten in his chest. From the beginning, he didn't like this guard for some reason. And when he acts like this, it doesn't make him likable anymore than he is.
Lys even spared him from being reported for not being on duty when he had came out of the village to rescue Lady Elowen.
He had kept quiet about that. He'd never told anyone.
And that same Joren was acting like he didn't exist? Seeing this, Lys felt maybe sparing him was a mistake on his part. Maybe this guy needed a lesson back then.
He wanted to say something sharp. To remind Joren exactly what kind of guard he really was. But he held it in. Not wanting to be on the wrong foot from the get-go. Not when he still has barely any power inside this village.
He turned to the woman instead. "What's the problem? Why do you need to come inside?"
She lifted her head slowly. Her eyes widened a little, like she couldn't believe someone from inside the wall was actually talking to her. To her, Lys looked like someone from a well-off family or something with his quality clothes and expensive-looking sword by his side.
She swallowed once before she spoke. Her voice came out soft and shaky.
"Umm, my daughter. She's sick, good sir. Very sick." Her hands trembled as she gripped the post. "I placed a quest at the guild yesterday. They said if I came back and mentioned it, they'd let me in. To get my herbs. But this guard…" She looked at Joren. "He says I can't enter without a document. But I had entered yesterday night to place the quest by myself, I swear. The other guard woman who was here yesterday hadn't stopped me back then."
Joren snorted. He still didn't look at them as if they were not even in his mind.
Lys wanted to ask Joren about it, but seeing his attitude he stopped from asking. He kept his eyes on the woman. "What was the quest? Tell me the herbs. The price you offered for it. I'll give you the update about it."
Her face crumpled for a second. Tears welled up, but she wiped them fast with the back of her hand. "Blue-leaf herbs, sir. Two other kinds that grow near the same trail, I think. I offered everything I had saved. Fifty copper pieces." Her voice cracked. "That's all I could gather. Please. If I could just get the herbs, my daughter won't have to suffer anymore."
Lys felt something cold settle in his stomach, hearing her voice. Not because of what she said. Because of what he already suspected, hearing the herb's name, she said.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the folded paper Vessa had given him.
He opened it slowly.
As he looked at the drawings on the back, with his Basic Herb Knowledge skill activated, he saw the name Blue leaves on the picture of the herb. The same ones she had just described. The price written at the bottom was also the same, fifty copper pieces.
Meaning it was the same quest she had placed.
His mouth went dry.
He stared at the paper. The excitement from earlier for going into an adventure felt sick now. He'd been so proud. So eager to do his first quest in this world. And all of it was just... this?!
A woman's sick daughter! Fifty copper pieces! Everything she had!
For him, it was just a simple quest, but for her, it was her lifeline. And this realization made Lys understand this world more than he had before.