As he watched the bandits before him scramble to organize and grab weapons, Verity cleared his throat.

  “Listen up!” He shouted. “I’ll spare anyone who drops their weapons and gets out of my sight!”

  The bandits froze, glancing at each other.

  There was a moment of uncertainty, but Verity’s reputation preceded him. The bandits knew what had happened to the other camps over the last three weeks.

  That sort of thing traveled fast.

  Whether they hired monsters, magical beasts, or adventurers from the underworld, the Flame-eyed demon razed it all to the ground and left no traces behind. There were seldom any survivors, and if there were, they had already gone mad by the time anyone had found them.

  Breaking through the silence, a bandit with greasy hair tied behind his head was the first to move. “I’m not paid enough to die…!” He exclaimed as he ran into the darkness of the cave.

  This caused a chain reaction, and the rest quickly followed. They ran out, dropping everything and leaving the camp utterly empty.

  Verity scoffed as he removed his mask. “I don’t think this will be useful for my training anymore, Master.”

  Evangelina appeared beside him, as if she’d always been there. She slapped him in the back of the head. “Don’t get cocky, kid.” She warned him. “Unless you want me to personally show how inadequate you are.”

  Verity laughed awkwardly. “. What I really meant to say was that we should search for more bandit camps, I still have much to learn!”

  She scoffed and grabbed his collar. “No, we’re moving on.” She said as she dragged him out of the cave at a staggering speed.

  —

  When they arrived at Plamodel, instead of bringing him to her residence, Evangelina took a different path than the one he was used to.

  In the past few weeks, Verity had come to at least be able to perceive his surroundings when hurled around at Evangelina’s insane travel speeds.

  He barely managed to speak as the wind roared past him. “W-where are we going??” He shouted over the rushing air.

  A fraction of a second later, Evangelina abruptly threw Verity to the ground in front of a large building.

  Verity wondered, though he would not dare say it aloud.

  Evangelina crossed her arms as he stood up. “This is one of the Guild’s branches.” She began. “It is high time for you to experience a real mission.”

  Verity’s eyes widened. “Finally…!! The adventurer’s guild!” He whispered.

  Evangelina rolled her eyes, and turned away. “Go inside, find a job, and don’t come back until you’re done.” She told him.

  She was curt, more so than usual, as if she had to hurry off to some other location. Her words carried an air of finality, and a barely perceptible tremor took hold of her hands as she began walking away.

  Before she could leave, Verity called out. “Wait!”

  Evangelina frowned.

  Verity let out a dry laugh. “...I don’t have any money.” He said as he scratched the back of his neck. “There’s probably an acceptance fee, right? And there’s also food, lodging, and–”

  Evangelina groaned, reached into her cloak, and threw him a pouch. “Ten gold coins. That should be more than enough.”

  Verity caught the pouch midair, and promptly looked into it. As she had said, ten gold coins were contained within it. Verity wondered.

  He took out a gold coin and inspected it, turning it between his fingers. It shined against the sunlight, its value made clear simply through its appearance.

  “Are you sure this won’t be too--” He lifted his gaze as he spoke, but Evangelina was no longer there. “...Much?”

  He sighed. “Okay… see you later.”

  Pushing his exasperation aside, Verity turned to the Guild, and with one measured movement, he pushed the doors wide open.

  What he saw inside was exactly what he’d imagined the interior of a Guild building to look like. This brought a grin to his face.

  It perfectly matched the fantasy stories he was so fond of. Though there was a sense of modernity, a rustic air filled the place. Everything seemed to be made of polished wood or stone, giving the hall an old-world aesthetic. As he looked around, what sparked his excitement the most were the countless adventurers going on about their daily tasks.

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  Armor, wands, robes, swords, spears, the entire place was filled with adventure. He even spotted non-humans here and there. None of the species that he used to consider ‘monsters’ but he noticed a few beast-people and what he believed to be elves due to their pointy ears.

  Verity could barely contain himself. He covered his mouth with his hands.

  “Hello, sir. How can the Guild help you today?”

  The unexpected voice startled Verity, and he turned to see one of the guild employees, a young woman with freckles wearing a suit. He stared at her for a moment. His eyes scrutinized her closely, closely.

  “...Yes?” The young woman shifted uncomfortably under his intense scrutiny.

  He straightened, promptly averting his gaze. “I-, Uh, I-I would like to–”

  She cut him off with a knowing chuckle. She was used to new adventurers. “Seeing that you carry a weapon, are you here to take a quest?” She inquired politely.

  Verity’s eyes widened and he nodded furiously. “Yes!”

  “Great!” She clasped her hands together. “May I see your adventurer ID?”

  Verity scratched the back of his neck. “I, uh.. I don’t have one.”

  The woman’s expression cleared with understanding. “I see! You’re here to register!” She exclaimed, before pointing to the front desk. “It’s normal to be nervous! Just head to the front desk. My colleague with the pink hair will get you started!” She told Verity.

  Verity nodded, then bowed slightly and walked toward the front desk, where a clerk was waiting for him.

  As he walked there, he overheard a conversation between an adventurer and a guild employee. They seemed to be arguing about something.

  “I’m a silver-ranked adventurer though? Why can't I do this quest alone?” a woman complained.

  The guild employee forced a patient smile. “It was issued by the knights, ma’am. They required at least four other adventurers… We’d need one more besides yourself…”

  “And how long will that take?? I don't have much time left!”

  The employee averted his gaze. “Perhaps a few days… a week at most?”

  “No!!”

  The woman seemed to not want to let it go so easily, but Verity quickly tuned them out.

  He quickly reached the front desk.

  There, he was greeted by the pink-haired clerk. “How may I help you today, sir?” She said in a monotone voice.

  Verity took a sharp breath. “I’m here to register. To be an adventurer….!”

  The woman pulled something from under her desk and placed it before him. “Place your hand on it and wait a second.” She told him.

  It resembled the orb the Cardinal had attempted to test Verity with. This made him slightly nervous, but he quickly pushed those thoughts away. If even Farey had failed to uncover his true identity, then there was no way he would be discovered now.

  He put his hand on the orb, and it immediately shone blue.

  The woman nodded and pulled out a form.

  “Name?” She asked.

  Verity hesitated.

  The clerk let out a long sigh. “...For your ID. What’s your name? It’s fine if you don’t have a family name.”

  “V-Verity. Just Verity.” He blurted out instinctively.

  The woman scoffed. “Weird name, but whatever.”

  Verity winced.

  She scribbled his name on the form. “Role?” She then asked.

  Verity raised an eyebrow. “Sorry?”

  Another sigh, this one heavier. This made Verity wish he’d gone through this process with the one at the gate instead.

  The pink-haired woman then spoke as though reciting from a script.

  “We are aware that adventurers do not wish to reveal their abilities, whether it be level, class, skills, or magic. Still, proper team composition is crucial to succeed in your quests. Thus, each member is assigned a ‘Role’”

  She ticked off categories on her fingers.

  “Rear: Reserved for those who excel at long-range combat, including mages, archers, and the like.

  Vanguard: The frontline warriors, specializing in close-quarter combat. This is self-explanatory.

  Support: Comprising healers, priests, and those which provide buffs, debuffs or contribute to battle in ways other than direct combat.”

  Verity nodded, listening attentively. “I see… I guess I’m a Vanguard.”

  The clerk sighed. “Good, I’ll put you down as type I Vanguard.”

  Verity hesitated, seeing as the clerk’s mood seemed to be worsening by the second, but he had to know. “...What’s a type I, if you don’t mind?”

  She replied coldly. “...There are only two types. Type I means you don’t carry a tower shield around.”

  Verity stroked his chin.

  The clerk furiously scribbled on the form, and slid it over to Verity. “Touch it.” She ordered him.

  The moment his fingers made contact, it immediately transformed into a small card with all the information he’d given her on it.

  The clerk leaned back on her chair. “Place it against your forearm and think of storing it away.”

  Verity did as he was told, and in a flash of light, the card transformed into a tattoo on his arm.

  He thought.

  She briefly explained what purpose it served in the same deadpan tone.

  “It's valid continent-wide. Needs renewal every year. Lose it, report it, and we destroy it.”

  She exhaled sharply and put out her hand. “Ten silvers.”

  Verity hastily reached for the pouch Evangelina had given him, and pulled out a golden coin. He looked up with an awkward smile. “...Is this okay?”

  The clerk paused for a moment, her eyes were visibly twitching. With a groan, she snatched the golden coin. “I’ll… be back.”

  She was meant to hand him ninety silver coins, but the clerk was much too lazy to do such a thing. So, she instead handed him Guild credit for the same amount in the form of a voucher.

  Verity wasn’t sure what he could buy with that, but a simple glance at the clerk extinguished any desire within him to ask. He bowed politely. “Well, uh, thanks…!” He mumbled.

  The clerk rolled her eyes. “Anything else?”

  Looking around, Verity saw that no other employee was free, so he took a deep breath. “If it’s not too much trouble… I’d like to take on a quest…”

  Without missing a beat, the clerk reached for a piece of paper. If unpleasant, she was at least efficient. “I have a defensive request from a group of farmers in the south. They don’t have much so you’d only be paid 1 silver upon completion, is that fine?” She asked Verity.

  Verity could find no reason to refuse. The mission seemed simple enough, and he wanted to start with something small. Evangelina had told him to only take one mission, and return, but Verity planned to do more. How would she know?

  He nodded. “Sur-”

  “WAIT!!” A voice resonated from the other side of the front desk.

  Before Verity could react, two firm hands gripped his shoulders, and a soft confident voice spoke into his ears. “You’re looking for a quest, right!?” She smirked, closing her eyes. “Consider this your lucky day, becau-”

  The voice felt familiar, and Verity recognized her instantly when he turned around.

  “...Felicia?”

  Felicia’s eyes snapped open, widening in shock.

  “...You!?”