The next morning, Jack strolled through the streets, taking bites from a potato while guiding his horse by the reins. At his side, Alette floated gently, eating a cherry tomato, as Jack paid for their breakfast with a few crowns.
"Not much of a breakfast, but it'll do." Jack muttered after finishing the last bite of his potato.
"It's fine! Once we finish the quest, we'll be rolling in money!" Alette beamed, her eyes sparkling with golden excitement.
After tying his horse to a nearby paddock, Jack entered the Vanguard's Guild central hub with Alette at his side. The moment they stepped in, a handful of mercenaries cast glances toward the newest mithril-ranker, murmuring as they watched him and his fairy companion make their way to the quest board.
Jack and Alette stood before the quest board, their eyes moving from one posting to another as they searched for the quest that promised the greatest reward.
"Hmm… escort a farm boy to collect herbs, fifteen crowns." Alette scanned the board. "Slay goblins, twenty-four crowns. Guard duty at a pawnshop, thirty crowns…" She turned to Jack with a pout. "Ugh, these are boring, and they barely pay!"
"Well, at least we'd be helping people."
"Yeah, helping people is nice, but the pay's just too low."
"What do you expect them to have? Wyvern-hunting quest paying two hundred crowns?"
"Yeah! Something legendary, something that'll make our name echo across the whole kingdom! Just you, me, and whoever joins our party… even Caelus!"
"Speaking of Caelus…" Jack's eyes drifted across the lobby. "I don't see him anywhere."
"Hmm?" Alette glanced around the lobby with Jack. "Oh, you're right. Maybe he's still out on a quest… or just sleeping in. Who knows? I'm sure he's fine, he's a platinum-ranker, after all."
"Mmm… I guess you're right."
"Uh… excuse me." Mr. Caril made his way through, and Jack and Alette stepped aside. He approached the board, carefully placed a fresh quest notice, and pinned it into position.
"Hmm?" Jack's eyes followed Mr. Caril as he pinned up a new notice, then he looked at him with interest. "A new quest?"
"Actually, no. This is a previous listing. A party took the quest yesterday and departed to carry it out."
"What happened to them?"
"According to the villagers, they saw the party enter the forest. That night, they heard screams, followed by the unsettling sound of a monster. None dared to enter, but blood was later found near the forest, with no bodies recovered, so they were presumed dead. As we have no information on the creature involved, the quest has been posted again with an increased reward."
"So that's how it happened."
"If you intend to take that quest, I wish you the best of luck, even for someone of your rank."
"Alright, thanks." Jack gave Mr. Caril a nod, watching as he walked away to the lobby, before turning to Alette.
Alette's eyes lit up as she read the new quest. "A mysterious monster in the forest, killing anyone who enters… eight hundred and fifty crowns! Jack, we have to take this one!"
"Didn't you hear what that guy said?"
"Of course I did! And I know you're strong enough to take it down! We're not letting that monster get away with this, right?" Alette grinned at Jack, her eyes sparkling with both excitement and greed.
"Fine then."
"Yes!"
Just as Jack reached out to claim the quest, a voice cut through the noise. "Excuse me, mister mithril-ranker?" He froze, and he and Alette turned to see a group of four mercenaries standing behind them.
At the front stood a black-haired man with slick, spiked hair, clad in layered fabrics and an iron chest plate, a spear resting across his back. Beside him was a long-haired half-rabbitfolk woman, her brown hair falling over casual clothing reinforced with iron armor along her limbs and chest, twin knives hanging at her waist. Behind them towered a middle-aged man in a white church robe, his arms sheathed in armor and a mace at his side. And finally, to the right stood a shy young man with goggles, a bow, and a quiver strapped across his back, quietly observing.
"We were wondering if we might join you on a quest." Said the slick, spiky-haired man.
"Uh… why would he? He doesn't need help; he can deal with it himself." Alette added.
"I don't see the point in asking a mithril-ranker to join us, Riven." The middle-aged man murmured to the slick, spiky-haired man named Riven.
Riven quieted the middle-aged man and stepped forward. "Good sir, the creature may be unknown, but we are well-versed in many kinds of monsters, even the eldritch horrors recorded across the world. With our skills in investigation and tracking, we can uncover its nature. What say you?"
"I-" Jack was cut off as Alette suddenly grabbed his cheeks, turning his head away from the group so he had no choice but to look her in the eyes.
"Absolutely not! If we accept this quest, the reward will be divided among all of us!"
"I assure you, we can operate as a single party and divide the reward evenly between us. It would only be a temporary arrangement." Riven said.
Alette cast a glance at Riven, but Jack calmly removed her hands from his face, easing them down.
"Jack?" Alette looked at Jack.
"Relax, it'll be fine, we'd still get around four hundred and twenty-five crowns. And hey, isn't this your dream? Having a party and going out to save the world?"
Alette huffed and looked away. "Fine…" Then she shot up toward the group, planting her fists on her hips. "Alright, listen up! I'm Jack's manager, so I run this quest! If you want to join, you'll prove yourselves and help Jack put an end to this nightmare! Understood?!"
The four members of the group nodded, agreeing to Alette's terms.
"Ah, yes!"
"Of course!"
"Very well."
"Uuhh...Ok..."
Alette shut her eyes and puffed up proudly. "Hehe!"
Jack shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle at Alette's commanding display as their temporary leader. He turned back to the quest board, his eyes lingering on the notice for a moment before he took it. And with that, his first quest had begun.