The sun had risen once again, spreading a soft golden light across the sky.
Kondo slowly opened his eyes, stretching lazily before sitting up on his bed. After getting ready, he stepped outside, where the butler was already waiting.
Without wasting time, the two began their morning routine—first exercise, then sword training.
Clack! Clack!
The sound of their wooden sword echoed through the yard. Kondo's movements were still rough, but there was determination in every strike.
After training, Kondo freshened up and headed to the dining table.
Kondo quietly finished his breakfast, but his eyes kept drifting toward Lawine, as if he wanted to say something but was holding back.
"Mom…" he finally spoke, his voice a little hesitant.
Lawine looked up from her tea, noticing the slight nervousness in his expression. "Hmm? What is it, Kondo?"
Kondo scratched his cheek lightly. "I was thinking… can I go to Shin's house today?"
For a moment, Lawine didn't reply. She simply watched him—his eyes, filled with a strange mix of excitement and worry.
"You really like spending time with her, don't you?" she said softly, a faint smile forming.
Kondo blinked, a bit embarrassed. "W-well… she's my friend."
Lawine stood up and walked toward him. She gently placed her hand on his head, her fingers brushing through his hair.
"That's good," she said warmly. "Friends are important."
Kondo looked up at her, slightly surprised by her gentle tone.
"But," Lawine continued, her expression turning a little serious, "you have to promise me something."
Kondo straightened up. "What is it?"
"No going too far. And come back before evening." Her voice softened again. "I… don't want anything to happen to you."
For a second, Kondo could feel it—this wasn't just a rule. It was worry.
He smiled lightly. "I promise, Mom."
Lawine nodded, but her hand stayed on his head just a moment longer than usual… as if she didn't want to let go.
"Yes, Mom. Also… I was thinking, I'll wear normal clothes when I go to Shin's place."
"What's wrong with the clothes you're wearing now? They're perfectly fine. If you want something more casual, check my wardrobe."
"Okay, Mom."
Kondo went to Lawine's room and opened her wardrobe, looking through the clothes.
"Not this… not this either… ah, found it."
He picked out a white shirt and black half-pants and changed into them. Then his eyes moved to the upper section of the wardrobe, where a small safe was kept.
"A safe? …Never mind, it probably has Mom's jewelry."
He looked at himself in the mirror and tucked the locket inside his shirt.
"Hmm… now I look like a normal kid. Alright, let's go."
Kondo came downstairs and walked toward the carriage waiting outside.
"Young master, please get in."
"Oh, Vold, you're coming with me today?"
"I'm sorry, young master. I won't be able to accompany you. I have some deliveries to make. Lady Lawine asked me to drop you off on the way."
"Oh, I see. Then let's go."
"As you wish. Where would you like to go?"
"Take me to Orient City."
The carriage started moving. Kondo looked outside through the window, smiling. He was genuinely happy—he had never imagined living a life like this.
(I never thought I'd get to live such a good life… such kind people… such amazing parents. I never even dreamed of this. I want to live this life properly… without any trouble.)
As the city came into view, Kondo spoke,
"Vold, stop the carriage here."
"But young master, we've just arrived. Let me drop you inside—"
"Vold, I said stop the carriage."
The carriage came to a halt. Kondo stepped out and said,
"I'll go from here on my own. I'll come back here before evening."
Vold didn't feel comfortable leaving him alone, but he couldn't disobey.
"…Alright, young master. I'll return before evening."
He turned the carriage around and left. Kondo walked toward Orient City and soon reached the bridge where people were constantly going in and out. He entered the city.
Now Kondo was alone—no one to stop him.
"Today I'm alone… which means no one can stop me… so… let's go check out the guild."
After searching for a while, he finally found it. The name "Orient Guild" was written outside in big letters.
"So this is the guild… why such a simple name? They could've made it sound cooler."
He stood near the entrance, peeking inside. People were carrying magic staffs, swords, and shields.
"Whoa… they look so cool… look at those swords… that magic staff… even their outfits look amazing…"
Unable to resist, Kondo slowly stepped inside and started looking around. He was excited—but that excitement didn't last long.
"Hey, kid. What are you doing here?"
Kondo froze. (Oh no…)
He turned around and saw a tall, bald, heavily built man. The man placed his hand on Kondo's head and said in a rough tone,
"Don't you know? Kids like you aren't allowed here. This is a guild—you have no business here."
Kondo, slightly nervous, gently moved the man's hand away.
"I'm sorry… I think I got lost. I'll leave now…"
He turned to go, but the man grabbed his shirt from behind and laughed.
"Haha, look at this kid… seems like he's from some rich family."
Then his expression turned serious.
"You nobles think you're better than us… showing off your money. Let me teach you a lesson."
Kondo felt uneasy. (This is bad… what is he thinking?)
"Let me go!"
The man lifted Kondo into the air and shouted,
"Look at this noble brat! Acting smart in a place like this… kids aren't allowed here. Maybe he needs punishment!"
The adventurers watched, but no one stepped forward. They felt bad, but most of them were only C-rank—they didn't have the courage.
The man raised his fist to punch—
"Stop, Bufel!"
Bufel turned toward the voice.
"Oh? A hero has come to save this kid?"
Kondo looked ahead. A man in golden armor, with blonde hair and a sword at his waist, stood there. Kondo felt like… this person might actually help.
"Bufel, let the boy go. Or you might get expelled from the guild."
Bufel frowned.
"Don't lecture me, Neld. Just because you're higher rank doesn't mean you're stronger. And as for this brat… I'm not letting him go without punishment."
Kondo felt scared. (What did I even do…?)
More people gathered, and the crowd began criticizing Bufel. That only made him angrier.
"Why is it always you?! Interfering in my matters and making me look like the bad guy!"
Bufel threw Kondo to the ground and charged at Neld with a punch—but Neld easily dodged and pushed him back, making him fall.
Everyone started laughing. Bufel clenched his fists in anger.
"Neld, I swear I'll—"
"Enough!"
A voice echoed from above. Everyone looked up.
"That's Guild Master Marco!"
Marco walked down the stairs and said sternly,
"Bufel, have you lost your mind? Raising your hand against a child? You're an adventurer—you're supposed to help people. Think before you act. Next time, your license will be revoked."
Bufel controlled his anger and bowed slightly.
"I'm sorry, Guild Master. It won't happen again."
He left silently.
Marco turned to Neld.
"Well done, Neld. That was good work."
"Thank you, Guild Master."
"By the way… where did that boy go?"
Kondo was trying to slip out of the crowd, but he couldn't.
"There he is," Neld pointed out.
Marco smiled gently.
"Hey, come here. What are you doing over there?"
Kondo walked up nervously.
"I'm sorry… I came here by mistake."
"No need to apologize. Good thing receptionist Kirina informed me quickly."
Kondo looked at the receptionist—and beside her, a girl around his age wearing glasses. He bowed slightly.
"Thank you."
Neld kept observing him.
"You don't seem to be from around here. What's your name?"
"My name is Kondo… but I should go now."
And with that, Kondo ran off.
"Hey, wait—!"
Marco frowned slightly.
"Neld… doesn't that name sound familiar?"
After running away, Kondo finally stopped at a distance from the guild, breathing heavily.
"Good thing I somehow got out of there… who knows what kind of trouble I would've ended up in…"
He felt frustrated as he started walking toward Shin's house, but his mind was still stuck on what had just happened.
(What was wrong with that guy…? If that hadn't happened, I could've learned something inside…)
(It's so annoying… but there was nothing I could do…)
Lost in thought, Kondo kept walking—until suddenly, near a chocolate shop, he spotted Shin.
A smile instantly appeared on his face.
"Shin—!"
He was about to call out… but then his eyes shifted to the girl standing beside her.
Kondo immediately stopped and hid.
(Wait… isn't that the same girl from the guild? Is she Shin's friend?)
Shin suddenly turned around.
Seeing that, her friend asked,
"What happened, Shin?"
"…Nothing. I just felt like someone called me."
Shin looked around carefully… and her eyes landed exactly where Kondo was hiding.
She smirked slightly.
Without saying anything, she grabbed her friend and quietly took a side path, circling around behind Kondo.
Meanwhile, Kondo was still looking ahead, unaware.
"Where did that girl go… she was just here…"
"Ahem."
Hearing the sound, Kondo turned around—
"Oh—Shin! When did you come here? I didn't even notice you behind me!"
Shin crossed her arms, slightly annoyed.
"But I noticed you… secretly spying on us."
"Ahh—Shin, listen! Don't misunderstand, I was just—"
He stopped midway.
Shin narrowed her eyes.
"You were just… what?"
Kondo awkwardly pointed.
"I-it's because of your friend standing there…"
Shin glanced at her friend.
"What's there to hide about that? Anyway, she's my friend—Lable. And Lable, this is Kondo, my friend."
Kondo lowered his gaze slightly.
"Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too."
Lable leaned closer to Shin and whispered something in her ear.
"…He's the same boy."
Shin's eyes widened.
"What? He's that boy? Kondo, you should've told me! I would've dealt with that guy!"
"Ah, Shin, just leave it… someone helped me anyway. I just don't remember his name…"
Label replied,
"His name is Neld. He's an A-class adventurer."
Kondo's eyes lit up.
"Really? No wonder he defeated that guy so easily!"
Shin then asked Lable,
"By the way, why were you at the guild?"
"I… I went to meet my sister, Kirina."
Hearing that, Kondo asked curiously,
"Label, tell me something… there are B+, A+, and S+ adventurers in that guild, right?"
"Yes, there are. Why?"
"Then that means… there must be monsters nearby too?"
"Yeah. In the forest near the city."
Kondo looked at Shin with excitement.
"Then Shin, should we—"
"Absolutely not," Shin interrupted immediately.
"Monsters are dangerous. If we go there, we might end up as their prey."
"No, that won't happen! Lable, please explain it to her."
"Why would I explain anything? We're busy anyway… right, label?"
But label eyes were sparkling with excitement.
"…Don't say you to label"
"Come on, Shin! Let's just take a look!"
Kondo quickly joined in,
"Yeah, Shin! Just a quick look!"
Shin sighed in frustration.
"…Fine. But we're only going to look and come back."
Kondo and Lable immediately lit up with excitement.
The three of them headed toward the forest outside the city.
As they walked, Kondo asked,
"Lable, what kind of monsters are in that forest?"
"I don't know much… but when I visit the guild, I've seen adventurers bring materials from goblins, ogres, and some strange beasts. I've heard they're mostly C+ rank monsters."
Shin was quietly listening as they walked.
Soon, they reached the edge of the forest.
"Look, that's the forest," Shin said.
"Let's just see and go back."
Lable asked Kondo,
"By the way, why did you go to the guild?"
"I just wanted to see what it's like inside… I didn't expect something like that to happen."
Shin glanced at both of them.
"And I didn't expect you two to become friends so quickly."
They stepped closer.
The forest looked dense… and strangely quiet.
Shin felt uneasy.
"…Alright, we've seen it. There are no monsters here, so let's go back."
Kondo immediately protested,
"Wait, Shin! We just got here!"
Label added,
"Yeah, Shin! We haven't even gone inside yet!"
"…Fine. Let's go."
Kondo and Lable rushed ahead.
"Hey, wait for me!" Shin called out.
The three of them went deeper into the forest, searching for monsters—but found nothing.
Kondo asked,
"Have you two ever come to a forest before?"
"No," label replied.
"We're still kids, so we don't get permission. We only came because you insisted."
They kept walking deeper.
After a while, Lable said,
"I think we've come too far inside…"
"You're right," Shin added.
"Kondo, we should go back now. We might lose our way."
Kondo sighed in disappointment.
"Yeah… you're right. There's nothing here except bushes… (just my luck… I thought I'd at least see one monster…) Let's go back before we get stuck here."
They turned to leave—
But suddenly, a voice echoed from behind them.
"Hey… search properly. The monsters should be nearby."
The three froze.
Just then, two monsters came rushing toward them and stopped as soon as they saw the three of them.
Kondo looked at them carefully.
(They look just like us… almost like humans… except for the horns on their heads… and they seem to be around our age.)