WHAM!!
Akeno sent Boros flying across the room with a conveniently placed wooden stick that had somehow ended up nearby.
"What the hell?!" Boros yelled as he crashed into the floor.
"I should be asking you that!" Akeno shouted, still gripping the stick.
Kinuko sighed.
"Shiro... if you were planning on bringing someone over, you could've at least told us."
"Exactly!" Akeno nodded, resting the stick on her shoulder.
"You should've told us."
Boros slowly pushed himself to his feet.
"I would've loved to."
He pointed at the gray-haired woman.
"But there's one small problem."
"I have absolutely no idea who she is."
"LIKE HELL YOU DON'T!"
WHACK!
The stick smacked the top of his head.
"Will you stop that?!" Boros yelled, rubbing the sore spot.
"No!"
Akeno swung again.
ANOTHER WHACK!
This time Boros ducked just in time, the stick slicing through empty air.
Before Akeno could swing a third time, Scarlet hurried into the room.
"Please stop!"
She positioned herself between them with both hands raised.
"I'm so sorry about what just happened."
"Scarlet?" Boros, Akeno, and Kinuko said at the same time.
Boros blinked.
"You were here this whole time?"
Scarlet scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"W-Well... yes."
She pointed toward the gray-haired woman.
"I came here with her."
"But she was walking so fast, and I fell behind."
She lowered her head in embarrassment.
"By the time I reached the door..."
Her cheeks turned red.
"...I saw her kissing you."
"I just... froze."
The room fell silent.
Akeno slowly turned toward Scarlet.
"Scarlet..."
"Y-Yes?"
Her smile looked strangely gentle.
"Who..."
"...is the woman you brought here?"
Scarlet opened her mouth.
"She's-"
"I can introduce myself."
The gray-haired woman finally stepped into the room.
She gave a graceful bow.
"My name is Elizabeth."
She smiled warmly.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Elizabeth stepped closer to Boros.
"And from today onward..."
She smiled, gently poking a finger against his chest.
"...I'll be your assistant."
Akeno blinked.
"...Assistant?"
Kinuko tilted her head.
"Could you explain what you mean by that?"
"I can."
Scarlet stepped forward.
"High-rank Adventurers are some of the Guild's most valuable assets."
"They're incredibly powerful..."
"...but they're also notorious for ignoring anything that isn't fighting."
She let out a small sigh.
"Paperwork."
"Meetings."
"Mission reports."
"Schedules."
"Most of them find those things unbearably boring."
"So the Guild Concord made it mandatory for every Apex-Rank Adventurer to have a personal assistant."
"They handle paperwork, organize missions, manage appointments, and take care of anything else that would otherwise waste the Adventurer's time."
She glanced at Boros.
"High-Grade S-Ranks are allowed to have assistants too."
"But unlike Apex-Ranks..."
"...it isn't compulsory."
"I see."
Boros nodded thoughtfully.
"...They're not working for free though, right?"
Scarlet laughed.
"Of course not."
"Since the Guild Concord made it mandatory, the Guild covers all expenses."
Elizabeth leaned comfortably against Boros.
"I wouldn't mind a few..."
She smiled mischievously.
"...extra rewards, though."
"You bast-"
Akeno lifted the stick again.
Kinuko immediately snatched it out of her hands.
"That's enough."
Then she looked at Elizabeth.
"With all due respect..."
"...don't you think you're standing a little too close to Shiro?"
Elizabeth blinked.
"Shiro?"
She looked up at Boros.
"So that's your name."
She pouted.
"You never told me when we met."
Akeno's eyes widened.
"So you DO know her?!"
She pointed accusingly at Boros.
"I told you I don't!"
Boros threw both hands into the air.
He looked at Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth..."
"You're gonna have to stop making jokes like that."
"And Kinuko's right."
"You're standing way too close."
Elizabeth hummed to herself.
"Hmm..."
"Alright."
"I'll try."
She finally took a step back.
"And he's right."
She turned toward Akeno.
"We've never met before."
Akeno stared at her in disbelief.
"...Then why did you kiss him?"
Elizabeth answered without the slightest hesitation.
"I thought he was handsome."
A beat passed.
"That's all."
Then she casually leaned against Boros again.
Akeno smiled.
"I see..."
She slowly looked toward Kinuko.
"Mind handing me that stick for a second?"
"I just want another look at it."
"No."
Kinuko answered flatly.
Akeno sighed.
"You're lucky there aren't any more conveniently placed sticks around."
Elizabeth looked genuinely confused.
"Why are you so worked up anyway?"
She tilted her head.
"Are you his girlfriend or something?"
"W-What?!"
Akeno immediately shook her head.
"No!"
Elizabeth smiled brightly.
"Oh."
"Good."
"That means I don't have any competition."
She rested herself against Boros yet again.
Kinuko blinked.
"...Didn't you just say you'd stop getting so close?"
Elizabeth shrugged.
"I said I'd try, baby."
"These things take time."
Scarlet laughed awkwardly.
"W-Well..."
"If her behavior becomes too much..."
"...you can always inform the Guildmaster."
"He'll assign you a different assistant."
"There won't be any need for that."
Elizabeth reached up and gently touched Boros' chin.
"I promise I'll behave."
She smiled sweetly.
"Now then..." Scarlet said.
"I'll be taking my leave."
"Good luck on your mission."
They watched Scarlet walk out the door.
Elizabeth watched Scarlet leave before turning back toward the trio.
She smiled.
"Allow me to properly introduce myself."
She placed a hand against her chest.
"I'm Elizabeth." She paused for a moment.
"...Just Elizabeth. My parents abandoned me."
"So I abandoned my last name too."
The room went quiet for a second.
Then she smiled again as if she'd said nothing unusual.
"Like I mentioned earlier..."
She walked over to Boros.
"I'm the Low-Grade S-Rank Adventurer assigned to be your assistant."
Akeno folded her arms. 'Heh.
She's ranked lower than me.'
Elizabeth clapped her hands together.
"Now then."
"I've already been informed that your first mission is an investigation in Tunisik."
She began pacing slowly.
"Tunisik isn't much different from Calonia."
"It used to be one of the safest cities in the region."
"But a few months ago..."
"Crime began rising at an alarming rate."
She looked at the trio.
"The organization believed to be responsible..."
"...is the S-Rank Killers."
She continued, "The city is under the protection of the Sylva Guardians Guild."
"The Guild currently ranked thirtieth on the global rankings."
Boros blinked. "Wait."
"How many Guilds are actually ranked?"
"Thirty," Elizabeth replied.
Kinuko looked surprised.
"So they're the lowest-ranked Guild in the world?"
"They are." Elizabeth nodded.
"But don't let the ranking fool you."
"I worked alongside their Guildmaster years ago. Long before I became an Adventurer."
She smiled.
"He's far stronger than most people give him credit for."
She folded her arms.
"Although the Sylva Guardians requested assistance because of the increase in crime..."
"That isn't your primary objective."
She looked directly at Boros.
"Your mission is to uncover the true purpose of the S-Rank Killers."
"When they first appeared..."
"Everyone believed their goal was simple."
"Kill high-ranking Adventurers. And disrupt the balance of power."
"But what they've been doing in Tunisik doesn't support that theory."
She paused.
"The city's biggest problems now are robbery, theft..."
"...and most notably..."
"The kidnapping of civilians."
Kinuko frowned.
"...How does kidnapping civilians relate to hunting high-rank Adventurers?"
"It doesn't." Elizabeth shrugged.
"That's exactly why you're being sent."
"Their actions don't match what we thought their objective was."
Boros leaned back.
"So Griffin expects us to ignore everything happening around us and focus only on the investigation?"
Elizabeth smiled. "For all we know..."
"He fully expects you to rescue the victims."
"Your main objective is discovering the S-Rank Killers' true goal."
"But after that..."
"He never said you had to return immediately."
She gave a small shrug. "Besides..."
"Finding the kidnapped civilians will likely require investigating them anyway."
Kinuko thought for a moment.
"If they're causing this much trouble. Why aren't all the Guilds working together to eliminate them?"
Elizabeth answered without hesitation.
"Because the Guild Concord hasn't ordered it."
Boros clicked his tongue. "Tch."
"Figures."
"It's almost like those bastards run the world."
Elizabeth gave a small laugh.
"That's not too far from the truth."
"Aside from a handful of independent kingdoms..."
"The Five Pillars govern every Cardinal."
"And above even them stands the Guild Concord."
She folded her arms. "So yes."
"You could say they control most of the world."
Kinuko tilted her head.
"Then why are we being sent?"
"If the Concord hasn't approved an operation, shouldn't this mission be forbidden?"
"No." Elizabeth shook her head.
"You don't need the Concord's permission to defend your own territory."
"Tunisik belongs to the Sylva Guardians."
"They requested assistance from the White Tigers."
"And Griffin responded by sending one of the Guild's strongest Adventurers." Her eyes shifted toward Boros.
"So no."
"We aren't breaking any rules."
She smiled.
"Once we arrive, we'll head straight to the Sylva Guardians' headquarters."
"Their Guildmaster will brief us on everything they've discovered so far."
Elizabeth rubbed her hands together.
"Now then."
"I'll help you pack so we can get going."
Boros raised an eyebrow.
"...We?"
Elizabeth blinked.
"Of course."
"I'm coming with you."
Boros shook his head.
"Elizabeth..."
"...You're not coming with us."