Caelus pushed open the guild doors, letting out a small breath as he stepped inside with a proud smirk on his face
As always the guild was as lively as ever which caused him to squeeze his way through the crowd, he had his sights on the request board before anything else.
Once he got there he grabbed a request that had to do with defeating bandits that have been terrorizing an entire village for a while now and made his way towards the counter where Cypher was already waiting for him
"You seem to be in a good mood today." Eina said as she saw him approach
"…Is it that obvious?" He smirked, rubbing his nose before placing the request on the table "…I was thinking of attempting my first external request. Protecting a village, escorts… stuff like that."
There was a small pause. Aina's expression didn't change much, but something in her gaze shifted slightly. "…I see."
"…That doesn't sound like a yes."
"It's not," she replied calmly. "You won't be able to take those yet."
"…What?"
"You're C-rank, yes. But rank alone isn't enough." She explained as she set some documents aside and looked at him properly. "Dungeon requests are controlled. If something goes wrong, we can send someone else. But external commissions involving villages, towns, or anything outside the city's jurisdiction, the guild don't just look at rank. We look at experience, reputation and consistency." she paused briefly, choosing her words, "as in such cases, if not done correctly, people might lose their lives, there's no second attempt."
That made him go quiet.
"I guess that's understandable."
"Mhm….You haven't built a record," Eina said simply. "You've only just started. Strength matters, but consistency matters more. We need to know you won't make things worse."
"…Right." He stood there for a second, letting it sink in. The excitement from earlier didn't disappear, but it definitely cooled. "…So I just keep grinding?"
"For now," she nodded.
Cypher slowly backed up with a nervous expression and on her face
"Cypher," he called, his fist tightening slightly as a faint vein showed up at his forehead, "what happened to 'hit C-rank and you can take external quests'?"
She scratched the side of her cheek, eyes drifting upward like she was trying to pull the memory from thin air. "…I could've sworn that was how it worked."
"You could've sworn?"
"…Yeah," she muttered, still thinking. "…Might've skipped a few details."
"…You skipped the important details."
She gave a small, awkward laugh.
Caelus just stared at her for a second before letting out a slow breath, dragging a hand down his face. "…Unbelievable." He gave a brief pause then continued "…Whatever. No point complaining."
Cypher glanced at him. "What now?"
"Unfortunately we gotta keep grinding. If reputation's the problem, then we've gotta fix that." He turned toward the request board
_____
[Back at The Palace]
"…An adventurer?" Kaelen's voice was low, but there was a clear edge beneath it.
The figure kneeling before him remained still, head lowered. "…Yes, my lord. That is what he has been doing."
"…Since when?"
"Shortly after leaving the palace."
The room went completely silent for a few minutes. Kaelen leaned back slightly, fingers tapping once against the armrest before stopping. "…He avoids confronting me, skips lessons, forfeits the throne leaves without a word…" His gaze hardened. "…and now he's playing adventurer?"
It didn't make sense. Not even slightly.
"Any more details?" he said.
"He has been taking requests. Working consistently. Partnered with a female adventurer that goes by Cypher."
Kaelen frowned slightly. The name meant nothing to him. "…And nothing else?"
"…Nothing of note."
"…Nothing about me?"
"…No, my lord."
That bothered him more than anything else.
Kaelen exhaled slowly, turning his gaze toward the window. "…Keep watching him."
"Yes, my lord."
"Do not approach him, do not interfere, I want everything, who he speaks to and what he says."
"…Understood."
The figure vanished without another word while Kaelen remained there, staring out into the distance. "…Caelus…" he murmured quietly. "…What exactly are you trying to do…?"
_____
Back at the guild, near the entrance, someone new stepped in.
He didn't stand out at first glance. Tan skin, white hair and an eye patch on his right eye. Nothing flashy, just simple clothes, light gear. The kind of person you'd overlook if you weren't paying attention. He made his way straight to the counter.
Aina looked up. "Welcome to the Adventurers Guild. How can I help you?"
"I'd like to register." He replied without beating around the bush too much.
Just like with Caelus, Eina nodded and handed him a similar form to fill out. He took it and stepped aside, going through it quickly and a few minutes later, he returned it.
Eina skimmed through it before stepping away briefly. When she came back, she handed him his guild card and directed him towards the quest board
Some minutes barely went by before he walked back and placed a request he chose on the counter.
"I'll take this."
Eina didn't respond immediately. She glanced behind him. Then back at him.
"…Your party members?"
"…I don't have one."
She shook her head letting him know that it wouldn't be possible which got him curious as to why, so she explained that new members weren't allowed to take request solo and he was going to need a party if he wanted to proceed
A brief pause.
"…Is that really mandatory?"
"Yes." Eina adjusted her glasses. "Even one other person is enough."
He thought about it for a second.
"…Then I'll find one."
"Thank you for understanding," she bowed. Then after a moment, "If you'd like, I know someone who might be open to adding another member."
His gaze shifted slightly. "…Someone you know?"
"Mhm, a friend of mine." She paused for a second, then let out a soft laugh. "Now that I think about it… you two literally had the same first interaction with me."
Before anything else could be said—
"Oi!"
A voice called out.
Both of them turned slightly as a group approached, three people, lightly geared, clearly experienced enough to not look lost. The one in front scratched his head slightly as he looked at the newcomer.
"Couldn't help but overhear your conversation and was wondering if you'd love to join our party, we're heading out for a raid, but one of our guys is down with a fever. We need a replacement."
Eina stayed quiet, watching.
"…You interested?" the man asked.
There was a brief pause, the newcomer glanced at them once before accepting their offer.
""Good," the man nodded. "We leave soon. You don't have to stress much, we'll handle everything. Just support from the back."
The newcomer gave a small nod, calm as ever. "Understood."
"Nice," one of the others said with a small laugh. "I like this guy already."
They turned, already heading out.
The newcomer thanked Eina and followed his new party
Eina watched them leave, her gaze lingering for a moment before she let out a quiet breath. "…He seemed responsible," she murmured to herself, a faint, thoughtful look crossing her face. "He would've been perfect to keep those two in check." She shook her head lightly after a second and returned to her work.