"An SS-ranked quest? Are you sure about this, Mikage?" Captain Noel asked.
"It's okay to be confident with yourself but you should know your limits. You don't want to die from overestimating yourself", Temma added.
I could understand their concerns but I knew what I was doing.
"If I don't challenge myself, then there's no point in training hard. I have to know whether I grew strong enough to be able to take care of something like this", I said.
"Well... Oga's there. He's a powerful S-ranked adventurer. We've seen how he was able to fight on equal footing even when Mikage summoned all of those shadow creatures. He can take care of him", Temma told Captain Noel.
"Very well then... I fought Oga and he really is powerful. I trust he can keep watch of you", she signed the order to dispatch me.
I went outside and saw Oga waiting for me.
"How was it?" he asked.
"She said okay. Captain Noel trusts that you can keep me safe", I answered.
"You have the Primordial Dark inside of you! You don't need to be protected!"
He was right. The Primordial Dark was inside of me. Ever since it took over me in the Idol Fan Tournament, the Primordial Dark didn't make any moves. However, I could feel it inside. Whenever I stop and close my eyes, I can feel its massive power.
Even Anya told me about it. And whenever I meet the souls of the previous masters, I could see the huge orb of darkness in the distance. They said it was the Primordial Dark which was part of my soul and that I shouldn't worry about it becoming stronger.
According to Shiki, Anya's first master, I was "awakening." He didn't explain what he meant with that and the other masters were also silent. I had a feeling that they were hiding something from me but I didn't bother asking them.
"Now let's go to the Adventurer's Guild and take the quest!" Oga said.
We arrived at a huge blue building. It had a wide lobby which was filled with armed adventurers. Some of them were sitting and talking among themselves while others were looking at a board.
A black-haired beastman was waiting for us. He wore a stylish black jacket and a black sword was strapped on his back.
"We have Oga and a knight. So you found a way to have us get the SS-ranked quest", he said.
"That's right. Mikage, meet Yuzuya Miyazaki, the A-ranked adventurer with the title "Wolf Prince." Yuzu, meet Mikage Kamishiro, the administrative officer of the 13th unit", Oga introduced us to each other.
"Nice to meet you", I said.
"No wonder you looked familiar. You're the champion of the Idol Fan Tournament and a master of dark magic. I've seen how you summoned all of those shadow creatures and even forced Oga here to enter his demon form. It makes me want to see how I would survive against you."
"I don't think I can go against an A-ranked adventurer like you, Yuzuya."
"Just call me Yuzu. And if Oga wants you to be part of this dangerous quest, then you must be as strong as I am or even more."
"Now that you guys got your introductions, let's head to the counter and get the quest!" Oga marched ahead.
I showed the approved letter from Captain Noel and the clerk looked at me.
"An administrative officer in an SS-ranked quest?" she wondered.
"Hey. The rules only say that a knight can accompany a party and then they can take whatever quests they want despite the rank requirements", Oga said.
"The system was designed since the Knight Order can adequately judge a party's strength and the urgency of the quest. If the quest is really urgent and there are no appropriate adventurers, then a knight can accompany a party and they can do it. There would be no problem if the quest was B-ranked or even A-ranked... But for an SS-ranked quest, shouldn't a captain or a vice-captain be the one who'll accompany the party instead of just an administrative officer?"
"Well... His captain approved of it so she knows that he can handle this quest. And I'll have you know this guy is the champion of the Idol Fan Tournament."
Did Oga really have to say that?
"Oh. No wonder he looks familiar. He was the mage who can use other people's shadows. How did you do it?" she asked.
"Trade secret", I answered.
"If an exceptional mage like you is in this quest, then I have no reason to worry about it. Very well then. I'll approve of this."
We went outside the Adventurer's Guild. From how the clerk was worried, an SS-ranked quest must be very dangerous. I was having second thoughts.
"We'll meet up at 2 AM in Westa's Western Gates. Be sure to bring necessary things for the quest. Bring supplies that will last you for at least three days and make sure to get the appropriate rest", Oga said and Yuzu and I nodded.
I returned to Amelia's house and she was cooking dinner.
"Welcome home", she greeted me,
"I'm home", I returned her greeting.
"So? Did anything happen?"
I told her about my new quest.
"I see. Moryo Mountains... So that means you'll be gone for at least a day. Are you sure you can handle an SS-ranked quest?" she asked.
"Oga will be there to protect me and Yuzu is a strong adventurer."
"You also have Synchronicity and Anya helps you cast magic. I think there's no need to be afraid."
"Yeah. I'm going to sleep early tonight and leave at dawn."
"Alright. Just make sure to lock things when you leave."
After that, we ate dinner. It was peaceful between the two of us. However, I didn't know that things would change the moment I left for the quest. The simple moments with my friend would disappear and yet I didn't even think that was possible. All I could think of at that moment was that Amelia's cooking was very delicious.
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A/N: Sorry about this but I think I might need another two week break. I've been getting too busy nowadays and barely have time to write. My stockpile chapters are getting dangerously low. I'll probably take the break once this arc is done.
