____________________________________________________________

Party Leader

Name: Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor  Level: 80 Job: None

Health: 4651/4651             Mana: 16225/16225         Stamina: 2716/2716

Effects: [Damaged Mana Path [Left Wing] (Minor)] [Humanized (Moderate)]

____________________________________________________________

Name: Saori Segawa             Level: 69              Job: None

Health: 2806/2806             Mana: 1211/1211         Stamina:     2005/2005

Effects: [Humanized (Moderate)]

____________________________________________________________

Name: Tasianna Marina Silverpond  Level: 50     Job: Mage

Health: 1544/1544             Mana: 3897/3897         Stamina: 1080/1080

Effects: [Elvenized (Major)]

____________________________________________________________

The party is online once again!

The ID and party bracelet registration didn’t take too long, as we only needed to pour our mana into the [Crystal of the Divine System], and without further ado, our party was official.

“These party bracelets are the newest model,” Melia explained. “Aside from the essential functions like ‘party creation,’ ‘experience sharing,’ ‘ID tracking,’ ‘Quest list,’ ‘ID reader,’ ‘mana storing,’ ‘notes,’ and ‘verification,’ these bracelets allow you to use the ‘platoon party’ function, which allows you to register up to twenty people at once. Your mana is registered to these bracelets, so please be aware they can only be used by their respective owners.”

I looked down at my wrist on which I was now wearing a pristine white bracelet, contrasting the crude iron one I used to wear. Touching it, the material felt tough like stone but soft to the touch from the high-quality craftsmanship, reminding me of the bathtub I bathed in during my stay at Ellaine’s. Melia had just explained to me it was a mineral called “Fairnite,” a white stone known for its ability to insulate mana. Due to its beautiful white appearance, reminding me of a mix between marble and limestone, it was very popular among nobles as a furniture material.

Aside from the difference in materials, this bracelet also had an emblem of a black dragon’s head surrounded by flames in a crescent moon shape on it, which was the royal crest of my “family” and also Kargryxmor’s religious symbol. “Hiding in plain sight.” As I was a dragonewt in this form, people would believe I was a worshipper of Kargryxmor instead of a royal family member. And, if I ever had to use it, I could always tell people vice versa.

The symbol was on all three bracelets, as Saori and Tasianna were treated as my retainers, but there was also Zephira’s rainbow-colored butterfly symbol on Tasianna’s and Aurena’s angel woman on mine, to symbolize the Origin Gods we were aligned to, although Tasianna was currently a Plesia worshipper. Saori’s was left blank, as they didn’t know who to choose, but I was sure Marsven was an option due to Saori’s dark magic.

Lastly, there was a sapphire blue core in the middle of the bracelet, responsible for displaying the game-like blue menu.

“All IDs are made with the mana of their owners and react less favorably to foreign mana. The crystal can easily identify this which makes it very difficult to fake ownership of an ID you do not own,” Melia answered Saori’s worry in case our cards were stolen. “Courtesy of dwarven ingenuity, I say. Yours in particular is able to hide Profile information from any sort of appraisal. Due to this feature, they are quite expensive, a minimum of two small goldite and five large silvite, so please do not lose them.”

“What?!” Saori was horror-struck. “Y-you are telling us these three cards cost 750 thousand Davi?! I-I-I have no words. Wait, how much do these party bracelets cost?”

Apparently, the white party bracelets cost 85k Davi each which added up with the IDs to 1,005,000 Davi altogether, translating into one large goldite and five small silvite coins. Wow, lucky me I made Count Helvas or somebody else pay them for me in exchange for my personal information …You know, maybe I was the one who lost out on this deal?

“1,005,000 Davi … if I translate it one-to-one to yen … guck …” Saori’s pale face looked a bit worrying, especially with her twitching eye. Was she not used to holding this much money on hand?

Hmm, if it were 1,005,000 yen then that would be … parallel minds quick math please! Okay, who am I kidding, I don’t even know the conversion rate from yen to dollars. Although, Mama once told me to simply subtract two zeros from the yen number. Which means, these three cards and bracelets cost us around 10,000 USD. Huh, that’s a lot but I guess these things are similar to smart phones.

“Ah, and they are finished. I thank you for your patience. Please, take them,” Melia stated, handing us our three black IDs before giving us a small bow. “And with that, I would like to officially welcome you to the hunters guild! I anticipate much from you three!”

Adventurer ID, acquired!

The black rectangular ID felt firm in my hand. The front of my ID was divided down the middle. On the right side, it had basic information like my name, age, level, and job, while the left side was decorated by a large Kargryxmor emblem.

Remembering how Master Kush could morph the symbol on his ID, I activated [Mana Eyes] and began pouring mana into the symbol. Aside from getting a massive headache since the room was filled with adventures, I could confirm the mechanism was similar to Master Kush’s card. The emblem switched from Kargryxmor’s to Aurena’s and then to one with a bow and sword entwined with each other, the exact one I saw outside the guild. This had to be the hunters guild’s emblem.

“If you need them repaired or changed, simply visit a reputable artificer, and they would fix them up without any issue. I recommend artificers associated with the mage’s or artificer guild,” Melia explained.

Sadly, the information didn’t stick since I was too excited for the next important part about being an adventurer! I couldn’t help but voice it, “Alright, cool, very cool, but can we get our Jobs now?!”

Melia smiled, unfettered of my childish enthusiasm. She asked us to place our hand on the crystal again and say “Open Job Menu.” Since Saori and Tasianna didn’t know who should start, I just called dips. Once I did as Melia asked, the crystal began to glow white again before a blue screen was projected, reminding me once-again how game-like this world was.

____________________________________________________________

Weekly Job Acquisition Limit: 3/3

Previous Jobs:

Main Job: [None]

____________________________________________________________

Weekly limit?

“Melia, there is a limit to how often I can change my Job in a single week?! But—This blows!” I shouted in disappointment.

Melia shook her head at my complaint. “The hunters guild cannot do anything about it, as this is a rule from the Divine System. The Origin Gods have set the rules, and we as their followers can only abide by them. However, please rest your worries, the restriction isn’t too terrible once you learn the rest of the details. Please, put your finger on the menu and pull it down.”

With Saori and Tasianna watching over my shoulders, blocking anybody from peeking, I did what Melia instructed me to do, muttering, “This is so RPG-like,” as more information came into view after I scrolled down.

____________________________________________________________

Available Jobs

[Freelancer] [Caster] [Fighter] [Bard] [Scout] [Worker] [Academic] [Noble] [Scale-Dust User] [White Pyromancer] [Corrosive Pyromancer] [Usurper] [Champion of Aurena] [Crimson Saintess] [Idol]

____________________________________________________________

The hell did I get [Crimson Saintess] from?!

“… Lady Hestia, please pour your mana into this manatech.” Melia handed me a small staff with a green ball on its top. Once I poured a bit of mana into it, an invisible barrier flowed out from it.

“[Air Shield]?” I asked, knowing this sensation very well.

“Correct, as you have the spell, you should be aware we don’t have too much time to speak before we need to dispel the shield,” Melia said before a smile creeped on her face. “Anyway … May your soul stay eternally bright, Champion and Saintess of the Goddess of Light! It is wonderful to have confirmation!”

Melia shouted in excitement, bowing before me in a prayer pose. This action caught people’s attention, but most of them simply shrugged it off, probably since I looked like a priestess with my white robe.

After I told her to stop as I still didn’t feel comfortable with my new role, Melia explained this manatech was loaned to her by Farron as it was necessary to work with me due to the confidential information. Aside from wanting to keep it a secret myself, the kingdom did too. Why? Gotta ask Ellaine, I guess.

With that said, we went back to the Job menu. Although every Job after [Noble] was conspicuous, there were also a ton of Jobs I thought were missing. Remembering all the people I identified who had a Job, I was 100% sure there should be more. There wasn’t even [Mage], which Tasianna had.

“Ah, the reason for that is because you must unlock them first, Lady Hestia,” Tasianna chimed in. “Aside from the obvious ones, all of your current available Jobs are the beginner ones; the basics. Think of the Job system as a tree. The novice classes are the seed and every time you acquire another Job, more branches of the original Job will unlock until you reach the end of the Job line. For example, you must first acquire [Caster] to obtain [Mage], and afterward, you can specialize your elemental preference like [Wind Mage] and [Water Mage].”

“That is correct. Every Job has a specific requirement you must fulfill before it becomes available. Aside from requiring the prerequisite Jobs, you must sometimes acquire certain skills, reach a minimum stat line, obtain merit, or even, for example, possess blessings and titles,” Melia added. “There is a book the guild can lend you if you wish to plan your route. Otherwise, if you would please choose a Job, I will continue with the benefits of gaining a Job.”

Hmm, a Job, huh? I would like to get [Idol] first, but I think taking [Caster] first will increase the number of available Jobs. Seeing more Jobs will be so satisfying. I can take [Idol] later on, after all.

____________________________________________________________

Job: Caster

Requirements: [Mana Control], [Arcane Mind]

Acquisition Benefits: Mana Increase, Intelligence Increase

Main Job Benefits: None

____________________________________________________________

<Caster: A novice magician who has taken their first step into the arcane. This class aids the novice by increasing the necessary stats to help them acquire their first [Magic] skill>

The requirements are exactly what you expect to become a mage.

[Mana Control] to control mana and [Arcane Mind] to open up spell slots. [Arcane Corruption Resistance] wasn’t necessary but every mage would gain it eventually. Feels good that I guessed it correctly in the first two months of my life here.

“Whenever you acquire a Job, you will receive an immediate boost in your stats or even acquire skill proficiencies. As you are aware, when the proficiency of a skill reaches a certain amount, you unlock or level up a skill,” Melia explained.

“What is this ‘Main Job Benefit?’” Saori asked, pointing at the bottom of the menu.

Melia diligently nodded her head in confirmation and continued explaining once I deactivated the [Air Shield] manatech. “Are the three of you aware of ‘Job Skills,’ ‘Job Abilities,’ and ‘Job Spells?’ You are allowed to gain as many Jobs as you wish, but you may only have one Job active at once. This is your Main Job, and from it, you may gain temporary benefits in the forms of what I just mentioned.”

Essentially, I was only allowed to acquire three jobs per week, but once I had them, I could switch between them whenever I wished with no limits. If I wanted a Job Skill or Ability, I had to have that specific Job as my Main Job—the one shown on your Profile.

It was exciting. I wanted to jump up, but I had to hold it in by biting my lips. As such, I turned back to the blue screen and said “I choose the Job [Caster],” following Melia’s instructions. Another blue screen appeared just seconds later.

<Will you change your Job to [Caster]?>

It’s been a long time since you last asked me something, System voice. Ja.

<Individual [Sunfang Dragonewt, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor] has acquired Job [Caster]>

<Attributes have increased due to Job acquisition>

<Individual [Sunfang Dragonewt, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor] has set her Main Job to [Caster]>

<Main Job benefits have been updated due to Job change>

<Caster Level: 0/5>

Huh? Level?

“Oh, that is one of the wonderful parts of the Job system, Lady Hestia. As you know, monsters can only grow in strength by leveling, performing strenuous activities, or evolving. Humanoids like beastmen and elves, on the other hand, do not possess the ability to evolve, so they must rely on the Job system for continuous stat improvements, compared to a monster’s burst improvements,” Tasianna clarified, hinting on our difference in improvements. “Each Job acquisition grants you stats and skill improvements, and each Job also has a separate level unrelated to your current one. Even if you reach a ‘wall’ or ‘blockade,’ you can always level up your Job to further increase your stats. Any method which grants you experience works.”

She then shyly scratched her cheeks, showing us a wry smile as she continued, “Hopefully, I can finally catch up. I have been waiting to change my Job for a very, very long time.”

Ahh, yeah, I could understand her frustration. It was similar to my evolution. My level was maxed out so any experience I gained was being wasted until I evolved. The fact that it was my own decision to not evolve dulled that annoyance, but imagine if I couldn’t just ‘cause of some stupid reason like having no access to it? Yeah, poor Tasianna.

“Once you have maxed out your Job level, simply return to the guild and you may change your Job,” Melia said with a wide smile. “However, each subsequent Job acquisition will cost you one small silvite. Merely switching between Jobs you’ve already acquired is free, though.”

“Hold on!” Saori snapped her hand up. “One silvite?! Are you telling me each change will cost us 1000 Davi? Why do we have to pay for that?”

Still keeping up a professional smile, Melia spoke slowly and calmly to soothe the distressed Saori. “While the hunters guild as a whole possesses adequate resources, individual branches often do not have the funds to buy a [Crystal of the Divine System]. We must rent them from nobles, mages, or the lord of the fief. Most guild branches must do this if they aren’t managed by a wealthy individual, to save on costs. We only charge for Job acquisitions in order to acquire the funds for the monthly payment.”

Saori always made a big fuss over money, but she was acting out a bit today. Maybe this was just how Saori really was since she knew how it was to be poor, but I still had to calm her down. “Come on, Saori, it’s not like it’s a lot to pay. We got the money and we can always earn more, no problem.”

Saori brows curled up, scowling at me as she began her lecture. “… Hestia, the costs pile up. If each of us receives one Job acquisition free of charge, but each subsequent one costs us, then we have to pay 6000 Davi for this week alone. If we use up our weekly limits every time, it will cost us 9000 Davi. We currently only have 14,443 Davi exactly in party funds. Do you know how much each Quest pays or how much we need to pay for other services like equipment, maybe some potions, or, you know, our insane food costs?! Are you planning to leech off Lady Ellaine forever?”

… Oh, whoops. Kinda overlooked those things. But, can’t we just earn more money? How hard can it be?

Watching Saori and I argue over it, Melia couldn’t help but giggle. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause an argument between the two of you, hiehie. Please, don’t worry, the hunters guild treats their accomplished hunters well, and we offer each hunter a free Job acquisition each time they are promoted to the next rank. Young and new hunters cannot afford Job changes so this is a good way to incentivize them to work hard! You three are eligible for three free changes, excluding your welcoming bonus.”

Ahh, I see, how smart! With how powerful these Job changes are, beginners will want to improve fast to get the free changes and, presumably, access the higher paying Quests.

“… Do beginners even have the funds to change their Job often, in the first place?” Still, Saori scowled. “Also, only one? One after working hard to rank up? This seems like a joke …”

Melia’s professional smile began to break when Saori pointed out that obvious fact, causing even me to feel anxious at Miss Big Bad Wolf’s single-minded focus to save our party funds. Nevertheless, she dropped the matter, simply saying, “that is life.”

Instead, with me now the proud owner of the [Caster] Job, Saori and Tasianna took the opportunity to access the Job menu. Saori started out with the [Scout] Job, the first Job in the rogue tree line, and Tasianna acquired [Water Mage] as she only needed one more level in her [Water Magic] to unlock [Torrent Magic].

As it would be irresponsible on my first day as an adventurer to not get a proper Quest, I went to the bulletin board next to the counter, where a ton of parchment sheets were hanging. A few adventurers stood there, probably deciding on which quest to take.

“Oi, the new ‘rank D’ gals. Better stay away from her, I think she’s a noble.”

“Geez, I thought even nobles weren’t given this privilege. You work like everybody else and get promoted after completing Quests. She’s not even properly equipped. If she’s a mage then where is her catalyst?”

“Hey, shut it. You weren’t here three days ago. I heard she’s level 80, and look at that robe. Priestess. If you want to keep buying those overpriced healing potions, then go ahead and make her angry. Never make the healers angry; tip for you rookies.”

Ok, all these whispers are really ticking me off!

There was quite a lot of gossip coming from the adventurers, and most of them moved away the moment I came over. The ones remaining were the only ones who ignored me, seemingly unfazed by my appearance. The tallest among them was a well-built man in his thirties, with a massive greatsword or claymore he was carrying around on his shoulder. With a face covered in scars, he just looked like a veteran you could rely on. He carefully took three sheets from the bulletin and slowly walked back to his party who were sitting over at a table.

As I was curious who they were, I turned around and accidentally locked my eyes with one of them, a young man with wild dark-red hair. His decently used leather armor, the sword on his hip, and round wooden shield strapped to his left arm suggested he was a fighter with some experience. The stare he was giving me felt uncomfortable, as it looked like he was in a bad mood.

And that was when it came back to me. He was one of the people who gossiped; something about how I wasn’t properly equipped or something.

Well, hopefully, you mind your own business, mister!

When I made my intention clear, the four other members of his party probably told him to stop from how they were gesturing. A mage girl in her late teens smacked him on his head with her staff; the female arvisian archer with beautiful verdant green wings scoffed at him; the fully furred wolfkin rogue scolded him with wild, energetic gestures; and the veteran greatsword warrior simply smacked the sheets on the table to gain his attention.

Ha! Serves you right, you douche!

Ignoring them, I returned my attention to the board and took a couple of Quest sheets. I was more interested in the subjugation and hunting quests, although it seemed the hunters guild also offered gathering Quests. Whether it was herbs or specific monster materials, anything related to going out to nature and gathering was there. One of the two sheets I picked was for a gathering Quest, just to try it out.

I returned to the counter and handed the sheets to Melia. She took out one of them to explain to me how Quests worked. She placed the parchment in a printer-like scanner and a blue screen projected from the crystal.

<Quest: Goblin Subjugation

Rank:  G

Reward: Experience, 1 G Rank Point, 2 Large Copper Davi

Objective: Slay 10 Goblins of any kind

Slain Monsters:    0/10>

“This is what most adventurers call ‘Novice Grind Quests’ as they are always available and mostly targeted for beginners. Goblins and kobolds spawn even if the mana concentration in the area is low and they reproduce quickly in high numbers if they somehow survive, so they will always need to be culled,” Melia explained. “Honestly, if you weren’t rank D, I would advise against taking any subjugation Quests before you raise your levels. Although they are only rank G, grouped goblins and kobolds are the main reason why most novice hunters die. They underestimate how dangerous this line of work can be…”

Melia’s smile darkened for a moment as she paused, but recovered the next moment. “Well, not like I need to worry about your three. Please, make sure not to burn the trees. I’ve seen too many fire mages accidentally burn the local trees.”

Why does that hurt? Ouch, ouch, I don’t always burn trees wherever I go!

Saori ignored how I was pouting, instead, she asked Melia about the “Rank Point” in the reward section. Essentially, the two adventurer guilds—merc and hunter—worked on a merit system, instead of assessing each adventurer by their Profiles alone. It was to assure only the best and hard-working people went to the top, instead of those untrustworthy and lazy.

Since adventurers could only work with trust, the guild had to assure their reputation with their clientele to assure their lease. Farron did mention how the guild had taken a hard hit after the botched wolf killing a few years ago, where they lost two rank As.

In any case, since we registered our IDs to the guild, we could always check on our rank points and adventurer rank with it. To further demonstrate it, Melia placed a Quest sheet before us.

<Quest: A Dreihorn Skorr pack have gathered near Talua Farm

Rank:  D

Reward: Experience, 5 E Rank Point, 1 D Rank Point, a total of 4357 Davi

Description:    A pack of [Dreihorn Skorr] has gathered near Talua farm, presumably for winter rest. They have not harmed any farmers yet but the risk demands attention. The farmers have sighted around 12 but couldn’t confirm a number as they live deep in the woods. These beasts are rank E, but please make additional preparations in case an alpha is leading this pack

Objective:     Slay all [Dreihorn Skorr] and disperse the pack. Protect the farmers of Talua Farm

Slain Monsters:    0>

“In general, rank D Quests would require a minimum of 8000 to 15000 Davi in Quest money to compensate hunters for the risks and preparations. I told the poor farmer this, but it seems he couldn’t afford to pay more. This Quest has been laying around for five days now.” Melia’s brows furrowed a bit as her poker face broke. “Being an adventurer doesn’t make you a philanthropist. You aren’t fighting for any ideals outside to keep yourself alive. The Quest location isn’t far away, but bad pay, snow, and the fact a normal person needs a party for this makes it an unwanted Quest.”

Saori nodded. “True, even if we were to divide it amongst ourselves, it would only be 1452 per person. That does not seem worth potentially risking your life for, and wild skorrs are very aggressive … Oh, I understand. This is also part of the job; we are not philanthropists, but helping people out even for the low compensation will still help us to rank up in the guild. Five rank E and one rank D points; it is fair.”

“Trust and reputation; also, Lady Hestia and Miss Saori aren’t ‘normal,’” Tasianna agreed with Saori. “We can return by sunset, potentially. Our funds are shared, instead of split. And this would be a great ‘warm-up.’”

Thinking over it, I had only one question in my head. “Can we keep the materials, like the meat?”

Melia nodded. “As long as you accept the Quest through your party, you will all receive the rank points. Thank you very much for considering the Quest!”

Helping people out and getting some pork to hunt? Well, that just sounded splendid!

I also asked Melia to register two goblin slaying and one gathering Quest for us, since I wanted to stay outside the city for a bit. Yes, I was a city girl, but … I’ve been wanting to touch grass, hunt, and just run around. It was comfortable living in Ellaine’s mansion, but my instincts wanted me to go out.

After Melia wished us luck and to take care of ourselves, we walked from the guild to the town’s gate in the commoner’s district. After showing the guards our IDs, we ventured into the white, snowy wilds outsides of Firwood.

“Ahhhh, freedom!” I shouted out, scaring a few of the people entering the town. “I’ve set our experience share to give us an equal one-third share. Hiehie, I haven’t leveled in such a long time now, I don’t know when the last time was. You ready, Saori, Tasianna?”

Saori chuckled along with me, sahking her limbs to warm them up. “True, it has been nearly three months since your last level up. It feels a bit nostalgic, no? The last time when we actually just went out of our way to hunt was during our stay in the Belzac forest. Oh, those days were so simple despite the dangers. So, are we using the ‘Idol concert’ or the ‘Portable Hestia Rifle’ strategy, this time?”

“Miss Saori, I hope you aren’t planning to bolt from tree to tree, again. I believe you would scare the farmers and cause a misunderstanding,” Tasianna shook her head before she unfurled the map Melia lent us. “With our usual moving speed, we should have no problem reaching the farm before the lunch bell. Let us go, Lady Hestia, Miss Saori.”

Tasianna learned how to read maps during her time in her village, where she spent a lot of her time in the library. Although her general knowledge was sometimes outdated, her ability to understand maps would help us maneuver around quicker.

As estimated, we reached the farm pretty quickly. We spoke with our Quest giver and then went hunting for the skorrs. Using the super impressive “Portable Hestia Rifle” we cleanly slew a total of 15 skorrs and now had a ton of delicious pork.

<Experience has reached multiple breaking points. [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]’s Job [Caster] has risen from [Level 0] to [Level 5]>

<Max level of Job [Caster] has been reached>

<Attributes have increased due to level up>

This confirmed two things: my stats would increase whenever I leveled my Jobs but it wouldn’t give me Skill Points, which was a shame. I still had to be careful with my SP usage until I started consistently leveling again.

I also wanted to confirm whether the stats I got from my Job would also carry over to my dragon form. If they did, then I had to start gathering Jobs and level them up. This would be a great side project to make myself stronger outside of evolving and training.

After showing the farmers the bodies, they gave us a confirmation paper to hand to Melia for our reward. We left the area and I opened the ‘Quest List’ function of my party bracelet to see four Quests in it. I put a tick to the side of the Quest [A Dreihorn Skorr pack has gathered near Talua Farm] before going to kill some goblins.

Kobolds and goblins were grimgarians—intelligent monsters like a dragon. However, unlike the kobols and orcs I met in the Belzac forest, the goblins before me were feral and ravenous, acting more like rabid honey badgers. Suffice to say, their charred bodies smelled terrible.

Similar to the skorr Quest, the moment anyone in my party killed one of the designated monsters, the “Slain Monsters” number would increase, proving we killed it. It was satisfying to see it go up. Gamification of tasks like this made it fun.

We killed twenty goblins and gathered some herbs before returned to town. We handed in the completed Quests to Melia just a bit before sunset. She was surprised to see us back so early but once I showed her all the skorr and goblin bodies, she simply smiled and muttered, “as expected from Lady Hestia, Saori, and Tasianna.”

Aside from her sweet smile, we also gained a total of 5107 Davi. 4357 from the skorr quest, 400 from the goblins, and 150 from the gathering one. Saori still complained it was quite low, but quickly gave up on complaining once she reminded herself to simply work harder. I was more annoyed that I couldn’t turn the farmers into fans for [The Light].

Maybe I should have acted more like a priestess to impress them. They treated me similarly to the Carine villagers when they saw my robe, but it wasn’t enough to convert them into “followerss.” However, how would a priestess actually act? Should I ask the church for some lessons?

<Individual [Sunfang Dragonewt, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor] has switched her Main Job to [Mage]>

<Main Job benefits have been updated due to Job change>

<Mage Level: 0/5>

After changing our Jobs, my party then went to the mercenary guild. The receptionist there, somehow recognizing me, helped our registration as mercenaries. Aside from killing bandits, there were also various jobs to help the locals, such as bodyguard duty or skill training. Compared to the hunters guild, we were only rank G here. With the registration done, we handed in the two commission papers we got from Ellaine.

For the bandit subjugation Quest, we received 10750 Davi. Although I rejected Chief Colwyn’s offer to pay us, instead suggesting they could repay us by letting us stay in their village for winter, Ellaine personally couldn’t let it go. Her father commissioned the Quest so House Helvas had a responsibility to pay. It was initially 21500, but the other half went to Master Kush’s party.

The escort “Quest” where I accompanied Ellaine to Firwood was worth 1000 Davi. Considering it was all a pretense and how she literally fed me and gave me a place to sleep, the money was really redundant.

Anyway, altogether, we made 16857 Davi. We also bought the map Melia lent us for 3000 Davi, since it could be useful to not get lost in the future. In total, our party’s funds were now 28300. I have no idea why Saori was still worrying. Whatever.

We then returned to Ellaine’s mansion to rest for the day and get ready for tomorrow. While work and getting some money would be nice, I haven’t done my Idol training for three days now. Maybe I should borrow Ellaine’s geigler and play at the local tavern or even in the guild itself tomorrow?

“Lady Hestia, I welcome you back. I see you have been active.”

The moment we entered the mansion’s demesne, Ellaine greeted us in front of the door and quickly pulled us into her room. With Barathan and Manuela accompanying us, Ellaine began explaining what was stated in the letter she received from her father this morning after I left the mansion.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t much stated in it aside from the fact that her father, the royal family, Marquess Sirius, and Duke Greenveil were made privy to my information and wanted Ellaine to keep me close as much as possible. To make sure Ellaine understood what was going on, she and the two head attendants standing behind her received a copy of our party’s IDs.

After she was done explaining, she stood up from her chair, bent her left leg, and genuflected with both of her attendants. “Lady Hestia—No, Your Imperial Highness, Dragon Princess Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor of the Dragon Empire Kargryx and the Vassal State Loatryx. I, Ellaine Fiero Helvas, would like to officially welcome you under the gaze of her holiness, Origin Goddess of Light Aurena, to the Kingdom of Artorias. May the Goddess guide you with her divine light and may your stay with us be sublime.”

It was just over the top. Unlike how the hunter’s guild branch master addressed me, Ellaine dialed it up to 200%. The elegance she showed me was filled with her [Noble Aura], making me feel a bit dizzy about the whole situation.

Knowing they couldn’t stand up before I told them to, I told them to rise with a gesture of my hand. “Jeez … you know I don’t like that, Lady Ellaine. Haaa, is it even appropriate for a noble to kneel before foreign royalty?”

Back on her seat, Ellaine’s lips curved into a teasing smile as she responded, “I do apologize but it is for courtesy’s sake. House Helvas believed you were a princess, but we neglected to give you a proper welcome, no?”

However, her facade quickly broke and she quickly clapped in a girlish way. “And yes, nobles are to show proper respect to royalty, even if they come from another country! Your question nearly caught me off-guard, if I hadn’t remembered you were an otherworlder. Haha, I apologize.”

“…You’re taking this pretty lax; I imagined you would be a bit, well, overwhelmed.”

“Oh no, you are acting very lax, Dragon Princess Hestia! I personally had imagined dragons to be quite haughty from all the knightly tales, hiehie,” she giggled, causing me to nearly do the same. “To be fair, it was really chaotic when the message came this morning. I nearly fainted. We had an entire day to calm down, after all.”

As I was feeling a bit guilty for nearly giving Ellaine a panic attack, Manuela stepped forwards and asked Ellaine and me if she could speak with Tasianna. We obliged, as Tasianna wasn’t against it.

The moment she was face-to-face with Tasianna, Manuela dropped to her knees, earnestly prostrating. As my party was flabbergasted at her action, Manuela began to speak in a sorrow-filled tone. “Miss Tasianna, at the beginning, I had believed you were an elf and thought the cold reception you gave me was for the unforgivable history between our two races. I accepted it as we humans deserve it for what we did.”

She paused for a moment to calm down the anxiety in her voice before continuing, “But, now that I have learned about your true nature. I must ask for your forgiveness as a former resident of the Morgiana Duchy. Everything that happened to the fairies and the other faefolk was because of our negligence and cowardice! I didn’t live during that time, but my ancestors’ decision to stand neutral was the gravest mistake the Morgiana duchy has ever made! Saelariel and House Morgian were allies, but we failed you …”

Manuela’s strained breath made it seem like every word her mouth released was piercing her body like a dagger. I didn’t know she came from the Morgiana duchy, but I did hear a bit of how that duchy was the closest to the elves before the “War for the Faefolk” happened. I still didn’t know much about that particular piece of history, but it seems the Morgiana duchy did something to betray the elves’ trust.

Tasianna’s eyes glimmered with a hint of sadness as she simply looked at Manuela, keeping her mouth shut. After a couple of seconds, Tasianna responded, “… I can never forgive the human race for what they did to me and my race. The fairies might forget, but I won’t … However, please, rise. Your words might soothe the departed better…”

Giving out one last “I’m so, so sorry…” Manuela asked Ellaine for permission to leave the room. The lingering awkwardness was suffocating.

In an attempt to diffuse it, Ellaine cleared her voice and looked at me. “L-Lady Hestia! I wish to ask you for a favor if it would please you,” she suddenly stated in her noble persona.

“Uhhh, sure, what?” I uttered, feeling hopeful this would break the tension.

“After analyzing much of your ID, would it be rude to ask you for your age before I ask my favor?”

“Uhm, nope. I’m a nine months old dragon whelp, but when I died in my previous world, I was 15. So, I am 15 mentally and physically in my dragonewt and human forms,” I answered.

“Good, thank you…” she paused for a moment to breathe in heavily, before shouting, “Then … please, I ask you to tutor me! I wish to become a better mage!”

Well, that is one way to break the mood.