Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

On our return trip to Windrip from Mount Arkais, I decided that it was best to take my time, make smaller and slower jumps, and bathe in the scenery. Even though I had resolved myself to live a peaceful life here in Vacuos, I hadn’t actually spent much time relaxing, jumping from one big event to the next.

Well, I didn’t consider killing the Lich King or Goblin Lord to be that big of a deal. But others clearly did, and honestly, I’d rather not have had to deal with them either. So I wasn’t going to go rushing back to Windrip to get things done now. I was going to take, maybe, a full day to get back.

Also, it was so Noele would stop screaming.

“This is taking a while,” I sighed as I soared over a snowy mountain range.

We were a few hours away from Mount Arkais at this point. Or about ten minutes away if I’d gone at a faster pace. Noele just glanced up at me, frowning.

“You do realize that traveling across all of Laxo in a day is what only the highest-leveled [Archmages] can do with a [Flight]-spell, right?” she said.

I snorted. “All I’m hearing is that you’re passing up the opportunity to travel cross-continent faster than anyone else in the world right now just because you’re scared.”

“Because I already went through that once, and I’m now scarred for life.” She rolled her eyes at me as we descended at the edge of the mountain range.

My feet lightly touched the ground for only a single second before I pushed off, propelling myself high into the sky once more. Noele winced for the first few seconds of take-off, before steeling herself again. I swept my gaze over the landscape as we flew high, reaching for the clouds.

I narrowed my eyes as I caught a glimpse of a shadow in the northwest. I saw the remnants of smoke columns trailing through the sky. A city lay in the distance, about fifty miles away, bordering the ocean. Just at the edge of the horizon. And it looked like it had been ravaged, its walls torn to the ground, its docks burned to ashes, and entire streets reduced to rubble. The fighting looked over, but it was recent.

“What’s going on with that city?” I asked. “

Noele blinked and turned to face the city. She furrowed her brows as she spoke. “That’s... Erith. Archon’s capital city.”

“Think it’s a monster attack or something? Should we check it out?”

“I don’t think we should.” She pursed her lips. “Archon’s been at war with the Kingdom of Kal for the last few months. If I had to guess, the [Hero King] just captured their capital city.”

I gave her a flat stare. “I don’t know who this [Hero King] is.”

“His name is Kallistus Kal,” the blonde girl explained. “He’s one of those three otherworlders I told you about, and the king of one of the most powerful nations in all of Vacuos.”

“Ah, I see.” My eyes flickered. I thought about the System— about the single Class option offered to me. And I couldn’t help but wonder, Was he forced to become a [Hero] as well?

He sounded like he’d be a good person to speak with regarding my situation. Although, considering he seemed to be a warmonger, I was slightly reticent on getting involved with him. It was something to figure out later. For now, Noele and I continued on back to the Astrad Kingdom.

A few more hours passed as we drew closer and closer to the country’s borders. Noele raised her head, looking at me curiously.

“Why are we going back to Windrip, anyway?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” I raised a brow at her. “Don’t you live there?”

The blonde girl shook her head, replying simply. “No, I was born in a town called Wolfwater— it’s in the western parts of the Astrad Kingdom, further north from Windrip. I was just passing through since there was something I needed to do there.”

“I see.” I lowered my head in thought. “Well, is there somewhere you need to be?”

“Not particularly, no. I’m an adventurer. I am where I need to be.” She gave me a grin.

“It does. I am not here on guild duties, right now. Well, I am. But—” Justyn turned to me, nodding politely. “I can assure you, Ms Amelia is not a scammer, nor are these coins forgeries.”

The [Alchemist] hesitated. He drew back, crossing his arms as he harrumphed. “Well in any case, I don’t care for some coin from another continent. I am not going to go all the way to a big city to exchange it for something I need right now.”

“That is perfectly understandable. Which is why—” Justyn gestured at the half a dozen healing potions laid on the counter before me. “May I pay for these for you, Ms Amelia?”

“Uh, sure?” I raised a brow at him, unsure why he was doing this.

He waved a hand off dismissively as he forked over three gold coins. “Please don’t worry about it, it is just a repayment for the way I treated you when we first met.”

“I mean, I’m not stopping you,” I said with a shrug. I wasn’t going to turn down a free gift.

The [Alchemist]’s demeanor immediately changed. He eagerly nodded, waving at us as we exited the shop. “Thank you for your business!” he called out as Justyn led me outside.

The [Receptionist] shook his head at me as we stepped outside of the building.

“[Alchemists]. They are a difficult bunch to deal with. Even [Alchemists] who pick up adventuring. They’re the kinds of adventurers who start a fight at the guild hall just by splashing some acid on your face. They’re not the most pleasant individuals to be around.”

“Honestly, I don’t really care. Thanks for the help, though.” I just found it more annoying when I had useless things to deal with. “What were you doing here, anyways?”

“I heard you were back,” Justyn said, glancing at me. “I went to your inn, but you weren’t there. Brynn said I could find you here, so I came.”

“Did you need me for something?” I asked, wondering why he’d seek me out.

“Indeed.” The [Receptionist] cleared his throat. He reached for his pocket, producing an envelope in his hand. He handed it to me as he spoke. “Guildmaster Evan returned yesterday evening. He rushed back after hearing what happened with the Goblin Lord. He had a lot to deal with, but I still made sure to get this approved for you as soon as possible. It was prepared for you just this morning.”

I narrowed my eyes, accepting the envelope. “This is...?”

He drew back and averted his gaze slightly uncomfortably. “You don’t have to worry about opening it in public. It doesn’t hold any private information.”

I slowly unsealed the envelope, and pulled out a letter with a gray metallic object attached. I didn’t need to read the letter explaining what it was. I already had a feeling this was what it was going to be.

It was the reason why I decided to return to Windrip, after all. It took me longer than I’d have liked to acquire, but finally, I got it.

“It’s your adventurer’s badge,” Justyn said with a smile.

It was about the size of the palm of my hand. Dull-designed, and modeled in the shape of a shield, it was not exactly the most ornate item I’d ever seen. My name was inscribed in the center, and there was a glowing crystal right beneath it. Some kind of enchanted rock. Nothing too precious, from what I could tell. Maybe quartz or the like.

I lowered the badge as Justyn continued.

“You are now an unofficial adventurer of the Adventurer’s Guild. You can finally accept adventuring jobs.”

And I let out a tired sigh, “Fucking finally.”

MelasD

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