The Eye of Soaroka Accepts the Unknown

On a summer morning, the nascent sun cast its brilliant rays, bathing the land in a warm glow. Dewdrops sparkled, and a cool breeze, sometimes carrying a faint floral scent, caressed those who rose early. What a magnificent morning it was!

Nestled within Morgan City stood an ancient, elegant inn. Though slightly worn by the passage of time, it exuded a pristine cleanliness. At this hour, most guests were still lost in slumber, rendering the inn remarkably quiet.

“Hey there, Soronna! Good morning!” A vibrant, blond youth, his face alight with a sunny smile, shattered the inn’s peaceful ambiance. He greeted the girl already seated by the window. Soronna possessed lovely pink hair, styled into adorable twin tails with butterfly clips. Bathed in the sunlight, she appeared both divine and captivating. Her slightly developed figure was draped in a fitted white nun’s robe, giving her an air of profound purity.

“Good morning, Kase,” Soronna replied courteously.

“My beautiful, my lovely, my wise Miss Soronna~ On such a splendid day, would you perhaps consider embarking on a thrilling, tear-jerking romance with me, the dashing, accomplished, and promising Great Swordsman, Lord Kase?”

“Kase,” Soronna blinked, then offered a sincere suggestion. “I think you should have your head examined.”

“Oh~~~ I think~~~ my heart has been shattered.” As if Soronna’s words had pierced him to the core, Kase recoiled several steps, clutching his chest as he sank to the floor, groaning in agony.

Soronna completely disregarded Kase’s dramatic performance. She rose, gently smoothed the slight wrinkles from her nun’s robe, and headed towards the inn’s exit. “Kase, go fetch Os. It’s time for us to depart.”

“Alright, I’ll go get him right away! Give me five minutes! No, one minute is more than enough!” Hearing Soronna’s command, Kase scrambled to his feet, dashed out of the inn, and sprinted towards the training grounds nearby.

The Norachi Kingdom, to which Morgan City belonged, stood as one of the Klaham Continent’s most formidable kingdoms. It boasted no less than seven powerful demigods. The Norachi Kingdom was a nation where martial arts permeated every aspect of life; from chancellors to ministers, all officials owed their positions to their inherent strength. Though the kingdom’s administrators were essentially warrior-generals, this did not imply the Norachi Kingdom was a land of reckless brutes relying solely on brute force. On the contrary, its successive monarchs had always been among the Klaham Continent’s wisest strategists, each possessing combat prowess nearing that of a deity. Consequently, every city and town within the kingdom, regardless of size, featured numerous training grounds for mercenaries and adventurers, thereby encouraging everyone to diligently hone their abilities.

“Hmph… hmph… hmph…” Accompanied by heavy breathing, a black-haired youth, stripped to the waist and displaying a finely muscled physique, rhythmically swung a greatsword as tall as himself, heedless of his own profuse sweat. He merely repeated the same motion, again and again.

“Os~~~ Os~~~”

Hearing someone call his name, Os recognized Kase’s voice. He reluctantly paused his movements and turned his gaze towards Kase, who was running towards him.

“Ha! Os, I knew you’d be here! Quick, put on your clothes! Lady Soronna is already waiting for us!”

“Oh.” Placing his greatsword back on the training ground’s weapon rack, Os donned the neatly folded clothes he had set aside, then jogged over to Kase.

“Hehe, Os, Lady Soronna was a little displeased today because she was waiting for you. But thankfully, Sir Kase here is clever and managed to appease her!” Kase, completely unconcerned by Os’s sweat, slung an arm over Os’s shoulder, wrapping it around his neck, and chuckled.

“Thank you, Brother Kase!” Os expressed his gratitude earnestly.

“Uh… I was just kidding, hahaha.” Seeing Os’s serious expression, even Kase, with his thick skin, couldn’t help but feel a blush creep onto his face.

“Come on, let’s go! I promised Lady Soronna I’d bring you within a minute!”

“Understood, Brother!”

Spotting Soronna enjoying the sunshine beside the quietly standing inn, Kase and Os hurried towards her.

“Perfect~~~~ Mission accomplished! Lady Soronna!” Kase halted before Soronna with a remarkably dashing flourish, then gazed at her with the eager, expectant look of a puppy awaiting its master’s praise.

Soronna completely ignored Kase. She spoke gently to Os, who stood behind Kase. “Os, go take a shower first. You’ve worked hard during training.”

“I’m sorry, Lady Soronna. I was too slow and made Brother Kase and you wait for so long…” The young, black-haired youth seemed uneasy, burdened by guilt.

“It’s alright, Os. Besides, I have a few things I need to discuss with Kase,” Soronna said, gently reassuring Os, while simultaneously shooting Kase an icy glare.

“Y-yes… it’s alright, Os. It was all my fault for waking up late today… ha… haha…” Kase’s voice grew stiff under Soronna’s gaze.

“Yes!” Hearing that Brother Kase had made such a great sacrifice to help him, a thought welled up in Os’s heart: ‘As expected of Brother Kase!’ He couldn’t let his brother’s efforts be in vain. He plunged into the inn’s bathroom without a backward glance, even as screams echoed behind him.

****

On the northwest side of Morgan City stood a tall, magnificent building, seemingly constructed of marble. Its overall aesthetic resembled a medieval Gothic structure, rising three stories high, with three two-story spires crowning its uppermost level. Through its main entrance, a continuous stream of people flowed in and out. Above the entrance, a golden emblem glittered under the sunlight, depicting two crossed golden spears.

“Hey, look! That’s the incredibly strong mercenary group that just appeared recently, the Eye of Soaroka!”

“Judging by that black-haired boy’s aura, I heard he’s already become a peak Great Swordsman at such a young age!”

“A peak Great Swordsman? Doesn’t that mean he’s about to break through to a Sword Master? General Baro, our Lord of Morgan City, is already over fifty and only recently became a Sword Master. How old is that black-haired boy?”

“It’s not just the black-haired boy; look at that pink-haired girl too! I heard she was personally bestowed the title of Sage by the Archbishop of Holy Heaven!”

“Impossible! The Klaham Continent hasn’t seen a Sage in nearly a hundred years! That’s such a noble status. Even if it were true, would Holy Heaven really let a Sage wander off to our Norachi Kingdom?”

“Uh, well, I only heard about it. But even if it’s not true, they must possess extraordinary strength. After all, they are the Eye of Soaroka, a group that advanced to a seventh-tier mercenary group in less than half a month!”

Amidst the gazes of adoration, awe, curiosity, and envy, Soronna calmly pushed open the door and stepped into Morgan’s Mercenary Hall.

“Ah… why won’t anyone praise me! I tried really hard, you know… Wuwuwu.” Kase, completely ignored by everyone, followed behind Soronna, his face full of grievance, complaining incessantly.

“In my heart, Brother Kase is the strongest!” Os, trailing behind Kase, declared with utmost sincerity.

“Wuwuwu~ You truly are my good brother!” Kase, moved, turned and embraced Os.

“Wuwuwu~ Brother Kase will always be the brother I respect most!” Os, also swept up in Kase’s emotions, hugged him back tightly, returning his respect for his brother.

“I’m here to accept today’s mission. The more difficult, the better.” While the people in the Mercenary Guild stared wide-eyed at the two men embracing, Soronna calmly walked up to the counter and presented her mercenary badge.

“Hm?”

“Ah, ah, ah~ My apologies~ I accidentally got lost in thought…” The counter girl, her face flushed, hastily composed herself and accepted the mercenary badge Soronna offered.

“Ah, this is… the seventh-tier mercenary group, Eye of Soaroka. I’m sorry, Miss Soronna, but all the difficult missions in the Morgan Mercenary Guild have already been completed by your mercenary group during this period…” The counter girl placed her hand on Soronna’s mercenary badge, and after a yellow light confirmed her identity, she spoke apologetically.

Soronna frowned slightly upon hearing there were no difficult missions. “Then please give us the highest-level mission possible.”

“Oh, that’s right, Miss Soronna! We have a brand new mission here, but its difficulty level is unknown.”

“Unknown difficulty?”

“It was a mission released by the Royal Palace the day before yesterday morning. It states that a powerful magic fluctuation emanated from the depths of the Velsen Forest, which might be the cause of yesterday’s monster rampage near Morgan City. Because the magic fluctuation is highly unusual, the mission’s difficulty level is unknown. The mission requires mercenaries to investigate the source of this magic fluctuation.”

“Issued by the Royal Palace? And even Lord Parobia couldn’t detect it?” Soronna asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

“Y-yes, that’s correct.”

“Alright, our mercenary group accepts.”

“Ah? O-okay, Miss Soronna!”

Retrieving her mercenary badge from the counter girl, Soronna turned and patted Kase and Os, who were still embracing. She pushed open the door and strode out of the Mercenary Guild. As the warm sunlight suddenly fell upon her face, Soronna instinctively clutched the mercenary badge in her hand and murmured to herself, “Mother, I will become the sharpest blade in your hand. I will!”