The Price of Adventure

I drew a captured magic longsword.

I then handed the magical weapon, my most prized trophy, to Wawalde.

Sovenia drew her Moonpetal Blade.

Beneath the dim sky, its edge shimmered with a faint glow.

“Alright,” Wawalde began, “what did you wish to practice? Fiery Strike, was it? We typically use feather-blades for training, but a real sword will do just fine. Feel free to attack boldly.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll hurt you?” Sovenia asked.

Wawalde glanced at the slender Sovenia.

“No,” he replied.

At his words, Sovenia recalled that Wawalde had never once praised her swordsmanship.

As Jimi the Cruel, she considered her skill with a blade to be among the top three in the world, if not entirely unrivaled.

“You’ll be fine if I use Fiery Strike, won’t you?”

“I’ll be fine.”

Sovenia sensed the inherent confidence of a true powerhouse in his words, prompting her to ask, “What’s the difference between your Fiery Strike and your full-power slash?”

Wawalde fell silent for a moment.

He appeared to be contemplating how to strike a balance between truth and politeness.

“Let me put it this way,” Wawalde began. “My full-power strike isn’t as beautiful or fiery as Wawalde’s, and it also expends more energy, while having no effect on enemies that require fire to be subdued.”

Sovenia nearly applauded Wawalde.

‘Translated, didn’t that simply mean, “Your Fiery Strike is very bright”?’

“Alright, prepare yourself,” Sovenia said.

“Mhm.”

It was time to show the foolish dog what she could do!

Sovenia raised her sword high, adopting a stance that maximized her power.

The Deck of All-Encompassing Impermanence activated!

Cards swiftly flew into her hand: [Attack], [Attack], [Defense].

Sovenia, her face devoid of expression, played [Defense] and ended her turn.

The second turn brought more draws: [Defense], [Defense], [Offense].

Sovenia’s expression grew even colder.

The third turn began…

Wawalde finally couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Sovenia, is something wrong?”

Sovenia had never felt a thirteen-card deck could be quite so “vast.”

“I’m building up to it,” Sovenia stated.

“Hurry, please,” Wawalde urged, “I’m quite looking forward to your technique, Miss Sovenia.”

‘Don’t speak to me with that “I don’t want to upset you” expression,’ she thought.

Finally, on the fourth turn, [Double Strike] and [Fiery Strike] appeared in her hand.

She immediately played [Fiery Strike].

Sovenia channeled her entire being into a direct cleave towards Wawalde.

Flames erupted along her blade, not crimson or yellow, but a pure, ethereal white.

The fire was neither volatile nor ostentatious; it simply burned, gracefully encircling the Moonpetal Blade.

Even before it reached him, Wawalde’s skin could already feel its scorching heat.

The sword was upon him, impossibly swift, far exceeding Wawalde’s expectations.

He felt as though the maiden before him had transformed into a streak of moonlight.

Her movements flowed like water, every motion dedicated to this single strike, a truly captivating sight.

He dared not be complacent, thus he evaded the blade’s direct edge.

Yet the sword pursued him, and he swung his own with all his might to parry, their blades clashing.

Beneath the shadowy sky, a small white sun seemed to rise.

****

The creaking cart rumbled onto the cobblestone streets of the small town.

A small boy, walking beside a farmer’s wife, suddenly tugged at his mother’s skirt and pointed towards the cart.

“Mama! Look! Someone’s not wearing clothes, just wrapped in a cloth!”

The farmer, balancing milk on her head, pulled the boy firmly. “Don’t talk nonsense, or when we get home, I’ll tell your father to give you a good beating.”

Two Divine Grace horses pulled the cart.

Wawalde, squatting on the cart, pulled the cloth covering him even tighter, while Sovenia, squatting beside him, remained expressionless behind her veil.

However, her long, snow-white ears twitched occasionally.

This awkward situation improved considerably once Wawalde spent over twenty silver coins to purchase a new homespun robe.

Next came the task of dealing with their spoils.

By the time they finished, more than half the day had already passed.

Wawalde then led Sovenia to complete the final part of their mission.

Leading their horses, they set off for the Gray Raven Adventurer’s Guild branch.

The doors of the Gray Raven Adventurer’s Guild branch stood open, emitting a mingled scent of fried malt liquor and leather.

Sovenia dismounted, her heels clicking against the ground, her silver hair gleaming with a cool sheen in the afternoon sun.

Behind the counter, the clumsy female clerk was engrossed in organizing parchments.

A bronze raven badge was pinned to her chest, and her cuffs were stained with ink.

She looked up, blinking.

“It’s you two?” Her voice rose half a pitch. “It’s only been…”

“Less than four days, right? Have you given up on the quest?”

In a corner of the hall, several idle adventurers turned their heads.

A burly, bearded man clapped his companion’s shoulder, lowering his voice. “See? I told you they’d back down, just like Kyle’s team last time.”

“You won five copper pieces.” His companion rolled their eyes, fishing a few coins from their pouch.

At another table, a lanky adventurer scoffed. “Three groups died on that quest! What were you thinking, betting on a man who can’t even afford full armor, and a slender elf?”

Sovenia’s pointed ears twitched.

She had heard them, but she couldn’t be bothered to care.

As the former First Heavenly King, she had no need to heed the opinions of mere mortals.

Wawalde, too, paid them no mind.

He approached the counter and retrieved a small silver insignia from his tunic—a token Elina had given them upon their departure, the crest of the Cremont family.

“This is the client’s token,” he stated, placing the insignia on the counter. “The mission is complete.”

The female clerk froze.

She stared at the silver insignia, then looked up at Wawalde, then back down at the insignia.

“This… what information is this?” she asked cautiously, reaching for the insignia. “The Cremont family’s… uh, what news did you uncover?”

“It’s not information,” Wawalde replied, shaking his head with a calm tone. “It’s proof of mission completion. The Tall Shadow has been eliminated.”

Whether the clerk hadn’t heard clearly or was simply flustered, she asked again, “What?”

“Eliminated,” Sovenia added. “Along with an entire Thicket Warband and four traitorous knights. Do we need to write a mission report?”

The clerk’s mouth fell open, and her voice became shrill. “Y-you… you completed it?!”

Her startled cry exploded through the hall.

In the corner, the burly, bearded man’s wine glass clattered onto the table, splashing malt liquor all over him.

His companion’s eyes widened, and the copper coins they had just tucked into their pouch tumbled out again.

“Impossible!” the lanky adventurer exclaimed, rising to his feet. “Three groups died on that quest! Three!”

“Four days?” another voice chimed in. “It was completed in just four days?”

The clerk’s face flushed crimson.

She fumbled through her papers, knocking over an ink bottle, and a large splotch of black liquid bled across the parchment.

“Oh, no… oh dear…” she stammered, frantically wiping with her sleeve. “I need to verify this… please, please wait…”

The atmosphere in the hall shifted dramatically.

The adventurers who had been snickering moments ago now whispered amongst themselves; some regretfully slapped their thighs, while others gleefully held out their hands, demanding payment.

“I bet they’d complete it!” a red-nosed old adventurer roared with laughter. “Ten copper pieces, hand them over!”

“Damn it, who would’ve thought…”

Sovenia found their noise incredibly irritating.

What was this feeling like? It was as if someone had beaten a chihuahua to death by the roadside, and passersby were now making a huge fuss, exclaiming, “Wow, who knew this four-eyed bespectacled fellow could actually kill the fierce dog that guarded the village entrance!”

Then a crowd of people, beating drums and gongs, rushed over to gawk.

Sovenia turned to ask, “Wawalde, does this Adventurer’s Guild branch have a ‘quiet mission completion’ function?”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“How truly inhumane.”

The female clerk finally located the correct form.

She took a deep breath, striving to compose herself.

“Alright, alright then…” She picked up her quill. “Please present your Gray Raven Adventurer’s badges. I need to register the information of the adventurers who completed the mission.”

Wawalde paused.

Sovenia raised an eyebrow.

“Badges?” she inquired.

The clerk nodded. “Yes, badges. Copper Raven, Bronze Raven, Silver Raven, or even Gold Raven—any officially issued by the Gray Raven Guild will do…”

Her voice gradually trailed off.

Neither Wawalde nor Sovenia had moved.

“You… don’t have badges?”

“No,” Sovenia confirmed.

The clerk’s face fell.

“Th-then there’s nothing I can do…” She wrung her hands in distress. “Without badges, the mission cannot be formally settled. It’s regulation, and I’m powerless…”

Wawalde then produced a Silver Raven badge from his tunic, which gleamed with a soft luster in the candlelight.

Sovenia recognized it instantly.

It was Sir Gernon’s badge.

“What about using this?” she asked.

Wawalde shook his head. “No, this isn’t our badge.”

“That won’t work,” the clerk said. “You can’t use someone else’s badge.”

“What’s the difference?” Sovenia frowned. “Isn’t a badge just a badge?”

“There’s a significant difference,” Wawalde explained. “Watch this.”

He placed the Silver Raven badge beside the parchment on the counter.

The female clerk, who had just declared it wouldn’t work, instinctively grabbed a large copper stamp nearby and slammed it down.

Only after stamping did she realize her mistake.

“Ah!” she shrieked. “I—I stamped the wrong one!”

She hastily looked at the parchment.

However, nothing happened.

The impression on the parchment was gray, dull, like faded old ink.

“Do you see?” Wawalde said to Sovenia. “Badges are bound to their owners. Using someone’s badge prevents mission settlement. Besides, Sir Gernon was the one who accepted this quest; he merely passed it on to us.”

Sovenia stared at the gray mark, deep in thought.

“Then who can complete this mission?” she asked.

“Whoever accepted the quest is the only one with the authority to complete it,” Wawalde replied.

“Sir Gernon,” Sovenia stated.

“Exactly!”

No sooner had the words left his lips than the guild doors creaked open.

Sir Gernon strode in.

His silver-threaded velvet robe shimmered in the sunlight, and the black eyepatch over his left eye made him resemble a seasoned pirate.

A silver prosthetic glinted beneath his cuff, and the magical sword at his hip swayed gently.

“Wawalde!” His voice was booming and cheerful. “I received your letter!”

Wawalde acted as though the earlier punch to his stomach had never occurred.

“Why is he here?” Sovenia asked.

“I sent a messenger earlier,” Wawalde explained.

“Four days!” Sir Gernon reached the counter and clapped Wawalde heartily on the shoulder, as if they were old friends. “You completed the commission in just four short days! Remarkable! Only those who survive have the right to speak of justice, and you two not only survived, but you did an excellent job!”

With that, he extended his hand to Wawalde.

Wawalde handed him the Silver Raven badge, which Sir Gernon then pressed onto the parchment.

This time, the impression was a bright, gleaming silver.

The female clerk let out a long sigh of relief, then fumbled in her drawer to count out thirty silver coins.

Sir Gernon divided the silver coins into two piles, pushing them towards Wawalde and Sovenia.

“Half for each of you, fifteen coins,” he said with a cheerful chuckle. “You’ve earned it.”

Sovenia looked at the pile of silver coins before her.

Fifteen silver coins—it was significantly less than the fourteen gold coins she had received from selling their previous spoils.

Seeing Sovenia hesitate, Sir Gernon added, “By the way, I didn’t take any commission this time. Normally, guild rules dictate a thirty percent cut, since I was the one who accepted the quest.”

Sovenia found the entire situation particularly vexing.

“What if I want to become an adventurer?” she asked. “Must someone of my caliber start as an apprentice?”

Sir Gernon scrutinized her from head to toe.

“Generally, an apprentice must serve for seven years, then work five years as a journeyman, before they can apply to become a wandering journeyman and travel the continent for three years.

After that, with outstanding performance and sufficient experience, there’s a chance to become a Silver Master.”

He paused, then continued, “However, for a talent as beautiful as Miss Sovenia…”

Sovenia inquired, “Straight to Silver Master?”

Sir Gernon burst into laughter.

“A Silver Master is a pillar of strength, ensuring the Adventurer’s Guild’s legacy and maintaining its esteemed position. How could that be possible? I can’t grant you special permission to become a journeyman. However, I do have the authority to make you a journeyman directly.”

Sovenia’s expression remained unchanged.

Only her pointed ears pressed back slightly.

The seven-year apprenticeship could be waived, but she would still have to start as a journeyman.

She would still be subject to the commands of Silver Masters, still have her earnings taken as commission, and still have to pay all those miscellaneous fees.

She looked at Sir Gernon’s smiling face and understood the true nature of this system.

This wasn’t about passing on a legacy.

This was exploitation.

Silver Masters sat high above, accepting missions and dispatching lower-ranked adventurers to risk their lives.

If the mission succeeded, the Silver Masters took the lion’s share; if it failed, it was the apprentices and journeymen who died.

Their role was perhaps merely guidance and training, a so-called mentorship.

Yet, in this mission, not a single Silver Master was among the three previous groups who perished.

This convoluted system was far inferior to the straightforward ways of the Demon Realm.

It was not as direct as the Demon Realm.

In the Demon Realm, the strong preying on the weak was a given, and no one would sugarcoat it with pretty words like “mentorship.”

Sovenia lowered her gaze, concealing the coldness in her eyes.

Sovenia made up her mind; she would not be an adventurer.

Life in the Human Realm was too humiliating.

She began to calculate in her heart.

The Demon Queen was dead, and the demon armies would surely retreat.

Without unified command, the various Heavenly Kings’ forces would descend into chaos.

That would be a time of great disorder, but also immense opportunity.

She possessed extensive knowledge of the Demon Race.

She knew which blasphemous rituals were most effective, how to sacrifice to the Four Gods, and how to absorb the most power in the shortest amount of time.

While this elven female body was delicate, it was not beyond modification.

With the blessings of the Four Gods, she would have the chance to regain her strength.

More heads to sever, more sacrifices to offer—there was a future in that.

It was far better than being a s*ave in this wretched guild.

The only problem was…

Her gaze settled on Wawalde.

The foolish dog had not yet accepted his demon identity.

He was still struggling, still trying to maintain those ridiculous human morals.

He was still saying he had his own life, that he wanted to leave her.

Should she wait until he left before making her move?

Or…

Sovenia’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Better to be decisive.

Wouldn’t it be better to make him accept his powerful demon identity sooner and return to the Demon Realm with her?

She watched Wawalde conversing with Sir Gernon, lost in thought.

Wawalde once again took the Silver Key, and Sir Gernon remained smiling.

“Miss Sovenia?” Sir Gernon’s voice broke through her reverie. “What are you thinking about?”

Sovenia withdrew her gaze, picking up the ten silver coins from the counter with an impassive face.

She said nothing.

“Sovenia, let’s go,” Wawalde said.

“Wait a moment, you haven’t returned my Silver Key.”

Wawalde replied, “I’ll mail it to you once I return to the Duchy. Of course, you should remember that remaking a Silver Key costs three gold coins and takes only half a month.”