Three days had passed since my date with Mitera.
She had fully recovered and was now more energetic than ever, visiting familiar guilds to gather information and connecting with artisans. I had accompanied her a few times, and I marveled at how she had acquaintances everywhere we went.
Today, we had decided to stay in and organize the information we’d gathered. Just as I picked up the documents, ready to start, Grifo came into the room.
“The boss is calling for you. Looks like the next assignment’s been decided,” he said, handing over a letter.
After reading it, I was a bit surprised.
“Not just me, but Fiole and Almoa too?”
“It’s probably about adventurer registration,” Mitera replied with a nod.
“Let’s head out. I’ll tidy up here, so could you call Fiole and Almoa? Let’s meet at Redelia’s place.”
“Got it.”
“Ugh…”
“What’s wrong, Almoa? You look so gloomy.”
“Fiole… you seem excited.”
“Of course! It’s my first time entering the Guild Union’s building!”
Fiole’s excitement was palpable as we walked through the hallways of the Guild Union branch. The group included me, Mitera, Fiole, and Almoa, with my contracted spirit, Avril, tagging along.
As we neared Chief Sigurd’s office, Almoa’s steps grew noticeably slower. Mitera leaned in and whispered.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“She’s traumatized from a time the chief, exhausted from lack of sleep, was… difficult.”
I hoped today would be better.
We arrived at the office, and after knocking, we heard the chief’s clear “Come in.” Good sign. Today seemed fine.
Inside, Chief Sigurd and a few staff members awaited us. The atmosphere was more serious than usual.
“Thank you for coming. Please, have a seat.”
As we sat down, the chief began.
“First, thank you for your efforts regarding the Minigel incident. Thanks to you, we were able to prevent further disaster. Reports have arrived from the other side, too. As the branch chief, I recognize your accomplishments as significant. Therefore—”
At his signal, a staff member approached us, opening a box and revealing necklaces.
Almoa and I were awarded citrine-level tags, while Fiole received a clear-level tag, marking our ranks as adventurers.
“Mr. Isto, Ms. Almoa, and Ms. Fiole, I hereby recognize your statuses as official adventurers and issue each of you your respective ranks.”
“Rank up… we did it…!” Almoa clenched her fist in excitement, a rare display from her. She’d pursued adventuring, inspired by her parents, and this was a big step toward that dream.
Chief Sigurd turned his gaze to me.
“Especially for Mr. Isto, considering both your accomplishments and the recommendation from Minigel, I’m awarding you the citrine-level rank, skipping the clear level. This will enable joint operations with Grifo.”
I held the adventurer tag in my hand. Me, an adventurer, and with a colored rank no less. Unbelievable that a former guild staffer, once deemed useless, had come this far.
The chief smiled slightly.
“You might even reach Star Quartz rank, the six-star crystal tier.”
“Star Quartz tier?”
Unfamiliar with adventurer ranks, Fiole tilted her head. I explained.
“The six-star crystal tier is the highest adventurer rank, a title held by only a few legends worldwide.”
The ranks include six levels, from the top being Star Quartz, Moon Quartz, Ametrine, Amethyst, Citrine, down to Clear.
Chief Sigurd elaborated.
“While general guilds can grant tags up to the citrine level, the Ametrine level and above is the sole privilege of the Guild Union. It’s a challenging title to attain, one of great honor.”
“I’m at the lowest clear level…” Fiole murmured.
“Forgive me, this is standard procedure. Mr. Isto’s case is exceptional.”
“No worries, it only fires me up!” she said, standing with a clenched fist.
“I’ll work hard and catch up to Almoa in no time!”
“Wait, why just me? What about Isto?”
“Isto’s obviously headed for Star Quartz rank; I’ll be happy with the level below.”
Hey, don’t make me into a legend just yet. I glared at her, but she simply looked at me with a “What’s wrong with that?” expression.
Meanwhile, Mitera had received the guild establishment certificate.
Our adventurer guild, Elpida, had my name recorded as the guild master.
“Let’s accept the chief’s strategy here,” Mitera whispered.
“Strategy?”
“He used his privileges to bind us together.”
I see. Registering as a guild meant we’d fall under Chief Sigurd’s influence to some degree.
“Seems like it’ll be interesting,” Mitera said with a mischievous smile. With her here, there was no way we’d be used for free, even by the chief.
Well, it wasn’t my original intention, but now that everyone was motivated, I couldn’t help but go along.
Chief Sigurd signaled the staff members carrying our adventurer tags to leave, leaving only us in the room.
“Now, with only formal adventurers and their affiliates present,” he began, lowering his voice. The aura of the man who commanded Wigarlus’s guild was palpable. The previously cheerful Fiole and Almoa straightened up.
The chief continued.
“Let’s discuss your next mission, one based on a new potential I foresaw in Dreaming Vision.”
