Part 1
After the incident with the bandits, the group arrived on foot at the academic city of Aldoria.
It wasn't as ostentatious as Astralis, but it gave off a different kind of air… as if every citizen was competing for status, achievements, or recognition.
"I already want to leave…" Kaito muttered, watching groups of nobles stroll past, speaking with arrogant airs and eyeing them with disdain.
"This was your plan, Kaito. We can't back out now," Seri reminded him, arms crossed.
"I know, I know!" he snapped, clearly annoyed. "First, to the Adventurers' Guild. We need to sell our loot… we're running out of money."
He checked his pouch: barely fifty gold coins left.
As they approached the guild building, they passed a group of students wearing pristine white robes with golden trim. Their noble insignias gleamed in the midday sun.
One of them frowned at the sight of Eve and Ayame.
"Well, well… since when does the academy accept maids and beasts as students?"
Kaito stopped for a second. His eyes hardened.
But Eve calmly grabbed his arm, completely unfazed.
"Ignore them, Master. Some trash isn't even worth recycling."
The group kept walking as if nothing had happened. But the air had subtly shifted.
They reached the Adventurers' Guild—a quiet and surprisingly clean place, filled with young adventurers browsing the mission boards.
At the front desk stood a young woman with jet-black hair tied in a neat bun. She smiled warmly as they entered.
"Welcome to the Xiamus Guild. I'm Mara. How can I help you?"
"Good Mara-ning! We're a grand pair of gorgeous adventurers!" Kaito declared, puffing out his chest.
Everyone fell silent.
"…Eh?" Mara blinked, clearly confused.
Seri stepped forward while Ayame quietly dragged Kaito away like a piece of broken furniture.
"Please excuse him, Miss Mara. We've been walking for days under the sun, and my companion is suffering from heatstroke. Kindly ignore his nonsense," Seri said, presenting her adventurer's card.
"You're… a fire elf? I didn't know they were so… small. The books always describe them as more… 'imposing.'"
"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW—! I'm a young, healthy fire elf still growing, okay?!" Seri yelled, face blazing red.
Ayame gently took her by the shoulders and guided her aside like she was defusing a time bomb.
Finally, Eve stepped forward with her usual neutral expression.
"Apologies for that, Mara. We're here to sell some monster materials we collected on the way. I understand we can do that here."
"Yes, of course," Mara replied, still smiling, though now visibly more cautious.
"We'd also like to register as adventurers—Ayame and myself," Eve added, gesturing toward the kitsune, who nodded calmly.
Mara handed them the registration forms, and after a few minutes, both completed the process.
Eve and Ayame officially became Silver Rank C adventurers.
"With that, your registration's complete. When your friends recover, I'll update their plates as well. Now then… what would you like to sell?"
Eve reached into her pockets and, like magic, began pulling out the spoils of their journey.
Wolf fangs, pelts, goblin ears, energy cores, bandit weapons… even a rare white squirrel that looked hilariously out of place.
Within seconds, the table was covered in items, while the squirrel attempted to crack a nut using Eve's head like a rock.
"…I'm not even going to ask how you fit all of that in there," Mara said, visibly nervous.
"It's going to take me a while to appraise everything. Please come back later. As for the squirrel… if you're looking to sell it, it's quite valuable."
Eve shook her head.
"I see. One last thing… what is your master's name?"
"Kaito Amakawa. Son of Baron Amakawa of Verdalys."
The receptionist raised a perfectly arched eyebrow and turned toward a shelf. After a few moments, she pulled out a letter that looked important.
"I have correspondence for him," she said, handing it over.
"A woman dropped it off a few days ago. She said a human accompanied by a fire elf, a kitsune, and a maid would be arriving today. She asked me to give it directly to Kaito Amakawa."
Eve nodded and tucked the envelope into her pocket.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure he gets it."
"Perfect. Come back in about six hours. I've got a lot of paperwork to go through before I can sort out all your loot."
"Thank you," Eve replied—and to everyone's surprise, she said it politely.
Outside the guild, the group gathered again, taking a moment to regain their composure.
It was then that Eve returned to her usual self.
"Now I understand why Master got nervous... even I wanted to grab those melons."
Silence fell over the group.
"I knew this pervert was just pretending to act serious!" Seri shouted, utterly outraged.
"That cow's going to pay!"
Unfazed, Eve calmly extended the envelope toward Kaito.
"She also gave me this correspondence, Master."
Kaito took it, looking just as puzzled as the rest.
"Who could it be from? I don't know anyone outside of you guys," he said, examining the envelope. "There's no Church or Royal seal, either."
Carefully, he broke the seal and pulled out the contents: a small card and an ornate bronze key.
"What does it say, Kaito?" Seri asked, leaning toward him, clearly curious.
"There's just an address… a key… and a hand-drawn seal. It's… a wizard's hat."
Ayame's brow furrowed slightly, though her tone remained gentle.
"Do you think it's a trap?"
"I don't think so," Kaito replied, studying the key seriously. "But there's only one way to find out."
And so, with that mysterious envelope in hand, the group decided to uncover what the key unlocked—and what was hidden at that address…
Not knowing that a big surprise was waiting for them.