[Maria; Mercenaries’ Guild, Llygredd branch]

“And here’s your payment for today’s work” the clerk says, handing me a few coins. It’s now been a week since Leon left, and the two of us have more or less adjusted to his absence. Mom’s still worried, of course, but we both know it’s out of our control what happens out there. As such, we’ve both avoided the topic of Leon at the moment. That might be the reason we’ve both been working so hard these past few days, to not give ourselves time to dwell on it. Our neighbors and friends have picked up on this and are understanding enough to not push it.

The clerk then says something that immediately grabs my attention “Looking at your records, it appears you have obtained the qualifications for a rank-up. I will inform the guild master about this tomorrow, and the paperwork will likely take about a week to process. Due to becoming a B-rank mercenary, you will be required to come to this season’s promotion ceremony as a guest of honor barring any unforeseen circumstances, so be sure to clear your schedule for that. The date is about a month away. You will receive a letter with further information once your promotion is confirmed. Do you have any questions?”

Confused, I raise my voice “Isn’t this a bit sudden? Last I checked, I was still several months away from B-rank. Why am becoming one so soon?”

“I was informed that one of your most recent jobs was significantly more dangerous than initially documented, and so you were given extra contribution points as compensation, in addition to your monetary bonus.”

She must be talking about the events at Wedi “I-I see” I stammer out, the fact I’m getting promoted already is still sinking in. “Well then, if you’ll excuse me, it’s getting late, and I should be getting home.”

I quickly exit the guild building, a mix of anxiety, anticipation, and excitement stirring within me. What do I tell mom about this? Should I wait until Leon gets back before breaking the news to both of them at once? A cacophony of thoughts swirl within me as I walk home in contemplation of what just happened. Ultimately, I decide to at least put it off until tomorrow, as I still need time to process everything.

The next day, I awake as dawn breaks. I make sure to write down last night’s events so I don’t completely forget about them before I leave for work. Today’s plans have me doing some charity work in the morning before culling some slimes before they can get out of hand this afternoon. Nothing too strenuous, just enough to keep me busy.

The soup kitchen I’m helping out today is well-known for being very reasonable, often donating leftover stock to orphanages rather than reusing it the next day. I’m no chef, but that seems pretty unhealthy to me. My assignment is to help with preparing the cookware and ingredients before they open up, then serve those who come in until I leave around noon. Of course, things can never be that simple for me.

Shortly after opening, a trio of gruff-looking men walk in. Not being one to judge by appearances, I leave them alone until they start harassing the other visitors. Sighing, I excuse myself from the serving line so I can ask them to leave.

“Sure, good lookin’. Perhaps you’d be interested in joining us?” one of them says with a snicker and a predatory grin.

“Why don’t we continue this outside?”

I ignore the worried stares many of the other visitors give, and walk out the door. They lead me to a nearby alley before stopping. Man, I hate being right sometimes.

“So, are you ready for a good time?” another of the three asks.

“Well, I have been lax on my martial arts training recently, so let’s do this, shall we?” I say, a grin forming as I prepare to beat these thugs black and blue.

Calling what followed a fight would be an exaggeration. The three of them had next to no coordination, sometimes even getting in each-other's way. Their swings were slow and telegraphed, and it only took me a few hits to knock each of them out cold. It was over within minutes.

After calling for the guards and telling them what happened, the three still-unconscious thugs were carted off to the guardhouse for holding. Returning to the kitchen, the staff thanked me for protecting them, and promised to put a good word in for me. Before long, the noon bell rang, and I said my goodbyes. Next up, slime hunting. Hopefully things actually go as planned this time.

[Clematia, Wedi Forest clearing]

{Day 22}

Having obsessively been killing small forest critters these past few days has drastically increased both my size and strength. I’ve heeded Ellie’s warnings, however, and have been carefully monitoring my status in case I hurt myself during any of my absorption sessions. With the damage it has already accrued, risking it further may cause my soul to break entirely, which is obviously not a good thing. I’ve been practicing my mana control while Ellie’s been hunting, and can safely say that I have mastered the art of infusing my mana into the surrounding grass. Baby steps, okay? In case it wasn’t already obvious, magic ain’t easy enough to learn in a day.

Ellie’s voice rang out in my mind, with her coming into the clearing a few minutes later, followed by a group of rabites, a type of monster resembling a rabbit with a jaw full of sharp fangs, which I quickly dispatched and began to drain, checking my status afterwards.

[Status]

[Name : Clematia]

[Age : 22 days]

[Species : ??? Tree]

[Gender : N/A]

[Size : 1’10” (trunk), 5’ (roots)]

[Health : 100%, Mana : 95%, Stamina : 62%; Condition : Soul Fatigue]

[Abilities: Life Absorption, Root Manipulation, Telepathy]

[Further information is unavailable at this time]

Confirming my status, I turn my focus to my only living companion

My lack of a response told Ellie exactly how I felt about what she just said.

I don’t understand why, but after saying that, I felt my focus slowly fade as I fell into a sleep-like state.

[Ellie]

Clematia suddenly went silent following her message, and I noticed the life within them begin to swirl around the body, slowly fading from my senses as it did so. I try to contact them multiple times, but the telepathic connection refuses to form, meaning she’s lost consciousness. I hope that’s all that’s going on, and not something worse. I don’t want to lose my first new friend in years, but there’s nothing I can do about this except protect them until they wake up.

I prepare an alarm spell which will notify me if anything gets close so I can leave their side for a time. I will protect them, I will not falter. I leave the clearing to cull any nearby monsters, missing the soft glow now coming from Clematia’s body. Lady Genedigaeth, I will fulfill my mission.