Even though the king had told Caleb not to worry about that minor thing, they couldn’t let it go. Not that the entity felt indebted to Drahomir for that, of course. It was absolved the moment he reassured Caleb it was fine, after all. However, it was wrong. They didn’t ask for permission to use the thing, and unless they were assaulted by the territory’s owner or their associates, it needed to be repaid.

Caleb hadn’t become the official owner of this multiverse, so nothing belonged to them just yet. Not in the truest, most absolute sense.

The entity needed to acquire some metal ores anyway. Recreating a pair of candelabrums to send back to the king while they modified their outfit was an easy side errant. Thusly, Caleb planned to sign up as an Adventurer or something similar.

Since the [System] had a questing framework in place and it updated frequently, there were bound to be people doing quests for a living. Most of the issued quests involved combat, so the entity could reap the rewards without wasting too much time.

Learning of the relative value of currencies would be another bonus.

Heading down the road of the inner section of the capital city – Jarkenth, Caleb received a few stares, but otherwise, no one paid much attention to them. Not even with the visor on – confirming that their attire wasn’t anything too out of the ordinary.

Granted, there were better sights to see than a strangely dressed male human with flying ships in the sky and the shining temple so close to the towering Royal Palace. While it would be easy to earn the currency then board a ship, they were informed reservation would take them on a waiting list.

Since Caleb wanted to avoid exchanging more favors with Drahomir, they refused to receive priority booking for the airborne vehicle. And so, they’d take a carriage; it was faster than the ship if they included the delay.

They passed the bounds of inner Jarkenth and immediately felt the difference. Not that the outer city was dilapidated, by any means, but one could see that while very well-maintained, the buildings were less pristine. A tiny crack in the masonry here, an off-colored patch of the wall there, the iron fence at one house was slightly bent at a corner; there was also a loose brick in the middle of the road.

Little things.

Besides the twenty meters thick and fifty meters tall wall separating outer and inner Jarkenth, there was another wall hugging the perimeter of the capital. Caleb wondered if the other one was just as swarmed with enchantments as this wall.

[Fortification] was a staple, as usual. On the battlements, several modified versions of [Obfuscation] layered over one another between crenellations and arrow slits to give soldiers cover.

A pattern of [Solar Flare], [Magic Echo], and [Mirror] went along the structure’s length. In conjunction, these would be able to provide numerous measures of combative aid as appropriate.

Not the most optimal use of resources, but decent enough.

With a map of the capital in their inventory – while the entity had committed it to their memory, having the physical thing was also a nice bonus – Caleb easily located the Adventurer’s Guild Hall.

Having seen the map, they had known the guild had a front and a back entrance, and it took up a large plot of land, but seeing it gave them a bit more insight.

The Adventurer Guild building was at least thrice the size of any nearby facilities; one could even see it as soon as they entered the road leading to it. Its front gate alone could fit two carriages traveling side by side with room to give.

From a city planning perspective, this could be considered one of the shelters people would seek out if some significant hazards were to occur. The guild building had much thicker walls and better fortified compared to anything else in the neighborhood – a fact confirmed by [Electromagnetism].

Even if the people of Otrea didn’t use nails and bolts to secure the structure, Caleb could measure accurately by sensing the change in wavelengths as they passed through different materials.

It was unfortunate they couldn’t feel souls’ wavelengths the same way.

As they approached the guild’s vicinity, calculating eyes locked onto them like predators reacting to the sole source of motion in their peripheral visions. The entity had done away with the radiation, and they had drawn attention prior, so it wasn’t strange to be focused on like this; they welcomed the attention, in fact.

Caleb would prefer some moderation, though, but it couldn’t be helped. Their want to mingle won out.

Once inside, the entity smoothly made their way through the lobby and stepped behind a group of people waiting at the reception desk. Caleb heard something about a nearby dungeon and the group was working up the necessary funds for supplies.

“You spent how much on what?” a woman, likely an elf, with dark chestnut hair and pointy ears hissed. “We need more mana potions, damn it!” She was wearing a short robe of black and indigo, leather pants, and cuffed boots.

“Ow! Kalla, your staff!” a human man in a set of leather armor reinforced with chainmail pieces, padded shoulder guards, and armored greaves up to his knees. Reflexively, he raised both arms to block the flailing pole of engraved metal. “You need a new one, right!? Wai-It’s a good upgrade!”

“Get a cheaper one doofus!” still keeping her voice low, she gripped the staff hard enough to make her pale hands turned dead-white, but didn’t strike the human again. “Return it after we signed up!!”

“The merchant was on his way out,” next to the two, a tall, stocky woman, also human, jabbed her thumb at the direction where the city gate was. She grimaced as Kalla kicked her male companion in the shin. Her attire was similar to the human male, but more metal than leather.

It appeared her strength carried through even the armor; the kick made the man wince and he hobbled backward, bumping into Caleb; the contact didn’t move their vessel one bit.

“Ah! Excuse me…” the man turned around and was going to look up, but immediately realized the person he should be talking to wasn’t that tall. “… Sorry about that. We’ll stop being a bother.”

“My apologies for involving you…” Kalla bowed and in return, Caleb inclined his head. The elf-ish woman still glared at her friend as he shuffled toward his group.

Soon enough, a wispy woman appeared on the other side of the reception desk. The bickering trailed off and the three exchanged some words with her then left in a hurry; in a few hours, it would be dusk. From their conversation, Caleb managed to catch some significant news.

The royal army was regrouping in the capital in preparation to march toward Liliad. And they would sweep the region for every notable threat to the populace before they began. Which meant adventurers’ work was going to be cut by half. Normally not a bad thing, but the three were an extermination team – focused mostly on killing monsters – so, their income would receive a major hit.

If they departed after the army returned, it might cause some delays due to curfews or other complications.

With that in mind, the entity decided they would also resolve these quests quickly and head to Chissinor; three days at the latest. Caleb stepped forward as the receptionist smiled faintly.

“Hello, what do you need?”

“I’d like to sign up to be an Adventurer. What are the requirements?”

“Here,” she handed them a wooden plaque. “channel your mana into this. Or a drop of blood. It will read your level and I’ll add you to the member register.”

A tiny injection of mana caused the plaque to lit up and letters burned into the wood. “That was quick,” Caleb returned the flat piece of enchanted wood. “Now, there’s a fee of ten bris for new members. It can be paid upfront or deducted from your first mission.”

“I’ll pay upfront.”

“Oh, level twenty-six!” she smiled widely; her previously even tone turned a bit more jubilant. “Quite good for someone looking as young as yourself!”

While the receptionist looked over their information, Caleb scanned everything on everyone in the lobby, picking out the designs of silver coins. Twisting the metal on one of their boots, a part of the sharp toe-tip became thinner, liquified. It slithered into the boot and under Caleb’s clothes to appear in their hand. Steel turned to silver in moments.

She took the coin Caleb placed on the desk and fished for change then suddenly slowed. “Ah, you’re already a member.”

“I am?” The entity didn’t expect old Caleb to have registered as an Adventurer, but let the thought trail off. What the beckoner had and hadn’t done weren’t anything they should be concerned with.

“Yes, don’t you remember?” the woman pursed her lips when they told her no. “Let’s see… if you’ve lost yours, then it’s ten bris still, for a copper plate, ten augs for a silver plate, and ten halos for a gold plate.”

Even though she said as much, it was certain the woman didn’t think Caleb would be anything higher than a copper and turned away. “I’ll submit this and have your plate reissued.”

As they waited, Caleb sensed someone approaching at speed and snapped their head sideways, pupils whirling. An armored man let out a muted scream and jumped back as if pulling away from a snake’s bite. Upon seeing that Caleb wasn’t doing anything else but stare, he sighed in relief and regained his composure.

“H-how’s it going?” he raised a hand and shakily waved. “I’m Derrick from Raven’s Pursuit.”

Looking the man up and down, Caleb noticed he was wearing quite a host of enchanted gear. Nothing much compared to the royal guards or the ones Duke Heinricht led when they had arrived; definitely worse than many adventurers present in the guild proper. However, everything on this Derrick had an enchantment or two.

Reeling their vessel to realign head to body, Caleb nodded. “My name is Caleb. A fine afternoon to you.”

Derrick was a head and a half taller than their vessel. Much bigger in frame as well. There was a large mace at his side and a tower shield strapped on his back.

The man gave a furtive glance back to a group of people who were looking at the quest board; it seemed his group was among the crowd. Caleb spied a big corvid perched on someone’s shoulder; could be one member of Raven’s Pursuit.

“Ahem… I just overheard that you were just registering, or was it rejoining…?” he scratched his head, his hair was styled in a military trim just like that of the king’s, but bright red in color. “Anyway, we’re looking for someone specialized in offensive magic. You seem capable… so…”

“I am proficient in Lightning Magic.”

“That’s great! Our team is going to Ulrick’s Fall for one last dive before the army gets back,” Derrick became more confident as he talked. “We have four members to fill necessary positions, and someone with good attack spells will help speed things up.

“I know working with strangers is a bit troublesome, but having a team backing you up is less dangerous, right? How about it?” he lowered his voice. “I can even ask the others to let you take first pick, as a bonus.”

“Thank you for the offer,” the entity gave the redhead a cordial smile. “However, there are some experiments I need to do alone for now.”

His posture deflated slightly, but Derrick pushed on. “Can’t you consider it for a moment? Even with a six-way split, the dive is more valuable than every low-level quest on that board combined! You’re level twenty-six, right? Those little things can’t help you increase your Skills.”

“How long would this dive take?” Caleb tilted their head.

“Five or six days, if you come with us.”

“Then no, I’m leaving in three. Another time, perhaps.”

“Ah,” the man sighed. “… if it’s that, then… too bad, huh. Well, I guess it’s just bad timing.” He glanced back as a few men approached them. “There’s my group.”

Derrick scratched his nose. “I… err… see you around, then, Caleb.”

“Have a nice day.”

Laughter met the man as he returned to his companions, a few of them slapped Derrick on the back as they headed outside. Along with Raven’s Pursuit, another group was also leaving. The hubbub of chatter died down after their departure; less than a dozen people remained in the lobby including Caleb and another receptionist besides the woman who was working on the recovery of their plate.

After a few more minutes of waiting, the woman returned, bearing a small plate of copper in one hand. She placed it on the desk with four copper coins denoting the value of forty bris.

Caleb thought it was a bit strange considering the more valuable coins were thrice as heavy as the normal ones while the worth was ten-fold.

“Here is your plate, Baron Ashling,” she gave them a stiff practiced smile. “It has been a long while since you last updated your [Status], so your plate can not be recovered. However, we have prepared a new one for you. Would you like to hear the induction speech again?”

“That is not necessary,” the items went directly into their inventory from the desk. “Thank you. Now, I’d like to take every extermination quest below silver.”

They had taken a look at the quest board while talking with Derrick just now, and Caleb noticed the format of quest posting followed similar rules to the [System]’s quests. Three difficulties in each rank of copper, silver, and gold, represented by tiny stars in the same color. A single red star signified the highest difficulty, totaling in ten.

Which was completely unnecessary and should have been displayed by numbers or everything of the same color. Caleb noted the detail to remedy in the future.

“… Are you sure, sir?” she gaped. “I don’t doubt your abilities… but… some of these have time limits. And there are penalties for turning them in late.”

“I’m certain,” somehow, Caleb’s smile made the frail woman turn pale.

*****

The day was warm and sunny.

Cecile Du Basca held an umbrella as she strolled the lush garden, enjoying the wonderful scent of rose and jasmine on the gentle breeze.

It helped relieve her stress a little. But it didn’t last long.

Because, in the end, the queen would have to be the bearer of bad news. And that inevitability brought her dread. What should she tell Natasha?

She had interrogated Judita as soon as they returned to her room. Her daughter insisted that really was Caleb! How absurd! But the boy’s tower seal didn’t respond. Its link had been broken.

Even Wolfram’s [Status] showed the boy was no longer his apprentice; gone in an instant like a gust of wind. The Councilor had been shocked. The [System]’s notification had flashed before his eyes, and the old man almost thought it was a dream. He checked and checked, and found no signs of tampering.

After Jorgensen and Wolfram confirmed it, they had no hope left.

What else was that fast, that abrupt, but death?

Yet… the way he held the fork, kept spinning it in his hand while not in use; the way he used the napkin, folded into a hexagon to alternate the points; the way his eyes trailed off whenever he heard something unpleasant…

Everything was too similar not to suspect.

The queen ruminated her words. She couldn’t afford to not inform Natasha. Not when it was near the end of the month when the Duchess sent her periodical message to her son.

All of a sudden, it had turned dark. Strange, she thought; there were hours until nightfall.

Cecile looked up from under the edge of her umbrella and shook as the wind howled. It didn’t leave her hand, of course. Her grip wasn’t that weak. The air turned chilly in just a moment and the queen shivered.

Not from the cold. But from the tingles crawling up her spine.

Dark clouds had engulfed the sky, as far as the eye could see. Lightning coiled in the cascading clouds, spreading further and further, until branches of moving light filled Cecile’s vision.

It was happening too quickly.

Her mind couldn’t even process the dread that threatened to gnaw at her soul before everything was bathed in that brilliant, all-consuming light.

Was she blinded? Was she deafened? Was it the afterlife?

How come there was no sound? There was nothing other than the cold laughter of the wind.

As quickly as they came, the clouds faded, erased not unlike drawings on the sand, swept away by the waves; sunlight caressed her cheeks once again.

Cecile only realized she had held her breath when she let out a shuddering gasp. The queen clutched at her chest, hyperventilating. Cold sweat beaded her forehead.

Was it all an illusion?

However, when the palace’s [Ether Aegis] began forming, Cecile understood what she saw was no trick of the mind; the queen ran back inside and her umbrella fell to the grass, forgotten.