IV

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Arc IV Chapter 12

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10th Ignis Solar 753 AAC

Of the many things that Aurora had expected, the present outcome was certainly not among them. Caught in the byzantine wheels of the adventurer’s guild’s bureaucracy, she and her doll were directly and without delay summoned to the office of the guild master. Her application was received, stamped, and, much to her astonishment, processed within mere hours in an impressive display of administrative efficiency. An incredible speed for the age of scribes, scripts, and parchment.

Positioned behind a massive oak desk and with Erika standing by his side, the guild master welcomed her and Lambert with a friendly a smile beneath his trimmed beard, yet his deep blue eyes displayed a certain calculating coldness appropriate to his position, only complement by the numerous battle scars running across his cheekbones. The guild master was a seasoned veteran, a man of many bittersweet battles, an old grey wolf turned clerk and administrator at the later portion of his life. An intriguing change of life, all things considered.

The guild master scrutinised the application form lying on his desk before glancing up at her and Lambert, exchanging looks between the form and them in quick succession, his confusion apparent. Until the guild master finally took the word. Touched by age yet firm, his voice resounded through the room. “My name is Wolfgang. I am the acting guild master and representative of the Freyburgian branch of the Eastern Arcadia adventurer’s guild. I must apologise for calling a girl of such tender age and you, Lambert, at such a late hour, but I think that both of you know are well aware as to why you have been summoned. Especially, you Lambert.” His eyes narrowed and his glare intensified. “I always thought that you are a reasonable man in the past, so what exactly are you trying to pull here this time?”

Lambert averted his eyes, feeling the weight of his guilt, meanwhile Aurora merely furrowed an eyebrow. The tone of familiarity in Wolfgang’s words didn't go unnoticed. Did they know each other? Lambert and the guild master seemed to have a history with each other.

Wolfgang focused his attention on her. “Am I correct to assume that your name is Edelgart?”

Aurora nodded vigorously with the unwavering confidence of a child as to not arouse suspicion. She succeeded. “It is.”

“And you were born in?”

Aurora lowered her gaze. “Well, I don't know. I only remember growing up on the streets of the city after my parents died before being turned over to an orphanage. That is where Lambert and his party picked me up.”

“I see ... ... ...” Wolfgang closed his eyes and a moment of silence followed. “According to your application, you are already fourteen years old. I find that hard to believe. Nothing against you, child, but you seem to be ... quite short for your age. Are you really fourteen?” Lambert stole a discreet glance at her. There was only one right answer.

Aurora clenched her fists, brimming with the flames of hope and determination. “I am. I know I am short, but I am sure that I will hit a growth spurt ... soon enough, ... one day.” Her little act worked beautifully, confounding his suspicions.

“... ... ...” Wolfgang was drumming his fingers on his table, contemplating his options. “You know, girl, you are good. I am impressed. I really am. Despite all my years, I can't tell whether you are telling the truth, or not. Either your words are sincere, or you are an ice cold liar without even the slightest sign of hesitation. Either is fine to me. The latter is for sure a useful skill to have when it comes to the adventurer business.”

Wolfgang turned his head. “Lambert, you are telling that the girl has no combat experience ... No credentials ... No training ... Is that true?”

Lambert hesitated for the briefest moment. “... It is.”

“And yet it's you, of all people, who is standing here, before me and vouching for her! Lambert, seriously, what were you thinking? Is this supposed to be some sort of elaborate prank? Is the child paying you for this, or what?”

Lambert scratched his hair, his nervosity palpable. “Well, if you put it this way, then it sounds worse than it actually is.”

Wolfgang pressed his assault. “You know exactly what I mean, Lambert. Regulations and rules exist for a reason. The adventurer’s guild is a professional organisation, and not an orphanage. Our purpose is to provide trained and experienced personnel, not to take in homeless children. You should know that, Lambert, our reputation comes first. I see no point in accepting an unskilled and inexperienced girl. We have certain standards to fulfil. Besides that, I am not a proponent of recruiting children, a girl no less.”

Lambert, ever the diplomat and negotiator, tried his best. “Relax, Wolfgang, since when does the guild ever take regulations and rules seriously? We both know that paper is patient. Theory is one thing, reality another. Back in my days, they took everyone without even a second thought, and now you are making such a fuss.”

Wolfgang planted his aged and bony elbows on his desk. An unflinching stare met Lambert, and by extension her. “Lambert, that was one, two decades ago, after the war cut into our numbers, but times are changing. The guild is changing. So tell me, why should we take her? Why should we waste our limited resources on her, an urchin without any qualifications? You should know better than anyone else that I can't approve her application even with you backing her. The guild is already looking after enough of her like. At least, the usual applicants appear here with a some degree of experience or even prominent background, and even then I must reject most of them. Meanwhile, your girl comes from nowhere with absolutely nothing to show. I am afraid that my decision stands. And now get your sorry arses elsewhere. Get her apprenticed to a weaver, or whoever. Whatever little girls are doing these day girls these days.”

Aurora sensed the tide of conversation was turning against her, yet Lambert didn't succumb to the temptation of surrender. He kept fighting for her, even challenging the old man. “Wolfgang, can’t you be somewhat flexible and make a small exception for her?”

The old man’s heart remained entirely unmoved. “Lambert, no matter what, I won't change my decision. So get out of my office. You are wasting both of our time. ”

“Wolfgang, please, for the sake of old times, can't you admit her?”

Lambert's words elicited an immediate reaction from the veteran guild masters. “Are you trying to appeal to my sense of sentimentality? Do you honestly think that will work with me?”

“No, not really, Wolfgang, I know you only too well.” Lambert flashed a victorious smirk, still having a last ace to play. “Do you remember ten years ago? I think that it's time to call in the favour from back then, Wolfgang.”

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