Mirelya, Garrick, and Matsuda Ren stopped in front of a large stone building.
Above the heavy wooden entrance hung a massive carved sign.
Lion’s Guild.
Garrick placed a hand on the handle.
“Let’s go.”
Mirelya smiled.
“Great!”
Ren stared at the building’s facade for a few moments.
“It really looks like an RPG…”
Mirelya let out a quiet laugh.
“You keep saying those strange things, Ren. Hehe.”
As soon as they stepped inside, Ren looked around.
The guild hall was spacious and bustling with activity.
Some adventurers were speaking with the receptionist, others were studying large mission boards covered with requests, while a few relaxed at tables scattered throughout the room.
Ren took in every detail with curiosity.
“So…”
“Should we sign up?”
Garrick nodded.
“You two go ahead.”
“I just need to renew my registration.”
Ren tilted his head.
“Renew it?”
“I’m a close-combat hunter.”
“My current rank is Gold.”
Ren looked at him with admiration.
“So Garrick already has plenty of experience…”
Mirelya stepped into the short line in front of the reception desk.
“This will be my first time too.”
She smiled at Ren.
“Good luck to both of us.”
A few minutes later, they reached the counter.
Mirelya gave a polite bow.
“Hello.”
“I’d like to register with the guild.”
Ren timidly raised a hand.
“M-me too.”
The receptionist smiled warmly.
“Certainly.”
“First, you’ll need to pay the registration fee, read the contract, and sign it.”
She then pointed toward a large crystal behind the counter.
“After that, we’ll perform your mana test.”
“That crystal again…” Ren thought.
Mirelya reached into her pouch.
“I’ll pay for both of us, Ren.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Ren smiled awkwardly.
“Mirelya-chan…”
The receptionist checked a small ledger.
“The registration fee is seventy copper coins per person.”
Mirelya’s eyes widened ever so slightly.
“That’s more expensive than I expected…”
Even so, she took out two silver coins and placed them on the counter.
“Here.”
“You can keep the change.”
The receptionist’s eyes practically sparkled.
“Wow!”
She beamed.
“We’re going to get along just fine!”
Ren watched the scene in silence.
“What a greedy woman…”
The receptionist handed each of them a form.
“All right.”
“Read everything carefully, sign it, and then we’ll proceed with the test.”
Ren began reading.
A few moments later, he frowned.
“Wait…”
“So this means we can only work for this guild for an entire year?”
The receptionist nodded.
“Exactly.”
“The license is only valid for this guild.”
“If you want to transfer to another guild, you’ll have to pay another registration fee.”
She smiled proudly.
“And ours happens to be the cheapest in the city.”
“They’re not fooling us that easily…” Ren thought.
He quickly turned toward Mirelya.
“Mirelya-san, I think we shou—”
Before he could finish, Mirelya had already handed over her completed form.
“Here.”
She smiled.
“Can we do the test now?”
Ren blinked.
“But…”
“Did you actually read everything?”
“I did.”
She answered calmly.
“I don’t see any problem staying here for now.”
“We need to earn some money first, don’t we?”
Ren simply sighed.
“Well…”
“Easy for you to say after leaving her such a generous tip…”
The receptionist happily accepted the papers.
Ren signed his own form and handed it over as well.
The receptionist smiled.
“Welcome to the Lion’s Guild.”
“My name is Mari.”
She picked up the crystal.
“Let’s begin.”
She looked at Mirelya.
“You first.”
“Mirelya, correct?”
“Yes.”
She smiled.
“I’m ready.”
Mari placed the crystal on the counter.
“Just place your hand here.”
Mirelya rested her hand on the crystal.
Instantly, an intense blue light mixed with white and green illuminated the entire hall.
Mari’s eyes widened.
Then she clapped enthusiastically.
“Wow!”
“A mage of exceptionally high caliber!”
She smiled brightly.
“The guild really got lucky today!”
A few nearby adventurers even turned to look.
One of them whistled softly.
“A Platinum-class mage…”
“That’s rare.”
Mari then turned toward Ren.
“Your turn.”
“Ren, right?”
“That’s right.”
Ren placed his hand on the crystal.
Nothing happened.
Mari tilted her head.
“Hmm…”
“Try again.”
Ren repeated the motion.
Once again…
Nothing.
The crystal remained completely dark.
Not the faintest glow.
Mari scratched her cheek.
“Are you sure you want to become an adventurer?”
“From what I can tell…”
She glanced back at the crystal.
“You practically don’t have any mana.”
“Or it’s so little that even the crystal can’t detect it.”
Ren didn’t know what to say.
Before he could answer, Mirelya spoke up.
“He fights extremely well.”
“He may not have mana…”
“But his physical strength rivals that of an experienced warrior.”
Mari looked at Mirelya.
Then back at Ren.
“If you say so…”
She smiled.
“Very well.”
“I’ll prepare your guild badges.”
Ren quietly let out a relieved sigh.
“Thank you, Mirelya.”
He looked at her with a grateful smile.
“I’ll make it up to you for paying my registration fee.”
Then he pointed at the crystal.
“But…”
“What exactly do these ranks mean?”
Mirelya answered patiently.
“The crystal primarily measures both the quantity and quality of a person’s mana.”
“The brighter the light…”
“…the greater that person’s magical potential tends to be.”
She smiled reassuringly.
“But don’t worry about the money.”
Ren shook his head.
“No.”
“As soon as we earn our first reward…”
He smiled.
“I’d like to take you out for a meal.”
“You can order whatever you want.”
Mirelya froze.
Her eyes widened.
Her lips parted slightly.
Silence lingered for several seconds.
It was Garrick who finally broke it.
“Ren…”
He scratched the back of his head.
“You probably shouldn’t say things like that…”
“…unless you’re prepared to take responsibility afterward.”
Ren blinked.
“Responsibility?”
He looked back at Mirelya.
She was gently swaying from side to side, her cheeks completely flushed.
“D-Don’t you think…”
“…you’re moving a little too fast… Ren?”
Ren froze.
Three full seconds of absolute silence.
Then he practically shouted,
“W-Wait!”
“It’s not a date!”
Mirelya puffed out her cheeks slightly.
“You already invited me.”
“You can’t take it back now.”
Ren began waving his hands frantically.
“But I was only trying to thank you!”
“I didn’t mean anything special by it!”
Garrick folded his arms.
“I don’t know how things work in your world…”
“But here…”
“…asking a girl out to dinner is usually considered something close to a confession.”
Ren nearly jumped backward.
“No, no, no!”
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable!”
“Forget I said anything!”
“I’m sorry!”
Mirelya couldn’t hold it in any longer.
She burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
Ren looked at her, completely confused.
She discreetly wiped the corner of one eye.
“I was just teasing you.”
Ren stood there speechless for a few moments.
Then he slowly turned toward Garrick.
“…What?”
Garrick merely shrugged.
Mirelya was still giggling.
“Well…”
She took a deep breath.
“That custom really does exist.”
“But since you were only trying to return the favor…”
She smiled warmly.
“We can still have dinner together.”
“No problem.”
Ren finally relaxed.
“…Oh.”
“Don’t scare me like that.”
Mirelya tilted her head.
“Scare you?”
Ren’s expression gradually became more serious.
“How can you joke around like that…”
“…when you know your parents are still in danger?”
The smile on her face softened, but it didn’t disappear.
“Thank you for worrying about them.”
She lowered her gaze.
“They’re alive.”
“They’re just prisoners inside the Demon Army’s territory.”
“They’re forced to work for them.”
She took a slow breath.
“If they try to escape…”
Her voice became almost a whisper.
“…they’ll be killed.”
A brief silence followed.
Then she lifted her head once more.
“But…”
She smiled again.
“With your help…”
“And Garrick’s…”
“We’ll save them.”
Ren smiled faintly.
“You’re really an optimistic person.”
Just then, Mari returned carrying two small badges.
“Here you are.”
She handed Mirelya a silver badge decorated with elegant blue accents.
“Platinum Rank.”
Then she handed another badge to Ren.
It was bronze.
Ren stared at it.
“…Bronze?”
“That’s right.”
Mari smiled.
“Here at the Lion’s Guild, adventurers are initially ranked mainly according to their mana potential.”
“But as you complete more difficult quests…”
“…your rank can rise.”
She pointed toward the enormous request board covered with papers.
“By yourself, Ren…”
“…you’ll be able to accept up to Rank D quests.”
“If you work together with Mirelya…”
“…you may accept Rank C quests.”
Garrick raised his own golden badge.
“And what about with me?”
Mari smiled.
“In that case…”
“…your party will be eligible for Rank B quests.”
Mirelya beamed.
“Yes!”
Mari pointed once again toward the quest board.
“Go ahead and choose a quest.”
“Then bring it back to me.”
“I’ll explain all the details.”
Ren gazed at the enormous board overflowing with requests.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
“…It really does…”
“…feel like a video game.”
Thank you for reading Chapter 3!
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