The morning at the Adventurer Guild grew busier as more travelers arrived.
Luciana stood in front of the quest board with her arms folded, studying the notices one by one.
Raizen stood beside her.
Neither had spoken for several moments.
There were too many choices.
“Hmm…”
Luciana moved closer.
“Herb collection.”
She read the notice.
“Low reward.”
Next.
“Monster removal.”
She frowned.
“Too much work.”
Next.
“Escort request.”
She shook her head.
“I don’t want to sit in a carriage all day.”
Raizen glanced at her.
“You’re difficult.”
Luciana turned.
“You’re the one who disappeared for several days.”
“I went on a quest.”
“I know.”
“And you survived without me.”
“I did.”
She smiled proudly.
“I completed several quests.”
Raizen nodded.
“I heard.”
Luciana looked at him suspiciously.
“How did you hear?”
Raizen paused for half a second.
“Clara mentioned it.”
“Oh.”
Luciana accepted the answer immediately.
Then she turned back to the board.
Raizen quietly relaxed.
He had no intention of explaining that he had asked Clara about the general guild records after returning.
Not because he wanted to interfere with Luciana’s journey.
He simply wanted to know that she had been safe.
And apparently, she had been more than safe.
She had been busy.
Very busy.
Luciana pointed at another notice.
“What about this one?”
Raizen leaned closer.
“Wild herb collection.”
She read the details.
“Forty bundles of Frostmint.
Reward forty silver coins.”
Her eyes widened.
“Forty silver?”
“That’s the total reward.”
Luciana’s excitement immediately disappeared.
“Oh.”
She looked at him.
“We’d have to split it.”
Raizen looked amused.
“You still remember that?”
“Of course I remember.”
She crossed her arms.
“Fifteen silver coins.”
“You survived.”
“And then I spent some of it.”
“That is generally what money is for.”
Luciana stared at him.
“You’re becoming less weird.”
“Is that good?”
“I haven’t decided.”
Raizen’s mouth curved slightly.
Luciana turned back toward the board.
They continued searching.
One quest involved gathering glowing mushrooms.
Another required delivering a package to a nearby village.
A third involved searching for a missing magical bird.
Luciana stopped at that one.
“A magical bird…”
She looked interested.
Raizen read the notice.
“The bird belongs to a merchant family.
It escaped yesterday.”
“Do we have to catch it?”
“Yes.”
“Can it fly?”
“Yes.”
Luciana’s enthusiasm faded.
“How fast?”
“Probably faster than you.”
She looked offended.
“How do you know?”
“Because it has wings.”
Luciana stared at him.
“…Fine.”
She moved on.
A few moments later, Raizen noticed a collection quest pinned near the bottom of the board.
He reached for it.
At the same time, Luciana reached for another notice beside it.
Their hands bumped.
Both stopped.
Luciana looked at him.
Raizen looked at her.
“Don’t tell me we’re fighting over another quest.”
“We aren’t.”
“Good.”
“You can have that one.”
Luciana pointed at the notice in his hand.
Raizen glanced at it.
Then at her.
“You don’t want it?”
“I don’t know.”
She stepped closer and read it.
Crystal Petal Collection
Location: Northern Forest
Objective: Collect 15 intact Crystal Petals
Reward: 50 silver coins
Luciana’s eyes widened.
“Fifty?”
Raizen nodded.
“That one is better.”
She immediately changed her mind.
“I want that one.”
Raizen handed the notice to her.
Luciana looked at him suspiciously.
“You’re giving it to me?”
“We’re looking for a quest together.”
She blinked.
“Oh.”
She looked at the notice again.
The Crystal Petal Collection wasn’t technically difficult, but the location was farther than the beginner collection quests she had done recently.
It would require traveling deeper into the northern forest.
Luciana tapped the notice thoughtfully.
“Fifteen petals…”
“It’s a collection quest.”
“Good.”
“No combat required.”
“Even better.”
Raizen looked at her.
“You’re really becoming an adventurer.”
Luciana smiled.
“I told you.
I’ve been busy.”
“I can see that.”
She carefully took the quest notice from the board.
Then she looked at him.
“So…”
Raizen waited.
“Are we doing this together?”
There was a small pause.
Then he nodded.
“If you want.”
Luciana smiled.
“I do.”
The answer came so naturally that she didn’t notice the slight change in Raizen’s expression.
He had expected her to hesitate.
After all, she had spent several days traveling alone.
Instead, she had asked him herself.
They walked toward the information counter together.
Clara was already there.
She glanced at the quest notice in Luciana’s hand.
“Crystal Petals?”
Luciana nodded.
“Fifteen of them.”
Clara checked the details.
“This one is still available.
It’s a little farther than the southern woodland, though.”
“That should be fine.”
Luciana looked at Raizen.
He nodded.
Clara smiled.
“Then I’ll register both of you for the shared quest.”
She reached for the guild crystal.
“Same arrangement as before.
Fifty silver coins total, divided equally upon completion.”
Luciana froze.
“Twenty-five each?”
“Yes.”
Luciana thought about it.
Then she smiled.
“That’s fine.”
Raizen glanced at her.
“You’re not going to argue?”
Luciana shook her head.
“I already learned something.”
“What?”
“Twenty-five silver coins are still pretty good.”
Raizen’s eyes softened.
She had changed.
Not dramatically.
Not in some grand, obvious way.
But the girl who had once worried about fifteen silver coins now understood that the experience itself mattered too.
Luciana tucked the quest notice into her notebook.
“Besides, traveling with someone sometimes makes things easier.”
Raizen looked at her.
“Sometimes?”
“Don’t get too proud.”
“I wouldn’t.”
Luciana laughed.
Clara watched them leave the counter together.
She shook her head with an amused smile.
“Those two…”
Outside the guild, Luciana stretched her arms.
“It’s been a while since we traveled together.”
“It has.”
She looked at him.
“Did you miss arguing with me over quests?”
“No.”
“Liar.”
Raizen glanced at her.
“I didn’t miss the arguing.”
Luciana smiled.
“But?”
He said nothing.
She laughed.
“Never mind.”
They started walking toward the northern gate.
Luciana carried her usual travel bag, while Raizen walked beside her with his own belongings.
Neither mentioned what they had done during their days apart.
Luciana didn’t know about the things Raizen had searched through in another country.
Raizen didn’t mention the small item carefully hidden among his belongings.
That could wait.
For now, they had a quest.
Fifteen Crystal Petals.
A northern forest.
Fifty silver coins.
And another journey to take together.
Luciana looked ahead with a bright smile.
“Let’s see what we find.”
Raizen quietly looked at her.
“I think we’ll find something interesting.”
Neither of them knew how true that would be.