"If you say so," said Vaul, waving his hand like it no longer mattered. "There have been some issues with the mine lately. Nothing too serious has happened but some people have gone missing."
Rydel squinted as he pondered the issue. "How convenient, we were planning to grind there since I've got this kid as bait. Anything strange about the disappearances?"
Vaul shook his head saying, "Not sure, but you might be able to ask around. Three parties have gone missing, which is normal but not all at once. Only two survivors made it out alive in the past week while the rest of the party never made it back."
"Who are the survivors and where can we find them?" asked Jack.
Jack's sudden question caught Vaul off guard, but Rydel lifted his hand and said, "Don't be fooled by the kid's appearance Vaul. Trust me, he might have more experience than the two of us combined."
That shook Vaul to his core; no one ever got such high praise from Rydel. "Okay… You'll have to check the taverns and inns for a pair of clerics, one male, and one female. They go by Drad and Slivia."
"Thanks, anything else we should check out while we're here?" asked Rydel.
"Sort of, it's not too important though. You should know that the valiant crown prince has arrived and is staying next door," said Vaul, rolling his eyes and poking fun at the royal family. "He's here to level up and unlock his next subclass with help from the mine."
"Hmm, that complicates things," sighed Jack. "What level is the crown prince currently?"
"He just reached lv. 9 yesterday, the celebration kept me up all last night," groaned Vaul in displeasure. "My guess is he'll take a break for a few days before heading back in to reach lv. 10 and choose a new subclass."
"Looks like you've got competition, kid. Who do you think will win, you or the crowned brat?" joked Rydel.
"Is there anything to question?" Jack didn't bother to compare himself with a spoiled royal; he didn't even bother asking about the prince's name.
Rydel laughed and put his arm around Jack. "Good, that's the way it should be. Let's go get Bowser registered and prepare to enter the dungeon in three days. That's how long the medic gave you right?"
Jack nodded and stated, "I'll be ready by then, and with everything I've got going for me I'll level up way faster than that fancy pants prince. Besides, we all know the fastest way to level in a mine is with good bait, and you've got the best bait right here."
They all chuckled at Jack's straightforward confidence. Vaul smiled and asked, "Kid, what level are you exactly? I can't tell for some reason."
"What do you mean?" asked Rydel.
"It's because of this," Jack flicked the "Privacy Screen" pierced on his left ear. "Rydel probably didn't notice a difference because of his eagle eye ability."
Both of the men were shocked that the little piercing had such an effect. Vaul grew more curious and asked, "What kind of treasure is that? And what does the other one do?"
"These are both soul-piercing from ancient Kartonia and the other one is only useful to me, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."
"What? Soul piercings!?" they yelled in unison.
"Yup, and I know where you can find two more, they're a set even," commented Jack.
"Seriously? Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Rydel was mad with envy.
"Because they'd be nice to have, but that particular set is more useful for someone tanky like Zariff," answered Jack.
Rydel was bummed and a little confused by the term "tanky." He sighed and let it go, trusting Jack's judgment.
Vaul didn't know what to feel or say. A low leveled adventurer he had just met spoke about something so epic and rare like soul piercings like there were only accessories.
"Anyways, let's go register Bowser at the royal office. Who knows, maybe we'll see the crown prince while we're there," said Jack, who turned to take initiative to leave.
Rydel sighed and waved Vaul off before following behind Jack. Left alone without much explanation, Vaul was drowning in confusion as he tried to figure who and what Jack was.
The hunter duo arrived at the royal office and immediately opened the door to enter. They briefly glanced at the wall filled with bounties and posters. Both of them took in a breath of fresh air when their warrants weren't anywhere to be found. Glad that they beat the royal delivery boy here, they quickly wrote Jack's name on the waiting list and took a seat.
After almost thirty minutes of hushed conversation, Jack's name was called out and the duo walked to the reception desk. The old woman sitting on the other side asked, "How can I help you today?"
"I need to register my fox," said Jack, pointing to the curled up infant fox on his shoulder.
"Hmm," the old lady thought for a moment as she stared at Bowser. "I'm not sure what breed this fox is, so I'm sure it will be pricey. Lucky for you it's young and low leveled. Follow me."
She stood up and led Jack and Rydel down the hallway. The interior was just as flashy and eye-catching as the exterior; it was almost overwhelming. "Oh, what a treat. That's the crown prince himself."
Jack and Rydel heard the lady's comment and followed her gaze. Through an open door, they saw a young man who looked to be in his twenties and he was covered from head to toe in vibrant clothing.
The lady bowed as she passed the doorway, but the hunter duo had looked away before the crown prince noticed them, not caring to treat the royal family like anything special.
The crown prince frowned with he saw the little attention he got from those two and shouted, "Maid, stop." The old lady followed orders and stopped, forcing Jack and Rydel to do the same. "Who are these two lowly commoners, are they even worthy to be back here?"
Frowning deeply, the lady explained, "These men are here to register a beast companion. I can't tell what breed the boy's fox is, so I must use the bloodline test."
"Oh?" The prince showed some interest after hearing about a rare beast. "If it's so rare that an experienced maid like yourself can't recognize it, then it must be good. Boy, I want your fox."
The corners of Jack's mouth tilted downward. He was mad for many reasons, including the fact that the prince never made an offer and only declared that he wanted Bowser as if he wouldn't need to pay a thing and Jack should just give Bowser up. To keep himself from getting into too much trouble he remained silent and shook his head.
"You refuse my order as the crown prince? That's a major offense towards the crown," said the prince, trying to scare Jack into submission.
Jack took a deep breath and tilted his head to the prince. "I've already offended your old man, you're just a mouse compared to him." The prince flinched when he heard that, not knowing what to say next. Seeing the prince's hesitation, Jack continued, "My time is precious, so don't make me waste it. Please madam, we're in a hurry."
The old lady was struggling to decide her next move. She knew that Jack was with the association thanks to the waiting list, but she feared to upset the crown prince. This was the worst nightmare she never expected to have.
"I want that fox!" commanded the prince. Suddenly, the guards around him stood at attention and brandished their swords.
"You'll need more than a few guards at lv. 20." Rydel was twirling a knife in his hand.
All the guards stiffened when they heard his comment. None of them were strong enough to read Rydel's level and they were all confused by how they couldn't read Jack's level either.
"Guards, I said I want that fox!" the prince continued to yell.
"Are you trying to make an enemy of the association?" Jack's question caused them all to hesitate. "If so, you're doing a really good job. If not, I'd recommend taking a few steps back so I can forget this ever happened. The kingdom doesn't need to know about the prince trying to steal from the association, or does it?"
The prince's face was red, unsure of what to do so he wouldn't lose too much face.
Normally, by law, any citizen of the kingdom would have to obey the prince's every command. However, association members had a certain level of political immunity thanks to the international power they have as a backer. Treating an association member like this was already not within the bounds of the law, not to mention the clear physical threats he had made towards them.
But if he simply gave up on the fox, it would be like cowering to the association and his father would be livid after hearing that.
Cooling himself down, the prince said, "Name your price."