"Ah, good morning, Grey, Yuna." ［Tilda］
A cheerful greeting welcomed Grey and Yuna as they entered the Adventurers' Guild. As per usual, the one who greeted them was Tilda who, despite being busy tending to another adventurer, still spared time to greet them.
It has almost been three weeks since Grey and Yuna returned to Galderia and just a couple short days after their return, they returned to their usual routine and took care of the quests which had piled up in the guild.
With most of the adventurers heading to Moterno, there were barely any quests taken care of. Of course, Galderia's lord had helped out the guild, but there were still too many. It was especially tough to handle the high-rank quests.
One could only imagine the guild staff's joyful faces the moment Grey, Yuna, Kris, and Aria returned to Galderia. Although Kris and Aria had to head somewhere for personal reasons, they were still able to clear out a large portion of quests. Thanks to the four of them, things have returned to normal in the guild.
"Un. Morning, Tilda." ［Yuna］
"Are there any high-ranking quests available, Tilda?" ［Grey］
"Sadly, no. All there are are those posted in the quest boards." ［Tilda］
"I see... That's unfortunate..." ［Grey］
As soon as Tilda finished tending to the previous adventurer, Grey and Yuna then approached her and asked for any higher quests in hopes that there were still some yet to be posted. Sadly, that was not the case.
All that was left in the quest boards were quests of D-rank and below. While they could still earn some good money from them, what they were after was the experience of fighting strong opponents just like they did in the labyrinth.
During their time in the labyrinth, they had quickly gotten stronger because of how challenging the circumstances were, but in the face of lower-ranking quests, they could barely call it training.
After all, to them, even opponents who could easily tear apart buildings with ease are just small fries. There was no challenge at all. For it to be called "training", the opponents needed to be A-rank or above, at very least at B-rank. Something which would seem like insanity to most people.
"Ah, right. I just remembered. The Guildmaster said he wanted to meet the two of you. He'll be in his office, waiting." ［Tilda］
"The Guildmaster...?" ［Yuna］
"Did he mention anything else?" ［Grey］
"Unfortunately, not. All he said was to have you meet him as soon as you arrive. It's probably something important." ［Tilda］
Grey and Yuna were a little puzzled by Tilda's statement. No matter how hard they tried to think, they couldn't remember anything they did which could warrant the Guildmaster's attention enough for him to call them, except for one thing.
If there was one, it would only be the fact that they were involved in a few hectic occurrences in Moterno. They have already reported it to the Guildmaster, leaving some confidential parts aside, and it was something the guild isn't directly concerned about. Meaning it was not that.
There was also the fact that they went all the way to the 9th floor in the Labyrinth of Death, but apart from the two of them, no one else knew of that. It was even more unlikely that that was the reason.
The most likely one was the raid a couple of months ago. That was their conclusion using the process of elimination. So many things have happened that they almost forgot that they were part of it.
"Hmm... Thanks for telling us, Tilda. Then, be heading to the Guildmaster's office now." ［Grey］
"See you later, Tilda!" ［Yuna］
"Okay, see you later. I'll fill you in if a good quest comes around." ［Tilda］
With nothing else to do, Grey and Yuna headed to the Guildmaster's office which they had just visited when they returned. The only difference from then and now was that there were less people rushing in the hallways as the busy period was over.
Knock Knock Knock
A classic rhythm of knocks echoed in the Guildmaster's office as soon as Grey and Yuna arrived. The Guildmaster didn't even need to hear their voices to identify who they were. He was expecting them, after all.
"The door's open, just come in whenever." ［Gaston］
"Good morning, Guildmaster, I heard you were calling for us?" ［Grey］
"Yeah. There's just some business which requires you two." ［Gaston］
"Is it about 'Iblis' again, Guildmaster?" ［Yuna］
No seconds were wasted. As soon as they entered, they immediately asked the contents of the informal meeting. And the purpose was just as they had expected just from seeing the Guildmaster's expression.
"Haah... Damn right you are..." ［Gaston］
All that could be seen on the Guildmaster was exhaustion and a little bit of irritation. He had just cleared his paperwork yesterday, but with the new documents that just arrived, he had more work to do again.
"It's already been months. Hasn't the kingdom finished already?" ［Grey］
"That's how it usually goes, but there are still remnants of 'Iblis' which are trying to cause mayhem. While they've almost cleared them all out by now, those bastards are still so persistent! They just keep on making trouble!" ［Gaston］
The Guildmaster's expression worsened with his sudden outburst. It wouldn't even take a genius to figure out how much he loathed Iblis. They were the main reason why his workload kept on increasing.
All that's left was for the Guildmaster to breathe fire and he would look like a furious dragon, ready to tip apart his enemies. It was the first time Grey and Yuna saw him lose his temper so much. To say the least, it was... interesting...?
"Haah... Anyway, I'm not really the one who will brief you of the details. I'm just a messenger of sorts. The one you really need to meet is the city lord." ［Gaston］
"Galderia's Lord?" ［Grey］
"That's right. His name is Cedric von Aldridge, a count. I haven't really been told what you're gonna talk about, but if I were to guess, the most probable reason was to invite you two to the capital." ［Gaston］
To his words, Grey and Yuna slightly tilted their heads in puzzlement. If it was just to talk about the Iblis incident, they saw no need for going to the capital. Rather, it sounded more complex because of it.
Trying to answer Grey and Yuna's confusion, Gaston then briefly explained his theory. Just as Grey and Yuna had guessed, the invitation to the capital was not as simple as it seemed. There were a few events attached to it.
Apparently, there was a chance Grey and Yuna might be involved in an awarding ceremony in honor of Iblis's defeat. They would most likely be awarded by the King for their efforts with a medal, money, valuable items, and maybe, a territory.
In Merusia, those who have done exemplary service could be awarded by the king by a medal which, in some cases, could even be more valuable than a peerage. They are honors only which grants privilege and respect towards their holders.
The six medals in order of the least to most important are as follows: The Medal of Service, Medal of Bravery, Medal of Chivalry, Medal of Excellence, Medal of Honor, and Medal of Valor. Which are also known as the Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Dragon stars, respectively.
The Iron Star is awarded only to those who participated in times of war. The Bronze Star to those who performed great service or died in war. The Silver Star to those who did exemplary service or saved a lot of lives. The Gold Star to those who solved large threats. The Platinum Star to heroes who solved National-level threats. And finally, the Dragon Star awarded to those who stopped International threats.
With Iblis' scale, it was very likely that they would be rewarded the Gold Star or Medal of Excellence at the very least. It may be an honor for many, but to Grey and Yuna, they were just a pain to deal with.
"Guildmaster... if we are ever awarded with those medals, is there any way we can decline it?" ［Grey］
"Hmm... I don't think there is. But why would you want to? Isn't it a great honor to receive such a medal." ［Gaston］
Grey already knew the answer yet he still held to a sliver of hope that there was a way. But that sliver of hope was quickly and mercilessly crushed by the Guildmaster's words. It was hopeless.
"Well, if you don't want to, you can decline it. But it would be rude to the King if you do that. Some people might even make it hard for you because of that." ［Gaston］
To make things even worse, if they were to try and escape the situation, it would become even more troublesome. Grey and Yuna were left with no other choice but to accept it.
Grey and Yuna could pray that their assumptions were wrong, but there was a very good probability that it was the case. All they could do was heave a lengthy sigh as they accepted their inevitable fate.
"Right... Guildmaster, when will we be meeting the lord?" ［Grey］
"Actually, I still need to tell him that you agreed to meeting him. After that, he will schedule your meeting, so it might take a couple of days." ［Gaston］
"I see... At least we still have some to prepare... Haah..." ［Grey］
"I want to eat pudding..." ［Yuna］
Grey heaved another lengthy sigh after hearing the Guildmaster's words. Yuna, on the other hand, was thinking of sweets in an effort to raise her mood, though it was still down even after a few attempts.
After Grey and Yuna accepted their fates, the Guildmaster talked with them about a lot of things, but most of them weren't as important as the possibility of getting awarded a medal. They were dismissed soon after.
As soon as they were dismissed, Grey and Yuna went out of the office and headed to the lobby to pick up some quests, and unsurprisingly, there were still no high-rank quests unavailable. All they had to choose from were mid-rank and low-rank quests.
In both E-rank and D-rank, there were only a total of a little more than a dozen quests. Even if they were to pick the ones with the highest quest point rewards, it would still not make a dent to their rank up exam requirement. At most, they would be able to get a couple hundred points, out of the almost 60,00 they needed.
"Hey, have you heard? There was an accident in the capital!"
Just as Yuna and Grey were choosing the best quests from the quest boards, they were able to accidentally overhear the other adventurers talk about an accident which apparently occurred at the capital.
It was not their intention to eavesdrop, but it concerned them, since they would also be heading there sooner or later. Additionally, it is also the other adventurers' fault for talking about an interesting topic with such a loud voice.
"Yeah, I heard that an explosion happened at the royal academy. They said a lot of instructors were hurt."
"But was it really an accident?"
"That's what they say, but I feel like they were just trying to cover it up. It was probably an assault or something!"
"Whatever it is, it really doesn't concern us."
"You're right. Ah, right, have you seen that..."
The topic ended as suddenly as it started and the adventurers shifted to another, less interesting topic. It was as if the topic was never brought up to begin with. They just continued on without a care in the world.
"What do you think about it, Yuna?" ［Grey］
I don't know... I think it would be better if we ask Tilda about it. But first, we should probably pick our quests." ［Yuna］
"Ah, right." ［Grey］
After selecting 5 quests, Yuna and Grey then headed to the reception desk and gave it to Tildanfor processing. Taking the chance, Grey also asked Tilda about the rumors they just heard.
"Tilda, did something happen in the capital?" ［Grey］
"Hm? Why do you ask?" ［Tilda］
"We heard the adventurers talking about it. Just a little curious, that's all." ［Grey］
To Grey'S words, Tilda thought for a little bit before giving an answer. It was not like it was a secret so there was no guilt whatsoever inside Tilda's heart. After all, most adventurers already knew about it.
"Well... From what I heard... an accident supposedly happened in the royal academy about two weeks ago. A magic device they were working on malfunctioned and exploded. There weren't any casualties, thankfully. Though I did hear that a lot of the instructors were injured." ［Tilda］
"Is that all...? I think I heard them saying that it wasn't just an accident." ［Grey］
"They said it was a terrorist attack." ［Yuna］
"That's the rumor. Some of the witnesses said that rather than an explosion from a malfunctioning device, it looked more like a spell. Because of that, some speculated that it was a terrorist attack." ［Tilda］
Tilda explained casually as she processed Grey and Yuna's picked quests. Even when she was conversing with them, her hands didn't stop moving as if it had a mind of its own.
As for the rumor, it was only sensible why it had spread so much. After all, physical and magical explosions are drastically different to an expert's eyes. There would be a much violent flow of mana in the surroundings if it was the latter.
"It's just a rumor though. I don't really know if it's true." ［Tilda］
"Ah, no. What you said was enough." ［Grey］
"I'm glad to be of help." ［Tilda］
After hearing about the recent happenings in the capital, Grey and Yuna started to rethink about going to the capital if they were ever going to be invited. They didn't want to be deal with terrorists.
"Here are your quests. I've done processing them." ［Tilda］
"Thanks, Tilda." ［Grey］
"No problem. You can count on me anytime!" ［Tilda］
"Bye, Tilda～!" ［Yuna］
With their quests entries processed, Grey and Yuna then headed out of the guild and then out of the city. They headed to the nearby forest which was the usual spot where monster subjugation quests are located.
Even when they were finishing important quests, they couldn't get the accident in the capital of their minds. Because of it, the rate of their quest completion has become significantly slower.
Currently, Grey and Yuna were on their last quest to subjugate a group of Treants. Even when they were just E-rank monsters, they weren't able to annihilate them instantly like they usually do.
⟨⟨Aqua Stream!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］
Yuna fired off an extremely pressurized cascading streams of water towards the last Treant. The spell destroyed every tree on it's path, but when it didn't hit the treant. The attack was offset a little.
"Tch." ［Yuna］
As Yuna clicked her tongue, Grey took the opportunity to land the finishing blow. He suddenly appeared behind the Treant and before it could even react, he gave it a good blow towards the trunk.
⟨⟨Megaton Shotgun!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
The attack instantly blasted the Treant's upper body into smithereens. As for the lower part, it fell to the ground with a loud thud and then slowly vanished into thin air like how monsters usually do.
"Yuna, you seem distracted. Is that accident really bothering you that much?" ［Grey］
Grey asked the moment the Treant was taken down. While he was affected, Yuna was much worse to the point she missed for the first time in a long while.
"No, I'm just worried." ［Yuna］
"About what?" ［Grey］
"About Liz's older sister. Liz said she was studying in the royal capital, so I was just wondering if she was safe from that accident. Liz would be sad if something did happen to her." ［Yuna］
Yuna's answer was wholly outside of Grey's expectation. They have yet to meet Eliza's older sister but even then, Yuna was already worried about her safety as she considered Eliza's wellbeing.
They weren't a little bit worried about Eliza as Polaris was there for her. They even receive daily reports from Polaris about the little lady's daily life. They even communicate with her from time to time through Polaris.
Another advantage of summoning familiars with multiple masters was that they could directly use them as medium for telepathic communication. The stronger the familiars are, the better the quality of telepathy will be, which was especially true for Grey and Yuna who share 4 A-rank and an S-rank familiar.
"Don't worry about her. I'm sure she's fine, after all, the rumors only said that only the instructors were hurt. I'm sure all the students including her are fine." ［Grey］
"You're right... I shouldn't have let that affect me. Sorry..." ［Yuna］
"I understand why you're worrying, so it doesn't bother me. Actually, now that you mention it, I'm also getting a little worried about her for Liz's sake." ［Grey］
Influenced by Yuna, Grey also started to think of Eliza's older sister's sake. Not only them, he was also worried about Kurt, Vanessa, and Gustav who was currently residing at the capital.
Seeing his reaction, Yuna couldn't help but giggle a little. She knew full well that Grey becomes overprotective to the people he cares about, and although it becomes annoying sometimes, it was one of his characteristics which she fell in love with.
"Fufufu... Liz has become like our little sister after all." ［Yuna］
"Yeah... No, actually, sometimes, I even think of her as our daughter. Especially when you console her, you two really look like mother,.. and... child..." ［Grey］
Grey ended his statement with the last part being spoken in a broken manner. The reason for it was simple. It was because he saw Yuna's flustered face and realized the implications of what he just said.
While Grey truly does treat Eliza as a little sister, due to his mental age, he sometimes thinks of her as a daughter. Yuna also knows of Grey's circumstances which made it even more embarrassing, especially when Grey was implying that she would be the mother to his child.
Although they sleep together in the same room and bed since they've become a couple, they have yet to progress their relationship to "that" level. The thought of doing "that" in order to have children was overwhelming the mind of the pure and innocent Yuna.
"Wait, Yuna. That's not what I meant! No, wait, it's not like I don't want to have a daughter with you! No, I mean I really want to but it's still too early. Wait, what am I even saying?! I mean, Liz is like, umm, you know a little sister. Yes, right, a little sister, but sometimes she acts like a small child so I kept thinking that she's like a daughter. No, that's not what I meant! What I meant to say waー" ［Grey］
"Grey, stop... It's embarrassing..." ［Yuna］
Panicking, Grey tried to explain himself to Yuna with the best of his ability. He tried and tried but kept fumbling what he wanted to say. Just as he was about to reach his limit, Yuna suddenly held his hand and called out his name, making him stop talking.
Yuna's flustered face was even redder than Grey to the point that even her ears were beet red. Grey's explanation didn't help out at all. The only thing it made was make both of their embarrassment worse.
"Sorry, that was thoughtless of me to say." ［Grey］
"N-No... You don't have to apologize. Actually... I'm really happy that you think of it that way..." ［Yuna］
Yuna said bashfully, with her face even redder than how it previously was. While it was too early for her to think of "that" stuff, she was extremely happy that Grey considers not only the present, but also their future together.
Seeing her like that and hearing her words, Grey's mind finally reached its limit. Her words were just too destructive for his mortal heart to handle that his soul started to ascend into heaven.
"Grey, are you alright...? Grey...? Hey, Grey～? Wait, Grey... Grey! Greeeey!! Come back to me! Gre～y!!!" ［Yuna］
Yuna's loud yet adorable worried voice echoed throughout the wide forest. But it was useless since Grey's mind had already stopped responding. His girlfriend was just too cute for him to handle.
CHAPTER 67 END