"Hello everyone! I am Cecilla Starla; it is a pleasure to meet you all!"
'?!'
'Starla, like the missing guy?'
Kai knew there was talk about a special mission to save the noble stuck in the dungeon, but he wasn't sure if they had issued the mission yet.
'Sigh, I should've left when I could; now she's looking at me.'
Cecilla was indeed staring at Kai, but not with malicious intent, yet interest.
"Excuse me, young adventurer, it seems like you've come from a dungeon. Did you see you, a 17-year-old with blonde slicked back hair, always smiling? There should have been five armored men with him."
All eyes shifted to the bloody Kai; some looked at him with interest while others with envy.
'So he's still missing. And why are these boys looking at me like that?'
"Uh, no. I actually didn't see anyone. But I was in the tombstone dungeon."
Everyone's eyes widened; some gasped while others looked at Kai with pity. Nothing good could come with the amount of blood on Kai's clothes.
The only reason Kai told the truth about where he came from was that he figured it would cause less panic. If he had said he came for the dungeon where the missing noble was in and said he didn't see him, then they may blame him or call him a liar.
It would be unnecessary trouble that Kai wanted to avoid.
"Woah, so you're tier: 1 at such a young age, quite impressive." Cecilla smiled and raised her hand.
"Sorry for taking your time, [Cleanse]!"
A water bubble covered Kai's entire body, stripping the dirt, sweat, and blood from Kai's body. In only a few seconds, Kai's body and armor were cleaned entirely!
After the bubble went away, Kai could hear some whispers.
"That's why she's amazing. At only fifteen, she became a mage; she's already a tier:1!"
"So cool"
These whispers surprised Kai; after all, he was younger, yet the people seemed more amazed at the noble girl than him. He started to think he looked a lot older than he was.
'Now, how do I ask her to clean my sheets?'
'No, I probably will be attacked if I did.'
Looking at the coachman and the citizens, Kai knew he wouldn't make it out unsheathed.
"Thank you!"
Cecilla only smiled and stepped back into the carriage. The only reason she came out was to greet the public and ask Kai about the dungeon.
Kai was grateful she cleaned his armor, but he still had the same problem, he could just buy new sheets, but they would probably cost more. He didn't ask the receptionist because he wasn't sure how he would react, yet now Kai was beginning to think he should have.
The carriage started moving again, past Kai into the area he had just come from. And the street of people also started moving. Yet he could still see some people staring at him. Not wanting any more attention, Kai began to walk toward the adventurer guild.
The streets were almost entirely empty, and the citizens all wanted to get a chance to talk with a member of nobility. And for a good reason, if you could get a noble's good side, you could potentially get a good job or even some gifts.
The benefits were simply too much for normal citizens not to try. This, of course, didn't apply to everyone; some people were set for their lives or happy with what they had, so they didn't see a need to be out on the streets trying to attract the attention of a noble.
Walking into the Adventurer Guild, Kai noticed a good number of people there. Though it was less than usual, there was still a decent amount of adventurers inside. Whether they were out on a quest, dungeon, or trying to see the nobles, Kai didn't know or care.
Looking around, Kai spotted a girl; she wore a blue open robe with blue and black armor underneath. A holster on the left side of her black pants had a wand inside. The girl had long blue hair tied into a ponytail beside her bangs that reached her long, back, sharp eyebrows. Her deep blue eyes were focused on a tattered book on the table she was sitting at.
The first thought Kai had was, 'Water mage!'
Walking up to the late teen, Kai asked, "Mind if I sit down?"
Looking at Kai, the girl sighed, "Sure, I need a break anyway."
Closing the book, she signaled for Kai to sit across from her. Nodding, Kai thanked her and sat down.
"So, what did you wanna talk about?" She asked, tilting her head.
"Are you perhaps a water mage?"
If she wasn't, then Kai would just excuse himself, but if he was right then, he might have found someone who could help.
The girl smirked, "What gave it away?" She said while pointing at all the blue.
Relieved he was right, Kai decided to ask immediately; after all, he didn't want to be looking for help all day.
"Well, I got blood all over my sheets in my inn and was looking for a water mage to clean then."
"Hahaha" The girl started laughing after hearing what Kai wanted.
Kai frowned, wondering if what he said was funny. He thought it was a reasonable request, it was just cleaning up blood off his sheets.
"Sorry, ha, sorry. But did you even ask the receptionist at the inn? It's pretty common for adventurers to get their rooms dirty, and they always have extras in case. You don't have to clean them yourself; you just inform the workers."
Stunned, Kai was a little embarrassed, "Huh, I see."
Just as he was about to stand up, the girl spoke, "Stay a little bit; it's been a while since I've talked to a newbie adventurer. I bet you have tons of questions."
'This could be a good time to ask a few questions I've had.'
"Umm, what do you know about the Starla family?"
Kai decided from the start to put on a shy act that would make it easier for him to ask questions, and people would be more open to answering his questions.
"So you're curious about the Starla family? That makes sense since they're in town right now. The Starla family is a middle-class noble family in Mongla city."
Mongla city? Kai had never heard of it, but it couldn't be far since the Starla family came here in only a few days.
"So, what's a middle-class noble family?"
"My my. You don't know much, do ya." The girl smirked.
"But that's ok, you'll learn. There are three classes of nobles—low, middle, and high. The difference in each is power and influence; lower families would only have a few tier 3's and influence over a town to a small city. Middle-class families have a tier 4, with many tier 3's; they also have influence over an entire large city and some towns. While high-class families have many tier 4's and a higher tier 4, they also have influence over many cities and towns. But be careful. Even if they are a small-class noble family, you can't provoke them as you would provoke all nobles and the royal family."
Taking in all the information, Kai was slightly shocked that the Starla family was a middle-class family. It made sure to remember that they have influence over Mongla City.
"S-so what about Cecilla Starla?" Kai asked, looking away.
The blue-haired teen gasped, "Is my cute junior lovestruck?"
Cute?
Junior?
Kai didn't expect to be described as such but paid it no mind; after all, the person in front of him was older, so him being a junior made sense. Though calling someone senior would be new to him, it was a sign of respect, so he didn't mind calling someone senior.
" Cecilla Starla is the most talented youth in the Starla family. Actually, she's the most talented in all middle-class noble families. At the age of fifteen, she reached tier: 1 and became a water mage like me. Though I'm eighteen, by the time she's my age, she might be a tier: 1. She also has an older brother named Vaira Starla. He isn't as talented, and he's still a tier:0 at the age of nineteen. Most people look down on him, but Cecilla doesn't, at least not to the public. Unfortunately for you, she's already engaged to a prince of the royal family."
Kai pretended to be upset, but he couldn't care less. But the fact she was the 'most talented' in the Starla family did shock him. He didn't expect the star of the Starla family to come here for her brother.
'Fifteen and tier:1 is considered the most talented in all middle-class families, so what about the high-class families or even the royal family?'
Kai wanted to compare himself to the royal family, yet he didn't want to ask about them in case it drew attention.
"I s-see. Thank you, senior."
"Anna."
"Huh?"
"My name is Anna."
"I see, thank you, Anna. I'm Kai, by the way." Kai said with a genuine smile; he enjoyed his little talk and learned much about the nobles.
"Sure thing, little newbie!" Anna said with a big grin.
Her grin sent shivers down his spine, but Kai wasn't sure why. Shaking his head, Kai chuckled before leaving.
Returning to the inn, he informed the receptionist about his problem.
"Ah, no problem, we'll send a new pair of sheets to your room shortly."
Thanking him, Kai waited in his room for the new sheets.
"Man, I'm hungry!"