*Exactly twenty-five days ago.
The ,,Academy" as they called it wasn't anything to scoff at. Spacious and comfortable individual rooms, with full catering made it an experience comparable to four star hotels from earth. Well, considering their training regime, it was more of a luxurious ,,camp".
The students were now waiting
"Right, first things first, I shall present you Lord Wizard Uriel. He shall explain the peculiarities of Alvia.
I leave them to you Uriel"
"Yes, yes, do not worry my friend. They are in good hands."- Uriel wasn't your average wizard. While most would depict magic users as long-bearded elderly men, Uriel was neither bearded nor old. Thirty years. Akio could give him no more than that.
"So, with introductions out of the way, I want to know from where do I have to pick up. How much did his highness tell you?"
"We were largely told what the situation was, but the King wasn't all that specific."- Taking initiatve in anything that included complaining, Jirou was the first to break the ice.
"It's his highness kid. Even with your otherwordler status, I do not think that you can compare to how holy he is!"
"Yeah, yeah..."
"In any case, let us start your first class"
"What??"
...
*
Having arrived in the famous city of San Petro, Akio couldn't feel anything but bliss. After all, he had seen nothing but the roof of his carriage for three days straight.
Many things, if he was honest with himself, kind of worthless happened at the Academy. They at least got to know all it mattered for them about Alvia. Now he just had to get stronger and save the world!
"Yawnn... the kingdom of Grandcontine sure is beautiful!"- Fumiko, seemingly just now getting out of the travel haze she had been, looked around the Market where they debarked the carriage, seemingly impressed by how fantastical it all looked. After all, how couldn't it. Busy streets filled with carriages, parallel to alleys stuffed with people and merchant shops. It was everything their urban suburbia didn't have. There was just one thing she disliked....
Going past her, two beastmen slaves were obviously shaken from being near their owner. The two sisters, one barely of mature age and the other looking like just out of middle school, were dressed in pieces of clothes that narrowly Cataloged as rags and presented visible bruises on their bodies.
How could these people live so comfortably while treating their slaves horribly? Why even have slaves... Fumiko hated their morality...
Then there was Akira. Getting earliest out of the carriage, he was already comparing the market's prices with the ones he knew from the Academy.
*
"So remember, the average weekly wage for an adventurer is five gold pieces. Now, this may sound like a small sum, because it is-"laughter came out of the students, or at least that was what the wizard imagined. In reality, only a small number actually listened to what he was saying.
"Anyway, while five gold coins isn't a fortune, it is more than enough to last a week. In our word, we convert a metal of a higher quality into ten times as much of a...."
*
It seemed ridiculous. The hickes certain products had were way off from what the old man though him. It any case, it didn't actually matter. He just had to kill Akio and get the main position in defeating the Demon King. Then he wouldn't have to worry about money.
He just had to find a difficult enough mission...
"Right... Akio, Fumiko-san, let us go to the Guild already. I want to get started."
"Sure, but wasn't there supposed to be a guide?"- In that moment Fumiko sprang forward from suddenly being touched on her shoulder. Though the other boys immediately turned towards the unknown individual prepared to fight, they found before them an unseemly teen.
"S-sorry! I didn't want to startle you"-he said while bowing furiously.
"You see, I am the Guide assigned by the Guild, my name is Rudolf"
"Huh, like the Reindeer?"- Akira couldn't help but notice the boy's cross-bite front teeth, though he wasn't sure as to whether they reminded him of a deer or a rabbit.
Still, it was a certainty that the timidity he displayed was due to them. If Akira was him, he would have long since committed suicide.
"So, where is this Guild?"
"R-right, please follow me"
And so they did. After strolling for fifteen minutes, they arrived at headquarters of ,,The Flying Lions". They giant complex, in their eyes a truly outstanding construction, emitted a very high-class air, not something which they normally associated with adventurers.
The lobby area felt truly marvelous. A combination of giant windows of gothic design and sleek furnishings made the hall only comparable to the dorms they had been in. And rightly so, they all felt lucky to have been sent to a big Guild.
"So... what now?"-It seemed like they weren't they only ones impressed by the Guild, as seen from the droves of people waiting in lines at the reception desks. Still, knowing this is a fantasy isekai, Akira could already tell what would happen next. After all, they were at the Adventurers Guild.
"W-we will go to have you a-all registered."
"Do we have to wait in these huge lines?"
"N-no.... in fact.... just follow me"-Surprisingly, the rabbit-teethed boy had the courage to cut the line, earning more than a few complaints from veteran adventurers and newbies alike, though the ,,violent" attempts stopped after he showed them a certain badge. What read on it, Akira wouldn't know.
"This is Silvia, one of our best clerks"
"Oh, these are..."- Beautiful was the only way Akira could describe the woman before him and he didn't like it one bit. Even along-side Fumiko, who had a balanced, curved figure, Silvia's voluptuous body was certainly an eye candy worthy of a mature woman.
It felt dangerous looking at her, as if he would develop feelings for this obviously taken lady. So he glanced away, an act that seemed to make her giggle.
"Right, the elite party, these-"
"I can't take them."
"What?"
"There is actually an order from the Guild Master"
"I wasn't informed of this..."- he was obviously annoyed that he had not known. After all, what example would he give to the newbies?
"A newer colleague of mine is to aid them, let me just....
ah, Lari, come here quickly"
"Yes?"-Now this was a sight, not in terms of beauty as Akira wasn't attracted to the girl's slender body, but he was intrigued in a different way.
Her pupils, two cracked pieces of glass, weren't like anything he had seen before. It was mesmerising in a way.
"I leave them to you, then. Rudolf, would you be a gentleman and help me carry some papers?"
"Y-yes!"-suddenly his irritation dropped. It looked like his helpfulness far outweighed his own emotions. What kind of life could he had lived to have such a personality? In any case, he didn't care to know.
Even a minute after they left, the girl still said no words. She just eyed them, as if inspecting if they actually had any potential.
She had an erie vibe. Dressed in an elegant black dress, in combination with the black cristal she had hanged at her neck by a choker. Considering the otherwise modest attire of the rest of the receptionists, she seemed out of place.
"Hello, my name is Larique Benetton.-she said while making a noble greeting.| he felt no emotion from her, as if her words were just recited from somewhere.
I will be the one in charge of processing your quests ans other Guild related documents.| it sensed wierd. Her words emanated such sweetness, that he felt wrong just doubting her.
I am also new so please take care of me!"|how could she have such a pure look, but also feel so...detached. Larique Benetton sure was a mystery.
Glancing at Akio, just from the way he looked, he was smitten with her. Akira was confused. Was his enemy blind? Didn't he notice how fake her tone had been? Maybe it was for the better. He could work with it...
"As per what was agreed, you will all receive permanent rooms and free meals in the Guild's Inn, here are the keys.- she handed them three small boxes, each one having a key and number inside.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask....
I wish you all good luck in the future!"
"Wait, don't we need to have our statuses assessed?"
"Your stats have been sent from the capital."-for a moment he thought he saw something, perhaps a death glare, but that couldn't be. After all, she was so sweet....
"Oh..."-now he felt really stupid.... of course they sent them! How wouldn't they know!
"Right, then let us take some rest."-Fumiko, the first to act, was already moving, box in hand. The way she stomped, she was obviously angry, but why? Actually, he could guess the reason.
"She was really ,,sweet", wasn't she?"- Fumiko tramped even harder. It was clear...