Gideon tried out the gears he thought would be useful to him. He spun around, raising both hands to show off his gear. He was wearing a brown leather cuirass over his chest and both shoulders, in addition to the clothing he was already wearing. A black leather sheath containing an iron shortsword with a brown handle hung from his hip.
"What do you think?" Gideon asked, shrugging and staring at the three people in front of him.
Halini and Ordy both clapped, while Rothwell simply nodded and crossed his arms.
"It looks great on you," Halini said, still clapping.
Ordy placed his hand on his chin and nodded slowly. "You appeared to be a true adventurer now."
"I'm still not used to taking my sword out of its sheath; real swords feel different to pull out than the ones I was using back home, which were only for aesthetic purposes," Gideon said as he pulled the handle of the sword until half of its sharp blade was visible, then pushed it back into the sheath. "Perhaps because this one is actually sharp... and it has the potential to kill someone."
Ordy laughed. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it once you've fought with it."
Gideon made his way toward Rothwell. "I'll take this set."
Rothwell nodded and released his crossed arms. "I see you have good taste; one leather armor and one shortsword for one gold and five silver coins."
Gideon took a few moments to look at the set he was wearing. "It's fine; I'd get my gold back in this quest anyway; it's an investment."
"That's what I'm talking about! Gideon, my lad, understands that being completely cheap is not always the best option! Investments in higher-quality gear are critical in this line of work; we're risking our lives here, so getting the best gear you can afford is the best option... always," Ordy raised his thumb and smiled.
Gideon smiled and shook his head before returning his gaze to Rothwell. "Where could I pay for it?"
Rothwell smiled. "Just go to the counter and hand your payment to my wife," he said before turning away and walking toward the forge in the far corner of the room. "I'll go do my job now, as always, it's nice doing business with you."
"Bye-bye, Rothwell," Halini said with a smile and a wave to Rothwell.
Gideon, on the other hand, walked over to the counter, where Shony was waiting, and paid for the gears he had purchased.
"Good luck with your adventures," Shony said as she watched them leave the shop, smiling.
The three exited the shop and proceeded to the guild hall's location. Gideon kept rubbing his hand on his newly purchased leather armor with great enthusiasm while they were traveling. He sniffed the shiny brown leather armor as he leaned his face against the shoulder pad.
"It smells really nice, and it makes a cushy sound every time I move; it's addictive," Gideon said.
Ordy and Halini both responded by laughing.
The three of them remained silent as they passed through the massive crowd gathered inside the marketplace; Halini and Ordy simply let Gideon take his time while marveling at his new gears; they were contentedly watching him with smiles on their faces.
The silence between them three was broken, however, when Gideon had an unexpected thought. His gaze returned to Halini and Ordy. "Do you mind if I ask you two a question?"
Ordy and Halini raised their thumbs and smiled at Gideon without hesitation. "Of course, what is it?" they both asked at the same time.
Gideon remained silent for a few seconds, fighting the reluctance that was preventing him from speaking. But his determination to discover triumphed in the end. "Are you two acquainted with an item known as... The stone of the otherworldly hero?"
A brief silence fell between the three of them, but it was quickly broken when Ordy nodded with a smile. "Of course, the Stone of the otherworldly hero is a well-known legend, but there is no proof of its existence... just a popular myth, to be precise."
Gideon's attention was drawn to Ordy. "A myth, you say?"
Ordy smiled as he turned to face Gideon. "Why? Do you want to find that mythical item?"
Gideon scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "No, not at all; I just heard about it somewhere and thought, hmm, that's interesting, so I asked," he cleared his throat. "Anyway, while we're at it, why not tell me a little bit about it? If you don't mind, I'd like to satisfy my curiosity."
"Travelers are truly filled with curiosity," Halini observed. "Perhaps that's why you can't stop yourself from traveling around the world to learn."
Gideon gave Halini a warm smile. "I know, right? Curiosity runs through every vein of my body; it can't be avoided."
Then both Gideon and Halini chuckled; on the other hand, Ordy was just nodding, trying to recall a story he heard when he was younger— the myth about the Stone of the otherworldly hero.
"These are my memories of that legend," Ordy began.
"Oh, we're starting the story now?"
"Yay, story!"
Ordy pressed his hand to his chin, narrowing his already closed eyes even more. "They said it was created by a powerful mage whose identity is unknown, a mythical item with the ability to summon an extraordinary hero, not just a hero like the ones we have in Eteria, that hero would come from another world other than ours. According to legend, the hero has three heads, each with their own personality and abilities to compensate for the weaknesses of the others. Similar to multi-headed creatures such as three-headed ogres or the mighty Dzalmus, the only difference is that this hero has a human appearance. Each of the heads possessed unrivaled abilities that the world had never seen before. People believe that once the hero arrives, he will unite all of Eteria's races and cultures... That hero and its three heads will pave the way for peace."
"A powerful human with three heads? It sounds eerie rather than cool," Halini remarked, her eyes narrowing. "I can't imagine going through life with two heads protruding from my shoulders."
"The legend didn't specify where the other heads were located, so they could be anywhere in the body," Ordy said, his baritone laughter echoing.
"That made it even more disturbing," Halini said as she wrapped her arms around herself to relieve the chill running down her spine. "It's a good thing that's just a myth, and there's no way I'd ever meet such a person."
"Yeah, something like that would be ridiculous," Gideon said. While having a deep thought inside his head, his twitching eyes were on the road. He, on the other hand, kept it to himself and told no one. "Very unlikely," he said, lying.
They arrived at the guild hall after a few minutes of walking, and as they entered, they were greeted by the loud roars of the adventurers inside.
"Doesn't that look like our lad, Gideon? That armor fits you!"
"Wave your sword, my lad—or do another cool stance!"
"Finally, the monster has decided to hunt in the wild! If I were one of the monsters in Etveya's forest, I would keep a close eye on you!"
Gideon looked down and rubbed the back of his head after hearing those words of encouragement. On his face, a small but lively smile appeared.
"Mian! Vien! I've missed you two!" Halini exclaimed as she ran up to Mian and Vien, who were leaning against the wall toward the registrar, and hugged them both. "Did you miss me?"
"Yes, yes, Halini, I missed you too, but don't dangle on me, you're heavy."
"Ehh! Mian, don't say that!"
"Um... Miss Halini, I missed you too."
"You're so cute, Vien!"
Gideon made his way to the registrar, where Seilyn awaited him. He came to a halt in front of the desk and looked Seilyn in the eyes.
"If that's okay, I'll go adventuring with them," Gideon said.
Seilyn smiled and nodded. "Of course, Gideon; I'll immediately register you as an official member of their party, and best wishes on your journey."
Gideon smiled. "Thanks."
"Do you hear it, people? Gideon, my lad, is now an official member of our party!" Ordy exclaimed, his voice reverberating throughout the room. "And what is the name of the said party?" he asked, raising his right arm and flexing his bicep.
Without hesitation, Mian and Halini stood on both of Ordy's sides and raised their hands toward him, their faces expressionless. Vien followed them, his entire face and neck flushed. But, unlike the last time she sat in front of Ordy, she crouched in front of Halini while raising her hands, creating an open space in front of Mian that was reserved for only one person.
Mian, Ordy, and Halini looked at the one person who was missing from their formation, while Vien looked down in embarrassment.
Gideon stared at them in disbelief for a few seconds. However, seeing the smiles of his new party mates while waiting for him, he couldn't help but smile back.
Gideon shook his head. "Yup, this is definitely my life now," he said as he dashed to the open space in front of Mian, crouched and raised his hands like Vien, and smiled at the crowd of eager adventurers.
"We are the Super Explosive Marvelous Troopers!"