“Did you think that I wouldn’t be able to hear you through all this noise, huh? Did you honestly believe I wouldn’t remember that ‘rooster head’ you call hair? Come on, I know you want to let everything out, so do it already!”
I was livid. Blood was rushing through my body from my heart’s furious pounding, agitated by the words this young man sneakily gossiped about me. The rational parts of my brain, which included my parallel minds, were trying to convince me to calm down, but the childish side of me, the part that still remembered the annoying prattling of the other idol trainees, overwhelmed everything else.
The searing heat I could feel from the center of my chest made me aware that I had to let my anger out. My solar core wouldn’t rest until I did.
The red-haired boy widened his eyes like a surprised pug, looking at me with a mix of bafflement and anxiousness. As I was staring him down, my anger was slowly taking the control away from my [Draconic Aura] skill. Among the three skills that comprised this master skill was [Tyrant’s Aura], the evolved version of [Terror Aura], and it was just oozing out of me, pressuring the five people sitting at this table.
“Hey, Miss priestess, I would like to ask you to calm down. We ain’t looking for trouble. We want to enjoy our evening after some hard work,” a well-built man with a greatsword leaning next to him at the table reproached me. His glare told me of his irritation, that he didn’t want to deal with whatever argument that was about to happen.
Within the hunter’s and mercenary guild, there were rules for how an adventurer was allowed to act in public. Even with all the rough-looking vagrants, guilds were still run by the guild master using a set of rules that each member had to follow, regardless of their rank. This was to keep the unity and peace within it. This wasn’t some rag-tag organization just ‘cause of their rowdy members.
A couple of these rules mentioned the interaction between adventurers.
Normally, from what I heard from Ellaine, a commoner was never, ever allowed to disobey a noble, regardless of their rank. If a noble invited you to come to their mansion for a meeting, a commoner wasn’t allowed to decline without a proper reason. The caste system in the Kingdom of Artorias influenced its society, giving nobles even the right to punish a commoner without a real reason.
However, within guild property, nobles couldn’t exert their influence over an adventurer. The two adventurer guilds were international organizations, their allegiance wasn’t reserved for Artorias. Due to migrants from other countries allowed to work in any hunter’s or merc guild, certain rules were set up to prevent unfair treatment due to local laws if a town or city wishes to host one of the guilds. Within reason, of course.
As such, even royalty were expected to start at the lowest rank of G and work their butts off to the top. Aristocrats or clergy members couldn’t ask for special treatment, and if they tried to force it, the guilds could just kick them out or just pack up and go. Without an adventurer guild, there would be less visitors and that would cut into any city’s profit and taxes.
As such, a noble adventurer couldn’t force a commoner adventurer to do anything. I had no authority over them. Then again, I was not the type of person to actually abuse my titles and status to strongarm somebody.
“I would like to apologize for interrupting, but please stay out of this. This is between me and your party member here, this rooster head,” I replied, still conscientious enough to not direct my rage at bystanders. “As long as I don’t escalate this, then nothing can be done, right? The guild doesn’t forbid quarrels.”
Adventurers weren’t allowed to attack others without a warning or the other party’s approval. If you did, you would be kicked out of the guild and sent to the local authorities. I also wasn’t allowed to kill another member if it wasn’t for self-preservation. Arguing and fighting, however, was just another part of being a rowdy adventurer.
This naturally attracted everybody’s attention. As my rage wasn’t subsiding, more and more people noticed the atmosphere deteriorating; the cause coming from a table of five adventurers and one angry little crimson-haired dragonewt girl.
“U-uhm, Lady Shrine Maiden, f-fighting here would displease the G-Goddess,” somebody tried to dissuade me from staring daggers at Rooster Boy, so I turned around.
Standing behind me was one of the white-robed priests who handled the healing of those poisoned hunters, whose hands were trembling as he was about to touch my shoulder. But before he could, he flinched backward, nearly falling with letting out a yelp.
“I apologize for this unsightly display,” I responded. “But, leave me alone, Mister. This has nothing to do with Aurena or the church. This is personal.”
With another scared groan, the priest finally landed on his butt, looking at me with fearful eyes.
Huh, why did you fall down, Mister? Did you trip on your robe? As I was puzzled at my interaction with this priest, my attention returned to the table as somebody slammed his fist on it.
“Why the fuck do I gotta apologize to her?! She came and shouted at me first, Lucia!” Rooster Boy shouted in defiance at the robed girl next to him.
Adjusting her blue mage hat, a strand of green hair fell on her dainty face, which was beginning to redden in anger. “Because you’re the one who can’t stop speaking behind her back, you imbecile! Just because she’s a noble doesn’t mean you have to spite her every single time, Leif!”
Like kids, the two began to shoot out arguments and insults at each other, having completely forgotten about the events leading up to this point and the atmosphere surrounding them. Although the girl’s tongue was sharp, the boy wasn’t holding his punches back. If I were a responsible adult like Saori, I would try to diffuse the situation or watch on until they became too tired.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t. If two could play this game, so could a third!
“HEY! Don’t just ignore me like that and enter your own tiny world!” I pointed my finger at Rooster Head to interject, before turning to the girl beside him. “In the first place, I’m supposed to shout at him, not you!”
I expected her to come to his defense now that I interrupted their own argument, but against common sense, she raised her hands as if she was surrendering. With a nonchalant tone, she replied, “I’m sorry, my lady. Leif is all yours.” She then turned her head away from me and began whistling, treating the situation as if it had nothing to do with her.
Rooster Head’s other companion did the same in her own fashion. The beautiful green-feathered arvision lady—a bird beastman—covered her face with her winged arm, using it as an impromptu fan. Meanwhile, the fully furred wolfkin said, “Damn, am I thirsty. I need more ale” before standing up and literally running away from us, displaying his high agility as a rogue. The human greatsword wielder massaged his temples, muttering, “You reap what you sow, brat” before continuing eating from the plate in front of him, silently.
Ooooh, even his teammates gave me their approval. Well, get ready to get roasted, dude!
Whether it was ‘cause of the consent of his party member or maybe ‘cause of time, my anger slowly waned to the point that my lips curled into a smug. “Well, well, well, looks like you’re in a pick—”
“Shut up, you bitch! As an adventurer, you’re not allowed to use your status as a noble to order me around! I know the rules! I can say whatever I want cuz your birth doesn’t matter here at all! Now, fuck off!” Rooster Head blurted in a fit of trepidation.
… Okay, now I’m angry again.
Before I could say another word, the red-haired boy’s mouth wouldn’t stop opening. “And you want to hear what I said before, huh?! That’s right, you’re a lousy priestess! The Goddess is a warm-hearted divine mother who cares for her followers, but you ain’t showed anything similar! You didn’t rush to help those injured hunters. You made those other priests do the job cuz they are commoners, and you can’t move a finger cuz you’re a stinking noble sitting on her golden chair!”
… Uh, wha-what?
I was flabbergasted, and it seemed I wasn’t the only one. The other adventurers around us had their mouths open, looking at the young man as if he was crazy or stupid. The atmosphere shifted from me being the center of attention to him. Even my [Stage Fever (Minor)] was gone.
Probably thinking his words intimidated me, Rooster Head continued, “You heard that right! With the hunter’s guild, I’ll rise through the ranks and gain enough strength and authority so nobles like you can’t even touch me. In fact, I’ll make sure incompetent adventurers like you will be punished for abusing your status to—”
“WILL YOU FUCKING SHUT UP, ALREADY!?” My agitation boiled over. I raised my voice to shut the idiot up, accidentally activated [Draconic Roar], slightly injuring the people in front of me. Considering he looked around my age, it probably looked like two red-haired kids flaring up a childish argument.
It was just, I didn’t realize that at this moment. “Are you fucking serious, when you said all that? Do you even have a brain? Did you not notice my tail or horns? I’m not from this kingdom, you fucking moron! I don’t have the authority to do anything to you and even if I did, I’m not shallow enough to wield it just because I’m angry, you asshole! You can call me selfish, lazy, stubborn, or whatever you want, but don’t you fucking dare question my abilities! I’ve worked hard on them like anybody else! I’ve got to this point because I’ve trained every single day; even if I have been slacking recently, I can still kick your pathetic ass to the other side of town like a fucking football!”
Amidst my earnest rebuke, a few adventurers who showed equal displeasure at the fact he was unfairly bashing me, made their own opinions clear.
“Hey, brat, you and your party have been away for a week now. The lass and her party have been working like any other upstanding adventurer. What kinda man badmouths a girl behind her back, eh?”
“She’s been doing rank G, F, and E Quests despite being rank D. Who cares how she got her rank when she’s actually doing her bloody job like any other rookie?”
“Hey, Miss priestess, don’t fuckin’ fight inside the guildhall! Use the damn training grounds behind the building like anybody else! Drag the brat out already so we can actually get back to eating!”
… That last guy knows his priorities. Respectable.
With more adventurers voicing their discontent, Rooster Head’s face reddened like a tomato, and not ‘cause of embarrassment but of indignation. “You buncha slimy old men! You’re talking like horny bastards! In the first place, why the hell did the guild promote her to—”
“That is enough!” The voice of a woman pierced through the rambunctiousness of all the adventurers. Pushing herself through the crowd, the figure of Melia, the katzune receptionist, appeared. “The guild building is not a place for fights! Stop this immediately!”
It was like Melia’s words were the law. The loud adventurers hammering complaints at both Rooster Head and me became silent. Although I wasn’t as aggressive as Rooster Head, the cringe from my behavior finally caught up to me. My parallel minds were right, and the amount of “I told ya” I was receiving dampened my mood.
Why did Melia and the other receptionist come now?
Melia then walked to me, placed a hand on my shoulder and back. As she was taller than me, it was easy enough for her to move her mouth to my ear and whisper, “Lady Hestia, I would like to ask you to come with us and—”
“Hey, hey, why is the guild showing so much favoritism to this damn noble! Aren’t all hunters supposed to be treated equally!” Rooster Head shouted, rejecting a chance for a ceasefire.
“Leif! The guild is responsible for diffusing fights and mediating between adven—” Melia was about to rebuke the young man, but I raised my hand to interrupt her. I understood the guild wanted to stop our fight, as it was quite loud and annoying, but just like him, I too wasn’t done with this quarrel yet. I really didn’t like being gossiped about, so it would be better to uproot the problem now.
“To start, why was she and her party made Ds, huh? Sure, white-robed priests are invaluable to the adventurer guilds but that doesn’t mean she can just skip the novice ranks! Raian here is a rank C mercenary but he still had to start as a G rank hunter!” He pointed at the greatsword wielder. “He had confirmed ability from the mercenary guild, but was still made a G rank. That proves the guild treats everybody, regardless of their background, as equals until they prove their worth. This girl has done nothing worthwhile.”
“Leif.” As he was used as an example, the scruffy adventurer stopped eating and looked at Rooster Head. “Dealing with a human and a monster is completely different. The strategies you use against a human or beastman cannot be used to fight something like a troll or bullvark. The guild did the correct thing.”
“Hestia has proven her ability to slay monsters by handing in rank D monster materials on the day she issued her ID,” Melia defended me. “Considering the amount of rank G, F, E, and D monsters sold to the guild, her party would have been eligible for a rank D promotion from points alone if they were Quests. Including her Profile, the guild has assessed it would benefit both parties to grant her party a higher initial rank.”
“Yeah, I heard one of the receptionists blurt out that she was level 80 or something. You can’t fool the crystal if you’re trying to make an ID!”
“W-wait, what the fuck?! She’s level 80?! Goddess’s wings, that’s enough to be a B?!”
“I was there when she first visited. Most of the materials were from Belzac monsters. Doesn’t matter if you question her skill and give her companions the credit, cuz you ain’t surviving that hellhole if your holy mage or alchemist can’t keep the healing and affliction curing up.”
The amount of support I was receiving was relieving. However, Rooster Head didn’t give up. I would have admired his persistence if he hadn’t been directing it at me. “T-that doesn’t mean she should be allowed to rank up to D just like that! The adventurer guilds also value the trust in their clients, right? The Quest givers! Even if she is strong, this is about principle! How can the guild allow this? This has to be cuz she’s a noble. How can the guild master, who was famously known as the rank A adventurer ‘Wing Ripper,’ allow this?”
Wow, Farron is that famous, huh? Master praising him wasn’t just a one time thing, then.
While I was interested in what he just said about Farron, I had to admit Rooster Boy’s argument this time was sorta correct. Although the guild hadn’t admitted it, I knew for sure they gave me a higher rank for some ulterior motive. Was it ‘cause I was an otherworlder or a Champion of Aurena? I knew my princess title shouldn’t be the cause if the integrity of the guild was everything they promised. Then again, being a rank B dragon could be the actual reason.
Regardless of what the reason really was, Saori and Tasianna were correct to assume they wanted us for our strength. I wasn’t sure why they did it; nonetheless, it should be obvious enough that they didn’t do this for our benefit. Rooster Head was correct with this one argument.
However, the other adventurers didn’t know this; they looked at him with exasperation and annoyance. Even the girl sitting next to him thought he was dragging this out for too long, as she was attempting to calm him down.
If I continue throwing oil at this hothead, the situation might get worse. In the first place, an idol shouldn’t cause such a stunt.
Having the chance to cool down, my rational side began to fill my mind with guilt and shame. I thought I had outgrown this part of myself, the me who couldn’t help but blow up at people for badmouthing me. It had almost been a year since I was reborn into this world, but I guess an almost 16-year-old wasn’t much different from a 15-year-old in maturity. I was still a brat.
My abilities were still ridiculed and that meant the sunfang dragon inside me still felt her pride was hurt. I had to fix it to feel refreshed again, but how was I supposed to do that? I couldn’t throw a tantrum; I had to grow up emotionally and socially.
… Couldn’t I just show-off like how the [Young Sunfang Dragon] description explained the dragon?
“Alright,” I announced, now with a calm mind. “You don’t believe in my power and think I abused my status, right? Well, I don’t like my efforts being ridiculed so how about I show you what I can actually do, huh? A demonstration to shut you up, Sacred—”
“L-Lady Hestia, wait, wait, you can’t!”
“Lady Shrine Maiden, by the Goddess, please, you mustn’t!”
“Woah, woah, get away. She’s casting a spell!”
“L-Leif, Leif, say sorry, now!”
A white magic circle appeared before my hand. For some reason, Melia, the priests, and the mages among the adventurers were frantic and erupted in a panic. The arvisian lady was also agitated into action, but instead of panicking, she took out her bow while her other hand took out an arrow. The greatsword wielder grabbed his weapon and attempted to grab my arm with his free hand.
Huh? Why are [Foresight] and [Danger Perception] activating? Is somebody attacking me?
But before I could actually figure it out, my lips let out the name of my spell, “Sacred Field.”
A white circle appeared under my feet, quickly expanding to encapsulate the whole guild floor, before shining a blinding white light. A serene aura with small white particles was released from my spell, touching each adventurer and guild staff.
It has been a while since I used [Sacred Field], mostly ‘cause my party didn’t need healing. We were over-leveled for Firwood and nothing gave us a challenge. Aside from Ellaine’s training, I never had a reason to use a healing spell in this town. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of this AOE healing spell was as great as ever.
“T-the cut I got today is healing up! Is this a white grace?!”
“I-incredible! Without a chant and such a large magic circle! Has she mastered [Chant Revocation]?! How much mana does the priestess have?! Where is her catalyst!?”
“Sacred Magic! Ooooh, the Goddess has given this humble servant a glance of the power of a high-ranking shrine maiden, nay, bishop! The finest miracle of the Goddess of Light!”
Everybody was marveling at my spell. Even the arvision lady and the veteran Raian lowered their weapons as they noticed the spectacle. It should be one if I understood a normal magician correctly. Each spell had a minimum amount of mana that I must be paid to activate it, but by increasing the cost, both power and size could be increased. I intentionally made [Sacred Field] super large to boast.
“In the Goddess’s mercy, this white grace shall be free of charge,” I proclaimed with [Benevolent Aura] activated to appear more “priestly.” I then raised my hand with the other white circle. “When was the last time you guys went to church? When was the last time you got blessed? It’ll be on the house, then!”
Although I still couldn’t obtain [Multi-Cast], I still was able to cast multiple spells at once due to my parallel minds. By materializing both spell’s magic circle simultaneously, I was literally telling everybody I had [Multi-Cast], or at least, that was what they should think. Even if Rooster Head couldn’t understand it, I had a feeling the girl next to him should. She seemed like a mage, after all.
The white magic circle in my hand flew up to the ceiling, which was one story high, quickly expanded like [Sacred Field] and began rotating. “Oh, Goddess of Light, Aurena. I bid you, hear our prayers of gratitude and ardent worship so it may empower you evermore in your duties of overseeing us. I beg of you to hear us and grant upon us your blessing of light, Prayer!”
Pouring in as much mana as the spell needed, I made it immediately ready to cast the moment it rotated. Normally, [Prayer] was a cooperative spell that needed multiple priests to be cast due to its insane mana cost. As not every priest had as much mana as I did, the spell also had the effect of absorbing praying followers’ mana to fuel it.
Only an accomplished mage with a huge dispensable mana capacity would be able to be the sole caster for it. Even for me, it felt like a portion of myself was ripped right off.
“I-impossible! Brothers, did you start praying to aid the Lady shrine maiden?!”
“No! She cast it all by herself, and it’s ‘moderate,’ too! Dear Goddess, is this a message from you? Have you chosen this merciful maiden to show us our lack of faith? Oooh, we are unworthy!”
“Praise the Goddess, for she has blessed our souls. Her graceful hands are guiding us on our path of growth! This noble shrine maiden is showing our lacking piety.”
“A message from the Goddess, indeed, brothers! Our noble sister here cannot just be an ordinary shrine maiden. A Saintess candidate! She must be! Ah, I can see the divinity of the Goddess, the light shining around her! We white-robed priests have much to learn, oh, Crimson Saintess!”
Dudes, I’m not your sister … Also, what’s with this freak-out?! This should be entirely possible for a high-ranking bishop or cardinal, or whatever clergy ranks existed in this world!
While everybody was still mesmerized by the sight, I smiled at a job well done. I then turned to Melia, whose eyes were shining like stars, and told her I wanted to meet with the guild master. Before she could come to her senses, I was already at the stairs.
The guild master’s secretary said I needed to make an appointment to meet him, as he was supposedly busy. However, before I could start complaining, the voice of a man suddenly came from behind the secretary’s desk. “Let her in,” I heard in the guild master’s voice.
“What do you want, kiddo?” Farron, the guild master, greeted me without taking his eyes away from a stack of documents.
“K-kiddo, where did that come from?! Didn’t you call me ‘Lady Hestia’ last time?! No, not that! How did you know I wanted to see you?” I asked, a bit flustered at my sudden nickname.
“When Melia and the other receptionist were reporting to me what happened to those three newbies, my secretary reported some loud shouts from the guildhall. When the door opened, I heard your voice,” Farron explained, informing me why Melia didn’t diffuse the situation immediately. “So, now, what do you want? A complaint? Didn’t think you were the type of person to come running after getting angry.”
I shook my hand in denial. “Nah, I just resolved it. No problem there, don’t worry. However, what I actually came here for is because I want to spar with you, Mister Mysterious Know-it-all.”
“Spar?”
“Yep, my mage master—who is totally a rank B and you should promote him and his party; Depth Serpents, remember them—told me about you. Everybody else talked about how you’re a rank A … and I’m curious what that exactly entails. I’ve never been able to beat my master in a spar, and I want to know how I stack against somebody he seemed to respect.”
Also, Master kinda provoked me into this with how he said ‘How will you deal with a rank A’ or whatnot. Gotta know how weak I am to know how strong I could become.
Raising his head, he frowned in confusion. “Huh? You have a master? How did—When d—Wait, no, it doesn’t matter. The answer is no, kiddo. I’m busy.”
“Yeah, yeah, I kind of had that feeling you would say that,” I replied with a shrug. “So, let’s just assume I’m close to [Battle Frenzy]? How about that? I need to cool down and I’m asking the strong and brave ‘Wing Ripper’ to help me train. And besides, if you’re stuck in this chair the whole day, then some exercise is better than none. Take it from me, my world proved scientifically sitting down too much is bad for your health.”
He narrowed his eyes, looking at me with a hint of irritation now, but quickly gave it up to sigh in exasperation. “… The training grounds are at the back of the building. Give me some time to prepare. Meet you there, kiddo.”
“Deal!” I grinned and gave him a peace sign, elated he would humor me. This should get my blood pumping.
After hiding my presence with my stealth skills, I sneaked past the adventurers that I had blessed. They seemed to be in a good mood. When I went through the guild’s back door, a field the size of a European football field greeted me. Despite the falling snow, the training ground remained snow-free.
I could see a few adventurers currently training and sparring inside it, but luckily there was still enough space for my spar with the guild master.
When I entered the premises of the field, a warm sensation covered my body, reminding me of those temperature regulators Ellaine’s mansion had. Was it the same kind of manatech? Wait, how rich was the hunters guild? Or was this another loan like those [Crystals of the Divine System]?
Regardless of what it was, I simply shrugged and chose a spot large enough for the upcoming spar. I stretched and did some warmup exercises to bring my body into top form.
Woooo … Somebody stronger than Master Kush. Wow, I feel kinda nervous.
It had been a while since I last had a chance to fight somebody that might be stronger than me, status-wise. Saori was a great sparring partner, but after evolving into a rank B dragon, the stat disparity between us increased to the point I could mostly brute-force through her strategies. If not for Tasianna and her smart usage of skills and spells, it wouldn’t be much of a challenge.
But now, I got the chance to fight somebody who could be stronger than the man I still couldn’t defeat. Farron looked like a warrior, not a mage, so this should be a great new experience for me.
However, what motivated me most about this fight was ‘cause of what happened today. Did I earn this instant promotion to rank D? Well, my stats and skills were good but I was currently lacking the attitude of one. I’ve been taking it too slow after my debut and I forgot an idol couldn’t just stop her training. She needed to strive for more and more. Vacation was over, it was time to get back into the groove.
I should take care of [Idol] tomorrow. Today, I must see where I still needed to improve and test out some ideas.
Eventually, Farron exited the guild building; with him was a posse of adventurers. No, most of the guild came out to spectate us. At the same time, my eyes instantly locked onto his sparring appearance.
“What’s with that look?” he mentioned as he stood on the opposite side of me. “You don’t have any armor or real gear, so I only brought out my weapon. With all the enchantments and runes on my armor set, there would be too much of a handicap for you. I saw your Profile so this one weapon should be good enough.”
He sounded a bit arrogant, or maybe just confident in his strength, but that wasn’t why I was staring at him. What actually caught my eye was his massive greatsword or halberd. It was essentially a sword stuck on a long spear shaft like a “sword spear.”
As far as appearance went, it was the most eye-catching weapon I’ve ever seen in this world. Its shaft was black and shiny, looking like it was made from some sorta black metal, while the cross guard was covered in a combination of white and black feathers. The sword part of this “sword spear,” or whatever, was long and looked like the long canine of a giant lion. The blade was decorated with multiple weird circles in different colors, each of which emanated a dim light.
Runes, I presumed. I had the feeling the weapon was not only made with exquisite metals, but also high-quality monster materials, bashed into the shape of a weapon of death by a master blacksmith.
…Wait, is he trying to kill me?
AbyssRaven Angry Hestia into scared Hestia. Farron coming in with the stick.
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“Did you think that I wouldn’t be able to hear you through all this noise, huh? Did you honestly believe I wouldn’t remember that ‘rooster head’ you call hair? Come on, I know you want to let everything out, so do it already!”
I was livid. Blood was rushing through my body from my heart’s furious pounding, agitated by the words this young man sneakily gossiped about me. The rational parts of my brain, which included my parallel minds, were trying to convince me to calm down, but the childish side of me, the part that still remembered the annoying prattling of the other idol trainees, overwhelmed everything else.
The searing heat I could feel from the center of my chest made me aware that I had to let my anger out. My solar core wouldn’t rest until I did.
The red-haired boy widened his eyes like a surprised pug, looking at me with a mix of bafflement and anxiousness. As I was staring him down, my anger was slowly taking the control away from my [Draconic Aura] skill. Among the three skills that comprised this master skill was [Tyrant’s Aura], the evolved version of [Terror Aura], and it was just oozing out of me, pressuring the five people sitting at this table.
“Hey, Miss priestess, I would like to ask you to calm down. We ain’t looking for trouble. We want to enjoy our evening after some hard work,” a well-built man with a greatsword leaning next to him at the table reproached me. His glare told me of his irritation, that he didn’t want to deal with whatever argument that was about to happen.
Within the hunter’s and mercenary guild, there were rules for how an adventurer was allowed to act in public. Even with all the rough-looking vagrants, guilds were still run by the guild master using a set of rules that each member had to follow, regardless of their rank. This was to keep the unity and peace within it. This wasn’t some rag-tag organization just ‘cause of their rowdy members.
A couple of these rules mentioned the interaction between adventurers.
Normally, from what I heard from Ellaine, a commoner was never, ever allowed to disobey a noble, regardless of their rank. If a noble invited you to come to their mansion for a meeting, a commoner wasn’t allowed to decline without a proper reason. The caste system in the Kingdom of Artorias influenced its society, giving nobles even the right to punish a commoner without a real reason.
However, within guild property, nobles couldn’t exert their influence over an adventurer. The two adventurer guilds were international organizations, their allegiance wasn’t reserved for Artorias. Due to migrants from other countries allowed to work in any hunter’s or merc guild, certain rules were set up to prevent unfair treatment due to local laws if a town or city wishes to host one of the guilds. Within reason, of course.
As such, even royalty were expected to start at the lowest rank of G and work their butts off to the top. Aristocrats or clergy members couldn’t ask for special treatment, and if they tried to force it, the guilds could just kick them out or just pack up and go. Without an adventurer guild, there would be less visitors and that would cut into any city’s profit and taxes.
As such, a noble adventurer couldn’t force a commoner adventurer to do anything. I had no authority over them. Then again, I was not the type of person to actually abuse my titles and status to strongarm somebody.
“I would like to apologize for interrupting, but please stay out of this. This is between me and your party member here, this rooster head,” I replied, still conscientious enough to not direct my rage at bystanders. “As long as I don’t escalate this, then nothing can be done, right? The guild doesn’t forbid quarrels.”
Adventurers weren’t allowed to attack others without a warning or the other party’s approval. If you did, you would be kicked out of the guild and sent to the local authorities. I also wasn’t allowed to kill another member if it wasn’t for self-preservation. Arguing and fighting, however, was just another part of being a rowdy adventurer.
This naturally attracted everybody’s attention. As my rage wasn’t subsiding, more and more people noticed the atmosphere deteriorating; the cause coming from a table of five adventurers and one angry little crimson-haired dragonewt girl.
“U-uhm, Lady Shrine Maiden, f-fighting here would displease the G-Goddess,” somebody tried to dissuade me from staring daggers at Rooster Boy, so I turned around.
Standing behind me was one of the white-robed priests who handled the healing of those poisoned hunters, whose hands were trembling as he was about to touch my shoulder. But before he could, he flinched backward, nearly falling with letting out a yelp.
“I apologize for this unsightly display,” I responded. “But, leave me alone, Mister. This has nothing to do with Aurena or the church. This is personal.”
With another scared groan, the priest finally landed on his butt, looking at me with fearful eyes.
Huh, why did you fall down, Mister? Did you trip on your robe? As I was puzzled at my interaction with this priest, my attention returned to the table as somebody slammed his fist on it.
“Why the fuck do I gotta apologize to her?! She came and shouted at me first, Lucia!” Rooster Boy shouted in defiance at the robed girl next to him.
Adjusting her blue mage hat, a strand of green hair fell on her dainty face, which was beginning to redden in anger. “Because you’re the one who can’t stop speaking behind her back, you imbecile! Just because she’s a noble doesn’t mean you have to spite her every single time, Leif!”
Like kids, the two began to shoot out arguments and insults at each other, having completely forgotten about the events leading up to this point and the atmosphere surrounding them. Although the girl’s tongue was sharp, the boy wasn’t holding his punches back. If I were a responsible adult like Saori, I would try to diffuse the situation or watch on until they became too tired.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t. If two could play this game, so could a third!
“HEY! Don’t just ignore me like that and enter your own tiny world!” I pointed my finger at Rooster Head to interject, before turning to the girl beside him. “In the first place, I’m supposed to shout at him, not you!”
I expected her to come to his defense now that I interrupted their own argument, but against common sense, she raised her hands as if she was surrendering. With a nonchalant tone, she replied, “I’m sorry, my lady. Leif is all yours.” She then turned her head away from me and began whistling, treating the situation as if it had nothing to do with her.
Rooster Head’s other companion did the same in her own fashion. The beautiful green-feathered arvision lady—a bird beastman—covered her face with her winged arm, using it as an impromptu fan. Meanwhile, the fully furred wolfkin said, “Damn, am I thirsty. I need more ale” before standing up and literally running away from us, displaying his high agility as a rogue. The human greatsword wielder massaged his temples, muttering, “You reap what you sow, brat” before continuing eating from the plate in front of him, silently.
Ooooh, even his teammates gave me their approval. Well, get ready to get roasted, dude!
Whether it was ‘cause of the consent of his party member or maybe ‘cause of time, my anger slowly waned to the point that my lips curled into a smug. “Well, well, well, looks like you’re in a pick—”
“Shut up, you bitch! As an adventurer, you’re not allowed to use your status as a noble to order me around! I know the rules! I can say whatever I want cuz your birth doesn’t matter here at all! Now, fuck off!” Rooster Head blurted in a fit of trepidation.
… Okay, now I’m angry again.
Before I could say another word, the red-haired boy’s mouth wouldn’t stop opening. “And you want to hear what I said before, huh?! That’s right, you’re a lousy priestess! The Goddess is a warm-hearted divine mother who cares for her followers, but you ain’t showed anything similar! You didn’t rush to help those injured hunters. You made those other priests do the job cuz they are commoners, and you can’t move a finger cuz you’re a stinking noble sitting on her golden chair!”
… Uh, wha-what?
I was flabbergasted, and it seemed I wasn’t the only one. The other adventurers around us had their mouths open, looking at the young man as if he was crazy or stupid. The atmosphere shifted from me being the center of attention to him. Even my [Stage Fever (Minor)] was gone.
Probably thinking his words intimidated me, Rooster Head continued, “You heard that right! With the hunter’s guild, I’ll rise through the ranks and gain enough strength and authority so nobles like you can’t even touch me. In fact, I’ll make sure incompetent adventurers like you will be punished for abusing your status to—”
“WILL YOU FUCKING SHUT UP, ALREADY!?” My agitation boiled over. I raised my voice to shut the idiot up, accidentally activated [Draconic Roar], slightly injuring the people in front of me. Considering he looked around my age, it probably looked like two red-haired kids flaring up a childish argument.
It was just, I didn’t realize that at this moment. “Are you fucking serious, when you said all that? Do you even have a brain? Did you not notice my tail or horns? I’m not from this kingdom, you fucking moron! I don’t have the authority to do anything to you and even if I did, I’m not shallow enough to wield it just because I’m angry, you asshole! You can call me selfish, lazy, stubborn, or whatever you want, but don’t you fucking dare question my abilities! I’ve worked hard on them like anybody else! I’ve got to this point because I’ve trained every single day; even if I have been slacking recently, I can still kick your pathetic ass to the other side of town like a fucking football!”
Amidst my earnest rebuke, a few adventurers who showed equal displeasure at the fact he was unfairly bashing me, made their own opinions clear.
“Hey, brat, you and your party have been away for a week now. The lass and her party have been working like any other upstanding adventurer. What kinda man badmouths a girl behind her back, eh?”
“She’s been doing rank G, F, and E Quests despite being rank D. Who cares how she got her rank when she’s actually doing her bloody job like any other rookie?”
“Hey, Miss priestess, don’t fuckin’ fight inside the guildhall! Use the damn training grounds behind the building like anybody else! Drag the brat out already so we can actually get back to eating!”
… That last guy knows his priorities. Respectable.
With more adventurers voicing their discontent, Rooster Head’s face reddened like a tomato, and not ‘cause of embarrassment but of indignation. “You buncha slimy old men! You’re talking like horny bastards! In the first place, why the hell did the guild promote her to—”
“That is enough!” The voice of a woman pierced through the rambunctiousness of all the adventurers. Pushing herself through the crowd, the figure of Melia, the katzune receptionist, appeared. “The guild building is not a place for fights! Stop this immediately!”
It was like Melia’s words were the law. The loud adventurers hammering complaints at both Rooster Head and me became silent. Although I wasn’t as aggressive as Rooster Head, the cringe from my behavior finally caught up to me. My parallel minds were right, and the amount of “I told ya” I was receiving dampened my mood.
Why did Melia and the other receptionist come now?
Melia then walked to me, placed a hand on my shoulder and back. As she was taller than me, it was easy enough for her to move her mouth to my ear and whisper, “Lady Hestia, I would like to ask you to come with us and—”
“Hey, hey, why is the guild showing so much favoritism to this damn noble! Aren’t all hunters supposed to be treated equally!” Rooster Head shouted, rejecting a chance for a ceasefire.
“Leif! The guild is responsible for diffusing fights and mediating between adven—” Melia was about to rebuke the young man, but I raised my hand to interrupt her. I understood the guild wanted to stop our fight, as it was quite loud and annoying, but just like him, I too wasn’t done with this quarrel yet. I really didn’t like being gossiped about, so it would be better to uproot the problem now.
“To start, why was she and her party made Ds, huh? Sure, white-robed priests are invaluable to the adventurer guilds but that doesn’t mean she can just skip the novice ranks! Raian here is a rank C mercenary but he still had to start as a G rank hunter!” He pointed at the greatsword wielder. “He had confirmed ability from the mercenary guild, but was still made a G rank. That proves the guild treats everybody, regardless of their background, as equals until they prove their worth. This girl has done nothing worthwhile.”
“Leif.” As he was used as an example, the scruffy adventurer stopped eating and looked at Rooster Head. “Dealing with a human and a monster is completely different. The strategies you use against a human or beastman cannot be used to fight something like a troll or bullvark. The guild did the correct thing.”
“Hestia has proven her ability to slay monsters by handing in rank D monster materials on the day she issued her ID,” Melia defended me. “Considering the amount of rank G, F, E, and D monsters sold to the guild, her party would have been eligible for a rank D promotion from points alone if they were Quests. Including her Profile, the guild has assessed it would benefit both parties to grant her party a higher initial rank.”
“Yeah, I heard one of the receptionists blurt out that she was level 80 or something. You can’t fool the crystal if you’re trying to make an ID!”
“W-wait, what the fuck?! She’s level 80?! Goddess’s wings, that’s enough to be a B?!”
“I was there when she first visited. Most of the materials were from Belzac monsters. Doesn’t matter if you question her skill and give her companions the credit, cuz you ain’t surviving that hellhole if your holy mage or alchemist can’t keep the healing and affliction curing up.”
The amount of support I was receiving was relieving. However, Rooster Head didn’t give up. I would have admired his persistence if he hadn’t been directing it at me. “T-that doesn’t mean she should be allowed to rank up to D just like that! The adventurer guilds also value the trust in their clients, right? The Quest givers! Even if she is strong, this is about principle! How can the guild allow this? This has to be cuz she’s a noble. How can the guild master, who was famously known as the rank A adventurer ‘Wing Ripper,’ allow this?”
Wow, Farron is that famous, huh? Master praising him wasn’t just a one time thing, then.
While I was interested in what he just said about Farron, I had to admit Rooster Boy’s argument this time was sorta correct. Although the guild hadn’t admitted it, I knew for sure they gave me a higher rank for some ulterior motive. Was it ‘cause I was an otherworlder or a Champion of Aurena? I knew my princess title shouldn’t be the cause if the integrity of the guild was everything they promised. Then again, being a rank B dragon could be the actual reason.
Regardless of what the reason really was, Saori and Tasianna were correct to assume they wanted us for our strength. I wasn’t sure why they did it; nonetheless, it should be obvious enough that they didn’t do this for our benefit. Rooster Head was correct with this one argument.
However, the other adventurers didn’t know this; they looked at him with exasperation and annoyance. Even the girl sitting next to him thought he was dragging this out for too long, as she was attempting to calm him down.
If I continue throwing oil at this hothead, the situation might get worse. In the first place, an idol shouldn’t cause such a stunt.
Having the chance to cool down, my rational side began to fill my mind with guilt and shame. I thought I had outgrown this part of myself, the me who couldn’t help but blow up at people for badmouthing me. It had almost been a year since I was reborn into this world, but I guess an almost 16-year-old wasn’t much different from a 15-year-old in maturity. I was still a brat.
My abilities were still ridiculed and that meant the sunfang dragon inside me still felt her pride was hurt. I had to fix it to feel refreshed again, but how was I supposed to do that? I couldn’t throw a tantrum; I had to grow up emotionally and socially.
… Couldn’t I just show-off like how the [Young Sunfang Dragon] description explained the dragon?
“Alright,” I announced, now with a calm mind. “You don’t believe in my power and think I abused my status, right? Well, I don’t like my efforts being ridiculed so how about I show you what I can actually do, huh? A demonstration to shut you up, Sacred—”
“L-Lady Hestia, wait, wait, you can’t!”
“Lady Shrine Maiden, by the Goddess, please, you mustn’t!”
“Woah, woah, get away. She’s casting a spell!”
“L-Leif, Leif, say sorry, now!”
A white magic circle appeared before my hand. For some reason, Melia, the priests, and the mages among the adventurers were frantic and erupted in a panic. The arvisian lady was also agitated into action, but instead of panicking, she took out her bow while her other hand took out an arrow. The greatsword wielder grabbed his weapon and attempted to grab my arm with his free hand.
Huh? Why are [Foresight] and [Danger Perception] activating? Is somebody attacking me?
But before I could actually figure it out, my lips let out the name of my spell, “Sacred Field.”
A white circle appeared under my feet, quickly expanding to encapsulate the whole guild floor, before shining a blinding white light. A serene aura with small white particles was released from my spell, touching each adventurer and guild staff.
It has been a while since I used [Sacred Field], mostly ‘cause my party didn’t need healing. We were over-leveled for Firwood and nothing gave us a challenge. Aside from Ellaine’s training, I never had a reason to use a healing spell in this town. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of this AOE healing spell was as great as ever.
“T-the cut I got today is healing up! Is this a white grace?!”
“I-incredible! Without a chant and such a large magic circle! Has she mastered [Chant Revocation]?! How much mana does the priestess have?! Where is her catalyst!?”
“Sacred Magic! Ooooh, the Goddess has given this humble servant a glance of the power of a high-ranking shrine maiden, nay, bishop! The finest miracle of the Goddess of Light!”
Everybody was marveling at my spell. Even the arvision lady and the veteran Raian lowered their weapons as they noticed the spectacle. It should be one if I understood a normal magician correctly. Each spell had a minimum amount of mana that I must be paid to activate it, but by increasing the cost, both power and size could be increased. I intentionally made [Sacred Field] super large to boast.
“In the Goddess’s mercy, this white grace shall be free of charge,” I proclaimed with [Benevolent Aura] activated to appear more “priestly.” I then raised my hand with the other white circle. “When was the last time you guys went to church? When was the last time you got blessed? It’ll be on the house, then!”
Although I still couldn’t obtain [Multi-Cast], I still was able to cast multiple spells at once due to my parallel minds. By materializing both spell’s magic circle simultaneously, I was literally telling everybody I had [Multi-Cast], or at least, that was what they should think. Even if Rooster Head couldn’t understand it, I had a feeling the girl next to him should. She seemed like a mage, after all.
The white magic circle in my hand flew up to the ceiling, which was one story high, quickly expanded like [Sacred Field] and began rotating. “Oh, Goddess of Light, Aurena. I bid you, hear our prayers of gratitude and ardent worship so it may empower you evermore in your duties of overseeing us. I beg of you to hear us and grant upon us your blessing of light, Prayer!”
Pouring in as much mana as the spell needed, I made it immediately ready to cast the moment it rotated. Normally, [Prayer] was a cooperative spell that needed multiple priests to be cast due to its insane mana cost. As not every priest had as much mana as I did, the spell also had the effect of absorbing praying followers’ mana to fuel it.
Only an accomplished mage with a huge dispensable mana capacity would be able to be the sole caster for it. Even for me, it felt like a portion of myself was ripped right off.
“I-impossible! Brothers, did you start praying to aid the Lady shrine maiden?!”
“No! She cast it all by herself, and it’s ‘moderate,’ too! Dear Goddess, is this a message from you? Have you chosen this merciful maiden to show us our lack of faith? Oooh, we are unworthy!”
“Praise the Goddess, for she has blessed our souls. Her graceful hands are guiding us on our path of growth! This noble shrine maiden is showing our lacking piety.”
“A message from the Goddess, indeed, brothers! Our noble sister here cannot just be an ordinary shrine maiden. A Saintess candidate! She must be! Ah, I can see the divinity of the Goddess, the light shining around her! We white-robed priests have much to learn, oh, Crimson Saintess!”
Dudes, I’m not your sister … Also, what’s with this freak-out?! This should be entirely possible for a high-ranking bishop or cardinal, or whatever clergy ranks existed in this world!
While everybody was still mesmerized by the sight, I smiled at a job well done. I then turned to Melia, whose eyes were shining like stars, and told her I wanted to meet with the guild master. Before she could come to her senses, I was already at the stairs.
The guild master’s secretary said I needed to make an appointment to meet him, as he was supposedly busy. However, before I could start complaining, the voice of a man suddenly came from behind the secretary’s desk. “Let her in,” I heard in the guild master’s voice.
“What do you want, kiddo?” Farron, the guild master, greeted me without taking his eyes away from a stack of documents.
“K-kiddo, where did that come from?! Didn’t you call me ‘Lady Hestia’ last time?! No, not that! How did you know I wanted to see you?” I asked, a bit flustered at my sudden nickname.
“When Melia and the other receptionist were reporting to me what happened to those three newbies, my secretary reported some loud shouts from the guildhall. When the door opened, I heard your voice,” Farron explained, informing me why Melia didn’t diffuse the situation immediately. “So, now, what do you want? A complaint? Didn’t think you were the type of person to come running after getting angry.”
I shook my hand in denial. “Nah, I just resolved it. No problem there, don’t worry. However, what I actually came here for is because I want to spar with you, Mister Mysterious Know-it-all.”
“Spar?”
“Yep, my mage master—who is totally a rank B and you should promote him and his party; Depth Serpents, remember them—told me about you. Everybody else talked about how you’re a rank A … and I’m curious what that exactly entails. I’ve never been able to beat my master in a spar, and I want to know how I stack against somebody he seemed to respect.”
Also, Master kinda provoked me into this with how he said ‘How will you deal with a rank A’ or whatnot. Gotta know how weak I am to know how strong I could become.
Raising his head, he frowned in confusion. “Huh? You have a master? How did—When d—Wait, no, it doesn’t matter. The answer is no, kiddo. I’m busy.”
“Yeah, yeah, I kind of had that feeling you would say that,” I replied with a shrug. “So, let’s just assume I’m close to [Battle Frenzy]? How about that? I need to cool down and I’m asking the strong and brave ‘Wing Ripper’ to help me train. And besides, if you’re stuck in this chair the whole day, then some exercise is better than none. Take it from me, my world proved scientifically sitting down too much is bad for your health.”
He narrowed his eyes, looking at me with a hint of irritation now, but quickly gave it up to sigh in exasperation. “… The training grounds are at the back of the building. Give me some time to prepare. Meet you there, kiddo.”
“Deal!” I grinned and gave him a peace sign, elated he would humor me. This should get my blood pumping.
After hiding my presence with my stealth skills, I sneaked past the adventurers that I had blessed. They seemed to be in a good mood. When I went through the guild’s back door, a field the size of a European football field greeted me. Despite the falling snow, the training ground remained snow-free.
I could see a few adventurers currently training and sparring inside it, but luckily there was still enough space for my spar with the guild master.
When I entered the premises of the field, a warm sensation covered my body, reminding me of those temperature regulators Ellaine’s mansion had. Was it the same kind of manatech? Wait, how rich was the hunters guild? Or was this another loan like those [Crystals of the Divine System]?
Regardless of what it was, I simply shrugged and chose a spot large enough for the upcoming spar. I stretched and did some warmup exercises to bring my body into top form.
Woooo … Somebody stronger than Master Kush. Wow, I feel kinda nervous.
It had been a while since I last had a chance to fight somebody that might be stronger than me, status-wise. Saori was a great sparring partner, but after evolving into a rank B dragon, the stat disparity between us increased to the point I could mostly brute-force through her strategies. If not for Tasianna and her smart usage of skills and spells, it wouldn’t be much of a challenge.
But now, I got the chance to fight somebody who could be stronger than the man I still couldn’t defeat. Farron looked like a warrior, not a mage, so this should be a great new experience for me.
However, what motivated me most about this fight was ‘cause of what happened today. Did I earn this instant promotion to rank D? Well, my stats and skills were good but I was currently lacking the attitude of one. I’ve been taking it too slow after my debut and I forgot an idol couldn’t just stop her training. She needed to strive for more and more. Vacation was over, it was time to get back into the groove.
I should take care of [Idol] tomorrow. Today, I must see where I still needed to improve and test out some ideas.
Eventually, Farron exited the guild building; with him was a posse of adventurers. No, most of the guild came out to spectate us. At the same time, my eyes instantly locked onto his sparring appearance.
“What’s with that look?” he mentioned as he stood on the opposite side of me. “You don’t have any armor or real gear, so I only brought out my weapon. With all the enchantments and runes on my armor set, there would be too much of a handicap for you. I saw your Profile so this one weapon should be good enough.”
He sounded a bit arrogant, or maybe just confident in his strength, but that wasn’t why I was staring at him. What actually caught my eye was his massive greatsword or halberd. It was essentially a sword stuck on a long spear shaft like a “sword spear.”
As far as appearance went, it was the most eye-catching weapon I’ve ever seen in this world. Its shaft was black and shiny, looking like it was made from some sorta black metal, while the cross guard was covered in a combination of white and black feathers. The sword part of this “sword spear,” or whatever, was long and looked like the long canine of a giant lion. The blade was decorated with multiple weird circles in different colors, each of which emanated a dim light.
Runes, I presumed. I had the feeling the weapon was not only made with exquisite metals, but also high-quality monster materials, bashed into the shape of a weapon of death by a master blacksmith.
…Wait, is he trying to kill me?
AbyssRaven Angry Hestia into scared Hestia. Farron coming in with the stick.
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