Date: January 1, 2018 | Time: 10:51 AM
Location: Guild Master's Office – Requiem Guild
Perspective: Kaiser
I stood in the center of the office as the heavy oak doors clicked shut behind Lucas and the girls. It was a workspace of high-tier basalt and polished mahogany, smelling of expensive ink and the faint, ozone scent of Sylvia's silver-threaded mana.
Sylvia didn't sit back down. She stood by the window, the silver light of Sylvaris catching her hair.
"Okay, Sylvia. What is this about?" I asked, keeping my hands in my pockets.
"Well, nothing in particular," she said, finally turning with a small, weary smile.
"I just wanted a breather from Celia's murderous gaze. You know, it's quite intimidating. I felt like I was being measured for a coffin the entire time I was talking to you."
I let out a short sigh, turning toward the door. "If that's all, I'm leaving. I have 50 quests to start and a receptionist to bribe."
"Wait, wait, wait!" she called out, her voice dropping its playful edge.
"It's actually important. Sit. Or stand... Just listen!"
I stopped. "I'm listening."
"The Celestial Kingdom can be negotiated with regarding your party," Sylvia began, her expression becoming professional. "But there's a problem. Specifically, you."
I raised an eyebrow. "I'm the problem? I'm usually the solution. What do you mean?"
"Are you planning to not hold back and actually fight for once? Or perhaps get your rank reassessed?" she asked.
"Because walking around with an E-rank plate while trying to secure a Tier-3 independent charter is… well, it's a bureaucratic nightmare."
"Reassessment is a headache," I replied. "It involves tests, spectators, and unnecessary attention. I'll just be myself. E-rank fits my desire for a quiet life."
"And that's the problem," Sylvia said, tapping her desk.
"Being an E-rank restricts you to E and D-rank quests. You're holding back Celia and Lucas. If you three spend three months clearing rats out of cellars, I can't exactly go to the Princess and claim you're 'worthy' of Tier-3 status. The Kingdom looks at the quality of the clears, not just the quantity."
"What are you suggesting, then?"
"Individual clears can be considered too," she said, a mischievous glint returning to her silver eyes.
"The rules never said the experience must only be gained as a party of three. An adventurer can prove their worth through solo experience, and those credits can be pooled into the party's total reputation. If you were to, say, take on higher-tier solo work while the others handled the bulk—"
"I get it," I interrupted. "You want me to do the heavy lifting in the shadows while the 'party' maintains the low-rank facade. I can work with that."
"Aww, you didn't even let me finish!" Sylvia pouted, huffing slightly.
"I had a whole speech prepared about the virtues of hidden strength!"
"Yeah, yeah. Thank you, Angel," I said, a faint smirk playing on my lips.
"I know what to do now."
I turned to leave, my mind already calculating the most efficient way to clear fifty quests without breaking my 'average guy' cover.
"Wait," Sylvia said.
Her voice had changed. The playful business mogul was gone, replaced by something grounded and serious. I stopped with my hand on the door handle.
"Do you have a moment for something not official?" she asked.
I turned back slowly. "I'm listening."
"It's about Celia," Sylvia said, her silver eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that told me she wasn't looking at the 'average guy' anymore.
"What about Celia?" I asked.
"Why did you team up with Lucas and her, Kaiser? Truly."
"I just want to adventure," I said, my voice maintaining its flat, casual rhythm. "It's my age of exploration. New horizons, better scenery, new memories."
"We both know that's not true." Sylvia stepped away from the glass, her heels clicking softly on the basalt floor.
"Even if I know nothing about your current life, I still remember that dark side of yours. The one that shattered me and rebuilt me just for your own benefits back at Asura."
I didn't answer.
"Lucas can be annoying, but I know him well enough to know he doesn't hurt people without a reason," she continued.
"But Celia… you know her better than I do. That disguise she's wearing downstairs is to ensure nobody wants her dead for her resemblance to the Queen of Curses. But we both know the truth. She possesses the power. She possesses the technique."
"She is her."
"Your point?" I asked.
"Kaiser, this is my town and my guild," she said, her voice dropping into a serious, protective tone. "I know I'm being cold, but I have to ask."
"Can you promise me that Celia will not do anything to hurt innocent people here?"
I let out a dry breath. "Why ask me? It's not like I'm anything special. I'm just an E-rank adventurer holding her luggage."
"Stop it," Sylvia snapped.
"During the Rinascita trial, she thought you were dead. She lost her will to live the very moment she realized that. Before that, she was the one who slaughtered the tyrant with Lucas. I might not be a genius like you, but the math is simple."
"She will do anything for you. Live or die. Just for you."
She walked closer, her silver eyes locking onto mine.
"And that brings me to my main question," she whispered.
"Do you plan to abandon her?"
I felt the atmospheric pressure in the room shift. My hand tightened on the door handle.
"Like you abandoned Elfie in the final year," Sylvia said, her voice like a jagged blade. "Right before the tragedy."
My eyes turned cold.
"Careful, Sylvia," I said, my voice quiet but carrying a weight that made the air feel thin.
"Some memories are better left buried."
"Don't bullshit me, Kaiser," Sylvia said, her voice dropping all pretense of professional courtesy.
I didn't turn around. "I wasn't aware I was."
"Memory? You'd call Elfie a memory?" She let out a short, breathy laugh that sounded more like a dry sob.
"H-hah… do you even have a clue how hurt she was? When you betrayed all of us for whatever 'goal' you had? Do you know how much she cried for you?"
I kept my face neutral...
"She was lifeless because of you," Sylvia continued, her heels clicking as she paced behind me.
"And I was there to see it. I saw her hollow out because you abandoned her. I don't know what happened on the day of the tragedy, or why you faked your own death to escape the past, but I am certain of one thing."
"For you, Elfie will never be just a 'memory'."
She stopped pacing. I could hear her sharp, rhythmic breathing.
"The idea that you are replacing her with someone else… it's impossible," she stated firmly.
A long silence followed. Sylvia eventually let out a tired sigh, the sound of her anger deflating into a weary vulnerability.
"I'm sorry," she muttered.
"It's just… I don't know Celia. I don't know your relationship with her…"
"But seeing her look lifeless that day in the trial… it just reminded me how cruel and heartless you can be to the people who love you. I guess I just don't want another tragedy to happen."
"I don't want people hurt because of your selfishness."
"Do you care about her?"
"Her and I never met properly," Sylvia said, leaning against her mahogany desk.
"But I can see it in her eyes. The way she looks at you, the way she stops the moment you step in… it reminds me of things I'd rather forget. But the past is just that. The past. I don't want to pry into your business, Kaiser, but if a tragedy occurs, you are responsible."
I let out a slow sigh, the weight of the conversation settling in my shoulders.
"I can promise you, Sylvia," I said, my voice quiet but steady. "I may have been selfish. Things I did in the past… I regret. One of those is my greatest regret. But the past can never be the future. You shouldn't worry—"
I cut myself off before I could say I won't let it happen again. Promises like that were for people who still believed they could control the world.
I turned toward the exit, my hand already reaching for the handle. I just wanted to get back to the lobby, find Celia and Lucas, and move on.
"Ayeee, Aldric—" Sylvia's voice cut through the silence, light and singsong.
I stopped in my tracks.
Oh my goodness gracious.
"I don't know what you put in that letter to make Alina smile that day," she continued, her tone shifting into that familiar, mischievous lilt, "but I'll find out soon enough. Anyway, I have one more thing I want to ask. Can you answer me?"
I sighed, staring at the grain of the oak door.
It seemed the drama queen could shift her moods at the speed of light. One moment she was mourning a tragedy, the next she was playing investigator.
"Yeah, yeah. What is it?"
"This is just a hypothetical. Honestly, you didn't actually answer any of my questions earlier—you just looped around them like you always do—so just answer this one."
"I'm not answering," I stated flatly.
She stepped forward, pointing her finger at my back. "Look, Aldric, we had a deal! You owe me a favor for delivering that letter to Alina. Now you must answer!"
I facepalmed, the sound of my palm hitting my forehead echoing in the quiet room.
"Oh my god... this drama queen."
"Exactly! So now, answer. And just consider it the favor."
"Fine," I muttered, turning my head slightly.
"Hypothetically," she began, her silver eyes narrowing, "if Celia were to risk her life to face strong enemies... would you stop—"
"Not even for a second."
I turned fully to face her, my expression hardening.
"If there is even the slightest chance of her getting hurt, I will be in the way... And honestly, if I could revert to the past, I would never allow her to risk her life for me…"
"I don't care who's in the way."
Sylvia stood there in a brief, stunned silence, her eyes wide. Then, a slow, delighted grin spread across her face. "Aawwwwww! So you do care about her! Wowieeee! Look at you, all protective!"
I raised an eyebrow, the familiar mask of indifference sliding back into place. I didn't have time for her teasing. I turned back to the door and pulled it open, intent on a swift exit.
"Wait!" Sylvia called out.
I heard a soft clink and felt something heavy fly through the air toward me. I reached out and caught it out of instinct.
I opened my palm to find a single, gleaming silver coin.
"A gift from me to you and Celia," she said, smiling brightly from behind her desk.
"Enjoy it."
I stared at the coin.
If I accept this, I'll look like a beggar taking pity gifts. That's far beyond my pride.
I glanced at my empty pockets in my mind's eye.
On the flip side, I don't even have the money to live on the streets. If I keep this up, actual beggars might start giving me charity.
I slipped the coin into my pocket.
"Thank you, Sylvia. I'll see you soon."
"I hope so too, Sir 'Aldric'!"
I didn't look back as I left the room, the door clicking shut behind me. I started down the stairs, the cool air of the stairwell a welcome relief.
Now, it was time to get to work. Time to make this party official.