Their footsteps came to a halt in front of a grand building that served as the center of activity for adventurers in the city of Haslott. A large, polished sign hung proudly above the entrance, reading: "Welcome to the Adventurer Guild of Haslott City."
Creak!
The double doors opened. Kazien led the small group inside, followed by his three fiancés and Hudeon, who walked cheerfully behind them. They walked casually across the spacious lobby toward the receptionist's desk.
Instantly, the bustle of conversation, the clinking of beer glasses, and the coarse laughter filling the hall fell silent.
Dozens of pairs of eyes were now fixed on them. At first, their attention was drawn to Alvin's mesmerizing charm as a High Elf. However, instead of approaching to admire or flirt as they usually would with an ordinary elf, the adventurers retreated. The aura of intimidation did not come from Alvin, but from the silver-white haired young man walking next to him.
They recognized who that young man was.
"Why has the son of Duke Altavis come here? What happened in our territory that he had to intervene personally?" whispered a veteran adventurer to his partner.
"And look at that boy... Isn't that Young Master Hudeon?" another whispered, realizing the presence of the child with dark green hair. "Why is he with the Young Master of the Altavis family? What kind of combination is this?"
Ignoring the whispers that began to buzz like bees, Kazien kept walking until he arrived in front of the receptionist's desk. There, a beautiful woman in a neat guild uniform was organizing files. She looked up, and her eyes went wide with shock.
"Good morning, Young Master." the receptionist greeted, her voice trembling slightly but remaining professional. "What business brings you suddenly to our humble guild?"
Kazien smiled, a smile that was so warm. "Liona, do you have a mission suitable for us today? If possible, find one that is Rank S or higher."
The receptionist named Liona froze. She did not expect a noble of Kazien's stature to still remember the name of an ordinary receptionist like her from his last visit, which had been quite some time ago. Her face instantly blushed red.
"Y-You still remember my name, Young Master?" Liona asked to make sure, her hand unconsciously tidying her hair out of nervousness.
"Of course I remember!" Kazien answered casually. "Please arrange a mission for us immediately, okay?"
"Y-Yes! I will execute it immediately, Young Master!"
Liona hurried to sort through the stack of mission documents with hands trembling from both enthusiasm and nervousness.
While Liona was busy, Allen and Arken did not relax. Their eyes moved wildly, scanning every corner of the room with sharp, watchful gazes. Their muscles tensed, ready to pounce on anyone who dared to make a suspicious move.
Alvin, realizing their tension, sighed softly. "Allen, Arken, there is no need to be so alert. The atmosphere here is very different from the capital. The people here know their place better. So, just relax."
"I'm just being careful, Alvin." Allen replied grumpily, his eyes still staring sharply at a group of fierce-looking adventurers in the corner of the room. "Who knows if there's some fool who dares to approach our fiancé or act rudely toward you."
"Brother Allen is right, you know." Arken chimed in. "Aren't you worried, Brother Alvin?"
Hearing the small debate, Kazien smiled amusedly. He suddenly wrapped his arms around both Allen's and Arken's necks at the same time, pulling them close, and then ruffled their hair affectionately.
"Enough, no need to be so tense." Kazien said softly right in their ears. His voice was calm, as if it possessed a magic that soothed the soul. "No one intends to hurt us here. Trust me."
Kazien's touch and voice effectively melted their guard. Allen and Arken finally sighed and lowered their tense shoulders.
However, the peace did not last long for Arken. His gaze was disturbed again when he saw Hudeon, who had been sticking close to Kazien's side the whole time, as if he were part of the fiancé package.
"Hey, you!" Arken called out in a tone deliberately made deep and intimidating. He stared sharply at Hudeon. "Why are you always so close to him?"
Hudeon looked up, staring at Arken with his innocent golden eyes without the slightest fear. "Because I know him!" Hudeon answered honestly. "If I didn't know Brother Kazien, I wouldn't dare approach him!"
Hudeon's answer, which was too innocent and logical, left Arken speechless. He couldn't refute the boy's argument. Finally, Arken just snorted softly and deemed his presence harmless, though slightly annoying.
"Excuse me, Young Master." Liona's voice broke their interaction. She placed several sheets of parchment paper on the table. "These are the few Rank S missions currently available."
Kazien picked up the sheets and read through them briefly. However, Allen's index finger suddenly pointed to one of the papers at the bottom of the stack.
"My Love, it seems this mission is perfect for us." Allen suggested.
Kazien, Alvin, and Arken leaned in to read the details of the mission Allen pointed out.
[INVESTIGATION MISSION: ANCIENT RUINS CAVE]
Difficulty: Rank S
Description: Investigate the cause of the disappearance of many citizens and adventurers in the ancient ruins cave area. No bodies have been found, only traces of unnatural mana energy.
Location: West Forest, Haslott City.
"People disappearing without a trace, huh? Interesting!" Kazien muttered while holding his chin. "Alright, let's take this mission!"
Liona immediately processed their request and stamped it with the official guild seal. "Confirmation complete. It is located in the forest to the west of Haslott City, Young Master. Please be careful! Rumors say there is something 'evil' there."
They nodded in understanding, then turned to leave the receptionist's desk. With steady steps, they walked out of the guild building to carry out their debut mission in Haslott City.
Their journey through the city streets became a spectacle once again. But this time, the citizens' gazes were mostly fixed on Alvin. His golden-yellow hair, shining under the morning sun, made him look like a god descended to the world.
"It's been a long time since I received such intense attention." Alvin muttered softly while glancing left and right, uncomfortable but used to it.
"Brother Alvin, were you always watched like this wherever you went in the past?" Arken asked curiously while matching his pace.
"Only for a while." Alvin answered briefly, his gaze staring into the past. "In Lazavis, people were already used to my presence, so they treated me like an ordinary citizen. But..."
Alvin paused his sentence for a moment, his face turning slightly cold. "...only in the Capital was the situation severe. The people there were greedy and disgusting. Their stares were so disturbing that I was forced to kill someone right inside the guild lobby."
The footsteps of Allen, Arken, and even Hudeon stopped instantly.
"Wait... what?" Allen stared at Alvin with wide eyes. "So, you've killed someone before?"
Alvin turned his head. "Yes. Our fiancé and everyone in the Capital's adventurer guild at that time witnessed it. I didn't even let that person's blood dirty the guild floor."
Hudeon swallowed hard. He looked at Alvin with a new gaze. In his eyes all this time, Alvin was a calm, graceful, and gentle High Elf. But now, he realized that behind that gentleness lay a terrifying side that wouldn't hesitate to take a life if disturbed.
"Enough, stop that unimportant chat!" Kazien said, breaking the silence. "Now, let's just focus on this mission!"
"Okay!" they answered in unison.