In the end, Lyra had ended up scolding Reina, and forced the Red Dragon to apologize publicly before the servants. Lyra was then forced to reveal that Reina was actually a Red Dragon, which is where the "Mounted me" and "Rode me for hours" misunderstanding had come from. Naturally, the servants were shocked to learn they were in the presence of a Red Dragon, but Lyra assured them everything was fine.
She and Reina later had dinner, joined by Sofie and a few other servants, though the little rivalry between Reina and Sofie still seemed to persist, and Lyra could only commend Sofie's bravery. Not many would dare to square up with a dragon, though none had actually seen Reina in her dragon form so it might be difficult to relate. After dinner, Lyra had a bath, alone, and even made sure to give Reina her own room and her own bed. But as soon as the lights were off in the mansion, Reina broke into Lyra's room anyhow and joined her in the big bed.
Lyra had come to expect sharing a bed with Reina, and no longer felt that it was awkward at all. Rather, it was quite comforting and cozy to just sleep together, and it never turned sexual or anything like that. They just hugged, talked for a bit and enjoyed the presence and warmth of one another.
The next day, Lyra took both Reina and Sofie shopping. The plan was to buy Reina clothes and adventuring gear, but she could see how Sofie was a bit hurt that Reina got all the focus, so she ended up buying her maid a few dresses too. Reina and Sofie then competed, trying to show off their new clothes straight from the changing booths, which Lyra just found hilarious. Not to mention they had very different tastes. Reina preferred clothes similar to Lyra's, which were simpler and more revealing, while Sofie preferred more elaborate outfits and dresses that were complicated to get into. After the clothing duel, they then had lunch at a restaurant, before dropping Sofie off at the mansion with all the clothes and equipment. Then it was time for the big thing they had planned for today, which was registering Reina as an Adventurer.
Thus, for the second time in her life, Lyra walked in through the doors of the Guild HQ, this time accompanied by Reina. They agreed it was probably for the best to say that Reina was simply a human, so they wouldn't complicate matters further. Walking inside, heads turned just like they had the last time Lyra was there, with local adventurer's stopping to look and to stare. This time however, her reputation preceded her. Everyone in the capital had heard the rumors about her, some version of it at least. "Lyra the Calamity" was a household name at this point, and a few hopeful folks even started to approach her, but Lyra and Reina hurried past, since they had something important to do. So they steered their feet towards the Receptionist area, and as she and Reina came up to the counter, she was faced with the same receptionist from a month ago, Charlotte. Lyra could practically sense the woman's unease as she and Reina approached the counter.
"Lady Lyra, a pleasure seeing you again... how can I be of service?" the woman said, remaining polite.
-"I'd like to register my companion here. Would you help her fill out the forms?" Lyra said in response.
The paperwork was handled swiftly, and Reina was put down as a Pyromancer for her class. They had considered going warrior, but ultimately class did not really matter so long as Reina got her adventurer tags which would let them travel freely to most places.
Then it was time for the measuring device, and with shaking hands Charlotte put it up on the counter, while Lyra backed off. Even being near it could set it off, in her case. When Reina put her hands on it, it glowed brightly, though not as bright as when Lyra had done it in the past. Still, the orb began to crack under the pressure, and Charlotte, sensing a repeat, quickly pulled it back from Reina.
"Alright! We're doing the test instead..." she said with a tense voice. Lyra looked at Charlotte, and asked:
-"Courtyard, then?"
Charlotte just nodded, and Lyra took Reina by the hand and started to lead her along. She could definitely recall the way to the Courtyard after all. It was with a sense of nostalgia that Lyra walked with Reina to the courtyard, unable to hide her amused smile.
"Is something funny, Master?" Reina asked, looking at the High Elf with curious eyes.
-"A little bit. It just feels like a repeat of last time I was here. I do feel sorry for the receptionist."
"Oh? What happened last time?" Reina responded as they walked.
-"I was told to use my strongest spell, and broke not just the protective barrier but also the stone wall behind it." Lyra answered.
"As befitting of my master!" Reina said with pride, which only made Lyra shake her head with a snicker.
They arrived at the courtyard, and Lyra could sense that a new barrier had been made, though slightly weaker than the previous one. Just like last time, spectators poured in from the sides, who wanted to witness the test. And just like last time, Lyra now had to wait. Except this time, she was not alone, and she was not the one being tested.
Twenty minutes later, and it was Kyle himself who appeared. As soon as he spotted Lyra standing there in the courtyard, he froze in his tracks. "YOU again!?" he said in disbelief, already imagining all the ways in which Lyra would complicate his life again.
-"Well, I am not being tested, rather it is my companion." Lyra said with a polite though slightly vexed smile. Reina looked between the pair, wondering what sort of history they might have.
"Nope. Not doing this..." Kyle said, and just... turned around, and walked away.
"B-but, Vice-Guild Ma-" Charlotte began, but was interrupted by Kyle's parting words, as he said:
"Just give her the C-rank... and send them up to the office, the Guild Master wants to see them..."
Reina seemed rather disappointed, as did all the spectators sitting on the benches along the sides of the courtyard.
"But master, I wanted to destroy the barrier too..." she said, pouting.
-"That's exactly why they don't want you taking this test... now come along dear, lets go meet with the Guild-Master then." Lyra said, as she took Reina's hand and tugged her along, following Charlotte as they headed back into the HQ. After heading up 2 sets of stairs, they arrived outside the office. Two big double-doors, made from thick oak, separated them from the office. After a quick knock, they were then let in.
The office had a large desk at its very center, with two grand windows behind it. Two seats had been prepared on the other side of the desk for Lyra and Reina. Sitting behind the desk was an old man, with long white bushy beard and faded grey hair. He looked to be 80 if not 90 years old, yet his eyes were still active and sharp, Lyra recognized.
"Come in... sit, please." the old man said, gesturing for them to be seated. Charlotte closed the doors behind them, and Lyra felt a touch of magic.
"Silencing magic." Reina remarked. Likely an enchantment or spell placed on the office to ensure no one could eavesdrop. The pair of women then approached the man, and sat down by the desk.
"Thank you for taking your time to come and see me. I have been meaning to meet with you, Miss Lyra, since you destroyed the barrier which was my life's work." the man said calmly, hands clasped in front of him. Lyra assumed the old man was angry, but was pleasantly surprised when he continued:
"I wanted to thank you. I had thought I had come to know all there is about magic, but you proved this old man wrong, restoring that sense of childlike wonder to an old man in his final days."
-"Happy I could be of service." Lyra said simply, though with a respectful nod.
"I have also heard about the spell you unleashed against the Ytrand Army. I've even collected witness testimonies from some of the folks near you on the wall, on that fateful day. I cannot even imagine such a spell, even though I've had it described to me countless of times. I'd love to see it demonstrated, one of these days." he added.
"Master is just that amazing." Reina huffed, looking smug as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Seemingly, to have even tamed a Red Dragon, a feat no one has managed before in history, to my knowledge." the old man said with a knowing smirk.
-"So you knew?" Lyra asked, an eyebrow raised.
" I possess the "Inspect" skill, as you might know. Very handy to have, when you are in my position. So I know she is a Red Dragon under the Polymorph spell. I've seen your stats too." he answered simply, and with surprising calm.
-"Are we in trouble then?" Lyra responded.
"No. I will play along. I think it is wise to keep her identity hidden. She is actually not the reason I summoned you here, believe it or not." the old Guild-Master said, and Lyra breathed out a sigh of relief, happy the man seemed reasonable.
-"Then, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Lyra eventually asked.
"I've spoken to the Royal Family, and also one of my colleagues, the one who was the Speaker for the Peace Treaty, you might recall him. We all agree you ought to be elevated directly to S-rank. Same can go for Reina here." the old man said, leaning forward. Lyra in turn raised an eyebrow. First she jumped directly to C-rank, and now to S-rank? She was thankful the people here seemed realistic, but wasn't it still too soon? But the old man continued:
"Frankly, you are far stronger than any S-rank, Lyra. You could probably take on five or ten of them at once. There is no reason to hold you back for some arbitrary reason. We in the Guild want to retain you and appease you, frankly, because we think you could be a massive boon to the Guild. However..."
-"However... you need three guild-masters to approve the promotion, if I recall, correct?" Lyra added.
"Correct. So I was thinking, perhaps I could interest you and your companion in accepting an S-rank mission, which will take you down to the southern edge of the continent, where the Beast-Folk live. Once you complete the mission and earn the recognition from the Guild-Master there, you'll be made an S-rank. How is that?" he said in response.
-"I assume there already is a mission you have in mind for us?..." Lyra said.
"Most astute. Yes, that is the case. An escort mission. You will be guarding a very precious cargo, leaving from here tomorrow. Headed for the Cat-Tribe's capital city, called Helos." the man said in response. Lyra considered for a moment, before looking at Reina, wanting her input.
-"What do you think, Reina? We wanted to go explore the world regardless." Lyra asked.
"I do not mind anything, so long as we do it together!" Reina responded, smiling brightly.
Lyra considered for a few more moments, weighing the pros and cons, before she eventually settled her gaze on the old Guild-Master, and gave her response:
-"We accept."