The entire castle was in uproar. Every servant working was either anxious or feeling intense pressure. Even the soldiers were getting ready to attack at any moment, or in the right sense, ready to die at any moment.
The reason for such atmosphere was no other than a middle-aged man sitting inside the Archbishop's room.
Outside the Archbishop's room gate stood three maids whispering to each other, totally ignoring the fact that the man could hear them as clear as he could breathe.
"Why is he here?" one of them asked.
"Who knows. He's probably here to start a fight again with the Church," another replied.
"Why can't he ever stay down and not get his legs in Church affairs?" the third muttered.
"Ahem."
All the maids turned toward the sound.
Archbishop Dominus was standing behind them, giving them a death glare.
"Your Eminence!" they screamed and ran away very fast.
Dominus watched them disappear down the corridor, then sighed and straightened his robes. He pushed open the door to his office and stepped inside.
The middle-aged man sat in the chair across from Dominus's desk, completely relaxed despite the tension his presence had created throughout the castle. He was broad-shouldered, with silver hair tied back and a scar running down the left side of his face. His clothes were practical, travel-worn leather and dark cloth, not the formal attire most visitors wore when meeting the Archbishop.
"Cedric," Dominus said, closing the door behind him. "You could have sent word before arriving."
"And miss the entertainment of watching your people panic?" Cedric smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Besides, this matter couldn't wait."
Dominus moved to his desk and sat down. "What matter?"
"The misclassified dungeon in the eastern district. The one you sent a boy into alone."
The Archbishop's expression didn't change. "How did you hear about that?"
"I have my sources. Same sources that tell me the boy barely survived. That the dungeon wasn't G-rank at all–had a level-20 boss monster." Cedric leaned forward. "That's E-rank territory. Almost D-rank. And you sent a freshly recovered summoned hero in there solo."
"The initial assessment was G-rank. The dungeon evolved faster than predicted."
"Evolved or was misclassified from the start?"
Dominus was quiet for a moment. "What's your interest in this, Cedric?"
"My interest is in competence. Or the lack of it." Cedric's voice was calm but carried an edge. "The Church has been sloppy lately. Misclassified dungeons. Summoned heroes dying at rates higher than previous years. Resources mismanaged. I'm here because the Guild is concerned."
"The Adventurer's Guild has no authority over Church operations."
"No. But we have authority over dungeon classifications and clearance protocols. If your assessments are wrong, people die. And when people die because of incompetence, it becomes our problem." Cedric sat back. "Tell me about the boy. Hiroshi, wasn't it?"
Dominus hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. He's one of the support-class summoned. Unique ability focused on skill acquisition."
"And you sent him into a dungeon alone because...?"
"He requested the assignment. Insisted he was ready."
"He requested it." Cedric's tone was flat. "A freshly recovered hero with minimal combat experience requested a solo mission, and you approved it."
"He'd been cleared by the healers. And the assessment indicated minimal threat."
"The assessment was wrong."
"Yes. It was."
They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of that admission hanging between them.
"How did he survive?" Cedric asked finally.
"I don't know the details yet. He was taken to a healing house immediately after exiting the dungeon. Multiple severe injuries–broken ribs, acid burns, deep lacerations. The healers said he should have died from blood loss alone before reaching the city."
"But he didn't."
"No. He didn't."
Cedric drummed his fingers on the armrest. "I want to meet him."
"Why?"
"Because a support-class hero who can solo clear a misclassified E-rank dungeon is either incredibly lucky or incredibly capable. And if it's the latter, he shouldn't be wasted on your expendable support rotation."
Dominus's expression hardened. "He's under Church jurisdiction."
"He's a summoned hero, which makes him a resource for all of Astoria, not just the Church." Cedric stood. "I'm not trying to poach your people, Dominus. But if the boy has potential, he deserves proper training and proper assignments. Not being thrown into death traps because your assessment teams can't do their jobs."
"What are you proposing?"
"Let me evaluate him. One assignment under Guild supervision. If he's as capable as his survival suggests, I'll recommend him for proper Guild training. If he's just lucky, he goes back to your support rotation and we forget this conversation happened."
Dominus considered this carefully. "What kind of assignment?"
"Nothing dangerous. Retrieval mission in a border village. Merchant caravan lost contact three days ago. Probably just bandits or a broken wagon, but someone needs to check it out and retrieve the cargo if possible." Cedric pulled a folded paper from his coat. "Standard D-rank retrieval. Low danger, straightforward objective. Perfect for evaluation."
"D-rank is still well above his current level."
"He just survived a E-rank dungeon boss. He can handle a retrieval mission." Cedric set the paper on the desk. "Besides, he won't be going alone. I'll assign an observer to accompany him. Someone to keep him from dying and report back on his capabilities."
Dominus picked up the paper and read it. "The village of Millbrook. Three days northeast. Cargo is medical supplies and trade goods."
"Exactly. The merchant who owns the cargo is offering decent pay for retrieval, plus hazard compensation if there's actual danger involved."
"And if I refuse?" Dominus asked.
"Then I report the misclassification incident to the Guild Council and request a formal investigation into Church dungeon assessment procedures." Cedric's tone was matter-of-fact, not threatening. "Which will be tedious for both of us and accomplish nothing except wasting time."
Dominus set the paper down. "You're not giving me much choice."
"I'm giving you a reasonable alternative to bureaucratic headaches." Cedric moved toward the door, then paused. "Look, I'm not trying to undermine you. But if the boy has potential and you keep using him as disposable support, eventually he'll either die or someone else will recruit him. Better to invest in him now while you still have claim."
The Archbishop was quiet for a long moment. "Fine. One assignment. But he's still recovering from his injuries. He'll need at least three more days before he's mobile enough for travel."
"Three days works. That gives me time to arrange the observer and verify the caravan's last known location." Cedric opened the door. "I'll send the details through official channels. And Dominus, get your assessment teams sorted out. The next misclassification might not have such a lucky outcome."
He left without waiting for a response.
Dominus sat alone in his office, staring at the assignment paper. A retrieval mission in a border village. Simple on paper, but complications had a way of arising in border territories. Bandits, monsters, political tensions between regions.
Still, it was better than another dungeon. And if Cedric's evaluation proved Hiroshi had genuine potential, it could open opportunities the boy wouldn't get through normal Church channels.
The Archbishop pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment and began writing authorization for the assignment. The boy would be informed once he was recovered enough to receive visitors.
Whether Hiroshi was ready for it or not, his path was about to change.
The simple support missions were over. From here on, expectations would be higher.
And the stakes would be higher too.
Dominus signed the authorization and set it aside for delivery to the healing house.
All that remained was to see if the boy could live up to the survival that had caught the Guild's attention.
Or if his luck would finally run out.