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The blue sky, white clouds, a cool breeze, and warm sunlight. It was one of those days where just that alone could make you feel good.

Ricardt packed his money and dagger, draped his red cloak over his shoulders, and followed Volka out of the dormitory.

Volka seemed to be in a good mood, though it wasn’t clear why. When Boribori smiled brightly, it was like looking at the spring sunlight, and Ricardt couldn’t help but feel uplifted as well.

However, coming down, Ricardt realized something he hadn’t noticed on the way up—the steep, sheer rock mountain was a bit frightening to descend.

There were no safety railings, and the narrow steps were uneven in height, making it easy to misstep.

Being at such a high place, the wind blew strongly, causing Ricardt’s cloak to flutter continuously along with his hair.

“This looks like an accident waiting to happen,”

Ricardt said.

“There are even people who jump off on purpose.”

Volka, who was leading the way, said as if it were nothing. He meant those who chose to end their lives.

“What?”

“Heaven’s Cliff. It used to happen often. Kids would jump off on purpose.”

“……What about recently?”

“Haven’t seen it recently. Maybe about three months?”

“……”

Ricardt was at a loss for words. It hurt his heart. He wanted to mourn the kids who had perished, but he didn’t know their faces or names.

But Volka asked the question so indifferently, as if it wasn’t anything special that kids jumped off the cliff.

“It takes six hours to get there. What do you want to do? Stay in the city overnight, or come back after a short visit? If you’re planning to return today, I can’t go with you. I’ve got my own business to attend to.”

It meant it would take twelve hours round trip. Since it was still morning, if they were to return to the Academy dormitory on the same day, they wouldn’t be able to stay long in the city.

Ricardt pondered what to do, then remembered something his oldest brother, Graut, had once said when he was young.

There’s no point in making plans on a day like this.

Ricardt looked up at the blue sky, where white clouds drifted. He let the brief heaviness in his heart be carried away by the wind and said,

“Let’s think about it when we get there.”

“Alright. You said you have some money, right?”

“Yeah.”

“In the city, money is king and emperor. If you’ve got money, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“But it can also be the seed of misfortune.”

“Haha, that’s true, but who’d dare mess with you?”

Volka wasn’t worried about Ricardt’s safety, knowing his skills. If he were just another random kid, there wouldn’t have been any reason to go to the city together like this. Unless he was introducing him to some work.

By the way, descending the rocky mountain and looking out at the endlessly stretching fields was truly a magnificent sight.

The timing was perfect, with spring flowers blooming in vibrant colors, decorating the green fields. Spring had gently settled on the fields, and the steps down felt like a staircase leading to heaven.

Knowing that kids had often ended their lives here in the past made it hard to see the place as purely beautiful. Or was it even more beautiful because of that? No, it was something that should be beautiful.

Finally, when they reached the bottom, a long path leading to the city lay before them. It wasn’t paved, formed solely by the footsteps of people, which seemed to evoke even more emotion.

Boribori ran ahead, excitedly pointing to the surroundings and shouting out.

“Baby’s breath! Daffodils! Lily of the valley! Star bellflower!”

Boribori kept calling out the names of the grasses and flowers in the fields, endlessly shouting.

As Ricardt listened, he realized those things he’d seen back in his hometown all had their own names.

“Do you really memorize that kind of stuff?”

But perhaps tired of listening, Volka frowned and said.

“But they’re so pretty, it’d be sad not to appreciate them.”

“Oh yeah? Is this pretty too? Take that!”

Volka stepped on a yellow daffodil. Boribori flinched and shut his mouth, while Ricardt just smiled.

Even so, Ricardt approached the downcast Boribori, placed a hand on his shoulder, and spoke to him.

“It’ll grow back. Just because a flower wilts doesn’t mean its life is over.”

“Yeah…”

“I don’t know about Ricky, but you need to get your act together. Do you think you can just coast by because you got lucky making a good friend? What are you going to do after two years?”

Volka harshly criticized Boribori. Though he didn’t need to go that far, the fact that he did might have meant he was starting to care a bit.

“Still, since we have to walk for 6 hours, listening to flower names isn’t too bad.”

Ricardt tried to defend Boribori. To be honest, he didn’t quite understand why anyone would memorize such things either.

Volka snorted as if displeased.

Among the three, Boribori was the one who most retained his childlike innocence, despite being two years older than Ricardt.

“What’s that flower called?”

Ricardt asked, trying to lift Boribori’s spirits.

“Violet.”

“And that tiny one?”

“Cucumber-herb.”

“Wow, you really know everything. They say flowers have meanings too. Can you tell me about them?”

At the mention of flower meanings, Boribori’s eyes began to brighten.

“They say violets are called that because they bloom around the time swallows return after being away for winter. The flower meaning is eternal friendship.”

“Really?”

Ricardt picked three purple violets. He handed one to Boribori and said,

“Does this mean we’re friends forever now?”

“……Hehehe.”

Boribori giggled as he took the flower and tucked it behind his ear.

“Here’s one for you too, Volka.”

“Are you doing this on purpose?”

“What do you mean?”

“To mess with me.”

“What are you talking about? Didn’t you hear? The flower meaning is eternal friendship.”

“That’s the kind of stuff girls do.”

“So, you’re not going to take it?”

“I don’t believe in this kind of thing.”

Despite his words, Volka snatched one up. Ricardt laughed. With Boribori’s spirits lifted again, he began telling stories related to the flowers.

Tales of a naive maiden’s heartbreak, a brave knight bleeding on the spot where a flower then bloomed, an angel descending to deliver a flower, and so on.

Whether true or not, whether they believed them or not, the stories made the journey to the city less tedious.

The wind blew. The sound of the flowers and grasses swaying in the breeze was like the sound of waves.

Swoooosh…

Beringen had no clear boundaries for its city. Not at the foot of the hill, at least. At some point, the fields gave way to farmland, and they could see cows grazing.

In the distance, a castle perched atop a hill came into view. As they got closer to the castle, the population density increased.

Volka pointed around with his hand as he spoke.

“This is the eastern district. It’s a bit better here because there are a lot of people from the Guild and the Academy, but you’d do well to avoid the northern and western districts. The northern district is where the Nord immigrants live. They have their own customs. If you speak carelessly there, you might find your head split by an axe, so keep that in mind. The western district is home to the old residents who’ve lived here for generations. They don’t like us much.”

“What about the southern district?”

Ricardt asked.

“It’s a mixed bag. There are people from deeper within the Empire. Some of them are bad news. So, it’s safest to just stick to the eastern district. Now, let’s head to the headquarters.”

Ricardt and Boribori followed Volka. It was afternoon, with only a few hours left before sunset.

The headquarters was a large, uniquely designed building. The second floor was bigger than the first, and there was a skybridge connecting it to another building.

There was a separate parking area for carriages, with five of them parked there. The horses that had worked hard to get there were now relieved of their heavy harnesses removed, eating fodder and drinking water in the stables.

Having visited what was essentially a branch office before, Ricardt thought, ‘So the headquarters actually has its own separate building.’

“The real headquarters is inside the castle. Strictly speaking, this isn’t actually the headquarters, but people just call it that.”

In other words, this was the space where most of the actual practical work was handled. The real headquarters inside the castle housed the so-called high-ranking officials, who only passed down orders.

“You guys probably can’t get in there yet, but I know someone, so it might be possible. And once you’re inside, don’t just blabber. The atmosphere is often shitty, so be careful.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think? Because people die, that’s why.”

“Ah.”

The real journey started after spending two years at the Academy. That was when most deaths occurred. Even then, the students were divided into upper, middle, and lower ranks.

Out of the 200 students, barely 50 attempted to become adventurers. That was how difficult and dangerous it was. Some ran away, while most just looked for other jobs.

Volka entered the building, and Ricardt and Boribori stood together, observing their surroundings.

People with weapons strapped to their waists walked around. Their shaded expressions and eyes seemed to reflect the harshness of their lives.

If they were adventurers, or preparing to become adventurers, it meant they were all graduates of the academy.

They were seniors, but they didn’t give off any good vibes. Contrary to the bright weather outside, they seemed gloomy and worn out.

And there were even more merchants walking around than adventurers. Anyone could make requests to the Guild, but the primary clientele were merchants.

Conversations about whether goods were received, which regional lord had started charging tolls, what gangs were causing trouble lately, where goods were cheap, and where they were expensive floated in the air, occasionally reaching their ears.

Then Volka, who had gone inside, came back out.

“They said it’s fine to look around for a bit. Just behave yourselves. Don’t wander off needlessly.”

“Okay.”

Finally, Ricardt stepped into the Guild headquarters.

The interior wasn’t much different from any other tavern, except for the wanted posters hanging on the walls.

There were so many wanted posters that they weren’t neatly organized but rather plastered over one another in a messy layer.

But as soon as Boribori stepped inside, he saw someone sitting at the bar and flinched in shock, trembling. It was none other than the person who had beaten and doused him with water on his first day.

The man, with a sword at his waist, was chatting with the bartender. When the bartender noticed Ricardt and Boribori being brought in by Volka, he greeted them.

“Oh, are these the kids? You guys need to eat a lot and grow big. Take it easy while you’re here. No alcohol, though. If you learn about alcohol before you’re of age, it can ruin you.”

It seemed like a fairly decent piece of advice. Or was it not? In any case, when the bartender spoke to Volka’s group, the man talking to him naturally turned his gaze toward them.

As soon as he made eye contact with Ricardt, however, he was startled and visibly flustered.

“Oh? Uh…”

“Hello”

Ricardt greeted him.

“Ah, uh, yes. Uh, how’s the dormitory? Is it comfortable?”

“Yes, it’s been fine.”

“Ah… yes…”

Seeing the veteran adventurer, who was both an Academy graduate and a skilled adventurer, at a loss for words, Volka, Boribori, and even the bartender widened their eyes in surprise.

Volka and Boribori were so confused by not knowing what was going on that they were almost dumbstruck.

The reason the senior adventurer was flustered upon seeing Ricardt was none other than because Ricardt was of noble birth.

Just like Boribori, Ricardt had encountered this man on his first day. When he showed his admission letter, the man had been visibly startled since then.

Seeing that reaction, Ricardt decided that if he wanted to live comfortably at the Academy, he should keep his noble status a secret. So he just went around using his nickname as if it were his name.

From the senior’s perspective, it was awkward to treat him as a noble, but he couldn’t treat him casually either. That’s why Ricardt made the senior feel uncomfortable and difficult to deal with.

Though he wasn’t the eldest son, he was still the legitimate son, meaning he was a pure noble. And naturally, illegitimate children had a hard time dealing with legitimate ones. The senior was, in fact, an illegitimate child himself.

“I, I’ll go back to my work. I’ll be off now.”

The senior hurriedly left his seat, even leaving behind his drink, and especially gave a polite bow to Ricardt as he departed.

Volka and Boribori stared at Ricardt, their eyes demanding some sort of explanation.

Ricardt just shrugged and made a simple excuse.

“I didn’t hit him.”

No matter how good you are at fighting, could you really beat up a senior? In this industry, strength was everything, and if you were weak, you lost, regardless of seniority. However, being an adventurer implied a different level of skill.

The bartender, who had been watching with surprised eyes, soon seemed to understand. He had heard rumors about a noble attending the Academy and now realized that the boy in front of him was likely that noble.

The bartender, unlike the senior who had left, was rather calm. Dealing with many people as a bartender, he seemed quick on the uptake.

Noticing that Ricardt didn’t want to reveal his noble status, the bartender quickly changed the subject.

“Hunt must be a bit out of it from drinking. Did you see that? Alcohol isn’t really that great. By the way, Volka, have you heard the rumor?”

“What? Which one?”

“You know Roach, right?”

“Ah… yes.”

Roach wasn’t well-regarded among adventurers. While his skills were decent, there were rumors that he secretly committed crimes.

Moreover, he was a bit of a thug as a person, so not many people liked him.

Adventurers weren’t as honorable as knights, but they weren’t entirely without morals like bandits either. There was a line that most adventurers adhered to, and Roach was infamous for walking that line precariously.

“I heard he got a hole in his chin. His tongue got pierced too, so he can’t even eat properly.”

The bartender mimicked poking under his chin with his finger as he spoke.

“Why? How did that happen? Wasn’t he supposed to be pretty skilled?”

“He messed with a woman from the Blatter clan, and that’s what happened to him. This is why you need to stay humble in this field. Skill isn’t everything. Just watch, that bastard’s going to die soon. He’s made too many enemies. What an idiot.”

The bartender, despite being in the same guild, seemed to really dislike Roach, almost cursing him. Or maybe it wasn’t a curse but an accurate prediction.

“What’s a clan?”

Ricardt asked. He had been curious about it for a while but hadn’t had the chance to get an explanation. The bartender wiped a cup with a towel as he replied.

“A clan is a group of people within the guild who come together because they get along well. It’s great if they’re skilled, but more importantly, they need to be trustworthy. That’s why your time at the Academy is important. The kids who stick together then often stay together later. The kids know best who’s skilled and who’s trustworthy.”

So it seemed that the guild was a collection of clans. While the two terms weren’t exactly in a hierarchical relationship, in practice, that’s how it appeared.

The guild provided work, gave orders, and most importantly, offered legitimacy to the clans through its connection with the Emperor. That was the most crucial aspect.

“Are you an academy graduate too, mister?”

Ricardt asked.

Ricardt didn’t sit down but leaned against the bar, resting his arms on it, and asked. The bar’s height reached up to his chest.

“Mister? Me? Haha, sorry, but I’m not an Academy graduate. I was just an adventurer. You could say I was a problem solver affiliated with the Guild. Now that I’ve retired from that, I do this kind of work, but I’m still with the Guild. I provide tired adventurers with a warm place to stay and occasionally pass on instructions from the Guild.”

“What’s a problem solver?”

“A problem solver is just that—a person who ‘takes care of things.’”

“What does that mean, exactly?”

“In this line of work, ‘taking care of things’ means getting the client the results they want, by any means necessary.”

“Oh… that sounds a bit scary.”

“It can be, or it might not be.”

“I see. By the way, do you happen to have a room that three people could stay in for a night?”

Ricardt asked as he pulled out a pouch of money. But the bartender shook his head.

“Since it’s your first visit, I’ll offer you a night’s stay for free. I’ve got that much discretion. Head upstairs and take the last room on the right.”

“Thank you. By the way, what’s your name, sir? I’m Ricky.”

“…Well, that’s better than just being called ‘mister.’ I’m Dunkel.”

“Is that your real name?”

At this, Dunkel smiled slightly, put down the cup he was cleaning, and leaned closer to Ricardt, speaking softly so others couldn’t hear.

“Is it your real name, young master?”

The bartender, who called himself Dunkel, had neatly groomed brown hair and a well-trimmed beard, giving him a clean appearance. And within his calm eyes, there was a hidden sharpness, like that of a well-honed dagger. Ricardt could see it.

Ricardt simply smiled without saying anything. Then he turned to his two friends and asked,

“Let’s unpack our things first and then go look around. How about it?”

But both Volka and Boribori were staring at Ricardt in a daze, their expressions completely blank.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Huh? Oh, nothing. Yeah, let’s do that.”

Volka replied, snapping out of it. It was strange. This wasn’t a place that would show such consideration just because it was their first day. In fact, it wasn’t a place associated with kindness at all.

Boribori was at a loss for words, stunned by how casually Ricardt dealt with people who seemed so intimidating.

Feeling a bit bewildered, the two followed Ricardt up the stairs.

Silence fell over the hall, leaving only adventurers here and there, either passed out on tables or sipping their drinks gloomily.

Then, a woman approached Dunkel.

“What do you think?”

“His personality seems pretty easygoing.”

“No, not that.”

“I didn’t sense any mana from him.”

“Then is Roche an idiot, or did he learned some secret swordsmanship from his family?”

The fact that Ricardt had defeated Roach was already known to those in the know. As a result, by the time Ricardt arrived at the Academy, the Guild had quietly begun to take notice of him.

“Probably both.”

“Hmm… So, are you going to test him?”

Dunkel poured some liquor into the cup he had just been cleaning and handed it to the woman, shaking his head.

“No. That’s not our job. It’s the Academy’s.”