Independence

After parting ways with Aaron, I immediately unbuckled my backpack and pulled out the small pouch inside.

It was a pouch that could be called a wallet, if you wanted to call it that.

Judging by the multiple layers of transmutation applied to it, it was bound to be incredibly sturdy.

With a slightly fluttering heart, I opened the wallet.

I was curious to see just how much money my wealthy master had stuffed inside.

"Oh..."

It was far more than I had expected.

Having only ever lived in an orphanage and Aaron's mansion, my grasp of economics was faint, to say the least—practically nonexistent.

Even so, I could tell the amount inside was astronomical.

There were a whopping five platinum coins inside, so it was impossible not to notice.

On top of that, there was a heap of gold and silver coins, and there was even a separate pouch just for copper coins.

At this rate, I wondered if I could just live without ever working again.

—Alchemy requires a lot of money.

The moment Aaron's voice brushed past my ears, I shook off the devil's temptation.

Right. Alchemy was an expensive pursuit.

Just by feeling them, I knew there were many extraordinary metals in here.

There were even metals that didn't take to alchemy properly.

They were said to be metals that resisted mana. To forge a weapon out of them, it required the hands of the finest artisan among the dwarves.

And it was said that a weapon crafted that way could easily slice through minor magic.

Anyway, alchemy costs a fortune.

Keeping that fact firmly in mind once more, I hid the wallet deep inside my backpack.

This is my emergency fund.

I decided to earn the money I would spend myself.

I only planned to use the money Aaron gave me in a true, absolute emergency. Perhaps Aaron had hoped for that as well.

Tightening the straps of my backpack once more, I set off toward the Adventurers' Guild.

In a way, this was the moment I took my very first step after completely parting ways with my master.

Thinking about it like that...

It felt as if my eyes were finally opening.

I looked around with wide, dazed eyes.

I gazed at the fountains decorating the city and the bright sunlight shattering against the spraying water.

White clouds drifted lazily across the blue sky, and countless people bustled about on the streets paved with pristine white marble.

Everyone was dressed lightly.

They proudly displayed their unique traits.

So much so that my innate Korean Confucian instincts began to tingle.

There were some people who made me wonder why they even bothered wearing clothes at all. This was especially true for the non-alchemists who looked like succubi and incubi.

Elsewhere, I spotted non-alchemists who looked like vampires, or tiny ones who looked like fairies.

Some non-alchemists simply had horns, while others had dark or purple skin.

There were also many non-humanoid non-alchemists.

The kind of appearance that would have been labeled as "furries" back on Earth.

While beastkin only had animal ears and tails on a human body, these creatures merely walked on two legs and were otherwise barely distinguishable from beasts.

Sometimes, they even crawled on all fours.

And behind them all stood the grand, majestic Imperial Palace.

Along with the terrifying knights guarding its main gates.

Only now did it truly sink in that I was in a medieval fantasy world.

A breath of excitement escaped my lips.

As I patted my chest to calm my rapidly pounding heart, a chuckle suddenly escaped me.

This is going to be fun.

Rather than feeling awed, amazed, or thrilled... the thought of it being fun crossed my mind first.

Perhaps I only thought this because I was now the most expensive orphan in the world, as well as a 3rd-tier alchemist.

If I were still just a non-alchemist orphan worth a measly four silver coins, I would probably be living a miserable life.

Offering my gratitude to Aaron once more, I took my first step into the world that I could finally see clearly.

I stopped and looked up at the grand sign hanging above.

Did they say the capital of the Gidum Empire was Karkadum?

Seeing how it was labeled as a branch, it seemed there were Adventurers' Guild branches in other cities as well.

I wondered if I could accept a request here, complete it in another city, and still get paid.

Well, I could just ask if the situation ever arose.

Burying my questions for now, I pushed open the door to the Adventurers' Guild.

There was no creaking sound.

The well-oiled door opened smoothly and silently.

"Oh..."

The interior that unfolded before my eyes was completely different from the Adventurers' Guilds I had imagined.

Instead of a rowdy tavern where adventurers gathered to drink and brawl, it had the quiet, orderly atmosphere of a bank.

Still, it wasn't dead silent.

There was a moderate, low hum of murmuring voices.

I wondered what the branches in other cities looked like.

Thinking it would be quite fun to compare them one by one, I stepped inside.

Tap, tap. My light footsteps drew the gazes of the non-alchemists. However, their interest quickly waned, and they looked away.

Since there were many demon races with short statures and small builds, they probably didn't find ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my appearance particularly strange.

If they had known I was a normal human girl, their gazes might have lingered a bit longer.

—The robe you are wearing will not only hide the workshop's brand but also effectively conceal your face.

Chanting "Long live alchemy" in my head, I lined up at the back of the shortest queue.

It didn't take long for my turn to come.

Standing before the counter, I found myself slightly flustered.

It's higher than I thought.

In the end, I had to stand on my tiptoes.

Behind the counter was a male employee with horns resembling those of a ram on both sides of his head.

He didn't seem to have noticed me, so I spoke up first.

"Hello."

Only then did the employee raise his head and look around.

"I'm down here."

Realizing I was below his line of sight, he looked down with an apologetic expression and spoke.

"How may I help you today?"

His tone was businesslike yet polite.

The textbook customer service voice.

Stretching further onto my tiptoes, I said, "Where should I go to register as an adventurer?"

"You can do it right here... Just a moment, please."

The employee stood up and stepped out from behind the counter.

In his hands, he carried a wooden step stool.

After placing the stool in front of me, he returned to his seat behind the counter.

Seeing how natural his actions were, this sort of thing must happen quite often.

"Thank you."

I stepped onto the stool he had provided.

Only then could I clearly see his face.

"The registration fee for an adventurer is two silver coins. If you lose your adventurer's license, the reissue fee is one silver coin. Please note that starting from the third loss, an investigation may be conducted."

"I understand."

I first handed over the identification tag I had prepared in advance.

Next, I took out two silver coins from the ten I had prepared and placed them in the basket on the counter.

"Please fill out only the underlined sections. If you have any questions during the process, please note them down and ask me when I return."

"Yes, thank you."

After the employee left, I dipped the quill next to me into the ink.

Although I hadn't been used to it at first, I had become accustomed to using a quill after becoming Aaron's disciple.

The one Master gave me was much better.

Realizing the new fact that quills varied in quality, I immediately began filling out the document.

I hesitated for a moment at the origin section, but decided to write the truth.

Meanwhile, the employee returned, looking slightly hurried.

"C-Could I perhaps verify your face?"

"Sure."

I pulled back the hood of my robe.

My light green hair cascaded over my shoulders in soft waves.

The employee gasped.

"Y-You were a mage."

With those words, I felt the gazes of the non-alchemists in the guild gather on me. This time, their stares were heavier and lingered much longer.

I even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠felt a few uncomfortably sticky, unpleasant stares.

I immediately pulled my hood back down and pondered the words I had just heard.

A mage?

Master must have done something to it.

After blinking blankly for a moment, I nodded belatedly.

"Yes. How did you know?"

The employee's smile grew even warmer.

It was a natural smile born of genuine goodwill.

"It was indicated on your identification tag. Haha, I am truly sorry for not recognizing you sooner and wasting your precious time."

"No, it's fine."

This was a clear indication of how specially mages were treated in this world.

It was quite strange.

There were plenty of people, knights, and mages in this world. Yet, their reaction was so intense that curiosity began to bubble up inside me.

So, I decided to just ask.

"Is it strange that I'm a mage?"

"No, not strange at all."

"Everyone is staring at me."

"Ah, that is... well..."

The employee hesitated for a moment, then leaned forward and whispered quietly.

"Mages are highly valuable assets, after all."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. As you might know, Lady Lulu, mages usually head straight to the Magic Tower. They rarely look twice at adventurer work like this. Naturally, mages are a rare sight here. Most of them are just showing goodwill, so please don't worry too much."

"Is it the same in other countries?"

"You can assume it's the case almost everywhere. Especially so in recent times."

"Ah. Thank you."

So mages go to the Magic Tower.

Storing this new piece of information away, I finished filling out the registration form.

"I'm done."

"Ah...! Thank you. Thank you very much. Also, we do not charge registration fees for mages. I will return these to you."

With that, the employee pushed two silver coins, three candies, and a small wooden plaque toward me.

"Is this wooden plaque the adventurer's license?"

"Yes, indeed. It starts with wood, then progresses to ivory, iron, bronze, silver, gold, and finally platinum. This license reflects your reliability rather than your combat prowess, so it is entirely unrelated to—"

I stared blankly at the wooden plaque, letting the employee's explanation go in one ear and out the other.

I had literally just finished writing and submitted the form, yet the license was issued instantly.

It seemed they had prepared it in advance, eager not to lose a mage.

Mages must be incredibly rare.

Aaron must have written down that I was a mage knowing this would happen.

I took only the silver coins and the adventurer's license, leaving the candies untouched.

"These aren't my candies."

"Hahaha, they are just a small treat for you."

"Ah, thank you."

I quietly slipped them into my pocket, but I had no intention of eating them.

—Never blindly eat anything given to you by a stranger.

Just as Aaron had said, I planned to throw them away somewhere out of sight.

"Is the registration complete now?"

"Yes, it is. However... if you are looking for a request right away, would you mind if I assisted you?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm fine."

Since it was my very first request, I wanted to choose it myself.

"Understood. Once you have chosen a request, please bring it to me, and I will process it as quickly as possible."

With a polite farewell from the employee, I headed toward the request board.

Countless gazes trailed after my back.

I could feel them even though my vision was partially blocked by the hood. Today was the first time I realized that gazes could carry physical weight.

Yet, no one approached me directly.

Seeing how they only watched me cautiously, it was clear that mages were indeed highly respected.

Even though I'm actually an alchemist.

Leaving the stares of the non-alchemists behind, I looked up at the board.

There's a lot here.

The sheer variety of requests made my head spin.

Among them, escort missions for merchant caravans traveling to other countries and recruitments for demon mercenaries were particularly common.

People who knew a war was imminent were likely leaving one by one, while others scrambled to secure manpower.

Still, browsing through the requests was quite entertaining.

It also helped me grasp the local economy.

Simple gathering requests paid around 10 copper coins.

Basic subjugation requests started at a minimum of 40 copper coins, and the rewards varied wildly depending on the danger level and distance.

There were even wanted posters among them, with the highest bounty reaching a staggering one hundred platinum coins.

Master's wanted poster isn't here.

There were no wanted posters for the Seven Disasters.

I wasn't sure if it was because posting them in a place like this was pointless, or if it was because everyone already knew who they were.

Perhaps it was both.

Turning my eyes away from the wanted posters, I walked over to the board dedicated to travel and escort requests.

Travel and escort requests generally offered high pay.

Since they required traveling long distances over extended periods and managing various supplies along the way, the rewards naturally increased.

What I needed to find among them was an escort request heading to the Escart Empire.

After debating whether to escort an individual or a merchant caravan, I leaned toward the caravan.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Setting aside the higher pay, starting your adventurer career with a caravan escort was a classic trope.

At least, that was how it always went in the stories I read.

Thus, after filtering through the options, I chose the highest-paying caravan escort request.

Although they paid mages a bit more, it was still a 25-silver-coin request for regular adventurers.

A sum so large that it could buy six orphan Lulus and still leave one silver coin to spare.

Plus, with the promise of a higher balance depending on the number of monsters encountered, the terms were exceptionally good.

"Hello. I'd like to take this request."

"Understood. Caravan escort request confirmed. The client will be notified immediately, so please head to the Autumn Hill Inn behind the guild once you are ready. Please try to arrive sometime today."

"Yes."

"May the blessings of the journey be with you, adventurer."

"May the blessings of work be with you as well, Mr. Employee."

"W-Work blessings? Uh... thank you?"

After accepting the request, I slipped into an empty back alley and transmuted the tools I would need.

A staff that shot flames when swung.

Two rings each for firing wind, water, and shadow blades.

And finally, five shockwave bracelets to block attacks in case of an emergency.

I completely blocked the mana circuits, altering their structure so they would only activate the moment mana was actively channeled into them.

With this, I would easily pass as a mage.

If I ran short, I could always ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠make more while the others slept, so I settled for this and headed to the shops.

Since it was going to be a long journey, there were many things I needed to buy.

Of course, I would be buying them with Aaron's money, but I could just make it back and pay him later.