Awakening (2)
“Instructor! Here’s your bread!”
The thin gold necklace Iriel had left on his palm.
And the reddish-glowing gem embedded right in the center.
A gem this size with this much mana...
It was equivalent to the entire batch of magic stones the First Prince had given him.
Even though such a beautifully crafted magic stone had fallen into his hands almost by accident, Zeke couldn’t just accept it at face value and be thrilled.
If anything, bewilderment outweighed gratitude.
What the hell is this girl up to?
He knew he and Iriel’s original body shared some past connection.
But no matter how deep that bond had been,
this was only the third time Zeke had actually met her.
The first encounter, he’d told her to get lost to her face.
The second, just yesterday, he hadn’t exactly treated her well or shown any kindness.
And now, the third time. A sudden gift.
Iriel had to know the body’s soul was different from the past.
But this? He hadn’t seen it coming.
Handing over something like this out of the blue in that situation?
The timing was too perfect.
Zeke was short about twenty magic stones right now.
In this world, even Serena couldn’t afford to buy them for him.
The First Prince had looked troubled when Zeke asked for them, too.
She figured out I needed magic stones ahead of time.
That meant every move he made was under surveillance.
The girl who showed up right when he had exactly one spot left for a student.
She might’ve even known he’d visit this place.
Hanging out so chummy with a commoner over something as trivial as bread? From what Serena had told him, that didn’t fit Iriel at all.
Yeah, blurting out that he had no memories of her was starting to feel risky.
He’d confirmed with Judgment Eye that she herself harbored no malice.
But someone around her could’ve orchestrated this.
The back of his neck itched suspiciously.
I’ve been careful about potential surveillance, but who...? Maybe working Iriel will shake loose some answers.
With that resolve to make use of Iriel, Zeke examined the necklace in his hand closely.
No traces of magic on it. Just a plain magic stone. Fine... she gave it, so I’ll use it.
Even just adding a filter would make all sorts of techniques easier than before.
And it’d help in digging into her background.
Sure, it might bite him later if he got picky, but Zeke decided to use the stone.
Then I just need about ten more. This makes things way easier.
“Instructor!?”
“Ah, sorry. So this is the bread I asked for.”
“Yessir! Here you go!”
Zeke took the freshly made baguette.
Its charred black surface looked plenty hard—perfect for monster hunting.
And gripping it, he felt the same familiar pulse as always.
Impressive. This...
Soy Spoon puffed out her chest proudly.
“I named it the Crunchy-Outside-Moist-Inside Baguette! The air pockets don’t go too deep inside, so as long as the crust doesn’t break, the inside stays nice and moist!”
“Can you eat this too?”
“Of course! But when you eat it, I recommend letting the crust melt in your mouth a bit first. It came out a little harder than expected. Mocha flavor makes it tasty, though.”
“Thanks. I’ll put it to good use. By the way, how long ago did Iriel leave?”
“Uh, um... She hadn’t been here long when you showed up.”
As expected.
Zeke nodded.
“And what about those bastards from before? The loan sharks.”
“Oh, I haven’t seen them lately. Like you said, we agreed to pay the interest.”
Those guys can wait till next day off.
Zeke slung the bread over his back and headed to a large building on the outskirts of the capital.
It was a dispatch office for those who made their living hunting monsters.
The Adventurers’ Guild.
Lightly armed folk came and went in droves.
They claimed round tables, swigging beer or shouting drunkenly.
The rowdy, festive atmosphere buzzed on.
“Hey, hey, you bagged some goblins yesterday, right?”
“Jack shit. Nothing dropped, so don’t ask.”
“C’mon, you still cleared a village.”
“Hell, I’d be happy with a single magic stone shard.”
Zeke scanned the room for the request counter.
In one corner, a woman stacked papers, beaming cheerfully.
“Ah! Welcome! New face, huh?”
“Yeah. I want to hunt monsters.”
“Got it. Are you registered with the guild?”
“Can you check?”
This body might’ve signed up before.
“What’s your name?”
“Zeke Clayman.”
“Hmm, no record. Want to register fresh?”
Zeke nodded.
The receptionist asked for his personal details.
She didn’t believe he was a Lamieli Academy swordsmanship instructor at first,
but gawked when he flashed his academy seal.
“An academy instructor? That means you’re nobility... You’re using the guild?”
“Mm.”
Most nobles who wielded swords skipped the guild,
joining their house’s knight order for high-end private requests instead.
Cleaner work, better pay, no hassle.
But Zeke didn’t even know his house.
The academy records just listed him as “noble.”
They say knight orders get systematic training, way stronger than average adventurers... Systematic my ass.
To Zeke’s eyes, the adventurers here and the knights looked about the same.
“All registered. What kind of requests are you after?”
“How many can I take?”
“Uh, well... You’re brand new, no rank yet. So just three low-grade ones...”
The receptionist scratched her cheek awkwardly.
Zeke didn’t need high-paying jobs right now.
Stronger monsters dropped more stones, sure, but he needed ten stones’ worth fast.
Just three. And without a rank, no good ones either.
Factoring in travel time, quantity beat quality for efficiency.
Zeke wondered if he could just buy info here.
Poaching other adventurers’ turf.
Not likely to go over well.
So he borrowed her quill and paper, scribbled, and slid it over.
[How about buying info without taking the request?]
“...Pardon?”
The receptionist read it and blurted aloud.
[You said no rank means no good requests. So what if I pay for monster locations or buy the request papers outright?]
“Uh... H-Hold on!”
She stammered, flustered, and stepped away briefly.
Zeke held the paper, incinerated it with mana.
Minutes later, the guildmaster descended from upstairs.
Plump-faced, mopping sweat with a handkerchief nonstop.
This kid’s really a Lamieli instructor?
His beady eyes narrowed sharply.
If he wanted to hunt, knight orders have requests. Why come to the guild...?
The guildmaster suspected maybe the noble lacked real skill.
He plastered on a warm smile.
“Heard you’re nobility.”
“Yeah.”
“Can you prove it?”
Zeke frowned.
“Do I have to prove that shit?”
“Haha, don’t be like that. We get imposters sometimes—standard procedure.”
Chuckles, but his eyes stayed cold.
Keep poking, huh?
Zeke let it slide once, flashing the academy seal.
The guildmaster inspected it closely.
Real deal.
But that scumbag solidarity...
Stolen? Nah, parading it like that wouldn’t make sense. Pushed in by pull, then?
Anyway, the guildmaster pulled Zeke aside for a deal.
Money to be made, after all.
“Verified. About your earlier proposal... Care to come upstairs? Oh, leave all arms here.”
He glanced at the “club” on Zeke’s back.
“Arms? This?”
Zeke pulled off the bread. Faintly charred, savory aroma wafting.
The guildmaster sniffed.
“That’s... bread.”
Zeke nodded.
“Bread with a handle...? Uh, snack? Whatever, take it in.”
“Fine.”
Weirdos frequented the guild plenty,
so he brushed it off.
Up the stairs, into a sealed room.
Zeke glanced around.
Guildmaster used this for shady deals.
This bastard’s got some cute tricks.
Zeke spotted a suspicious device on one wall but played dumb, turning to him.
“Sorry for the humble spot, but it’s sensitive talk. No sound leaks out—safe.”
“Yeah.”
The pitch: Buying info privately was doable.
Backroom deal, though.
If word got out, it’d piss off regulars grinding low quests for ranks.
“No guild payout on completions. We take the request rewards.”
“Got it.”
“And report solved and unsolved requests to us. Avoids doubles.”
Solve requests as-is,
guild pockets the client payouts,
plus info fees. No-brainer for the guildmaster.
Failure? Re-list it.
“Price?”
“One gold per request.”
Ha, ripping me off hard. Backroom tax, fine, but... thinks I got no muscle, trusts his thugs blind?
Zeke snorted.
Or figures I’m weak?
He fixed the guildmaster with icy eyes.
“Greed in moderation.”
“Pardon?”
“Keep rewards separate, then info fees higher than payouts. Can’t blab as an academy instructor...”
Kid looks young, so they lowball everything.
“Think you’ve got leverage?”
“!”
Zeke glared, pressure mounting.
The heavy aura hit; guildmaster trembled like a leaf.
“Info fee, fine. I’ll pay. Then if I clear requests with your info, rank up?”
He might need to hunt more for stones or training.
No more of this hassle.
“R-Ranks need proof! This is off-books, no record!”
Shaking, but clinging to profit.
Zeke shot his hand out, gripped the pudgy neck.
Crunch!
“Gack!”
Lifted him clean off the floor.
“Gurgh! Ack!”
Face purpling, guildmaster clawed at Zeke’s arm—ironclad, unyielding.
Wh-What! No backing?!
Zeke eased his grip slightly.
“Struggling?”
“Ghck... Th-That... Ack!”
“Say it’s hard if it is. I’ll make it easy.”
Grip tightened again.
Death loomed real.
Guildmaster nodded frantically.
“A-rank! Clear ‘em all, I guarantee A-rank!!”
Thud.
Zeke released.
Collapse.
“Huff... Huff...”
Guildmaster rubbed his throat, gasping.
Zeke ignored him, headed to the wall corner he’d eyed earlier.
Pulled the baguette, channeled faint mana, slashed.
Rumble!
Wall chunked out along the line.
Inside: a white orb and paper bundle.
Zeke pocketed them.
Hm, crystal ball? Recording?
“I like safety nets. I’ll take the secret ledger.”
“Th-That’s!”
Guildmaster’s eyes quivered wildly from the floor.
“Don’t screw me over from behind, and we can be partners. Now show the requests.”