Episode 2-b. For Freedom and Adventure (2)
Asha and I locked eyes for quite a while like that.
"…."
"…."
It was contemplation over what to do with this foolish girl who had recklessly left her hometown and come to the duchy despite not even being an adult.
And self-reflection on how I'd tormented and scolded her harshly, all without realizing she was much younger than me.
Though I didn't know my exact age, it had been over thirteen years since I'd met Ain as a child, so I had to be at least a few years older than Eileen, no matter how you sliced it.
"…."
"…."
Somehow.
"You were always crying at the drop of a hat."
"Lady Asha… That seems like pure criticism unrelated to my age…."
All her clumsy, immature behaviors suddenly made perfect sense with that one reason: her youth.
"Sneaking into someone else's bed and drooling all over their nightshirt."
"That's… just hurtful no matter the age…?"
"If it's because you're young, I suppose I can understand."
I didn't think I'd been like that as a kid, but not everyone can be mature from childhood.
"Ah, Lady Asha must've been clumsy and immature like me when she was little too!"
"No. I wasn't… particularly…."
To be honest, I definitely hadn't been like Eileen.
I'd stripped naked in public, made rude slip-ups wandering the markets.
I hadn't known how to wash myself, so Ain had to scrub me everywhere; I hadn't known how to use utensils, so I'd eaten with my hands.
Memories flooded back of messing up at Rendo's shop, snapping casually at customers and committing all sorts of blunders.
"Ehehe!"
"I wasn't… that…."
That was.
That was all because I lacked common sense, that's all.
So.
I had been reasonably mature even as a child.
I was definitely mature… right?
Hmm.
"See? You can't even answer properly! Lady Asha was definitely clumsy too!"
"…Let's just go register as adventurers."
"Heh, changing the subject~"
"…."
Yes. The important thing was getting registered as adventurers.
Pushing aside these pointless thoughts was the right call.
I opened the adventurer guild door without meeting the eyes of Eileen, who was stuck to my side giggling like an idiot.
And.
With a creak, the door swung open again to reveal a blessedly quiet, ordinary scene.
As she'd scratched her head claiming she'd scoped the place out even while getting chased off, saying it seemed fine because it was so empty—sure enough, the interior was sparsely populated and hushed.
It was just past lunchtime, an awkward hour, so most adventurers must have been out on requests.
I dragged Eileen—who was clinging tightly to my arm—to the reception counter.
"No… Miss noble. I told you, you can't register without a guardian. If you throw another tantrum, I'll call the guards again?"
The receptionist scratched his head in distress as he spoke to her.
"It's not her. I want to register as an adventurer."
"Ah, the guardian does?"
"Not a guardian, but yes, we're here for my registration."
"Ah, okay. Then please submit your ID first, and kindly remove that hood you're wearing."
At his words, I handed over the noble guarantee and slipped off my robe to reveal my face.
"Hm, a noble guarantee instead of ID…? Wow… you're stunning. Hurry and cover up. Adventurers are mostly crazed perverts when it comes to women—it's dangerous."
"Yes."
He stared at my face in mesmerized admiration before waving me to cover up quickly.
So that's why it felt this way.
Somehow.
Even something this important was proceeding so casually.
It flowed so smoothly that I wondered if the nation of freedom and adventure was really just the nation of half-assed and slipshod.
Maybe adventurer registration wasn't something to worry about at all.
Eileen, dissatisfied with how it was going, pouted and muttered.
"She might not even be an adult… why only me…."
"She obviously is, Miss noble. Plus, if we let underage nobles register recklessly and something goes wrong, the fallout is on a whole different level. No choice."
Before I knew it, I was treating Eileen so casually and indifferently, but nobles were people we couldn't touch lightly.
"I only have a few months left till adulthood…."
"Yes, come back in a few months then. We have to be careful with nobles, so please understand~"
Her complaints fell on deaf ears against the skilled receptionist, who even explained past cases where they'd gotten burned by hasty registrations.
"Tch… Should've said I didn't have ID…!"
"Yeah, then we'd have thought you were even younger and rejected you~"
She deftly handled Eileen's grumbles while quickly filling out my registration forms.
Glancing up slyly at the foot-stomping Eileen, who suddenly seemed adorable.
"Pfft… Here, have this to calm down, Miss noble."
She pulled out a candy and offered it over the counter with a grin.
"I-I'm not some kid who calms down over one lousy candy—mmph!"
I snatched the candy and popped it into her grumbling mouth.
"…Mmm, tasty."
Eileen sucked on it contentedly and fell quiet.
And.
Finally, with the paperwork nearly done, the receptionist met my eyes and smiled.
"Hehe, thank you, beautiful traveler. Paperwork's almost finished—just tell me your name and specialty?"
"Name's Asha."
"Got it~"
"Specialty is magic."
"Oh my, a mage registering as an adventurer first instead of joining a magic tower? Haven't seen one in ages."
She reacted vividly to my words, filling in the blanks.
"Then finally, for verification, please touch this mana orb we have here. It's for measuring your mana."
"…."
At those words, I hesitated mid-nod and looked at her.
"It doesn't hurt, so no worries—just place your hand lightly~"
"…, Yes."
Tension crept up slowly.
I'd been thinking they handled things pretty half-assed.
But at the mention of mana measurement and the orb she pointed to, those thoughts melted away, replaced by gnawing anxiety.
What if.
What if this crystal orb detected my gray mana?
What if the transparent orb pierced through my carefully hidden core and turned murky gray?
"Lady Asha…?"
Beside me, Eileen clutched my robe, gazing up with anxious eyes.
Ahead, the receptionist beckoned with a smile; around the guild, resting adventurers lounged.
If my gray nature got exposed right now, what would I do with them all?
Knocking them out and fleeing might be fine for me, but Eileen's safety?
Obviously, I couldn't just kill them all without a trace.
Then maybe memory-wipe magic?
My proficiency was still low—I might erase all their memories entirely.
So.
As I pondered briefly, the receptionist's voice came again.
"Hm, is there a problem? No mana measurement, no adventurer registration…."
Any more delay would breed suspicion.
Even a kind person might look at me oddly and call others.
So I shook my head and raised my hand.
"…, No. I'll do it now."
Praying the items from Yansen's owner would do their job.
I placed my hand atop the orb with a soft thud.
A faint tremor ran through it.
With a low hum, the orb began sucking in my mana bit by bit.
"Yes~ Just wait a moment for the results."
The transparent orb filled slowly with colors, swirling softly.
I bit my lip hard, praying it wouldn't turn ashen.
Hummm—hummm—
A process lasting mere seconds felt suffocating.
Please.
Please, no issues from the start.
Let my three years of hiding the ash and Yansen's items prove effective.
I stared desperately at the orb, wishing for that alone.
Tick— It stilled with a click.
The receptionist peered closely, then smiled brightly at me.
"Mm, yes! All done. Your mana rank isn't high. Lady Asha's is E-rank—two steps above the lowest G."
"…."
"Haa…."
Relief washed over me that it ended without issue; I heard Eileen's sigh and squeezed my eyes shut.
The receptionist continued.
"Plenty of growth potential in your mana, so train hard from now on~ Here's your adventurer card. Fee's 2000 dera~"
"Eek! That's expensive!"
"Hehe, Miss noble. But we gotta eat too~"
She smiled again, handing me the adventurer card.
It listed my name, specialty, adventurer rank, mana rank.
And a small portrait sketched like a wanted poster, quite a good likeness of my face.
I took it, bowed politely in thanks, and escaped the place.
Thud— The heavy door shut.
My light heart now pounded wildly like that closing sound.
Only then could I let the trembling show.
I hid my shaking hands inside my robe, taking deep breaths over and over.
"…, Hoo."
"You okay, Lady Asha?"
"…, I'm fine."
Cold sweat drenched my palms.
Dripping to the floor with a plop, leaving dark stains.
But no problems arose.
Thud— Beyond the closed door, the receptionist tidied scattered papers.
"Hm-hmm~ Felt good seeing that pretty mage. Time to clock out~"
She hummed cheerfully, preparing to switch with the next shift.
The next worker entered the counter, and she finally stood with a grin, about to greet her colleague.
Crack—
"I'm off then…? Huh?"
Shatter—
"Eek! What the—why'd it suddenly break…?"
The woman exiting the counter flinched in shock at the mana orb suddenly cracking apart.
The orb lay in shards.
"Weird. No way its lifespan ended already… Did they slip us a defective one?"
A wisp of ash powder seeped slyly from it, scattering unnoticed as she tilted her head.
"Ah, whatever! I'm outta here!"
The ash powder.
Slipped from human eyes and dispersed.