A Gentle Breeze and an Unexpected Recommendation
A gentle spring breeze brushed against his face. Under the sunlight pouring down from the clear blue sky, Hwian let out a deep breath and walked forward with steady steps.
‘Summer’s almost here… At least I won’t freeze to death anytime soon. Though that won’t mean much if we head up north.’
Before him stretched the long road connecting the royal palace to the capital city. It was the same path he had secretly taken the night before to infiltrate the Duke of Front’s estate. He had crept through it in silence then, but now he walked it with a confident stride.
“Hero! Hero, sir!”
“…”
At the voice calling from behind, Hwian glanced over his shoulder.
There stood Serena, dressed in proper adventurer’s gear, looking up at him with a faint smile.
“Where are we headed?”
Her voice carried a mix of tension and subtle anticipation.
Petite frame. A long staff. A small earring sparkling discreetly from her left ear.
Serena Silvana, the Fourth Princess of the Adonia Kingdom.
‘She really is… so small. Still.’
He still couldn’t decide whether bringing her along had been the right choice. Of course, traveling together was safer than going alone, but this wasn’t going to be an easy journey.
Worry slowly crept in. Will she be alright?
After a moment of hesitation, he shrugged at Serena, who was tilting her head in confusion, and spoke.
“We’ll start at the guild. Register as adventurers, pick up some quests, and… at the very least, we need to gather some funds. I never expected them to throw me out without a single coin.”
“Ahaha… Well, it was officially an exile for a criminal, after all. With the nobles pushing back, even Father had no choice.”
“At least Serion gave me a sword as a parting gift. That’s something. I can survive with that.”
With a soft shing, Hwian drew the steel sword at his waist just enough to show it.
It wasn’t a wooden practice sword or a neglected blade, but a proper steel one. Right before leaving the palace, Serion had tossed it to him, shouting, “It’ll be dangerous out there! At least take this!”
It wasn’t anything particularly special. As expected from something given by the knight commander, its quality was decent, but it was still nothing more than average standard issue.
Hwian stared at the sharp edge for a moment before sliding the sword back into its sheath with a firm click.
“He also gave me one silver coin, at least. We’ll make do with that for now and get proper weapons first. Consumables too, while we’re at it. Speaking of which, Princess, you—”
“Serena.”
“…Serena. Is that staff something you’ve used before? Forcing yourself to use something that doesn’t suit you will only get in the way.”
Hwian asked, still not quite used to saying her name.
In complete contrast to him, Serena’s face bloomed into a bright, flower-like smile the moment he called her name. A faint trace of joy danced lightly in her voice.
“It’s one I’ve used since I was little. I actually received proper magic lessons back then.”
“That’s surprising. I know it’s not nice to say, but I didn’t think you’d have had the chance for that kind of education.”
“Despite how I look, I received quite a lot of education. …Even if it was learned rather roughly.”
So even a despised daughter of a concubine was still royalty, after all. Contrary to his assumption that she had been thoroughly ignored in the palace, it seemed she had actually learned a fair amount.
To be honest, he had thought the staff was something she had hastily prepared to join him on this journey, so learning it was a childhood possession was quite unexpected.
‘Well, now that I think about it, her healing magic was already top-tier from the start… I don’t know why she chose to train that over so many other options, though.’
Chatting about this and that, they eventually reached the exit leading to the capital. As they approached, the waiting knight bowed politely and opened the gate.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
With the sound of their footsteps, the two stepped outside the palace grounds.
It was an entirely different world.
Noblewomen strolled along the streets holding parasols. Splendid carriages clattered past, and a few nobles who spotted Serena whispered among themselves.
A street overflowing with vanity and luxury.
But thankfully, each time they crossed a street, that atmosphere faded sharply. In its place, the everyday scenery of commoners—something seen anywhere—began to fill their view.
‘…It’s been so long since I’ve seen this. Should I say it hasn’t changed at all?’
Children ran energetically through the alleys. Merchants shouted to attract customers, carriages moved even more busily, and the sight of patrolling guards and a bard singing a song brought a small smile to his face.
A city untouched by the Demon King. A ‘normal’ street that had not been destroyed.
After three long years, the sight stirred a faint sense of nostalgia in his heart.
“Wow…”
As they walked, an awestruck voice suddenly came from behind.
When he glanced back, he saw Serena looking around in every direction.
“Is it that fascinating?”
“Ah, yes. I usually stay inside the palace, and even when I do go out, it’s usually by carriage. When Mother was alive, we would come out together sometimes…”
“…Hmm.”
A faint longing flickered in Serena’s eyes as she gazed at the buildings and street stalls one by one.
Stellar Silvana. Serena’s mother, who had lost her life to a plague about ten years ago.
Recalling the name he had read in the history books, Hwian stood quietly for a moment before walking toward a nearby stall.
“Hero?”
“Welcome~!”
A puzzled voice from behind and a cheerful one right in front of him.
The fragrant smell of food tickled his nose as he pulled a silver coin from his pocket.
“Two skewers. One with less fat, please.”
“H-Hero?”
“Oh my, such a generous amount…! Please wait just a moment, my lord!”
He received his change, followed by two perfectly grilled skewers.
He held one out to Serena and said,
“Eat. Think of it as a celebration.”
“Huh? C-Can I really have one?”
“Who else did you think I bought it for? Things like this are best enjoyed when you can. Here.”
“…Thank you.”
Serena carefully accepted the skewer with hesitant hands. After a brief moment of hesitation, she timidly took a small bite from the side of the meat and murmured,
“Mmm. Mmm…♪ Haa, it’s delicious.”
Her face was filled with bright delight.
Serena took another bite. Watching her with a satisfied sideways glance, Hwian sank his teeth into his own skewer.
The juicy meat filled his mouth, along with a simple sauce based on salt.
It was salty, slightly sweet, and carried a faintly nostalgic taste.
A short while later, they arrived at the guild. As they pushed open the creaking wooden door and stepped inside, the gazes of rugged-looking men inside the spacious hall greeted them.
“Eek…”
“Don’t shrink back. If they pick a fight, it’ll be a headache.”
Whispering to Serena, who had flinched, Hwian walked forward confidently.
As they made their way deeper inside, a reception desk came into view. When he approached, the receptionist greeted him with a bright smile.
“Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild! How may I help you today?”
“I’d like to register as an adventurer. While we’re at it, I’d appreciate some quest recommendations. Are there any subjugation requests around D to C-rank available right now?”
“We do have some, however… initial registration starts at F-rank. To take on D-rank quests, you’ll need to build up at least half a year of experience.”
Half a year. That was far too long.
The Adventurer’s Guild basically divided adventurers and quests into seven ranks from S to F.
Among them, D-rank referred to ‘adventurers capable of securing basic combat ability and self-preservation, or quests that such adventurers could reasonably handle.’
It was quite a high standard for ordinary people, so he understood why they couldn’t hand them out lightly… but still.
“If you wish to start with higher-rank quests from the beginning, you’ll need a letter of recommendation from someone with credible standing, or you’ll have to travel with a veteran adventurer…”
“Forget it, forget it! Hey newbie, we don’t do corpse transport around here, got it?”
“Just stick to gathering herbs like a good boy. Don’t get cocky just because you’re young or you’ll regret it.”
“…Actually, most of our veteran adventurers are currently away due to a recent request from a certain mine.”
Hwian lightly ignored the mocking voices coming from behind and stroked his chin.
In his previous life, he had naively started with low-rank quests and slowly raised his rank. Of course, that was the most steady method, but… he didn’t have the luxury of time right now.
To gather companions and equipment and strike at the Demon King, he needed to move as quickly as possible. Spending half a year just to reach D-rank was far too long.
How can I skip the ranks…?
“…Hmm?”
“Excuse me.”
While he was deep in thought, Serena took a step forward. Her expression carried the dignity she rarely showed in public settings.
“I am the Fourth Princess, Serena Silvana. …If I guarantee this person’s identity and ability, would it be possible to register him at a higher rank?”
Her voice was soft and gentle, not carrying far, but the receptionist’s eyes widened. Hwian, standing right beside her, also opened his eyes wide at her unexpected words.
Glancing up at the surprised Hwian, Serena gave a small, shy smile.
It seemed their future would be quite different from what he had experienced in his previous life.