Wednesday, April 15th, The Inn.
That morning, the inn felt deserted. Only a few patrons were eating their breakfast in silence. The faint aroma of grilled fish and hot chocolate still lingered in the air. At one of the tables, Fyar, Rasie, and Illya sat waiting for Zaefal, who had gone to pick up a quest.
The inn door opened. Zaefal entered, but his face was a bit pale and there were thin, dark circles under his eyes.
"Did something happen when you were getting the quest, Zaefal?" Illya asked, her voice filled with concern.
"Were you bullied?!!" Rasie slammed the table, making the plates vibrate. He stood up abruptly. "Tell me what they looked like!!"
"No no nope, it’s not that..." Zaefal raised his hand, gesturing for Rasie to sit back down.
"Ah? It’s not? Then what?" Rasie sat down again, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared suspiciously at Zaefal.
"Then what is it, Zaefal?" Illya asked softly.
Zaefal took a deep breath before finally saying, "I was approached by the Royal Guardians. They—"
"W-what kind of crime did you commit?? you avoid taxes??!" Rasie’s face went pale. He reflexively scooted his chair back slightly from Zaefal.
what taxes in this world? fyar tought
"Zaefal???" Illya was just as shocked. She covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide.
Zaefal could only sigh at his friends’ reactions. He continued, "They assigned us a mission. You could say we received a quest directly from the kingdom."
Fyar, who had been silent the whole time, turned to Zaefal. "How much is the pay?"
Zaefal narrowed his eyes. "Just for accepting the mission, it’s ten thousand gold coins. If we succeed, there will be a bonus of twenty thousand gold coins."
Fyar’s eyes widened, and a wide smile slowly etched itself onto his face.
T-T-Thirty thousand?! GODAMM!!, I can retire!! Not only that, I probably won’t have to work for a very long time! Is this what they call a jackpot is it?
"Thirty thousand... a house... and new armor... no, after the armor I’ll buy—" Rasie murmured, his eyes gazing into the distance, already busy planning his expenses.
"You two..." Zaefal said, massaging his temples with a weary expression.
"Isn’t that a good thing, Zaefal? Why does your face say otherwise?" Illya asked with a gentle smile.
"This mission is on the level of an S-rank quest," Zaefal answered quietly.
The smiles on Fyar’s and Rasie’s faces vanished instantly.
"S-rank?" Illya repeated.
"S-rank..." Fyar murmured softly. I have a bad feeling about this.
"What’s the mission?" Rasie asked.
"To investigate a criminal in the city of Tyelven," Zaefal said, placing a piece of paper on the table.
A moment later, Laura walked over to them carrying a cup of hot chocolate. "Fyar, here you go, enjoy enjoy!"
"Oh, thanks, Laura!" Fyar gave the girl a thumbs-up. Laura returned the smile and thumbs-up before going back to work.
"You two are close, huh, Fyar," Illya said, glancing at Fyar.
"Yeah, something like that," Fyar replied curtly.
"Continue," Rasie urged Zaefal.
Zaefal nodded. "Investigate a criminal in the city of Tyelven and infiltrate their organization."
Rasie propped his chin on his hands. "Tyelven..." He raised an eyebrow. "Isn’t that city known for being prosperous?"
Illya tapped her index finger on her chin, her eyes looking up at the ceiling. "From what I know, that city is a center for trade and import. I went there with my father about... seven years ago. But I didn’t find anything strange there."
Fyar just drank his hot chocolate while listening.
"I thought so too," Zaefal said. He then pushed the paper he’d brought to the center of the table. It contained a pencil illustration of a man in his 30s, with neat black hair and friendly-looking brown eyes.
"Who’s he?" Rasie asked.
"Martis!!," Illya said, immediately recognizing the face in the drawing.
"You know him, Illya?" Zaefal raised his eyebrows.
Illya nodded gently. "I met him once when I visited with my father. He is a generous merchant who provides scholarships for magically gifted children. He also funds several orphanages and the unemployed there."
Funding the unemployed??! My holly molly! Fyar coughed lightly, then looked at Illya. "Where is that city located?"
"On the eastern coast, Fyar. It’s a port city," Illya answered.
A port city... I think I can guess what business this "generous" man is in. This is going to be interesting.
Fyar turned to Zaefal. "So, are we going to refuse this job?"
Zaefal gave a small, humorless laugh. "hah...If only we could."
Fyar leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "What do you mean?"
"Fyar, a mission from the kingdom is absolute, it cannot be refused. Not even by someone of high standing like my family," Illya said softly.
"What happens if you refuse?" Fyar raised his eyebrows.
Rasie chuckled. "You get tortured, imprisoned, or exiled. In some cases, all your assets are seized too."
"That’s terrifying!" Fyar couldn’t hide his surprise.
"Tch..." Rasie hissed. "It seems we don’t have another choice."
"Eh? You’re happy about this mission, Rasie?" Fyar gave Rasie a strange look.
"Hah? What are you talking about, purple hair." Rasie shook his head, then played with the end of his hair. "It’s just that... we don’t have any other choice!"
Zaefal massaged his temples again, then let out a long sigh. "That’s right. We don’t have another choice." He tapped the photo of Martis on the table. "This man is suspected of being involved in several illegal businesses and has connections with several top-tier criminals. Not only that... he is also suspected of having strong connections with nobles from other kingdoms... especially the Vampire Nation."
Vampires, huh. Hmmm. fyar tought
"How do we infiltrate?" Rasie asked.
"The Royal Guardian gave us some advice," Zaefal said, folding his hands on the table. "To go undercover."
"Undercover?" Illya repeated.
"Yes," Zaefal nodded. "They suggested we go in disguise, or perhaps join their organization or network."
Illya looked worried. "That... sounds very dangerous."
"It is very dangerous," Zaefal agreed. "That’s why this is called an S-rank mission. We might have to face some top-tier criminals."
"Something’s bothering me," Fyar said, narrowing his eyes.
"What is it?" Zaefal asked.
Fyar continued, "Why our party? The kingdom... surely has its own intelligence or special forces to handle this. Or maybe find a party with a higher level than us. Why were we chosen?"
"Makes sense," Rasie agreed.
"That’s right," Illya murmured.
Zaefal nodded. "I was thinking the same thing as you. I even asked the Guardian about it."
"What was his answer?" Fyar asked.
Zaefal sighed. "They don’t even know. He said it was a direct order from the Prince."
"Hah?" Fyar leaned forward, his expression full of disbelief. "Whoa... okay, this is weird. How can they not know? Are they lying?"
Rasie scratched his head. "When does the mission start?"
"We have to have departed for the city by this Friday," Zaefal answered curtly.
Rasie, Illya, and Fyar looked at each other.
Zaefal’s face was very serious. "That’s how I feel about it. Therefore, we will discuss this mission now and tomorrow. We’ll discuss our respective roles. If any of you have a plan, say it."
"I have one," Fyar said.
"I might have a few suitable plans. Explain to me exactly what the city is like, what kind of people live there, and who this Martis really is."