Chapter 60: Beginning of the First Adventure
"...Look, Eve!! Look at this wonder!!" I say, grabbing the package that just arrived in our inn room, after we returned from the guild. All I did was go to sleep to pass the time faster.
After all, there was nothing to do, and I really didn’t want to think too much about the fact that we were broke after I bought some things I currently only have 5 gold coins.
And this morning, our guild licenses arrived in a wooden box. I take mine and Eve’s, seeing the customized card I requested it’s truly magnificent.
It’s a silver card with black letters on a silver background, an elegant card with a rose crest in the middle, a customization I requested myself. The card has some basic information like name, guild rank, and other minor things.
The contrast between the silver color and the black letters is very elegant and beautiful, remininding me almost of a platinum game card.
"It’s really beautiful, but why the rose crest?" She asks curiously, observing her own card. Both our cards have this beautiful rose crest.
"Hehehe, you wouldn’t understand!" I say, knowing she won’t get it. It’s directly linked to the name of our group the Rose is an elegant flower, its bright red color symbolizing beauty, fragility and ephemerality.
Perfectly matching the twilight and blood, so it’s a beautiful symbol for our group, not to mention perfectly associating with vampires. I admit I quite enjoy vampire romances!
No one can judge me for that as a modern girl, vampire stories were so charming and spicy that I automatically liked them, and the Rose seemed like a very good symbol.
And just as I thought, the card with the rose symbol turned out magnificently beautiful. I love how the guild lets each person put an extra symbol on the card they have my approval for that.
"Okay, well if it makes you happy, it’s fine. I admit the crest is beautiful...did you design it yourself?" She asks, and I nod.
"Exactly! I would never trust the guild to draw the crest based on their own tastes! So I drew on a paper how the design should look on the crest! It’s magnificent, clearly! They captured the style masterfully," I say with conviction.
"Anyway, forget that, Eve! Let’s get out of here immediately! I want to go on a mission and into a dungeon! I’d already looked at the dungeon list yesterday and found one nearby that’s not too difficult or too easy perfect for us two!" I say, pulling her hand towards the wardrobe.
"Grab your mask! Let’s go on our first adventure, I’m so excited! If we gather good materials, I might even create a new puppet mage to help us in the dungeon itself!" I’m very happy and excited.
Going on an adventure seems incredible it’s an experience any player would love to try at least once, although it’s a bit terrifying to know I’ll have to fight monsters.
Of course, Eve is the one who fights, but I still need to lead Eve. I spent the whole night mentally preparing for this! I can’t chicken out in the middle and mess things up for Eve!
Soon, Eve puts on her mask, fixes her fighting clothes and grabs her sword as we excitedly leave the inn. I even packed a small backpack with supplies, a lantern I bought, material to make torches, some cooking knives and other smaller things like a 30-meter rope.
And in just a few minutes, we arrive at the guild, I can barely contain my excitement as we approach Yoruhime, who is standing there waiting.
"Good morning, Yoruhime!" I say to her enthusiastically. She nods, recognizing me from yesterday.
"Good morning, Evelyn. What can I do for you?" She speaks as I quickly pull out the guild license, due to my excitement I almost drop it on the ground, but manage to catch it without embarrassment.
"I received my license, I’d like to have it registered in the guild’s magical system." This magical system ensures that even if the license is stolen, it becomes useless, while new licenses can be issued to me at any time if I lose the one I have.
It’s like a computer storing credit card data you can always cancel the old one and request a new one, although if you lose the guild license, you have to pay a small fee for a new one.
"Oh, it’s quite beautiful. You customized yours, didn’t you? Let me have it for a moment," she says, admiring the elegantly made rose crest on the license, putting a smug smile on my face.
"Yes, it’s really beautiful! I customized it in the most elegant way I could! Making it as unique as possible with a crest that’s only mine!" I say as I wait for her to place the license on a stone that is the guild’s relic.
The stone releases a magic that analyzes and registers the license in the guild, officially making me a licensed adventurer. This means I can now accept quests, receive payments, and even sell things to the guild.
"There, it’s all registered..." she says, handing me the license back. I quickly put it in my pocket and give Eve’s to her, who repeats the process.
"...Is this...Yoruhime, is this correct?" Another receptionist passing by looks briefly at the relic and comes over to Yoruhime. She tries to hide it, but it’s obvious I can hear.
"Well...yes, it’s correct..." Yoruhime agrees, while the other receptionist looks at Eve, then at the registration, and back to Eve, soon she averts her gaze, blushes and walks away.
’Damn the cursed title stigma!! Sorry, Eve!!’ I mentally apologize to Eve for putting such a humiliating registration for her. Eve seems to have noticed the reason for the receptionist’s reaction, but just ignores it.
"Evelyn, do you have a plan?" Yoruhime asks, and I nod. It’s interesting that she calls me Evelyn, considering I’m a candidate for the throne.
Normally I would think it’s a lack of respect, but in fact it’s because I registered as an adventurer, and our current conversation is not that of a noble with the guild, but of an adventurer with the guild.
"Me and Eve are a team focused on dungeons! We’re going to this dungeon here," I say, showing her the paper. There are ’types’ of groups adventurers usually create groups based on what they want to do or achieve as adventurers.
Whether it’s hunting monsters, going into dungeons, helping people with certain services, among many other things. In my case, I want to focus entirely on dungeons for various reasons.
This is because in dungeons I can obtain many valuable items, materials and monster cores, and with these items I can strengthen Eve and create a mage puppet to help us.
If we’re lucky, I might get something really valuable on our first adventure, and with something valuable I can create a mage for our team. The item to create a mage probably has to contain a high amount of magic.
So a Rank B core would be wonderful, maybe also the meat of a monster that has a lot of magic, or releases a lot of magic, would be great.
"I see, this dungeon..." Yoruhime looks at the paper I show her.
"...Isn’t that a bit high for beginners?" She says, but I shake my head, I don’t think it’s too difficult for Eve right now.
"Well, if you think you can handle it, I can only approve. But considering you’re both only Rank C, if you disappear, we won’t send a rescue team. Do you understand and accept the risk?"
"Be aware that dungeons are dangerous places. We only send rescue teams in specific occasions, or if you pay and give a date for us to go get you if you don’t return," Yoruhime says seriously, raising her eyebrows at me doubtfully.
"I know, no need for that. Just register that we’re going to a dungeon! We’ll probably take a very long time in it!" I plan to spend a few days exploring the dungeon.
"Understood, you can go now. I’ll note it down," she says, freeing us, as I pull Eve’s hand and she quickly puts her license away and follows me. She also seems excited, although less so than me.
"Evelyn-sama, are you really ready for this?" Eve asks uncertainly, but I just wave my hand as if it’s nothing.
"Of course I am! I need to learn to handle these situations! This will be good, and besides, I’m not foolish! The dungeon I chose is one you can handle without problems. It’s not that difficult, unless there’s an unexpected incident, we’ll be safe."
"Hmm...I’ll trust you, but please be careful. I’ll do my best to protect you, but I’m not strong enough to guarantee your safety against something powerful, so we’ll retreat if any problem arises, okay?"
"Alright, Eve, I don’t want to take big risks either. If something we can’t handle shows up, I’ll run away with you without a doubt!" I agree with her. There’s a difference between taking a risk and risking your own life.
I don’t want to risk my life, so I chose a dungeon that’s not too complex or difficult. I know Eve could handle a slightly stronger dungeon.
However, with me behind her, it would be difficult to deal with something stronger, plus we both lack experience, and I’m sure playing an Otome game doesn’t give me real combat experience.