A new rise (P.7) - Chapter 11
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After returning to the adventurer's guild, Aya was warmly greeted by Mirai, the receptionist, who seemed eager to see her. Unlike the somber atmosphere of the merchant's guild, the adventurer's guild was bustling with energy and excitement, filled with people preparing for their quests and adventures.
"Oh, Aya, there you are!" Mirai exclaimed, her face lighting up at the sight of Aya in her dark cloak.
"...."
"Is everything okay? You look as if something terrible has happened. You did mention that you were working as an adventurer to buy back your parents. Is everything okay?" Mirai asked with concern.
"No, everything is fine. Please don't worry about it." Aya replied, her voice getting slightly colder.
"If anything is wrong, then don't hesitate to talk to me. I'll make sure to lend you an ear if there's something you can talk to me about." The receptionist responded.
"I appreciate your concern, Miss Mirai, but there's nothing troubling me right now." Aya reassured her.
"If that's so, then let's continue on what I called you here….."
After seeing how Aya didn't want to talk about her concern, Mirai decided to change the subject by handing over a brown-colored adventurer's card. Aya stared blankly at the card before returning her attention to the receptionist.
"Congratulations. From now on, you are a D-ranked adventurer." The receptionist smiled as she softly clapped her hands together once.
Aya examined her newly acquired guild card, her face showing a hint of surprise.
"You shouldn't be surprised because it's thanks to your hard work, you've gotten this far despite being so young in comparison to other adventures."
Aya stared at it with slightly widened eyes before a soft smile appeared on her face.
"It wasn't only thanks to me....." she trailed off.
As Aya expressed her gratitude to the receptionist, she couldn't help but notice the warmth and sincerity in the woman's smile. It was a far cry from the fake smiles she had encountered in the past.
Mirai felt a sense of pride swell up inside her as she realized how far Aya had come.
Once a naive girl who had been used as bait by other adventurers, she had grown and matured into a capable adventurer in her own right.
However, from this point on, things will only get much harder for Aya, and the receptionist was already aware of that.
But the person Aya was most concerned about was the guildmaster. While he had admitted to helping her out, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was hiding something from her. This suspicion made it one of her top priorities to keep a close eye on her boss and observe his actions and words closely.
"....."
As Aya eagerly examined her new adventurer's card, she couldn't help but notice the unusual silence that had engulfed the guild. Even Mirai, the receptionist, seemed to be distracted, her attention drawn to the entrance.
Following her gaze, Aya turned around to see the cause of the sudden commotion. She noticed that everyone in the room was looking at one individual who had just entered, casting a shadow of unease over the room.
It was a certain adventurer who had just entered. She was a stunning young woman with red hair who wore a stern expression on her face like a battle-hardened warrior and carried a large, heavy metal sword on her back with ease.
Despite her menacing entrance, all of the other adventurers either ignored her or simply whispered to one another about her rumors.
"Who is that?" Aya suddenly asked after a moment of silence.
"She is one of our highest-ranked adventurers in our guild. She goes by the name Theresa, and she is an A-ranked adventurer." The receptionist quietly explained to the curious girl.
"Are there no other A-rankers?"
Aya asked after seeing how many other adventurers reacted to her entrance.
"No, we have two other adventurers of the same rank….. However, what makes her more popular than the others is the fact that she always does quests on her own. And somehow she always comes back unscratched."
The receptionist briefly explained in a low voice.
"However, she only takes up quests that are related to criminals or wanted posters.... That's how she has managed to get to that kind of rank so fast. I'm surprised that she hasn't become a knight yet."
As Aya listened to Mirai, she kept looking at this red-haired girl, as if trying to figure out if she truly possessed such power.
The receptionist noticed this sudden behavior from Aya. However, she decided to remain silent about it before looking back at the menacing figure of the red-haired woman.
"I would advise you to find a proper party that you can trust, Aya. What she does is incredibly dangerous, so please try not to look up to her too much." Mirai concernedly added.
Ignoring what the receptionist said, Aya continued to stare at the red-haired woman who was looking at the quests on the wall. She seemed different than usual. However, a sign of interest could be seen rising from the cloaked, white-haired girl. Or more like— from the entity possessing her.