The expression “a phrase suitable for the high skies and horse-fattening autumn” felt quite apt as I turned sixteen. And, at the same time…
“Yes, congratulations!”
“Thank you very much!”
The coal dust hanging from the neck of my adventurer’s certification fell away, turning into a red jewel. It felt like I had just hatched from an egg, but in reality, I was still somewhere between a fledgling and half-ready, with a few shell fragments still stuck to my tail. It seemed I was nowhere near getting cocky about reaching Level 2.
“Still, this quick of a promotion is quite rare.”
Lady Tais—the receptionist who had become a familiar face by now and had once tried to introduce me to a tavern job—remarked as she flipped through a ledger that supposedly held my evaluations. She had seven sons, or so I’d heard.
Indeed, I had been told that under normal circumstances, it would take around six months to level up. If this was my previous world, it would be like a second-year employee in a major corporation being suddenly promoted to section chief or assistant team leader.
“Well, counting the ones I know, you could count them on your fingers. Even with guard work involving arrests, it’s rather quick, isn’t it?”
“The outlaws I just chased away hardly warrant the word ‘arrest.’ Right, Margit?”
Infrared or rather black coal doesn’t leave the town much since we mostly do guard duties, but I did participate in one such job at the invitation of the Lorans group, where we were attacked in what felt like a trivial ambush. The Lorans group was so proficient that between me and Margit, we only managed to capture five of them. It seemed our joint efforts had somehow been appropriately recognized.
“That’s right, around five,” Margit agreed.
“Hehe, golden hair, such extravagance…”
For some reason, Lady Tais’ face seemed to twitch. Must be my imagination. To me, thinking like a TRPG player, bandits were just those slightly annoying piggy banks filled with coins.
“Anyway, from today onward, you can accept red jewel-level requests. They’ll likely feel a bit tougher than black coal, so please don’t slack off and work hard.”
“Thank you. Since I’m celebrating today, I’m taking the day off, but…”
“Are we just going to peek ahead a little?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
After thanking Lady Tais for the procedures, I decided to take a look at the requests even before accepting any. Investigating the trends and preparing beforehand could help with tomorrow’s work.
Glancing through the crimson-edged request panels, the difficulty and rewards seemed not much different from the black coal level. Requests were mainly coming from the nearby estates outside the city walls around Marsheim, and many were simple jobs suitable for child’s allowance. Still, there were gradually more adventuring-related missions cropping up such as transporting letters or goods outside the city walls, or cheap guard jobs requiring numbers, or being stationed at a manor to simply act as intimidation against suspicious groups.
These jobs may step a bit more out of what felt like mere labor duties for coal adventurers but, reaching for it, you could perhaps grab some silver coins. If unlucky, it might include some risks, and it was important to tighten up and handle things properly.
“Hey.”
Just as I was mentally preparing myself to step up with the change in my adventurer’s certification color, a voice called out unexpectedly. Turning around upon hearing the voice of a young boy, there was indeed someone matching the age and tone I had imagined.
“Are you the blonde-haired Erich?”
A boy who seemed around the same age or perhaps a little younger, his messy haircut and the scar running down his cheek stood out. His sharp, overconfident eyes seemed to radiate the aura of a protagonist one might often find in stories.
His traveling clothes suggested readiness for work. Behind him stood a girl with a troubled smile. Her long robe and staff carried an emblem resembling a mortar and pestle, clearly identifying her as a mage. Judging by the simple design of her wooden staff, she was likely a witch-doctor type caster.
Very rare indeed. Among famous adventuring parties, mages are plenty, but the sight of an evidently young and starting-out mage like her is very rare—perhaps only one in twenty to one ratio compared to non-mages.
Yet impressive as she was, her staff wasn’t anything exceptional in quality, nor could any terrifying magic emanate from her. She appeared to be a burgeoning apprentice, still below a novice level, in the thick of growth.
Her overly challenging stare aside, the duo seemed harmless to me, and I decided to respond politely.
“I don’t recall introducing myself, but if you refer to Erich as such, yes, that would be me. And you are?”
“I am Siegfried from Ilfüt! A man destined to become a renowned swordsman in heroic tales!”
His loud proclamation came as a surprise. Ilfüt—wasn’t it the name of a nearby estate not so far from Marsheim? And Siegfried—the name held a historic weight of a famed “dragon slayer” hero from the divine age. A name usually bestowed by noble families, not commoners…
“Understood. Siegfried, I’m Erich from Königsstuhl. The one beside me is my partner…”
“Königsstuhl’s Margit. A pleasure to meet you.”
We introduced ourselves, seemingly overwhelming the duo, causing them to take a half-step back. Had they been taken aback by the courtly diction unusual to their ears? For an instant, I imagined them to be the offspring of a local official, but that seemed unlikely.
“Hey, you need to tell people your real name, Dee…”
“Shut up, Kaya, just call me Siegfried!”
The mage girl, Kaya it seemed, addressing the retracted Siegfried—Ah, now I understand. How typically common. People from the countryside sometimes dislike their names and change them upon moving to the city. I hadn’t minded mine, it sounded refined and was special to me, but for others, it was evidently a concern.
While the estate’s registry might exist, the freedom to call oneself what one pleases upon moving to the city was a perk. Changing to a more appealing name wasn’t all too strange. Come to think of it, back in my middle school years, many students changed their usual names to ones with more profound meanings. Only those who haven’t thought about it would cast stones.
“Wha—What’s with you staring like that!”
“Whoops, my apologies.”
I must have unconsciously adopted the scrutinizing gaze of a senior, mustn’t have been. It was endearing to see—these two had probably come to the city to make a name for themselves as adventurers. The boy had renamed himself after a legendary hero, leaving behind the countryside, aiming for greatness with his childhood friend. Classic Lv1 adventuring comrades, quite charming indeed.
As I secretly decided to befriend him, I enquired about the reason for his call. Pointing at me abruptly—my inner etiquette teacher wanted to scold him for the improper manner—he declared, declaring that he wouldn’t lose next time.
Apparently, Siegfried had become an adventurer around the same time as me and was aiming for the fastest red jewel promotion among our batch. He’d been admiring the rising recognition I had received, but due to circumstances, never found an opportunity to challenge me. Today, finally catching up to me, he mustered the courage to call out to me.
“Before you know it, I’ll overtake you and become the top adventurer among the rookies! Soon, I’ll be the best adventurer in Enderede—watch me!”
“…And why are you staring like that! Quit it! It gives me the creeps, like a grandpa!”
He approached, trying to issue a challenge to his newly found rival. His earnestness only increased my fondness for him.
“Not at all, apologies—I didn’t mean it that way. I naturally look this way.”
“Alright, as long as that’s true…”
“Yes, if I’ve caused any discomfort, I apologize. However, since we can consider ourselves peers, let’s support and motivate each other while embarking on our adventuring journeys together.”
My proposal was met with a skeptical raised eyebrow, yet how could I let go of such a promising peer? His build suggested a fellow light-arms swordsman—there was an obvious camaraderie to nurture here.
“Would you care to join me on a job sometime?”
With a smile, I extended my hand. Reflecting on it, I had interacted with senior or higher-ranking adventurers in the past, but focusing more on the two of us, I hadn’t really mingled with peers until now. And interacting with legitimate adventuring peers was a refreshing experience—one like the crispness of sipping a cold carbonated drink on a summer day, invigorating both the soul and spirit.
The moment was uplifting; I was buoyed by the sheer clarity and pleasantness of this new connection…
…
Some days after my promotion, with more than ten ‘red jewels’ accomplished, I was riding with Castor and Polydeuces through fields of ripening barley under the autumn sun when a problem arose.
The issue wasn’t work-related. Today’s task was straightforward—delivering goods to an estate a few days’ journey away. The package was sealed with the Guild’s wax seal, containing a letter and some silver coins—a heartwarming task for laborers sending remittances and seasonal greetings to their families from the city.
In modern times, transmitting such items can be challenging. In urban areas, promissory notes suffice for secure financial transactions, but in rural regions, trusting even a caravan with such delicate tasks is not a given. While simple letters could be entrusted easily, handling money is particularly tricky.
Therefore, tasks like this are mediated through guilds to prevent fraud and ensure proper delivery from start to finish. It’s heart-wrenching when such messages of love and financial support cannot reach their intended family members.
In any case, there were no issues with the job itself. With the advantage of owning horses, I had grown accustomed to delivery quests. Thanks to them, the previous financial losses, mainly due to maintaining two horses, were now breaking even, bringing a sense of satisfaction to my duties.
Yes, satisfaction in job performance…
“Hmm, what to do with this?”
“What should we do?”
Our murmurs came as we stood atop a small hill overlooking the road, where we saw what seemed like an unauthorized toll gate.
While the Threefold Empire does maintain official tolls separating dominions and administrative areas to manage taxes, disease prevention, and law enforcement without excessively stifling economic activity, the sight down below was not such an official checkpoint but rather a makeshift barrier set up by local gentry—those akin to old-guard landowners or samurai-like figures retaining independence despite Marsheim’s jurisdiction .
In better governed regions, unauthorized actions like this are absolutely unacceptable, but here at the edges of the empire, the local lord cannot fully control all regions under their dominion. Hence, there will always be those who, without overstepping boundaries that may incite rebellion, are allowed a level of autonomy and nuisance.
Nevertheless, it’s a bit much for us who seek peaceful work to endure such nuisances.
“Surprisingly many of these troublesome fellows, huh.”
“Yes, considering the taxes we pay, we really could use more effort from the officials.”
As taxpayers, it’d be ideal if the government could crack down on these activities, but medieval politics and ethics create complicated situations, especially as places like these are the gateway where foreign powers look for opportunities. Tightening security alone affects various stakeholders in significant ways, making comprehensive enforcement difficult.
The story of young hairlines going white or bald among branches managing vital but difficult regions in the Imperial Capital makes a lot of sense now.
“…Hmm… storming through might not be…”
“Not worth it, is it?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Though I could scatter the barriers using mounted archery techniques worthy of a war epic, these are still powerful local figures. They wield far more financial and political clout than any wandering adventurer, and turning them into enemies would bring no real gain.
Even worse, if they fabricate an excuse and place a bounty on my head, I’d end up targeted by fellow adventurers—far from a desirable situation. And calling upon questionable noble connections tied to the Imperial Capital would leave a bad taste, plus there are connections best left unused unless necessary.
Thus, we should slip through peacefully. My delivery isn’t on the tight schedule a modern courier might need, and we can sneak by like proper adventurers, quietly circumventing the powerful. It’s even possible that the landowners’ presence dissuades further unlawful elements, adding an accidental benefit.
When one side is raised, the other tends to lower; yet eradicating everything isn’t always possible, and maintaining an imperfect balance is essential in such a world. Learning to live with contradictions is necessary for such systems to function.
“Let’s take a detour. Margit, could you look for an opening?”
“Yes, leave it to me, Erich. Although…”
With a light-hearted voice while riding behind me on the saddle, Margit turned to look at me, wearing her usual face that seemed to say, “Well, what can you do?”
“You seem delighted despite the nuisance.”
“Do I?”
“Oh yes, you always do. Whenever trouble arises, there’s a certain sparkle in your eyes.”
“Sorry if that bothers you?”
“No, it’s just that you’re always true to yourself,” Margit answered with a reinforced smile as she hopped off the saddle with surprising agility.
“The more troublesome the situation, the more excited you appear.”
“…Do I make you uncomfortable?”
“Not at all, it’s just very ‘you.’”
Humming a cheerful tune, Margit set off to scout ahead, leaving me to marvel at her understanding nature.
Reflecting on the value of such a companion, I couldn’t help but feel grateful…
…
【Tips】 Promotion. An adventurer’s rank reflects not only power but also the trust the guild provides to clients, considering both work performance and personal character. At lower levels, diligent work can ensure steady rank progression, but achieving middle ranks requires either consistent reliability or exceptional abilities regardless of personal traits.
The seasonal changes brought sharp temperature differences, and I had been recovering from a cold. Among the fellow adventurers now are some contemporaries. While in TRPGs, they often play minor roles outside the main storyline, I truly believe in the importance of peers. There’s something revitalizing about the early interactions with those who share this journey with you.
