Cal stared blankly at the enlarged pond. He was sitting on top of the pile of rubble, relaxing, doing nothing as he had planned in the early morning.

Of course, he finished all his work before making himself a nice, flat sitting area on the rubble hill to observe his field.

Cal had covered the loam-covered patch with a slurry of powdered crystals and water, which also caused the pond to grow larger when he filled the tubs multiple times. When he saw the patch with the planted Sunfire Grains was getting a little dry, he watered it to allow the crops to drink.

Then, he ambled around before deciding to do nothing.

That pond is growing far too quickly. It will only speed up when I have more land to cultivate.

His eyes moved to stare at the storage room.

I can commission Orrin to make more tubs… or one large tub that catches all the water from my spell. He would need to make something of that size on-site.

Cal stretched and let out a soft sigh before leaning back, laying on the makeshift, flat peak of the rubble pile.

I’ll bring something soft to lay on next time.

He stared at the bright sky for a moment before closing his eyes.

***

Cal could hear a faint voice as he felt himself coming out of his sleep. It sounded like Seris, so he wasn’t exactly in a hurry to bring himself back to full alert.

However, the feeling of something touching his shirt certainly warranted such a reaction.

His eyes flew open as his hand quickly grabbed whatever was about to attack him. He found himself sitting up with a frightened Nibbles in his grasp.

Cal narrowed his eyes, suddenly remembering what Nibbles did early on. Her target was the rock that he had stored in his inner pocket.

“What were you doing?” Cal’s tone had a hint of anger, which made Nibbles more frantic than she already was. He would have felt bad, but all he was thinking was how he was backstabbed.

Nibbles was now using all four paws to point down the rubble hill. It was so odd that it almost took Cal out of his anger. He looked to where she was pointing and saw Seris standing there in confusion.

“Is everything alright?” Seris asked warily. “I wouldn’t have asked Nibbles to wake you if I didn’t have to. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

The tone Cal heard completely removed any anger that could have possibly existed in him. Hearing Seris speak like he was about to attack her hurt more than it should have. On top of that, he had wronged Nibbles by assuming the worst.

Cal immediately let go of Nibbles, but she didn’t move away. It was like she was waiting, accepting the inevitable punishment that was to come.

That hurt just as much as Seris’s reaction.

I’m never going to take a nap out here again.

“Thank you, Nibbles,” Cal lightly patted her head, ignoring the tense look that appeared on each pat. “How about you have a treat for accompanying Seris yesterday? Have a few tubs of powdered crystals as a reward.”

Nibbles warily pointed at the storage room to make sure. She only left after his nod, and even then, she took frequent looks back to make sure he didn’t change his mind.

I don’t know how to fix this other than to gift the hurt away.

Cal jumped off the rubble pile and tried to ignore how Seris stepped back when he landed. He failed because he could feel a frown appear on his face before he could hide it.

“So, how was your trip with Nibbles?” Cal kept his tone light, though he originally wanted to warn Seris not to treat Nibbles like a toy to show off. He was no longer in the mood to give any lectures. Not now.

“Good, we had fun.”

What was my expression like to scare Seris into near muteness?

“That’s nice.” Cal, who was never fond of small talk, somehow found himself in a painful one. “Drex told me you have fun showing Nibbles to everyone in town.”

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“Me!?”

Cal blinked in shock at the reversal in attitude.

“Boss, it wasn’t me who did it! Nibbles insisted on sniffing everyone in town. Every time we passed someone on the street, she kept fussing until she could smell them. I only got a few hours of sleep!”

He chuckled in relief, getting a huffy look from Seris in response. He wasn’t concerned about something as minor as Nibbles wanting to get scents of humans. It was how Seris snapped herself out of her wary state from sheer irritation.

“It’s not funny!”

“No, I agree,” Cal nodded in agreement, though that was ruined by his chuckles. “So, I’m guessing you don’t want to take Nibbles on another trip again?”

This made Seris pause. “… Maybe I’ll try again in a few days?”

“Sure, if that’s what you want, and Nibbles is willing to go with you,” Cal said with a careless shrug. He actually wanted Nibbles to stay at the field and finish the tunnels, but he needed to earn back some goodwill.

Seris fidgeted and looked to the storage room before nodding firmly. “Then I’ll try in a few days.”

Cal hummed in acknowledgment. After a moment, he asked, “So, what did you want to tell me?”

“Right! Drex said he could come by today, but he’ll be here tomorrow. And he mentioned something about a payment?”

I would be crying if I didn’t get paid for my pickaxes.

Cal didn’t mind paying for the barrels, but he was concerned about giving it to Seris. “Drex wanted you to take the payment?”

“Uh, I don’t know. He only mentioned something that he would need it soon.”

Good. Drex didn’t tell her how much. Seris can be trusted, but others who might come to know will target her.

“I’ll take care of it when he comes here.”

“Sound good,” Seris’s eyes started shifting around. “… Is Initiate Tavia here?”

“She’s still resting. Best to not disturb her.”

“Oh,” Seris’s shoulder slumped.

Tavia’s pyrotechnics seem to have gotten Seris’s allegiance.

Cal observed Seris's overly downtrodden expression. He started to suspect she was using his more-than-usual gentle tone to her advantage.

Well, if she is, it’s working.

He cleared his throat. “Seris, do you want to go to Lumina?”

Cal winced at the squeal that left her mouth.

***

“Here we are,” Cal let Seris down from the piggyback. He didn’t think the trip through when he invited her.

He had become so accustomed to the short trips that he didn’t consider the extra time Seris would add. He quickly realized that at her fastest pace, it would take days.

Cal knew he needed to carry her to solve the issue, so that’s what he did.

Seris wobbled on her feet before stumbling onto a nearby tree for support. Her hair was a mess, and her expression was stuck in shock.

“… Seris?” Cal heard her laugh with joy at the start before she quietened down. He assumed that she got used to his speed. It didn’t seem like it when looking at her.

She slowly turned to face him, arms down, hugging the tree for comfort. “B-Boss. I think I want to go back home in a carriage.”

I slowed myself down just for her. I thought it was very slow since it took me nearly two hours to get to the city.

“I can go slower,” Cal offered, but Seris turned visibly green from his words. He held his hand up in surrender, “Fine, I’ll get you a carriage.”

Cal gave Seris several minutes to gather herself before they entered the city. The guards at the gate had questions for Seris, but his presence made most of those moot.

“What did you want to do in the city? Anything you want to see in particular?” He mainly asked since he had little idea of any popular spots for mortals.

“How am I supposed to know? I’ve never been here.”

“Right, I should have assumed that,” Cal muttered as they approached the Registry Office. “It’s not an issue. We’re about to meet someone who should know these things.”

They were stopped before they could get close to the office’s entrance.

“Initiate Fintan has taken the day off.”

Cal turned to face the familiar voice. It was the guard who told him Fintan wasn't in the office on his last visit. “Hello, Zev.”

“Initiate Cal,” Zev smiled lazily. He was under the same tree as before, resting in the shade.

“How am I supposed to register if Fintan is gone? Has nobody replaced him for the day?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll let him know you stopped by. You can go on ahead, Initiate Cal.”

Cal wasn’t going to insist otherwise and did as Zev suggested. However, Seris wasn’t on the same mind.

“Boss,” she hissed. “This is how the guards set up people for fines. We’ll be in trouble.”

Cal shot her an amused look. The last thing he was worried about was getting fined or getting into trouble. He was an Apprentice in all but name.

There was nothing to fear inside the guild territory besides the Celestial Order’s administration. The only reason he bothered to try to visit Fintan was due to the promise he had made.

“I won’t let you get into trouble, Seris.”

She obviously wasn’t convinced, but she had no option but to believe him, so she nodded reluctantly.

“Since we have nobody to act as a tour guide, how do you feel about visiting a tower where an entire floor is full of shops that sell spells?” Cal smiled when Seris’s eyes started to sparkle.

I intended to get an Earth Simulacrum on this visit. Might as well get it out of the way at the start.

“Can I get one too?”

Cal gave her a look. “It won’t be of much use to you. It’ll just be a normal booklet.”

“I don’t care! Orrin is going to be so jealous I have a spell!”

He chuckled as her expressive hand motions drew the attention of the nearby pedestrians. “If that’s what you want. Pick one out, and I’ll get it for you.”

It didn’t take long before they reached The Great Market. The size of the tower made Seris point her face up to see the top of the building. It made for an odd sight when they were in line since Cal had to push her gently to remind her to move forward.

“Hand,” the guard droned when they reached the entrance.

Cal offered his hand as he frowned. He forgot that this was needed. Seris wouldn’t be allowed to the tenth floor.

“… Initiate Cal, you may enter. Please stay on the first ten floors.”

There was some hesitation there. And this was far more polite compared to the first time.

Before he could ask for Seris’s hand, Cal interrupted him. “This girl is my assistant. I’m taking her with me to the tenth floor.”

The guard hesitated before finally nodding. “Please keep her with you at all times.”

The Overseer did more than just give me access to the core guild library.

They entered the tower, and Seris gave him a questioning look, which he ignored. “Let’s stop on another floor first. I’ll treat you to some good food.”