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“Woah, this feels so smooth. Where’d you even get these clothes?”

“Now you actually look like a hyum.”

“What did you say!?”

For the past few days, Cyrus and Juliet had grown comfortable enough with each other to bicker and banter freely. Unfortunately for Julian, his ears weren’t quite as enthusiastic about this newfound camaraderie.

Still, he enjoyed being around them. They were… funny.

There was, however, one thing he hadn’t noticed: just how poor his clothes had actually been this entire time. He’d been wearing the same type of outfit since he arrived in Artemia, and even the newer clothes he’d bought were much the same.

Rigid, rough, and itchy.

“Hm.” The outfit Cyrus picked out for him was still a tunic, but it felt smoother against his skin, with sleeves that reached all the way to his wrists. Cyrus had also bought him a pair of gloves that covered the base of his hands, perfectly concealing the mark of Searadyn.

Julian was now equipped with a waist belt that went over his tunic, from which a fully covered Searadyn’s Veil hung. They’d wrapped Searadyn’s Veil as Julian didn’t want to attract attention right now. If people saw him carrying a glacivyr weapon openly, they would quickly guess he was the one who reignited the flames of Calydion’s forge.

In his current state, that was attention he couldn’t afford just yet.

“Are the two of you ready?” Julian muttered, fixing his leather gloves as he looked at his companions, who were still at each other’s throats, “It will not be nice to keep the guild master waiting.”

Both Cyrus and Juliet cleared their throats, retracting their hands and patting their newly bought clothes. Surprisingly, the two were careful enough not to rip their clothes, there weren’t even any creases at all.

“How… much are these clothes anyway?” Juliet said as she admired their outfits—one doesn’t even need to feel the fabric to know they cost a lot of money, “These must’ve been expensive, no?”

“They’re alright.” Cyrus shrugged, following Julian out of the room, “They didn’t really cost me that much.”

“How… rich are you?” Juliet’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, grabbing her axe as she followed the two, “Didn’t you say that you’ve only been here for… less than a decade? Like your body’s basically a child?”

“Don’t ask those questions, dear Juliet. Your medieval mind is not ready for it.” Cyrus turned around, walking backward on the creaking hallway of the inn… and wagging his finger at Juliet, “And which part of this body do you think is a child? Have you seen my muscles?”

“Uh…” Juliet tilted her head to the side so she could look at Julian, his shoulders almost double the size of Cyrus, “...Have you seen the Boss?”

“Don’t compare me to that beautiful ogre. Ugh.” Cyrus groaned, waving Juliet off as he walked ahead of the group, “Now onwards, my companions. To the party!”

“Let’s make sure not to separate.” Juliet walked beside Julian, “We don’t know the people there, and those high up in the Blacksmith’s Guild can get a little snobbish, Boss.”

“It’s fine.” Julian hummed, “I don’t really talk to people that much.”

“Hm.” Juliet tightened her grip on her axe, “Someone might want to take advantage of you if word slips that you’re the one who lit up the forge, Boss. So… I’ll make sure to stay by your side.”

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“Food!”

Juliet had barely taken three steps into the newly-renovated Blacksmith Guild before she abandoned the group entirely, rushing toward the table overflowing with food.

Who could blame her, though?

Being so close to the ocean, Calydion offered all kinds of seafood on the buffet: a massive crab nearly the size of Julian himself, oysters, and other sea creatures that looked more like monsters than food.

“Julian, look.” Cyrus nudged Julian’s arm, subtly gesturing toward a group of people as soon as Julian looked his way.

“Order of Artemis.” Julian quickly recognized the uniforms the group was wearing.

“I was already planning to stay quiet for the whole stream, but now I’m definitely going silent,” Cyrus whispered. “That means the Chat needs more visual stimulus—go ahead and walk around, Sword Junkie. I’ll stay close. I mean, look at this place! It doesn’t even look like the same place anymore.”

“Hm.” Julian responded with a nod and began to walk around. Cyrus was right; the smithy looked completely different, almost unrecognizable.

Gone were the clouds of dust, and the worn-out chairs had been replaced with new ones. There was even a counter with a receptionist behind it. The guild now felt like it truly was a respected organization in the city.

And judging by the way people carried themselves, it was clear that most of the attendees were influential—and from thick most of their arms were, many were likely actual blacksmiths.

However, there were also guests dressed in such luxurious clothing that even Julian, relying on his weakest sense—his eyesight—could distinguish their wealth. Their hands, extremely smooth and probably have never held a hammer before in their entire life.

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Well, either way, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t planning to mingle with any of them at all. No, he was already making his way toward the forge—or more precisely, toward the clear armor displayed before the dancing blue flames, equipped on a mannequin.

Luckily for him, since they had arrived late to the party, most people had already stopped admiring the armor, giving him a chance to examine it in peace.

He’d been there when the guild master of the Calydion Blacksmith Guild began working on it. He knew just how much pain and sweat had gone into its creation, and now, as he stood in front of it in all its glory, the only thing he could whisper was:

“...It could’ve been better.”

Unfortunately, Julian still needed practice lowering his voice when he whispered, as once again, a few people overheard him. Thankfully, most only threw him a glance, probably assuming he was just some pretentious critic.

One young man, however, was glaring at him rather intensely.

Oblivious to all of this, Julian walked away casually, eventually spotting Juliet at a nearby table.

“Master Julian.”

Sadly, before he could join her for a bite, the guild master approached, introducing the man beside him.

“This is the person I was telling you about. Mr. Garret here is an expert in all matters related to monsters and beasts. He’s amassed the largest bestiary collection I know of.” The guild master beamed. “Mr. Garret, this is Master Julian.”

“A good day to you, Master Julian.” Garret bowed his head, holding his monocle to prevent it from slipping.

“Yes.” Julian mirrored Garret’s bow. “Good day to you too, Garret.”

“When I was informed I’d be meeting someone Kino was indebted to, I certainly wasn’t expecting anyone quite so young.” Garret softly chuckled, seemingly amused as he looked at Julian from head to toe. “Judging by your appearance, would you happen to be a warrior?”

“Hm.” Julian didn’t deny it.

“And I gather you’re looking for a particular creature, is that correct?” Garret adjusted his monocle, but before he could continue, the guild master clamped a hand on each of his arms and lightly shook him.

“Take care of Master Julian, Mr. Garret. I’ll leave you both to talk freely.” The guild master chuckled, the scent of alcohol drifting from his breath.

“Right, then.” Garret fixed his sleeves, “Shall we have a chat, Master Julian?”

“Okay. My friend already has a table. We could just talk there.” Julian suggested.

“Splendid. Please, lead the way.” Garret gestured, and they made their way to the table.

“Wha the—” Juliet hurriedly swallowed everything in her mouth as soon as Julian and an unfamiliar man suddenly joined her table.

“I must ask, Master Julian,” Garret began, seemingly unfazed by Juliet’s presence as he focused intently on Julian, “what sort of favor did you do for the guild master of Calydion’s Blacksmith Guild to earn a personal introduction like this? Kino’s not usually one to be so… cordial.”

“It was nothing much.” Julian smiled, a small sigh escaping his lips.

“Ah, very well, if you say so. We all have our secrets.” Garret smiled in return, picking up on Julian’s reluctance to elaborate. He then placed both hands on the table, taking a deep breath before snapping his fingers.

A large book materialized instantly over his hands.

“Oh?” Julian couldn’t help but let out a small gasp.

“I have the [Scholar] class,” Garret said with a soft chuckle, resting the large book on the table and opening it, creating a small ripple of air. “Now then, which creature were you seeking?”

“Orpuk.” Julian tilted his head, his eyes fixed on the book. And even though he had really been only learning to read for a week or so, he understood the contents of the book.

He understood that it was completely empty.

“An Orpuk…” Garret murmured, hovering his hands over the blank pages of the book. And soon, Julian watched as words and images began to materialize on the empty pages, only to vanish as quickly as they appeared, replaced by others, again and again.

“Hm…” The pages continued this strange dance for several seconds before Garret lowered his hands with a sigh.

“Are you quite certain it’s a monster, Master Julian?” he asked, sounding more disappointed with himself than anything else.

“Yes,” Julian replied without hesitation.

“Then I’m afraid I must apologize for being of little help.” Garret closed his eyes, and the book disappeared at once. “This Orpuk, if it truly exists, hasn’t left so much as a whisper in the records—if it had, I assure you, it would be here, however scant the details.”

“Hm.” Julian tilted his head slightly. “It’s alright, Garret.”

“Well, should you find yourself seeking any other creature…” Garret sighed softly, rising to his feet. He gave a courteous nod to Juliet and Cyrus, who were watching from the other side of the table. “...do feel free to approach me whilst I’m still in the city. Once again, I do apologize for failing to assist, Master Julian.”

With that, Garret took his leave.

“Well, he was useless.” Cyrus groaned, scratching his chin as he scoffed. “And I don’t know about you, Sword Junkie, but I’m starving.”

The group enjoyed the buffet for a while longer, sampling all the dishes. But once they had tried everything, there… wasn’t really much reason to linger, so they decided to leave.

“Ah! That’s him, guild master! That’s the guy who said your armor wasn’t up to snuff!”

Unfortunately for Julian, it seemed they wouldn’t be leaving the party without a bit of trouble. A young man blocked their path—the very same one who had overheard Julian’s comment on the glacivyr armour.

“Me?” Julian stared at the young man’s finger to confirm he was pointing at him.

“Who!? Who dares speak ill of my craftsmanship!?” The guild master’s voice boomed across the smithy, causing all the guests to glance toward the commotion.

“Him! It’s him!” the young man insisted, still pointing.

“Who—Oh.” As soon as the guild master approached and saw Julian, all the alcohol in his system seemed to leave his body. His face, however, turned an even deeper shade of red.

“He—”

“You fool!”

Before the young man could say another word, the guild master smacked him on the back of the head, sending him tumbling across the ground.

“I… apologize, Master Julian,” the guild master said, gripping Julian’s arms with genuine concern. “I hope you weren’t offended by that blathering fool.”

“No.” Julian shrugged. “We… were just leaving.”

“Ah…” The guild master adjusted Julian’s sleeves for him, stepping aside with a polite smile. “...Please, Master Julian, do pay the guild a visit again before you leave the city.”

Fortunately for Julian, the situation resolved quickly, and they were able to leave the party without further incident. Unfortunately, their mission was unsuccessful—but at the very least, they’d enjoyed some good food.

“That was a waste of time.” Cyrus snapped his fingers to end his stream. The three of them walked through the streets of Calydion, which were now quieter under the soft white glow of the moonlight.

“What exactly does your quest say, anyway? It should at least hint at where this Orpuk creature is,” Cyrus asked.

“It…” Julian consulted the [Guidance]. “...just says to kill the special monster.”

“That’s pretty vague,” Juliet commented, rubbing her stomach as if she feared it might burst from her recent indulgence. “And ugh… I ate too much.”

“She has a point, you know,” Cyrus sighed. “Artemia’s bigger than Earth. We’d be lucky to find it before we die.”

“Eh, relax.” Juliet waved a hand dismissively. “The quest was given to Julian by Artemia herself. The gods handed it over—they’ll probably pave the way too. I met him, didn’t I? I’m sure the gods had a hand in that.”

“I admire your optimism.” Cyrus walked a few paces ahead. “And while I agree there’s some merit to what you’re saying, this isn’t really a game. It’s not linear. Quests don’t work—”

“Excuse me. Are you the group asking about the Orpuk?”

Before Cyrus could finish his words, a woman’s voice called out from behind them.

“I…” The woman hesitated. “...may have some information you need, but I require your assistance first.”

“Well, shit…” Cyrus muttered under his breath, biting his tongue.

“...I stand corrected.”

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