“Son! Is everything okay?!”
“Define ‘okay!’”
Dad and I had that short exchange as he and the others caught up to us. The passersby who were nearby tried to go back to their business while pretending to not see anything. I heard a few of the kids trying to ask what was going on but were led away by their parents.
“Milady, please do not run off on your own like that. Master Soar, I thank you for stopping her,” Melissa said as she bowed to me while I was still holding the trembling, sobbing Agnes by the waist.
“It’s no trouble, Melissa … Agnes? I’m going to let go of you now. If you run off again, I’m going to give you a bop on the head.”
“… Okay.”
Agnes stopped her sobbing and immediately mumbled a reply after I made the subtle threat. I slowly pulled myself away as I noticed how she suddenly tensed up, trying to stop herself from trembling with all of her might. Even her eyes were shut tight to keep herself from breaking any more tears.
Okay, maybe that might’ve been too much of a threat from me to scare her into silence. I really have no experience with shit like this …
“Well, I may not have tested him on it but from that display, he’s definitely faster than me now. Seriously, this is hurting more of my pride by the day.”
“I don’t think this is the time for that, Weiss,” Sam chided after Weiss’ remark as he scratched his head.
“Still, this is quite a surprise. For you all to get here at this time from a town so far away …” Melissa trailed off before perking up. “Ah! Of course, being a dark elf, it would make sense that Master Darida would cast Dark Gate to transport all of you here, as expected of one from the race that specializes in Darkness Magic.”
“Pardon me, Melissa. While it is true that Darkness Magic is our specialty and I am capable of casting Dark Gate, I personally would not be able to cast it at such a distance without breaking a sweat. That was the work of this one here.” Darida pointed his gaze my way after making the correction.
Melissa and Agnes followed his line of gaze toward me and were stunned speechless.
“To run at such speed with mana-infused legs and to travel from Lunargrove to Brightlas by Dark Gate … I don’t recall you telling me of your son being that capable, Gullivan.”
“Huh?” I looked over at the new older gentleman who spoke of Dad’s name that approached us.
I say he was older, but his build was similar to Dad’s in that he may still pull off telling people he was still in his late thirties if it weren’t for his graying locks tied in a short ponytail and subtle wrinkles. He had a brown leather vest over his beige tunic while wearing slacks of a darker shade from the former and matching boots. Hovering behind him were three fairies, Fire, Earth, and Light, the first two being around the same size as Breezy, while the third was similar to Dad’s Tyra and the rest of my own Companions sans Marble.
“Ah, Grayson! Just the man I was looking to see, and I had found out my son was even more amazing than I realized just yesterday!” Dad exclaimed before giving a hearty laugh and slapped my back. “Soar, this is the man that runs Brightlas’ hunter’s guild, the guild master, Grayson Vals!”
Going by the size of his fairies, Grayson’s specialties are Earth and Fire Magic, huh? He must’ve been quite the experienced hunter before becoming a guild master, I speculated.
“G-Guild master?!” Agnes exclaimed. She then wiped whatever was on her face with a sleeve and smacked her cheeks together before facing Grayson and gave a noble bow with a fist on her chest. “Mr. Vals, my name is Agnes Zanri, the only daughter of Tristen Zanri. I am 12 years old with one Fire Fairy and I would like to register as a hunter, please!”
““Huh?””
The majority of us, including Dad and myself, had mixtures of shock and confusion from her introduction.
“Is that right?” Grayson asked with a quirked brow while crossing his arms. “You’re the knight general’s daughter, yeah? You think a brat like you can handle the work of being a hunter with all that cryin’ I heard back there?”
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Damn, he doesn’t even give a shit about Agnes’ social status to call her a brat right there. Wonder if that comes with the job of being a guild master? Also, is this noble girl seriously a year older than my physical age?
“I-I do not usually get that flustered, sir! I have trained with swordsmanship and magic diligently under the guidance of my father and Mr. Seal Galveston! I am willing to do whatever it takes to prove myself to qualify!” Agnes still had her head bowed down and eyes to the ground, not even talking back to Grayson’s degrading name.
“…”
“I can vouch for her, Mr. Val.” From Grayson’s silence, Seal stepped up and stood by Agnes’ side. “Hearing of her registering as a hunter was new to me, certainly, but I can guarantee that her skills in sword and magic are top-notch among those her age.”
“And you think she has what it takes to be a hunter?”
“I believe this is a good way to expand her horizons and grow. I can guarantee as her master that Lady Agnes can excel in practically anything that she sets her mind to.”
“I see. Gullivan, seeing you here with your son now …”
“Aye, I’m here with Soar for the same reason. He’ll also be registering as a hunter. While he just turned 11 yesterday, we had also learned many things that will make him more than qualified to take the job. I’m putting my word in not just as his father, but his master, too.”
When one wants to register as a hunter between 10-12 years old, they need at least one of two things as a prerequisite: being contracted to at least one fairy as Chaperone and Companion, and a recommendation from their instructor as master and apprentice. One could register even without being in a contract with a fairy as long as their master—whose reputation at the time would also be taken into account for legitimacy—deems them qualified in skills to make up for the lack of provided magic power.
There are many circumstances that could make or break their qualifications and it’s up to the guild master who’s assessing them at the time to judge them worthy to take a trial. Seal and Dad had respectively made their recommendations as masters of Agnes and me to help deem us qualified to register as hunters. With their own reputations as successful hunters in mind, it would be difficult to not discredit their recommendation.
“… All right, then,” Grayson said after a pause. “Come with me to the guild and we’ll get those two set up.”
“Thank you very much, sir.”
“You won’t regret it, Grayson!” Seal and Dad made their respective responses before we all followed Grayson to the hunter’s guild. Agnes and I were next to each other as we walked behind our ‘masters.’
Aside from the bustling activity from the city, there was an awkward silence between us until someone cut in.
“Agnes! Thanks so much for the food and party decorations yesterday!”
“Y-Yes! It turned out really well, thanks to you!”
“… What they said.”
“Eh?! O-Oh, right, it was no trouble …”
Fila, Claire, and Onelri gave their respective thanks to Agnes for her contribution to last night’s party before she tried to be humble in her response despite the surprise.
Fila then poked my shoulder and urged me to say something as well. I knew the moment Fila cut in what they were trying to do.
“I had fun last night. It wouldn’t have turned out that way if it weren’t for what you did, so … thanks for that.”
“The catering and sweets were to your liking?”
“Yes. They were all very delicious.”
“I am glad. It was the least I could do after all that happened.”
“Right … listen, Agnes, about that—”
“So, you came to Brightlas to register as a hunter, yes? You are certainly well-equipped for the job,” Agnes interrupted without making eye contact.
… Maybe this isn’t a good time and place for that talk. “Uh, yeah. I got all of these as presents from last night’s party. Were you planning on becoming a hunter while on this trip, too?”
“No, this was more what I decided on impulse last night.”
“Will your dad be okay with this? Would he even let you out to take on dangerous quests? Have you even defeated a monster before?”
“It will be fine! After what I had experienced firsthand, I feel like I can take on anything!” Agnes seemed to have realized what she just said before her face paled and waved her hands in front of me. “I-I am sorry! I did not mean to make that sound so rude! I was not trying to imply anything at all!”
I then recalled what she meant by what she ‘experienced firsthand.’ That is, my aggressive display in our match and how I showcased my magic. She pissed herself at least one of those times and after looking back on it, I could only imagine how terrified she might have been from witnessing it.
“Ah, it’s fine, Agnes, water under the bridge.”
“Y-You are not mad?”
“No.”
Agnes then breathed a sigh of relief like she got off of a dangerous situation.
… Crap, I think I might have broken her more than I thought. I really need to find a way to mend this over. Just as I thought that Seal tapped my shoulder to catch my attention.
“Do not worry, Soar. I will be with her while we explain things to her father. When we get back to our lessons, I will take full responsibility for looking after her while she takes on quests. I will make sure everything that happened yesterday does not reach his ears, either,” he whispered. I nodded in confirmation.
While I did want to make something of myself as a hunter, the last thing I needed was the attention of such high military power. Even if Seal’s family was of a lower social status than Agnes’, I could only hope he would use the influence of both that and his rep as a hunter to be able to mend this situation over.