Once all the attention I had garnered was lost, I changed back into my original clothes and retreated to a remote corner of the courtyard to do some basic calisthenics to assess my body’s state. With all the stat points I had gained since arriving in Astraeus my abilities had grown far beyond what they had been like on Earth, and with the addition of the most recent ten levels from the battle, I could hardly even balance on one leg anymore. Every minute muscular twitch was orders of magnitude stronger than it had been before, so when I found myself tipping to one side, I would always overcorrect and end up falling the opposite direction.

  I had a similar issue with jumping. My left leg had always been a bit stronger than my right, since it was the leg I most often planted when kicking, but that difference had been amplified to the point that I would almost flip over when trying to jump my highest off two legs. It took a full hour just to master the art of jumping up and down without falling over. By then, Alphonse, Pierre and Christine had returned and come over to see how I was doing.

  “How goes the training?” asked Christine.

  “I’ve almost figured out how to jump,” I said. “Next I’ll stand on one leg, and then the other, and then once I feel stable enough, I’ll work on my upper body.”

  “Exciting.”

  “Very. How was breakfast?”

  “It was good, I guess,” she said, shrugging. “I didn’t really eat much.”

  “You ate half my bacon,” said Pierre. “After you said you weren’t hungry and refused to order anything.”

  “I changed my mind.”

  “Are you two together?” I asked. “Because you fight like you are.”

  “Absolutely not,” said Christine.

  “Never,” said Pierre at the same time.

  “They’re married,” said Al.

  Christine held out her arm to me with a grin, and for a split second, I got angry, because I thought she was flipping me off, but then I realized she was just showing me a ring.

  “Oh, that makes sense,” I said. “And Al’s stuck as the third wheel. That’s rough.”

  “Third wheel?” he asked.

  “Like on a bicycle.”

  “Bicycles only have two wheels though?”

  “Exactly. It’s a saying where I’m from. It means that being the third person in a group where the other two are a couple is like being the third wheel on a bicycle. Awkward and out of place.”

  “Oh.” He contemplated for a few seconds. “Yeah, that’s fittin’, I suppose. It’s not too bad though. We’ve known each other for ages. And when we go Dungeon diving, we usually get another party member or two to balance it out. If you joined the group, it would be more even.”

  “It would,” I agreed. “I don’t know if I will though. I won’t join as a permanent member at least. I’d be happy to go down into the Dungeon with you a few times though.”

  He hid his disappointment well as he smiled at me. “That’s great! I think you’d fit in well with us. I mean, you already kinda did back there.” He nodded toward the arena. “You were impressive for someone so low-leveled. I’ve never seen a Light mage fight before. Those [Blind] spells looked like they’d be really strong on anyone who’s not Alyona.”

  “That’s the hope,” I said. “And now that I’ve gone up a few levels, I can probably start working with bigger illusions. Full people maybe. I’ll need to play with it for a while.”

  “That would be great!” said Christine. “You could probably help me out with scouting if you could do that too. A fake person to bait out monster attacks so we can see what we’re dealing with would be super useful.”

  “Yeah,” said Pierre. “I never really thought about how a Light mage would work in combat before. I always thought it was kind of a useless element, since it doesn’t really do much damage, but I guess it doesn’t need to do damage to be effective.”

  “So how long do you think it’s gonna be before they let you go down?” asked Al.

  “Hopefully not more than a week,” I said. “I already know how to use my body, I just need to adjust to my stats.”

  “You know how to use your body eh-? Ow!” said Pierre, rubbing his arm where Christine punched him

  “Is there anything we can help you with?” she asked.

  “No, not right now,” I said. “I just need time.”

  “We’ll get out of your way then,” said Al. “But if you ever do need help, we’re on duty for the next two days, so it’s our job to help out with trainin’ for whoever needs it. Just call if you need help.”

  “I will.”

  I spent the rest of the morning working on my balance and basic movement, then decided it would be best to leave before someone tried inviting me to lunch. The trio tried to invite me anyway when they saw me heading out, but I declined, saying I already had plans. I was back at the bookstore by noon, and walked in to find Anatoly busy with a customer, so I browsed the shelves until he was finished.

  “How did it go?” he asked. “I see you leveled up quite a bit.”

  “Passed,” I said. “Rank 4. But I’m not allowed to go into the Dungeon yet. I can’t control my strength well enough yet. And as you noted, I just leveled a bunch, so it’s even worse than it was when she first prohibited me from the Dungeon.”

  “Congratulations!” he said. “Rank 4 is very good for a beginner. Especially when the one doing the testing is Alyona.”

  “Do you know her?”

  “She is my great granddaughter.”

  “What?!”

  “Oh, don’t be too surprised,” he said with a chuckle. “Most half-elves are my great grandchildren. Elves typically prefer not to mingle with humans much, so half-elves should be much rarer than they are, but my grandson is not very typical. I’m ashamed to say that because of him, I am in some way related to nearly every single human with elven blood in the world.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Oh.” I didn’t know how to respond to that.

  “I am not very close with any of them, but I am familiar with Alyona and her brother Alexei. My youngest daughter has worked with them quite a bit in the past, and I met them by proximity.”

  “Your youngest daughter? Is that the one that’s off subjugating Demon Kings right now?”

  “Yes, her. She should be visiting soon, actually. I’m not sure how much you will enjoy her company, but the meeting should at the very least be entertaining for me.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He laughed me off and refused to elaborate, and so I left the shop again. It was still too soon to head back to the Guild, so I wandered the city for a short while, eventually finding myself back in front of the saloon where I had met the elderly pianist. It was lunchtime, so the place was busy, and I could hear the patrons singing along with a piano accompaniment. The singing was awful, but their enthusiasm was admirable, so I stood outside and listened until the song was over, before going back on my aimless journey.

  When I returned to the Guild, the training area was much fuller than it had been in the morning. The corner I had been using was occupied by a pair of sparring swordsmen, and most of the other previously open spaces were taken as well. As I scanned the area for a place to do my own training, my eyes caught on a line of earthen dummies to my right. A couple were being used for target practice by archers and mages, but most were open, so I decided to head that way. I had wanted to continue honing my physical abilities, but seeing the dummies reminded me that I needed to practice my offensive magic as well, and while I could to basic strength training in Anatoly’s basement, there was not enough room for powerful spells.

  I picked a target at the end and started working first on fire magic, since it was the furthest behind, then moving on to Air and Water and Earth. By the end, I had drawn a small group of onlookers, amazed at the fact I could use so many different elements. None of my spells had much force behind them, but the fact that I could use them was enough, and when my mana started running out and I had to stop, I got a few compliments from them.

  Al, Christine and Pierre were busy helping other adventurers, so I didn’t talk to them again, but they waved to me a few times while I was doing my strength training.

  When the sun started to set, I went back to the bookstore again, and this time, there were two customers inside.

  “Lucy!” said Ophelia. “How did your application go?”

  “I passed,” I said. “Rank 4.”

  “Congratulations!” she said with a clap. “I knew you could do it!”

  “Thanks. By the way, what were you doing out so early this morning? The sun wasn’t even up.”

  “Oh, I had an appointment,” she said. “I can’t tell you what it’s for though. Noble things, you know?”

  “Not really,” I said.

  “I’m glad I caught you again though,” she said. “Because I’m leaving tomorrow. If I don’t go back home soon, I’ll get in trouble.”

  “Hasn’t Sylvia been gone much longer than you have, though?”

  “Yeah,” she sighed. “Dad gives her so much freedom. I’m jealous of it actually. I barely even managed to convince him to let me come out here. The rest of the time, he likes to have me at home at all times to greet guests. He really likes showing me off, and it’s nice to be appreciated, but it’s also really suffocating.”

  “Sounds tough,” I said. “It was nice getting to know you though. If I’m ever in Claude, I’ll try to visit, though I don’t know if I’ll be allowed in.”

  “Actually, about that,” she said. “I have an offer for you.”

  “An offer?”

  “An offer of employment. Kind of. As I’m sure you know, the Lyon family has a history of sponsoring Adventurers with a lot of potential. And I think that you are one of those Adventurers. You can already use all six elements, and you earned Rank 4 on your first assessment from the strictest branch leader in the country. I think that’s plenty of proof that you’re good enough to sponsor. I’ll have to talk to my dad first, but I’m sure he’ll agree. We would give you money and equipment and access to all the best Dungeons, and the only thing you’d have to do is keep getting stronger. Plus, if we sponsored you, you’d be able to visit the palace pretty much whenever you’d wanted.”

  “What’s the catch?”

  “There is none!” she said. “It’s really more of a publicity stunt than anything. When you get stronger and more famous, the Lyon family’s status rises by association. We don’t get any direct benefits, but the indirect benefits of being associated with powerful people are more than worth it. And if you want, once you reach a certain level, you might even be invited to join the Lions! I’m sure I don’t have to explain why you’d want that.”

  She did not have to explain, but for the benefit of the readers, I will. The Ravellian Lions are a group of adventurers who work under the Lyon family. They are similar in status and power to the Church of Order’s Orderbound Blades, but with fewer restrictions on their actions. They are the pinnacle of Adventuring, and every Adventurer’s goal.

  “Are you sure you want to offer me something like that?” I asked. “What if it’s a fluke? What if I’m not as good as you think I am?”

  “I don’t think that’s the case,” she said. “I have very good intuition. And if I’m wrong… Oh well. What we’ll be giving you at this stage in your career is practically nothing compared to what we have. Our sponsorship pays well, but I still have dresses that cost more than you’d make in a year.”

  “...I’ll think about it,” I said.

  “Sounds too good to be true?”

  “A bit,” I admitted. “But I don’t want to be tied down anywhere.”

  “Oh, gods no,” she said. “You wouldn’t be tied down at all, I’ll make sure of that. I know how it feels to be stuck somewhere because of obligations you didn’t even really agree to. If you want, I could make sure we add a clause to your contract to make sure you can quit whenever you want.”

  “I’m not sure…”

  “It’s okay! You don’t have to decide right now. It’s a pretty big decision, so you can wait as long as you’d like. If you wait longer, you’ll probably actually make even more, since you’ll be stronger and have more bargaining power. Here.” She reached into her spatially expanded purse and pulled out a sealed envelope. “This is an invitation letter. If you decide you want the sponsorship, come to the Lyon manor in Claude and hand this to the gate guards. You’ll at the very least be let inside. If I’m not home, you can leave your information, and I’ll come find you.”

  “Alright.”

  “Well, I’ll be going then.” Her guard stepped forward as she grabbed her mask off the table. “I was just waiting for you to get back so I could tell you about the sponsorship. I need to leave early in the morning. I’m glad I got to see you again. And Anatoly, I’ll try to come visit again in the future. Your shop is so nice and cozy, I love it. I would keep coming here every day if I could.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “I hope you’ll come back soon.”

  “I’ll try,” she promised. “And Lucy, I hope I hear from you sooner than later.”

  …

  “So?” I asked once she had gone.

  “It’s definitely a good deal for you,” responded Anatoly. “Lyon sponsorships are generally very beneficial to those who receive them.”

  “But do you think she has any ulterior motives? I can’t read her.”

  “Everyone has ulterior motives,” he said. “But if you ask me, I don’t believe she means you any harm. I think she just wants to form a good relationship with you.”

  “So you think I should take the offer?”

  “I did not say that,” he said. “But I don’t think you should reject it just because she may have ulterior motives.”

  “I’ll have to think more about it then.”

  “Almost never a bad idea,” he said, nodding. “How did your training go?”

  “Well. I practiced mostly destructive spells, since I can’t do that here. I’ll be doing some physical training in the basement tonight.”

  “Do you need any assistance?”

  “No, I’m basically just getting my balance back. I don’t need anything.”

  “Then I’ll be heading up to make myself dinner. Have a good night.”

  “Good night.”

  I spent the next six days much the same, practicing magic and more active things at the guild during the day, and training my body at night until I finally got the green light to enter the Dungeon. During that time, I leveled up once more, and also finally managed to sense my aura for the first time, so when it came time to talk to Al, Pierre and Christine about going on a Dive, I was feeling very good about myself.

  We met up the day after I was certified in order to plan the excursion. There wasn’t actually much to do, but the three veterans made sure to give me a very thorough rundown of Dungeon etiquette and the dos and don'ts of Adventuring. The day after, I left the bookstore before the sunrise and made my way outside of the city along the river to the west until I reached the grassy hill in which the Dungeon was set, and where the other three were already waiting for me.