As Valeria walked back to the inn with Nolan, the silence between them was thick, almost suffocating. Each step felt heavier than the last. The absence of Lily’s comforting presence weighed on her, and she couldn’t shake the sense of loss that filled her heart. Lily had become such an important part of her life in such a short time, always there with a quiet warmth that made the world feel less frightening. Now, without her, Valeria felt adrift, her mind swirling with uncertainty and sadness.
After what felt like an eternity, Nolan finally broke the silence, his voice gentle but firm. "I know this is hard," he said, glancing down at her. "I’m sad about your parents too, Valeria. I wish things had been different, but… let’s not dwell on the sadness. You’ve always wanted to learn magic, right?"
Valeria blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in tone. She nodded slowly, remembering how much she had looked forward to learning magic, back before everything had changed.
Nolan smiled, though it was a bit sad around the edges. "Good. That’s something we can focus on. Have you learned to read? Did your mother teach you?"
Valeria nodded again, a faint glimmer of pride creeping into her thoughts. "Yes, she did."
"That’s good," Nolan said, his tone encouraging. "We can start your magic lessons soon, maybe tomorrow. Reading is important—there’s a lot of theory and words you’ll need to know. But I think you’ll do well."
Despite the kindness in his words, the oppressive silence quickly returned as they continued their walk. The streets of the city, once bustling with life during the day, now felt quieter, more subdued as evening settled in. Valeria’s thoughts began to drift back to the terrifying events in her village—the screams, the howls, the darkness that had swallowed everything she had known. She shuddered, the haunting memories clawing their way back into her mind.
Lily, for all her mystery and quiet distance, had always been able to keep those thoughts at bay. Valeria had become used to her gentle warmth, to the silent strength that Lily offered just by being there. Now, with only Nolan beside her, Valeria couldn’t help but feel the weight of it all creeping back in. She tried to focus on the promise of learning magic, on the idea of moving forward, but it was hard to push away the fear and sadness.
That night, as Valeria lay in bed, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling of the inn, the quiet was broken once again by Nolan’s voice. It was soft, almost tentative, as if he was unsure of how to bring up what he was about to say. "Valeria," he began, "I’ve been thinking… before we set sail and head to your grandparents’ place, I wanted to see the village myself."
Valeria’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of her village. The mere thought of going back filled her with both dread and… something else. Hope, maybe? Nolan continued, his voice steady but filled with understanding. "I was wondering if you’d like to come with me. To say goodbye to your parents, to the village, one last time. I know it’s not easy, but… I think it might help."
Valeria froze, her mind racing. Lily had been so adamant that she not return to the village. But now, hearing Nolan’s offer, Valeria felt a strange tug in her chest. Part of her wanted to go back, despite everything. Maybe, deep down, she still harbored a small, fragile hope that her parents might somehow be there, waiting for her. Maybe going back would help her understand, help her accept what had happened.
The thought of returning, of seeing her home one last time, gnawed at her. And so, after a long pause, Valeria whispered, "Yes. I want to go."
The words left her mouth before she could second-guess herself.
The next morning, as sunlight streamed through the window of their room at the inn, Nolan approached Valeria with a calm but firm expression. “Valeria,” he began, “I need to head to the adventurer guild to put in a request for a vanguard. Given the current situation, it’s best to have some protection when we head back to the village.”
Valeria, who had been lying in bed, immediately perked up. Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of the adventurer guild. Maybe, just maybe, she would see Lily again. The idea filled her with hope, and before she knew it, she was out of bed, practically bouncing on her feet.
“Can I come with you?” she asked eagerly.
Nolan looked a bit surprised by her sudden enthusiasm. “It might take a while,” he cautioned, “and I’d rather not bring you to a place filled with rough-looking adventurers. Some of them can be… intimidating.”
Valeria tilted her head, puzzled. Scary? What does he mean by that? Sure, she had seen some adventurers who looked tough, but none of them had seemed scary to her. After all, Lily was an adventurer, and Valeria had never felt anything but safe around her.
Still, she pushed aside her thoughts and responded quickly, “It’s fine. I want to go.”
Nolan studied her for a moment, then sighed, seemingly relenting. “Alright,” he said. “But stay close to me.”
Excited, Valeria quickly got ready, and soon they were making their way to the adventurer guild. Once inside, the familiar atmosphere of clinking armor, the hum of conversations, and the scent of leather and wood filled the air. Valeria’s eyes darted around, hopeful that she would spot a familiar face—maybe Lily, or even someone from Dante’s group—but as she scanned the room, her excitement dimmed slightly. There were no familiar faces, just a crowd of strangers.
While Nolan spoke with one of the receptionists, Valeria’s mind wandered, catching bits and pieces of their conversation. She heard Nolan mention something about Silver, which caught her attention for a moment. Silver? she thought to herself. Valeria had heard about adventurer rankings before but never really understood much about them.
Henry had once said that Lily was high-ranked, and Dante’s group had to be the same since Henry had mentioned they were among the top adventurers. But where did Roan and Henry’s group fit into this? And what rank had Lily reached, exactly? Was Silver high or low? These questions began to swirl in Valeria’s mind, her curiosity piqued, but she didn’t dwell on them for long. She was more concerned with not seeing Lily.
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A small pang of disappointment settled in her chest. Even though she hadn’t seen her since their goodbye, Valeria had secretly hoped that maybe, just maybe, Lily would be here, waiting for her like before.
Before she could ponder on the thought any further, Nolan led her to a quieter corner of the guild hall. “I’ve finished putting in the request,” he said, glancing down at her. “We’ll need to wait a bit. These types of requests don’t take long to be accepted, so we shouldn’t have to wait too much.”
Valeria nodded absentmindedly, her thoughts still lingering on Lily and the possibility of seeing her again. The adventurer guild felt different without her there.
As Valeria sat watching people bustle about the adventurer’s guild, her thoughts drifted back to the ranking system. She had heard bits and pieces about it before but never really understood the details. Adventurers seemed to be categorized by something—there was this mysterious ranking system, and Valeria couldn’t help but wonder where all her companions fit into it.
Before she could ask Nolan, he suddenly pulled out a small silver plate that seemed to vibrate faintly in his hand. “Looks like someone accepted our request,” he muttered, standing up. The plate in his hand glowed softly, shimmering with faint characters Valeria couldn’t quite read. Nolan gestured for her to follow as they moved toward a different receptionist.
Valeria watched intently as Nolan showed the glowing plate to the receptionist, who nodded and motioned for someone to approach them. A man soon emerged from the crowd. He was tall, rugged, and had a somewhat bored expression on his face. As he walked over, he pulled out a badge, which, like Nolan’s silver plate, glowed faintly when the two items were brought close together. The badge seemed to react to the plate, as if confirming something between the two.
Valeria had seen these kinds of badges before. They all looked similar—just ordinary metal at first glance—but she knew that they had a special power only the owner could activate. Each badge could glow with a specific color based on rank, and when activated, the name of the adventurer and the number of people in their team would appear. Valeria found the whole system fascinating, though she couldn’t quite understand how it all worked. It seemed like magic, but she wasn’t sure if it was the same kind of magic that people like Lily or Aldus used.
The man, who introduced himself as Edgar, gave Nolan a once-over and said, “You might want to consider increasing the pay a bit, given the circumstances.” His tone was casual, but there was a sharpness to his words that made Valeria uneasy.
Nolan looked slightly irritated, but he kept his voice calm. “We’ll see after you’ve done your part.”
Edgar shrugged, clearly unconcerned. “Fine.”
With that, they set off on the road. Valeria walked beside Nolan, her mind buzzing with questions she didn’t know how to ask. The road felt less exciting this time, perhaps because her thoughts were clouded with everything that had happened. The scenery, once vibrant and filled with wonder, now seemed subdued. Even the encounters with monsters didn’t hold the same sense of awe as before.
They did come across a few monsters along the way, but nothing too dangerous. Edgar fought at the front, his sword flashing as he slashed through the creatures with practiced ease. Nolan, however, stayed back with Valeria, occasionally casting spells to support Edgar. Valeria watched closely, fascinated by how the two of them worked together. But something nagged at her. She didn’t remember encountering this many monsters when traveling with Lily.
It wasn’t just the frequency of the monsters that stood out to her. There was something else, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. When she had traveled with Dante’s group, she remembered the encounters being quick—so fast that sometimes she barely saw what had happened before the monsters were already dealt with. And with Lily, they had encountered far fewer monsters, despite covering similar distances.
But what really caught Valeria’s attention was how Nolan cast his spells. Every time he used magic, he muttered something under his breath—words she couldn’t make out but were clearly part of his spellcasting. Valeria frowned in confusion. She had never seen Lily or Aldus say anything when they used magic. It was like the magic flowed from them effortlessly, without the need for spoken words. Even the adventurers she had met before hadn’t needed to speak to use their magic.
Curiosity gnawed at her, but Valeria kept quiet for now, simply observing.
As they continued their journey and set up camp each night, Nolan began to teach Valeria about magic bit by bit. She had been so excited when he first mentioned teaching her, imagining grand displays of magic, maybe even casting a spell or two herself. But the reality of the lessons was far less glamorous.
Nolan sat across from her by the campfire, his voice calm but full of information as he explained the fundamentals. “Every person has their own unique Energy,” he began, using a stick to draw symbols in the dirt. “No two people’s Energy is the same. This Energy is what fuels magic. However, not everyone has enough of it to use magic effectively, and even fewer people are naturally talented with it.”
Valeria nodded, though she already felt her head spinning from the information overload. She had hoped the lessons would start with something more… hands-on. Like casting fireballs or summoning creatures. But instead, it was all theory. Lots of theories.
“There are different types of magic,” Nolan continued, tapping the ground with his stick to emphasize his points. “Some people are better with the elements—fire, water, earth, air, stuff like that—while others have an affinity for materials, which means they can draw out the magical properties in things like plants, ores, or even specific monster parts.”
Valeria’s eyes widened slightly at the mention of monster parts. That sounded interesting, but she didn’t interrupt.
“Then there are those who are good with living beings—mostly magical creatures, though it’s not the same as controlling humans. It’s more about forming connections with these creatures.”
He paused, looking at Valeria to make sure she was still following. She nodded slowly, trying her best to keep up. Her mind was buzzing with all this new information, but none of it felt tangible yet.
“And,” he added, “even if someone is only compatible with one type of magic, there are usually minor abilities from each category that they can access. But,” Nolan warned, “this all depends on how well someone can control their own energy. Energy is everything in magic.”
Valeria tilted her head, confused. “Control their Energy? What do you mean?”
Nolan smiled, seeing her curiosity. “Think of your Energy like water in a jar. You can only use as much water as the jar can hold. If you try to do more, the jar empties quickly and you run out. Some people have a large jar—lots of Energy, lots of magic potential. Others… not so much.”
“So… what if someone’s jar is small?” Valeria asked, still trying to piece everything together.
“If someone’s Energy capacity is low, they might not even have enough to cast a spell,” Nolan explained, his voice growing a bit more serious. “That’s actually very common. Not everyone can be a mage. Most people just don’t have enough Energy to work with.”
Valeria sighed inwardly, trying to stay focused on the lesson. She had thought magic would be all about casting spells and using powerful abilities, but here she was, learning about Energy jars and compatibility. She felt her excitement for magic lessons deflating just a little.
Nolan must have sensed her frustration because he chuckled. “I know it’s not the most exciting part, but understanding this is important if you ever want to use magic yourself. We’ll get to the fun stuff, I promise.”
Valeria nodded, though her head still felt like it was spinning with all the theory. She couldn’t help but wonder if Lily had gone through all this when she was learning magic. Somehow, she doubted it.