Adventurer's Guild, the association that managed and dispatched adventurer all around the world.

Inside their iconic wooden pub-like building, adventurer of different races and different classes gathered.

From the familiar face of a human to the elegant figure of elves. Dwarves and halflings are enjoying their company—and is that halfling troubadour singing tales from her homeland?

Amidst the joyful chaos brought by the adventurer, one man stood silently, watching the surrounding.

Standing at 6'8 feet tall, clad in plate armor, hid his head with a full helmet with holes in it.

The holy symbol of Aversia marked in his thick and heavy shield that hung to his back. The broadsword on his waist was weary and old yet well kept.

A paladin of the Supreme Goddess Aversia, one of the few greater gods that sided with goodness and law.

But a paladin being an adventurer was not a new tale, maybe they received a mission from their deity? Or was it that they want to spread the teaching of their god.

Such a story was told far and wide, even the most inept bard know at least one or two-song about this kind of story.

But why was he so silent? From his line of sight, a young female wizard was holding staff near her chest can be seen.

She just registered as an adventurer and was now planning to take a quest, hopefully, she can find something suitable for her level.

She wore a blue wizard robe and a wizard hat. Her long hair was brimming pink. Her yellow eyes were bright and wide, covered by long eyelashes that moved ever so slightly each time she blinked.

She has thin yet soft lips and a small pointy nose. She was beautiful, perhaps too beautiful that she attracted gazes of men.

No good. He thought. Adventurer they might be, some of them are just ruffians carrying a sword.

Three human men, drunk with beer, slowly approached the young wizard who was oblivious to what will happen.

Without wasting any second, the paladin made his move.

The stench of alcohol wafted through the air as she instinctively covered her nose. The young wizard slowly turned her head and find three drunkards with a creepy smile on their faces.

“Yoo, hick lady. Do you want to join our party? You're a newbie right? Hick!” One of them asked.

“Ah eh... Erm... No... thanks...” She muttered. She used her wooden staff as a means to hide, but well, it was just plain impossible.

“Huuh! You should be grateful! I'm a C-ranked adventurer you know! C-rank! Hick!” He boasted.

The adventurer rank consists of F-rank (the weakest) from S-rank (the strongest). Although reaching S-rank, was impossible. Not that no one ever attained that rank, there are few that obtained it and they became a legend, they changed the course of history and some even say that they become lesser gods up in the celestial world.

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But for normal people and even the exceptional one, reaching B-rank and A-rank would be the greatest achievement they can get.

That's why reaching C-rank means that you're a seasoned veteran who fought countless monsters. No one could blame the adventurer that he was proud of his rank.

“Erk! Eh, b-but—.”

“She said she didn't want to” A stone-cold voice cut the panicking young wizard. The paladin entered the conversation casually as he stood beside the young wizard.

“Huh? Who the hell are—Ummp!” A quick hand grabbed the mouth of the drunkard. It was the hand of his companion who seems nervous at the presence of the paladin.

“We're really sorry! The beer seems ended up in or head and not on our stomach!” One of them said as he almost strangled the drunkard just to carry him away.

“What are you doing!” The drunkard complained.

“Damn bastard! You're gonna kill us all!” Said the angry companion.

They continued with their banter as one of them apologized once again to the paladin and left.

“W...What the hell is that!” Unexpectedly, the young wizard shouted. Even the calm paladin was surprised by this.

“That's an event right!? We were supposed to fight and prove that I am stronger than him even though I was ranked lower than him and then the guild master would come out and will raise my rank higher than him!” She started saying something that the paladin could not understand.

“Erg! But to be honest, I'm really scared at that time... And I don't really know if I can defeat him with my limited number of spell...” Then she calmed down.

“Is your head alright?” Without a trace of consideration, the paladin asked something that can be taken as an insult.

“What do you mean right? It's all right buddy, no need to worry—Who are you again?” She said.

Never in his entire life that he has met a girl like this. He was amazed and baffled at the same time, it was like seeing a tornado destroying everything in its path. It was scary but mesmerizing.

The same feeling could be felt as he glanced at the young wizard.

“I am no one. More importantly, you should not pick a fight to C-ranked adventurer, they can kill you.”

“K-kill? Such heavy word...”

Then he shook his head. “It is the truth, and you'll be lucky if that's the only thing they will do to you” he added.

A beautiful girl like her, even the most innocent one could picture what would happen if she was defeated by those adventurers.

Realizing the gravity of her situation earlier, she shivered in fear.

“B-but surely someone will save me r-right? Just like you did.” She said.

“True, but not all the time.”

“...” That was true. She was lucky that the paladin was there when those three approached her. But why did they have to act that way in front of him anyway?

“A-anyway. I have to thank you properly for saving me. My name is Liliana, as you can guess, I'm a wizard.” She said. The way she introduced herself and the way she bowed down slightly was so elegant that the paladin was doubting if she was really the same girl earlier.

“My name is Darwyn, I'm a paladin” Hearing his name, her face bloomed like a flower and chuckled to herself.

“A paladin I see, then whose god are you serving?”

“Aversia.”

“Aversia... Hhmm, then I assume that what you did earlier is just you following the teaching of your goddess?”

“I won't deny that.”

“Eeeh... I thought I triggered a romance event or something... But I guess not...” Her shoulder slumped as she sighed in disappointment.

“Then, off I go!” She said. But before she could even turn her back, Darwyn grasped her wrist and said “Wait”.

“Are you taking a quest?”

“Yep” She nodded cheerfully. Seeing that, Darwyn felt something that Liliana will do something outrageous.

“What quest?”

She placed her slim finger on her lips, then said “Slime Extermination” causally.

“Those are not for beginners,” He said instantly. He could see her being digested inside the slime body.

“Then orcs!”

“They will kill you” Darwyn answered. A race that worships chaos, a mad beast with brute strength surpassing normal human. She will get tortured, raped, killed then eaten.

“Hmm, what about zombies?” Certainly, she can kill one or two, but what about twenty of them? Could she handle the odor of rotten meat and the grotesque appearance of the undead? “No” that was the answer.

“This is hard, at least give me a clue!” She shouted as she puffed her cheeks.

“This is not a game” She warned Liliana. Noticing that the low voice of Darwyn hit the bottom, she goes into deep thought.

Closing her eyes and tapping her index finger to her temple.

“Then what about goblins...?” She said as she looked up to him. She was not short, it was Darwyn who have grown too big.

“...You need at least someone who will accompany you” He said calmly.

Yes! Ah, then! She thought.

“T-then, would you like to go with me?” For some reason, she felt embarrassed. Playing with her hair as she evaded looking at him, she waited for an answer.

“That's my plan from the start” He replied.

One of his duty as the paladin of Aversia was to protect and guide the weak. Looking at the girl before her, he thought that Liliana needed both protection and guidance.