"W-what rank are you, R-Ruven?" I asked.

I had tried to casually look for the plate that would give away what rank he was, but I didn't see it on him. Miss Lorna had said that we weren't required to wear them… I guess he could just as easily be carrying it in his pocket or somewhere not visible. Not having it on him wouldn't do him much good at the Guild anyways.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm only C rank," He said casually. C rank… C rank?!

"W-wait, isn't that actually… pretty impressive?" I asked, openly staring at him.

If he's C rank, that must mean he's actually pretty strong. That's so much higher than my measly F rank… I bet seven bronze coins seem like less than change to him… I grabbed my arm awkwardly, shifting my weight. No, that's wrong of me. It must of taken a lot of strength to get that far, not just physically at that.

"Sure is! Ruven here one of the best we have with a bow around here!" Durin bellowed as he swung an arm about Ruven's shoulder and pulled him closer.

"Ah ha ha… I guess? Durin is actually A rank though; he's way stronger than me. You fought him for your combat exam, right? He was actually holding back a lot," Ruven said.

He looked uncomfortable with the praise and tried to pull away from Durin, but for all intents and purposes, he was stuck.

"R-really?"

"That's also true! But y'know, when I first came to the guild, I wasn't too different from you. I was a scrawny thing, not a coin to my name," He suddenly released Ruven and begun flexing in strange poses, "But. Now. Look. At. Me! Such muscle! Such power!" Somehow, he managed to get louder and louder the more he spoke.

Then suddenly Miss Lorna appeared behind him, standing on a stool. Then… She hit Durin in the head with a piece of wood whose purpose seemed to be solely to smack some sense into the man. "Ouch…!" He clutched his head as he sunk to his knees. "Defeated again by the magnificent Lorna!"

"Knock that off. You're bein' a nuisance," She scolded him before turning to me, "Did you find the requests you want, hon?" I nodded, a little afraid to speak, lest I get scolded, too. "Well then, come on, we'll get it all set up for you."

I followed her back to the counter, leaving Ruven to deal with Durin who seemed to be full of energy today. The process went quickly, and soon I found myself standing outside the Guild, wondering where to start. I didn't know how long searching for the cat would take, and thanks to Ruven and Durin, it was almost midday. With that in mind, I decided to head off to the Church of Lemitre that was closest to the noble district. There are several different Churches of Lemitre, and churches worshipping other deities, within the city, so I was thankful that the request had at least specified which one it was.

I hadn't been to a church in years. When I was younger, I wasn't allowed to participate in any social activities. However, every once in a while, my mother would take me with her when she went to visit the church. While it wasn't same church (my family had lived in the capital and in a town called Elsfaire; I hadn't known Delton even existed until well after my mother's passing), churches of Lemitre all looked the same to me on some level, and so I couldn't help getting a little nostalgic.

The church's exterior was lovely. The building itself was made of stone and marble, designed to persist even if fire destroyed the rest of the city. Elaborate decorations and designs were carved into the marble here and there. I couldn't tell from such a distance, but they appeared to be telling religious stories.

The sharply sloping roof was covered in blue tiles, but, unlike the Adventurer's Guild, this had ornate gold detailing on them and weren't faded in the slightest. I imagine, the dye used here was of much higher quality. Large stained glass murals decorated the building, displaying various images of Lemitre, the Goddess of the hearth, beauty, and youth.

The large door remained open, welcoming guests until well after the sunset. Then it would close and reopen just before sun rise. I could hardly remember the last time I had been in such a nice building… At the very least, it was over ten years ago. Much like when I first approached the Adventurer's Guild yesterday, I wasn't sure my presence would be welcomed here. Surely, my presence alone wouldn't sully such a wonderful place, would it?

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Perhaps noticing my anxious stares or perhaps because I was only standing outside the church, not entering, an angel- no, a young priest- stepped out and approached me. His face was beautifully androgynous, almost uncomfortably so. His skin was so fair it was nigh translucent. His eyes were a shade of gold, a color I had never seen before, and they complimented his short and sleek black hair.

He greeted me with a smile, "May the blessing of the Goddess be upon you." While his voice was melodic, it was the voice of a young man, rather than that of a young woman. However, with his slim frame, I would have believed it unquestioningly had someone told me he was actually a she.

Hastily, I returned his greeting, "M-m-may the blessing of the G-Goddess be upon you…" I inwardly scowled. I had been so enchanted by his beauty that I stumbled far more than usual. And here I thought I was starting to do better… I didn't know I could be so taken aback by someone's beauty. "I-is something the matter?"

"Perhaps you would wish to come inside? The Church welcomes all worshippers of the Goddess, no matter their circumstances," his voice was soft; perhaps he had intuitively understood the reason for my hesitation.

"U-uhm, I'm here on behalf of th-the Adventurer's Guild… I took a request to a-assist the church?"

"Oh, please, do follow me then. I had actually filed that request nearly a month ago. I am so glad someone has finally accepted it. So many members of the guild are reluctant to visit the church… I would be greatly pleased if you would stop by when you have the time," He guided me into the church proper.

The floors were of the same marble as the outside, and the stained glass cast colorful shadows on the floor. A large rug, made up of blue, silver, and white yarn, ran through the center of the halls. How much did just a foot of this rug cost? Probably enough for at least a week's stay at an inn, or a month's worth of mystery monster skewers…

Other priests bowed as we passed by them, which seemed unusual, but I temporarily put it out of my thoughts as I followed the young priest guiding me. "My name is Ranelle; I've spend my life in the church, serving the Goddess."

"O-oh, uhm, I am Amaris, but p-please… I go by Ami," Something about the solemnity of the churches atmosphere made me blurt out my actually name. It's not that I don't like my name; in fact, I think it's very pretty. It just… causes me trouble.

"Amaris… I believe there was a noble child with that name once. It's very lovely. I don't believe I've heard of anyone else with it, so you might be the only two. How very rare."

"I've n-never… met anyone named Ranelle before. I think your name is much rarer…"

"Do you really think so? After I perish… A new Ranelle will be born, so I cannot be sure if it's really that special," he said. After he dies, a new one is born? That's pretty dark, not to mention sad. I don't really get what he means by that though…

"Hmmm… I mean… N-names aren't all that important. I-it's who you are that d-defines you, not your name," I frowned, still trying to figure out what he means. Maybe he's talking about the cycle of rebirth? But that wouldn't have anything to do with names.

He chuckled softly, but I couldn't figure out what I said that he found funny. I was being quite serious, thank you very much. We passed numerous statues and works of art, until sudden we stopped in front a very non-descript door. Inside, was a smaller room, filled with boxes.

He pointed towards one that was fairly large but still of a size I could carry as long as I was careful. "That box contains gifts for the children at the Western orphanage. Please bring to them. The matron there will sign off on the request, acknowledging it as complete after you have done so."

"R-right!" I picked up the box; it was a little bit of a challenge, but as long as I don't set it down anywhere along the way, I shouldn't have any trouble with it. "I'll bring it over th-there now!"

"Oh, one more thing, Miss Ami… Please, do come back and visit me sometime. I don't have very many friends, so I would be delighted if you would become friends with me."

How could I resist when he gives me such an angelic smile? I'd have to be a hardened criminal to turn down someone like that. Thus, I agreed to return at a later date, and I headed on my way.