They finally reached the Adventurers’ Association, like travelers pushing through wind and dust at the city’s gate. Lian tried to flee again and again, but Remi tugged her back like a kite on a short string. Humiliation burned; since when couldn’t she slip a tiny girl’s grip?

“Come on, come on, Miss Lian, chin up.” Remi saw Lian’s hollow look and patted her back, warmth like a hand on a shivering cat.

“But… what if they really recognize me? What if some camera catches me?” Anxiety swelled first; her voice followed, thin as a reed in rain.

Remi’s right hand flashed. She shoved. The sudden shove was a wave from behind, and Lian stumbled in.

Thud—the door banged, wood ringing like a drum in an empty hall. Heads turned as one flock; eyes landed like spears.

Under all those stares, Lian’s cheeks flushed rose. Panic fluttered; her fingers shielded her face, speech breaking like twigs. “I… um… I’m… I…”

A lift tugged her upward. She dropped her hands, looked up—Alicia had swept her into an easy embrace, calm like a lantern in dusk.

Alicia’s arrival diffused the awkward air, like tea steam smoothing a tense room. Elder-sister grace came naturally to her; she smiled and faced the crowd with soft light in her eyes. “Everyone, pardon us. My little sister’s shy. I brought them to taste a day in an adventurer’s life. Please don’t mind us.”

Her gentle voice settled their questions, like rain settling dust. People drifted back to their seats, letting the matter pass—if Princess Alicia said not to fuss, who wanted to look foolish fussing? Likely the princess just wanted her sister to train a bit. A princess wouldn’t pick anything too dangerous, right?

Remi grinned at Lian, mischief bright as a firefly. “See? Told you nobody cares. Or does the wise and mighty Miss Lian have some grand theory?”

Lian turned away, cheeks warm as embers. She had been too jumpy, and she knew it.

Alicia, picking through quests, looked over with a thoughtful frown. “Hey, Lian, what should we do? These quests are so boring.”

Relief came first; Lian stepped off that awkward ledge and joined Alicia at the postings, leaving Remi’s grin behind like a fluttering ribbon.

Emmm… let’s see.

“Find the missing cat.” A quest for D-rankers who still chased shadows. Not for the great-and-cute me.

“Eliminate five thousand goblins.” That screamed not-our-problem at first glance. Pass.

“Explore the mysterious graveyard.” That reeked of gross monsters. Pass.

“Find the girlfriend who’s been playing hide-and-seek with me for thirty years.” Emmm… why is a super S+ quest even here? Pass.

…

“I give up! What even is this board? There’s no decent work!” Lian flopped into a chair like a dropped cloak, frustration a tight knot in her chest. Couldn’t they post a proper quest?

Alicia smoothed Lian’s hair, hand gentle as spring wind. Her resigned smile said she felt the same.

Remi pointed toward a special-quests board beside the C-rank listings. “Well, Miss Alicia, maybe check over there. Might be something fun.”

Lian’s gaze slid that way, curiosity flickering like a moth.

Emmm… “Special” indeed—“Destroy the world,” “Human Instrumentality Project,” oddities that looked like fever-dreams pinned to cork. Did they post these without review?

Hope was drying up like puddles after sun. Then, tucked in a corner, an unassuming slip caught Lian’s eye, a quiet spark under dust.

This… this is it.

Hands trembling, Lian peeled the corner posting free. Nothing unusual—except a photo taped to it. The photo showed the back of a blond, muscle-bound man. A purple star-shaped birthmark blazed on his shoulder. His eyes, half-turned, seemed to lock with the viewer, sending a stern weight through anyone who looked. A whisper rose in the mind, clear as steel: “You’re looking at me, aren’t you?”

Others might shrug. But the viewer was Lian—Lian with the memories of the anime master Yufan Ling. Recognition struck like lightning clearing a storm.

She didn’t hesitate. She thrust the quest sheet at Alicia.

Alicia took it, puzzled. The blond man was odd enough to make her blink. “Hmm? You want this one?”

“Mm-hmm! This one!”

“But… it’s just a basic elimination quest. Not even monsters, looks like… bandits? You sure?”

“Mm, mm, mm! I’m sure!”

Seeing Lian’s bright, out-of-nowhere obsession, Alicia sighed and nodded. Bandit-clearing couldn’t be that hard, right?

They went to the front desk. The receptionist had long black hair like ink and eyes bright as river stones—pretty enough that the Guildmaster’s interest made sense.

She accepted the paper, but as she did, her look turned sympathetic, like a candle leaned toward a traveler. “Princess Alicia, the quest itself is fine. But it’s far from here, and there’s no proper road. You’d have to go on foot. Do you really want this one?”

At the word “walk,” Alicia glanced at Lian for the call. One look at those starry eyes, and she knew—this quest was happening.

“It’s fine. We’ll still go. Worst case, we fly.”

The receptionist winced, words stumbling like pebbles. “Well… Your Highness, after the last Dragonfolk incursion, our empire’s planes were mostly bombed out. Maybe those dragons hate anything with two wings—first thing they did was target aircraft. We can barely meet current needs, and that’s only because the king handed over his private planes. There’s no spare aircraft to carry you.”

What a perfect coincidence—so perfect Alicia glanced up as if the heavens were teasing her, nudging fate toward worn boots and long roads.

“We can still provide horses,” the receptionist added, offering a path like a bridge over water. “If the princess doesn’t mind, you could take a carriage.”

Oh! Right. Even with modern transport, stables still stood. They could rent a carriage.

Heat rushed to Alicia’s head with the good idea. She hurried the acceptance without switching quests, heart set like a drawn bow.

They gathered at the city gate once prep was done. A carriage waited under the arch, lacquer gleaming like a calm pond. Alicia vaulted to the driver’s seat with an easy spring and glanced back into the cabin.

“I’ve already cleared things with the school. You all set?”

Lian bounced on the bench, excitement bright as morning sun. “Yep, ready!”

Alicia turned with a flick, slipping on the cowboy hat hanging by the reins. If there’d been a cigar, she would’ve lit it without blinking, smoke curling like a trail marker in sky.

“Alright! We ride!”