"Any place you'd like to visit next? Didn't you say you wanted to see a human city?" I asked Aefina, who was walking beside me in high spirits.
The girl was excitedly fiddling with a small pendant I’d just bought her from a roadside stall—a necklace carved from a spent magic crystal that glittered brightly under the sunlight. I’d remembered dragons adored shiny things, and sure enough, Aefina seemed utterly enchanted by it.
At my words, she finally tore her gaze from the necklace to look at me. *Guess I’m more captivating than a piece of jewelry?*
Aefina glanced around uncertainly before replying, "...I don’t know. I just want to see a human city... and do human things?" As we spoke, we happened to stop before an inn’s entrance. *Human things? Yeah, let’s skip that part...*
Her words left me stumped. As a transmigrator, how would I know what locals did here? But then it hit me—this being another world, the obvious choice was...
"How about we check out the Adventurers Guild?" I nearly forgot about it. I’d even dreamed of becoming an adventurer once. *Must’ve been too dazzled by Aefina... Ahem. No—it’s because I’m too weak.*
"Adventurers..." Aefina’s brows furrowed, her expression darkening as if recalling unpleasant memories.
"Don’t worry. I’ll handle it. Nothing’ll go wrong," I declared, thumping my chest—though I had zero qualifications to guarantee safety.
"... ..." Aefina fell silent, her emerald eyes locked onto me.
"...What’s wrong?" Her stare made my palms sweat.
"You said it!" she suddenly blurted out, as if steeling herself. The tension in her shoulders eased afterward.
"I said it!" I replied with misplaced confidence.
"Let’s go then." A smile bloomed on her face. *Damn right I’d protect that smile.* Though now I recalled—this was only the second time I’d seen her smile. The first was when she’d laid eyes on the pirate crew’s treasure...
Minutes later, we stood before the Adventurers Guild. Finding such a landmark was easy—just ask any passerby.
The guild hall matched typical novel descriptions. *Maybe isekai novels were written by people who’d actually been here?*
Inside, the spacious hall held orderly rows of rectangular tables—no signs of frequent brawls. The guild clearly commanded respect. At the center stood a reception counter with four windows, each staffed by a uniformed clerk. Bulletin boards plastered with task notices leaned nearby. The floor gleamed under diligent cleaning; two attendants were still wiping surfaces. The air stayed fresh—understandable during Wind Season, when open windows swept away odors.
But unlike my expectations, the place was nearly empty. Only a few tables held patrons sipping drinks, no one taking quests. *Aren’t guilds supposed to be bustling? It’s not winter—well, Water Season.*
"Um, hello. We’d like to register as adventurers..." I led Aefina to a window. With so few people inside, she seemed to relax slightly.
"Newcomers? Two of you?" The clerk slid two forms across the counter. "Fill these out. Five copper coins each."
The forms asked only basic details—becoming an adventurer had low barriers. Though I lacked combat skills, registration couldn’t hurt. Five coppers meant little to me anymore after traveling with a dragon’s hoard...
After scanning our forms, the clerk produced two blank adventurer ID plates. Blocked from view, I couldn’t see her engraving them. She soon handed us the finished plates.
Mine listed my name, gender, occupation ("Warrior"), and weapon specialty ("Blade"). *Laugh all you want—a kitchen knife is still a knife!* My rank was 10—the lowest tier. The task log was blank. Aefina had also written "Warrior" as her class. *Shouldn’t she pick Mage? Aren’t dragons magic experts?* Then I recalled she hadn’t cast a single spell while dismantling the pirate den. I’d ask her later.
"Why so few people here?" I pocketed both ID plates after payment.
"You must be from another city. Tomorrow night’s the Harvest Prayer Festival. No one takes quests during the preparations." Another clerk answered—apparently bored without customers. All four clerks were now watching us.
"Harvest Prayer Festival?" I’d never heard of it in Modria or Sivela. Likely unique to this city.
"Wind Season is for sowing. We hold the festival the day before the Second Great Storm, praying for a bountiful harvest. Stay indoors then—the Great Storm isn’t a joke."
"The day *before* it hits? Can you predict it?" *Do they have weather forecasts here?*
"You must’ve seen blue birds on your way here. Storm Pigeons. They flock to our city six days before the Second Great Storm to take shelter. Spot them, and you know the storm’s coming. They’re our guardians—we never harm them." The clerk’s patience earned my silent praise.
I’d brought Aefina to observe adventurers’ daily lives, but the quiet guild thwarted that. *Fine, I admit I wanted to see it too.* Back when I first transmigrated? Starvation left no room for curiosity about adventurers.
"Speaking of which... it’s almost noon. We skipped breakfast." I rubbed my stomach. Morning excitement over Aefina had erased hunger—though cooking sounded exhausting.
"Is Luo Sa hungry? Shall we eat?" Aefina blinked up at me.
"Yeah. Lunchtime. How about grabbing a bite somewhere?" I suggested.
Aefina frowned thoughtfully but nodded.
I guided her into the nearest welcoming-looking eatery—or inn. Here, most inns served meals; standalone restaurants seemed rare.
Inside, tables were nearly full. Patrons were likely travelers from other cities—the festival’s reputation drew crowds.
Our orders arrived swiftly: two meat platters and two fruit juices.
*If pirates hadn’t robbed me, I might’ve spent my life as a chef in Modria.* I chewed the tender, juicy meat. *Tasty... but still no match for mine.*
"This isn’t as good as Luo Sa’s cooking," Aefina poked her meat with a fork, sticking out her tongue.
"Not hungry?" I watched her toy with the chunks, barely tasting them.
"Had food... not hungry." *She meant last night?*
Then I remembered—Aefina was a dragon. Her eating habits differed from humans. Most of the time she stayed human-shaped; I’d simply forgotten. Later, she’d explain: one full meal sustained her for ten days. My pirate-den feast had only lasted six. Her appetite was... smaller than I’d imagined.
"I’d eat it if Luo Sa made it," she added. *My Aefina’s so sweet!*
"But you still need proper meals," a stranger’s voice cut in. We turned to see a cat-eared beastkin girl at the next table. Her brown hair was cropped short, and her twitching ears were utterly adorable. Three men and a woman sat with her—their gear marked them as an adventurer squad.
*Note: Beastkin differ from beastmen. The panther-headed pirate was a beastman. Beastkin—like this girl—are humans with partial beast traits. Unlike isekai tropes, they’re accepted by both humans and beastmen. Stronger than humans, smarter than beastmen—they’re valued allies.*
This world felt far more peaceful than novels described. Races coexisted without major conflicts; even intelligent Monstrous Beasts maintained ties with humans. Bandits, pirates, and mindless beasts seemed the true common enemies... *And Great Dragons?* They were treated as foes for reasons I didn’t care to uncover.
"What a lovely girl! Are you here for the festival too?" The beastkin beamed warmly.
"Don’t bother strangers!" A man flicked her forehead, then apologized to us. "Sorry—Norma’s too friendly." Their lively dynamic reminded me of my old dream: joining such a squad.
"Not at all. Norma’s cheerful. Are you local adventurers?" I replied warmly—no reason to be cold to kind people. I missed how Aefina’s lips tightened slightly at my praise.
We chatted idly to pass time. Only when Aefina tugged my sleeve did I excuse us.
"Sorry... I shouldn’t have ignored you. My bad." I apologized as we walked away, seeing her pout.
"Norma? Thoughts?" The man watched our retreating backs.
"The man’s unreadable. The girl... carries a faint aura of threat." *If I’d heard this, I’d have laughed.*
"Safe to approach?" another squad member asked.
"Worth a try," Norma nodded.
Unaware of their scheming, I focused on the girl beside me—her small hand warm in mine.
