Xiao Si kept trying like crazy to talk Rhode out of it, but Rhode still accepted the commission.

If he didn’t finish it, his teacher had no intention of teaching him any further. So he had to do it.

After claiming the commission, Rhode got ready to head for the Swiftbird nest.

Since he’d never been an adventurer before, he had absolutely none of the basic common sense one should have. He hadn’t even planned to bring any essential supplies.

So he just set off like that, empty-handed.

Seeing Rhode leave completely unequipped, Xiao Si held her cheek with a worried look.

“What do I do... is he going to die?” Xiao Si was a little nervous. She’d only recently become a guild receptionist. If an adventurer died right away, wouldn’t that be way too unlucky?

“What’s wrong, Xiao Si?” An older girl hugged the cute Xiao Si from behind and asked.

She was a very ordinary adventurer in the Adventurers’ Guild. Her hobby was teasing the cute new receptionist, namely Xiao Si.

And not just her. Quite a few adventurers liked this cute and kind-hearted girl.

“A guy who looks about my age just took a commission. I keep feeling like he’s going to run into danger,” Xiao Si said with a sigh.

“It’s fine. Adventuring has always been a high-risk job. People dying is normal.” The older girl spoke in an utterly casual tone, saying something horrifying. “Our line of work already has a better survival rate than mercenaries.”

“Eh? Eh?! How can you say something like that so calmly?!”

---

After leaving the Adventurers’ Guild, Rhode kept sneezing the whole way.

His intuition told him that Xiao Si at the front desk was probably talking about him behind his back.

He just didn’t know whether she was cursing him or worrying about him.

He rubbed his nose, thinking that might stop the itch.

While he was distracted, a group of people in clergy robes passed by him.

Then Rhode accidentally bumped into one of them.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t some cute female cleric he ran into, but a middle-aged man.

“Sorry.” Rhode apologized almost immediately.

How should he put it? That kind of courtesy was carved into Rhode’s bones from being born a noble.

No matter how unruly he acted, he still kept the most basic manners.

Too bad the other man didn’t seem nearly as polite. After giving Rhode a glance, he turned his head away and continued after his group.

The guy couldn’t even be bothered to respond. He didn’t give Rhode any face at all.

“...” Rhode clicked his tongue. He was only fifteen, but being looked down on like that was still too much. “If you only look upward, sooner or later you’ll trip over the stones under your feet.”

His words didn’t reach the clergy. They kept moving forward in neat order, and who knew where they were headed.

But Rhode didn’t completely fail to recognize them.

Rhode read all kinds of books all the time, so he easily recognized the white robes with gold trim as belonging to that church.

The Church of Lightsen Gate.

It was a church whose meaning matched its name. They worshiped Laitson Gate as their chief god.

Laitson Gate was known as the Son of Light, born from light, spreading light, and proclaiming justice.

The Church of Lightsen Gate was a major church within the Empire, with a great many clergy under its banner.

Even without judging by the style, the large crest on their clothes symbolized Laitson Gate. It was hard for Rhode not to recognize it.

Come on. If you worship Laitson Gate, the least you could do is show some basic courtesy to ordinary people.

Rhode and the group of clergy drifted farther and farther apart. Soon, they disappeared at the other end of the street.

However, Rhode’s luck didn’t seem very good today.

Right after “sending off” those rude clergymen, he was called out by someone else.

“Hey, Rhode. Long time no see.” A voice as sweet as a songbird sounded right by Rhode’s ear.

Just from the voice alone, Rhode knew the one calling him was a girl.

“Your Highness, what brings you all the way out to this backwater?” Rhode turned and glanced at Leona.

Leona Carasco, the Empire’s little princess, the youngest one.

Her outfit was very different from that of an ordinary princess.

She was, of course, wearing a gorgeous long dress properly enough.

But if not for the exquisite silver gauntlets, greaves, and breastplate, she would’ve looked much more ladylike.

He’d heard that this little princess, about his age, had a rather brutal nickname in the Imperial Capital.

The Ironfist Princess.

Why someone who liked using a sword would be given the name “Ironfist”... that part he really didn’t get.

As a princess, Leona should naturally have been living in the Imperial Capital, not in Clinton.

Five years ago, this princess had come to Clinton purely for fun.

But after she fell in love with “duel, duel, duel,” she started coming to Clinton several times a year to look for the twins.

He didn’t know whether Shilo liked this little princess, but he definitely didn’t.

So why had he run into her in Clinton today of all days...?

“What about your little brother? Aren’t you two glued together every day?”

“You may have some strange misunderstanding about twins. We’re not syrup. We don’t stick together,” Rhode said helplessly.

“If you’re looking to duel Shilo, just go to my house.”

“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave first.” Rhode was still in a hurry to finish the commission. He had no time to waste with this little princess.

He shook free of Leona and quickly walked off, trying to leave the city.

After standing there and thinking for a few seconds, Leona tossed everything in her hands to her maid, then followed Rhode with a sword at her waist.

“Your Highness, please wait!” The maid panicked and tried to grab the princess.

But Leona was too nimble. She dodged easily.

“I’ll go back. Besides, isn’t the place I’m staying temporarily his house?”

“I’ll drag him back with me when the time comes,” Leona said without even turning around, leaving the maid standing in the street.

“Your Highness, this is...” The maid behind Leona started to panic, not knowing how to stop her.

“I know what I’m doing,” said the princess who clearly did not know what she was doing.

The maid could only think, Princess, even if you do know what you’re doing, that still doesn’t help.

She was on the verge of tears. If anything happened to Leona, she’d be the one who died for it.

“Listen to your maid. Go home,” Rhode said, knowing Leona had followed him.

“First, tell me what you’re planning to do,” Leona said.

Rhode wanted this princess gone as soon as possible, so after thinking for a moment, he answered, “A commission. Happy now?”

His tone was very impatient. It wasn’t that the princess wasn’t cute, and it wasn’t that her nickname was too terrifying.

Rhode was just genuinely in a hurry.

It had taken him five years just to catch crows. Who knew how long this real combat mission would take?

“Then take me with you.” Leona looked eager to try.

“Great suggestion,” Rhode said. “I refuse.”