A New Beginning

Chapter 3

LIFE IMITATES LIFE (1)

Once I used to spend my time prowling the village forest, not for fun, but for food! And also, because I had big dreams of becoming the mightiest general in the whole empire.

I had doubts if chasing after monsters and sleeping with magical beasts would land me in the army. But I trained and trained, even when it was as tough as chewing on a rock!

I traveled to the capital where my father once worked as a general, and after passing the knight recruitment exam my official training as a knight began.

I was looked down upon as a girl and a commoner who didn’t know her place, by my so noble peers who hailed from big and rich families.

But did I let that dampen my spirits? Not a chance! And so, despite all the criticism I always made a point never to allow someone to bully me again. Even if I had to crack some of their balls.

I made it my mission to show them what I was made of! Fighting hard tooth and nail was all I knew.

And then one day an opportunity arose as I got scouted by the fifth prince of the empire as their personal guard.

Despite being his only guard, I was pretty confident I could keep him safe from any danger. Growing up in the forest, my tummy had grown immune to all sorts of dangerous poison, and now they could only give me some quick tummy aches.

I can also quickly sense danger and I have always trained diligently with the sword.

But right after my first assigned mission with the prince, I realized that he was not someone who would need a guard’s help to protect himself. As I saw his power go beyond any definition of being defined as monstrous.

Nonetheless, I decided to stick with him because, know what? Despite everything, I'm still holding onto that dream! One day, mark my words, I’m gonna become the greatest commander in the empire!

But… right now I have something more important to deal with….

Latching onto the rope, that slowly started to unwind from the bundle in front of me.

“It's trapped!” I signaled. A colossal shadow passing by eclipsed the terrain.

As the giant beast bird flew high in the sky of this vast wasteland. The rope attached to its leg began to be dragged by its foot after being caught in our trap.

I had never seen a monster bird this big, and there was no way I was going to let such a prime catch slip away so easily—not after all the effort we put into setting the trap.

I was determined not to let it fail.

So, I quickly held onto the rope before it could disappear. The next moment, I opened my eyes to find myself soaring hundreds of feet high in the sky along with the bird.

The bird ascended higher and higher, its massive form glaring at me as I clung to the rope mid-air.

“Are you that angry I took a free ride. But I am still not paying.” I joked, trying to ease my tension as I began to climb up the rope after taking a deep breath to calm myself.

The monster bird grew even more furious, attempting to shake me off by trying all kinds of aerobatic stunts, but I persisted in the end.

Finally, I managed to grab onto its talons, which were larger than my entire body. Its leg was as massive as a century-old tree. And its body comparable to the size of a small ship.

“I can’t wait to have you for dinner.” I exclaimed, hugging its leg tightly.

“KReeeeeee…..eeeee…”

The bird screeched in response, as if it could somehow sniff out my carnivorous intentions, and started twisting and turning in the sky. However, I held on tightly to its red feathers, bracing myself against its movements.

Whether it tried to spin or loop at maximum speed, I continued to climb higher until I was able to perch atop its back.

“Time for a feast.” I declared, licking my lips eagerly.

But the bird had other plans. It suddenly executed a ninety-degree turn, flipping me into an inverted position at the apex of its loop.

Somehow, my grip felt lighter. On taking a closer look my hand was getting farther and farther away from the bird’s body.

“The feather…. They are out…” It took me less than a blink of an eye to realize that I was doomed as I saw my hands were only clutching detached feathers.

And now I was falling like a leaf in a storm.

The bird screeched again as it would have naively thought that it was able to get rid of me and that I would plummet straight to the ground.

But in mid-air, I drew my sword, a bolt of lightning crackling at my boots as I lunged forward.

With the blade held horizontally, its edge sliced cleanly through the bird's neck.

Fortunately, I was able to grasp onto the bird's feathery wing. Only to later realize that we were not flying anymore.

Now the bird’s body, the bird’s head and I were falling through the sky.

I briefly considered wrapping myself in the bird's wing for protection but at this height.

I was sure of one thing. ⸺“I don't want to end up as splattered mincemeat.”

My lightning magic was useless this time, and I lacked knowledge of any flying spells. All I could do was hope for some bruises upon landing.

As the ground rushed closer and my descent intensified, my screams were drowned out by the rushing wind. Also, making it too hard for me to hear what was happening around me.

“Alright, broken bones will do, as long as I get to survive.” I prayed for a safe landing despite the odds.

Suddenly, a black mass materialized underneath me. Several obsidian rods coalesced into a long slide, extending all the way to the ground.

My fall intercepted this slide, gradually slowing my descent until I reached the ground safely.

The person who cast the black magic stood tall before me, with a look that did not look like a smile.

Simultaneously, both the bird's head and body crashed to the ground behind me.

“Would you like to have a bird for dinner, Prince.” I grinned, looking up at him. However, the prince merely sighed and started walking away without saying a single word.

I dusted myself off and followed him, plucking out the feathers tangled in my hair along the way.

I could hear the hunters from the town who had accompanied me on this hunt cheering, and I waved back at them. They looked happy; after all, it was our biggest catch of the week.

“Elsie, do you regret coming here with me? What you've been doing here hardly qualifies as knightly work.” The prince asked me as if he was still in doubt and regretted bringing me with him.

I understand, but it's also not knightly to leave these people hungry in this wasteland. Thank you for saving me, Prince.” I replied gratefully.

“I may have become the governor of this region, but there's little I can do when the treasury is lying empty.” The prince sighed again.

“That blasted old lord, even in the afterlife, keeps on stirring up trouble for you. But look at these people now, they are more cheerful than before. You have been a good ruler, Prince, and that's why they look so hopeful.” I said pointing at the hunters who were now busy gathering materials from the bird monster’s body and more villagers came by to help them.

“It was my decision to follow you. So, you don’t need to worry about anything.” I added.

At least it’s better than doing repeated drills each day back at the barrack, but now I get to hunt and eat all the wild meat I want.

“That’s why I have a plan. We cannot quickly generate income by restarting the mines. We would still need money to rebuild all the things that were destroyed in the previous battle. The town hall and the lord’s house are in shambles.” The prince sighed again, each sigh longer than the last.

Only I knew how much hard work he had been putting in to restore this town we saved on our previous mission. Organizing resources, collecting funds, and allocating workforce.

And then the Emperor, made prince Kevin, the governor of Jade Province.

But is the emperor a fool, that he did not allot a single penny to the prince and instead called himself generous for offering the largest mine deposits to him?

To extract the minerals from deep underground, we first need to know where those precious minerals are. We just can’t keep digging empty grounds each day on hungry stomachs.

I looked at the prince as we were back at the temporary town hall the villagers had helped us to set up.

Right now, what we needed was more funds. First, to provide relief to the people, which was taken care of from the Prince's generous pocket. The next on the agenda was reopening the previous mines and also to find new deposits.

This was one of the arduous tasks with unpredictable outcomes. So, relying solely on it was off the table.

Therefore, we needed to rebuild the city so that we could at least bring trade and commerce here for the town to flourish on its own.

At least, that's the gist of the complex plan that I was able to understand from the Prince's explanation.

“As a prince I can’t allow myself to work in the open but I can still work as an adventurer under cover. It would be easy for me to procure a fake identity and take up quests that pays me heavily.” The prince explained his next plan to me.

“So, are you going to leave me here? I am coming up with you because I am your guard.” I urged.

To take up good quests, we at least needed to move to a good city in the empire. So, the Prince was bound to leave.

“But aren’t you helping the townsfolks procure food? And what about your knight status.” It almost felt like an excuse from the Prince to keep me out of this.

“I am sure that bird I caught can keep them fed for a week. Also, I can just go undercover like you.” I proposed.

“But still…” The prince’s hesitation was clear on his face.

“And you can’t be away for that long. So, I will help you with the quests so we can return as early as possible. Besides I have experience working on a few gigs with the adventurer guild. I can be the best guide for you Prince.”

“Fine. We will leave tomorrow early morning for the Maybel city.”

In the end, the prince had no option but to embrace my unwavering companionship, and now I get to go on an adventure as well.

I knew working for the prince would prove to be the best job I ever signed up for.

***

ALICIA ASCALON ASHBORN

After I got mom and dad’s permission to become an adventurer, I quickly started making preparations without any delay.

Since, I wanted to prove my abilities to impress Regis, Athena, and everyone. I decided that I needed to go on an adventure of my own first.

I didn’t want to disturb Regis when she was visiting home after a long time.

And I am sure once I become a high-ranking adventurer, Regis will surely listen to me. Then we can together explore labyrinths and take on quests.

But first I needed to become a pro at this adventure thing. I've always wanted to give it a try, and thinking back on it now, makes me feel like I was made for it.

I have already conquered the world’s most difficult labyrinth so; this should be child’s play for me.

The first step was to keep Hana busy and prevent her from finding out what I was up to. All I needed to do was incite Flora and ask her to make Hana's training a bit more strict. I believe it will be for her own benefit.

On the other hand, I needed to motivate Hana too. “Hana I am going on a secret mission which you can tell no one about. So, once I come back I would like to try your sandwiches. And because this is a secret mission you can’t tell anyone about it, especially not to any red-haired elf. Alright.” I said stressing about not telling about my absence to anyone, (especially to Regis), twice.

“Yes, master, leave it to me. I will do my best.” Now that I had made sure most of Hana’s mind was distracted. I was ready with all my preparations.

Early next day, after taking a quick shower I decided to make my own adventurer gear. Because I decided to be a priestess as my main job, for the sole reason that my light magic is the strongest.

I could help others on my adventure by healing everyone.

I spend my entire night, working out a perfect adventure costume. A simple white priestess coat with a blue thick stitch, lining from the neck down to my knees. The back ends were covered in golden threads, under which I wore white stockings and white shoes.

Just by imagining the costume according to my size, the white web unfurled around my body in a vortex and materialized around my body.

I did not choose a veil because I would already be covering my face with the mask.

As for the deception cast on me by the mask was set to make my hair appear long and black in color.

Since I had no affiliation to any religion in this world, I decided not to use any special ornament and stay neutral.

After saying my goodbyes to everyone. The first thing was to decide the location.

I chose the human continent as the starting point for my grand adventure.

The only places I could teleport to were the Hart Kingdom or the Stark Kingdom.

But adventuring in these places was out of the question as both Athen and Arya would easily find me out. So, it had to be somewhere far away.

Making my range of choices pretty restricted.

I directly teleported myself right above the skies of the Stark capital city.

From what I have heard North was the only place where spying was difficult because the empire was a stern nation.

So, without holding myself back, I flew straight up north until I was satisfied that I had come a long way where no one could identify me.

I made sure to choose the biggest city on my way, so I could easily spot the brown three-storeyed building which was also the largest building in the town square with the adventurer’s guild banner.

Standing in front of the guild building’s gate, my eyes widened with realization.

Alone in a foreign country. Here to make a name for myself and prove my abilities. Now that’s what I call an adventure.

I can just feel the blood of the True Hero, the greatest adventurer in the world, boiling in me.

And with how I found Athena so quickly, I am sure my navigation skills have developed by a lot.

And even if the worst happens and something goes wrong, I can simply flee the country.

All that awaits me from here on is going on lots and lots of adventures, going to many new places and maybe I could also meet some new people on the way.

With overflowing emotions, I walked into the guild building from the front door. I am sure all eyes will be on me when they see a new face, especially a high-level priestess like me.

I have always seen this happen in novels, so I am confident I dressed myself properly to make a good first impression just as mom said. In one of her adventures, she wore a giant bore monster’s head to let everyone know that she was the strongest.

Hmm…. So, no one is looking.

Maybe, all of them are just too busy. That means there are that many quests to go around. I must have picked up a good place after all.

And I will still keep the idea of wearing a monster’s skull on hold, and see how things play out.

There was a completely different energy inside the guild, compared to the outside town square where the townsfolk were still busy setting up their shops.

Of course, the early one hits the bulletin board of the guild. The better quests they will end up with.

Now, all I needed to do was follow what those adventurers I met back during the dungeon exploration explained to me.

I walked straight to the front wall of the guild, with all the reception desk counters laid out side by side and their managers stood quietly.

Unfortunately, my feet stopped moving before I could reach them.

Wait I hadn’t prepared what to say yet. Should I just ask for an explanation of what to do or turn back and look at the quest board like all others?

“Hello, miss are you registered with the adventurer’s guild?” I was shocked when the lady at the reception straightforwardly asked me.

“I see you are new, it’s difficult for everyone when they see such a proactive atmosphere, especially in the morning. Do you have any card, otherwise we can register you right here as an adventurer?”

Did I really make a face that said I was a first-timer, even though it's true. Or, the receptionist dressed in the official green-colored guild uniform was just too perceptive.

Ah! I do remember receiving a personal adventurer’s card from the guild master when I formed my clan.

From what I know this card will allow me to work anywhere without revealing much of my identity. So, this was the perfect arrangement for me.

“Yes, I do have one.” I quietly slid my finger under the gap between the arm and my sleeve and pulled out a card, while secretly taking it out of my dimensional storage.

“…What’s this? Is this supposed to be a card?” The guild receptionist looked surprised as if she was seeing this for the first time.

Are black cards that uncommon? Or, could it be someone as impressive as me for the first time showed up here.

“I am sure it’s a genuine card can you please check.” I pleaded with the receptionist and did not let her dismiss the card just on looks.

For a moment she hesitated and moved to the table behind her with a small tabular screen and started working on it.

“I am sorry miss, Alicia. I beg your pardon; I did not know such a card existed. But you are registered in our guild’s records. But there is a special restriction on your card that says that you are only allowed to take any quest after you complete some specified preliminary quests or work in a party.”

Wasn’t this card supposed to be special? At least that’s how that guild master sold it to me.

But if I had to move forward and start my adventure today. I had no choice, but to accept these conditions. I will just have to conquer any challenge in front of me.

“I don’t know how a card exists like this. But you can complete your quests in any part of the world where the guild exists.” For some reason, the receptionist looked excited to share all the information she just looked up now with me.

“Then I would like to hear what quests do I need to complete?” I asked.

“The first preliminary quest you need to fulfill is to find and harvest twenty harmonybloom flowers.”

It was my first time hearing this flower's name so I had to ask for more information from the good eager lady.

“It’s the kind of flower you can just find about anywhere in the nearby forest. For starters, it’s a basic herb that possesses healing properties that boost vitality and energy. They have golden flowers that are sparsely arranged on spikes at the tips of their long stalk.”

Alright, this seems pretty easy. I will complete this mission in no time.

“Just tell me where I can find the best quality of harmonybloom and I will go and get it.” I asked impatiently.

“I like it how excited you are for your first quest, miss. Usually adventures these days just want to go on a killing monster spree and try becoming a hero to get everyone’s attention.”

“I see. Well, I am not one of them.” I couldn’t bring myself to admit I was just thinking along the same line.

“From what I have heard you can pick the best quality of harmonybloom under a special donut-shaped tree.”

The good lady wished me well and I set off to accomplish my goal.

While searching through the forest I came across a lot of golden harmonyblooms. I harvested them the same way the receptionist explained to me.

To cut the leaves and stem in a proper way so that the herbs could regrow again for the next harvest.

[WARNING…]

“It's alright, Al, I don’t need your help this time. In fact, I swear I am going to become a good adventurer without anyone’s help and all on my own.”

…

I know this quest should have been easy for me but if only… if only these harmonyblooms would at least show up to me.

Once again I returned to the guild office, this time with my teleportation magic to save time.

“Miss Alicia I think you have been working too hard.” The good receptionist lady told me with hesitation as she wore a worried expression.

“So, did I get right this time?” I asked about the results of my twenty-ninth trip.

“Sorry but no. You were able to pick the most poisonous plants from the forest that are pretty close to how harmonybloom flowers look. But not a single one of them is a harmonybloom.”

“Not even one.” I asked desperately.

“But didn’t you say even a child could bring a harmonybloom. And this time I even found a donut-shaped mountain to pick them.” I asked feeling almost at my wit’s ends.

“Miss but in Maybell forest there are no mountains and I said a donut-shaped tree.”

“Does a tree even exist like that?”

“It’s more amazing that you found a donut-shaped mountain in a flat land like this.” The guild receptionist laughed.

“Gwahhhhh….” The truth almost felt painful enough to spill blood from my mouth, as I stood there foolishly.

“You shouldn’t be so upset, miss. In fact these toxic herbs are in high demand in making poison so you can earn a good sum from them if you sell it.” And now the guild receptionist was taking pity on me.

“No, it can’t end here. Not like this.” I can’t give up so soon.

I can’t return home empty-handed without an exciting adventure story to tell mom. Otherwise, it will all be in vain.

“I know there was another condition where I could take up any quest. Tell me the other prospect where I can work with a party.”

“It's quite a unique privilege which I have never heard of before. But your card allows you to team up with any adventurer party of any rank and then can pick up any request from the quest board.” The guild receptionist explained.

“I see. I only need a party to join.” I said intrigued.

“You can ask around anyone here. I am sure your priestess job will make you an indispensable part of your party.” The guild receptionist sounded hopeful.

“Yes if it's anything, I am at least confident in my magic.”

So, all I needed to do was search for a party that would team up with me and then I was free to go on any adventure.

But how does one even team up? According to the guild receptionist, all I need to do is just ask around and maybe I can join a temporary team and we can all work together.

Just as I decided to turn around. I confronted a familiar face.

Dressed in a jet-black jacket and black hair. It was an unfamiliar face and yet somehow impossible for me to forget.

“Huh…”

“…Huh”

“It’s you….”

“…It’s you.”

“You are the guy who called me dumb.”

“Right, you are the dumb girl who got duped by a child and then got kidnapped.”

“I told you a hundred times, it was all part of my full safe plan. And we were able to rescue everyone because of me.”

“Not until I stepped in.” The boy arrogantly answered.

“You stole that spot from me.” I accused him of stealing the spotlight when I could have been the one to take out the final boss.

Suddenly the boy stared at me as if he was busy probing something. Maybe it’s true we still can’t see each other’s status board.

“So, what are you doing here, Ken.” I asked hoarsely. There’s no point in being kind to someone who calls me dumb.

“I can ask you the same, Alicia. But since you first asked, I am here to be an adventurer.”

An idea sparked in my mind.

“If it’s you then I supposed it will be alright since we have worked together before.” I chuckled while murmuring to myself.

“Hey, are you alright?” Ken asked me as if worried after seeing my outburst.

“At least you remember my name. So, this time I will forgive you. Since I am here to be an adventurer as well. You can be my partner….”

I said it.

I finally said it. Even though it’s so embarrassing.

“Thank you. But no.” Ken replied in plain words.

“Alright, let’s st…a... Wait what? But why?” I stuttered.

“Because I have no reason to do so.” The boy adamantly answered.

“Can’t you see? I am a priestess and you already know about my healing prowess. I can help you if you get any injury.” I twirled around once to show him my new priestess costume.

Well, it's not like I was pumped up to walk around wearing my adventurer gear and show it off to everyone on my first day.

“I am plenty confident in my own skill. And I am pretty sure I won’t get hurt again unless someone foolish tries to play hostage.”

“Why you!?” Maybe this guy somehow had a knack for making me angry. And here I am trying to be so polite to him.

“I promise… I won’t do anything risky again or get in your way. So please form a party with me.” But since I am the desperate one here. I will suck it up, and beg even if I have to since this is my last chance.

“No. I think I am better off alone.” The boy monotonically denied my help.

Even after pleading with him so many times. Ken refused to party with me without giving a single reason.

“Fine. I just know there will be plenty of others who would want to team up with me. I am going to ask everyone here and make you regret for not joining up with me. Or, maybe I will still forgive you if you come crying up to me.” I folded my arms and closed my eyes waiting for him to silently walk to me and accept my offer.

Wasn’t saying the opposite of what one does, one of the best ways to make someone do what I want.

“Alright. Good luck with that.” But Ken walked just past me as I peeked from my right eye.

“You are the worst.” Seeing his haughty nature I too walked away.

I will just have to show him too that I can take care of myself on my own.

And so I began asking people around, to get myself into their party.

At first, it was difficult, but soon I realized I wouldn’t get anything unless I asked.

Unfortunately, most of the temporary teams had already got their members. And those who might have wanted a member with healing powers refused saying that I lacked experience when I said this was my first quest.

I am sure I can handle myself, but I don’t want to enter a team by lying around.

Then there were others who asked me to take down my mask, but I refused to do so. Some were even rude or asked me to scram off.

And so my search continued.

***

ELSIE

“Prince are you alright? And who was that girl you were talking with.”

I was only gone for a moment once we reached Maybell City’s adventure guild. I started hearing prince Kevin’s voice who is usually quiet to create such a commotion.

“I am not the prince anymore here. I asked you to call me Ken.”

The Prince had crafted false identities for us. I suppose that’s the true privilege of royalty within the empire. It posed no issue for us to continue using our real names, but the Prince opted for a distinctive abbreviation of his own name — Ken.

It was quite a change for the prince who is always serious in all situations.

“Alright, I will remember it. So, who was that girl? You were pretty harsh with turning her away?”

“Was I? She was just a stranger I once met and she looking to join an adventurer party. It’s quite a coincidence that we met here. But its better if she does not get involved with me. She is not someone who needs my help.” The prince remembered seeing last time how strong the girl’s magic power was and also because there was a chance that Erebus might learn about her.

So, the prince thought of keeping minimal contact.

“But how did that girl know what to call you? Don’t tell me she is your secret girlfriend and you are worried about her.” I joked.

“Of course not.” The prince was surprised by my joke.

“I am relieved to hear that.” I chuckled.

“I am sure she will find some other team to join.” The prince was now looking the other way.

“She is quite an odd girl wearing that mask and going around like a beginner who has no idea what they are doing.” I said out my thoughts loud.

“I am pretty sure Alicia would be fuming mad right now if she heard that.” The prince smiled for a second.

“The way she is acting and moving around she seems to be very shy and innocent. I am afraid this place doesn’t have many good guys who will just ignore and not try to take advantage of her unawareness.” I said as a passing thought.

Just as I tried to mention the dangers that are quite common for new adventurers seeking to join parties. They might be lurked in by foolish promises and unscrupulous guys who can try to take advantage of them for various reasons.

Maybe to steal their equipment, to extort them for their wealth. Or simply, to pick up on them if they are weak or think they can take advantage of them for being a woman.

The next moment I turned to find the prince to ask him what Quests we should go up for. He was already gone from there.

I did say I was relieved to hear that she was just the prince’s acquaintance and he did not care about her. But why did I feel so relieved hearing him say that?

And now seeing him leave like this in a hurry without saying a word. I feel conflicted.

***

ALICIA ASCALON ASHBORN

“Hey missy, I heard that you were looking for a party?”

“Yes. How did you know?” It has been long since I have been looking for a party, but no one accepted me.

This was the first time someone came looking for me.

“Of course, we are the seniors here. Seeing a new face like you here, why don’t we give you some tips.”

Even though this guy looked quite burly and had a rough face. Maybe he really wanted to look out for me being a senior member of the guild. Just like the members of the Hartland clan like Galen and Asher looked after me.

“Why don’t you accompany us there and discuss your problem with us so that my friends can help you out.” The man pointed towards the corner of the guild, where more people were chugging down booze from giant mugs.

With their battered dresses, scarred faces, and bodies. Maybe they are the veteran adventures here.

I wanted to join them too, but I think it's too soon for someone of my age. So, maybe I will just hear them out and take any helpful advice.

***

KEVIN NOVA [KENTA KAZUKI]

This is the second time I've looked away for just a moment, and she's already in trouble again.

Fortunately, she was still in the guild and failed to join any party, and now some giant old man was after her.

“Why don’t you come in the corner with me.”

“Sure.”

How can she be this gullible?

Before the man could put his hand around her shoulder and invite her to a bad place. I held his hand without hesitating.

“Hey, who are you?” The man turned to look at me.

“You came.” Alicia too turned to find me there standing behind her.

Unfortunately, the man who was trying to harm Alicia, his hand collided with mine and the mug filled with the booze spilled on his dress.

“You stupid brat?” In an instant the man became furious.

I know doing something for someone else without any reason never results in anything good. So, why am I trying to protect her?

I swear this is the last time I do it.

The man quickly threw a big punch by pulling his other hand all the way back and plunged it forward with full force aiming for my head.

I ducked down right before the impact, and using my fist threw him all the way down to the place where his friends were trying to lure Alicia in.

The man landed on the table and passed out in an instant.

“What’s wrong with this guy?”

“Who the hell he is? What’s his problem?”

“Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”

“If he thinks he can just walk away from here after disrespecting us he is wrong. Let’s teach him a lesson.”

The others had the same thought as they ran towards me to take revenge against their hoodlum friend. At least I can appreciate their integrity.

“I can read you all like a book. If you are going to be this obvious.”

It had not been even more than ten seconds since the fight broke out, and it was already over.

Holding the collar of one of them, who was barely conscious compared to his other companions who were leaking with white foam from their mouth.

“I wonder what goes in your head that people like you can think they can do whatever they want. But I won’t allow anyone to harm her.”

It was only after giving them a thorough beating; I brushed my hands to dust off the dirt. All four members of the group lay on the ground, eating dust.

"Why are you just standing there with that dumb look on your face? Let's go." I said.

“Where?” Alicia asked with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

Hasn’t she already seen me kill people before, so why is she so surprised?

“Didn't you want to be in a party?” I reminded her.

“Okay.” Her expression widened with a smile. “Just give me a second.”

She walked towards the fallen group and bent down as if to say something to them.

“Thank you very much for finding me a party. That’s why I can at least do this much for you.”

By now we had gathered the attention of everyone at the guild after causing this much commotion.

Alicia waved her hand over them and without chanting a spell, a bright light enveloped the entire guild in a blink of an eye.

The moment the light receded back to its source; the men woke up feeling all healthy. Their bruised bodies and old painful wounds were all healed up.

Then Alicia suddenly stood on the table.

Even with her face underneath that mask, I could tell she was looking at me as she declared. “Now do you see what my healing powers are capable of. If everyone thinks I am incapable of joining their party. Then I am going to make a party of my own. So, will you join my party now? My name is Alicia and I am the strongest healer.”

Murmurs started going around the guild as people started having their doubts and questions popped up.

“I see. You all want proof. So, here’s my guild adventurer card.”

I wondered why she was making such a big show out of it; does it mean she could be in possession of a gold or platinum card?

Did I really underestimate her that much?

“This is my adventurer card.” Alicia flaunted her card in front of everyone to see.

“…!? A black card. So, what does it does?”

“I have no clue either. But the fact that no one knows about it, doesn't that mean it's supposed to be something awesome?”

***

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Thanks a lot for all your support! It really means a lot to me.

Till now I have published from volume one to volume eight for free. And I hope to continue to do so even now. It has really been an exciting work for me to narrate you the story of our main character who fights her way to the bottom of abyss with her magic and skills and then eventually storms in the outside world.

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Happy Reading Everyone!!!