Hero Of Harmony

Watching Jackal leave the building, I lightly shook my head as I looked at my adventurer license, and I couldn't help slightly smile; I hadn't done much, but it felt like I was paying homage to Master, even if just slightly.

'You best be watching me, Master.' Mused Alexander with a small smile as he looked up at the sunny afternoon sky through the ceiling.

Wiping the tears that started forming in my eyes, I put my license in my breast armor pocket and headed over to the quest board; it was my first day as an Adventurer, so why not celebrate it a little by doing a small job? Standing before the quest board, which was categorized into different sections depending on the rank or difficulty of the quest, the lowest and most numerous were F-rank quests, while the fewest were B-rank quests, with only three of them.

Now, since I was an F-class Adventurer, I couldn't accept anything higher than one rank of my class, so I'd at most be able to get an E-rank quest, though I wasn't necessarily looking for anything challenging just yet. I just wanted something easy to start off with. I still wanted to explore the city a little more, as I've only done a quick walk around, mapping the general layout of the Hyphen.

"Talis, how about this quest? All we have to do is collect a specific flower in the nearby Forest; we can do that, I hope, at least." Asked Alexander as he grabbed an F-rank quest from the board, which had an image of a green flower with pinkish tips.

"Sure, I don't care." Replied Talis as she leaned down and read the paper, something both Lavender and Alexander had taught her a few years ago.

Nodding my head, I returned to Cath, as I was required to give it to an attendant before I could do the job; otherwise, I wouldn't get paid for my work, and one thing I needed rather urgently was money. Surprising as it sounds, I had no coins; in fact, it wasn't until yesterday that I first learned of the currency of this world, so right now, I'm completely broke.

'Haa, if it really comes down to it, I'm seeling you, Trina.' Thgouht Alexander lightly, causing the frightened voice of a young girl to resound within his mind.

'Eek! N-No, don't sell me, Master!' Yelled Trina with teary eyes as she got on the floor and begged, causing Alexander to chuckle slightly.

'Don't worry, Trina, if I have to sell you, I'll be forced to sell Zartha as well; the two of you come in a pair, after all.' Replied Alexander with an amused smirk as he suppressed his chuckle, though unlike before, the voice of a calm, mature, and indifferent woman sounded out.

'Calm yourself, Trina; Master can't sell us even if he wished to; we're bound to him. Besides, we're the most valuable objects he owns; he would sell us last even if he did hold true to his words.' Stated Zartha calmly, sitting in a chair made of water as she glanced at Trina to her right before closing her eyes.

'Eh, r-really?' Asked Trina with newfound hope as she looked at Zartha, her elder sister, who didn't bother responding.

'Aww, you ruined the fun, Zartha.' Remarked Alexander with a slight frown, though his words garnered no reaction from Zartha whatsoever as she continued sunbathing in their dimension.

'Hmph, I can't believe you, Master! Playing such a prank on me isn't funny!' Yelled back Trina with a pouting expression as she ran off in the distance.

Chuckling, I brought my focus back to reality as Cath grabbed the quest paper out of my hand; although it felt like some time had passed while I was speaking with them, since everything happened in my mind, not even a second passed in reality, which was nice.

"Hmm, picking flowers? It's rare to see a young adventurer willingly pick such a quest; Adventurer your age usually desire fame and wealth, and the quickest way to do that is by showing one's might by slaying powerful beasts, so they only pick quests that require killing in it." Remarked Cath lightly as she looked at the quest paper before glancing up at Alexander.

"I'd imagine, but I don't really desire fame all that much; however, I'm in need of some wealth, though killing? I'm not fond of taking another living being's life. I'd rather not do so if I can, though I've got no problem with slaying the mindless monsters." Replied Alexander with a wry smile as he shook his head, causing Cath to chuckle amidst her shock.

"Hehe, I could also use some wealth; though I don't think I've ever heard an adventurer say they would rather not kill, it's almost always the opposite with these brutes." Said Cath with a slight smile as she processed Alexander's quest before handing the paper back to him.

"Here you go, Alexander; you're all set; just a heads up, but if you show the guards this paper, you won't be required to pay a toll. Of course, it's only applicable to quests that require you to leave the city. It's a little secret that most adventurers don't know, so don't go around telling everyone." Added Cath with a smile as she leaned forward and whispered close to Alexander, prompting him to show a thankful expression.

"I appreciate the advice, Cath; I'll be sure to abuse it." Said Alexander with a smile as he gave her a wave before turning around and heading toward the entrance.

Walking toward the exit, I spotted Yuki finishing her food, and I gave her a wave, to which she responded after a little bit of hesitation, though her wave was rather stiff and awkward; however, I found it to be a little cute, if anything.

Exiting the Adventurer's Guild, I headed towards the west gate since that's where the flowers are said to populate; at least, that's what is written on the quest paper. Walking through the crowd, after ten or so minutes of walking, I finally exited the city without a hitch, though looking at the long line, I dreaded entering Hyphen.

'Hopefully, it'll be shorter by the time I return.' Mused Alexander with a frown as he glanced at the long line before continuing towards the Forest in the distance.

The Forest wasn't too far away, probably about a kilometer or so, and once I arrived, I entered the edge of the Forest and headed deeper since that's where I'd find the flowers.

"I'm going to fly around, Alex; sitting on your shoulder all day is uncomfortable." Said Talis as she spread her wings, hitting Alexander in the face, before taking to the sky.

"Yeah, tell me about it; anyways, be safe, and don't go messing with Wind Eagles or anything else that can potentially kill you!" Yelled Alexander as he watched Talis fly through the canopy of trees before disappearing.

"Haa, she's going to do something foolish, I bet." Muttered Alexander with a sigh as he shook his head before continuing deeper into the Forest.

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"Heh, a green flower with a pinkish tip finally found you." Said Alexander softly as he reached down and grabbed a small flower before storing it in his second space pouch, which was entirely empty.

Looking around, I grabbed a few more nearby before continuing my search, but suddenly, I heard something to my left, and I saw a female deer grazing the exact flowers I needed to acquire. Seeing her, I suddenly got a brilliant idea, making my presence known, prompting her to look up at me warily; I slowly approached her as I didn't want her to flee in fear.

"Aren't you a beautiful girl?" Said Alexander softly as he gently scratched the deer's neck, causing her to release several sounds befitting a deer.

"I was wondering, could you show me where these flowers bloom most plentiful?" Added Alexander lightly as he also scratched the top of her head, causing her to kick her hind leg repeatedly.

After a few more tender scratches, she finally agreed as she turned to her left and started walking while following behind her, I would also caress her back, which she immensely enjoyed. Several minutes later, we arrived at a small open field, and all around me, there was nothing but the flowers I was looking for.

'Jackpot!' Thought Alexander with a smirk as he gave the deer a few final scratches.

"Thank you, girl; you really saved me some time." Added Alexander with a soft smile as he rubbed her head, earning him a small bark from her, which only he understood clearly.

Once I finished caressing her, she gave me a few licks on the face before turning around and walking away while I started picking flowers left and right.

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"While there was no limit to how many flowers, that should be more than enough." Remarked Alexander as he wiped the non-existent sweat off his forehead and held his space pouch, which was filled with flowers.

I hadn't picked every flower, not even close, despite the open field being on the smaller end; there were at least a few thousand flowers, and that's after I'd picked around two hundred. Besides, I wouldn't have picked all the flowers anyway; if I had gathered everything, they wouldn't repopulate.

'You know that they say, don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg.' Mused Alexander with a satisfied smile as he turned around and prepared to leave, only to suddenly turn around at the feeling of two eyeing staring into his back.

Searching around, several meters away, hiding behind a tree, I spotted a pair of bright green eyes staring right at me, and although slight, I could sense intelligence in them along with anger, lust, and, well, lust.