In the present, Jack recounted part of the tale to Alette and Errich while riding in the caravan.
"What happens next!" Asked Alette.
"Well, nothing else happened. We all ate our fill and headed straight back to our estate." Jack answered.
"Eh, that's a bummer, but the way you humbled those nasty fellas? That was cool!"
"Couldn't agree more. Now I'm really curious about your previous adventures." Errich added.
He looked straight ahead at the road and spotted the town's gateway in the distance. "Ah, there it is!" he said, pointing toward it.
The Midas Band's caravan passed through the gateway and entered the town, where locals strolled along the streets, and others hurried in and out of the shops. Jack and Alette looked around, taking in the town and its unique structures.
Jack decided to halt the caravan at the side of the street so the two groups could go their separate ways.
"Alright, I trust you guys have enough coins to buy another horse?" Jack said as he unwrapped the reins from his horse and led it with him.
"Aight, we can't thank you enough for the escort!"
While Jack and Errich talked, Alette slipped around to the back of the caravan, curious to catch a glimpse of the interior.
"How do four people fit in this caravan?" Questioning herself.
When Alette peeked inside the caravan, while the caravan door was still open, she found a space far larger than it appeared from the outside, as if the interior had been expanded by magic.
Within was a spacious living room furnished with plush couches, a grand chandelier, and an elegant kitchen set along one wall. Five doors lined the living area, likely leading to the Midas Band's private rooms.
Alette stared in awe at the remarkable magic before her, then returned to Jack as he walked toward her, bidding Errich farewell.
"You be careful out there, alright?"
"Bye! Mister Errich!"
"See ya later, Jack! See ya later, little fairy!"
Jack and Alette waved to Errich, bidding him farewell as they headed to opposite sides of the street.
"So did he tell you where we can register for the Vanguard's guild?"
"Yeah, he told me that we should go left and walk through the street, where we can see a sign of a sword, a magic staff, a shield, and an axe."
"Right! A sign of a sword, a magic staff, a shield, and an axe, got it!!"
The duo walked to the left and passed a few warriors along the way. They saw shops selling jewels, magic staffs, and many other goods.
"Ah, there it is!"
Alette spotted the Vanguard's Guild sign, and the duo looked toward the entrance just in time to see a few new warriors being thrown out of the guild hall. One of them was struck in the face by a spellbook as it flew through the doorway. They could hear shouting from inside.
"Get out of here!"
Jack and Alette looked at each other.
"Uuuhhh....yep, just like how you described them, Jack."
Jack sighed. "We need to earn some coins if we want to survive, before those things get to us first."
"Right!"
Jack and Alette headed toward the central hall of the Vanguard's Guild, and Jack tied his horse to a nearby paddock before entering.
By the time Jack and Alette entered the central hall of the Vanguard's Guild, the place was filled with the sound of mercenaries talking and feasting in the cafeteria. But the noise suddenly died away as every head turned toward them. The mercenaries stared at Jack and Alette with interest, menace, and curiosity.
"..."
"…Uuhh...Hi!" Alette said, forcing a small smile.
Then the mercenaries in the central hall looked away and returned to their routines, resuming their business and preparing to head out on their quests.
"Well...that was...alright?"
"There's the receptionist." Jack said after spotting her across the central hall.
"Great, then let's ask her for a registration!"
Jack and Alette walked toward the receptionist, relieved to see that the queue wasn't long. They were about to meet a cheerful young receptionist once the last mercenary finished registering.
"Welcome to the Vanguard's Guild. Are you here for registration?" The receptionist asked.
"Yes."
"Yep!"
"In that case, here are the application forms." The receptionist handed Jack two sheets asking for his identity, race, class, abilities, and other background details. "Please fill it out before proceeding to the Vanguard's exam!"
"This might take a while. Here you go." Jack handed Alette an application form.
"Uhhh...Jack..."
"What?"
"I can't write, my hands are too small. Maybe you could fill it out for me?" Alette said, giving Jack a cute look.
"Ah! We apologize for that, as we weren't expecting to have a fairy into the Guild."
Jack glanced at the receptionist, then back at Alette. She was still giving him that cute look. He groaned in annoyance, having momentarily forgotten that fairies couldn't write because of their size.
"Alright, I've got to fill out mine first." Jack picked up the quill and began filling out his application form.
"Hehe!"
Alette looked back, amazed by the number of brave warriors and the grand structures within the central hall. But when she glanced toward the entrance of the Vanguard's Guild, she spotted familiar faces just as they stepped inside.
The mercenaries walked toward the group so famously known throughout the kingdom, the Hero's Party: a noble knight clad in silver-and-gold armor, a blond cleric, a purple-haired witch, an orange-haired young man, a towering knight in full heavy armor, and a hooded assassin.
The mercenaries in the central hall cheered as the Hero's Party returned from a successful quest. They were regarded as the kingdom's greatest champions, heroes destined, one day, to defeat the unknown entity that had unleashed endless monsters upon the world.
But from Alette's perspective, she was deeply frightened and shaken, unable to move an inch at the sight of those same people again. She wondered why they were here and why everyone regarded them as heroes. Her fear only broke when she heard Jack call her name.
"Alette."
"Huh?" Alette looked at Jack, then glanced back at the Hero's Party just as they disappeared into another room in the distance. "Uh… yes, Jack?"
"I've finished filling out my application form. Now it's your turn."
"Ah, yes! Of course!" Alette turned back, her expression shifting to cheerful, and flew up beside Jack's head, hovering close as she looked at her application form.
"Oh, and could you add my class as Jack's manager?"
"No."