He sheathed his dagger without a word.
"…You're not a normal adventurer, are you?"
"No one worth knowing is normal."
That answer — simple, soft, and terribly honest — left her silent.
After a long pause, she reached into her pouch, retrieving a bronze plate engraved with the guild's sigil. "Xavier," she said, her tone steadier now. "By authority of the Velmora Adventurer's Guild, I grant you entry as a registered adventurer, provisional rank: Bronze — pending immediate review for Silver-class."
As she handed it over, her eyes lingered on him.
"Be careful," she said, voice lower now. "People in this city notice power. Some of them hunt it."
He accepted the badge with a faint nod. "I'll keep that in mind."
And then he turned, walking out of the courtyard as sunlight spilled over his shoulders — a man leaving behind silent awe and the faint echo of something greater than anyone there could name.
Viera watched him until he was gone, her pulse still racing.
