"Haa..." Seraphina let out a long sigh of satisfaction.
Her white priestess robe was now stained with the rabbit's dried blood.
To Seraphina, her robe felt sticky and did not smell very great. She swiftly chanted the incantation and cast a purification spell over herself, and her robe went back to its pristine condition.
Then, she summoned a feeble flame and turned the rabbit's corpse into ashes. When Seraphina was done, she finally left the forest and joined the road ahead.
From where she was, Seraphina could already distinguish the outline of her hometown. The sight of the familiar stone wall which time had marked, and looked very small from afar, brought a sweet smile to her face.
With her short little legs, Seraphina took large strides towards Alequessa and quickly disappeared into the clearing.
...
Trees and roads blurred into one. Each step she took made the city's wall seem bigger than before, and after marching for about two hours, Seraphina finally reached the town's gates.
Alequessa was a border town and naturally would not let anyone enter it.
There, people and carriages were lined up, with four guards blocking the entrance. Each wore armor made out of a steel-like light-blue material, likely synthesized mithril, and none of them were wearing helmets. Draped over it was a purple tunic, embroidered with a barrel insignia.
The barrel was Alequessa's symbol as the city was famous for its liquor, while the purple color of the tunic represented the city's belonging to the Second Unified Human Empire.
The First Unified Human Empire was formed 838 years ago by the union of several smaller kingdoms, creating a new calendar. Its might had resounded far and wide but it had eventually fallen due to internal strife.
The Second Unified Human Empire represented humanity's attempt to re-enter their golden age.
Those two empires were separated by a long period named the Impure Reign that lasted for centuries. As such, there were very few things in common between those two empires.
Seraphina could only name two common points from the top of her head, one was the Empire's race and the other was their religion.
Those four guards were undoubtedly affiliated with Alequessa, and they were currently going through a process of examining people before granting them entry into the town.
Seraphina waited in line patiently, when it was finally her turn, she stepped forward and began rummaging through her leather pouch.
It was just a formality for her as the guards already somewhat knew of her, thanks to her local reputation as 'the weird kid blacklisted from every single alchemy and apothecary shop across the entire empire....'. She was only required to show some kind of identification.
She pulled out a casket-shaped pendant from her leather pouch, its silver hem glinted slightly from the sunlight.
The pendant carried the insignia of Fosantrophisme, two hands in a holding position. At its base 'Seraphina Fosantropite' was written and three stars representing her rank in the church were also present.
The pendant originally had a chain and could also be used as a locket, but Seraphina had accidentally damaged it and had kept it that way ever since.
When they saw this, the guards didn't stop her any longer and quickly let her into the town.
Alequessa was bustling with life, people were strolling on the streets, with groups of children playing together, street vendors were screaming their lungs out, preaching the merits of some miraculous cabbage—one unmatched amongst all the heavens, that could supposedly awaken whatever a 'Dao' was.
Seraphina shook her head, exasperated.
This... was her hometown, Alequessa. It may not have been the greatest or most prosperous but it was quite safe for a border town (excluding some shady things behind the scenes), and she liked it.
Walking through Alequessa, Seraphina pondered over what she should do next.
Should she go to the church first or... go straight to the Adventurer's Hall and claim her reward now or... let curiosity take the better of her and try out a supposedly 'heavenly' cabbage?
As Seraphina walked dazedly, she happened to pass by a newly opened pastry. The sweet and almost intoxicating smell made her recall today's date, the eleventh of April. This date was also her commission's time limit, any further and it would be considered failed.
Seraphina didn't want that to happen, it would be terrible if it did. She came to the conclusion that claiming the rewards from her quest was her current priority.
When she realized this, she was already about to reach the Adventurer's Hall. Subconsciously, she always seemed to be attracted there and would always wander around it in her spare time.
Only a few steps were left before she reached her destination, from there she could already tell that it was quite crowded by the sound of it.
It was not because she had exceptional hearing but because this place was really too loud!
After a short walk, Seraphina finally set foot in the Adventurer's Hall.
...
The Adventurer's Hall was exactly as Seraphina remembered. It was noisy, crowded and annoying.
That was expected because most adventurers were rough and unruly men, as being an adventurer was not viewed in a good light. It was a short-term career with its only redeeming trait being 'quick-cash'.
It was not the only reason for adventurers to be viewed as such, because the Adventurer's Guild could once grant a means of identification in the form of a 'Guild Card'.
This Guild Card contained many loopholes and it had been exploited over the years by criminals and Impures alike, causing unrest and leading to the fall of the First Unified Human Empire.
Now in the Second Unified Human Empire, the Adventurer's Guild had been stripped of most of its power, becoming only a shadow of its former glory. Only the Hall at the capital could still grant a Guild Card usable as identification under very strict conditions.
But just like the Guild, the adventurers too had become only shadows of the past...
"CHECK OUT THIS BI—
"My man, she's got big tits and a nice fat ass, I betch'a she's good in bed."
"You're right, dude!"
The adventurers' rude and snarky comments resounded through and even beyond the Hall whenever a female specimen was in sight.
'Ugh...how annoying!' Seraphina internally groaned, fuming with rage.
Although it was not directed at her, it annoyed her very much, even more so than if it was actually directed at her.
She was currently dangling from the ceiling, patiently waiting in her private spot for the queue to shorten or for something to happen.
Her wait was not long because something actually happened!
A high-pitched cry overlapped over the noisy hall, loud enough for Seraphina to catch it.
"Sir! Stop what you're doing right now—