The crackle of a flickering candle cast a golden glow across the low table in the living room. In front of Elise, the guild messenger unrolled a parchment sealed with a crimson ribbon. The silence was almost solemn, broken only by the rustle of the ancient paper.
Inside, the words were surprisingly dry. A few laconic instructions, vague markers, and a strange classification:
"Rank S Mission."
But the handwriting was deliberately ambiguous, as if someone sought to conceal the true nature of the task.
Elise frowned. — A Rank S? And without further explanation?
The messenger, a young man with hunched shoulders, sighed and cleared his throat.
— I know… it makes no sense. To be frank, you have to read between the lines. The higher authorities of the Royal Academy sometimes use this stratagem. On the surface, it looks like a simple mission… but in truth, it may hide much more than it appears.
He hesitated, then lowered his voice.
— Don't ask me for more. Even I am not allowed to know the true content. But if it was entrusted to you, Miss Elise… it's because they know only you can bear its weight.
The silence grew heavier. Elise did not answer right away. She brushed the dry handwriting of the parchment with her fingertips, her steel-colored eyes veiling with deep gravity.
Daniel, still seated slightly apart, watched the whole scene with an air both distracted and sharp. His eyes lingered on Elise's face, then slid toward the spark of defiance already burning in her.
Of course… this is how it always starts. A "Rank S mission" launched with vague phrases… And in the end, we're the ones who have to clean up the mess.
He rubbed his temples and stifled a bitter laugh.
— Hey, seriously? he finally muttered, leaning toward the table. Another mysterious mission? This reeks of an ambush. We're like in an anime: we set out to hunt goblins, and bam… in the end, we're facing a millennia-old demon.
The messenger blinked, unsettled by the ironic tone. Elise turned sharply toward Daniel.
— Daniel, stop with your nonsense. This is not the moment for your low-level jokes.
But he only shrugged, a crooked smile tugging at his lips.
— Oh, I'm just saying… But by experience, I can already feel it: I'll stumble again upon some improbable creature. A black-winged angel? A vampire too seductive to be honest? Or, why not, a demoness ready to burn the world to ashes?
He shook his head, half-amused, half-resigned.
And that's always where the problems begin.
Elise pressed the parchment against her chest, her gaze grave.
— Be that as it may… if this mission is truly Rank S, then we have no choice. We must accept it.
The messenger nodded slowly, as though relieved.
— Your determination is exactly what the Academy expected.
Daniel sighed, but a glimmer of steel passed through his eyes.
— Well then, let's go save the world. Once again.
When the guild messenger closed the heavy wooden door behind him, silence fell over the house. The flame of the candles flickered, as if even the air hesitated to breathe. Elise still held the parchment tightly in her slender hands, her eyes lost in the void, while Daniel stretched lazily in his chair, wearing an air of feigned indifference.
— Well… this looks promising, he muttered, lifting his eyes to the ceiling. It's always the same. They send some poor guy to deliver a scroll labeled "Rank S" and then—good luck to you.
Elise raised her eyebrows, her seriousness contrasting with her companion's nonchalance.
— You should take this more seriously, Daniel. This kind of mission is not a joke.
He rested his chin in his hand and stared at her for a long moment, an ironic smile hovering on his lips.
— Come on, Elise… I've already seen this episode in my anime. It always starts with a vague order, something like "Go there and see for yourselves." And in the end? Boom! It's a rescue mission: a hostage hidden in some old castle, a forgotten village burning to ashes, or better yet, a princess kidnapped by a dragon.
He theatrically raised a finger as if he were giving a lecture.
— Rule number one: if no one clearly says who needs to be saved, it always means there's someone important behind it. Classic. Pure shōnen plotline.
Elise watched him for a moment, half amused, half exasperated. She finally let out a sigh, then replied in a soft voice tinged with sarcasm:
— So, according to you, you're smarter than the guild?
— No, not smarter, he answered with a shrug. Just… more experienced. When you grow up feeding on ready-made storylines, you learn to smell the next disaster. And trust me, this one already reeks of drama.
Elise lowered her eyes to the parchment and reread the meager instruction. Nothing—no name, no detailed location, only a veiled statement:
"Save what must be saved."
She frowned.
— You might be right. It really is a rescue mission. But who? And why so much secrecy?
Daniel crossed his arms, replying with unexpected seriousness:
— It doesn't matter. If it really is someone important, then they want to test our worth before entrusting us with the truth. And that… that's typical of high-level quests.
A spark lit up in his eyes.
— Bet you that by tomorrow we'll end up protecting a hot-headed beast-woman, or a fallen angel, or maybe a dark and brooding vampire?
Elise stared at him, stunned by his ability to twist every serious detail into some anime eccentricity. She couldn't help but burst into laughter despite herself.
— You're truly incorrigible… But in a way, your predictions often have a hint of truth.
Daniel puffed out his chest with false pride.
— Of course. I have a special sixth sense: the protagonist's instinct.
Elise rolled her eyes, but a softer glow passed through her gaze. Their mingled laughter chased away, if only for a moment, the weight of the scroll and the shadows of the mission that lay ahead.
---
Silence lingered after the guild messenger's departure, broken only by the gentle clinking of dishes in the dining room. Elise had resumed the interrupted breakfast, while Daniel, his mouth still full of golden toast, kept staring at the scroll lying on the table as if trying to decipher a hidden meaning.
Inside him, his thoughts burst with almost childlike excitement:
"Finally! A mission worthy of a real contract… Rank S, no less! This is the kind of event that deserves to be written in golden letters in a storyline!"
A soft, ironic voice echoed instantly in his mind.
— You seem rather enthusiastic, mortal.
Daniel almost flinched inwardly.
"Lysandra… You're already here?"
— Already here? I never sleep. You should be more cautious instead of getting excited like a child at a fair.
Daniel answered in the secret of his thoughts, his inner tone far more dignified than his outward appearance.
"But you don't understand! This is a Rank S mission, not just anything! It might be the turning point that gives meaning to my legend."
A crystalline laugh rippled through his mind.
— Legend, really? I thought you only wanted to build a kingdom and your so-called harem. Now you declare yourself a tragic hero?
"Hey, both goals can work together! Saving the world and building an empire… they're perfectly compatible!"
— You are incorrigible, Daniel. But… I must admit, your energy amuses me.
Elise, who had been watching him in silence, slightly furrowed her brows.
— You're brooding over your nonsense again, aren't you?
Daniel straightened instantly, cutting off the inner dialogue to answer her.
— Not at all! I was simply elaborating a very serious theory. Imagine this mission… it reeks of a grand "dramatic story arc." You know, the kind where the protagonist must bring out his badass gear to impress the spectators!
Elise set down her cutlery, a hint of exasperation in her gaze.
— Daniel… stop turning everything into an anime.
He waved his hand, feigning indignation.
— But you don't get it! I can't just show up to a Rank S mission in this ridiculous outfit! Look at me—seriously—plain trousers, a wrinkled shirt… That's not worthy of a main hero!
Elise rolled her eyes, but despite herself, a discreet smile slipped across her lips.