The first week after parting ways with the "Silver Wolf" group, Gray was still relaxing in the town where they parted ways. The reason for this was because Gray was waiting, but not waiting for his old comrades to leave before leaving or anything. Gray didn't know how to write the word "storage".
Gray was still staying because he was waiting for a certain quest with a location on the way to Arcadian. Even though he had left the adventurer group, the occupational disease had been sealed inside Gray, making him think more like an adventurer than a normal person.
Getting a quest with a location on the way not only helped him relieve his occupational disease a bit, but also helped Gray earn some money. So what reason was there to not do it?
However, the enrollment couldn't be delayed. So Gray set a limit for himself: if he doesn't get a suitable mission within a month, he will "pack his bag and go" immediately.
These days, whenever he has free time, he will wander around town to solve the problem. Enjoy the peacefulness of the town square, look at the innocent smiles of the children and pray that they will fly high in the future. Or he will run to the library and be filled with knowledge, for a loner and a bookworm in both lives, reading books is a magic potion for Gray. And also…
And every last day, he will go to the market again, look at the people who have gone through a difficult day of work but always have a smile full of satisfaction and satisfaction.
"Rize, how did you sell today? Do you have any fish left?"
"You came here too much today, all the fish are sold out, old Gil."
"…"
"…"
The conversations continued, continuing the forum. One person after another spoke as if it was time to close the market.
Looking at the colorful and vibrant scene before him, Gray could only sigh. However, he did not feel sad at all, but instead smiled to himself.
(Is it okay to enjoy a little positive energy like this every now and then?) – Gray thought to himself.
A small voice called out from beside him. Gray looked down involuntarily.
"Brother, do you want to eat steamed buns?"
The voice belonged to a small girl, about four or five years old. She asked Gray while pointing to a woman selling steamed buns – or buns – on the sidewalk.
Gray looked at the woman, then looked at the girl before understanding what was going on.
"Ah. Two. Give them to me and I will pay."
Right after Gray replied, the little girl turned her face and whispered, "Mom, it's two meat pies."
It didn't take long, it only took less than two minutes for the little girl to bring the pies back to Gray. He went down and whispered to her, "How much did you say?"
"Two cents!"
The little girl said, her smile as bright as the sunset.
He took out three coins and poured them into the little girl's hand.
"Two cents for the two pies, and the remaining one is for you for running back!"
With that, he ran away, leaving the little girl alone with the onlookers. Perhaps she was still too young and still had the innocence that came with her age.
-Three days later-
"Oh? A quest to exterminate a pack of level 15 'Yellow Wolves' in the Nightfall Forest?"
Gray stood in front of the quest notice board at the guild hall, deep in thought as he recalled the map.
Three days had passed, this was the only mission with a location that showed going to Arcadian, and it also required a high number of members and showed that he would accept this mission. However, he also felt quite regretful because this mission was quite easy for him, and the reward he received was naturally low.
"Forget it. It's also possible that I'm doing this mission alone, so it can be considered that this reward is enough for me alone."
He sighed and took down the mission notice, then walked back to relax.
"Please accept this mission for me."
Gray said to the receptionist, his expression unchanged.
"Yes. Can you give me an 'Identification Card'?"
Although facing Grey's somewhat cold and hasty attitude, the receptionist greeted this difficult customer with a sweet smile like honey.
"This."- Gray replied firmly, handing the receptionist his card.
"Let me see... Umm. Mr. Gray, I think you shouldn't accept this mission."
"Why not?"
In response to the receptionist's concern, Gray only replied with one valuable sentence.
"Although I just left the party and didn't join a new party. However, the mission doesn't require a party to accompany me, right? The required level has already been achieved, right?"
As if he had lost some of his battle experience, Gray continued to speak as if he wanted to explain that he was completely capable of completing the mission.
"Umm. But your ability is…"
"ONE!"
The incident suddenly turned gray as if he could remember something.
The problem this time was indeed related to teammates.
In the past, because the same team had enough professional functions and abilities, it was possible to comment on issues such as the required level and the number of members. If all of them were achieved, then it would be accepted.
But now, if it was just Gray, they would take a closer look at the recipient's abilities. The guild would restrict anyone from accepting a quest that they couldn't complete, even if it meant death if they did it alone.
As for Gray, on paper he was just a support and healing mage and had absolutely no attack power, so how could he complete this quest?
But…
"It's fine. I have some 'assistance' outside. They're all good stuff, with enough mana, I can use them quite comfortably."
Gray raised his left hand, which was covered in rings studded with pure gems. Rings like this were a type of magical tool with different functions. For a support mage like Gray, wearing a few attack support magical tools was completely normal.
The receptionist stared at the rings Gray was wearing, but couldn't find anything no matter how much she looked. The guild's job is to advise and minimize casualties. If they meet someone who is too stubborn to accept a mission beyond their ability, they will be helpless.
"Alright, I will complete the procedure for you immediately."
After no longer having any doubts, the receptionist returned to work with a smiling face, she quickly completed the mission acceptance procedure. Finally, she placed a piece of paper on the table.
"Please sign the 'Release of Responsibility' form."
Of course, Gray also signed. Whether accepting missions for himself or the "Silver Wolf" group before, he had signed on behalf of Allain, so this was almost a habit.
"Done!"
Gray felt extremely comfortable after accepting the mission and going out. Gray could only breathe a sigh of relief and was lucky that he was not discovered… lying.
How could Gray have a bunch of attack magic tools?
Brought them from his hometown? No, if he had that many, he wouldn't have nearly starved to death.
It's not like he was able to buy it because he was with Allain's group. For someone who almost starved to death like him, when he had money, he would buy a lot of food reserves as if he was afraid of the sudden increase in food prices tomorrow.
So, those rings were just fakes, fooling some unprofessional people.
"Waaaah... it's still early. How about we leave today?"
As if he had already made up his mind, Gray quickly went back to the inn and checked out, packing up his things even though there was nothing to pack.
Considering the time, there were still more than two months left until the school's enrollment period. He wasn't in a hurry, so he decided to walk. It wouldn't take long, at most, just under two months.
(So, we're leaving soon, huh?)
Thinking that in his heart, Gray quickly walked to the town gate. However, he was dragged into the next life-changing event.
"He he he. Little sister, you look lonely. Do you need any help?"
"That's right, do you want to go eat somewhere? Or do you need a place to sleep tonight? Luckily, our room still has one bed left."
(Old tricks.)
Gray thought to himself. He was now like a sneaky thief peeping at the owner of the house.
The current events could be summarized like this:
When Gray had just approached the city gate, he saw two men who looked not very decent. The two of them were talking as they walked, followed by a girl around his age, covered in scarves. They were luring her into a deserted alley as they walked, looking like they were making a shady deal.
Although he himself was not a good person, Gray was not very pleased to see other people doing bad things so easily. In the end, he followed the three of them to that alley, just in case something bad happened, he would jump out to buy time for the girl to run.
However, things seemed easier to solve than he thought.
"No need. If you two don't have that, I'll leave now."
The girl spoke decisively, hiding something "cold" inside.
"Come on, we're just worried that you'll be in danger if you don't have a place to stay tonight."
The skinny guy walked closer to the girl, stretching out his arms to put his arm around her shoulder. At this moment, Gray wanted to jump out to stop him, but what happened before his eyes was completely the opposite.
The skinny guy, as soon as he got very close to the girl, turned into... a stone statue? Or rather, an ice statue because the statue was blue and clear as if it was evaporating.
"W-What? What did you just do to it?" – the big guy standing next to her started to panic, he picked up a knife and wanted to hurt her.
"...what are you doing? Just leave it alone, the ice will melt in a bit."
"Blow your head off. Die!"
He jumped up, swinging the knife at the girl. Seeing that the situation was already too bad, Gray didn't care anymore.
Accelerate!
Unexpectedly, Gray's speed suddenly increased as he rushed towards the big guy. Confident that he could kick him away, Gray gave him a "Rider Kick" that sent him flying into the wall.
"Let's run!"
Before anyone could recover, Gray grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her away in a moment as soon as she landed.
This girl seemed to be a mage, but not very strong. She could easily freeze a person, but when faced with an attack at close range like just now, she didn't have much experience in counterattacking or dodging. Moreover, her speed and stamina were quite low as she was completely unable to keep up with Gray's speed, forcing him to slow down so she could keep up.
"HA HA HA…"
As soon as Gray sat down on the park bench, he immediately let go of her hand and the two of them sat there panting after just escaping danger.
"Next time… I won't go help people anymore… I'm so tired."
Saying that, he took out a cake to eat temporarily as a way to replenish his energy.
"Munch… Munch…"
He ate it in a slightly "impolite" manner, but it was fast enough to be considered as a way to replenish his energy right after the battle.
Now, after finishing eating, he noticed the girl beside him. Still covered in that thick cloak, it was hard for others to see her appearance or know what she was thinking.
"Gulp gulp…"
It seemed that there was no need to see her face to understand what she wanted, because her stomach had already betrayed her.
"S-Sorry…"
"Oh? The first thing you said to me wasn't 'thank you' but 'sorry'?"
Saying that, he took out another cake from his Bag and handed it to her.
"Eat… eat… because… I know… you'll feed me…"
She took the cake from Gray's hand and ate it greedily as if she hadn't had a full meal in a long time.
(Seeing her eat like this, it looked like me before. Hahaha.)
And then, he realized something was wrong.
"You said you knew I would feed you? How could-"
"I was just guessing."
Before Gray could say his guess, the girl interrupted him. It was as if she was trying to avoid something and hide it.
And then, while she was eating and holding the cake with both hands, her hood was not secured by anything. It was suddenly pulled back by a gust of wind, revealing the girl's face.
Her long, pure white hair was naturally let down, so long and white that Gray thought it was real snow. A few strands fell across her forehead as if by accident, but it made her face look strangely lively and gentle.
Her blue-gray eyes—the color of morning dew mixed with ashes—and her drooping eyebrows gave off a pensive feeling.
Her skin was so white that one could see her pale veins under the sunset. White to the point that a transmigrator like Gray was shocked and wondered if his eyes had filters on them.
And those red lips, while still chewing on the cake that Gray gave him, unintentionally emitted a charm that made people fascinated.
And then, she suddenly blushed and quickly pulled down her hood. It seemed like she didn't like other people seeing her face.
(Ah. So this is what a beauty is? So this is the reason why those two guys had dark intentions?)
Thinking those dark thoughts, Gray swallowed them back down. Because he absolutely didn't want to become an ice statue or anything.