The journey was long. When they finally approached the outskirts of the capital, Haruka couldn't help but feel confused. The city walls stretched out before them—long and towering.
Haruka stopped for a moment, taking in everything around her. The capital was completely different from what she had imagined. A mix of old and new—tall towers of stone and wood, with crowded streets running between them. People moved quickly; the city was alive, breathing with vitality.
Yu noticed her amazement, smiled, and gently nudged her shoulder.
"What is it? Have you never seen a city before?"
Haruka snapped out of her daze and said with a nervous laugh,
"I've seen cities before… but not like this. It's… completely different."
Yu laughed cheerfully, clearly enjoying her reaction.
"Wait until you get inside. You'll see the real chaos."
When they passed through the gates, Haruka immediately felt magic filling the air. People were moving in unnatural ways, as if they were floating or flying above the ground. She saw a woman wearing luxurious clothes, her hands raised as she controlled water, shaping it at will. Children were running through the streets with small fire creatures, playing as if it were completely normal.
"This is crazy!" Haruka muttered, her eyes wide with shock.
Yu turned to her and said,
"Not exactly. Magic is part of everyday life here. You'll get used to it. But let's hurry. We have work to do."
They continued walking through the capital. Haruka examined everything around her, her eyes jumping from one strange sight to another. There were shops selling bizarre potions, weapons glowing with a special light, and food carts offering dishes made from ingredients she had never seen before.
Yu led her into narrow streets, passing through crowded squares until they reached a tall, narrow building. The sign above the door read: Velostro Guild.
Haruka read it aloud
After yu heard her said mockingly,
"Wow, I thought you couldn't read either."
She glared at him angrily.
Just to know I studied for eleven years,
He walked forward and shouted at her,
"Come on, slowpoke!" Yu called as he entered the building without hesitation.
Haruka paused for a moment, then followed him inside.
Inside, there was a large room with dim lighting. The air was filled with smoke, laughter, and loud conversations. People gathered around tables, drinking and talking, and some were even fighting. The walls were covered with weapons—some old and broken, others sharp and shining as if they had just been made.
"It looks more like a tavern than a guild," Haruka whispered to herself.
Yu entered confidently, his eyes gleaming when he saw the people inside. Everyone smiled and greeted him as if they had known him for a long time. It was as if the entire place welcomed him, and they laughed when they saw him enter. Yu went straight to the bar, where a woman was busy preparing drinks.
"Welcome back, Yu," the bartender said warmly as she wiped her hands with a towel.
Yu laughed and waved at her.
"Hey, Emma. How are you?"
Emma smiled sarcastically as she set the glasses aside.
"What brings you here?"
Then she glanced at Haruka standing beside him.
"And who is this?"
Yu answered, pointing at Haruka,
"She's my daughter."
Haruka was shocked and thought to herself, What is this old man saying?
But she was even more shocked by Emma's reaction—Emma looked extremely tense and started trembling in shock.
"M-M-M-What d-d-did you say?!"
Haruka was stunned and thought, Is she really stupid enough to believe such an obvious lie??
Yu burst out laughing.
"I knew you'd believe it."
Emma's face turned red with embarrassment. She got angry and said,
"Yuu, you—!"
Then she turned her face away angrily and said,
"I hate you."
Yu laughed and said,
"I was just joking, I swear."
Then he added,
"By the way, this is Haruka. I think you'll like getting to know her. I think you two will understand each other—after all, you share the same brain cells."
Emma glared at him with annoyed eyes and said,
"Can you shut up?"
Emma then looked at Haruka curiously and said,
"Welcome, then. What brings you here?"
Yu answered,
"Oh, actually she wants to work here."
Emma said,
"Isn't she too young to work here?"
Yu replied,
"No. She has good skills as well."
Emma smiled gently and said,
"If Yu brought you here, that means you're strong and qualified."
She looked at Haruka and continued,
"Anyway, I'm Emma. I've been working here for nine years. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
Yu stopped at the guild door, then turned to Haruka with a light smile.
"I'll leave you in Emma's care for a while. I have important business to take care of in the capital."
Amy shouted,
"Wait! What rank is she?"
He answered,
"She can be classified as Rank D."
Haruka thought to herself, What does that mean?
She quickly looked at him and said,
"Can't I come with you?"
He replied,
"Of course not. Work hard to pay back the money."
She glared at him angrily.
"I hate you."
Then he left quickly and disappeared into the crowd.
Haruka stayed with Emma, who was rearranging the cups.
"What do people do here?" Haruka asked, looking around the place.
Emma answered,
"This is a magic guild. People here take paid missions."
She began explaining, pointing to a large board hanging on the wall, filled with colorful posters.
"Every member here has a rank. It starts from Rank E, then D, then C, B, A, and finally… the elite, Rank S."
"The posters are also classified by difficulty. You can't take a Rank S mission if you're Rank C, for example. That would be suicide."
"You can do missions alone or in a team. Some missions require cooperation, others can be done solo… it depends."
Haruka looked at the board with shining eyes.
"That sounds fun! I want to go on a mission!"
Emma laughed lightly.
"Actually, I'd like to send you, but unfortunately all the easy missions are gone. Only Rank A, B, and S missions remain."
Haruka said,
"Can't I do one of them?"
Emma replied,
"Of course not."
"If you do that now, you'll die immediately. At the very least, you need to be Rank A."
Haruka said sadly,
"Ah… okay, I understand."
She then thought to herself, Damn it. I need to raise my level. The higher my level, the harder the missions, the more money I'll earn, and the less my debt will be.
She became angry and said,
"That bastard! How can he classify me as D?! I'm way stronger than that! At least he should've put me in C!"
After a few moments, a girl in her twenties entered, with long sky-blue hair and blue eyes. She was carrying a huge stack of papers she could barely hold.
"Ahhh, I f-f-finished a-a-all the work you gave me!" she said as she dropped the papers heavily in front of Emma.
"Thank you, Sora," Emma replied with a smile.
Sora then looked at Haruka and hid behind Emma.
Haruka was shocked and said,
"W-What did I do?"
Emma laughed and said,
"No need to be shy, Sora."
"Yu asked me to take care of her. Her name is Haruka."
Sora looked at Haruka nervously and said,
"N-Nice to meet you, I'm Sora…" She extended her hand shyly.
Haruka shook her hand and said,
"I don't work here yet, but it's nice to meet you."
Sora's face turned completely red, and she ran up to the second floor without saying a word.
Haruka, surprised:
"Did I say something wrong?"
Emma laughed hard.
"No, I think she's… into you."
Haruka moved closer to Emma, who was calmly wiping glass cups. She extended her hand to help, and Emma raised her eyebrows in slight surprise.
"No need for that, Haruka. You can rest," Emma said warmly.
Haruka smiled lightly as she picked up another cup.
"It's okay. I don't have anything to do right now anyway… and I feel comfortable helping you."
A pleasant silence settled between them. It wasn't heavy, but comforting… as if time had slowed down slightly.
And suddenly—
The guild door was slammed open violently, crashing against the wall with a loud bang.
Two men entered, wearing blue clothes with shiny metal badges on their chests. Their faces were flushed with alcohol, and their steps were unsteady.
To be continued…