The three of us startled and turned around to look. There was a group of three people observing us with curiosity. They didn't seem to be much older than us, and at a glance, one could tell they were more experienced.
"No, the truth is we just got our licenses and we don't know how to take a request," explained Gell, who had conveniently come back to his senses.
Among them, a man with ash-white hair fixed his gaze on us.
"How nice it is to be young," he commented to the air. "Come with us, the first request is always the most tedious."
Aoi and Gell seemed reluctant.
"It's not normal for an adventurer to offer their help so easily," added Gell, fixing his gaze on the man's badge. "Especially if he is a silver-ranked adventurer."
The man showed off a strangely friendly smile.
"That is true," he stated affably. "But, who in their right mind wouldn't help the lord's daughter, the son of Agni, and the nephew of the guard captain? I think you underestimate the weight your names carry."
Gell looked away, to which the man continued.
"Don't worry, I won't ask you for money or favors. Allow me to be a good Samaritan; who knows? Maybe we'll even become good friends."
We accepted his help somewhat uneasily. If Gell had heard anything about adventurers, it was that one should rarely trust them unless there was payment involved. Although perhaps they were just rumors, half-baked truths, or even slander, someone who didn't belong to the guild could never know for sure.
They guided us to a pavilion; there were several wooden boards filled with different request posters that varied in material and had borders in different inks of precious materials.
"Don't get distracted, we have to reach the end of the hall," declared the ash-haired man.
By the time we arrived, we noticed the board was dusty and filled with requests made on old papyrus that the rest of the aspirants seemed to ignore.
"Do you have any specialization in mind? Gathering? Errands? Hunting?" interrupted one of the younger men.
Upon hearing the options, my mind clouded over and I said the first thing I thought of:
"Hunting. I have training as a tracker hunter," I said, pointing at Gell. "And he is a berserker's disciple."
Aoi got excited, jumping from one side to the other while babbling. As soon as I caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye, she looked at me expectantly.
To which I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.
"And she is a priestess."
At the answer, the young man lightly touched his ponytail; I suppose that was his way of thinking.
"I don't know if hunting is the best idea; it's dangerous for rookies like you," he warned. It seemed he was going to say something else, but the ash-haired man intercepted him.
"Let them be, man. Every rookie hungers for glory; not all of us want to spend our lives looking for cats and painting houses."
Then, the young red-haired woman decided to join the conversation.
"Don't worry too much, Feng. I've seen the guard intervene when adventurers are about to die. Don't worry about them."
The young man stroked his ponytail again.
"Well, if that's true, then..."
Then, the ash-haired man handed us one of the requests.
"Nagisa is right, don't mortify yourselves over so little. I can see a flame in your eyes... don't let it go out," he commented with a smile. He tore off one of the requests and handed it to us. "This one could be perfect; you just have to wipe out a pack of wolves that has been seen nearby."
Feng became startled.
"What? That should be a mission for bronze-ranked adventurers."
To which the other sighed.
"It's not a solo mission, it's a group mission. They won't die from something like that, although..." He observed us as if evaluating us. "If they needed a little more help. One, no, maybe two people," he explained.
Feng stepped forward.
"I could help them," he declared, but was stopped by his companion.
There was a tense moment accompanied by an awkward silence.
"We have another meeting with the feudal lord; we can't be that generous with them either. Everything up to a point," he stated.
Gell nodded.
"Thank you for the help, but I think we'll take something simpler to start. I don't want my friends to end up hurt during our first quest," he explained.
The man smiled, fixing his gaze on Aoi.
"I don't feel that the ego of Lumis you flaunt is going to be enough for you to defend yourself. Even if you choose a simple request, you should always be prepared for combat. If you don't mind, I would say your strategy should be for the blond youth to defend the priestess."
Then, he turned to see me.
"The archer, on the other hand, should take advantage of distractions to attack. I don't want to scare you, but things like this always happen during quests. If you won't hunt, then... I suggest gathering herbs; it will give you field experience without being so dangerous."
Feng nodded.
"Yes, I would say that's the best option. I recommend you buy some incense to scare away the beasts; I think it costs about two gold pieces," he commented.
After that they left; and that man, always exhibiting a smile so affable that one could tell it was fake, watched us expectantly as they walked away. In turn, thanks to that smile, one could not predict what he was thinking.
"Hey, Hayato, are you listening to us?" Gell's voice seemed distant; my sight was focused on the group of adventurers that was now gathered at a table.
My sight focused on the girl.
That reddish hair, beautiful skin, soft voice... I couldn't help but admire her. It was the first time I felt this way, and thanks to that, I ended up as dazed as Gell when he was around Aoi.
"I'm talking to you!" exclaimed Aoi.
A hit brought me back to reality. Both seemed worried about my lack of attention, but as soon as Aoi followed my gaze to the girl, she decided to tease me about it.
Of course, I didn't stay quiet and took the opportunity to return the favor to both of them, which led to Aoi throwing a chair at my head during one of her fits. What happened next isn't very clear to me; my mind was in the clouds.
I don't even remember it with certainty. My vision was fading, it was hard to breathe, and the cold blood spilling from my arm didn't let me understand how we had ended up in that situation.