Chapter 1
AT THE CENTER of the Earth Continent were four mountain ranges. Each one ran in one of the cardinal directions and was centered around the Forest of Seasons. Despite the summer heat, snow still covered the mountain peaks, drawing a firm, white curve, more than five thousand meters high, through the vast greenery. A wagon flew above the eastern mountain range, carried by Garuda.
“Gosh, it looks cold down there,” Mira muttered as she gazed out the window.
While the snow-covered mountains stretched beneath her, the inside of the wagon was as cozy as could be. Mira’s special-ordered wagon had been created to maintain its internal environment, even at high altitudes. She savored the magnificent view as if relaxing in her bedroom, feeling just a tiny bit smug.
She leaned forward and looked westward. “It was…over there, I believe?”
The Forest of Seasons was sprawled within the valley where the mountain ranges intersected and was home to the headquarters of Wise Man Kagura and her Isuzu Alliance. The Isuzu Alliance had been formed to oppose the spirit-harming Chimera Clausen. Now that they had defeated their sworn enemy, Isuzu was focusing on the conservation of nature—their cover story for all these years.
Rumors of Chimera’s defeat are spreading, even in station towns. Things are only going to get busier. Poor Kagura.
The armed forces of Isuzu were now hard at work sweeping up Chimera remnants all across the land. As rumors spread further, they would find themselves with even more headaches.
While gazing in the direction of the Forest of Seasons, Mira prayed for their good luck and opened a station lunch she’d bought at her last stop. Summer Night’s Imperial Cuisine was written on the outside of the meal’s packaging. At first glance, it was a common dish that used many of summer’s staple ingredients. But what truly mattered was the chef.
Head Chef Brown had once served royalty before retiring and opening up a small shop in the station town. Unsurprisingly, it was one of the most popular shops in the station city, and Summer Night’s Imperial Cuisine could only be obtained there. Mira had waited in line for a good thirty minutes. According to an employee, the name and contents of the meal were both seasonal—and by the end of her meal, Mira was certain that she wanted to try all four.
“Oho! What a colorful meal we have today.” An appetizing aroma filled the wagon, and Mira inhaled deeply, savoring the food with her eyes and nose first. A station lunch master had once taught her that this was the best way to honor the food before digging in.
“Classy, yet with a rich taste that satisfies completely. A wonderful meal,” Mira mused.
The quality was proof of the head chef’s breadth of skill; even though he’d made a living serving kings, he could bring out the full potential of commoners’ food. There’s nothing better than a home-cooked meal made with love, after all…
Mira had already devoured Mariana’s Hall of Fame-worthy packed lunch. After she cleaned up the trash and mentally praised Mariana, Mira turned her gaze away from the distant mountains and to the nearer plains and forests.
“I hope I’ll find him quickly.”
Her objective was to find Soul Howl, one of the Nine Wise Men. She was on her way to Grandrings, a massive, long-standing city in northwest Grimdart. The city housed the Guild Union that managed the Ancient Underground City.
***
After four days of passing countless towns and villages, her destination finally came into view around midday. Past the distant, sprawling plains and forests, a grand, proud city with a long history stood at the back of a low hill.
“It doesn’t get much more fantasy than this.”
Grandrings was often called “the three-ringed city” due to its shape—three rings arranged in a triangular shape. As Mira proceeded, her view of the city became clearer. Many tall chimneys jutted upward from within one ring, which was distinctly industrial and production-oriented. The other two weren’t very different from one another; both had balanced commercial and residential districts. In the very center of the three rings stood the majestic palace of the duke who governed the surrounding city. Despite its age, the palace hadn’t lost its luster or dignity.
Even more eye-catching was the sky above the city, however. Shikigami, summons, corpses of giant birds controlled by necromancy—there were quite a few sky travelers besides Mira.
The three-ringed city was home to an underground dungeon that housed the ruins of an even more ancient city. It was a place that had money-making opportunities for both fresh and veteran adventurers alike—a dream come true for all. It was a rare dungeon whose interior was divided by rank, making it perfect for training as well. As a result, there were far more adventurers here than in any other place Mira had stopped by yet. That meant that there were more people who were strong enough to fly as well. Even the unpopular summoner class saw some representation!
When Mira arrived in the skies above Grandrings, she surveyed the mages from her window and celebrated the fact that summoners were represented. “Ooh, they’re riding Hippogriffs. That means they’re my people! Heck yeah! There are dozens of us out there!”
Indeed, the summoners did exist.
People with the power of flight weren’t all that rare in this city, which meant additional benefits. When she looked to the surface, she saw landing spaces. This was the perfect opportunity for Mira, as she hated searching for places to land. She ordered Garuda to bring the wagon down to the landing area without giving a second thought about causing a stir with her arrival.
However, Mira had not noticed that she was the only one in such classy transportation. She still managed to stand out.
***
After landing in the city and dismissing Garuda, she summoned her gray bear, Guardian Ash. Soon, the great beast was pulling the wagon along the main street.
The main street was constructed with beautifully arranged cobblestone and was wide enough for large carriages to pass each other with ease. Pedestrian traffic was quite diverse as well. The large buildings on either side of the road were made of stone, lumber, and brick. The view from the driver’s seat was a fantasy lover’s dream. Now this is what I’m talking about. It was incredible how the impression changed now that things were reality.
Thinking about her gaming days, Mira headed for the Guild Union to search for eyewitness reports of Soul Howl.
The Guild Union was at the end of a maze of streets, but Mira managed to make it—with the help of ample signage and a few kind security guards along the way. Grandrings’s Guild Union housed both the warriors’ and mages’ guilds, making it much bigger than the surrounding buildings. While it was also made of stone and brick, a luxuriously decorated gate sat at its front, and its surrounding walls bore intricate carvings. As one might expect, the gate received traffic worthy of its size, and people flooded in and out. This was quite different from the union buildings she’d visited so far.
Ah, I shouldn’t dawdle. Mira realized she was holding up traffic and drove the wagon through the gate.
The main building standing beyond the gate was as fancy as that of any duke’s mansion. The grounds around it were perfectly manicured, making an ideal parking lot. Brick stables could be seen nearby. It seemed the Guild Union allowed adventurers to store carriages too. A sign hanging at the side read, “3,000 ducats per day for carriages; 2,000 ducats per day for horses.”
Upon seeing it, Mira rode into the parking lot and spoke to a man in uniform. “I’d like to store this wagon.”
“Understood. Thank you.” The man ran over with an affable smile on his face and quickly explained the details.
The day’s fee would be taken not upon deposit but at midnight. She could stay for up to ten days; any longer and her vehicle would be impounded. However, if she let them know that she would be delayed ahead of time, they could be flexible. The carriage-washing service was an additional charge. The covered lot was limited to veteran adventurers.
After listening to the rough explanation, Mira presented her ID card and parked the wagon in the covered lot, where she was given a receipt with a number. Incidentally, she told them that she didn’t need the wash service and informed them that she might be staying longer than ten days.
“Best of luck, ma’am,” the staff member said, seeing her off.
Mira left the parking lot and stepped into the Guild Union.
“It’s even bigger than Sentopoli’s…”
She’d expected as much from the size of the building, but the lobby was still shockingly spacious. It was easily two hundred meters wide. To the left was the Mages’ Guild, and to the right was the Warriors’ Guild. The lobby overflowed with people.
Mira found an open reception counter and stood on her tiptoes to peek over it. “Excuse me? I’d like to ask a question.”
A female employee smiled gently at her and replied, “Of course. Ask me anything.”
“I happen to be searching for an acquaintance. Do you know if anyone has entered the Ancient Underground City’s Chalk Chamber of late?”
In order to create the Holy Grail of Heavenly Light, one needed a fragment of the Chalk Orb. The orb was in the Chalk Chamber. That was the only place the fragment could be obtained—Soul Howl would have no other choice.
The receptionist didn’t recall anything of the sort. “The Chalk Chamber is beneath the bottom level and protected by the guardian of the underground city. None can even approach it. I think I would remember if someone so rash passed through here,” she declared firmly. Indeed, the guardian protecting the deepest depths of the underground city was no ordinary monster. Even a Wise Man would struggle against it alone.
“Hrmm, I see. Just to be sure…” Her first question had flopped, but Mira did not give up. She tried to describe Soul Howl on the fly. “You haven’t seen a gloomy man with fierce eyes? Tries too hard to act cool, somehow making it cringe? Er, the kind of man who wears clothes that a child would think a cool person would wear? No one like that?”
“Gloomy man with fierce eyes… Tries to act cool, but in a juvenile way…” She considered the description for a moment, but given the sheer number of people who came through here, it was unlikely that she would remember. “I’m sorry. I have no idea who you’re talking about.”
“Hrmm. Well, I suppose that’s fair.”
Given the volume of adventurers here, it would be all the more difficult to find one particular person among them. Moreover, she wasn’t certain that Soul Howl had even been here yet. It was a total shot in the dark. Mira wondered what to do.
Just then, the receptionist piped up, as if remembering something. “Oh! It wasn’t the Chalk Chamber, but someone did request a permit for the bottom level a week ago.”
“What?! Are you certain?!” Mira leaned forward and looked up excitedly.
In order to get to the Chalk Chamber, one naturally needed to go to the bottom level. That would require a permit. If someone had come in search of a permit, then maybe it was Soul Howl. Mira had asked the wrong questions. She felt silly for not asking about the bottom level first.
“There aren’t many people who go to the bottom level, even among all of these adventurers. I remember him vividly. His face was covered with a mask. I would call him more suspicious than gloomy.”
“Ooh, that must be him!” Mira squealed. He was exactly the sort to call attention to himself while trying to stay low-key. It was likely the man himself. That was a Wise Man for you; even in a city full of adventurers, they stood out. “You wouldn’t happen to know where he is now, would you?!” she asked expectantly. Given how conspicuous he was, maybe others had information.
“I’m sorry, I don’t. But the underground city is vast. He may still be working to clear it as we speak.”
“Hrmm. You’re not wrong there…”
As a city, it naturally took up a large area. There were seven levels in all, including the Chalk Chamber. The dungeon was so vast that clearing it normally took an entire month. It had taken Mira many weeks to clear it herself. The person who seemed to be Soul Howl had visited one week ago. He could still be there. If she pursued as fast as she could, she might be able to catch him.
Knowing that, she pompously revealed her ID and handed it to the employee. “Then I would like a permit for the bottom level too.”
However, Mira had forgotten one major detail.
The receptionist looked at the overconfident Mira with pity in her eyes. “I can only give C-rank adventurers a permit to the fifth level. Sorry…”
Indeed, her adventurer rank was still C. The required rank went up as one descended from the top first level to the bottom seventh level. Only those who were A-rank could go all the way down. This was an unexpected obstacle.
Nrgh… The stupid A-rank wall. Maybe I ought to show off my awards and force the issue. No, even Solomon couldn’t get me greater than C-rank. Awards probably won’t work either. I’ll have to find some A-rank adventurer…again… Mira began pondering how to convince an A-rank adventurer to accompany her, just like when she had gone to the Celestial Ruins and Citadel of Scales.
After holding Mira’s adventurer ID to some kind of scanner, the receptionist said, “Oh, wait just a moment.”
What now? Mira waited as directed and watched the clerk operate something.
“Well, that’s that. Thank you for waiting. It seems you’ve been putting in some fantastic work. You’ve been granted permission to be promoted to A-rank,” the receptionist said, surprised.
Mira broke into happy celebration.
“My word! That is convenient!” Mira’s gratitude gave way to puzzlement, as she had no recollection of performing exceptional feats as an adventurer. In fact, she found herself suspicious at this convenient yet sudden turn of events. “But what did I do?”
The receptionist’s next statement cleared things up. Her promotion was a result of her accomplishments in Sentopoli. In other words, defeating Chimera Clausen had earned her quite a few points.
“Ooh, I see. So that got counted.”
The contract between Isuzu and the adventurers they worked with actually included terms stipulating that their efforts would be recognized. That was Isuzu being considerate since they were keeping these adventurers away from other work for so long. The Guild Union couldn’t refuse this either; though it might not have been a formal request through the guilds, defeating Chimera Clausen was a big deal. As a result, Mira now found herself the recipient of a windfall.
The destruction of Chimera Clausen had been the biggest news in quite some time, so the receptionist said that it was understandable that the people involved had been promoted. However, it was extremely rare for people to be promoted two whole ranks at once. She was still a little shocked.
“Once I’ve finished the paperwork for your promotion, I can issue a permit to the lowest levels. It will take some time, given that you’re rising two ranks at once. I’ll need to contact the home office, so it may not be ready until tomorrow morning.”
It seemed that, on top of the usual paperwork, she needed to receive A-rank confirmation from the home office. That would take a day, but from Mira’s perspective, that meant waiting only a day for something she’d never expected to get in the first place.
“I’ll be counting on you!” Mira entrusted the promotion paperwork to the clerk. With that settled, she said she’d be back in the morning and departed.
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