"Cyhas?!" Fyar was surprised to see her here.
"Oh, Cyhas, you know this strange-haired young man?" the fruit merchant asked.
Why does everyone call my hair weird? Fyar complained internally.
Cyhas smiled brightly and answered with enthusiasm. "Of course, Mister Handem! He's the one who saved me from the bandits!"
"Bandits?" Mister Handem's face immediately paled. "You encountered bandits? A-are you alright? Did they rob you of any of your goods?"
"I'm alright. Luckily, Fyar arrived just in time and killed them all," Cyhas giggled softly at the end of her sentence.
"I-is that so. Thank goodness," Mister Handem sighed in relief. He then shifted his gaze to Fyar and bowed his body deeply. "Thank you, young man."
"Eh, um, yes," Fyar felt a little awkward, unaccustomed to receiving thanks like that. He looked at Cyhas and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Cyhas pressed a finger to her lips and looked up as if thinking. "I was bored, so I just decided to take a walk."
"You live in this city?"
"Yes, for the time being. After yesterday's incident, Father decided to take a three-day break from trading," Cyhas answered with a smile.
"I see," Fyar murmured. He wasn't surprised by Eutas's decision. Anyone would be traumatized and lose the will to trade again after an experience like that. If he were in Eutas's position, Fyar would probably do the same.
"What about you, Fyar? What are you up to? Has your memory returned? How are you doing now?" Cyhas looked at him with a worried expression.
"No, my memory hasn't come back yet. I just finished getting my adventurer's card made. Now I'm just walking around, passing the time," Fyar replied.
"Really? You got your card made? Can I see your adventurer's card?" Cyhas asked enthusiastically.
Fyar smiled and nodded. He took the card out of his pocket and showed it to Cyhas.
"Level zero?" Cyhas frowned.
"Yeah, I don't really get it either," Fyar admitted.
"But you're a Hunter. That's cool!!!" Cyhas praised.
"Thanks," Fyar replied with a smile.
"By the way, did you have any trouble making it? Did they ask you a lot of things? How much did it cost?" Cyhas wondered. She remembered when she had her merchant card made, she had to pay forty gold coins and answer a great many questions.
"I didn't pay anything. They only asked a few questions, and there were some I didn't answer. How much does it usually cost to make one?" Fyar's curiosity was piqued.
"Mine was forty gold coins," Cyhas answered.
"Forty?!!?!" Fyar's eyes widened. "That's so expensive." He then thought for a moment. "Maybe because it was already paid for? An adventurer named Illya is sponsoring me."
"Illya?" Cyhas nodded as if she understood. "Ah, that's no surprise then. Her influence must have made the process free and faster."
She then added cheerfully, "Fyar, would you like me to accompany you around the city? As I said, I don't have anything to do."
"Of course. If you can, please take me to a clothing store," Fyar requested.
They then began to walk side by side. For some reason, Fyar felt a little nervous walking next to Cyhas, though he felt perfectly normal with Rasie. Could it be because Cyhas is too beautiful? he wondered.
To break the silence, Fyar decided to ask a question. "Cyhas, if you don't mind me asking, who exactly is Illya? I only know she's an adventurer who invited me to join her party."
"She's a prominent noble, Fyar. Her family is the biggest donor to the Adventurers' Association," Cyhas explained.
"Then why did she become an adventurer? With that much wealth, she could just live a life of leisure. Why choose such a risky path?"
Cyhas shook her head. "I don't know either. Maybe there's another reason. People's minds are hard to figure out, Fyar."
They then walked around the city, enjoying the sunset atmosphere in the city of Elfier. The evening air was cool and peaceful. As they walked, Fyar told her about how he ended up joining Illya's party and how forceful they were about it. He also shared some of his experiences from the world he called "Earth."
Cyhas listened intently, her expression a mixture of seriousness and awe. In return, Cyhas showed Fyar several important places in the city, such as the location of the library, the adventurers' training area, and a few restaurants with delicious food.
At a clothing store, Fyar bought some simple clothes for his daily needs. He also placed an order for some custom-made outfits. Thanks to his experience as an agent, he was able to draw the designs of the clothes he wanted in detail, such as shirts, blazers, and jackets. Although the materials wouldn't be exactly the same as those on Earth, at least the styles would be familiar.
Fyar spent a total of fifty gold coins. Now, he had one hundred and fifty coins left.
As evening turned to night, they parted ways. Fyar returned to the inn. His body felt tired after a full day of walking, and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.
...
In a forest not far from the city of Elfier,
Zaefal stared at the corpse of the high-level demon he had just defeated. The demon had died in its human form, appearing well-dressed in noble's attire, with black hair slicked back and red eyes that now stared blankly at the sky.
Zaefal let out a long sigh. "A high-level demon. What is one doing here?" he muttered. "I felt something strange this morning. I never thought it would be a demon disguised as a human."
He then reached into the demon's pocket and found a card. His brow furrowed as he read the information on it. "From the design of this card, this demon likely came from the Kingdom of Randiru, the kingdom of demons. Level thirty, no wonder I almost died fighting him."
Zaefal leaned against a tree, gazing up at the night sky filled with glittering stars.
He had felt something was off with the city's atmosphere for the past week, right around the time a mysterious nobleman had arrived. Every day, there were at least three murder cases, followed by an increase in violence and disputes among the nobility. When Zaefal tried to gather information, no one knew where the nobleman came from. He claimed to have come to offer investments, but he always refused when asked to show his identification card.
His suspicion had been correct. The nobleman was a demon in disguise.
But for what purpose? Weren't humans and demons supposed to have agreed to a peace treaty thirty years ago? Zaefal couldn't understand the demon's reason for coming to Elfier at all. Could this be the work of an organization? If so, for what? Various possibilities raced through his mind.
Suddenly, an immense pain exploded in his head and shot through his entire body. It was so agonizing that he almost screamed. After a few moments that felt like an eternity, the pain subsided and his mind cleared. His adventurer's card glowed brightly for a moment before returning to normal.
He immediately looked at his card.
Zaefal
Age: 28
Level: 29
Status: Active Adventurer
Class: Hunter
Level Up Status: 0%
Requirement for Level 30:
Kill 4 level 15 dungeon bosses on the same day.
I leveled up? Nine levels at once? Zaefal's eyes widened. Is it because I killed a high-level demon? Or because I killed someone with a much higher level than me? No wonder he had felt such excruciating pain. He had never heard of such an extreme level-up. In the academy and in the library, there was not a single piece of information that mentioned killing high-level demons could drastically accelerate one's level progression.
"Congratulations on your level-up, Zaefal. Or perhaps, it would be more fitting to call you a hero."
A pink-haired woman with a pair of white wings appeared before him. The woman wore all-black clothing that contrasted with her wings and had a pair of golden eyes that stared at him intently.
The woman snapped her fingers. A black chair materialized from thin air. She then sat down gracefully, observing Zaefal.
"Who are you? An angel?" Zaefal asked, confused and wary. The fact that this woman knew his name made him even more suspicious. "What do you mean, hero? I'm not a hero."
The woman chuckled softly. "Your present self has not yet met me. But your future self will know me."
My future self? Is she a time traveler? But according to my teacher, time travel is impossible. Zaefal's confusion deepened.
The woman smiled faintly. "I was tasked by my master to deliver your future memories to you, right at the moment you entered level twenty nine."