"We're going to the Adventurers' Guild."
Aster had heard a lot about this place from Hans. Because Hans had always spoken with excitement about the guild and his comrades there, Aster had long wanted to see it with his own eyes.
'At last… I'll see the Adventurers' Guild!'
He felt a surge of excitement inside.
At that moment, Rebecca placed breakfast on the table and joined the conversation.
"Where are you headed? The local guild?"
Aster glanced at the food in front of him and began eating hastily. After all, he had barely eaten anything the previous day.
The old man simply closed his eyes once in agreement.
"If you'd like, I can tell you where it is. Of course, not for free," she said with a sly smile.
"And you still need to pay for last night."
Valorant reached into his pocket, took out a small pouch, and placed five silver coins on the table.
Rebecca's eyes sparkled at the sight of the coins, her face lighting up with joy.
"I think this should be enough," the old man added.
Rebecca quickly snatched up the coins and tucked them away.
"It's not far—three streets down. There's a building with armed men gathered in front of it. That's the local guild. There's a girl named Silvia there. Tell her I sent you, and things will go much faster," she said cheerfully before walking away.
As Aster finished his breakfast, his thoughts drifted.
'Was Hans telling the truth? I'll see for myself.'
Valorant waited until his disciple finished eating, then the two of them set off toward the guild.
As they were leaving the inn, something occurred to Aster.
"Master! What about Sir Dan?"
"I spoke with him already," Valorant replied indifferently.
"We'll leave again at noon. We have some time until then."
Aster paused by the inn's door, lost in thought.
'Last night, because of my carelessness, I caused trouble for Master. I should thank him.'
He knew that it had been his master who carried him to the inn and stayed by his side throughout the night.
Once outside, he called out,
"Thank you!"
The old man immediately understood what he meant.
"There's no need to thank me. Just train harder so something like this doesn't happen again."
Those words made the young Elestar smile.
The two of them walked through the streets, touring Northstat a little along the way. Despite it being winter, the city was crowded with people. Some, bored of staying indoors, leaned out of upper-floor windows to watch the street below.
Because the city was famous for its high-rank dungeons, weapon shops and stores displaying various artifacts could be found at almost every corner.
This was the first time Aster had ever seen a place like this. Being surrounded by so many people made him feel uneasy, and he instinctively wanted to hide somewhere.
But after some time, he realized no one was paying him any attention.
It felt as though he were invisible.
Even so, a lingering fear remained in his heart—what would happen if someone noticed his eyes?
'It's better not to draw attention.'
He stayed quiet.
Eventually, they arrived in front of the Adventurers' Guild. Rebecca's directions were accurate.
'There really are a lot of armed adventurers.'
In front of the guild stood people of all kinds—tall, short, thin, heavyset—chatting among themselves. Some were mages, but the majority were ordinary Elestars.
How did Aster know?
He focused his mana concentration and sensed the mana of those around him.
'Hans wasn't wrong… at least so far.'
One thing Hans had mentioned was that people at the guild liked to talk together, even if they weren't particularly close.
Aster looked around curiously, despite his eyes being covered.
"Don't fall behind," his master ordered.
At last, standing before the guild's doors, Aster could barely contain his excitement. His curiosity only fueled his motivation further.
But just as they reached the entrance, Valorant grabbed his disciple by the back of his collar and pulled him aside.
'Why did Master pull me?'
He looked up at him in confusion.
A moment later, a man was sent flying out of the guild doors and crashed straight into the snow.
"Watch where you're going," the old man said, pointing at the man.
Aster nodded.
As he stepped closer to the entrance, a burly man emerged, blocking his path. The moment the man exited, they went inside.
The young Elestar hurried in.
'What… is this place?'
Inside, the guild was in chaos. Broken furniture lay scattered everywhere; tables and chairs had been smashed apart.
Aster hadn't expected this at all.
Amid the mess, a girl was trying to tidy up—straightening tables and collecting shards of broken glass.
The two approached her, and Valorant spoke first.
"Are you Silvia?"
The girl looked up.
"Yes, I'm Silvia. How can I help you?"
"Rebecca sent us."
Silvia winced slightly and pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Rebecca…" she muttered.
"Are you here to sell something?"
"Yes. And I'd also like to register this young man," Valorant said, gesturing toward Aster.
The young Elestar was surprised.
'Why does he want to do that?'
In truth, Aster wasn't against it at all. On the contrary—he genuinely wanted this.
Silvia took the container of glass shards and tossed them into the trash.
"In that case, give me a moment," she said, continuing to clean.
"You can wait by the registration desk."
She returned to her work while Valorant and Aster moved to the indicated spot.
"Why are you registering me?" Aster asked.
The old man looked at his disciple.
"You need a sword like mine. With your current blade, you can't perform the strikes I used to kill the snow wolves."
Aster stared at him in surprise.
"Do I need a magic sword to do that?"
"What did you expect?"
The sword Valorant used was fundamentally different from an ordinary blade. Such weapons were specially crafted according to the user's elemental affinity. What made them unique was how they enhanced the user's elemental abilities.
"With your sword, you can manage maybe five strikes like that before it breaks. With mine, I can do it endlessly."
Another advantage of these swords was their high quality and durability.
'So that's why we hunted the snow wolves.'
"In the western dwarven nation, these swords are custom-made," Valorant continued.
"Since your flame is blue, you'd need a special order. But you can't go there, and placing an order is expensive. So for now, you'll use a sword made for eternal flame."
"How much does it cost?"
"They're made in another country. You can imagine the price. For now, you'll make do with an eternal-flame sword. Using one made for your own flame would be easier—but you don't have that luxury. Earn the money yourself."
Fire Elestars had a special trait. Eternal flame was the foundation of all fire. Any Elestar who could use a different flame could also use eternal flame.
While they were talking, Silvia returned.
"What are you selling?"
"Snow wolf horns."
Silvia's eyes widened in shock.
"Really?! This is the first time anyone's brought snow wolf horns this winter. Where did you hunt them?"
She sat down and began writing.
"They attacked us in a dense forest last night."
"I see. How many horns did you bring?"
"Here. Count them yourself," Valorant said, placing a sack on the table.
Originally, the horns had been in several small sacks. But after arriving at the inn, they'd asked Rebecca for a larger one and combined them.
Silvia opened the sack and began counting.
"Twenty-four snow wolf horns. The price is ten silver per horn. Are you selling them?"
"Yes. And register this boy as well."
Silvia stood up.
"In that case, I'll bring the money and the paperwork right away," she said, taking the sack and disappearing through a side door.
While she was gone, Valorant and Aster picked up a fallen chair and sat down.
Suddenly, the guild doors slammed open, and the burly man who'd been thrown out earlier stormed back inside. Aster turned toward the noise, while Valorant remained seated calmly.
Seeing Aster turn his head, the man approached him.
"Kid, you're sitting in my spot—"
Before he could finish, Aster stood up, cleared the chair for him, then picked up another fallen chair nearby and sat down himself.
The man's smile flickered.
"Didn't anyone teach you to listen to someone until they finish talking? If you take someone's seat, you pay the price."
Aster replied calmly from his seat,
"Did you ask for your seat back? Now sit."