Chapter 22: The Coming of the Classic

Though winter hadn’t yet arrived, Bazerolle’s nights were mild.
Still, spending one on the streets like a vagrant would be memorable for all the wrong reasons.

When the first rays of dawn hit Cynthia’s face, she stirred awake.

Instead of an open sky, she saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

After a long moment, she sat up, last night’s events flooding back.

One glass of low-alcohol beer… and I got drunk?

She vaguely recalled Ina supporting her as they stumbled through the streets, then… passing out.

“Ugh…”

Sitting up, Cynthia noticed Ina, who’d looked after her all night, slumped on a bench across the table, dozing by a window.

“Hm…”

Ina stirred at Cynthia’s movement, blinking awake.
“Oh, Cynthia-chan, you’re up?”

“Yeah, thanks for watching over me last night.”

Even drunk, Cynthia knew Ina had kept her from waking up on the street.

But… where were they?

She scanned the surroundings—an empty hall with tables and chairs for resting.
Across from the entrance was a service counter.
Beyond, bulletin boards covered with papers drew a small crowd of people studying them.

The place looked worn, with aged fixtures, but it was clean, clearly maintained daily.

“Cynthia-chan’s never been somewhere like this, huh?”

Ina’s words prompted Cynthia to search her memories.
Nothing matched—she’d have remembered a place this distinct.

“Nope… where are we?”

She shook her head, awaiting Ina’s answer.

“The Adventurer’s Guild. Adventurers take commissions here for rewards.”

Ina pointed to a girl behind the counter.
“That’s Sister Charlotte. She saw us stranded last night and let us rest here.”

“Oh?”

Cynthia followed Ina’s gesture.
A short-haired, light-brown-haired girl in a formal suit sorted papers behind the counter.

Sensing Cynthia’s gaze, Charlotte looked up, smiling.
“Good morning, little Ina, and… Cynthia, right?”

Cynthia nodded, approaching to thank her.
“Thanks for letting us stay.”

“Oh, Ina thanked me plenty last night.”

Charlotte waved it off.
“The Guild’s an open space. Adventurers sometimes crash in the hall.”

She paused, then added, “Ina mentioned you’re traveling but short on funds, right?”

Cynthia glanced at Ina, who suddenly found the window fascinating.
“Oh, nice weather today~”

Sighing at Ina’s dodge, Cynthia nodded.
“Yeah, we’re a bit broke right now.”

“Why not register as adventurers? You two are bold enough to travel this far alone—you must be capable, right?”

Charlotte eagerly pulled a registration form from behind the counter, handing it to Cynthia.
“Even E-rank missions could cover your travel costs.”

Cynthia took the paper reflexively, though becoming an adventurer hadn’t crossed her mind.

Ina, who’d been playing innocent, sidled up, whispering, “Cynthia-chan, you really want to be an adventurer too?”

Cynthia shot her a look, catching on instantly.
“You already decided this, didn’t you?”

“Heh, caught me!”

Ina stuck out her tongue playfully, then pulled Cynthia aside, lowering her voice.
“But seriously, we’re broke. Adventuring pays fast, and we can use the identity to dig into the Holy Church. Money and info—why not?”

Cynthia’s mind flashed to Okolis’s ragtag bandits, her mouth twitching.
“You sure adventurers make money?”

Ina caught the reference and quickly clarified.
“Okolis’s crew couldn’t hack it because they weren’t skilled enough for tougher jobs.”

“You’re not brainwashed, are you?”

Even after Ina’s explanation, Cynthia remained skeptical, half-suspecting Charlotte had sweet-talked her last night.

“I’m a witch! No one brainwashes me that easily!”

Ina puffed up, brandishing her fake witch persona to sway her.

“…”

Cynthia scratched her head, eyeing Ina’s confidence.
She mulled it over.

Money wasn’t her concern—her blood vials outlasted human food, one bottle sustaining her for ages.

But Ina needed three meals a day.

Plus, after last night’s drunken mess, which Ina had cleaned up, agreeing to her plan felt fair.

“Fine, you win. I’m in.”

Cynthia nodded, conceding to Ina’s idea.

She returned to Charlotte.
“What’s the process to register as adventurers?”

“Adventurers are ranked from S to E, top to bottom. S-rank requires completing tons of tough commissions.”

Charlotte, thrilled they were interested, explained.
“E-rank, the lowest, just needs a registration fee.”

“…Fee?”

Cynthia’s face stiffened.
That was a problem.
“We don’t have money.”

“Well, if you’re strong enough, you can skip the fee…”

“Can’t even pay the registration fee, and you want to be adventurers? That’s rich!”

A mocking voice cut through the quiet hall, drawing all eyes.

A bald, muscular man with a battle axe slung over his shoulder strode toward them, sneering down at the girls.

“Little brats, go home to your moms! Why play adventurer when you’ve got nothing better to do?!”