Chapter 25: Now I have to do the mission

The Adventurer’s Guild reeked of blood, Sarunda’s agony etched into every adventurer’s mind.

The hall was deathly silent, broken only by his screams, as if everyone feared drawing Cynthia’s attention.
Even Charlotte, poised to intervene, stood frozen, hand over her mouth.

Sarunda’s reputation in Bazerolle’s Guild was abysmal, but his near-A-rank strength let him get away with it.
Many resented him, so his downfall sparked quiet satisfaction in some.

He had it coming.

Still, the Guild couldn’t ignore an attack on one of their own.

As Charlotte grappled with how to proceed, applause broke the tension from behind the counter.

“Wow~ Been ages since I saw someone that strong.”

A striking woman stepped forward, eyeing the scene with intrigue.
“Charlotte, get healers for Sarunda—he can’t die here. And find someone to mop this up.”

“President Tiani… Right away.”

Charlotte nodded, hurrying to handle the aftermath.

Tiani leaned against the counter, her long khaki hair cascading down, dressed more like an adventurer than a Guild Master.
Yawning lazily, she glanced at Sarunda’s writhing form.

“Hey, little miss, ease up on the killing vibe. You’re spooking everyone.”

Her words targeted Cynthia.

“Hmph.”

Cynthia snorted, pulling back her murderous aura, and fixed her gaze on Tiani.
“Are all your adventurers this rude?”

“You took his arm—call it square.”

Tiani brushed off Cynthia’s jab.
“That’s adventuring. You own what you do.”

Her eyes flicked between Cynthia and Ina, more curious about them than Sarunda’s fate.
“Heard you want to be adventurers? Let’s talk. I’ve got a deal you’ll like.”

Cynthia and Ina exchanged a look, nodding in sync.

“Follow me.”

Tiani stepped from the counter, gesturing them along.
“Let’s find a quiet spot.”

Tiani led them to an office with a desk and plush sofas.
After they sat, she dropped her lazy air and spoke.

“Sarunda’s a pain, even for us. Your stunt might make him behave.”

“Someone like him can be an adventurer? The Guild’s got no standards?”

Cynthia’s tone was sharp, her disdain for bullies like Sarunda tied to old wounds.

“Like Charlotte said, pay the fee, anyone’s in.”

Tiani sank into a sofa, resigned.
“We handle commissions, not character checks. We just hope our adventurers aren’t total scum.”

Cynthia got it.
In a big city like Bazerolle, with so many adventurers, a few bad ones were inevitable.

“But forget that. I saw you handle Sarunda—near-A-rank, and you crushed him.”

Tiani gave Cynthia a knowing look.
“You’re A-rank material. You could register as one and take high-level jobs now.”

Her gaze stayed on Cynthia.

Cynthia frowned, glancing at Ina.
“What about her? She’s not far behind me.”

Ina’s eyes widened, shooting Cynthia a baffled look.

Not far behind? Are you serious?!

“Your friend… I don’t know her strength.”

Tiani eyed Ina, hesitating.
“But with your word, she can register A-rank too.”

No, no! Stick to the rules!

Ina screamed internally but stayed quiet.

Her plan was to let Cynthia take A-rank and coast.
A-rank jobs paid big—two missions could bankroll a spree.

But A-rank herself? No slacking then.

Still…

Ina recalled her late-night chat with Charlotte and skimming the Guild manual.
No mention of special registrations.

Charlotte’s “no-fee” method meant the Guild fronted the cost.

Catching a flicker of worry in Tiani’s eyes, Ina sensed something off.

President’s privilege?

But nothing was free.
A-rank jobs paid far more than B-rank.

Ina opened her mouth, but Cynthia spoke first.
“What’s the catch?”

“No way this is free, right?”

Cynthia paused.
“Or… is A-rank status the ‘reward’ you meant?”

The room fell silent, breaths audible.

Tiani gave a wry smile.
“You’re sharp. I can’t slip that past you.”

“Skipping ranks breaks rules…”

She hesitated, then continued.
“But Bazerolle’s Guild is mid-sized on the continent. I’ve got some pull to bend things.”

“What’s the deal?”

Cynthia cared about the terms, not the power.
A deal meant negotiation.

“I need you to investigate Bazerolle’s underground waterways.”

“Sewers?”

Ina perked up, surprised.
“Isn’t that the city’s water supply and drainage system?”

“You know your stuff,” Tiani nodded.
“The waterways are managed by a dedicated agency, but lately, strange monsters have appeared, using the channels as a base and polluting the water.”

“To protect the water supply and keep beasts from escaping, the Lord issued a Guild commission for adventurers skilled with monsters, but…”

Tiani leaned back, exhaustion in her eyes.
“Early on, adventurers cleared some, but then casualties spiked unexpectedly.”

“Survivors reported a monster group deep in the waterways, led by a red beast. It didn’t attack directly but absorbed magic energy, boosting nearby monsters.”

“The longer they fought, the weaker they got. Only a few escaped.”

Tiani’s tone grew heavy.
“We rated it C-rank based on initial info from the Waterway Agency. Most who went were C- or B-rank.”

“After new intel, we upped it to A-rank.”

“Then get local A-rank adventurers to handle it,” Cynthia said, sensing Tiani’s angle but not spelling it out. She glanced at Ina.
“Unless…”

Ina caught her drift.
“Unless there aren’t any A-rank adventurers here, or they’re unavailable, or… they took the job and failed.”

“Exactly.”

Tiani sighed, laying it bare.
“A-rank adventurers are rare—only a few dozen teams kingdom-wide, maybe a hundred total.”

“Most are in the capital for better pay. We’ve only got two A-rank teams here. One’s in the capital; the other went silent after taking this job.”

“Even an A-rank team couldn’t handle it?”

Cynthia didn’t know A-rank strength precisely, but if Sarunda was near-A-rank, true A-ranks weren’t much stronger.

The mission sounded fishy—sparse intel, heavy losses.
Not something typical adventurers could tackle.

Cynthia could protect herself, but the unknown made guaranteeing Ina’s safety tricky.

Better to find another way.
Tiani’s plan was clever, but the reward didn’t cut it.

As Cynthia opened her mouth to refuse, Tiani dropped a bombshell.
“That A-rank team was strong and had Holy Church members with them. No one expected them to vanish.”

Holy Church members?

Cynthia and Ina froze.

Why would the Church join such a mission?

Even Ina couldn’t fathom their reasoning.
Purifying monsters? Maybe, but it felt off.

“Church members went into the sewers?”

Cynthia held back her refusal, probing further.
“Why would they go somewhere so dangerous?”

“The monster nest is near Bazerolle’s Church. The Church sealed nearby sewer entrances to protect residents.”

Cynthia and Ina fell silent, pieces clicking into place.
Given past encounters and Tiani’s words, answers formed.

If the Holy Church was involved, they couldn’t walk away.

“No objections, right?”

Ina sighed, glancing at the quiet Cynthia.
“We should at least check it out.”

“Agreed.”

Cynthia nodded, ready to accept, but Ina yanked her back to the sofa, smiling at Tiani.
“We’re in, but let’s talk compensation first.”

After a lengthy negotiation, Cynthia and a smug Ina emerged from Tiani’s office.

“Didn’t peg you for a negotiator…”

“Hehe, extortion’s my thing.”

Ina tossed a purse—extra “deposit” she’d squeezed from Tiani.
“No one else can handle this job soon. As long as we don’t push too far, she’ll cave.”

Charlotte was still handling Sarunda’s mess, absent from the hall.
Cynthia sighed.
“If your strength matched your scheming, the Church wouldn’t have caught you.”

“Ahem… Let’s focus on the mission.”

Ina, flustered, redirected.
“Tiani set us up with a rest area. You go rest. I’ll hit the item shop for mission supplies.”

“Why do you need—”

“Because I need them, not you!”

Ina shoved Cynthia into the Guild’s rest room, brimming with confidence.
“You’re the muscle! How’ll you protect me if you’re not rested? My life’s in your hands!”

With that, she slammed the door and bolted for Bazerolle’s item shop.

Unaware, she didn’t notice someone trailing her, watching silently from the shadows.