“Wow!” One of the supporters is flabbergasted.

“So this is a 1st rank.” It seems I may have given them a wrong idea. I am pretty sure I am the most powerful thing in the world… Well, maybe excluding the Goddess and whatever hero she summoned/kidnapped. Ahorn’s power to crush souls also sounded absolutely terrifying.

“There’s no other 1st rankers around?” I asked.

“Well, there is one, but they have a proper clan and all supporters are permanent members.” I wonder if that is the route we are headed down.

In four hours or so, we had finished hunting for the large amount of requests and were heading back and I wasn’t even carrying that much. One of the young men following us seems to be exhausted and struggling at this point.

“Shall I carry it for you?” I asked. As I did he became pale.

“No! no! I can do this!” I wondered why he was so adamantly against it.

“It’s no skin off my back. We are done fighting, so I can help carry more.”

“There’s no issue, sir!” He was still against it. I may have made a curious face, as the other supporter filled me in.

“With all due respect sir, if we don’t do our job here, what are the chances you will hire us again?” The first looked at the other with eyes that could kill. I see.

“I’ll hire you again tomorrow, so just hand me the bag already.” I told him. He looked confused before handing it over. Good grief, people sure think weirdly.

Carrying the bag, we got our goods checked and headed to the guild. I didn’t hunt any extra this time, because I didn’t want to deal with the tax. The monsters we came across but wasn’t present in our requests were just left in the dungeon. Somebody will probably pick it up, but the meat won’t be good since we didn’t drain it.

We paid the supporters what we had promised them in the morning. Merely a few dozen peko each. They couldn’t even live at the inn one day for that, but I’ll suspend the charity I feel like giving till we have a larger surplus.

After that, the day continued much as yesterday, except Patir went out to find some good drink for us to share later. After dinner, I once again retreated to my room to keep up with magic practice.

As Yasia came back from her dish-washing job or whatever it is she is doing, she cast a quick glance between the two beds.

“Good work today.” I greeted her. She approached me and plopped her head down my lap. I was a little annoyed that it broke my levitation, since the downwards force made me collide with the bed, but I ignored the desire to reprimand her and gently started stroking her head.

“Yian… Won’t you…” Yasia started before her voice died out.

“Won’t I what?”

“Won’t you… Stay here tonight…” I think a little about, but before I get too long along, there is another protest.

“It’s more important he spends time with me!” Dixy replied in a pretty loud voice.

“Hey, I thought we agreed you keep quiet in the city!”

“But she is going to take you away!” What is this book’s problem?

I look down on Yasia. I remember her crying last night. I remember Dixy will probably be with me forever, while Yasia won’t.

“One more word out of you and I am throwing you away.” I said to Dixy, mostly in jest.

“All right” I turned to Yasia. “I’ll stay here tonight.”. She looked up at me with a big smile and wet eyes. Then, she lunged right for my face, but I was faster, holding her back.

“Five years, remember?” She immediately looked a little sullen.

“Yeah… Five years…” She crept up in my lap, resting most of her upper body there for now.

“Hey… Do you mind if I use you for magic practice?” I asked her. I have had a little success levitating other objects than myself, but I had wondered how difficult it would be, if that thing was living. I have tried to carry people before, and I remember how much harder it is when compared to objects of similar weight.

“You’re… You’re not going to anything dangerous, right?” She asked me.

“Of course I am not. I wouldn’t risk hurting you.” The fiasco with the cart still weighed heavily on my mind.

She agreed and I had her sit in my lap, while I used the levitation magic. She was a little amazed, and as I started slowly making circles around the room, a few giggles could be heard.

“You are amazing!” I heard many times during the practice.

It was pretty hard, though. I had gotten used to counteracting some of my movement as I did it, sort of like learning to lean in swings, when I started biking. But having another person make their own small constant movements made it a whole lot trickier, and I softly bumped into the walls and beds multiple times.

Eventually, I let Yasia down and sat beside her, practicing on my own while waiting for her to fall asleep.

“I love you.” She said quietly. I was about to reply ‘I love you too’, but the idea somehow left a bad taste in my mouth. When I had convinced myself I ought to say it anyway, an awkward amount of time had passed. What would she think if I said it now? I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear it.

The next morning, as I felt my own alarm clock in the form of the refreshing feeling, I slowly left the bed. Yasia woke.

“Good morning.” She said slovenly.

“Good morning.” I replied and a great big smile spread across her face. This girl may be surprisingly easy to please, huh?

Kassa and I left for the Loffreq, but as we were picking out requests, the receptionist lady that got us on the first day appeared from behind us.

“Excuse me, can I have a word?”