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'Although Silver and Loiju were relaxing, Orario was in the middle of yet another wave of turmoil.'

'After the events yesterday, the rumors have finally started to reach the ears of everyone in Orario.'

'From the mouth of an adventurer to his Familia, and from them to their own friends…'

'Everyone started to notice the boy who broke the record.'

'But that in itself wasn't enough to create this level of notoriety.'

'What made everyone frown were the rumors about his true identity and the fact that he was the Red and White knight's, and that Loki supposedly confirmed it.'

'It's safe to say that most scoffed at it, not believing it at all. Most didn't even believe he broke the record, attesting he must've manipulated his information.'

'It's easier to believe in this than in the truth since most adventurers took years to Level up, someone who took a month and a half was too much for them to process.'

'But even if Silver were to hear their opinions, he wouldn't give a shit...'

…

/A few hours after Loiju and Silver left for the Dungeon…/

'A girl could be seen walking cheerfully towards the Guild. She stopped many times in front of mirrors to check on herself.'

'However, she was perfectly fine. More than fine as she was stunning.'

"..."

Will he be there today?

'Her appearance coupled with her cute clothes attracted the attention of many guys and girls alike.'

'It was a white dress that went to her knees and a beautiful white hat with a platinum flower that seemed to symbolize her purity.'

'Her casual dress swayed in the wind as she walked.'

'This girl was none other than Artemis, making a second attempt in meeting her warrior in the Guild.'

'But she had a serious expression this time.'

'Even if she had feelings for him, she had to confirm if he was "promised" to be with her.'

'And what if he isn't?... Then she shall move on from her first love. Even if it's painful... No.'

'Artemis may have changed, however, she still has her own beliefs.'

'In her head, even if the knight isn't her promised one, then she shall find a way to make him the one!'

"I need to stay focused."

'She had to see if he could be her Orion.'

…

'Orario was bustling with activity as always, people talked and smiled as they bought and sold their things in the market.'

"I am finaly here." Said Artemis as she left the market

'She had arrived, and in front of her laid the Guild building.'

"Alright…" She said nervously

'She took her first step when…'

"Artemis? Is that you? I almost didn't recognize you!" Said a feminine voice from the side

'Artemis turned around and looked at the newcomer, it was two people to be exact, a woman with green hair and an Elf with blue hair.'

"Leto?! It's been so long!" Said Artemis as she hugged her friend

'The two hugged for a while and exchanged greetings.'

"... Are you sure you are alright? I heard you proposed a War game…" She asked in a worried tone

"Don't worry, I am more than confident this time of our victory. In fact, that has to do with why I am here." She said in a confident tone

"Oh?"

'Artemis was curious.'

"In the past 3 months or so, all of my Children have gone through a heavy period of training and they have finally leveled up!" She said in a proud tone

"So I came here to report their levels." She added

Although I could've done that last week… But that bastard wouldn't have accepted the War game otherwise.

However, I may have to pay a fee due to this infraction… Urg…

'Artemis was surprised before she smiled.'

"Congratulations! It seems I worried for nothing. Tityos will be in for a rough awakening."

"It was about time! Urg… I can't believe all of this stemmed from that one event in Heaven."

'Leto looked at the blue sky, at a place beyond the reach of Babel.'

"He reacted pretty violently after I rejected him. Since then he has been getting in my way for every little thing… Eventually culminating in him trying to…" Said Leto in a sad tone

"He was always a petty bastard. Don't take it to heart, he will receive the punishment he deserves." Said Artemis as she cracked her knuckles

"I will make sure of it, as the captain of the Leto Familia!" Said Yilfi, finally having a chance to join the conversation

/Chuckle…/

'The three laughed heartily.'

"In any case, why are you here?" Asked Leto

"Oh?!... I am here too… Uh… Thank my savior…" She said in an embarrassed tone

"!"

'However, Leto sharpened her eyes.'

Savior?... Ah... I see...

The Platinum knight… This is troublesome.

"What a coincidence! You see, my Familia was also saved by him! We were also looking for him." She said with a thin smile

"Hm? Didn't you say in the Denatus that your Familia was saved by an adventurer who uses red armor?" Asked Artemis

"Someone can always change their equipment, but it seems you are behind the news." She said with a sweet smile

"What happened?"

"Didn't you hear that the Platinum knight is also the Red knight?"

"Really?!" Said Artemis in surprise

"Not only that but he has also been confirmed to be the recent record breaker!"

'Artemis was left mouth-opened. Her shock couldn't be measured by normal means.'

"Th-That's impossible?! Wouldn't that mean he was at most Level 1 during the events three weeks ago?!"

That's impossible! He was…

'It was then that Artemis realized.'

'She didn't see her knight fight even once, only his magic capabilities.'

'She also seemed to remember him grunt in pain every time he used his ability to move them as if he was…'

'Under intense pressure, similar to when mages overtax themselves.'

"..."

'The only moment she saw him attack, was when he defeated her assailant.'

'It was something so impactful that she never bothered to analyze the situation.'

'But now… It doesn't seem impossible for a Level 1 to do all of that, however, that would mean his stats are very high, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to cast his magic at all. No matter how good and efficient they are.'

"Ara ma…" Said Leto

It seems you finally started to realize, however, I won't let you take the lead…

"Then… How is his appearance?! Or his name…" She asked

If he is Level 1 or Level 3… It doesn't matter.

But I need to know who he is!

"The thing is… I also don't know. Only small fragments from other people's conversations."

"They say he is tall and has long dark hair, and that he is quite handsome. His eyes are a rare Silver color while his name…"

"..."

'Artemis waited patiently.'

"Shiro?... Shilvo?... I don't remember exactly…"

I am truly sorry! But I can't allow you to go any further!

And in any case, I am sure you would find out about this eventually.

'Leto smiled.'

"Is that so…" Said Artemis in a disappointing tone

Would the Guild tell me if I asked?... Might as well check.

"Thank you for the info. I will take my leave now." Said Artemis as she went to the counters in a hurry

'They said goodbye to each other and left.'

"..."

She is in such a hurry… She is determined.

Artemis was always a stubborn girl who would follow her desires to their end once she placed her head into it.

"... Why did you lie? Wouldn't it be easier to guide her to the board so she could see his face?" Asked Yilfi

After all, the Guild published his face there...

"... What are you talking about?" Asked Leto

"... Sigh… Forget it…"

If she doesn't want to talk then it's better to stop. Leto is very stubborn.

'The two also went to one of the counters, they had some paperwork to finish.'

…

'At the same time in a large mansion, a blond man smiled widely as he read a report.'

"So this was the variable that changed everything."

Interesting.

'He got up from his chair and said:'

"But I have other things to consider right now." He said as he looked through the window

Loki isn't someone to stop when she has her eyes on something.

But I already have things set in motion to calm her down.

And in the meantime, all I have to do is observe…

'Dyonisus turned around and left his room.'

…

/Back in the Guild…/

/Whispers…/

'Even though several hours had passed, the Guild was still rather full of people.'

'Most of those were interested in this new record-breaker.'

'Some just wanted to see who did it, while others wanted to make themselves acquainted with the man.'

"... Phew! Finally a break!" Said Misha as she sat on a chair near another person

"Quite a surprise don't you think so? That boy really surprised me!"

"At the start, I thought he was only a handsome man, but he is also quite capable huh?" She said

'She looked to the side and saw that her friend completely ignored her.'

"..."

"Why do you look so tense? Did the work get to you?" Asked Misha as she looked at her friend

"Eh? Sorry. I wasn't paying attention… Haha…" Said Eina in embarrassment

'Eina looked at the ceiling as she thought...'

"Hm… Is this because of your little scolding a few weeks ago?" Said Misha

"COUGH!"

'Eina choked in her coffee, spilling it on the table.'

"As expected…"

"How… Cough!... Do you still remember that?!" Said Eina with her cheeks a little red

"I mean, it's quite rare to see you getting angry, and you got pretty sulky after that…"

"..."

"And let me guess, it just so happened that the man you scolded was none other than the guy who wiped out the Irregular monster and saved Loki." She said as she tried to hold her laugh

'Eina's ears seemed to fall a little.'

"You must be embarrassed since you scolded him right?" Said Misha

"... ARG! How can I fix this mess?..." Said Eina as she placed her hands on her head

"..."

Heh, she is normally professional, but I guess this was enough to make you drop that huh?

Let me… Misha! Help you get out of this predicament!

"You did nothing wrong Eina, in fact, you were just doing your job."

"I know that, but…"

"But what gezz… Are you afraid he is going to make fun of you or something? Arent you and him adults?"

"If he makes fun of you for that, that would show he is a douche and case closed, a little bit of awkwardness would happen but no one here is going to make fun of you for that…"

A tease on the other hand… It's free real estate...

"It's best if you are just honest with him, we will see about what to do next based on his reaction."

"... I just hope you are right." Said Eina as she drank her coffee, a little bit more relaxed than last time.

"Hehe." Said Misha as she smiled

'Eina's chance would soon come…'

…

/Sometime later…/

'The Guild was now relatively empty, it was the late evening after all.'

"All of this paperwork… Just when is that Elf going to come back?!" Screamed a Guild employee on the side as he pulled his hair

"It's been almost half a day, do you think that…" Said another employee, worried

"Impossible, that guy has been working for years, and never did he commit such a mistake."

"He has a lot of experience, more than enough to avoid danger in the Dungeon." Replied his coworker

"... The Dungeon isn't what I am worried about…" He said

"..."

'From the side, Eina heard their conversation and couldn't help but worry a little.'

Did something happen?...

/Poft!/

"Ouch!" Said Eina

'From behind her, a tall red-haired beast woman appeared, smacking a light book into her head.'

"Why did you do that Rose…" Asked Eina

"Are you taking good care of yourself? Stop worrying so much, and focus on the work. Loiju isn't someone to commit a rookie mistake like leading his adventurer too deep in the Dungeon for a mere evaluation." Said Rose

"I know that, it's just…"

"Stop, we are almost done, we can worry about them later."

Although… I am also worried…

But sometimes… They may never retur…

/Step step step…/

'In the rather silent Guild, heavy metal sounds started to echo. Cutting Rose from her thoughts.'

"Hm?"

'Eina and rose looked to the side to see…'

'A tall Platinum knight and a very relaxed Elf with a bag of cookies in his hands…'

"... Chomp… And that's… Chomp… How I got… Chomp… These cookies are great, man! I liked these, I will buy some more later… Anyway, that's how I got to Orario… Chomp… Around 14 years ago."

I was just a naive 19-year-old elf at that time… Looking for adventure.

'Loiju kept eating the cookies as he spoke, completely relaxed.'

'So much so that the other employees looked at him as if he was an alien.'

"Just what…" Said Misha on the side

"..."

I knew it…

'Rose face-palmed.'

"..."

'And Eina got up from her chair, with a resolute face, making her way to Silver.'

/Step step step!/

'However…'

'Several people also rushed at him.'

"What?..."

Who are these people?

'Eina was confused as she looked at the rather dense crowd of people.'

/Whisper whisper…/

'Sounds of talking soon filled the entire Guild…'

"..."

'Eina turned around to look at her friends, Misha just shrugged while Rose turned around and left, not wanting to get herself in the middle of this mess.'

"Sigh…"

'Eina looked at the crowd, and decided to approach him and apologize, regardless of the others around him.'

…

/A few minutes later…/

"... Thank you!" Said a man as he bowed

"Thank you!" x4

'Next to the man was 4 other people, bowing.'

"... No need to do this everyone…" Said the Knight

"... Ever since you saved us from that shitty situation, I have been looking to thank you and…" Said the man

'But the knight interrupted him.'

"I understand, but I won't accept rewards, can we leave it at just a thank you?" Said the knight

"But…"

'The man's friends, most likely, his Familia members, placed their hands on his shoulder asking him to just step down.'

'The man seemed to think before he nodded, he bowed once again and left.'

"... Phew…" Said Loiju on the side

Just how many people did this bastard save…

"I thought I was going to drown in the sea of people for a minute there." He said

"At least it's over." Said Silver with a smile

'For the past few minutes, Silver stayed there, accepting the thanks and words of the people he saved as the red knight.'

'He was quite touched that these people would remain in the Guild for hours waiting for him.'

'He expected something like this but never to this extent.'

'Not all of the people he saved were here, but in the first place, he never intended for them to do this since he wasn't saving others for personal gain.'

'Most of the time, he did it out of convenience, and to test his powers against adventurers. Like his healing efficacy and other things.'

'That's why he refused their gifts, it was also a way for him to remain a certain distance away from them.'

'It's good to be acquaintances, but having too many such friends can be detrimental sometimes. Not all of them had good intentions…'

"So Silver, let's go get your reward and call it a day." Said Loiju on the side

"Sure, let's grab a drink after this…"

I am quite tired after all, I met quite a lot of people on the way here… Wearing brilliant Platinum armor isn't really subtle…

This came as an idea from Loiju.

Since my identity was already revealed, I might as well show myself to the world.

Of course, in moderation, since I don't want to be seen as an attention seeker...

Or attract unwanted attention...

So I just made the way back from the Dungeon in my armor.

Although I am pretty sure Loiju suggested this so he could get some attention towards himself... I saw some girls looking at him weirdly or the way back... Fucking bastard...

"Wait." Said a voice behind Silver

'Just when Silver and Loiju were making their way to the balcony, Eina interrupted them.'

'She had been waiting for a chance for quite a while.'

"Oh… I will go first, Silver." Said Loiju as he continued to walk

'As he walked away, he made a sneaky 'thumbs up'...'

"..."

Are you abandoning me you fucker?!

"Excuse me for a moment Mr…" Said Eina as she waved her hand at Silver

"Eina? It's been a while." Said Silver as he approached her

"Yeah…" She said in embarrassment

'But her face soon grew serious again. She was indeed very professional.'

"..."

I think I know what this is about…

Ha! There is no need to be like that because, in the first place, I placed too much thought into what she said to me anyway.

Even though she was just trying to help, she knew too little about me and this was the result.

"Ms Eina?" Asked Silver when he noticed that she was silent

"Oh!... I… I am sorry!" She said as she bowed out of nowhere

"... What are you apologizing for?" Said Silver

"Eh?"

What is going on?

"Let me guess, is this about what happened over a month ago?" Asked Silver

'She nodded, a little confused.'

"Haha... Look, on that day, you lectured a Level 1 adventurer by telling him that ignoring his advisor and going to the Middle floors is a foolish endeavor, and you are right."

"But you…" She said

Shouldn't he be angry?

"How strong and capable I am doesn't really matter since not even Loiju knew much about it anyway. It was more of a selfish and dangerous action of mine."

"In fact, I respect you, since you were the only one who went out of your way to lecture me. Most tend to mind their own business in order to evade complication, but you at least cared."

"So, allow me to thank you, for worrying about me." Said Silver as he bowed a little

'He was relatively taller than Eina, so him bowing just made their faces draw closer...'

"Eh?"

Is he… Praising me now?

'Eina was stupefied.'

"And also, I would like to start from zero, last time, it was quite the bad start…"

'As Silver said that, he removed his helmet.'

"..."

'Eina looked at the boy behind the helmet, his long dark hair contrasting with the platinum Silver armor.'

'Even though she knew who would appear, she couldn't help but feel surprised.'

'Within her, a part of her thought that all of this was just a dream and that it was impossible for all of those feats to have been done by a single, Level 1 newbie.'

He looks different… I must be imagining things… Oh! The armor of course.

'Eina just brushed the change off as it being something from the armor, she did see him every once in a while, but she never approached him since that day, nor did he to her.'

'So she didn't have much of a reference to notice his change...'

"How about we start over?" Said Silver as he extended his hand to her

"This…"

'Eina looked at his armored hand.'

"Oh! Do you follow the Elves' traditions? If so, pardon me…" He said as he withdrew his hand

'But before he could continue, Eina grabbed his hand.'

"Nice to meet you, adventurer Silver." Said Eina

"... Nice to meet you, Guild instructor Eina." Said Silver as he smiled

'The two shook hands.'

"I am not just an instructor you know?" She said as she smiled

"Really?" Said Silver as he scratched his chin

"#!"

This isn't how things were supposed to go?!

'Eina's face got red in a mix of anger and embarrassment, but when she looked at the face of the tall young man, she could only laugh.'

"... That went well." Said Misha as she looked at the two from afar

He is way more than just a pretty face.

"..."

'Rose watched from the far corner of the Guild, and after seeing the situation develop, she smiled and left.'

…

/A minute later.../

"So uh… There is quite a lot of things we need to go over." said Loiju as he picked a stack of papers from below the table

"... Is that… For me?" Asked Silver in desperation as he looked at the pile of papers

"Not all of it, some are also mine… But at least half of it is yours."

"Why?!"

"First… Most of these are reports that need to be filled in."

"From the irregular monster to that day three weeks ago… And some are just formal papers you need to sign in order to gain the stored rewards from the Guild."

"... Do I really need to?"

'Loiju smiled wickedly when he heard that.'

"In fact… You don't. However, this would make your accomplishments not official. Just a lot of useless bureaucracy, to be honest, most of them are quite similar, and you're not obliged to say anything that might reveal your abilities."

"At least... Normally... You know what I am talking about right?" Said Loiju in a low tone

"..."

The report huh...

"So you can just write anything you want as long as it's coherent really."

"... Sigh… Just get them ready, I will speedrun this shit!"

I still want to eat something…

"Speedrun? Hm... That's a fitting word." Said Loiju

"Alright, then let's start with the oldest papers…" He said as he took out a stack of papers from the bottom of the pile

"..."

Fuck…

'The other Guild employees looked at the scene with pity, but it went away fast when they remembered Loiju ditched them for the entirety of the day.'

/Scribble scribble…/

'Sounds of writing soon filled the Guild…'

/Step step step…/

'From behind the Guild in an alley, a girl ran with no destination as tears fell from her eyes.'

'The pale moon in the sky seemed to be following her as the entire alley was illuminated by moonlight…'

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