[Ciara Pov]

"In that case, we should-" Eh- Wait where am I? I swear I was with Atlas and the rest...

"Eh-" When I looked around, I saw a glass of water drop along with some hard bread.

"Sir Dalton! She's awake!" The voice of a woman echoed into my head... Did she really have to scream that loudly... I could hear the loud pounding of hurried footsteps coming closer.

"Ciara-" Eh Master Slade! A big hug came from my strict master who always pushed me to become stronger, it caught me off-guard which made me blush red.

"You suddenly fainted on the carriage while talking to us... Your skin got deathly pale and your heartbeat was faint..." UWAH! Was I that close to dying... Is that dimension actually not built for humans or something. If so, Atlas must be alright if he got out at the same time as me. Master Slade is speaking faster than usual too

"Master Slade you can release me now..." Master Slade stopped hugging me the moment I told him to stop, he seemed quite bashful when he realized that he broke his character of being a grumpy middle-aged man.

"You... should get some rest... Are you hungry?" After regaining his composure, Master Slade helped clean up the broken shards of glass on the floor while talking to me.

"Oh I'm not that-" My stomach made a loud rumbling noise, Ahh~ So embarrassing, I hate you my stomach- You didn't have to do me like that!

"I guess you are... Hey Beatrice, I'll take care of this... so just prepare her a warm meal please?" The woman who dropped the glass in the first place was named Beatrice, she quickly went downstairs after clumsily passing some cloth and a bucket to Master Slade.

"Once you fully recover, we don't need to start training right away... You can do what you want for three days..." Eh! Master Slade is giving me a break? If having a close death experience is all I need to get a break from training... I think I should do that more often- Hehe~ Just kidding.

"Ah! Master... I need to tell you something important!" Master Slade is always too quick to do tasks, he finished picking up all the glass shards and wiping the water within a minute.

"Is there something else wrong?... Is your body still in pain?..." Master Slade quickly put down the bucket and rushed to my bed, I wish he showed this much care for me when we're training.

"Its sort of complicated to explain so..." I knew I would have to tell Master Slade I'm not from this world sooner or later, wait... Should I tell him that? Eh- What if he doesn't understands and just leaves me... Then Atlas wouldn't have a safe passage way to the Dwarven Continent... AHH! I hate it when I overthink~

"On a second thought, I should eat first... I'm pretty hungry right now hehe~" Yosh! I was able to avoid the topic, I'll think about it after I have a good warm meal.

"Alright then... Just tell me when you want to talk about it, I'm going out to check something... at the Milam Main Guild Office." Oh yeah... we were headed to the Dwarven Capital when I got teleported to that weird dimension, that means we're in some Milam inn.

"Ah! The others- Where are they?" There were other people travelling with us, we agreed we'd form a temporary party to fight some monsters.

"They're... all outside the guild office, they said they'd meet me there... after I check on you." Oh... I thought they'd leave us since I just fainted on the way here and might be a liability.

"See you later then..." With that, Master Slade had gone downstairs.

"Ms Ciara... Your food has arrived." Beatrice came up the stairs with my food, it was some Myaz stew and warm water. I wish they had something like a burger or something close to that.

"Thank you..." I guess I'll dig in, I spent a while in that weird dimension but never got hungry or thirsty... I feel the sudden urge to just gobble down all this food since coming back here.

"It must be nice having such a caring master..." Eh? What did she say?

"Oh dear! I must've said that out loud..." Yeah, I heard you loud and clear.

"Its the first time he's been this caring... Usually he's all Grr and Grawr! He trains me so hard, I almost fainted on my first day training with him." Hmph! Master Slade might be slightly handsome for someone his age but don't let his gentle appearance fool you, he's like a tiger when it comes to training.

"Oh? But he seemed quite worried... he suddenly came to this inn and demanded us for a room to stay, he quickly went out after to get a doctor who he carried all the way here... I think he cares for you much more than you think." EHH! That- that- Wha-

"He looked so dependable and handsome when he worried so much, the seriousness in his eyes could make your heart skip a beat~" AHH! Don't describe my Master that way! Please! I don't want to imagine my hardcore Master who made me train in a thunderstorm and threw me into a freezing river to be some cool guy!

"I guess he does have his soft side..." Ahh! Why am I slightly turning red, stupid master.

"Just call me if you need anything~ Sir Dalton paid extra so I'll do my best to make it worth!" Heh~ He even paid extra for the room and service...

"This stew taste really good..." It was from those cow-looking things, it taste really good~

After eating this, I'm starting to miss home even more... Ahh! I want to get back to earth as soon as possible. I wonder if Atlas is already doing his best to implement the possibility of my master helping them.

Yeah... I don't think so since he's being attacked by Fable probably right now! ~.~

Its reassuring though that I'm not the only one here, I'm grateful that Atlas and I got to meet or else I would've never known of the existence of other people like me here... I wish it would've been a human not a short skeleton~

Atlas did say there's also a possibility that there maybe many more people who are like us, he told me to remain cautious and not draw too much attention to myself.

That should be easy enough to do, I just have to keep a low profile while building a base of operations to gather trustworthy comrades so that we can find a way back home.

Wait... Doesn't that mean I need to buy a place, that requires money... a lot of money. Doing a simple job at the guild pays at least 5 copper coins while 1 silver coins is at least 50 copper coins, 1 gold coin is 50 silver coins. I should research how much is the property here at the capital since it might be more expensive than buying a plot of land on the countryside.

Awawa~ So many things to do, I should write it down so I won't forget and I can organize my thoughts properly- Ah wait, let's finish the food first then think about it... I don't want my food to turn cold.

I finished my food within ten minutes and asked Beatrice to give me a few more servings, I made sure to eat a lot before leaving for the capital so I wasn't sure why I was so hungry. Maybe I am a glutton but I don't think I get that hungry that often right...

"Thank you for the stew Ms Beatrice..." I shyly gave her my plate for the fifth time today as I finally finish eating, she smiled brightly while taking my plate.

"Its not a problem! You seem to have a hearty appetite, very rare to see a girl like that!" I bet she didn't mean it in a bad way but... I don't normally eat this much!

"Hehe~ I must've used a lot of energy before I came here..."

"Oh? But Sir Dalton told me that you ate quite a bit before you embarked for Milam?" That- Grr... Why did he have to tell her that!

"Anyways... Please recover well Ms Ciara." With that, Beatrice left and I could finally think clearly.

Hm... I feel like I'm fidgeting around too much that I'm not able to concentrate, I guess I should sit up and write down what I need to do.

Things to do

1. Tell Master Slade about Atlas and explain how I met Atlas

2. Convince Master Slade to help Atlas get into the Dwarven Continent

3. Research about the property in Milam or the Dwarven Continent

4. Earn money to build base of operations

5. Once Step 4 is done, find comrades from earth that are willing to help go back home... trustworthy comrades that will understand your situation... not backstabbers

"Ho! Yeah this'll do perfectly!" After writing all what I need to do and organizing it, I can now easily think of a solution with a set goal in mind.

I should be able to easily research about Milam property and how to get the best deal for the best price... The thing is... the first step... Hah~ Hopefully Master Slade will believe what I say, the worse case scenario is that he'll reject my proposal to help Atlas.

I don't think I have to worry about Master Slade talking about Factions, he just says he'll do it if it benefits him... I should try to make a good argument for how it will benefit him.

Benefit... Benefit... benefit... Ah! Atlas is pretty cunning and he's got good potential to become strong, maybe Master Slade will be interested for another disciple if Atlas can prove himself.

I did read that many different races from Beastfolk to Demons are allowed on the Dwarven Continent, even skeletons that gained sentience and are independent. Its not a rare occurrence... I've seen plenty of Beastfolk, Elves and Demons on the way to Milam. It's nice that there's a Continent that allows multiple races to mix, I assumed there'd be war against the four main races when I learnt about the races.

The Human Continent does allow a mixture of races in certain regions while the Elven and Demon Continent have strict laws to outsiders, the Labyrinth Continent is somewhat similar to the Dwarven Continent but I don't think there really was a set law there whether multiple races could be there.

Hmm... I guess if Atlas is willing, he could go to the Labyrinth Continent and gain a few artifacts that can sell for a few gold coins if they're good. I wonder if skeletons are like... immortal in a way, unless their whole body is pulverized... Can't they just build themselves back up with new bones?

It must be cool to reincarnate as another race... Ah wait! No no no... I shouldn't say that, Atlas might not like being stuck in some weird world that you know nothing of... forgive me Atlas~

Oh wait... I could ask Beatrice if they have any books or sorts around here like a library, it'd be good if they have it at the inn here.

"I should get there slowly..." I could stand but walking was very slow for me right now, I was headed downstairs since Beatrice probably couldn't hear me all the way up there.

"Ah Ms Beatrice... I wanted to ask you about something..." Finally! I got down~

"Eh! Ms Ciara... you shouldn't be out of bed right now~" Beatrice quickly put down some plates and went to my side to support me, maybe I should've asked her later.

"Sorry... I just wanted to know if there was a library around here." Beatrice looked at me with a puzzled face when I asked her about the library, maybe there wasn't such a thing as a library for majority of people... Master Slade that nobles or rich people mostly had libraries.

"Oh! If you want to find a place to read about things... You can go to the librarva that's owned by a retired mage." So its called a librarva, I'll head there as soon as I can move properly and tell Master Slade about Atlas.

"Hey! Another glass of Nerk please!" Some guy was calling for Beatrice, I guess I should go back and rest in my room.

"Alright just give me a minute! Ms Ciara, just wait here before I help you get back up to your room." Ah~ Beatrice is such a good person, maybe its because she needs to be like this so that more people will come to this place.

"Hm?" A person with a brown cloak entered the Inn, I couldn't see his/her face clearly so I didn't know which race he/she belonged to.

"Oh welcome to the Milam Inn!" Now that I look at this place more, its quite big and cozy... Master Slade must've spent quite a bit to get a room and special treatment for me.

"Do you know where this man is?..."The person went straight to Beatrice who glanced at me, was there something I could help with?

"You! How dare you! You smell of SLADE!" EH! A BEASTFOLK WOMAN? Why does she look like she's getting angry?!

"COME HERE!" UWAH! I should run!

"Um! You should settle this outside please!" Ms Beatrice! Thank you! Please convince her to get out, I beg of you.

"This customer is on the special treatment list by Sir Dalton, if you want to do anything to such as harm her... you will be an enemy of the Milam Guild!" Ohh! Impressive Ms Beatrice!

"Grr..." EEE! She still seems quite angry, Master Slade please come back quickly~

"Please wait patiently ok?" Beatrice was able to calm her down, she finally took a seat.

"Come on Ms Ciara, I'll help you get back to your room." Awawa~ Too many events are happening these past few days, my head hurts now.

[Slade Pov]

"Oi~ Slade! Is your apprentice doing alright?" Hm... they must've been waiting for quite a bit.

"Yes... she has woken up... she is fine but still needs rest." Its my responsibility that Ciara will be taken care of, due to my folly... she fell sick for some unknown reason.

"That's great then! Let's go to the Milam guild to see if there's any quests we can do!" Leona is very energetic... That is a very good trait to have... her abilities as a mage is undeniable since she can use 5 different elements at a high-level.

"Leona make sure not to drag too much attention okay? I don't want our reputation within the guild to be bad." Her companion was also here, Evander was his name.

"Heh! Don't worry Evander! I'll make sure we become cool famous adventurers!" It is nice to form a party with... cheerful people, if everything goes well... I might ask them to come join Ciara and I.

"I wonder if they have any quests for aggressive ogres or corrupted golems, maybe we should start with something easier like rogue skeleton warriors." I guess... golems would be good... since they contain ores in them.

"Welcome to the Main Milam Guild! What are you here for? Turning in a quest or finding for one? Wanting to put up a quest for other adventurers to deal with?" The receptionist... is quite friendly... I've been running into many cheerful people.

"Ah we're here to find for a quest! For a party of three gold rank adventurers!"

"May I see your insignias for proof of gold rank?" Its the same... everywhere, you need to show proof of your rank... at the guild so that they can... know if your capable on taking the quest.

"Here ya go!" Leona snatched Evander and I's insignias... to show the receptionist who identified them.

"Alright! I've confirmed that you guys are gold-rank! Its quite rare to see such high-ranked adventurers such as yourselves since some of them are mostly at the Labyrinth Continent." Most of the high-rank adventurers... want to climb even higher through the ranks, they wish to get rich or get famous... but they die being too arrogant of their abilities.

"So what kind of quests are available for us?" The receptionist went to the back... to search for some quest papers, I've been an adventurer for 20 years yet not much has changed about the guild regulations.

"There's been some trouble with the Milam Capital's underground sewage... normally, there'd be a team of cleaners, adventurers and a guild office member to go through the grueling task of cleaning and getting rid of any monsters in the sewage... but recently a few strong monsters have been taking shelter there and aren't allowing the team to clean."

I see... And since there are no high-raked adventurers to help, a quest has been offered to anyone suitable... very good timing indeed.

"Ohh! How much is the reward for clearing the quest?"

"That would be four gold coins..." That is... quite the sum of money, I must tell Ciara if she'd want to participate if she recovers soon enough.

"What's the deadline?" Evander seemed quite worried... probably because of... Leona's tendency to rush things which I observed in our short interactions.

"Within 2 weeks... if it is done any later, the government would take it from there." One thing I have not gotten used to is... Milam's form of leadership as they are not ruled by a king... they are ruled by a person that has been chosen by the people from commoner to nobles... It is quite a controversial thing to do compared to... other kingdoms.

"I see... we will take the quest then." Evander had accepted the quest, the receptionist had put a magical seal on the quest papers... it marked that we will be ones doing the job so no one else could interfere.

"So I take it you'll go as a party? Since you guys are high-ranked... three should be the suitable number for you."

"Yep! We're planning to become famous adventurers so we need to become stronger!" Before we had formed the party, I'd seen Leona's and Evander's strength... they definitely deserve gold-rank. Our party consists right now of a supporter, a ranger and attacker... this is a good balance and I can easily integrate into their flow of coordination so I won't be a hindrance.

"Oh My! Please remember me when you're famous then! Have a good day ahead!" We finally finished... I must head back to see if Ciara is fine.

"Slade, you heading back to monitor Ciara?"

"Yes... It is my responsibility as her Master." Evander and Leona... they're probably going to scout ahead and plan they're move.

"We'll be asking around for some maps of the underground sewage, maybe get some equipment too so... we'll meet you back at the Inn later." We parted ways and I reached the Inn quite quickly, I wonder if Ciara tried getting out of bed.

"SLADE DALTON!" Hm- That voice... it is eerily familiar to me, could someone be calling for another 'Slade Dalton'?

"How dare you leave behind and sneak with some other woman!" Oh no... Its her, Ester.

"How did you find me Ester? I made sure I erased my tracks while moving." I'm not sure whether she hates or loves me, she chases me down even if I'd go to the pits of hell.

"Fight me! You haven't accepted my duel! I am one of the Ayier Beastfolk Tribe, I will not give up until you accept!" Her face... It is bright red with a slight smile... Is it from her anger that I didn't accept or rather... other 'intentions'.

"Your tribe has a condition where if I win... You must wed me, whether you or I don't like it." It even affects outsiders which was quite troublesome when I ventured into beastfolk territory near the north of the Dwarven Continent.

"That is right so we must fight!" This woman... its been 3 years but she hasn't given up, I wish Ciara was this persistent in her training.

"I decline, I have more important matters to attend to..." A massive stature blocked my way to the stairs, the women of the beastfolk... especially the warriors, always had a strong build and physique... if it were in terms of pure strength, I would lose to her.

"Is it that woman you have upstairs!?" Agh... So Ciara must've went down and bumped into Ester... what a troublesome thing to have to deal with.

"She's not just a woman Ester..." I don't what she understood in that sentence but... she seemed quite shocked.

"You- You- You! You Pervert! How could you do such things! Her body looks like a CHILD in the Ayier Tribe!" Well... compared to the beastfolk, anyone would look like a child- Wait... She called me a pervert- What did I say in my response that was perverted?

"I said enough!" You leave me no choice then... I'll just sweep her and knock her out at the same time, I'll have to use more force since she's much more muscular.

"What- Ack-" Alright... Now what do I do with her, should I just toss her outside?

"Master Slade?..." Hm? Oh... Ciara's must've heard the commotion out here.

"Just stay in your room first... I'll be there shortly." Hah~ I guess I have no other option again.

[Ciara Pov]

Its's been half an hour since that woman arrived, Master Slade should be arriving back any minute... I need to tell him about Atlas after that Beast Woman problem's been dealt with.

"Hm?" I think I heard that woman scream Master Slade's name, is she drinking?

"How did ---- find me ---? I made sure I ---- my tracks." That voice it must be Master Slade! I got up from my bed and got outside my room.

"Master Slade?..." Eh! That mountain of a woman- Master Slade took her down??

"Just stay in your room first... I'll be there shortly." Awawa~ Master Slade had a disdain look on his face, he looks pretty pissed. I did what he said and went back to my room... I wonder what he's gonna do with that Beast Woman.

"I'm coming in..." Oh he's here already, now I can tell him about Atlas.

"You should move from the bed... She's pretty big." EH! The Beast Woman... Master Slade brought her here?!

"I- Ah- Hah~ Master Slade... Why did you bring here here, won't she just attack you as soon as she wakes up?" Ahh~ I wanted to tell him about Atlas right away.

"She's Ester from the Ayier Tribe, she's persistent about me... I want to throw her out but I should've addressed this problem at the start."

"I see..." Aghhh! I guess I can tell him now, I just need to phrase this so that he won't misunderstand.

"Master Slade I need to tell you something very important... so please just listen." Alright so let's try to give him a clear summary.

"Hm... I see... Hm..." I told Master Slade everything, even the part where I'm from another world... Master Slade can tell if someone's lying very easily so I told him the truth.

"I know you might not help me, you must think I'm some crazy-"

"I'll help you... Its a very interesting proposal you gave to me..." Eh? Did he- He just- Eh!?

"Wait so... you'll help me?" I didn't think he'd agree so easily, I must've misheard him- Maybe he mistakenly said he'll help me.

"The fact your not from here, doesn't change the fact that you are my disciple." Uwoh! What a cool thing to say!

"And that Atlas... He seems like a very skilled strategist and fighter, to think my own disciple got bested by a skeleton that's been here in this world for a shorter amount of time..." Ah... He seems spiteful I got overpowered, I'm not weak... its just that Atlas is much more skilled than me.

"His fighting style... he reminds me off how I used to fight when I was younger..." Ohh! So when Master was more brash and probably... no beard! I tried imagining him without the small scruffy beard he had and he was quite... No No no, I shouldn't imagine that.

"So when does he want me to be there? In a month?" I'm relieved that Master Slade agreed to help, this reassures me that Atlas gets to the Dwarven Continent safely.

"He told me that he would want you to depart immediately... unless you have very important plans too deal with." Well the very important plans really wasn't a 'plan'... I stared at the giant of a Beast Woman sleeping on the bed, her ears twitched as she drooled. I wonder what race she resembles, she looks like she has bear ears... I want to try fluffing and touching them...

"I see... That means I have to exit the quest I entered with Leona and Evander, I feel bad that they have to do it with just the two... " Eh!? He already got a quest with the others, Master Slade is way too quick on these sort of things.

"Does he require any specific things like baby clothes or any special items? At this time of the year... it is very cold while sailing." I don't think Atlas asked for those kind of things so... maybe two sets just in case.

"Well... He wants a place to stay in the Dwarven Continent, we both plan of making some sort of base here..." I elaborated more to Master Slade about finding a base of operations so that people that come from the same world can work together or at least gain trustworthy comrades, I also told him of my wish to go back home to earth.

"I see... I may have a few connections that are perfect for that sort of thing, I can also provide a temporary shelter with a friend." Hm! Hm! As expected of my Master! Resourceful as usual...

"After I settle a few things... maybe sending a letter to my friend... I'll head to the Demon Continent with a small fishing boat so not to draw suspicions." I'm glad that's decided, now we just have to-

"I want to come too!" UWAH! SHE WOKE UP!?

"Were you listening to that whole conversation Ester?" Master Slade crossed his arms while putting down his backpack.

"I only caught the parts where we need to go to the Demon Continent, I heard the food there is good!" What a simple reason...

"No... I want you to stay here to protect Ciara... I'll be able to move quicker by myself..." Ester started to put a pout face, she seemed quite stubborn on what she wanted.

"If you do as I say, we can discuss about our battle..."

"Eh! Really? Promise? Do you swear that you'll do that?" Master Slade paused for a second... He must be thinking whether this'll be bad for him in the future.

"Yeah..." So that's settled... though Ester tried to harm me, she seems like a good person... just maybe her obsession with Master Slade.

"We will need to wait for Leona and Evander to come back... They went to find some maps for the underground sewage, I must unfortunately withdraw from the quest..." It'd be dangerous to go into a quest with less than three or four people, its good that Master Slade is telling them right away.

"Slade!..." A woman's voice came from the door, she seemed quite frightened as she knocked repeatedly.

"Has something urgent happened that requires my attention?... It must be Leona..." Master Slade opened the door, a woman fell into his arms and got onto her knees.

"Evan! Evander- He's- Please help him!" The woman was clearly covered in wounds and a stench... it smelled like a mix of shit and rotten eggs.

"Calm down Leona... You have multiple wounds around you, what happened..." Master Slade definitely looked worried at that time, he immediately regained composure afterwards though.

"The underground sewage-- We thought... We could do a bit of scouting... Monsters cam- Evander told me... to go-" The woman fainted before she could finish explaining, Master Slade nodded... He understood the bits of explanation, He always had a great mind to imagine what happened.

"Please- Be carefu- It's a s-" It would've been nice to know what monster it was but- Alright first let's give her some aid.

"Ciara... Ester... Stay here and help Leona with her wounds... I will finish in 30 minutes or so..." Is he crazy? The sun hasn't settled and- Wait... I shouldn't worry... This is Master Slade so It's fine, I'll do what he asked me to.

"I'll be back soon..." Though I knew that Master Slade is perfectly capable of taking a high-ranked quest but still... it made me feel uneasy.

"Please stay safe..." Master Slade quickly disappeared as soon as he left the lady 'Leona' in our care.

[Slade Pov]

"I hope I'm not too late..." Leona's wounds... They weren't too deep but it must've been a horde of at least mid-skilled monsters.

"This stench... Its not just sewage, a mix of rotting flesh and blood." I was seasoned adventurer with two decades of experience, blood is the second most familiar smell I know besides sweat.

"I should wear a mask first..." Poison could be used my monsters... It wasn't common when I first started but... It seems that monsters are starting to learn and evolve...

"Plea- Help-" Evander?!... No... Its bait...

"A wise one..." Tch! An arrow... Luckily I grabbed it before it hit.

"Poison-tipped Very effective to weaken enemies." So this was the monster that Leona was talking about... A skeleton mage!

"You are looking for this pitiful man am I correct?" This bastard... Evander... there's multiple wounds, there might also be poison.

"It is quite unfortunate, I wanted to use him as a sacrifice to our god." Deplorable bastards... I need holy water... its in my pocket but first.

"I had multiple potential sacrifices! Those foolish adventurers came here in a group and I killed them all!" So this skeleton is the one that took out most of the clean up crew for the sewage, that's all the confirmation I needed.

"I'll kill you!" I'll distract him by making it look like I'm reckless...

"Foolish human! I will make sure you meet the same end as your fellow adventurer!" Alright... Have some powdil to block your vision, I'll make sure to give you some extra holy water while I'm at it.

"GAH! Bastard! Where have you gone!" The sewers have lots of good hiding spots, I need to prepare the holy water and fire magic onto my sword.

"I will find you!" I'm surprised how strong he is for a mage, I can hear the walls breaking as he swings around that metal staff.

"You will meet your en-!" I hate monsters like you... talk too much.

"Wha- How! How the hell did you attack that fast! My whole body's disintegrated!"

"Tell me! How did you achieve that powe-" So noisy... I can't concentrate

"Be quiet please... I need to concentrate." Evander's wounds... he's losing a lot of blood, I need to use detoxification and fire magic to seal the wound.

"Bastard! Don't ignore me!" Hmm... Only his head is left, I also need to take him back for proof of the completion of the quest.

"purifva thva navbla." That should purify and at least stop the wounds, I'll take Evander back to the Inn and turn in the quest.

"What a skilled human! You'd make a great comrade to the Demon Army! What do you say!?" So annoying...

"I refuse... you'll be used as my evidence for the guild."

"Bast-" I'll just stuff him in my pocket for now...

"Slade... Is that you?..." Evander... He woke up, I'm glad I was able to quickly come and rescue him.

"Yes... I came to save you after Leona came rushing to the Inn. She's fine... Ciara is tending to her wounds."

"I see... I'm glad-" Shit! He's losing consciousness... His wounds have been sealed but his heartbeat is faint.

"Don't die on me now, Evander! You still need to scold Leona like usual!" I need to use this so that he can try to cling onto staying alive.

"Yeah... Please just hurry." I don't think I'll be able to reach the Inn first so... I'll just request assistance at the guild... I'll reach there within three minutes so just hang in there Evander.

"Ah! Welcome to the-"

"Please help him! His heartbeat is faint! His wounds are sealed but it might reopen soon!"

"Hie! Alright! I'll get someone to rush him to the medical facility!" Hah~ Its been a while since I sprinted at full speed...

"Oh! Your the adventurers from before! Where's the young woman- Did she..." It was the same receptionist who let us take on the quest... This'll make it easier to explain our situation then.

"The young woman is fine... They had gone scouting ahead without me as I had to tend to my disciple. I was able to rescue the man I arrived with... I was also able to slay the monster that was probably the cause of the missing clean up crew..." As I explained, I pulled out the head of the skeleton that still could talk.

"Bastard! How dare you stuff me into your pocket like some object! Hm? Where am I... This does not look like a home of a powerful warrior..." This skeleton talks too much...

"Thank you so much Mr. Dalton... You will be receiving extra compensation for completing the quest early! The medical treatment for Mr. Evander will also be free so do not worry!" I should give most of the earnings to the two... They almost died after all.

"May I keep this skeleton head or do you need him for evidence scanning..." I'd like to keep him for a gift to one of my old friends, she'll love it very much.

"Could I bring the young woman for a check up soon? My disciple probably only closed her wounds..." I should sprint back after this.

"Bastard! Don't you dare put me back into thy wretched pockets! I-" Noisy... and with that I stuffed him down my bag this time in a container.

"Oh yes! Please be safe, we'll be waiting!" Time to go then... I'll reach the Inn in five minutes at full speed.

"Oh Sir Dalton! You're back! The woman that came here... Ciara asked us to give her some medical assistance so we applied some healing herbs and bandaged her up!" I see... I'm grateful that the people here are all kind and helpful.

"Ciara... I'm coming in..."

"Wait! Master Slade!" I came in while Ciara was changing Leona's clothes... What a blunder...

"I apologize! I was just worried about Leona's condition and I need to bring her to the guild for more professional medical help." I should make it a habit to knock before entering... I don't want to come across as rude to strangers.

"You can come in now..." Hm? Where's Ester?

"Ester went to find some food, she said she'd be back soon." Oh yeah... I remember her having a hearty appetite.

"So were you able to disinfect Leona's wounds and seal them?"

"I had to use the help of a healer from another party but luckily she did it for free..." Hm... The people here are truly very kind.

"I'll take her back to the Guild and wait until both of them are fine... Once I come back, let's discuss more on what we talked about earlier." Its weird... I was fighting a skeleton, now I'll help a skeleton...

"Leona... I need to ask you and Evander something important later after both of you recover." I'll need to be careful with Leona... Her wounds might reopen if I'm careless with the way I hold her.

"Sure..." She was abnormally quiet... Well it'd be if she was still cheerful after having a near-death experience and having her companion almost dying.

"Don't worry Leona... Evander is fine... The first thing he asked me was if you were alright." I need to give her some reassurance so that she doesn't breakdown... Ciara said she wanted to find comrades to help her get home... These two might be a good choice if they agree to help.

"Is that so..." From her words... its as if she didn't care but my right shoulder got weirdly warm and wet... She's crying...

"Thank goodness..." At least she can recover emotionally... many adventurers retire from a mentally traumatizing experience... I don't want them to retire after working their way up to gold rank.

"Please be careful with her..." We reached the guild and I handed her over to the medical healers there, I was called to the Guildmaster's office for a brief report on what happened down in the sewage.

"I see... We'll need to tell the government of this situation and increase security within the sewage." Most Guildmasters were nominated through skill or ability to unite adventurers... A Guildmaster would normally be at least Mithril Rank, the ones based in capitals are usually Adamantium Rank which was the highest an Adventurer could go...

"May I know of your name?" Whilst I was thinking to myself, the Guildmaster requested for my name.

"Slade Dalton..."

"Slade Dalton Hmm... Wait! Are you Sir Slade Dalton? The one that is also called the Jack of all Trades?" I haven't heard that nickname in a while... It was something that was come up by people I had saved during my long years as an adventurer.

"Thank you... You saved my daughter 10 years ago when she was still a small child..." His daughter? I don't- Ah... It was the one with the white-haired doll.

"So you're the father of Mehri Altham..." I remember... I was crossing over to the Dwarven Continent and a carriage was being attacked by a large mercenary group... I single-handily took them down... The target was a small girl in a luxurious carriage, the daughter of a noble adventurer.

"Yes I am her father, Bennet Altham... my daughter would be most pleased to know that you remembered her name..." To think I saved the future capital Guildmaster... Wait- I could use this to my advantage and help Ciara with her plan...

"You know~ My daughter is turning 16 this year... she has-"

"Before that Guildmaster Altham... may I ask you a favor..." If this turns out good... this'll definitely get Ciara one step closer to getting her home.

"Oh what is it?" The Guildmaster put down his glass of water and put on a serious expression... I'm not fond of such tense situations like these.

"I am currently trying to find a place to set up something like a base to store items and potentially sell them within Milam, I envisioned it to be smaller than the Inns here but bigger than the local shops."

"Hoh? So you wish for a property here in the Capital of the Dwarven Continent..."

"Yes... I plan to collect various equipment, artifacts and gather comrades... more like a professional business..."

"I see... Do you plan to compete with the guild or is this just a personal request?"

"Its actually an idea that my disciple came up with so its a personal request... We don't want to compete with the guild of course."

"Hm... Alright! I'll do my best to find you a suitable property, just come over to the guild and we'll discuss about it once I have more free time."

"Thank you Guildmaster Altham..."

"No need for thanks! This is just a simple way of repayment for saving my daughter's life."

"I see... I will go downstairs to check on my party members conditions so please excuse me..."

I expected more of a barrage of questions to why my disciple wanted a property though... it isn't uncommon that adventurers want to find a suitable base to store and sell items that they've found, they can hire professionals that identify artifacts or special items... maybe we should get one if we have enough money.

"Ah! Mr Dalton!" It was the receptionist from before... did something happen with Leona and Evander?

"They're both awake and fully healed so I think you can go talk to them!" Oh I see... If they're both disinfected and healed, I guess I could try to ask them to join us...

"UWAHH! I'm sorry Evander! I won't do it again so please!" I came into the room while Evander was pinching Leona's cheeks, its a relief that they seem to be acting normal now... especially Leona who seemed quite depressed while we made our way to the guild.

"Leona... Evander... I'm glad you're both alright..." Multiple bandages were put on Evander and Leona's body... they won't be able to do adventuring for a while but if they're persistent... in a month they can get back to it.

"Slade!" Though they were laying on the bed... they bowed their heads to me.

"Please! Raise your heads..." I saved them, that is a fact... but I just need to know if they're fine... I don't need gratitude.

"Thank you for saving us! If you weren't there... We would've surely died! We will repay you with everything we have!" Hmm... repayment... if they do insist then I'll just use that to make them join us to the 'trustworthy' team that Ciara needs to get home. Leona is a magician so she might be able to identify artifacts and other magical items... Evander can be the sort of team manager once we get more people to join.

"I'm just glad you two are safe now..."

"Slade..." What's with this atmosphere... It feels very warm and comforting.

"Once we fully heal, we'll do anything and everything we can to repay you!" Alright... I should tell them now then.

"If you guys want to... Ciara's has this kind of plan in mind." I took some time to fully explain the gist of the plan from getting the property... starting like a business and intelligence collection... to finding artifacts and selling them, finally to the main point to get Ciara back to her home... I gave them the story about how she belonged to a distant land that wasn't mapped with the five main continents.

"I see... I never knew that Ciara was in such a complicated situation, it explains her weary attitude towards most people excluding you." Evander seemed to sympathize with Ciara's situation, now what about Leona?

"You know... when I was caught by surprise by the monster in the sewage, Evander jumped in and saved me. He told me to run and get help while he was taken further down..." It seems that Leona's near-death experience has made her change her perspective of life.

"I- I don't want to do dangerous stuff anymore!"

"Leona..." The sudden declaration surprised Evander, well its not uncommon for adventurers to retire after a near-death experience...as I have stated before.

"I don't want Evander to continue as well... because- I care for him." Heh~ I knew there might be something going on between the two... I guess Leona revealed her feelings first.

"I- I- I want Leona to be safe as well! I was thinking... after we became mithril ranked, I'd ask you to be my fiancé." Hm... This is a very awkward moment... Should I really be here?

"Ahem- Its nice that you two finally realized your feelings but we need to do a medical check-up now~" Oh the doctor is here, it appears that I must return to the Inn now.

"Ah! Slade- We want to repay you so! We'll join you!" I was about to go but Evander and Leona's sudden words stopped me, it'd be nice if we could talk more but maybe after they're admitted out of the medical ward.

"We can discuss it next time... Please take care till then." I finally finished my small check-up with Leona and Evander... I should visit the Guildmaster again when I go back to check-up on them again at the guild.

"I see that you're already going back to your Inn Sir Dalton..." Guildmaster! Wait- Why's he wearing an apron?

"Guildmaster... What're you doing?" The Guildmaster did a little twirl and presented a confectionery.

"A simple distribution of sweets that I pass to tired adventurers and kids... no harm in helping them cheer up after a long day. Have one!" The Guildmaster here at Milam... he's an odd one but definitely kind-hearted.

"I forgot to ask you something before you left my office." Hm... I hope its not a difficult question.

"Why'd you decline the offer to rank up to Adamantium Rank five years ago? It was hard digging up files from that long ago you know~" Hm... I'm not fond of questions like these but I can answer it.

"I simply don't deserve such an honor... Adamantium ranks are for truly strong people whether it be will or power."

"Hm... I see! I shall not pry any further then, about the property... There is an available place, its near the Trot district north-west in the Milam Capital, its somewhat popular but it doesn't stir up any trouble. I'll give you this map, you can go visit it when you have the time and tell me if you want it." Guildmaster Altham works fast... I'm glad he's helping me.

"I'm grateful, I will be going back to my Inn now." I should tell Ciara about the good news, she'll definitely be happy.

"Ciara... I'm back..." I knocked the door first as to make it a habit to avoid a blunder which I had committed previously.

"Come in~" With permission granted, I entered the room to see Ester sleeping using a Ciara lap pillow.

"As soon as she came back, she asked me if I could be a pillow... I agreed but I just wanted to touch her fluffy ears hehe~"

"I see... are you feeling better though? You don't seem as pale but its better not to exert yourself..." It'd be troublesome if she were to collapse like last time, I wouldn't be able to train her for a while so I need her to at least be able to move freely.

"I have some news concerning your plan, you'll be very happy with about what I'm about to tell you." I first told her that Leona and Evander was alright, they were currently recovering in the guild's medical ward. I then told her about the property and I managed to find a place to set up a base of operations for her, she had quite the reaction as I was able to find a place within such a short time.

"UWAH!! Thank you Master Slade!!" She clung onto me as I told her the good news, I could feel her heartbeat on my belly as she tightly hugged me.

"There's still more... Leona and Evander agreed to join us."

"Ohh! That's good... They seem like nice people hehe~"

"We have a lot of things to do once I get your friend here, we need to renovate the place while getting some equipment for artifact identifying... if we were to get a great blacksmith to repair equipment that'd be good. Leona could be our artifact identifier since she does have a good mana capacity and great affinity with the elements."

"Master Slade talks a lot when he plans!" Eh! Is that something bad...?

"Ah but in a good way of course! Its nice seeing this side of you once in a while." Ciara's face looks kind of red... does she have a fever?

"More importantly Master Slade! When can you depart and head to the Demon Continent?" Hm... I'm still thinking about it with all what's happening... I have to consider the time it'll take too properly move into the new place while waiting for Leona and Evander to fully recover or at least move around properly.

"In about a week's time, I still have to prepare for the journey after settling things here and helping you move in... if I'm careless, it could result in you or I getting harmed." Ciara soon put on a serious face, I guess she understood what I said.

"Don't worry, if I say I'll do it in a week's time... I'll do it. You should rest now so that you can recover faster, I'll have to scout our new place soon... tell Ester to protect you while I'm away when she wakes up- I think I'll just leave a note pinned to the front door instead." It'd be troublesome if someone were to attack Ciara for any reason while I was away.

"See you Master Slade! Stay safe and take care!" Hm... Ciara is a caring girl.

"Yeah I will... same to you." I finally left and went out of the Inn once again.

"I guess let's check out the place Guildmaster Altham told me about..."

[To be continued...]