Chapter 47: A Little Joke from the God of Fate

Vilyric took the thick file handed over by the clerk Miss, and although all the requests were below Ink Steel level, with about twenty entries per page, there must be at least tens of thousands of them.

After all, this is the headquarters for adventurers from all over the world; if they couldn’t ensure the quantity and quality of the requests, how could they attract and support all the adventurers in this city?

It’s estimated that over 95% of the adventurers are lower to mid-tier beings below Ink Steel level, but without a doubt, the number of resident human adventurers in Courage City is also in the thousands.

From small tasks like catching cats and finding birds to big ones like subduing demons and giant beasts, adventurers can be seen in almost every trade within the United Kingdom. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a jack-of-all-trades profession.

Flipping through a few pages, all I found were standard collection, subjugation, and running errands requests. Since the king just passed away, there aren’t many tasks that require leaving the city; the residents probably want to avoid this sensitive period as much as possible.

Boring.

For ordinary adventurers, these mundane but low-risk tasks with decent rewards might be quite appealing, but Vilyric had no interest in leveling up as an adventurer or receiving gold coin rewards.

After all, these requests could all be handled by someone with Ink Steel level and the difficulty wouldn’t be very high.

“Are there no higher-level requests, Miss Rebecca…?”

Vilyric, feeling disinterested, placed the file back on the table.

“Ah? There are, of course, but according to the rules, those below the required level cannot view higher-level requests. I recommend that you both take some ordinary tasks to level up before continuing,” Rebecca said.

Rebecca wasn’t the same as Eleanor from Flame Dragon City who wanted to build a relationship with the Priestess; she was a staff member of the headquarters and didn’t need to fawn over Vilyric.

After all, these rules were also for the safety of the adventurers, preventing naive youngsters from taking on tasks beyond their capabilities and ending up harming themselves and others.

So usually, the clerk wouldn’t use her authority to make exceptions.

“Oh come on, can’t you make an exception? Actually, I…”

The Priestess wanted to act cute and see if she could win a favor.

Although she felt somewhat out of place, Rebecca was a cute young lady, and it wasn’t like she was doing this to a man, so it was all good.

But before Vilyric could put her plan into action, an unexpected guest suddenly appeared nearby.

“Hehe, what does it matter? Just taking a look, not that I’m really going to accept. Shouldn’t this be trivial for Miss Rebecca?”

“Could you make an exception for me? Please sell me a favor?”

Selling favors again?

Triggered by annoying memories, Vilyric turned her head to see a young man dressed in ornate robes, obviously a noble, approaching with two guards in tow.

The man had sky-blue short hair, stood over seven feet tall, wore light brown elegant clothes that reached his calves, and beneath his fitted trousers were brand-new high leather boots. An indigo-patterned ring adorned his right hand, emanating a faint magical aura.

Though his attire was noble and grand, it didn’t give off a bulky or showy sensation. He wore a gentle smile that was as warm as a spring breeze, appearing to be in his thirties, at the peak of male attractiveness.

Combined with his handsome and mature features, he immediately left a great impression.

“So, no means no… Huh? Is that…”

Rebecca instinctively replied, but when she looked up and saw the young man’s features, she froze in shock, as if witnessing something incredible, unable to speak for a while.

The man casually smiled and shook his head, stepping closer to Vilyric in her white priestly robe.

However, just as the nobleman was about to enter within a meter of the Priestess, a pale, slender arm suddenly barred his path.

“If you don’t want to die, don’t get too close to my master.”

“Huh…?!”

Startled by the dragon girl’s fierce gaze filled with menace, the young man nearly stumbled back a step, with blue eyes showing a hint of shock and surprise.

But he apparently had been in high society for a long time and had strong emotional control. He quickly recovered, using his retreat to perform a standard gentlemanly bow, making it look as if he wasn’t retreating out of fear but rather out of politeness.

“My apologies, beautiful lady. Your grace and beauty are like the warm spring sunlight scattered upon the earth, making me yearn for your presence. Please forgive my abrupt rudeness earlier.”

The young man waved away the two guards who rushed forward upon seeing their master in danger, ignoring the vicious glare from the dragon girl once more as he turned to smile at Vilyric.

“I am Ban, an ordinary noble in this city. Might I ask how to address you, and from which family do you hail?”

“?”

Vilyric tilted her head.

Who is this guy, suddenly appearing and enthusiastically greeting us? Do we know each other?

However, this guy probably has a pretty impressive background.

Just look at how stiff Rebecca has been since he showed up, her head down and not daring to breathe a word, like she just saw someone powerful—anyone with eyes can see something’s off.

And ordinary nobles don’t just stroll around with two sky-level guards, do they?

Whether he’s truly cultured and wants to befriend us or is just putting on a front, at least… he seems impeccable.

Compared to that Francis from Flame Dragon City, his warmth and conversational skill are light years ahead.

It’s said that you shouldn’t hit the person who shows you kindness; since he expressed goodwill, Vilyric, although feeling troubled, couldn’t put on a sour face immediately.

“Vilyric, this is my partner Xiao Guang, just a commoner. Does the noble gentleman have something to discuss?”

Vilyric wasn’t worried that he was in league with Liliya; she sensed something from that name.

Under the influence of the [Cognitive Obstruction Mask], even hearing the same name, he would only think of it as another unrelated person, completely unable to connect it with the one behind the mask.

As expected, the man who introduced himself as Ban didn’t realize anything strange about how Vilyric referred to him; instead, he was more concerned with another issue.

“Not a noble? But that noble aura about you, how could an ordinary person…?”

Ban was momentarily taken aback, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes, but he quickly rallied, smiling and gesturing invitingly.

“Hehe, my apologies. Since Miss Vilyric is an adventurer, she must have seen and heard a lot.”

“To be honest, I actually long for the adventuring life myself. I’ve barely reached Ink Steel level, so may I have the honor of inviting you to dinner to share some insights from our adventures?”

“???”

Is this guy out of his mind, asking a girl he just met for dinner?

Is he emotionally intelligence deficient, completely brainless, or just too confident in his own charm?

No, no, better put, he probably never considered the possibility of being rejected.

With his appearance, poise, quality of entourage, and this conversational style, Ban is definitely a high-ranking noble from the capital.

Oh! Now I remember, Liliya mentioned that her second royal brother is named Ban Meikailande.

There’s a strong possibility that this is him.

Hey, what a coincidence!

   

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