As Leon noticed the attention he was attracting, he pulled his robe down a bit further to cover his face. Although he wasn’t worried about his identity being exposed, the unnecessary attention Daife was drawing made him uncomfortable.

Kito, still lying on his head, shifted restlessly, clearly displeased with the attention as well.

“Good to see you,” Leon greeted in a low voice, as Daife and Karin quickly approached him.

“Is it really you, Teo? How long has it been!”
“When did you get back?”

The two looked at Leon with bright smiles, unable to hide their joy at seeing him again, as if they were reuniting with an old friend.

“I came back because I’ve finished my business. I’m planning to take on a mission and leave again soon.”
“A mission?”

Daife looked at Maxius, clearly curious about what mission Leon was planning to take.

“So, you’re aiming to become a Silver Adventurer, which means you’re taking on a high-ranking mission,” Maxius said, with Daife clicking his tongue in disappointment. Although Daife was close to becoming a Silver Adventurer, he was still at the Bronze level.

Leon turned back to Maxius.

“You mentioned it’s difficult to determine how a magician qualifies to become a Silver Adventurer…”

“Yes, magicians can usually advance to the Silver rank quite easily once their magical prowess has been verified.”
“And how can I demonstrate that prowess?”

Maxius smiled wryly as he replied, “You seem to always be in a hurry.”

Leon understood why Maxius made that remark—each time Leon had come to the guild, it was always under urgent circumstances, whether it was entering the Beast Forest or heading toward the empire.

“Follow me,” Maxius said as he led Leon to the courtyard. It was the same place where Leon had his abilities tested when he first received his Bronze Adventurer badge.

Facing a large wall, Leon calmly gathered his mana, and a blue light began swirling around him.

“Mulrunga.”

At Leon’s soft command, the blue light coalesced and began to take shape. In an instant, a blue dragon materialized, circling around Leon protectively.

Maxius’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“This is…”

He was speechless as he stared at the unfamiliar dragon, unable to find the words.

Leon gave the dragon another clear command.

“Spit.”

The dragon opened its mouth wide, unleashing a powerful stream of water. The water cannon shot toward the empty wall at incredible speed, crashing into it with a thunderous explosion.

Boom!

The wall shattered into pieces, and water seeped forcefully through the cracks, soaking the area. The water droplets splattered and scattered in all directions, drenching the entire wall.

“Freeze it.”

As soon as Leon spoke, the water jet instantly froze. The water flowing down the wall turned into icy crystals, making the entire wall shimmer like a gem.

Maxius’s expression was a mix of surprise and admiration.

“…You’ve been hiding your true abilities, haven’t you? It’s hard to believe your magical skills could have improved so much in just one year.”

“I apologize for hiding it. I had my reasons.”

Maxius nodded in understanding.

“I understand. The power is… more than sufficient.”

When Leon returned to the guild hall, Daife was there to greet him.

“Did you pass?”
“Yes.”
“I knew you would. May I ask which mission you plan to take on?”

Without answering, Leon walked over to the mission board, scanned the listings, and pulled down the escort mission for the Dercantia expedition.

Daife’s eyes widened.

“You’re planning to go to the empire?”

Leon, puzzled by Daife’s strong reaction, asked, “Is going to the empire such a big deal?”

“Oh, it’s not that. It’s just that we were also considering crossing over to the empire soon.”

“Is that so?”

Leon responded calmly, but Daife continued with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

“We haven’t met the requirements to become Silver Adventurers yet, so we won’t be able to go with you.”

“...It seems that way.”

Leon couldn’t wait for them to catch up, so they’d have to part ways.

Maxius handed Leon his Silver Adventurer badge and took the mission sheet from him.

“Do you wish to accept this mission?”

When Leon nodded, Maxius began explaining the mission in more detail.

“The departure date is in a week. Since it’s a large escort mission, it’s taking time to gather all the necessary personnel. These kinds of expedition missions aren’t very popular among adventurers…”

“So it could take longer than expected?”

“Yes…”

Maxius hesitated before asking, “Are you planning to return after your trip to the empire?”

When Leon shook his head, a flash of disappointment crossed Maxius’s face.

“I see. In that case, you’ll need to register at another adventurer’s guild in the empire.”

“I suppose so.”

In truth, Leon wasn’t sure if he would continue adventuring after reaching the empire.

While Leon filled out the mission registration, Daife quietly approached and waited. When Leon set down the pen, Daife gestured toward his party members waiting nearby.

“If you have time, perhaps we could have a meal together…”

“Sure.”

Leon’s easy acceptance brought a bright smile to Daife’s face.

As they joined the party, Leon noticed a new face. A woman with sky-blue hair that reminded him of a clear summer sky. Her soft, almond-shaped eyes, high-bridged nose, and pleasantly curved lips made her stand out.

‘Does Daife only recruit women into his party?’

It was hard not to notice since all three women in the party were exceptionally beautiful—even Leon, who usually didn’t care about such things, couldn’t help but think so.

‘In an ordinary fantasy novel, she could easily be the protagonist…’

The woman with sky-blue hair bowed slightly to Leon.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Magician. My name is Erika, a Bronze Adventurer.”

Her formal tone and the innate elegance she carried were not unlike Daife’s or Maxius’s, yet there was an unmistakable air of refinement about her.

‘A noble…?’

The thought briefly crossed Leon’s mind. Daife seemed to catch the subtle change in Leon’s expression and smiled awkwardly.

“Haha, let’s head to the fairy’s restaurant, shall we?”

Daife quickly changed the subject, as if to prevent Leon from asking more questions.

Deciding not to pry further, Leon nodded and followed Daife.

The restaurant was the same one where Leon had first dined with Daife and his party. It seemed Daife had deliberately chosen this place.

In the center of the table was a roasted whole pig. Only Leon and Erika reached for the stew and utensils.

“Since you went deeper into the forest… the artifact you gave us has been incredibly helpful,” Daife said, carefully lifting the green whistle that hung around his neck.

“The green golem handled the monsters in Zone 2 with ease. Whenever we were in danger or needed assistance… it proved to be extremely useful.”

When he moved to return the whistle, Leon stopped him.

“There’s no need to give it back.”

“…I wasn’t offering it out of mere courtesy. Haha.”

“I’m glad it was useful. I felt a bit guilty leaving you all behind.”

“No need to feel that way. Back then… we weren’t able to protect you properly; we had many shortcomings.”

Daife spoke with a tinge of nostalgia, as if recalling their past inadequacies. For Leon, the past year had flown by, but for Daife, each day had been a fierce struggle.

As the conversation continued in a friendly atmosphere, Leon asked,

“May I ask why you’re planning to go to the empire?”

“Oh, us? Well, actually…”

Daife glanced at Erika.

“Our new party member has a reason to return to the empire.”

“Return…”

Leon murmured, intrigued, and Daife chuckled sheepishly.

“Haha, yes. Erika is a noble from Dercantia.”

At that revelation, Erika’s body trembled slightly. Daife quickly tried to reassure her.

“I think the Magician already guessed it. Besides, he’s a great benefactor to us, so there’s no need to hide it.”

“…I understand.”

There seemed to be more to Erika’s background, but Leon wasn’t particularly curious. What piqued his interest was that they were headed to the same destination.

“May I ask you something as well?” Erika inquired.

“You want to know why I’m going to the empire?”

“Yes, and if you plan to continue adventuring afterward.”

Leon smiled slightly and shook his head.

“Unless something special comes up, I don’t plan to continue adventuring.”

“I thought as much. Haha.”

“I’m going to the empire for reasons related to magic.”

Daife nodded, as if that was expected.

“I’ve heard there are many great magicians in the empire.”

“Do you know anything about them?”

Leon asked, curious to learn more about the empire’s magicians from Daife’s perspective.

“Oh, I only know a little from what Erika has told me.”

At that, Erika’s shoulders twitched again. Sensing her discomfort, Leon discreetly cast a detection spell.

Nothing out of the ordinary registered for Daife, Karin, or Linne—they were all non-magical.

However, Erika’s state was different. She had some mana, but it wasn’t fully suppressed. The subtle fluctuations in her mana were something only someone as sensitive to magic as Leon could detect.

‘She’s not at a higher level than me.’

If she were, Leon wouldn’t have sensed anything at all.

Leon recognized this odd fluctuation—it was similar to what he’d felt with the Veema Bracelet, an artifact that concealed magic. The fact that Leon could detect it at all suggested that Erika’s artifact was of a lower grade than the Veema Bracelet.

Leon observed Erika’s appearance more closely. She wore leather armor and had a longsword strapped to her waist.

‘Is she hiding the fact that she’s a magician from Daife too?’

Erika seemed to notice Leon’s scrutiny and met his gaze directly.

‘Did she sense my detection spell?’

Leon realized that Erika was indeed a magician, and she in turn seemed to understand that he had figured it out. However, Leon said nothing and turned back to Daife.

“If you have no plans for the week, would you like to join us for a tour of the city?”

Karin asked brightly. She still hadn’t lost her cheerful, positive demeanor.

For once, Leon accepted Karin’s offer, which he had always declined in the past.

Over the next week, Leon toured the city with Daife’s help, gathering all the supplies he needed for the long journey ahead.

Finally, the day arrived for the adventurers assigned to the escort mission to assemble. With 100 Silver Adventurers gathered, there was talk of choosing a leader to oversee the group.

Leon, disinterested in such matters, stood off to the side, where he encountered Daife. Daife scratched his head sheepishly.

“It looks like we’re going to join the mission after all. They didn’t have enough people, so they’re letting us come along.”

“I see.”

The mission was to escort a caravan for a month and a half. Surrounded by familiar faces among the large group of adventurers, Leon felt a bit more at ease in the otherwise crowded and unfamiliar setting.

“Should I… pay my respects?” Daife asked cautiously, looking up at something above Leon’s head.

“Oh.”

Leon suddenly remembered that Kito was still comfortably sprawled on his head. She lazily propped her chin up and spoke indifferently.

“There’s no need. Just do your job.”

“Gah.”

Kito’s languid response made Daife jump in surprise.

Leon wondered how many adventurers near the Beast Forest knew about creatures like Kito who could polymorph.

Just as he was about to ask Daife, someone’s voice rang out loudly.

“I’m thinking of volunteering as the leader—any objections?”

The voice belonged to a middle-aged adventurer whose experience was evident in his tone.