The Hero's Puppet Master

The feline receptionist, Naria, gave Ronan and Aurelia the adventurer IDs and necessities: maps, guild tokens, and a monster compendium that had just been updated.

"Here you go," Naria said in a smooth, professional tone. "Welcome, both, to being official members of the adventure guild. Your ranks are B-class.

Aurelia, still visibly grumpy from missing out on a proper fight with Bryce, crossed her arms. "B-rank? Why not A? We've clearly proven ourselves!"

Naria smiled softly, her golden eyes sparkling. "The rules are simple. New adventurers begin in lower ranks, E, D, and C, in order to build experience and credibility. You two are exceptions. B-rank is the highest we can give you without actual field experience. A-rank is for proven adventurers with completed missions under their belts with one years experience."

Ronan turned his attention to his ID and then put it away, quite composed. "Fair enough," he said matter-of-factly, but a small smirk crossed his face as though rank didn't matter much.

Aurelia huffed in annoyance. "Then fine, let's go and gain some 'experience' so that we could get through the ranks quickly."

He face scrunched up in bewilderment. "Should we rest for the day? We already made an impression."

But she wasn't having it. "Rest? I need a real fight." She stormed toward the notice board, where several adventurers loitered, examining the available missions.

Roland, the tanned body builder A-rank adventurer who had been observing them earlier, stood nearby. He pointed at a parchment pinned to the board. "If you're looking for action, this goblin subjugation mission is simple enough but offers plenty of opportunities to fight. Perfect for someone with your… energy."

She grabbed the notice without hesitation. She turned to Roland with a confident grin. "Thanks! This will do."

The crowd parted as she marched toward the receptionist's desk, mission slip in hand. She dropped it on the counter and looked at Naria expectantly. "We'll take this one."

Naria arched an eyebrow but nodded. "Very well. This mission is yours. Do try to return the client's trust by finishing it efficiently."

Aurelia nodded sharply, her earlier frustration melting into eager determination. Without waiting for Ronan, she spun on her heel and headed for the exit, muttering, "Finally, some action."

Ronan turned for a moment, offering Naria a polite smile. "Thanks for everything today, Naria."

Naria blinked, her feline ears twitching as a faint blush crossed her cheeks looking at his handsome face. "Y-you're welcome," she replied, watching him leave.

Just as the door shut behind him, Naria froze. Wait… how does he know my name?

Her golden eyes narrowed slightly, replacing the flustered look. I never told him…

The sun was dipping low as Aurelia stood on a grassy lands outside Westford, her fiery aura almost glowing in the dimming light. She closed her eyes and concentrated. A faint hum of energy surrounded her as she used Mana Resonance to extend her senses outward.

"There," she muttered, her eyes snapping open. She pointed toward a dense patch of forest a mile away.

Ronan following a step behind her. "You're scarily good at that," he remarked dryly.

Aurelia grinned, her confidence brimming. "Thanks to your deathly training. Let's go."

They reached the camp in no time. The goblins were scattered across the clearing, some lounging around a crude fire pit, others sharpening rusty weapons.

Before he could say a word, Aurelia charged into the camp like a storm unleashed.

Flames erupted along the edge of her blade as she swung it, cutting through goblins brutualy. The first wave fell before they could even raise an alarm.

Ronan leaned against a tree, arms crossed, watching her rampage. "She's good," he muttered, smirking. A goblin lunged at him from the side, but he barely moved as he casually slashed it down with mini axe.

"Aurelia!" he yelled. "We need ears to listen for. Don't tear them to pieces!"

"Then tell them to stop dodging!" she shouted back, twisting her blade to parry a spear and then slicing clean through the goblin wielding it.

By the time she finished, only a few goblins were left, cringing behind their ramshackle barricades. A thunderous roar rolled through the clearing, and from a tent at the back came forth a monstrous goblin, easily twice the size of the others.

The Goblin King.

Its muscular body caught the firelight, and its beady eyes settled upon Aurelia with intent to kill. It wielded a massive spiked club and let out a challenge.

Aurelia smiled and took a step forward with sword drawn. "Now that's more like it."

Ronan, who still leaned against the tree with a relaxed air, groaned. "Just don't break your sword this time."

Evening at the Guild

The heavy wooden doors of the guild swung open, and Aurelia walked in covered from head to toe in goblin blood. Her grin was wide, as she plopped two sacks covered in the same bloody goblin liquid onto the counter in front of Naria with a satisfying thud.

"Here you go," Aurelia announced proudly. "Ears. And plenty of them. Oh, and I killed a Goblin King too. That was fun."

The guild fell silent.

Naria stared at the sacks, her pupils shrinking as a faint smell wafted from them. "You… brought those inside?" she asked, her voice shaky.

Ronan entered behind Aurelia, looking far less disheveled. He gave the receptionist an apologetic smile. "She insisted."

Aurelia, unaware of the crowd's stares, continued. "That Goblin King was tough, but I took him down. Not bad for a day's work, huh?" She looked around at the silent adventurers. "What? Aren't we supposed to be efficient?"

Naria pinched the bridge of her nose, mumbling something under her breath. "Just… leave the bags here. I'll have someone count the ears."

As Aurelia turned to leave, satisfied, whispers began to break out among the guild members.

"She killed a Goblin King? On her first mission?"

"That's insane."

"Who are these two?"

Later that Evening

As the pair exited the guild, Aurelia still beaming from her successful mission, the chatter inside the hall grew louder.

Roland, leaning casually against the bar, chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, well. Things just got a whole lot more interesting."

Cian, seated nearby, sipped his drink and smirked faintly. "If this is how their first day went, imagine what will happen when the Crimson Guard party and Celeste gets back."

Roland laughed, clapping a hand on Cian's shoulder. "Oh, it's gonna be absolute chaos. And I'm ready for that."