The Twenty-Gold Coin Quest

I woke up feeling a weight on my stomach.

I slowly opened my eyes… and of course, it was Ignis. She was staring straight into my eyes. Her eyes, blue like the ocean. Beautiful, yeah… but honestly, kind of terrifying.

“You finally woke up. You made me wait.”

Too close. Way too close.

A normal guy, waking up with a girl straddling him, would probably be in heaven.

But me? Nope. Because it’s Ignis. This girl could literally crush me with a single blow. And this position is just… embarrassing. Seriously, how do other people even like her?

“Can you, uh, get off me, please?”

She laughed, then finally stood up.

“Come on, go take your shower and join me for breakfast.”

…Breakfast? I never thought she was that kind of person.

“Alright.”

I got up and headed straight to the bathroom. After a good shower, I came out and went back to my room.

I noticed some new clothes laid out on the bed: a simple tunic, leather boots, and pants.

…Must have been her who left them there. Probably so I wouldn’t stand out too much among the people of this kingdom.

I quickly put the outfit on and stepped out of my room. Ignis was already there, sitting calmly with a cup of coffee in her hand.

“So, how do the clothes fit?”

“Yeah, they’re perfect.”

I sat down across from her and grabbed the cup of coffee set in front of me. I took a sip.

“Well? How is it?”

“Not bad at all.”

She smiled, finished her cup, and stood up.

“Come on, hurry up. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it…”

I downed the rest of my coffee in a rush and stood up as well.

“So, what’s the fastest way to get there?”

That same smile again. Always the same. Honestly, it was starting to get annoying.

“Well, we can fly… on my broom.”

…Oh no. Not that. Just thinking about it was enough to make my heart drop. Last time, I thought I was going to die from the speed. Come on, there has to be a way to avoid this.

“Uh… we could walk, if you’d like.”

“No.”

…Well, I tried.

“Come on, Akira. Let’s go.”

“Aaah… fine. Not like I have a choice anyway.”

We both left the mansion. With a flick of her hand, Ignis summoned her broom.

We got on. I held on for dear life—falling off wasn’t an option.

As usual, she took off at a ridiculous speed. Seriously… I already felt dizzy.

“We’re here.”

“Huh? Already?”

I slowly opened my eyes and… wow. A stunning place stretched out in front of me.

“Let’s go.”

“Alright.”

We both got off the broom and started walking.

Soon, we entered one of the kingdom’s towns. It was huge. And bustling with life. Merchants behind their stalls, villagers coming and going, kids running around laughing.

“So, what do you think? Beautiful, right?”

“Yeah, it really is.”

We kept walking until we reached a tavern.

“Welcome, dear customers! Oh, Ignis! I was waiting for you. And… it looks like you brought a new companion. So, young man, what’s your name?”

It was a man, probably in his thirties.

“I’m Akira. Akira Morisaki.”

“Akira, huh? Hm… that’s not a name from around here. Well, never mind. Just call me Berne.”

“Uh… alright, Mr. Berne.”

“Alright, introductions done. We’re here for a quest.”

“Still as eager for adventure as ever, my dear Ignis,” he said with a laugh.

…More like eager to get us into trouble, yeah.

“Yes. So, do you have a quest for us?”

Always straight to the point, that one.

“Hmm… there’s one with a reward of twenty gold coins.”

“I’ll take it.”

“Very well. Good luck.”

TWENTY coins?! That’s like three months’ worth of work! Is she out of her mind?!

…She didn’t even think for a second. A reward like that? No way it’s an easy mission. Nobody pays that much for nothing.

“Come on, Akira, let’s go.”

“Alright, coming.”

I followed her outside the tavern.

“Uh… can you at least explain why you took that quest?”

Ignis looked different. It was strange… it was like the quest had changed her somehow.

“I don’t feel like talking about it. You’ll find out on your own anyway.”

She stared into my eyes for a moment, then kept walking without another word.

…Yep. Confirmed. Something’s definitely off with her. Suddenly serious—it’s not like her at all.

“Let’s go.”

She snapped her fingers, and her broom flew straight into her hand.

“Hey, wait! What about me? How am I supposed to fight those creatures you mentioned? I don’t even have that energy! I’ll get crushed!”

“Oh, right… Well, don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

She hopped on her broom and gestured for me to join her.

I climbed on without protest, and she took off immediately.

We arrived at a foreign place. Really foreign. Nothing like the kingdom’s cities.

For once, she landed gently. We both got off the broom.

“Alright, I’ll go gather information. You… uh… figure it out.”

“What do you mean, ‘figure it out’!?”

She didn’t even wait for my reply. In a flash, she was already gone.

…Great. Looks like I’ll have to manage on my own.

I entered the new town. The atmosphere was… depressing. Beggars everywhere—even children. The buildings looked abandoned.

“Hey, stop right there, stranger!”

Ah… didn’t even take five minutes. And here I am, already stopped by two guards.

“Knew this was gonna end badly anyway…”