The Village of Uvras

It was already our third day of travel. I thought we would reach the next village by morning, just like we did in Penton, but it seemed the road was much longer than I initially thought.

The sky had long since lost its blue color, shifting to shades of orange, even tinged with purples around the horizon. It was getting quite late, but it didn’t look like there was much left, so we didn’t stop.

The journey had gone without a single problem. No monsters, no bandits, so we were able to advance as planned—although something was making me nervous: Liz’s condition.

“Hey, Liz…”

“L-look, a cloud! I-isn’t it pretty!?” she said nervously.

Yeah, she had been like this since last night, when I woke up from the nap we took after training, and it worried me a little. Still, she didn’t seem to be in a bad mood or going through anything serious, so for the moment I let it slide. I just hoped it wouldn’t drag on too long.

“Ah! There it is!” I exclaimed.

In the distance, we could finally see the next village, which Liz had told me was called Uvras. The most noticeable thing from afar were the walls surrounding the place; they looked quite tall and sturdy, with a massive barred gate at the entrance. As we got closer, we could even see a group of knights gathered, inspecting some carts going in or out of the village. It seemed they had a pretty strict checkpoint.

“It’s strange to see a village this well-protected.”

“W-well! It’s because Uvras is the closest village to the capital,” Liz replied, apparently already feeling better. “It’s a more protected and visited place, though it is strange that so many knights are standing guard. Could something have happened?”

It seemed not even she knew about the strict vigilance. It was probably just as she said—something must have happened. We would have to be very careful when moving around here.

“It’s best if we go together and don’t split up.”

“W-what!?” Liz squeaked, startled. “T-together!?”

“Yes. If something really did happen, it’s better to be careful and not separate, so we don’t take unnecessary risks.”

“Oh! That’s what you meant… Yes, you’re right.”

Not long after, we finally reached the village entrance, where the knights inspected the cart. Seeing that we weren’t carrying anything suspicious or dangerous, they let us through without trouble, and at last, we entered the village of Uvras.

It was clear this was one of the closest villages to the capital, since it was far less deteriorated than the other places we had visited. There was still plenty of activity even as night was falling—stalls and shops remained open. It was a village that didn’t give the impression of belonging to such a decayed world as this one.

The first thing we did was unload our belongings from the cart and pay the driver for bringing us. The trip had been longer, so it ended up being a bit more expensive.

“How are we doing with money?” I asked.

“We have enough, but it would be good to get a little more for emergencies,” Liz answered, a little worried. Just as I feared.

Before we started this journey, Liz had mentioned that we would probably have to take on some jobs at the guild to earn money for provisions. We managed to ease the situation with the reward from the Treetalon, but even so, we were still going to need to work a bit.

“Then we’ll have to go to the guild tomorrow, huh? Wait, now that I think about it, why don’t you take the guild test again to raise your rank?”

“Raise my rank, you say?” Liz asked.

“Yeah, that way we’ll get requests with better rewards, right?”

If we wanted to get money faster, it would certainly help if we were both higher-ranked. The tasks might become a bit more difficult, but I trusted that working together we could handle them.

“I don’t know… I don’t feel like I’ve improved that much,” she replied.

“That’s not true. You’ve gotten much better with the sword, and now you can also use magic in battle. You’ll definitely make a great impression in the test.”

Yes. She had started as an adventurer barely knowing how to use a sword, which was why she only managed to get rank D, but now things were different. She had more skill, more experience, and access to magic. Without a doubt, she would achieve a higher rank.

“Go for it—you’ll see everything will turn out fine.”

She thought for a few moments, but then soon made up her mind.

“Alright! I’ll do it!” she exclaimed, motivated, which made me pat her head.

“That’s the spirit!” I said cheerfully. “For now, let’s find an inn to rest and grab something to eat. I’m exhausted from the trip.”

“Y-yes!” Liz answered, slightly blushing. I just hoped she wasn’t coming down with something.

With our belongings, we set out to look for an inn to spend the night and rest. I really was lucky to have Liz with me; since she already knew a bit about the place, everything became much easier.

***

The next day, after having something to eat, we headed to the guild. The building was much larger than those in the previous villages, more imposing, and there were far more adventurers inside. I, on the other hand, was alone.

Naoya was supposed to come with me, but instead he only said, “Sorry, I have to take care of something. I’ll see you when you’re done,” when we arrived, and then left, abandoning me in the guild.

Sigh

That guy… Just imagining him makes my heart start to race. Even yesterday, when he patted my head, it felt different—my face turned red, and I couldn’t think straight.

Damn it… I’d better go in already before I keep thinking about weird things.

Once inside, I went to the receptionist and paid the fee for the test. It was great to know I could still raise my rank, though it was pretty annoying to find out I had to pay for it again.

After paying and getting my guild card checked, the receptionist took me to a room at the back. Unlike the dirt-floored training ground in my hometown’s guild, this was a huge space, completely enclosed. There were also far more benches around, as well as the usual training weapons already prepared.

Standing before me was what appeared to be my instructor. She was quite tall, with well-defined muscles, wearing light training clothes, and her hair was chestnut brown. When she turned to face me, I also noticed her sharp and intimidating gaze. She was an imposing person—or at least, that’s what I thought until…

“Oh my! What an adorable little thing!” she shouted as soon as she saw me.

The image I had of her shattered instantly. Her intimidating gaze vanished, replaced by a tender expression, as if she had just spotted a puppy.

The instructor rushed over to me the moment she had the chance, hugging me tightly and shaking me around as if I were a rag doll.

“Cute, cute, cute, cute, cute!” she exclaimed over and over.

“C-could you put me down!?”

“Oh! I’m so sorry! I’m weak against cuteness like yours,” the instructor said as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

What kind of mess did you get me into, Naoya?

“You’re here to take the rank-up test, right? Go choose a weapon—they’re over there.”

Following her instructions, I went to the armory. There was a wide variety, but I already knew my choice from the start. The sword had helped me survive and help Lui from the beginning, and even now Naoya believed I had improved, so I would continue relying on it.

“All set!”

“A sword? Good, in that case, I’ll choose the same,” she said as she picked up her weapon. “Most instructors use their preferred weapon to fight comfortably. I, on the other hand, like to challenge myself.”

Once we had both chosen our weapons, we walked to the center of the training field. I could feel my nerves growing with every step, but I had to calm down; nerves were the worst enemy I could have right now.

“Are you ready, girl?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed, fired up.

And so, the fight finally began.