First Meeting

Having just escaped the Holy Kingdom, Rio and Laura had no one to rely on.

The Imperial Capital they had made their base had a relatively cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Not just residents, but migrant workers, travelers, merchants—all sorts of people mingled together there.

Good-natured souls willing to go out of their way to help newcomers like them were few and far between.

Earning a living through their Soullight abilities wasn't difficult.

But learning the little details of daily life—how to dispose of trash, how to conduct themselves as adventurers—that had been quite the struggle.

They wished they had someone to rely on. Someone familiar with the Imperial Capital and versed in adventurer customs. Someone dependable.

This shared wish had become a silent understanding between them.

"Rio, is this really the right place for the request?"

"According to the map, it should be here…"

The two walked cautiously, a gloomy forest stretching out around them.

Overgrown trees blotted out the sky, letting in almost no sunlight. The rustling of leaves and the chirping of insects sounded somehow ominous.

They both wanted to finish the monster extermination and go home. On that, they were in complete agreement.

What followed was a long, long stretch of time spent on edge, flinching at every sound—even the crunch of leaves beneath their own feet.

—Then suddenly, something burst from the bushes.

"!?"

Rio reflexively drew his sword and stepped forward.

He caught the downward swing on his blade—and his expression twisted in shock.

"A person…?"

The attacker wasn't a monster, but a human.

Looking closer, the face seemed familiar—someone he had seen at the Adventurers' Guild.

He had experience fighting monsters, but being attacked by another person was a first.

"Hey, they're here!"

When the man who attacked Rio shouted, several more adventurers emerged from the surroundings.

"Wh-why…"

"Heheh. You two've been snatching up all the requests and making yourselves an eyesore. Time for you to die."

They were rival adventurers, and jealousy was likely part of it too. Rio and Laura had been steadily completing requests, making them a constant annoyance to their fellow adventurers.

"… Tch."

Rio slowly retreated while keeping his sword raised.

One-on-one, he was confident he wouldn't lose. But there were nearly ten opponents. Alone, he might not be able to protect Laura.

Cold sweat trickled down Rio's brow.

"Raaaagh!"

One of the men swung his sword at Rio.

—At that moment, a clear voice rang out from the distance.

"—Ice Arrow!"

An arrow of ice shot out from behind Rio, piercing the man's head in an instant.

That was the signal. One after another, ice arrows flew through the air, felling the adventurers in quick succession.

"Wh-what's going on…?"

The ice arrows seemed to be deliberately avoiding Rio and Laura.

Despite coming from so far away the caster couldn't even be seen, each shot struck its target with pinpoint accuracy.

"Damn…"

One of the adventurers used his Soullight to conjure a wall of rock. The thick barrier stopped the ice arrows cold.

—However, a shadow was closing in from behind him.

"Leaving your back wide open, are we?"

A tall man appeared out of nowhere and pressed something against the adventurer's back. The next instant, the man who had created the rock wall crumpled to the ground.

"I already looked into your Soullight. Next time, I'd recommend putting up a wall behind you too."

Rio and Laura could only watch in stunned silence as the scene unfolded.

The mysterious duo had subdued over ten adventurers in the blink of an eye.

"Hey, you two alright?"

After binding every last adventurer, the tall man spoke to Rio.

"Uh, yeah…"

"Good to hear. Fren, looks like they're fine."

When the tall man called out behind him, a beautiful girl emerged from the trees.

"That's a relief. Still, I knew we should have intervened sooner! What if they had been hurt!?"

"Come on, one of them's got healing magic, right? Besides, this kid's better with a blade than those guys were. He would've been fine for a bit."

"Whether injuries can be healed or not isn't the point!"

Rio was left dumbfounded as the two started bickering the moment things were over.

After a while, the girl called Fren turned to face Rio.

"My apologies. I am Fren Crael, an adventurer who was investigating those delinquent adventurers. That over there is Gil. He has a sharp tongue, but he's skilled."

"That's a pretty rough introduction."

Ignoring Gil's quip, Fren continued.

"The request you two received appears to have been a trap set by those people… Lately, cases of adventurers being lured out by requests like this and ambushed have been occurring frequently… Forgive me for asking, but were you on guard against such things?"

Fren's tone seemed less accusatory and more genuinely concerned for them.

Seeing her demeanor, Rio decided to be honest about their situation.

How they had only recently arrived and knew no other adventurers. How they had no means of gathering information and were unfamiliar with adventurer customs.

Fren listened with gentle eyes.

"I see, so you've been struggling all this time… In that case, why don't you work with me for a while?"

"Really!?"

It was Laura who exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes… Your loneliness is something I myself am all too familiar with."

She spoke in a heartfelt tone, then glanced back over her shoulder.

"Besides, Gil here will help too. He seems to feel guilty about putting you two in danger."

"Hey, I have to do this too!?"

"You're just like me—the type who can't turn a blind eye to people in situations like this, aren't you?"

At those words, delivered with a bright smile, Gil made a sour face but gave a small nod.

"Now then, shall we head back together?"

Fren's smiling face seemed incredibly reassuring to Rio and Laura.

It was a feeling much like the sense of security Fren herself had once felt around Bloom.