WHFIO09

Episode 9

The capital of the Artes Empire, Penrose—just a little ways out from the bustling center—was home to a district known as the Street of Plenty.

This quarter was lined with guilds, which at first glance looked little different from taverns or inns.

A guild’s role was simple: take requests from clients—called quests—and assign them to those suited for the task.

The jobs ranged from acquiring rare goods and information, to assassinations. The latter, of course, was something only the shadow guilds dealt with.

In return, the guild collected small fees from both client and worker, which kept the whole system running.

Because it was said that there was nothing one could not obtain along this street of guilds, the district earned its name, Street of Plenty.

That day, as usual, one guild member sat behind the counter, puffing lazily on his rolled cigarette and savoring the dull monotony of routine—until a stranger stepped through the door.

“Welcome,” he said halfheartedly.

The newcomer was a young woman, someone he had never seen before. He didn’t think much of it; guild visitors ranged from foreigners to children. Her appearance—pale skin, fine features—was striking, but nothing more.

“Bad timing, miss. Any quests I’d give to someone like you are already gone.”

Jobs suited for women or children were usually trivial, such as collecting duck eggs by the river or weaving tapestries. Safe, simple labor—but so competitive that only those quick on their feet could even claim them.

“If you want those kinds of jobs, you’ll have to come earlier tomorrow.”

But the young woman—Elsez—dismissed him with a single line.

“Give me a monster-hunting quest.”

The guild member blinked, eyeing her slender neck and wrists. She didn’t look capable of swinging a sword, let alone killing a monster.

“Even the weakest monster would be tough for a girl on her own. Got companions with you?”

“No.”

“A mage, maybe?”

“Not exactly.”

“…Do you even have a weapon?”

“No. That’s why I want to earn money first.”

“So you plan to hunt monsters barehanded?!”

“I’m a lot stronger than I look.”

He stared at her in disbelief. Not a mage, no companions, no weapons—yet she wanted to hunt monsters? She was either suicidally bold, or hopelessly clueless.

Reading his expression, Elsez only smiled with confidence and crooked her finger.

“Don’t worry. Just give me a quest.”

With a sour look, the guild member handed her a scroll tied with blue string. He couldn’t shake the guilt of shoving a girl young enough to be his niece into danger.

But Elsez didn’t even unroll the scroll before returning it.

Lost her nerve already? he thought.

He took it back, about to tell her she’d made the right choice, when she suddenly pointed at a box behind him.

“I want that one.”

She was pointing to a scroll tied with red string.

In the guild, jobs were color-coded: green for safe errands children or women could handle, blue for quests suited to those with some strength, and red for the truly dangerous—often involving beasts, creatures far stronger than ordinary monsters.

Few could complete red quests, but the rewards were incomparable. Generally, they required an entire party of seasoned guild members.

The man was surprised that Elsez even knew the classifications, but quickly shook his head.

“Doesn’t matter how badly you need coin, I can’t let you take a red quest.”

“Do you even know what you’re asking for? Beasts aren’t like cute little monsters—they’re huge, vicious things!”

Before Elsez could reply, another guild member, who’d been idling nearby, cut in. He belonged to a different guild but had been hanging around.

Soon, others who’d been drinking at the tables joined in with jeers.

“Good ambition, miss, but hunting beasts is a job for hardened mercenaries, or heroes with the Church’s blessing.”

“Hey, whose daughter are you anyway? What kind of fool sends a frail little noble girl to earn coin in a guild?”

Elsez only gave an awkward smile at the mockery of her late father, Baron Lohain.

Well… he did catch business fever, rack up debts, and die, leaving them all behind.

Their remarks were presumptuous, but not particularly insulting. After all, to their eyes she really was nothing more than a fragile noblewoman.

Elsez then snatched up the blue quest scroll from the counter.

“Then how about this? If I clear this blue quest, you’ll let me take the red one. On one condition—you don’t give it to anyone else until I’m back.”

The counter clerk looked reluctant, but her resolve was unmistakable. At last, he sighed and nodded.

“Fine. But if it looks dangerous, don’t try to play hero. Run.”

“Just don’t hand that red quest to anyone else,” she insisted, grinning as she turned away.

The guild members watched her leave, some uneasy.

“Shouldn’t we follow her? What if she gets into trouble?”

“She’ll be fine. Low-grade monsters are either slow or weak. Worst case, she just runs.”

They were about to drop the subject when one man slapped the table with a grin.

“Boring just drinking here. How about a bet?”

“A bet?”

“On when that girl comes back. Closest guess wins the pot, losers buy drinks.”

The suggestion quickly caught on.

“I say she won’t come back at all. She’ll run off.”

“Nah, she looked determined. Bet she’ll be back by evening.”

As the wagers flew, someone spotted a man drinking quietly in the corner.

“Hey, Pers! You in?”

“Bet on this side if you think she’ll run. Bet on that side if you think she’ll come back late. What’s your call?”

The middle-aged man, Pers, took a sip of his drink, pulled a coin from his pouch, and set it down—not on either pile, but in a new spot.

“I’ll wager she returns within two hours.”

The guild erupted in laughter.

“Pers, you trying to buy us all drinks? Just say so!”

After all, just reaching the monster forest and back by carriage took an hour. That left barely sixty minutes to track down and kill five monsters. Not even seasoned hunters could manage it.

But Pers only drank in silence.

Inside the rattling carriage, Reti—the tiny creature hidden in Elsez’s pocket—peered up at her closed eyes.

“Human! Are you sleeping?”

“What.”

She replied lazily without opening her eyes. Reti hopped from shoulder to shoulder.

“Where are we going?”

“Candy hunting,” Elsez murmured at last.

“Candy?”

At the word, Reti’s eyes sparkled.

“Yes, candy. Now keep quiet while I think of a faster way to gather it.”

“I want strawberry candy today. No—lemon too!”

Elsez ignored the babble, focusing instead on dredging up memory.

Three years ago… my first run-through. I must’ve cleared this quest hundreds, thousands of times. The forest paths, the monster spawns… Do I still remember?

The carriage jolted to a stop.

Paying the driver, Elsez stepped down before the vast expanse of the forest.

Reti frowned. “There’s no candy here.”

“There is. Watch.”

She pulled on fingerless gloves—better than bare fists—and drew a deep breath.

Her mind recalled nothing, yet her body moved as if it remembered every step.

Turning to the driver, she called, “Wait here. I’ll pay extra. Just an hour.”

“An hour? Hunting monsters usually takes much longer…” the man protested.

“An hour’s plenty.” She slipped into the forest with quiet certainty.

The paths unfolded in her mind like a map: the snake-head rock led to the stream, fifty paces past the crossing stood the plum tree.

Every landmark appeared exactly as remembered.

No way I’d forget a grind quest like this.

And there—monsters called Kiru. One-eyed, winged creatures that couldn’t fly high.

Elsez grinned. “Found you. Candy.”

***

That night, it wasn’t Pers who bought the drinks—it was the rest of the guild.

Elsez had returned in precisely two and a half hours, handing over the quest scroll.

“Ten Kiru wings. That’s the request, isn’t it?”

The counter clerk gaped as he opened the scroll.

Quest: Collect 10 Kiru Wings
Location: Southern Forest of Beginnings
Reward: 2 Luke
Progress: 10/10

Indeed, ten wings sat neatly within the scroll’s inventory.

The guild erupted in shock.

Five monsters, in only an hour? Impossible… unless she can predict their spawns?

A shiver went down their spines.

What kind of monster of a girl just walked into our guild…?

“Here’s your reward,” the clerk muttered, handing over the coin.

“As promised,” Elsez said brightly, “the red quest, please.”

He gave it to her, still dazed.

With the scroll in hand and eyes of awe following her, Elsez smirked.

I’ll tackle the beast tomorrow. For now, back home. Money’s easy after all.

She hummed cheerfully as she headed for the door—until a voice stopped her.

“You there.”

Turning, she found Pers, holding a cup of ale, his gaze steady and intent.

“Spare me a moment of your time.”

He regarded her with an expression both grave and knowing.