Chapter 9
The Adventurers’ Guild was as lively as ever.
Requests were shouted. Mugs clanked. Boots stomped across wooden floors worn smooth by years of ambition and failure alike.
Through it all, two female adventurers moved with noticeably stiff steps.
Keila led the way, Mina close behind.
They climbed the stairs one floor, then another. Until they reached the upper level where guild employees worked, far removed from the chaos below.
They stopped in front of a single door.
Both of them froze.
“U-unnie…” Mina whispered, fingers clutching her sleeve. “Do we… really have to do this?”
Keila exhaled slowly.
“Yes,” she said, forcing steadiness into her voice. “We’re doing the right thing.”
Mina nodded, but her shoulders were still tense.
Her thoughts drifted back to that day.
The forest was quiet then.
They had been sitting on smooth rocks, facing the strange yet gentle man who called himself a forest spirit.
“I can’t stop people from entering the forest,” he had said casually.
“So instead, we find someone we can trust.”
“Someone… we can trust?” Keila had repeated.
“Exactly,” he replied. “We gatekeep the good from the bad.”
“H-how…?” Mina had asked.
He had tilted his head.
“Well,” he said, “do either of you have a pen and paper?”
“…Eh?”
Both of them had stared at him blankly.
After writing for a while, he had folded the paper carefully and handed it to Keila.
“U-um, Spirit Lord—”
“Soobin.”
“Ah, y-yes. What do we do with this… piece of paper?”
“Give it to someone reliable,” he said lightly.
“A guild master. An honest merchant. Even a noble.”
Keila hesitated.
“Are… are we really the right people for this?”
“Oh?” He smiled. “Does it feel burdensome? You can refuse, you know~”
“I-it’s not that!” she quickly said. “It’s just… can you really trust us with something this important?”
He laughed softly.
“Is that all?”
“I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t trust you.”
Then, plainly.
“You’re the only ones I can count on.”
Both of them had gone quiet.
“…R-really?”
“Of course.”
Their faces had burned red.
Seeing them like that, he had paused. Then sighed.
“In return,” he said, “you can ask me for anything. As long as it’s within my capabilities.”
“…Anything?”
They had looked at each other.
The same thought had clearly crossed both their minds.
And now,
They stood before the door.
Lord Soobin had trusted them.
Entrusted them.
I don’t want to disappoint that trust, Mina thought.
If I want to safely gather herbs again… and maybe see him again…
Keila reached for the handle.
“Are you ready?”
“Y-yes…”
“Alright, here we g—”
The door opened on its own.
“Aren’t you going to enter?”
An old woman stood on the other side.
She was well into her sixties, her gray hair tied neatly back. Wrinkles lined her face, not from age alone, but from laughter, scars, and years spent surviving the profession.
Her presence was relaxed.
Too relaxed.
The kind only veterans carried.
“G-Guild Master Sonia!”
“What’re ya dawdlin’ for?” Sonia barked cheerfully. “Get in!”
“Y-yes!”
“Pardon our intrusion!”
They hurried inside.
Sonia sat across from them, leaning back in her chair, arms crossed loosely.
“So,” she said, eyeing them with interest. “What can I do for you two?”
Mina opened her mouth.
“I—”
Keila leaned in and whispered sharply, “What’re you doing? Just give it!”
“H-here…!”
Mina shoved the folded paper forward.
Sonia accepted it, watching their bickering with clear amusement.
“What’s in this paper that’s got you two shakin’ like fledglings?”
She reached for her glasses and unfolded the document.
“It’s… a r-request,” Mina said.
“Hoho,” Sonia smirked. “Hope it’s from a man.”
“Don’t you have a husband?” Keila blurted.
Sonia winked.
Time passed.
The room grew quiet.
Sonia’s smile slowly faded.
“…Who gave you this?” she asked.
“A forest spirit,” Mina answered. “Lord Soobin.”
“A forest spirit, huh…” Sonia muttered.
She tapped the paper.
“This is about the Forest of Igrad. The benefits. The conditions.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“But the handwriting’s refined. The structure’s precise. Reads like a noble or a seasoned merchant.”
She glanced up.
“Doesn’t it sound a bit too polished for a forest spirit?”
“I… don’t know,” Mina admitted.
Sonia sighed.
Keila leaned forward.
“But he can be trusted! You can verify him yourself!”
“And if it’s a fraud?” Sonia pressed.
“What if it’s a trap?”
Silence.
Then,
“BAHAHAHA!”
Sonia burst out laughing.
“Oh, lighten up!” she said, slapping the table.
“You think I became guild master by bein’ cautious? I’m a former A-rank, you know!”
Both girls laughed nervously.
“Whether it’s a trap or not,” Sonia continued, eyes gleaming,
“I’m not backing out just because I’m scared.”
She waved the paper.
“The benefits are real. The stipulations are fair.”
She leaned forward, smiling sharply.
“If I ignore this… I’d regret it more than any ambush.”
She folded the paper carefully.
“Now then,”
Her gaze locked onto them.
“Tell me,” she said confidently,
“everything you know about this… Soobin.”
