1 | 1 | S-Rank Herbalist

"Halt! State what business you have of the Hero's manor!"

In front of a large manor, several guards stopped a horned man who had an air of mystery and walked leisurely with his hands in his coat pockets.

The man donned a long, dark-gray trench coat with a black shirt and beige pants. The man in question also had two curved, black, green-tipped horns protruding from opposing sides of his head. He had a warm smile with bright, jade-green eyes that matched his horns.

The man had white skin and fluffy black hair with a white streak. Excluding the horns, he was a little less than two meters tall and seemed to be in his 20s.

The guards stiffened a little upon seeing the horns and subconsciously gripped their weapons tighter.

The man was an Asura.

Throughout the numerous islands, many children's tales depicted the Asura race as blood-thirsty beings. One particular story said they would kidnap naughty children and sacrifice them for evil rituals. Of course, it was just a tall tale to make children behave, but it still was stereotypical and painted a bad image of them.

Ignoring the guards' blatant hostility, the man complied with the guards' request and stated, "I'm here at the guild master's request."

Removing his hand from his pocket, the man waved his hand in a circular motion, following which a small envelope appeared from thin air. The envelope was sealed with a wax emblem of a sword overlapping a large intricate cog.

The head guard inspected the envelope, and after confirming it was authentic and untampered, he gave the go-ahead, "Very well, you may enter."

Turning to his co-guards, the head guard nodded. The one operating the gate gave a quick salute and then began to open the gate.

As the gate opened, a blue semi-translucent barrier became visible for a small moment before vanishing once again.

The Asura chuckled to himself wryly, 'as expected of the island lord. Even I would have to use a bit of my strength to break this mana barrier.'

Most magic-related things were ranked on a letter system from A-rank to F-rank, with the former being the higher ranking. An exception to this was S-rank, which is even higher than A-rank.

The man observed that it should be around B-rank. While its ranking may seem rather low, the barrier could easily protect an entire city from harm.

Moving past the gate, the young Asura approached the Hero's residence while being escorted by a guardsman.

The manor could be considered luxurious even by an upper-rank noble's standards. The Hero's estate was three floors high with many windows to make natural lighting and an open feel. It also had complex carvings and architectural designs that complimented each other to make it seem all the more extravagant.

The garden around the estate was very pristine and neat. The shrubbery was cut to near perfection and was pleasing to the eyes.

Trees were also placed about along the property, providing shade.

The Asura nodded inwardly in approval while thinking the trees would be a nice place to relax.

While the neatness of the garden didn't really fit his taste, he still appreciated the effort and arrangement of the greenery.

After walking through the property, the Asura arrived at a pair of doors underneath an overhang supported by several stone columns.

The guard bowed curtly before leaving. He gave a quick glare at the Asura and uttered, "Don't try anything funny. You might be here on official guild business, but you're still just an Asura..."

Ignoring the hostility, he just waved his hand without saying a word.

Grabbing the knocker on one of the doors, he knocked twice. Shortly after, an old man opened the doors. The old man had slicked-back white hair and was dressed in a butler's attire.

The Asura was momentarily taken back by the old man. The aura the old man gave off was that of a sheathed blade. On top of that, he also recognized him!

Morg, The Silver Flash! A B-rank contractor!

When a contractor is titled, it is proof of notable strength. Morg earned his title from his superb skill of the blade and his attacks, which were fast enough to be the main reason he ranked in the top one hundred B-Rankers.

They met many years ago. Back when the Asura was still a kid, he had taken a commission to create an antidote for an unknown poison, and Morg happened to be assigned to the same location by the contractors guild.

The old man was also momentarily taken back. He felt like he had met the Asura at some point in the past. His face seemed familiar, but he couldn't place when or where.

The Asura decided to surprise the old man later when he inevitably needed to reveal his identity.

They both quickly hid their slight surprise. Returning to formalities, the old man welcomed the Asura politely with a bow. "May I know what business the esteemed guest has at this not-so-humble estate?"

The Asura chuckled lightly at the old man's joke. He smiled to himself, 'I see his personality hasn't changed.'

The Asura once again held out the sealed envelope, "I'm here at the guild master's request."

The old man nodded and didn't pursue it any further.

Leading the Asura inside, the old man introduced himself, "Forgive the late introduction. I go by the name Morg. Feel free to make yourself at home. Do you have any drink preferences?"

The Asura smiled underneath his hood, "Sure, some green tea, if you will."

The elderly butler smiled and bowed politely, "Right away."

The Asura sat down on a velvety red couch and rested his arm on the armrest.

As the butler left to make the tea, he muttered to himself, "I could have sworn I've heard that voice somewhere..."

After a few minutes, Morg returned with a cart and tea set.

While Morg poured the tea into a white and blue teacup, the Asura drummed his fingers on his leg.

The Asura rested his head on his hand before closing his eyes and requesting, "Can you fetch the Hero?"

He held up an envelope, "I need to hand this to her under the guild master's request."

Morg nodded. He turned to a maid with brown hair that was standing nearby, "Linda, please fetch the Hero from her room."

The maid named Linda slightly bowed before ascending the staircase.

In the meantime, the Asura reached out to the teacup and raised it to his face to inspect it. Out of the corner of his eye, Morg watched the Asura; he secretly hoped to see if he could make sense of the nostalgic feeling the Asura gave and satiate his curiosity.

Raising the teacup to his lips, the Asura titled the teacup back.

Morg suddenly remembered that the tea would still be scalding!

He shouted, "Wait! It's Hot!"

However, he had already begun to drink it.

Surprisingly, the Asura showed no signs of discomfort, baffling Morg.

After sipping on the tea, the Asura turned to Morg, "The tea is quite good."

A slight smirk began to form where Morg couldn't see. Deciding to tease him a little, the Asura said, "Where did you learn to make green tea like this?"

Morg gazed upwards and began to reminisce about the past.

"It was some time ago, but a friend used to ask for green tea a lot." Chuckling, he continued, "The first time I tried making it, the tea was so bad that my friend claimed to have gotten food poisoning! After that, he became my, and I quote, 'Tea-cher' and taught me how."

The Asura smiled bitterly. He had gotten food poisoning for two days because of that particular brew.

The sound of two people descending the stairs caught the attention of the two. Linda had returned with the Hero in tow.

The Hero had snow-white hair that was tied back in a ponytail with bangs going partially over a pair of icy-blue eyes that gave off a cold aura. She had a slender figure and was only a little shorter than the Asura. She wore black pants and a navy-blue sweater that clung to her body. He wasn't quite sure, but she also seemingly wore a silver necklace partly hidden under her sweater.

The Asura had seen sweaters before, but they were uncommon on this island.

In fact, the island he was currently on had only recently broken free of its probation and developed ports to the other islands, so it was a little strange to see another island's culture already bleeding over.

Actually, it wasn't that strange.

'Those money-grubbing merchants would never pass up a new island joining one of the seas, even if it's only a lesser island.'

The Hero sat down on another couch opposite the Asura and smiled.

Just from her aura alone, the Asura could tell she was a talent among talents.

When someone has the moniker of 'Hero,' they are essentially identified to be a rising talent with the potential to reach B-rank or higher. Naturally, any island lord with a brain would spare no expense to nurturing a Hero.

Heros were uncommon but weren't exceedingly rare. The Asura could probably find a few dozen should he go to a greater island.

Inspecting the Hero, the Asura found her at the peak C-rank level based on her mana. It was pretty shocking, considering the age he estimated her to be.

Noticing the Asura's gaze, the Hero smiled slightly before holding out her hand.

She introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Lenna, Lenna Snow."

The Asura shook Lenna's hand. Her hand was cold but soft, like a fresh blanket of snow.

The Asura noticed he had shaken hands for a little too long and quickly retracted his hand. "Nice to meet you, Lenna. I have an envelope for you from the guild master."

Her expression became one of slight surprise, "The guild master?!"

The guild master was the leader of the entire contractor organization, which spanned across almost every single island. There were thousands of islands, and chances are, if there was a city, there was a contractors guild.

Lenna had known the guild master sent the Asura but was surprised to get a letter from such an influential figure specifically addressed to her.

The Asura waved his hand to make the letter appear and then handed it to her. Lenna immediately tore it open and began to read the contents.

As she read the letter, her facial expressions changed several times. It even turned slightly red at one point, making the Asura curious about what the guild master was telling her. However, he simply continued to drink his green tea leisurely.

Knowing the guild master, they were probably saying something about him one way or another.

By the time Lenna finished reading, she had a look of confusion and curiosity plastered on her face.

The Asura laughed lightly, "I guess it's time for the grand reveal."

Gesturing to himself, he smiled and said, "My name is Krom Nobilis. An Asura, an S-rank contractor, and a licensed herbalist."