Chapter 19

Lia Pov:

When I enter our tent what's left of my brain is reeling. I have to make this discussion go right or else, I lay down and take Mara into my arms… I won't be the only one in danger. My arms tighten as I drift off to sleep.

~Two Years Earlier~

Entering the bustling capital I start becoming annoyed at the nosie, I'm about to turn around but I remind myself that if I want to make more than a loaf's worth of cash I have to start taking requests out here. Because no matter how much I love finding Ms. Rodgers's cat or clearing out the local monster nest I can't sustain myself on only bread, I also need cheese.

Navigating myself through the busy streets is not much of a challenge since I have the skill to make a mana map, like most 6 year olds. The only thing preventing me from going at top speed is towering buildings made of metal and magic, some wide, others tall, some completely floating, some not at all. This major diversity attracted much of my attention. The town where I hail from is barely 11 years old, due to our low priority ariea the only building that even uses mana to float il the owner of the land's home and it can't use much since our beast wards aren't strong and we don't have enough people to fight off any monster that get through. I moved there when I was twelve from the capital though I don't have much memory before then.

Ending my trip through memory lane are the tall doors to the adventurers guild. Opening the door showed two distinct sides, one over crowded and the other desolate. But this is the fate of all towns close to dungeons, not to mention the capital which is basically built on one. On the left side is the line and general meeting area for those who take on the dungeons, on the right is the area for town requests. Due to the general image and 'pride' of adventures the dungeon queue and all related areas are overcrowded, while requests from townsfolk and others are mostly ignored due to the image of a brave adventurer taking on the dungeon causing an inflated ego.

I make my way to the right trying to shut out the loud bustle of the left. Heading up to the task board I notice that someone must have been fulfilling tasks recently seeing as there's remnants of a torn down task. Any moving my mind off of that I scan my eyes across the board looking for a task. Raising my hand I grab a fairly basic task, helping the client move houses, with fair pay. I tear off the task and bring it to the receptionist who, due to the inactivity, was dozing off. As I place the task on the desk the dosing receptionist gives me her attention. She sweeps her glance down and back up to me, stiffening as she meets my eyes.

"W-would you like to take this ta-sk" She stutters out

I nod

"O-ok that will be at XXX st the client will let you know the rest of my details"

I nod once again and leave. After assisting the client with their move I use roughly half my earnings to purchase a room at the least opulent inn in the area. And until the start of a new week days go on like this, taking a task, sleeping, then doing it again. On monday I enter the much quieter guild 'right the dungeon is closed today' the blessed silence only last for so long as I hear the tearing of paper and a loud scoff.

"Peh, stupid noble go find your own feckin immortality! I thought that maybe this stupid noble would relise somtime in the last 8 years that no one is going to take this request!" I hear the crumpling of paper then I see two adventurers brush past me seeming agitated. I walk over to the request board and find the crumpled paper that was once the aforementioned request. I flatten the paper out and my eyes widen as I read over the paper:

Assist in the location and acquisition of an Anima fruit.

Completion price 1,000,000 #g#

Cancelation price 1 #g#

This is obviously an insane and selfish request, and usually I would do the same as that adventurer crumpling it up and tossing it away. But. For some reason I don't. Something about the 'breath' of this note feels familiar. So I take a deep breath and walk towards the desk, request in hand. I have a feeling, this isn't what it seems at face value.

I place the request on the desk and the receptionist looks up at me in shock. Before she even asks I say

"Yes."

"O-k Atailan Drive the.. Atailan residence."

She hands me back the now signed request and I set off to the person who set the request.