Chapter 5: The Silver Wings

Back to the present, I woke up from the bed from my nightmare from the childhood that has been haunting me for ages. My body was drenched in sweat and my head hurt like hell. 

As the headache subsided after a few minutes, I got out of the bed and went to the bathroom to freshen myself. The bathroom was fitted with luxurious fittings despite it being just an inn. I placed my hands on the sink and looked at myself in the mirror.

I couldn't see it clearly in the water reflection yesterday, but I really look like some sick person. My hairs had grown enough to reach the shoulders and though it had gotten less noticeable, there were still dark circles under my eyes.

I focused on my red eyes and remembered the time when I was called a demon because of my white hair and these eyes. White hair itself was rare in the empire. My red eyes were even rarer. I was discriminated against from childhood because of my face.

I formed a small blade of mana with my index and middle finger and cut my hair properly. I then opened the tap from which water flowed through and washed my face.

After washing myself, I put on my adventure gear and exited my room and went downstairs. I gave back the room's key to the receptionist and ordered a set of breakfast as I sat on one of the free tables. 

Maybe because it was still morning, the inn felt quite empty. There were around five to six tables empty considering that this inn is very famous in this region.

As I glanced at the people around me, a delightful aroma of freshly baked bread reached my nose. It was the breakfast awaiting me, and it smelled completely opposite from military rations.

The focal point of the breakfast was a golden loaf of bread. Beside the bread, a bowl of ripe berries showcased a vibrant array of colors.

Beside the bread, a bowl of ripe berries showcased a range of vibrant colors, hinting at the burst of flavors they held within.

A jar of amber-colored honey adorned the table. It held no genuine connection to nature, just a pathetic imitation of sweetness to distract from the bitterness of reality.

In the center, a small vase displayed freshly plucked wildflowers, their petals glistening with morning dew, adding a fresh and lively charm to the scene.

After I finished my breakfast, I went back to the guild again. I went to the quest board directly and started to search for some quests.

I found another herb gathering quest just like yesterday. Without a second thought I decided to take it and went to the receptionist. 

"Ah Sir William! You have a request that specifically asks for you"

!!!

"Me?"

I was truly surprised as no one should know me. I changed my name and came to a faraway town. But Someone specifically asked for me?

"Ah she's here"

I looked back as I saw the receptionist staring behind me. It was a blue haired short girl. Her eyes kept staring at me like they were staring at an abyss. She put her finger on mouth as she slightly bent  her neck to the side.

"Are you Mr. William?"

"Umm… Yes?"

The girl lit up with excitement as she held my right hand with both hands and kept shaking it like crazy.

"I am Sakura! Is this potion yours?"

She brought out the vial of potion I clearly remember giving away to another girl. Did she think I scammed her just because of the color? My potion was better than the traditional one.

"Yes, what about it?"

"I knew it!" Her pupils seemed to turn into a star as she again shook my hand violently.

"I am an alchemist in this town and I sell potions but I have never seen a healing potion of this degree. What class alchemist are you? Third? Fourth? Ah– Maybe fifth?"

Oh yes, there was something like alchemist rank. I learned alchemist from the previous commander of the second regiment. Though he wasn't good at fighting, he was the best in other fields. I got the basic knowledge from him and growed it by absorbing knowledge and experiments.

There are a total of seven ranks in the alchemist union for now. As of now, there's only one seventh rank alchemist and three sixth rank. If I remember correctly the previous commander was a fourth rank which was rare enough.

I never joined the alchemist union nor did I buy something from another alchemist. I gathered my ingredients on my own and researched them. Time to time I would find books and scriptures about alchemy from here and there.

"I am not in the alchemist union"

"Ah— A hidden alchemist? Are you on a journey? Ah no, maybe I shouldn't have said that aloud?"

This girl was crazy. I heard everyone in the alchemist union was crazy in their own way. The higher the rank, the crazier one would be. 

"Did you have any quest for me?"

"Ah I forgot!" She rustled through her bag to search for something. "Here's the list! The other adventurers don't know how to take care of this stuff. SInce you are a fellow alchemist, I am trusting you. Also since you are a copper rank you will be doing this mission with another party since the location is a bit dangerous. Is that okay with you?"

"Another party?"

"Yes you don't have to worry about it, they are the best in this city. You will also get half of the total commission so you won't be losing out on it."

Money wasn't a matter for me. I earned more than enough while in the army. Since it's about working with others, well… Let's try this.

"Well if you do agree, then the other party is on the second floor. You can go meet them now"

I hesitatingly followed this girl called Sakura. She seemed short like you average teenager but she seems older. The stairs of the guild started to creak as I sat foot on each of them. How did this place hold out this long?

On the second floor, only one table was occupied. Three males and two females. One of the females seemed to be a nun of the church. Do they also do adventures like this?

"Heya people! This is the guy I told you about."

The party looked in our direction as Sakura shouted in a cheery voice. One of them, a well built muscular man in armor rose up from his chair and came towards me. As he stretched out his hand towards me, I responded accordingly by giving him a handshake.

"I am Vinier, the captain of the 'Silver wings'. Nice to meet you" He spoke up in a deep warm voice.

"Willam" Unlike him, my introduction seemed short but what can I do? I am not used to this kind of stuff.

"...Um well, Please sit down"

I sat down with the group as he offered me to. I tried to measure everyone in this group. I just wanted to know what the standard of this town was by understanding this best group of people here.

They all seemed average to me. To be honest, they had strength like an average Imperial knight, which was… quite disappointing.

Since the highest grade quest this town has is iron rank, they shouldn't be any better than that. I wonder how higher rank adventurers are. While I was immersed in my own thoughts, Vinier started to introduce his party one by one. 

Vinier was a swordsman. Andrew, the man beside him wearing a green outfit with hat was an archer. Ethan, the last man in the group clad in huge armor, was the tank.

While on the other hand, Sara was a mage who was wearing clothes that barely covered herself while exposing most parts. Beside her was a nun in church clothing with larger than average bosoms hanging on her chest. She was the healer of this party.

The party was quite balanced. Also, judging from the relationship between them, they seemed to have quite the teamwork. As everyone was staring at me, I realized it was my time to introduce myself properly.

I introduced myself as a swordsman who recently became an adventurer. After the introduction part we decided to make our plans for the adventure.

The place we were going to was near the mountains to collect ogre blood. A place brimming with monsters. But they were good materials for an alchemist. We decided to leave for the mountains that day as it would take quite a while to reach there.