Chapter 287: Is This Kid the Highest-Ranked Adventurer?

The next day, after the intense battle in the Mobile Labyrinth and several days of non-stop travel, Wood was feeling mentally exhausted.

So, after telling his sisters a story last night, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.

It wasn't until this morning, when he felt something strange on his face, that he was awakened from his dreams.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was an extremely beautiful face, watching him from a very close distance.

As soon as she noticed he was awake, the woman flashed a bright smile and quickly leaned her face even closer.

"Good morning, nephew! How did you sleep?"

Looking at his aunt Therese, who hugged him without hesitation, Wood could only sigh in resignation.

His nerves had been so on edge lately that he slept too deeply last night, not even realizing when Therese entered their room.

"Aunt Therese, aren't you the captain of the Temple Knights? Don't you have work today?"

Wood wasn't particularly good at dealing with his young aunt.

Although Therese was his mother Zenith's sister, there was quite an age gap between them. In fact, when Zenith left home, Therese had been only about ten years old.

So Therese was only a little over ten years older than Wood himself, but the strange generational difference made Wood feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Even the righteous Temple Knights need a break now and then. I took a day off today specifically to show you around the capital.

Your attitude is really making your poor aunt sad, you know?"

Therese pretended to look hurt, which made Wood sigh once again.

It was obvious that this was her first time playing the role of an elder, so he decided to humor her. Besides, as the captain of the Temple Knights, she probably knew a bit about the teleportation disaster in the Fittoa region.

"Well then, I'll leave it to you, Aunt Therese, to give me a good tour of the capital.

As for Norn and Aisha, they're both exhausted. Let's let them rest for now."

Wood gently got out of bed, making sure not to wake his two sleeping sisters, then carefully tucked the blankets around them. He turned to Therese with a smile.

"It seems like you and Sister Zenith both really care for your sisters.

You don't look that old, but you give off a very reliable vibe. Now I'm even more curious—what kind of person are your father and brother?"

Hearing her question, images of Paul and Rudy's lecherous grins flashed through Wood's mind, and he could only give a distracted answer: "They're… decent people. Yeah, I guess."

The capital of the Holy Milis Kingdom was quite prosperous, even more so than Roa, the city Wood had previously stayed in.

Due to the religious nature of the country, many statues were erected along the streets, presumably of the Milis God.

Therese first took Wood to a famous magic tool shop, where they bought a bottle of expensive hair growth serum.

Thanks to the serum's effects, Wood's shiny bald head quickly sprouted a mane of bright golden hair again.

Wanting to further distinguish himself from Rudy, Wood decided to use an extra-large dose of the serum, allowing his hair to grow all the way down to his waist. He tied it into a ponytail.

It was undeniable that hair made a significant difference in someone's appearance.

When Therese saw the transformation from a bald head to a handsome young man with flowing golden locks, her eyes lit up. She immediately tried to hug him again, but Wood, having anticipated her move, dodged out of the way just in time.

After handling the hair situation, Therese took Wood on a tour around the capital. However, Wood seemed somewhat distracted throughout the tour—until they arrived at the Adventurers' Guild.

Every country had adventurers, and in larger towns, an Adventurers' Guild was always present.

Wood, now flush with funds, wanted to go to the guild to post some requests and see if any adventurers had recently returned from the Fittoa region, hoping to learn more about the situation there.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Is this for real? Even a big shot from the Temple Knights would come to a place like this, where us lowly adventurers hang out?"

Compared to other kingdoms, the adventurer profession wasn't as highly regarded in the Holy Milis Kingdom. So, when the adventurers in the guild saw Therese, the captain of the Temple Knights, entering the guild, they couldn't help but sneer.

"Are you here to post a request?"

The receptionist, visibly surprised to see a Temple Knight, nonetheless followed protocol as she addressed Therese and Wood.

"That's right. I want to post an S-ranked request: to gather information on the cause of the teleportation disaster in the Fittoa region of the Asura Kingdom.

I also want to post an A-ranked request to search for Paul Greyrat, Rudy Greyrat, Lilia Greyrat, and Eris Boreas Greyrat.

Anyone who finds any one of these people will be considered to have completed an A-ranked request."

As Wood's calm voice echoed throughout the Adventurers' Guild, the bustling adventurers fell silent.

"That's a lot of money! An S-ranked request and more than five A-ranked requests? Just the rewards alone must cost a fortune.

Whose kid is this, anyway? Could he be royalty?"

The adventurers didn't know what the teleportation disaster was all about, but a search mission being classified as an A-ranked request? To them, it seemed like easy money.

The receptionist kept a professional smile but couldn't hide her surprise. "There's no problem with posting the requests, sir, but—"

Clink!

Before she could finish her sentence, Wood tossed a heavy bag of gold onto the counter. From the sound of it, there were quite a few coins inside.

"I'm familiar with the guild's rules. This is the deposit for the requests, and there's more than enough in here.

As for the S-ranked request, I believe the guild's rules state that only nobles or S-ranked adventurers and above can post one, correct?

Here's my adventurer's ID. I'm registered in the Asura Kingdom as an SS-ranked adventurer. My name is Wood Greyrat."

S-ranked requests were notoriously difficult, often requiring multiple S-ranked adventurer teams to work together, which is why they had such high requirements.

*******

P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a