Alex reached the main square with his mind still preoccupied by his encounter with the elven alchemist. It was only when he entered the guild hall that he snapped out of his thoughts.

  “…swear that goddamn manticore…”

  “…thought so. How many times did I…”

  “…this big! Then he angled it just right and I…”

  The place still buzzed with activity like it had when he left in the morning. Adventurers crowded around the bounty board, queued at the reception desks, and lounged around the tables and benches scattered throughout the hall. Though Alex had to admit that the numbers had somewhat decreased from the morning. ‘Probably out on missions and stuff. I guess morning and evening are the busiest.’

  As Alex made his way towards the reception desks, a few of the passing adventurers seemed to recognise him from this morning. Ignoring them, he was pleasantly surprised to recognise one of the receptionists on duty today. Without hesitation, he joined the surprisingly long queue leading to Polly’s desk.

  Twenty minutes later, he was finally nearing the front of it.

  When it was finally his turn, he stepped up to the counter and waved awkwardly. “Hey, Polly. Long time no see.”

  The woman looked at him with confusion before recognition dawned on her face. “Oh, Alex! Welcome back. I hope you’ve been settling into the guild well. What can I do for you?”

  “I’m actually here to collect my reward for a mission I did.” He replied.

  “Oh? I guess it makes sense for you to already be doing missions, considering your starting level of strength.” The receptionist nodded and pulled out a form. “Could you give me the mission slip and proof of completion?”

  Alex hesitated. “About that… there might be an issue.”

  The woman tilted her head quizzically. “How so?”

  “Well… I don’t really have a mission slip or any proof of completion.” He explained. “It’s for the goblin raid last night.”

  Polly raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t that only limited to Bronze ranks and above? I don’t think you’ve ranked up in the few days since you joined us.”

  “You’re right, but as you said yourself, I’m much stronger than an average wood or even Bronze. I asked the guild master, and she let me join the raid after she tested my strength.”

  Polly showed a look of understanding. “I see. In that case could you please provide your adventurer’s badge? It’s a little-known fact, but these badges can more or less record how many monsters you’ve killed.”

  “More or less?” Alex asked.

  “Well, instead of truly counting a number, the badge absorbs a very small fraction of the energy released when a soul dissipates.” The receptionist explained. “Most monsters already have a recorded amount of energy absorbed per death, so all that’s left to do is divide the total energy absorbed by the energy of a single monster.”

  “I see.” Alex’s eyes lit up, then dimmed as he scratched the back of his head. “Unfortunately, I kind of also lost my badge in the chaos of the fight, so I need a replacement.”

  Polly gave him a deadpan stare. “Then how do you expect me to even confirm your participation, much less pay you the correct amount?”

  “That…” Alex hesitated again. “The guild master promised me…”

  He trailed off as he remembered last night’s events. From the look on Polly’s face, she was thinking the same thing. As he tried to think of a solution, he suddenly remembered that there had been another person present when the guild master had promised him payment.

  “Oh, right,” he snapped his fingers. “Remus was also there when this happened. You can ask him.”

  “Remus who?” She pulled out a ledger filled with names and images.

  “Remus the gold rank adventurer.” Alex shrugged. “I don’t remember his surname.”

  Polly raised an eyebrow again, fingers still resting on the edge of the ledger. “You know a gold rank adventurer? And you’re saying he’ll vouch for you? I know you’re strong, but you should keep it realistic.”

  “I wouldn’t say I know him, but I did save his life a couple times.” Alex defended himself. “And I don’t like what you’re insinuating. That’s not very professional of you.”

  The woman showed an embarrassed expression on her face. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Would you like me to call Remus over right now?”

  “It’s fine, whatever.” Alex waved away the apology. “What do you mean call him over? He’s still here?”

  She nodded. “He hasn’t left yet. He got proper healing earlier today and has been at the bar since.” Her gaze flicked briefly to the side of the hall. “Understandably. Him and the guild master were apparently old acquaintances.”

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  Alex exhaled quietly. “Of course they were.”

  Polly looked to the side and raised her voice. “Tomas? Could you fetch Remus for me, please?”

  One of the junior guild assistants looked up from where he’d been stacking papers. “Uh— sure. From the bar?”

  “Yes,” Polly said. “Tell him it’s about the goblin raid.”

  Tomas nodded, then hurried off.

  Polly turned back to Alex. “This may take a moment. Would you mind standing aside for now while I deal with others in the queue?”

  “Of course, of course, sorry for being in the way.” Alex started and shuffled off to the side of the desk, letting the next in line finally get their turn.

  After a short wait, Tomas returned to the reception counter, leading a cleaned up, yet somehow much more miserable looking Remus behind him.

  His armour was gone, replaced by simple travelling clothes that had clearly been cleaned and hastily put back on. His posture was straight, but there was a subtle heaviness to him that hadn’t been there before. An eyepatch covered his eye, and while his expression was calm, it was also distant in a way Alex couldn’t explain.

  “Hello.” Remus said, inclining his head politely. His voice was steady. “You wanted to see me?”

  “Yes.” She replied, gesturing toward Alex. “Alex here says the guild master authorised his participation in last night’s goblin raid and promised him a reward. Given… everything, I need confirmation.”

  Remus’s eye shifted to Alex and he nodded in greeting.

  “That’s correct,” he said. “She tested him herself. Let him join. Promised him a reward if the raid succeeded.”

  Polly pulled out the form again. “Do you recall the amount?”

  “One gold,” Remus replied without hesitation. “For the mission.”

  “A whole gold?” The woman struggled to contain her surprise. “That’s the upper limit of what a silver can receive!”

  Alex cleared his throat. “There was also supposed to be compensation for the interrogation,” he added mildly. “You were there for that too.”

  Remus winced. “Yeah, sorry about that. I didn’t think my report would lead to that. I swear I didn’t tell them to do it.”

  “It’s fine. I get why they did it.” Alex shook his head, then grinned. “Doesn’t mean I don’t wanna get paid for it though.”

  “Don’t get too excited.” The other man smiled lightly. “You probably won’t get given much at all. I’d be surprised if it’s more than a few silvers.”

  “Remus is correct.” Polly rejoined the conversation. “The guild’s standard payout for stuff like this is one silver. If you feel particularly distressed about it, I can maybe increase it to three, but that’s about it.”

  “I don’t care.” Alex shrugged. “Free money is free money. Also, I’m absolutely distressed as hell.”

  The receptionist gave him an exasperated look, but picked up her quill and began writing, her movements practiced and efficient. After a moment, she reached beneath the counter and produced a small pouch.

  “Would you like me to keep it as is, or convert it all to silver?” She asked. “Gold isn’t usually very convenient to carry around, so most people tend to convert.”

  “Yes please.” Alex nodded his head. The inn they were staying at charged one silver per night, and he wasn’t really planning on paying three month’s rent at once.

  “Great, then. One hundred and three silver total,” Polly said, sliding the now bulging pouch toward Alex. “Mission reward, with compensation.”

  Alex took it, feeling the surprisingly heavy weight settle into his palm.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  Remus gave a short nod, already stepping back. “If that’s all,” he said quietly.

  Polly inclined her head. “Yes. Thank you for your time, Remus.”

  He didn’t respond, already turning away and heading back toward the bar, his steps unhurried but heavy.

  Alex watched him go for a moment, then turned back to the counter.

  “While I’m here,” he said, “can I ask something else?”

  Polly rolled her eyes and asked the adventurer that had walked up from the queue to wait. “What now? Make it quick. I have a job to do.”

  “Okay, my bad, didn’t realise I was dealing with Roz.” Alex raised his hands.

  “Who… Never mind. Just ask your question.” The woman didn’t rise to the bait.

  Alex stopped joking around. “Ok, well, it’s about mind magic, or soul magic if that’s a thing.”

  “Oh?” Polly raised an eyebrow. “What about it?”

  “Well, I was gonna ask you if either of those exist, but from your reaction that seems pretty obvious.” Alex replied. “My second question would be where could I find someone proficient in that type of magic? I have encountered an issue that might be related to that branch of magic.”

  “It sounds like you’re looking for a spiritual mage.” The receptionist nodded “They’re mages that practice the spiritual school of magic—souls, minds, possession, stuff like that—though they’re usually quite focused on one specific branch due to its high difficulty.”

  “When it comes to soul mages, I’m not really sure where to find one, but I can help you contact a mind mage,” she continued. “The guild employs a bunch of them for various purposes, so there’s usually at least one stationed in every important city. And no, before you ask, there isn’t one here. Luterra is a medium sized town on the edge of the kingdom.”

  Alex smiled when she accurately guessed his next question. “Whatever do you mean? I was just gonna ask for what purpose could the guild be hiring so many mind mages? Got many secrets to hide?”

  “I can assure you that the guild does not employ its staff for such disgraceful acts. I wouldn’t say that kind of stuff if I were you.” Polly warned him. “However, it is true that mind mages are indispensable for the guild’s continued operation; they’re used to uphold the guild’s reputation to be precise.”

  “What do you mean?” Alex asked.

  “You’ve been to the truth rooms, right?” Polly asked rhetorically. “Well, all the enchantments required for that are of the spiritual kind. And since every guild hall has at least a few, and they all also require upkeep and repairs…”

  “I see.” Alex nodded in understanding, then shifted the topic. “Given your reaction, I’m assuming mind control or stuff like emotional manipulation are frowned upon around here?”

  “I forgot you’re from Orenthia.” The woman muttered something under her breath. “But yes, it is quite illegal.”

  “So if, purely theoretically, a shopkeeper were to use some very subtle mind control to make customers like her more, that would be bad?” He asked nonchalantly.

  “Yes. That would be bad.” Polly stared at him. “You would need to go report it to the guard and they would then verify if it’s true. Of course, if you had some form of proof, like left over magic in your head, they would take it a lot more seriously.”

  “interesting…” Alex muttered. “That’s good to know.”

  “Alex-” The woman started speaking but he interrupted her.

  “Sorry, I’ve suddenly got to go, plus you have a queue of unhappy adventurers to take care of,” he said, pointing at the steadily growing line in front of her desk. “I’ll see you later!”

  Polly shouted something after him, but he was already opening the door to the outside.

  ‘Now let’s see if we can somehow profit from this, shall we?’