episode_0001

The continent had long been engulfed in the flames of war.

The legions of demons and demons led by the Demon King spread out from the center of the continent and swept through the Northern Kingdom, Southern Kingdom, the eastern heterodox region, and the western mountainous region.

The world was filled with despair, and there seemed to be no hope for humans or other races.

However, there were those who held onto hope and stood up to the demons.

The dimensional space distortion magic that was manifested in the Southern Kingdom brought about the existence of another world.

People called those beings from another world who went out and defeated the demons using their latent abilities as heroes.

The Southern Kingdom spared no support for him, and soon a group called the ‘Heroes’ was formed.

They overcame all kinds of hardships and adversities for a year, advanced to the center of the continent, and finally overthrew the Demon King.

Decades of suffering are over. Now, humans and other races can freely travel and live in the central part of the continent.

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…Well, I guess you could summarize the story like this.

The man read up to the middle of the book, then quickly turned to the last page, and then closed it, muttering to himself.

Inside the bustling tavern, he was the only one enjoying reading in silence. The adventurer’s guild where he enjoyed reading not only provided quests but also various accommodations to energetic adventurers. So the first floor was always bustling, and the second floor, which was operated as an inn, was relatively quiet, but it was not without its ups and downs.

Anyway, the man who was alone and quiet on the first floor presented a more shabby appearance than expected. The brown robe had faded and was gradually turning gray, and the boots that looked like they were of high quality were not well-maintained, with threads sticking out here and there, giving them an unpleasant appearance. Inside the robe, he was wearing black clothes all over, and he was wearing glasses with large lenses on his face. Glasses were considered quite expensive luxury items, but judging by their age, he seemed to have bought them second-hand.

Black hair, blurry but slightly red eyes behind glasses, a blunt impression, and a rather short stature and appearance. However, despite such appearance, he exuded a sense of presence and quietness all by himself in a corner of the Adventurer’s Guild.

No one dared to approach him or pick a fight with him. Why? Most adventurers are hot-blooded, and there are also bad guys. There was something hanging on his left chest that could explain this.

It was a badge that proved that he was an adventurer. And it wasn’t just any badge. The golden badge proved that he was a high-level adventurer recognized by both the Adventurer’s Guild and the Royal Palace.

So, even if they wanted to pick a fight because of their shabby appearance, most adventurers would run away after seeing their badges. However, there were some authors who were willing to pick a fight anyway, even if it meant being rude. They are no longer there.

‘I was fooled by the cover again.’

The man who enjoyed reading sighed when he realized that the book he was reading was quite cliche. Who would have thought that it only contained things that even children would know? He was an adventurer but also a reader, and he enjoyed adventures in reading.

I have been buying random books or borrowing them from the library every week, judging that the content might be interesting just by looking at the cover. Adventures and activities were practically side jobs for this hobby.

However, the citizens of the Southern Kingdom, or more precisely the Kingdom of Alcrea, must all be aware of this reality, but reading was by no means a cheap hobby. No matter how much the speed of book publishing had accelerated compared to hundreds of years ago due to technological advancements, books were still a luxury item for the wealthy.

It would be safe to say that most people who gained knowledge through books were children of wealthy families. Commoners had to risk their lives to earn money and save up to buy just one book, and that too, a worn-out, used book.

But why does the man, despite his shabby appearance, continue to engage in such expensive hobbies? If he were a high-level adventurer, he would be making good money, so why does he waste money while maintaining his shabby appearance? That was the right question to ask about his past.

and…

Creak. A man lost in thought, adventurers clinking glasses, and a bartender preparing drinks. Everyone in the guild heard a sound. Creak, creak. It was the sound of someone opening the guild’s front door and stepping inside. However, apart from that sound, a sudden silence came. It was a silence that was unusual for a guild.

Slowly, most of the people in the guild focused their gaze on the person who entered the guild. Some felt their breath catch in their throats. At first glance, it was a luxurious robe with beautiful embroidery, white high-quality boots that did not match the wooden floor at all, white gloves that looked spotless, and a beautiful silver-haired beauty wrapped in all of it.

Those who turned their gazes in an instant were dumbfounded. And then, as the silver-haired beauty’s green eyes rolled around, someone who was dumbfounded whispered quietly.

“Is that beauty…”

“Oh, if my eyes weren’t swollen, then definitely…”

“But why on earth are you here?”

What’s going on? Why is there silence all of a sudden? What’s with all this murmuring?

The only one who didn’t get involved in all that static noise was a man who was a bookworm. He was usually a bookworm who didn’t care who came to the adventurer’s guild or talked to him, but this time, the reactions of the people around him were quite unfamiliar. Everyone was embarrassed, or their mouths were wide open, or their faces were red, or they gave off a refreshing reaction.

What? Did a noble lady come to visit? It’s not like it’s something that can’t happen at all. It’s not like there weren’t cases where noble ladies, believing that everything could be solved with money, would visit the Adventurer’s Guild and make a fuss to the adventurers. However, when that happened, there was always a commotion, but this time, the atmosphere was a bit strange.

Crack, crack.

And then, as he began to focus his attention on his ears, the sound of footsteps on the floor began to become clearer and clearer. No, to be exact, it became louder. This meant that they were coming closer to him.

“Hey, why is that woman…”

“A woman, she’s a saint. You idiot, a saint!”

“I know, Emma! But why…is it because I feel like I’m walking towards the guy with glasses?”

“Oh, really? But why are you approaching the old man who rules the corner of our guild?”

Here, the term “corner lord” was a sarcastic expression for the shamelessness of a man who rented a table in a corner of the adventurer’s guild all by himself and enjoyed reading. Although I wasn’t particularly offended by it, I became a bit sensitive to the word “old man.” Even though he looked like this, he was still in his 20s, in his mid-20s!

Anyway, based on the commotion around him, it must mean that he was getting closer to him? The man thought about turning his gaze. He had already figured out the contents of the book in front of him, and in reality, he was more like opening the book and pretending to read it. However, his intuition warned him repeatedly that if he turned his gaze away, he would get involved in something troublesome.

But who wouldn’t look away? Of course not. The reader tried to calm his mind and ignore the presence of the person who was getting closer. He deliberately turned the book over again and tried to focus on the words.

Damn. Reading meaningless words is so hard. Was reading really this hard? Where did the peace of my past days go?

“How are you? Excuse me for a moment.”

It was a greeting among the devout among the Air Grants. Do you know that it is rude? The question did not come out of my mouth. It was because the voice next to me was clear and elegant. At that moment, I heard someone swallowing their breath. It must have been one of the adventurers who had been babbling.

However, this is clearly talking to himself. It is not a delusion or imagination. Next to him, someone who has the attention of most of the Adventurer’s Guild members, no, a ‘woman’, is talking to him.

Who are you? Have I done anything recently that would attract the attention of a woman?

For Glenn, who had been an adventurer all his life and had become absorbed in books, this kind of thing was so unfamiliar that he was filled with doubts. He glanced over and saw that the clothes covering his body were so extravagant. Oh, it seemed like light was radiating from his clothes. Wasn’t it an illusion?

Let’s calm down. The reader deliberately took a deep breath and regulated his breathing. Then, as slowly as possible, he turned his gaze to the side. His crossed legs remained the same, and the book he was holding so tightly that his hands were sweating remained the same, only his eyes and neck were slightly turned to the side.

A breathtaking beauty stood there. Her calm expression did not detract from her beauty at all. Her long silver hair was hard to believe was of this world, and her green eyes looked like they were set with jewels. Everything else seemed to radiate light, as if it were praising beauty.

No, now that I look at it, it seems like the robe had that effect. It was like someone who was covered not with beauty but with holiness. Wait, the reader thought he knew this woman. No, there was no way he didn’t know this outfit and holiness.

So, I asked the question quietly, keeping my voice as still as possible.

“What do you want from me, Saint Lady of Air Grants?”

The Saint. Who is she?

It was a title given to Milicia Airgrants, one of the warriors and a member of the Airgrants Church.

She was a woman who contributed greatly to overthrowing the Demon King as the central figure of the group of warriors with her tremendous divine magic, captivating charm, and charisma.

I heard that after completely defeating the Demon King two years ago, she returned to the church of the Air Grants religion. After all, it was just a church next to the capital, but why did the saint, who should have stayed there anyway, come to the adventurer’s guild in the capital, and to my side?

“You know me. That’s good. I think we can continue the conversation easily.”

Are you going to tell me the story easily? I tilted my head for a moment because I didn’t understand. What is this beauty trying to say? Oh, wait. It’s not because of the punk I made you squirm with a while ago, is it?

The moment I went to read, I felt nervous. But those guys were clearly social evils who were trying to harass a helpless woman. It was about implementing justice. Could it be that I hit them too hard? By knocking out all their teeth? Dental treatment costs a lot of money here, so it was too much? All sorts of fantasies came to mind one after another, but they all disappeared at the saint’s next words.

“I heard that you are the famous ‘Red-Eyed Glen’ among adventurers.”

At that moment, I flinched for a moment at that tinnitus. Yes. To be honest, I had gradually forgotten it myself, but the reader was a famous adventurer. And an adventurer with outstanding skills.

Glenn with red eyes.

He was a strange boy who showed up at the Adventurer’s Guild ten years ago, dressed more shabbily than he does today, and asked for an Adventurer’s License. The boy with black hair and impressive red eyes, after hearing the guild leader’s words, “Bring proof that you can work as an adventurer,” dragged a huge boar corpse with his bare hands in one day.

Having thus obtained his adventurer’s license, he solved numerous high-difficulty quests with flying colors. In particular, he participated in a quest to stop the forces of the Demon King and the Demon Tribe that threatened the Southern Kingdom, and gained fame by defeating numerous high-level demons. With this achievement, he was recognized as one of the few high-level adventurers in the kingdom.

Although he was slowly forgotten as he quietly withdrew due to the influence of a certain incident, some celebrities still remembered him.

“I remember that you participated in a large-scale battle in the Northern Kingdom three years ago, and defeated two high-ranking generals of the Demon Army and received praise. The way you stood before the army with confidence was personally very impressive.”

“When you say it like that, I don’t know what to do.”

“Considering your accomplishments, my vocabulary is lacking. I guess something happened to you in the meantime. I was a little surprised at how much your impression changed.”

“Yes, I had some work to do.”

Yes. The reader, or rather, ‘Red-Eyed Glen’ had met this woman. To be precise, it would be more correct to say that he had seen her face from a distance. When the power of the Demon King was still alive, the Southern Kingdom, which had formed an alliance with the Northern Kingdom, hired numerous adventurers along with the army to block the Demon’s forces, and when he had made a merit here and received a merit award from the palace, he had been there. Of course, as one of those who had praised him.

At the time, I was busy swinging my fists, so even though I saw her, I didn’t pay much attention to her other than to think, ‘She looks just like the rumors say,’ so I soon forgot about her. The saintess herself would have been busy conquering the Demon King’s Castle after that.

More than that, just as she said, Glenn from three years ago and Glenn now looked so different, how could she have recognized it at a glance? Was this the insight of a saint? At the moment when Glenn was pondering, the saint opened her mouth.

“I have been valuing your skills and achievements since then. So… I have a personal favor to ask of you.”

Favor? It was a very familiar and sensitive word to adventurers. They were adventurers, solving quests and receiving compensation was their life. They were not one to do anything for free, so they reacted sensitively to ‘favor’.

“Is this a request? I can’t do it for you cheaply, but.”

“Of course I will pay you sufficient compensation.”

“What kind of request is this? If it’s hard to say, we can change seats.”

“There is no need for that. The content is simple.”

Glenn’s wariness grew at the saint’s firm tone.

Usually, requests from these high-ranking nobles or high-ranking people were never ‘easy’.

There were many cases where she was ordered to virtually ‘alone’ guard a long journey, ‘alone’ slay high-level monsters that stayed in the territory of high-ranking people, or even ‘alone’ do strange dirty work. Of course, since the saintess had a high reputation as a noble person, it felt like she would never order such dirty work, but something felt off.

And then, in the next words, Glenn’s anxiety turned out to be true.

“Please teach me your martial arts. As soon as possible.”

Because it was a really, really tough request.