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In the town of Consul, along its main street, the late afternoon was alive with activity.

Merchants’ wagons and minstrels mounted on emus moved to and fro, and families, seemingly from neighboring villages, leisurely strolled and chatted as they did their shopping. The most thriving avenue of the town was basked in splendid spring sunlight, painting the scene with warmth and life.

A gentle spring breeze played with the light on young leaves along the tree-lined avenues, releasing an intoxicating blend of floral scents and the aroma of freshly baked bread that seemed to emerge from nowhere to tantalize my senses.

I was looking around as my eye caught the pastel triangular-roofed houses on either side of the street, adorned with vibrantly colored flower pots placed under the eaves and by the windows.

Men in cotton shirts and leather armor, likely adventurers, strolled slowly down the road. Their destination was one of the two similarly-constructed buildings facing each other across the street.

The first was a massive red-brick building, boasting a wooden signboard that hung from its eaves, displaying the symbol of a sword and shield. The word “Guild” danced beneath the emblem. This was the Adventurers Guild, tasked with handling the requests and purchases for the adventurers. The other building, more elegant with decorative tiles adorning its walls, held the sign of a scale, marking it as the Commercial Guild, which dealt with merchants and the general populace.

Larger cities were home to the Craftsmen Guild, Trading Guild, and even the Thieves Guild (the latter never publicly displaying its signboard, as it was connected to the underworld), but Consul housed only two such guilds. These two organizations handled most matters, and there was no inconvenience with the limited services they provided. Nevertheless, plans were underway, spearheaded by Ms. Christy, to invite the Craftsmen and Trading Guilds in the future.

Normally, my destination would be the white structure of the Commercial Guild to wholesale medicinal herbs and my handmade amrita elixir. This time, however, I bypassed it, heading instead to the red-bricked Consul Branch Adventurers Guild.

As I opened the sturdy polished oak swing doors, carefully coated with varnish, the small and cozy interior of the Consul Branch of the Adventurers Guild caught my attention. Although, I only said small because my only other reference was the Guild HQ in the Imperial Capital, while in fact the entrance floor alone was spacious enough to hold a small play and was lined with three reception counters.

Ornamental plants, sofas, and a simple board displaying pinned requests adorned the commanding space. It resembled a bank or government office, in the same vein as its headquarters.

My eyes were drawn to Caldina, sitting at the most visible reception desk, right next to the entrance. Whether she was always stationed there or it was merely my luck to find her, she greeted me with a bow and a smile that was difficult to discern as either earnest or perfunctory.

“Welcome, Lady Julia, Eren… and you must be Lana, right?”

Lana’s status as a slave was clear due to her collar, but Caldina’s casual greeting showed she was used to it. Her familiarity with such situations allowed her to speak normally.

“Hello, Caldina.”
“Hey there, Caldina. Is that moron Bruno here?”
“…hello.”

“Bruno? He hasn’t shown up in the last 2, or 3 days.”

Her straightforward response made Eren and me exchange a glance. I had hoped to meet Bruno by waiting here, but it appeared I had only wasted time.

“That imbecile. Always present when unnecessary, yet absent when truly needed. —Well, nothing can be done if he’s not here. Let’s head back, milady.” Eren spoke with a tone of frustration, glancing at the doors we had just entered.

“You’re right. If he hasn’t been here in the past three days, waiting further likely won’t yield results.” I concurred with her suggestion and expressed my thanks to Caldina for her information.

It seemed Bruno had come to understand that a minor couldn’t become an adventurer without a parent’s consent (I had learned, incidentally, that Bruno’s parents ran a loan sharking business in a distant town. He was in fact quite well-off, though he resided in the frontier village away from his family for various reasons). He must have abandoned his dreams of adventuring and remained in the village. This realization was simultaneously disappointing and relieving, and I prepared to take my leave.

As I was about to turn and depart, Caldina spoke up with hesitation in her voice.

“Umm, this may just be a possibility, but Bruno might be in Tenebrae Nemus, guiding some adventurers.”

“WHAT?!”

Eren and I stopped dead in our tracks at these unexpected words. Caldina looked back at us, her face marked by a troubled expression.

“This is just a recent rumor, but some travelers were reportedly attacked by a skeleton in the Tenebrae Nemus near the western pioneering village… We were commissioned to investigate, and the adventurers who took up the task were unfamiliar with the area, so they sought a guide… Bruno’s absence coincided with their preparations… Forgive me, but he lives in the western pioneering village, doesn’t he? I’m worried that he might have taken on the role of guide.”

Upon hearing a certain keyword, Eren and I exchanged a look, only half-listening to Caldina’s words.

It was clear that Bruno had accepted the task of guiding the adventurers. However, the real concern was that we both had an unsettling suspicion regarding the identity of the skeleton near the western pioneering village.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—!!!”

The image of a gigantic Death Knight with its colossal armor and massive halberd flashed across my mind, and Eren’s.

(…come to think of it, that thing exists, huh. I completely forgot about it.)

“…Excuse me. The skeleton… is it about 2 mertes tall, wielding a large halberd, perhaps a Death Knight?”

Caldina searched through her papers, then looked up and replied with a puzzled expression; “No, it’s just a skeleton. Some rumors have mentioned that it might be a skeleton knight or a skeleton archer.”

““WHAT—?!!”” A joint cry of panic erupted from both Eren and me.

“Lady Jill, could it be a different skeleton?!”
“This is bad. Bruno may have underestimated the situation!”

♢♦♢♦♢

Bruno was tearing through the underbrush, running for his life. His feet nearly tangled in the vines and grass, but he forced himself forward, desperate to put even a single step between himself and that horrifying place.

He had no idea where he was. Initially, he thought he simply needed to flee Tenebrae Nemus and head toward the village, but when the skeleton’s rusted sword nearly pierced his back, all reason fled.

Scaryscaryscaryscaryscaryscaryscaryscaryscaryscaryscaryscary!!!!

Bruno had battled phantoms and specters before, even besting demon beasts and goblins. His swordsmanship was on par with adult warriors, and he believed that all he needed was a chance to prove himself.

Even now, as he guided the adventurers, Bruno harbored an ulterior motive. They were going to face a skeleton—likely just Instructor Skeleton being mistaken for a wild monster, and the rumors had spiraled from there—but even if it turned out to be mere goblins, he would still fight alongside the adventurers. Then, they would see his true potential and recognize him.

They would immediately acclaim him as a prodigy, inviting him to join them. He had it all figured out. He’d escape his overbearing father, obsessed with money and women, and his despising stepmother, and leave this miserable village for good! Such were Bruno’s lofty expectations.

But those expectations were shattered.

Arrows shot from the darkness of Tenebrae Nemus, cutting down the unwary vanguard. Soon after, nearly 20 skeletons, armed with decaying armor and swords, leaped from the trees and charged the disoriented adventurers.