“Miss, please wait.”
Miss?
They must be calling her. After all, she was now in a girl’s body, and this form of address really did fit.
But, to be stopped on the street so suddenly—why?
Could it be that the pursuers from before had found her? Did they want to confirm her identity?
Her free right hand instinctively reached toward her dagger, but because she was wearing a dress, the skirt covered it. If she wanted to draw her dagger, she’d have to lift her skirt.
Tsk… She really didn’t want a fight right now. Wearing this light, floating dress, neither fighting nor escaping would be easy.
She looked back. It was a robust middle-aged man in well-fitted leather armor, an Adventurers’ Guild badge gleaming on his chest.
Someone from the Adventurers’ Guild?
Seeing that the person wasn’t a knight, Yuuri let out a sigh of relief. But why was someone from the Adventurers’ Guild looking for her? Was it about the Silvermoon Wolf King commission?
“I’m the Guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild, Coleiton. If I’m not mistaken, you are Miss Yuuri, correct?”
Guildmaster?
That can’t be right—why would the Guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild come to see her personally?
She was just an ordinary Silver-ranked adventurer. There was no reason for the Guildmaster himself to show up.
“Guildmaster Coleiton, is there something you need from me?”
Perhaps it really was about the Silvermoon Wolf King commission? After all, a single Silver-ranked adventurer wiping out the whole Silvermoon Wolf pack sounded unbelievably far-fetched. Yet Yuuri had returned to the guild with a pile of spoils.
So, was that why he had come for her? If the Guildmaster was here himself, could it be that he was impressed by her feat with the Silvermoon Wolf pack and wanted to invite her to join Anvil City’s Adventurers’ Guild?
“Miss Yuuri, there is currently a very important matter that requires your cooperation.”
A very important matter? Yuuri really couldn’t imagine what kind of matter could be so important that the Guildmaster himself would come to ask.
“Sorry, Guildmaster Coleiton, I have other things to do right now,” she said, taking Alyosha’s hand beside her. “I’ll come to the guild to see you later.”
She still wasn’t sure about the Guildmaster’s background, but he didn’t seem to be in league with those knights. Otherwise, this wouldn’t be a calm conversation—it’d be a fight.
Coleiton noticed the dirty little girl standing next to Yuuri, her bright eyes tinged with timidity—perhaps frightened by his rugged appearance.
“I understand. But,” Coleiton did not press the matter. His tone was still grave. “I do hope Miss Yuuri can come to the guild as soon as possible. This matter is very important—even concerns…”
Coleiton paused at the critical moment. “Miss Yuuri, you must have noticed it too. The atmosphere in Anvil City is rather strange today.”
It was indeed strange. From the moment Yuuri had found the city gates sealed that morning, the whole mood of Anvil City had shifted.
The citizens wanted an explanation, wanted normal entry and exit from the city, but the guards stood firm at the gates without offering a single word of explanation. It left people baffled—what could be the reason behind all this?
Lord Bartol—what had he discovered to issue the command to seal the city and restrict the people’s movement?
Since Guildmaster Coleiton had chosen to bring this up now, could it be that he knew something?
Yuuri’s thoughts stirred. She followed Coleiton’s lead. “Does Guildmaster Coleiton perhaps know something?”
“It’s a long story, and not easy to explain. Besides, this isn’t a good place to talk. In short, three days from now… No, there may be some commotion as soon as today. In three days, something big will definitely happen.”
Hmm?
Is this some kind of random street prank for passersby?
Others might think that way, but Yuuri, knowing a bit about Anvil City’s current situation, frowned. Maybe the ‘something big’ Coleiton referred to was the undercurrent beneath Anvil City’s calm—what that blonde woman had asked her to investigate.
If that was the case, how had Coleiton come by such news?
The Guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild wasn’t a figure of real power in Anvil City.
After all, the Adventurers’ Guild was a civil organization overseen by the authorities. The Guildmaster’s status in the city wasn’t high, and approaching the top echelons of the lord’s manor wouldn’t be easy.
So, where had Coleiton gotten his information?
While Yuuri pondered, Coleiton spoke again, his tone even more urgent. “That’s why I hope Miss Yuuri can come to the guild as soon as possible. This matter is very important—it may even affect the safety of Anvil City.”
Hmm?
The safety of Anvil City—how did that have anything to do with her?
She was just an ordinary Silver-ranked adventurer, wasn’t she? Or was this just Coleiton’s way of making things sound more dramatic?
Before Yuuri could press further, Coleiton turned and left.
Tsk… One after another, why did they all love speaking in riddles? Couldn’t anyone be direct for once?
Forget calling it Anvil City—might as well call it Riddle City.
Right now, only Lord Bartol really knew the truth of Anvil City’s situation. That’s why he’d made those sudden decisions.
So what had actually happened—or was about to happen—to make the lord order a lockdown?
And judging by Coleiton’s words, he seemed to know some of the inside story.
Three days… No, things might get chaotic today.
Fine then. Yuuri would just wait and see if any commotion broke out in the city today.
Based on what she observed, Yuuri would decide whether or not to go to the Adventurers’ Guild.
After all, she still wasn’t sure about Coleiton’s real background, and Yuuri wasn’t dumb enough to just follow someone because they said so, and fall into a trap.
Until she determined Coleiton’s true intentions, she would remain vigilant.
But some things really had happened too suddenly—like the sealing of the gates this morning.
Maybe, while she was unconscious last night due to the curse, all sorts of things had happened in Anvil City.
Just one night… If she’d known, she would’ve left the city as soon as she was ready last night.
“Sis…”
Alyosha, standing by her side, spoke up timidly. “Does that uncle have something really important for you, Sis?”
“No.”
“But… that uncle said something might happen in the city, and does Sis need to fix it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s just a liar.”
Yuuri squatted down, gently ruffling Alyosha’s messy hair. But the girl shook her head slightly.
“But that uncle said he’s the Guildmaster, and everyone in the city is acting strange today. That’s why I was so scared and hid. Are those scary monsters going to appear again?”
Faced with Alyosha’s question, Yuuri fell silent, unsure how to reply for a moment.
“Sis, you don’t need to worry about me. You should go and—”
Before she could finish, Yuuri cut her off.
“Alright, I understand your worries, Alyosha. I will go see the Guildmaster later, but for now, there’s something even more important.”
Yuuri never expected that, one day, her voice would become so gentle.
“I promised Alyosha, after all. So that’s what’s most important right now.”
Yuuri didn’t know exactly what kind of feelings she was speaking with—perhaps, she just wanted to make up for her former self.
If only back then, there had been someone willing to treat her kindly—how wonderful that would have been…