[Vol. 9] Chapter 1: The Summoning Order
The Courage City, the greatest treasure of humankind.
It is not only the capital of the kingdom but also an ancient city with 800 years of history, the largest city of the Human United Kingdom, and a paradise for adventurers.
Since Queen Lilya Melchior came to power, in just a few short years, the already rich Human United Kingdom has developed even faster.
The queen worked hard to govern well, built roads, boosted trade, and passed many policies that improved people’s lives. Blessings for humanity and the prosperity of the kingdom could be heard everywhere. New talents kept appearing one after another, and today, just within the kingdom, the number of registered Legendary Adventurers has already passed ten. It was no longer the time when three Legends in the Adventurers’ Guild could dominate everything.
This great nation clearly showed signs of rising again, and Kairos was one of the newly risen Legendary Adventurers.
Clang~ jingle~
With the soft sound of a wind chime, a man in heavy armor pushed open the door and walked proudly into a noisy tavern.
“Boss! One barrel of ale, four big bowls of beef noodles, and a few side dishes! Oh, and for my bowl, extra meat and extra chili! Hahahahaha!”
Laughing loudly, Captain Kairos led his three teammates to a good spot and sat down. Their arrival naturally drew many eyes. After all, the shiny custom badge of a Legendary Adventurer was hanging right on his chest. In this Courage City, almost no one failed to understand what that meant.
Even in this time when many heroes were rising and shining, a team of Legendary Adventurers was still one of the rarest and strongest groups, core fighters and protectors of the Human United Kingdom. Wherever they went, they would be treated with the highest honor.
Although Kairos and his team had not been famous for long, in just over a year they had already completed several missions rated Legendary in difficulty. They had even been summoned and rewarded personally by the queen, who granted them knighthood. It was said that not only Kairos but the other three teammates as well had already reached the peak of the Sky Rank and could break through to the next level at any time.
For such a team of elite adventurers to come together just to eat at a simple tavern, this should have been a rare and exciting event. But strangely, the reaction was actually quite calm.
Even though many customers in the tavern clearly recognized them, most people just gave them a quick glance and then went back to what they were doing. Even the pretty young waitress at the counter only smiled lightly and nodded at Kairos before returning to writing in her notebook, as if these guests were nothing more than ordinary customers, not famous Legendary Adventurers.
The only exception was at a nearby table, where a handsome young man with short hair and bright, playful eyes cheerfully waved at them.
“Hey, isn’t this Kairos the Iron Wall? I heard your team just took on a big mission and went far away. How come you’re back so soon?”
The young man wore fine clothes and looked graceful, with only a sword hanging loosely at his waist, like a spoiled son from a wealthy family. In contrast, the woman sitting across from him carried a short bow on her back. Her long red hair burned like fire, and she gave off a strong, capable aura.
Neither of them wore any badges or items showing their identity, and they both looked quite young, no more than their early twenties. Beside the red-haired woman sat a younger blue-haired girl with her face covered by a veil, making her appearance impossible to see. Altogether, they were a rather unusual group.
Seeing them, Kairos did not act proud or distant like a Legendary Adventurer. Instead, he took off his helmet, showing his rough, rugged face of someone in his thirties, and laughed warmly.
“Ah, well, something happened a few days ago. Luckily, our employer was a reasonable man who understood the bigger picture. Once he heard the guild had summoned us, he agreed to end the mission early and cut short the shopping trip. Thanks to that, we could hurry back in time.”
As he said this, he nodded politely to the red-haired woman. She calmly returned the gesture with a small bow. Clearly, the two sides already knew each other well.
The only one who made Kairos a little curious was the young blue-haired girl wearing a veil. He glanced at her twice, wondering what her identity could be, what kind of person was she, to deserve sitting at the same table as those two?
But as the captain of a Legendary Adventurer team, Kairos knew well about manners and respect. He did not show his doubts openly. After greeting them, he suddenly looked around for a moment, then lowered his voice.
“By the way, Brother Farnell, can you tell me what’s really going on? On the way here we asked around a lot, but the city seems calmer than we expected. We didn’t see anything strange. If not for the fact that we know Her Majesty the Queen would never summon us for no reason, and because we saw that terrifying sign in the sky with our own eyes, I’d almost think this was all just a joke…”
His words were polite, and to avoid awkwardness he even added a small joke. After all, Kairos knew very well that even though both sides were Legendary Adventurers, this Farnell was far above him in both status and strength.
Farnell was not only extremely talented, he also set the record for the youngest ever to reach the Legendary rank in the Adventurers’ Guild. More than that, he was the only heir of the Duke of the Kingdom, whose status was second only to the queen herself. Not long ago, he even traveled to the capital of the Holy Empire, where he shone brightly in the Hero Trial of the Chosen, achieving amazing results and coming very close to becoming one of the [God’s Favored].
There were even rumors that Farnell Stephens could have taken that position if he wanted to. But because he was the only son of the Duke, with very complex political ties, he joined the trial only to sharpen himself. Out of caution, he deliberately gave up the chance to receive the divine blessing. People said this was a move of “retreat to advance.”
Even so, that divine trial gave him great insight. From his recent performance, many strong Legendary Adventurers even guessed that Farnell might have already broken through the wall that seemed impossible to pass. At not even thirty years old, he could have become the only adventurer in the Courage City to surpass the normal limits.
Of course, none of this had been confirmed, nor had Farnell admitted it. But Kairos had never once seen Farnell fight seriously, nor could he sense his aura at all. That alone showed Farnell’s true strength was surely far above his own.
When Kairos brought up the serious matter so quickly, the well-dressed young man called Farnell raised an eyebrow. He gave a subtle glance at the blue-haired girl, who still sat quietly with her head bowed, showing no reaction. Then Farnell smiled and answered Kairos with a laugh.
“Brother, don’t be in such a hurry. Since we’re already here, we’ll get the first-hand news soon enough. The summoning order is definitely real. But if even ordinary people’s daily lives were clearly disturbed, then our kingdom would already be in real chaos… wouldn’t you agree?”
As he said this, he winked and gave Kairos a look that meant “you understand.” Kairos might look big and rough, but as the captain of a Legendary team, he was no fool. He immediately understood and nodded quickly.
“Oh… yes, yes, you’re right! I was being too impatient. Please don’t mind me, Brother Farnell, hahaha!”
The tavern was small, but the kitchen worked amazingly fast. After just a few lines of chatting, the waiters were already bringing out trays of food.
Bowl after bowl of steaming beef noodles was placed on the table. Together with the rich smell of ale, it made Kairos and his hungry teammates’ mouths water. Their eyes lit up. As adventurers who had traveled far and wide, they could tell at once, this was not only very well cooked, but even the side dishes and meat were clearly top-quality ingredients. A normal tavern would never be able to serve such good food.
Hurrying to thank the pretty waitress, the adventurers paused their conversation with the neighboring table and started to eat with great appetite.
Time passed, and more people pushed open the tavern door. They came in alone or in small groups, each one dressed differently. Some wore the Adventurers’ Guild badge like Kairos and his team, while others had no obvious marks, but their powerful presence made it clear they were no ordinary people.
What shocked Kairos was that in this small tavern, there was not a single adventurer ranked below Earth-level. And among them, there were clearly more than just one or two Legendary Adventurers like Kairos and Farnell.
The names spread through the hall like whispers:
“Greatsword” Ashibern,
“Three Blades” Carter,
“Soul Singer” Trenid,
“Dead Soul” himself had come,
and even… could it be the long-missing “Vicious Wolf” Nicholas?
While slurping his noodles, Kairos kept letting his eyes quietly move across the crowd. He saw many familiar faces, but even more strangers who were clearly powerful. Anyone who could appear here was no ordinary person. Even as a Legendary Adventurer himself, he couldn’t help but feel secretly shocked. In his heart, the importance of this gathering rose even higher.
New people kept entering the tavern one after another, but no one left. Those who had finished eating just stayed in their seats, either resting with their eyes closed or chatting quietly in small groups. The tavern staff didn’t drive them out either, it seemed like they were all waiting for something.
The seats slowly filled. After a long time, no new people came in. The noise faded away little by little, as if everyone silently agreed. Those who had been resting opened their eyes one after another, and sharp light appeared in their gazes.
…It’s almost time.
The two waiters guarding the door exchanged looks, then checked the clock on the wall again. With a slight nod, they moved to bolt the door shut.
But right at that moment, a clear female voice suddenly broke the silence.
“Oh? Looks like I came at just the right time~”
As soon as the words fell, the top of a long staff slid gently in through the crack of the closing door, skillfully blocking it. The two waiters froze for a moment, and in that brief gap, a new figure slipped inside.
It was a charming young girl with long black hair flowing naturally down. Her aura was noble and pure. She looked only about fifteen or sixteen years old, but she wore a simple white robe. Feather-like patterns shimmered faintly on her sleeves as she moved, giving her a mysterious, otherworldly feel.
Following right behind her was a tall, slim blonde girl, dressed in short black clothes made for easy movement. Her figure gave off the sharp pressure of a top warrior. Yet her skin was smooth and delicate like that of a noble lady. Most eye-catching of all were her bare feet, wrapped only at the ankles with white ribbons and tiny bells, while the rest was uncovered and pale white, strange and alluring, making people secretly stare a little longer.
Kairos also looked. But what caught his attention wasn’t their beauty, Legendary Adventurers never lacked for people willing to throw themselves at them. What really drew his eye was the strange, faintly familiar mix of features and aura between the two girls.
Who are they?
That same question appeared in the minds of many in the tavern. People whispered to each other, guessing their identities. A few adventurers seemed to recognize them, their faces changing as they showed surprise and respect. Still, no matter what, the two girls were clearly late, and besides…
“Ladies, this tavern has been reserved by important guests today. Your names are not on the invitation list. If you want to eat, please come again another day.”
The waiters at the door frowned slightly at the two unexpected intruders. But they remained polite and calm, only speaking after carefully checking the list in their hands. Their words made it clear, without being rude, that the two girls should leave.
Almost as if to push the girls away, or perhaps with another meaning, the moment those words fell, sharp and heavy auras burst out from both waiters, strong enough to cut like blades. Many onlookers looked alarmed, realizing what that meant.
Everyone here knew who the real master of this tavern was, and could guess that the staff weren’t ordinary. But no one had expected even the two door girls to be this strong. Just their power alone was above at least seventy percent of the adventurers present!
Yet, facing the pressure of two warriors who were at least at the Sky-level peak, the blonde girl didn’t even change her expression. She just stood there silently, without a flicker of emotion. The black-haired girl in white, however, only smiled as she looked them up and down with curiosity.
“What silly words are you saying, little piggies? New hires? No, no… newbies wouldn’t be qualified to take part in this kind of thing… So you must’ve been temporarily transferred from somewhere else, right?”
The black-haired girl chuckled and patted one of the waiters on the shoulder.
“Alright, alright, don’t be so nervous. Don’t judge me by appearances, actually, I’m pretty close with your boss. She’s the one who called me here.”
“Impudent!”