Dieta Arbenia.

She had appeared before Najin under the guise of a chance encounter, but the truth was rather different.

She knew that Najin had accepted Mid-Ranking Priest Volkman's commission, what it entailed, and even the date he would carry it out. She had plenty of informants planted in the guild. All that remained was to wait for his return.

And when Najin returned...

"What a coincidence."

Dieta approached him as though she had just happened to stop by the guild on business and, quite by chance, run into him there. He was a man worth going to that much trouble for.

"You won't turn me down this time, will you?"

Then she removed her glove and offered her bare hand.

He had refused her handshake last time, but this time would be different.

"From the looks of it, you want commissions above your rank, don't you? I think I can help you with that."

Because I have what you need.

Dieta smiled. Najin looked back and forth between her outstretched hand and her face with an uneasy expression, then finally reached out and shook her hand.

2.

The Dieta Trading Company's private reception room.

Najin took a sip of the coffee in the cup before him and frowned.

'Bitter as hell.'

Come to think of it, Ivan used to brew coffee now and then, didn't he? It had been an incredible luxury in the underground city. But what was supposed to taste good about this? With that thought, Najin set down his cup.

"What did you mean when you said you could help me?"

"Exactly what I said. I introduced myself last time, remember?"

She pointed to her nameplate.

"I'm the head of the Dieta Trading Company, and my company plays quite an important role in this city. It's fairly large, too."

Najin knew that. The basic information he had gathered over his ten days living in the city included information about the Dieta Trading Company.

'The Dieta Trading Company.'

It was one of the city's three largest trading companies, responsible for trade with the outside world. It handled the export of monster materials sold by adventurers.

"Our company is affiliated with the central guild. And an organization credible enough to form such an affiliation..."

She took a sheet of paper from inside her clothes.

"Can write you something like this."

The paper bore the Dieta Trading Company's emblem. Pointing to it, Dieta continued.

"The guild's rank is the first consideration when someone accepts a commission. But a reputable organization can also write a letter of introduction saying, 'This person can be trusted.'"

To put it simply:

"You could call it a guarantee."

Dieta smiled.

Someone might lack a track record yet possess the skill to rise through the ranks. It was not uncommon for an organization to lend its name to such a person.

"In this case, our Dieta Trading Company would vouch for your abilities. You'd be able to accept commissions ranked far above Black."

She waved the paper in front of Najin.

"A rather attractive offer, wouldn't you say?"

"It is an attractive offer, but..."

Najin looked at Dieta.

"Why are you going this far for me?"

The same question he had asked last time.

Back then, Dieta had evaded his question. This time, she answered plainly, as though he were asking something obvious.

"Because I think you'll make me money."

"... Pardon?"

"Why else would a merchant be nice to you? Because they think there's gold to be made. You're not the sort of person who'll stay at Black rank for long, are you?"

Dieta knew.

The boy sitting before her was far too skilled to remain at a mere Black rank. She had yet to see Najin fight, so she could not be certain, but he clearly possessed skills approaching Blue rank.

'And... '

He would climb even higher before long. She had little evidence to go on, but that was what her instincts told her. The man before her was worth investing in.

"Lending you my company's name is quite a gamble for me, you know. If you fail, it could damage the company's reputation."

And yet she was willing to vouch for him.

"I'm doing it to win your favor. Think of it as staking an early claim on someone who's going places."

"... Is it all right to say that so openly?"

"Why not? You'd know anyway."

Dieta shrugged.

What was wrong with showing her desires? Clear intentions and objectives were more trustworthy, if anything. Nothing was quite as unambiguous as pure desire.

"Wouldn't it be more suspicious if I approached you out of pure goodwill? That would seem much shadier."

"I can't deny that."

"Of course, if you turn your back on me later despite everything I've given you, there's nothing I can do. But at least the market will remember that I invested in a talented individual early. That alone makes this a profitable deal."

Dieta sipped her tea.

"In any case, I'm investing in you. The more accomplishments you rack up, the more I intend to invest."

She narrowed her eyes, her vivid yellow gaze sliding toward Najin.

"An adventurer who climbs the ranks rapidly soon after arriving in the city is supported by the Dieta Trading Company. He uses our equipment, our potions, our vaults... That alone makes for quite an advertisement."

Adventurers admired exceptional people.

Admiration led to imitation, and imitation led to buying the same things as the person they admired. Dieta knew that alone could generate tremendous publicity.

"You benefit from the support, and I benefit from using you as the face of my advertising. Isn't that good for both of us?"

Dieta laid all her motives bare.

There was no harm in revealing them.

"I'll use you, and you can use me. What other reason do we need?"

Najin had been listening quietly, but a laugh escaped him. Dieta tilted her head at the sound.

"Why are you laughing?"

"It's just refreshing."

"... Pardon?"

"I've never met anyone who laid out their motives quite so openly."

Najin let out a long breath.

"Well, all right. I don't know what on earth you see in me... but if you're willing to invest, I'm grateful."

He pointed to the letter of guarantee Dieta had produced.

"How high a rank can you vouch for?"

"I can write one for commissions up to Blue rank, but I'm still considering it. I haven't seen how skilled you are yet."

"Hmm." Najin rubbed the corner of his mouth.

'It's all right to show her, isn't it?'

-You're pretending to be twenty-eight, aren't you? Then showing a fragment should be fine. You said you were planning to start revealing it soon anyway.

'That's true.'

Najin made his decision.

The moment Najin laid his hand on the sword hilt at his waist, Pasion, the guard knight standing beside Dieta, reacted. Seeing him move as though he would lunge the instant the sword came free, Najin spoke in advance.

"I'm only going to show you."

He drew his sword and lowered its blade toward the floor rather than Dieta. Then he gripped the hilt tightly.

FSSS...

He did not draw in mana from outside as he usually did.

Using the small amount of mana he had accumulated within his body through the mana training method Merlin had taught him, Najin formed sword aura. White radiance streamed down the blade.

It was a fragment of sword aura.

Najin held back his power, taking care not to let the aura become complete and emit a platinum glow. Since he had not drawn in a large quantity of mana from outside, controlling his power was not particularly difficult.

And yet, even so, the white radiance on his sword was enough to make his observers' eyes widen. Pasion and Dieta stared at the blade, their eyes wide open.

"Is this enough for Blue rank?"

* * *

Shortly after Najin left with the company's letter guaranteeing his ability to carry out commissions up to Blue rank, Dieta spoke in the reception room.

"Sir Pasion."

"... Yes, my lady?"

"That was sword aura, wasn't it? Definitely?"

"To be precise, it was a fragment of sword aura."

That white radiance.

It had not yet taken the form of complete sword aura, but it was exceedingly close. In other words, the boy was approaching the level of a Sword Expert.

"His registered age is twenty-eight... but honestly, he doesn't look it, does he?"

"Early twenties at most. At a glance, he could even be your age, Lady Dieta."

"I thought so too."

A fragment of sword aura in his early twenties.

Dieta gave a disbelieving laugh at that accomplishment. Of course, it was possible that the man's name really was Ivan and that he really was in his late twenties.

Even then, it was early.

Promising talents properly supported by distinguished houses produced sword aura in their early thirties at the earliest. Even Pasion, hailed as a genius discovered by House Arbenia, had first produced sword aura at thirty-one.

"How long do you think that man needs before his sword aura is complete?"

"... All he needs is a catalyst. I would say a month or two at the latest."

Dieta gave another disbelieving laugh.

"What on earth is he? Do the Rangers of the Techel Mountains produce sword aura too? I remember them training in something else, not sword aura..."

"I don't know either."

Pasion answered, concealing his bewilderment.

He had seen the sword aura Najin demonstrated up close. Dieta, who knew little about swords, would not have noticed, but Pasion could tell.

There was something strange about the boy's sword aura.

Though it had not fully formed yet, the white radiance flowing along the blade was extraordinarily dense. Pasion had never seen a fragment of sword aura with that much density.

'I'd have to clash with it to know for certain... '

But despite being only a fragment, it did not look as though it would lose ground against fully formed sword aura.

3.

The Dieta Trading Company's letter of guarantee.

After showing it at the counter, Najin was allowed to browse commissions up to Blue rank. Looking at the papers densely covering the noticeboard, he marveled inwardly.

'Things certainly get more complicated around Blue rank.'

Whereas most Black-rank commissions involved simply slaying monsters or gathering materials...

[Escort Mission.]

[Capture the Special Specimen 'One-Eyed Orc' Alive.]

[Capture the Wanted Criminal 'Wyman' Alive.]

Blue-rank commissions mainly involved escort missions, capturing special monsters alive, hunting wanted criminals, and the like. As Najin scanned the considerably more specialized commission notices, his gaze stopped on one.

'Doesn't this one look good?'

-Not bad. It's good for gaining experience and really starting to make a name for yourself.

A commission suitable for distinguishing himself and building a proper track record.

'Then let's go with this one.'

Najin and Merlin were in agreement.

Najin tore the commission notice off the board.

* * *

"Commander."

"What is it, Varger? Something to report?"

"Recruitment has closed for the commission you accepted earlier. I've brought the roster. Would you like to look it over?"

"Oh. Good work."

The woman skimmed through the stack of documents her subordinate handed her, then frowned. Her face twisted into a deep scowl as she jabbed a finger at the paper.

"What the hell is this? Why's there a sootling here?"

Sootling. A derogatory nickname for the Black-rank adventurers who were a dime a dozen. Where she pointed was information about a man named Ivan.

"Wasn't the minimum rank Blue? How does a sootling get on this commission? Are those guild bastards not doing their jobs properly?"

"Please check the special remarks."

"Special remarks?"

Still frowning, she read the rest of the document.

"... The Dieta Trading Company vouched for him? The Dieta Trading Company I know?"

"Yes."

"The one with that gold-swallowing crazy bitch? What made her vouch for someone?"

"I considered screening him out, but that detail gave me pause, so I brought it to you. What would you like to do?"

At her subordinate's question, the woman folded her arms and tapped a finger against her upper arm.

"I doubt that snake of a bitch Dieta vouched for him for nothing. She must have something to go on."

"Now that's interesting."

Muttering those words, she rose. Her jet-black hair swayed with her movement. She loosely gathered the hair hanging down her back with an elastic band and spoke.

"Leave him on the roster. Let's see what kind of guy he is."

She chose one of the swords hanging on the wall, fastened it at her waist, and draped an arm over her subordinate's shoulders.

"If he looks promising, maybe I'll snatch him up. What do you think, Varger?"

"I doubt The Snake That Swallows Gold would take that lying down..."

"So what? In this business, whoever offers the best terms gets to take them. That's only natural."

The woman's red eyes gleamed.

"Well then, shall we go have a look at his face?"

The commander of the Red Eye Mercenary Company.

One of the city's only five White Horns.

The Sword Seeker Roselin Ascalo smacked her lips.