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nRoyal Palace of the Vahan Empire…

n“Such a thing happened?” Emperor Andreas asked while his brush glided on the canvas. “Talk about bad luck. Still, I didn’t expect our elite kids to lose to that Half-Elf brat. Did Malcolm fail as a leader? I expected good things from him.”

n“With all due respect, Your Majesty, it was not Malcolm’s fault,” the Ambassador commented. “His leadership was good, and the tactics he used was outstanding. If he knew that he was dealing with a Necromancer who can cause corpse explosions, he might have…”

nA clattering sound could be heard as Emperor Andreas dropped the brush in his hand on top of the table.

n“There is no IF,” Emperor Andreas said coldly. “IF doesn’t write history. Only the winners do. Since Malcolm lost, it means that he still has many things to learn. Tell him that, on the next mission, he will be the Vice Leader. Someone else will lead our representatives in the dungeon.”

n“U-Understood, Your Majesty,” the Ambassador replied.

nHe could feel cold sweat starting to trickle down his face from Emperor Andreas’ look that made him feel like the Grimreaper of Death was standing right behind him with its scythe resting against his neck.

n“Where is the Half-Elf?” Emperor Andreas inquired. “I believe he wanted to create a guild, right?”

n“The Half-Elf was seen entering Brookwest Town,” the Ambassador replied. “According to my estimate, he would visit the three towns leading towards our capital city. Since the Trial of Leadership is hosted here, he will arrive here within a week or two.”

nThe corner of Emperor Andreas’ lips curled up. The Ambassador who saw this smirk instantly knew that his Emperor was scheming something.

nHe had long known that Emperor Andreas was someone who didn’t like being taken advantage of. This made the Ambassador pity the Half-Elf because the young man would get a taste of what it was like to be on the Emperor’s bad side.

n“Call Murray,” Emperor Andreas ordered. “It’s about time for the two of us to have a talk.”

n“Yes, Your Majesty.” The Ambassador bowed respectfully before leaving the room.

nAfter walking down the hallway for a few minutes, the Ambassador took a handkerchief from his pocket and started to wipe the sweat on his forehead. Being alone with Emperor Andreas, especially when he was in a bad mood, was enough to give him an anxiety attack.

nFortunately, the Emperor didn’t make things difficult for him and sent him away to call the Guildmaster of the Adventurer’s Guild in the Capital City of the Vahan Empire.

n——

nBrookwest Town…

n“Ah, so you are the one who is asking for the Recommendation Letter in order to complete the Trial of Leadership,” the Guildmaster of the Adventurers Guild of Brookwest Town, Cobie, said. “Understood. But you already know that you must still perform a quest to prove that you have the ability to get the recommendation letter, right?”

nLux nodded. “I am willing to take the test in order to acquire the Recommendation Letter.”

nThe Half-Elf looked up at the two-meter-tall man, who closely resembled a gorilla in terms of body and face. However, since he didn’t want to hurt the feelings of others, he made sure to not comment on his looks and simply stated what he came for.

n“Good. I like people who get to the point.” Cobie smiled. “Then, your quest will be very simple. You see, there is a lady I like and I want to marry her. Your quest will be to help me convince her to marry me.”

n“…”

nLux was astounded. The quest was so random that he didn’t know how to reply. Also, the thought of any girl marrying Cobie made the Half-Elf shudder.

nSeeing his reaction, Cobie laughed and patted the Half-Elf’s shoulder. He thought that the red-headed teenager was awed by his overflowing awesomeness, so he decided to lower the tension inside the room.

n“Just joking,” Cobie stated. “It’s not like I am in love with the lady named Diana, who works in Starfleet Tavern as a waitress. Trust me, I don’t like her. Um, maybe I like her a little, but not that much, okay?”

n“…Okay?” Lux didn’t want to deal with this business, so he just nodded and allowed Cobie to state the real quest he wanted.

n“In Maplewood Forest, there is this herb called Passion Blossom,” Cobie said. “It is a very powerful aphrodisia–err medicine to help ladies during their menstrual periods. I want you to retrieve this flower for me.

n“Once you accomplish this mission, I will give you the Recommendation Letter. Just make sure that you pass the flower to me discreetly. Make sure that no one comes to know about our transaction or you’ll be sorry. Do you understand?” ᴡ ᴏᴠʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛʀs ᴀʀ ᴘᴜʙʟsʜᴅ ᴏ N(o)vl(ꜰ)ire.nt

nLux nodded his head like a hen pecking rice. Cobie’s grip on his arm was getting stronger, so he decided to just nod his head to get this over with.

n“Great!” Cobie stated. “If only everyone is like you, then this world will be a better place to live in. Here is the portrait of the flower. It’s usually guarded by Rank 4 Alpha Monsters or Rank 4 Field Bosses. Anyway, since you are here, that must mean that you already have members for your guild, right? Work with them to get this flower and we can all part on good terms. Bye bye, and have a good day!”

nThe door slammed right in front of Lux’s face, causing the Half-Elf to subconsciously take a step back.

n“I feel like I’ve become an accomplice to a crime that is about to happen,” Lux muttered as he left the branch of the Adventurers Guild in Brookwest Town. “Still, I can’t afford to fail. I need those three recommendation letters. I only have two weeks before time is up.”

nGerald and Rainer had given Lux an ultimatum of one month to finish his Guild Creation. If he failed, he would either let himself be exiled or join Nero’s Guild, the Storm Dragons, as the outcome of his quest.

nNeither was an option he liked, so he had resolved himself to do his best to finish the Recommendation Letter quests as well as the Trial of Leadership as soon as possible.

nThat was the only way for him to remain in Wildgarde Stronghold and have the Guardians of the Fortress accept his wish to become independent with the intention of helping the Stronghold gather resources in Elysium.

n‘One step at a time,’ Lux thought as he walked in the direction of Maplewood Forest. ‘I’ll finish this mission no matter what.’

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