Chapter 90: Faking the Rank
Nathan and Liaraen walked approximately two hundred meters from the guild before Liaraen released his hand.
She stopped at a quiet corner.
She turned.
And with her voice still firm, though slightly moderated by the distance covered:
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"That woman is specifically insufferable."
"Really? I thought she was nice."
"And apparently she enjoys being annoying."
"That too."
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"I don’t like you because you pay attention to her."
"Sprout."
"Quiet."
"Sprout."
"Quiet, Nathan."
Nathan looked at her for a moment.
With his cynical smile, he thought:
*I’m going to let that comment slide because arguing about it is going to produce more pressure than I need today.*
"Alright."
Liaraen breathed once.
She lowered her shoulders.
She returned to the slightly more relaxed posture she’d been practicing during the return journey.
And with a calm voice:
"Let’s get the provisions. The mission is a day’s travel away. We need to pack."
"Acceptable."
They started walking back toward Selene’s house.
And approximately as they were crossing the neighborhood’s central square, Nathan took a parchment from his jacket’s inner pocket.
He glanced at it while walking.
With a smile.
And with the internal satisfaction of someone who’d executed a small move.
*Large red seal.*
*A-Rank.*
*Confirmed.*
He put the parchment away.
Liaraen didn’t notice.
Apparently her attention was still on Mira.
*Good.*
*I’ll explain it to her when we get to the house.*
*When she’s calmer.*
---
At Selene’s house, Liaraen went upstairs to change clothes and prepare her things for the mission.
Nathan stayed in the main hall.
Selene appeared approximately five minutes later.
With her usual teacup. With her usual calm.
"Nathan."
"Selene."
"How did it go with Mira?"
"Considerably awkward. She interpreted Liaraen as my illegitimate daughter at first. Then as suspicion of ill intent on my part. Then she specifically decided to provoke Liaraen with comments about how paternal I apparently look."
Selene drank.
"Understandable."
"Understandable?"
"Mira has been observing adventurers for years. She recognizes specific dynamics when she sees them. Apparently she identified something between you and Liaraen that you’re trying to handle diplomatically but that’s apparently more visible than you think."
"Selene."
"Yes."
"There’s nothing specific between Liaraen and me."
"Understood."
"She’s Sprout. She’s a little sister."
"That’s what you think."
"And Mira decided to provoke for her own amusement."
"Yes, that’s Mira. And that also says something about Mira."
"What?"
Selene looked at him for a moment.
"Nathan. People who provoke for personal amusement have specific reasons for provoking the people they provoke. Apparently you’re going to have to figure out for yourself what Mira’s reason is with you. Honestly, it’s not my place to comment."
"Because people always talk in ways I don’t understand?"
"Another topic. The mission you accepted."
Nathan drank water for a second.
Then he spoke with a calm voice.
"Selene."
"Yes."
"There’s something I’m going to share with you before I leave for the mission."
"Go ahead."
Nathan took the parchment from his jacket’s inner pocket. He placed it on the table between them.
Selene looked at it.
She saw the large red seal.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"That’s an A-Rank seal."
"Correct—I made Mira think I’d taken the low D-Rank one."
"Correct."
"How do you have an A-Rank parchment in your pocket?"
Nathan smiled with his usual calm.
"Selene."
"Yes."
"When Liaraen pulled me out of the guild, the trajectory passed specifically close to the mission board. And during that path, when we passed approximately a meter from the board, I activated Pale Rider at minimum intensity for approximately half a second. Long enough to accelerate during that small interval. During that half second, I swapped the low D-Rank parchment I’d handed to Mira for the A-Rank parchment I’d initially taken and had returned to the board."
Selene looked at him.
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"You performed a small act of official guild document manipulation while being dramatically dragged by an aristocratic elf."
"Apparently yes."
"With Pale Rider active for half a second."
"Correct."
"Without anyone noticing."
Selene looked at him for a full moment.
Then she drank from her tea.
Then she spoke with a calm voice.
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"You’re more cunning than your presentation suggests."
"So I normally look like an idiot?"
"And you decided that if you couldn’t get A-Rank officially, you were going to operate as de facto A-Rank using the taken parchment."
"That’s correct."
"Apparently this is going to be your recurring strategy over the coming months."
"Obviously... Though Mira is probably going to hit me and check every mission."
Selene laughed softly.
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"I’m going to support the strategy. With the condition that you apply discretion. If Mira discovers the pattern, apparently she’s going to have to formally report you to the guild for official document manipulation."
"Understood."
"And that’s going to cost you your Hunter license."
"Understood as well."
"So this is going to be a specific operation and apparently not a regular operation."
"Acceptable."
Nathan nodded once.
He put the parchment away again.
---
Liaraen came down the stairs approximately twenty minutes later.
In travel clothes. With her father’s green sword at her belt in the light ceremonial sheath Lord Erenn had prepared. With a small provision bag slung over her shoulder.
Nathan stood up.
"Sprout."
"Nathan."
"Ready?"
"Ready."
"Let’s go."
They said goodbye to Selene. They left. They picked up the two elven horses from the neighborhood stable. Nathan decided the large cart was excessive for a one-day mission, so they took only one of the horses with a saddle. Apparently they still had a saddle among the provisions House Vaelith had included.
They began riding northeast.
Out of Greywall.
Toward the forest where the creatures were.
Approximately twenty minutes into the ride, Nathan spoke.
"Sprout."
"Yes."
"I have something to confess."
Liaraen looked at him.
"What?"
Nathan took the parchment from his inner pocket.
He showed it to her.
Liaraen looked at it.
She saw the large red seal.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Nathan."
"Yes."
"That’s not the parchment you handed to Mira."
"Correct."
"That’s the A-Rank parchment you made us return."
"Also correct."