Chapter 36 – Arrival at the Grainford
An hour after leaving the hilltop view, the massive walls of Grainford City stood before them.
The towering metal gate shimmered under the midday sun. Soldiers in polished armor stood guard, spears upright and eyes sharp.
The carriage rolled to a stop.
“Identify yourselves,” one of the guards said firmly. “Guild card or adventurer identification.”
Kaito stepped down calmly and pulled out both his individual guild card and the Crimson Blade party card.
“We’re an A-rank party from Stonehaven Town.”
Four guards stepped forward to inspect the cards. One of them carried a verification crystal and passed it over the cards.
The crystal glowed faint blue.
“Authentic,” one guard nodded. “Crimson Blade. A-rank party. Members all B-rank.”
The head guard stepped aside and gestured toward the gate.
“You may enter.”
The massive metal gate slowly opened with a heavy metallic groan.
Before moving, Kaito asked politely, “Excuse me, where is the Adventurer Guild located?”
The guard pointed straight ahead.
“Head toward the central plaza. Turn left. You’ll see a large stone building with a silver sword emblem.”
“Thank you.”
Kaito grabbed the horse’s noseband and began walking the carriage inside.
The city was alive.
Vendors shouted from both sides of the street.
“Fresh bread! Just baked!”
“Fine silk from the eastern trade routes!”
Children ran between stalls. Blacksmith hammers rang from distant workshops. The smell of roasted meat drifted through the air.
Serena looked around with wide eyes.
“It’s so lively…”
Renna grinned. “Way bigger than Stonehaven.”
Kael muttered, “Too many people.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
They continued walking slowly, taking in the city’s energy until finally—
A large stone building came into view.
Above the entrance was a silver sword emblem.
The Adventurer Guild.
Inside the Guild
After handing the horse and carriage to the stable attendant within the guild’s yard, they entered the building.
The interior was loud.
Adventurers drinking. Eating. Laughing. Arguing over quests.
All conversations paused for a brief moment when the Crimson Blade entered.
Two receptionists stood behind the counter.
“Welcome to the Adventurer Guild,” one of them said with a professional smile.
Kaito stepped forward.
“Good afternoon. I am Kaito. These are Serena, Renna, and Kael.”
The blonde receptionist bowed slightly.
“My name is Emilie.”
The silver-haired woman beside her added,
“And I am Lyra.”
“We’ve come from Stonehaven Town,” Kaito said.
Emilie’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Oh? Please let me see your guild cards.”
Everyone handed over their individual cards and the Crimson Blade party card.
“Crimson Blade… A-rank party…” Emilie murmured.
“Lyra, please verify them.”
“Understood.”
Lyra walked into the appraisal room.
Several adventurers nearby began whispering.
“An A-rank party?”
“They look young…”
“Stonehaven produced something interesting…”
A few minutes later, Lyra returned.
“Verification complete. Everything is valid.”
She handed back the cards.
“You are free to accept quests immediately.”
“Thank you,” Kaito nodded.
They walked toward the massive quest board.
Serena’s eyes widened.
“There are so many quests… even A-rank and S-rank.”
Renna scanned upward.
“S-rank quest: Annihilate Corrupted Wyvern. … That’s insane.”
Kael frowned. “Flying monsters are the worst.”
Kaito calmly scanned the board.
Then his finger stopped.
“A-rank quest: Destroy Treant King Territory. Reward — 15 gold coins.”
He took the request slip.
“This one.”
Renna smirked. “Forest cleaning duty?”
“Treant King means elite-class,” Kaito replied. “Good practice.”
He handed the paper to Lyra.
“We’ll take this quest.”
Lyra stamped the parchment with the guild seal.
“You may begin today or tomorrow and the deadline is three days. Please report once completed.”
“Understood.”
Before leaving, Kaito asked, “Is there a suitable inn nearby for a two-week stay?”
Lyra smiled.
“Turn right and walk about five hundred meters. You’ll see a sign called The Lantern Inn.”
“Thank you.”
The Lantern Inn
After a short walk, they found it.
A warm wooden building with glowing lanterns hanging outside.
As they entered, a small girl around nine years old ran toward them.
“Hello! I’m Lilith! Do you need something?”
Kaito crouched slightly to her height.
“Yes, we’re looking for rooms.”
She pointed proudly. “Big sister!”
A young woman came forward from behind the counter.
“Welcome. I’m Lily, the owner.”
“I’m Kaito. We’d like two rooms, two beds each. Including meals. We plan to stay for two weeks.”
Lily calculated briefly.
“That will be fourteen gold coins.”
Without hesitation, Kaito placed the coins on the counter.
“Here.”
Lily nodded. “Lilith, show them the rooms.”
“Okay! Follow me!”
They climbed to the third floor.
Lilith handed over two keys and pointed to the rooms before running back downstairs to help her sister.
Kaito and Kael entered the right room.
Serena and Renna entered the left room.
After organizing their belongings, they gathered downstairs for dinner.
The food was simple but warm — bread, stew, grilled meat, and herbal tea.
During dinner, Kaito casually asked Lily,
“Anything unusual happening around the forest territory?”
Lily lowered her voice slightly.
“Merchants have been avoiding the western forest lately… there are a lot of high rank monster appear near the forest lately.”
Kaito’s eyes sharpened slightly “ohh that mean they giving everyone a hard time.”
Serena Curious “then let show them who we are.”
Renna smirked.
“Good. I was getting bored.”
After finishing their meal, they returned upstairs.
The city noise slowly faded into the night.
Tomorrow—
Their first quest in Grainford would begin tomorrow.
