Seeing Jonas take the initiative, Rayka stepped forward as well.
"I, Rayka Thorne, will be forming a party."
Her sharp gaze swept across the room.
"Who's joining me?"
Kaien was the first to raise her hand.
Before doing so, she briefly glanced toward Akeno, then calmly looked forward again.
A moment later, Naelle raised her hand.
"So will I."
Another recruit, Emery Suto, lifted hers shortly after.
Adams gave a satisfied nod.
"Very well."
He glanced down at the document in his hands.
"Rayka Thorne. Kaien Mure. Naelle Voss. Emery Suto."
He looked back up.
"As of this moment, you are officially recognized as a party of the White Tigers Guild."
"Since Rayka is the highest-ranked Adventurer among you..."
"...she will serve as your Captain."
He turned toward Rayka.
"Have you decided on a name for your party?"
"Blood Ravens," Rayka answered without hesitation.
"Works fer me."
Griffin pushed himself out of his chair.
"So we've got ourselves two brand-new parties."
He pointed at Jonas and Rayka.
"The both of ya head over to reception later and get yer parties officially registered."
"After that, stop by the Uniform Department."
"Tell 'em what insignia yer want, and they'll get yer party gear sorted."
Then his attention shifted toward Boros, Akeno, and Kinuko.
"As fer you three..."
"If yer serious about makin' a party of yer own..."
"...then yer better be serious about findin' a fourth member."
His grin faded slightly.
"It might take days."
"Weeks."
"Maybe even years."
"But don't rush it."
"The person ya choose..."
"...is someone who's gonna fight beside ya."
"Someone who's gonna trust ya with their life."
"And someone you'll trust with yers."
His expression turned unusually serious.
"So make damn sure it's someone worth trustin'."
Boros folded his arms.
"Got it."
Adams clasped his hands behind his back.
"That concludes today's briefing for all of you."
"Complete your registrations."
"Once you're done, report back."
"Your first official missions will be assigned then."
The recruits began making their way toward the door.
"You three."
Adams' voice stopped Boros, Akeno, and Kinuko before they stepped outside.
They turned around.
"Ordinarily, new Adventurers wouldn't be permitted to undertake missions without a fully registered party."
He smiled.
"But we're making an exception."
"You'll be allowed to complete your first assignment together."
Akeno's face immediately lit up.
"Really?!"
Kinuko smiled as well.
"That's a relief."
Griffin folded his arms.
"Throwin' the three of ya in with random Adventurers would only slow ya down."
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Besides..."
"We've got a very important job we want the three of ya to handle."
"That's understandable," Akeno said.
"But Shiro's supposed to have an appointment with Doctor Veronica right now."
Kinuko nodded.
"She's right."
Boros clicked his tongue.
"Tch."
"I completely forgot."
He shrugged.
"I don't really see the point though."
"I feel fine."
"Go to yer appointment," Griffin said.
Adams nodded in agreement.
"By the time you're finished, we'll have the paperwork sorted out."
He smiled.
"We'll meet you outside afterward and explain the details of your first mission."
"Alright then."
Boros turned toward the door.
The trio had barely taken a few steps before—
"Ah."
Griffin snapped his fingers.
"One more thing."
They stopped and looked back.
"I forgot to tell ya about yer penalty."
Boros frowned.
"...Penalty?"
Griffin stared at him.
"Ya didn't think the buildings you and Rudeus wrecked were gonna magically fix themselves, did ya?"
Realization immediately hit Boros.
"...Ooh."
"I'll admit," Griffin scratched his beard.
"I probably should've mentioned it before ya went and made that big purchase last night."
Boros blinked.
"...Big purchase?"
"How do you know about that?"
Adams chuckled.
"Word travels fast in Calonia."
Griffin laughed.
"Very fast."
He pointed at Boros.
"Property owner."
Boros folded his arms.
"...Whatever."
"I heard you got the place for a bargain." Adams said.
"How much money do you have left?"
"Around two hundred thousand Nex."
"Good."
Adams nodded.
"Your penalty is one hundred thousand Nex."
"Pay that and you're free to go."
He pulled out his Relay.
Boros walked over and pressed his card against the payment panel.
Beep.
Transaction Successful.
"There."
Griffin crossed his arms.
"Next time ya go around destroyin' property..."
"The fine'll be even higher."
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"And there's another thing."
"The Guild has a strict no-fightin' policy."
"If ya decide to ignore it again..."
He cracked his knuckles.
"...yer'll be fightin' me."
Boros grinned back.
"Sure thing."
With that, the trio finally left Griffin's office.
......
About an hour later, Boros stepped out of Doctor Veronica's office and into the Guild's reception hall.
Akeno and Kinuko were already waiting with Griffin and Adams.
The moment they spotted him, Boros walked over.
"Yer done?" Griffin asked.
"Yeah."
Boros rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.
Adams opened a folder.
"Good."
"Now that everyone's here..."
"We can discuss your first mission."
The three listened attentively.
Adams' expression grew serious.
"A new organization has recently appeared."
"The Guild Concord has designated them as the 'S-Rank Killers.'"
Kinuko frowned.
"That's... a terrifying name."
"It fits," Griffin replied.
"They've made it their mission to hunt high-rank Adventurers."
"Some believe they're simply powerful bounty hunters with a grudge against Adventurers."
He shrugged.
"Could be true."
"But recently..."
"They've started recruitin' high-ranks instead."
"If someone refuses to join..."
"They kill 'em."
The room became quiet.
"No Apex-Ranks have fallen yet," Griffin continued.
"But several Low-Grade S-Ranks..."
"And a handful of High-Grades..."
"...have already been murdered."
Adams nodded.
"Which makes understanding their objective difficult."
"At first, we believed they simply despised Adventurers."
"But now they're actively trying to recruit powerful ones."
"It doesn't add up."
He placed the folder on the table.
"Your destination is the neighboring town of Tunisik."
"It is believed the S-Rank Killers have established a presence there."
"They've reportedly murdered not only Adventurers..."
"...but civilians as well."
Griffin folded his arms.
"Yer mission's simple."
"Head to Tunisik."
"Investigate."
"Gather as much information as ya can."
"And deal with the situation however ya see fit."
Adams nodded.
"You'll depart tomorrow morning."
"The Guild based there has already been investigating them."
"They'll have additional information that may assist you."
He closed the folder.
"That's all."
Boros nodded.
"Understood."
"We'll handle it."
......
Roughly twenty minutes later, the trio returned home.
As they approached the front gate, the guards immediately opened it and bowed.
"Welcome back."
The three walked into the compound.
Boros stretched both arms over his head.
"Phew..."
"Today's been long."
Akeno groaned.
"I was so excited to wear this uniform..."
She tugged at the collar.
"But right now I just want to rip it off."
Kinuko laughed.
"Well..."
"We're home now."
"So you finally can."
The moment they stepped through the entrance—
"WELCOME BACK, MASTER!"
Boros nearly jumped out of his skin.
"HA!"
"What the hell was that?!"
Standing in front of him were nearly twenty staff members, all bowing in perfect unison.
One of them immediately panicked.
"W-We were only welcoming you home, sir!"
Before things could become even more awkward, Susan hurried through the crowd.
"Shoo, shoo."
She waved everyone away.
The staff quickly scattered.
Susan bowed politely.
"Good afternoon."
"How did the induction go?"
Akeno immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"It went really well."
Boros was already halfway up the stairs.
"Also..."
He looked back.
"Tell them to stop calling me 'Master.'"
Kinuko smiled.
"You heard him."
Akeno nodded.
Susan bowed again.
"Understood, sir."
She hesitated for a moment.
"Should I have the chefs prepare lunch?"
The trio stopped mid-step.
Boros slowly turned around.
"...Prepare?"
Akeno and Kinuko looked at one another.
"...Lunch?"
Susan laughed nervously.
"W-Well..."
"I suppose it would actually be dinner."
"It's already getting late."
The three stared blankly at her.
Then they slowly looked at each other.
"...Okay."
Without another word, they continued upstairs.