The next morning, the morning sun wasn't too intense, but its rays were piercing enough to dazzle her eyes. Aya rose from her bed and hurriedly prepared to leave.
"Glasses... check," Aya muttered as she slid on her round spectacles.
Today, she wore the outfit gifted by the kind Queen: a simple brown tunic dress made from high-quality game leather. Aya felt around the small side table while keeping her eyes on the mirror to finish her makeup.
"Wait... where's the book?" Aya turned toward the table, but what she was looking for wasn't there. It was the book she carried every single day, to every single lecture.
"Did I lose it back on that day?" Reality hit her; she had lost her book the moment she arrived in this world. Aya let out a disappointed sigh. Without her book, she felt weak—even if carrying it didn't actually make her any smarter.
Aya arrived at the Adventurers' Guild. The place looked like a mix between a bar and a cafe. For a moment, she stood frozen, staring inside. She stepped in, glancing nervously to her left and right. The room was filled with humans mixed with various animal races. It was intimidating.
"Ugh, I want to leave. This place is creepy. And where on earth is Ficky? Some bodyguard he is, just up and leaving me!" Aya grumbled, hugging herself tightly.
She understood nothing about how this guild worked. There were plenty of adventurers, but should she really ask them? Aya felt like an outsider who had no business being there.
"Is there anywhere to sit? I need a moment to think."
Aya scanned the room in a semi-circle, searching for a vacant seat among the crowd.
"Ah, there!" She finally spotted the 'legendary' seat—at the very back, in the corner, a sacred spot. At least, that's what she told herself.
Aya sat quietly, thankful no one was bothering her. She kept her eyes moving and her ears open, trying to eavesdrop on the conversations around her.
"I want an S-class hunt. Can I get one?"
"Stop talking nonsense! You can barely handle a C-rank mission."
"I found some gold by chance today, but it turned out to belong to a giant."
"Watch out for the TAINROS squad!"
She tried her best to listen for something useful, but it felt futile. Aya felt like nothing here was of any help to her.
Suddenly, a group of adventurers walked in. They commanded the attention of the entire room; their aura was suffocatingly intense. A woman with black hair and a hint of green in her bangs stepped forward. She scanned the room while clutching a staff topped with a greyish stone.
"Hm, everyone seems lively," the woman remarked.
She struck her staff against the floor. Suddenly, people began to collapse, losing consciousness. Almost everyone fell—except for Aya. She stood up from her seat, heart racing.
"Oh my, what is happening!?"
Panic seized her. She feared an outbreak or a curse, but it was clearly the influence of the woman's magic.
Magic again? I don't have magic. I'm just a normal person who fell into this world. What should i do?
A woman from the dog-kin race suddenly approached. Aya flinched, intending to run or dodge, but the woman caught her arm.
"Wh-who are you?!" Aya stammered.
The woman sniffed Aya repeatedly. Then, she turned to her comrades and said, "She's intact."
"Huh? Then why didn't she fall asleep?"
"That—"
"Forget it! We need to find that killer and hunt him down. He must be one of the people here in disguise," a massive man barked.
The woman with the black-and-green hair didn't seem to agree. She waved her hand at her comrade standing near Aya. The dog-kin woman stepped closer.
Aya was trapped. She couldn't do anything with the exit blocked by this strange group. They might be adventurers, but based on their talk, they were hunting a killer—and it probably had something to do with Tainros.
"Tainros," Aya whispered. Immediately, the squad members' eyes snapped toward her.
"I thought she was a stranger, but she seems to know a thing or two. Hey, Reen."
The dog-kin woman whispered something to the woman called Reen. Aya's frustration grew; she glanced toward the window, planning to make a break for it.
"Wait, you!"
The dog-kin woman closed the distance again, cutting off Aya's escape.
"What are you doing here? I've never seen you adventuring before. Are you new?"
When Aya remained silent, the woman let out a long sigh.
"Fine. Let me introduce ourselves first. My name is Una. Over there are Reen, Glen, Ter, and Aguyaga." The dog-kin woman introduced her team.
"I'm... Aya Kruger. So, what do you want?" Aya asked nervously. She was shaking inside but did her best to hold it together.
"I see. A unique name. Or rather, a beautiful one? It sounds familiar. Ah, well, whatever."
"Aren't your names more unique?" Aya muttered under her breath, looking away.
Una seemed hesitant about Aya, but she eventually nodded and looked Aya in the eye again.
"Alright, Aya. Tell me, what is your goal?"
To tell them or not? This was a heavy choice. Aya feared that revealing the truth might lead to trouble, but asking for help might also provide crucial information. She was torn.
"I... well, um... how do I put this?" Aya looked away, clearing her throat nervously as she squeezed her eyes shut. "If I told you I wanted to go back to my own world, would you believe me?"
Finally, Aya chose to speak.
Una went silent. Again, she looked back at her team; they seemed to be communicating in some sort of sign language. The way they interacted sent a chill down Aya's spine.
What is this uncomfortable feeling? Aya thought.
She didn't understand. She didn't realize that Una was wearing a sinister expression. Una shared a cold smirk with Reen. This group was planning something.
"I'll help you, Aya."
Una held her palm out in front of Aya's face. For a second, a bright light shone from her hand, but it stopped abruptly. Una suddenly pulled back Aya's clothing, her face contorting in shock when she saw the slave mark on her shoulder.
"It turns out you've already been claimed. But that's fine; I can do something about that."
"What? What are you talking about?"
Aya stepped back as Una and Reen began chanting together. The bright light turned pitch black. A small, purple-black magic circle manifested in front of Aya.
SHATTER!!
At that exact moment, someone made a grand, chaotic entrance. Crashing through the window, they leaped inside, instantly cutting off the incantation.