The Baharuth Empire.
The imperial capital, Arwintar, stood at the heart of the Empire. Although its population could not compare with the Kingdom's capital, the scale of the city far surpassed that of the royal capital.
Under the rule of the Bloody Emperor, the Empire had undergone years of reform and was now enjoying the most prosperous period in its history.
Old and outdated systems were gradually being replaced. New ideas were constantly introduced, and institutions such as research institutes and magic academies were being established one after another.
Facing such a hopeful future, the atmosphere among the residents here was completely different from that of the Kingdom. The city was filled with energy and ambition.
At the center of the imperial capital stood a place called the [Singing Apple Pavilion].
Located close to the Adventurers' Guild, it was the preferred place for many adventurers to eat or spend the night.
"Ah! I can't take this anymore!"
"I finally managed to save up some money, and those two started going on about noble dignity again and bought a bunch of completely useless luxury items!"
Inside a private room, a young woman with bright golden short hair drank her alcohol while loudly complaining.
Her fist repeatedly slammed against the table.
Even though she was dressed in simple adventurer clothing, her natural elegance was impossible to hide.
Arche Eeb Rile Furt.
Her true identity was the daughter of a noble family, but due to the Bloody Emperor's suppression of the nobility, her family had already lost its noble status.
She was naturally kind and frugal. Even after losing her noble status, she only complained a little and did not resent the Bloody Emperor for it.
Instead, in order to support the household and take care of her two younger sisters, she, as the eldest daughter, took on the burden of the family and voluntarily became an adventurer.
She was now a member of the Empire's senior worker team, Foresight.
Unfortunately, despite Arche's constant efforts to earn money, her family still owed an enormous debt.
Her parents remained obsessed with their former aristocratic lifestyle and continued to spend recklessly, nearly destroying all of the girl's efforts.
Not only had the debt failed to shrink, it had actually grown larger.
In the end, in order to earn more money, she reluctantly became a black worker.
The type of person who might accept almost any job for the sake of money.
She didn't like it, but she had no choice.
"It'll get better, Arche. Don't push yourself too hard. You're already doing more than enough."
A woman with purple twin tails and pointed elf ears gently patted Arche's shoulder, trying to comfort her.
Watching Arche continue to vent her frustrations, the half-elf Imina sighed.
The members of Foresight all knew about Arche's family situation.
If it weren't for her two young sisters, Arche probably would have left home long ago instead of continuing to carry such a burden.
But this situation couldn't continue forever.
If she kept letting her parents behave like this, they would only become more and more reckless with their spending.
"Arche, if things are really difficult, you can tell us. It's not much, but we do have some savings."
"We're companions. Helping each other is only natural."
A sturdy blond man with a gentle expression spoke up.
He was the captain of the worker team, Hekkeran Termite.
"That's right. I've heard the Empire is planning something big recently. The reward should be pretty good."
"If we all work hard together, we'll definitely earn plenty."
"Of course, safety comes first. If someone gets injured, that would be a real problem."
Roberdyck Goltron.
He was the final member of the Four Foresight team. Gentle and kind-hearted, he was always thinking about his companions. In the team, he served as the cleric.
A faint smile rested on Roberdyck's face. He truly wanted to help Arche as well.
However, because he had taken in many homeless orphans, he was also quite poor himself.
"Thank you everyone, I…"
Arche looked deeply moved, but she still intended to refuse their kindness.
The captain and Imina were a couple, and their savings were meant for their future wedding. No matter what, Arche could not accept their money.
The same was true for Roberdyck. Taking care of so many homeless children meant his daily expenses were already high.
Otherwise, with his status as a cleric, many adventurer teams would be competing to recruit him. He would never have ended up doing black worker jobs.
Arche had just opened her mouth to speak when a voice suddenly interrupted her.
"Arche, you're still the same as ever."
"Rather than regretting it later, you should make a decisive choice now."
Hearing the voice, the members of Foresight turned to look. Four figures had just pushed open the door of the private room.
"Oh, it's you guys. How did the mission go?"
Hekkeran greeted a blond man who gave off a somewhat carefree first impression.
The man grinned proudly.
"Heh. Who do you think I am? Of course it went perfectly!"
Lukrut laughed as he slapped Hekkeran's hand in greeting.
The others quickly joined the conversation as if they had known each other for years.
One of them, a girl who looked about the same age as Arche, sat down directly beside her.
They were the members of the adventurer team [Swords of Darkness], who had fled to the Empire to escape being hunted by Kingdom nobles.
"It's not that easy. But I do envy Ninya-san. You get to go on adventures with your companions every day."
Looking at Ninya beside her, the blonde girl Arche shook her head and skillfully slid a mug of fragrant ale toward her.
"Haha, don't be fooled, Arche. Ninya really cares about you. Otherwise she wouldn't come looking for you here right after finishing an adventure."
Avoiding Imina's gaze, Lukrut, who had been quietly whispering with Hekkeran about where to go have fun that night, suddenly chimed in with a grin.
Nearby, Peter and Dyne, the captain and member of [Swords of Darkness], also nodded with smiles.
The three of them knew exactly why Ninya cared about Arche.
One had become an adventurer for her sister.
The other had done the same for her younger siblings.
Both worked hard to earn money for their families.
Ninya probably saw a reflection of her past self in Arche, which was why she couldn't help wanting to help her.
The other three members of Foresight also understood this, and they were happy to let Ninya talk to Arche.
After all, since the two had similar experiences, Ninya's words would probably reach her more easily than theirs.
"Tsk."
Ninya clicked her tongue but didn't argue. She simply puffed her cheeks and shot Lukrut an annoyed glare.
Lukrut responded by sticking out his tongue playfully, then dragged Hekkeran off to a corner to continue discussing their plans for the night.
Lukrut knew Hekkeran would be getting married soon, but as the saying went, youth didn't last forever.
Watching the two of them walk off with their arms around each other's shoulders, Imina sighed helplessly but didn't stop them.
Men were like that. Acting a little wild before marriage was normal. Once they were married, they would settle down anyway.
Meanwhile, Ninya turned back to Arche.
"Arche, take this. It should help ease some of your burden."
After taking a sip of ale, Ninya pulled out a small bundle from her clothes and placed it in front of Arche.
From the clear clinking sound, it was obvious the bag was filled with coins.
"Ninya, this… this is too much. You've already helped me so much, I…"
Arche shook her head firmly.
She had always respected Ninya.
Because she possessed the innate Talent [All-Seeing Eyes], Arche could sense things ordinary people could not see, including the highest tier of magic that magic casters could use.
Her mental abilities were also different from most people, and her intuition was incredibly sharp.
Arche could tell that Ninya was strong.
Despite being about the same age, Arche was still lingering at the Third Tier of magic, while Ninya had already mastered Fourth Tier magic.
She might even already be studying Fifth Tier magic.
Fifth Tier magic.
That was a level comparable to the Realm of Heroes.
"Arche, we're friends."
"And with a family like that… you don't want your sisters going hungry, do you?"
When her sisters were mentioned, Arche froze.
She opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, then finally accepted the bundle.
"Th… thank you. When I earn enough money, I promise I'll pay you back."
Ninya smiled, and the two of them began chatting casually.
Putting everything else aside, she and Arche got along very well.
Or rather, Foresight and the Swords of Darkness matched each other surprisingly well, almost like they were reflections of one another.
Time slowly passed.
"Huh? Is it already afternoon?"
"Oh no! I have an arena match today. Sorry everyone, I need to go!"
Arche glanced at the clock on the wall. After seeing the time, she froze before suddenly remembering she had work today.
After quickly apologizing, she rushed out of the room.
The others inside exchanged glances.
Then they all burst out laughing.
...
Out on the street, Arche hurried forward at a quick pace. She was so rushed that she didn't notice two figures standing ahead of her.
Bang.
The collision rang out.
Arche felt as if she had run straight into a wall. She instantly lost her balance and began to fall backward.
"Careful. Running like that isn't safe."
Just as she was about to fall, a hand grabbed her arm. A calm, slightly magnetic voice followed.
"Um… I'm very sorry. I'll be more careful next time."
After regaining her balance, Arche quickly bowed in apology.
At the same time, she cautiously glanced at the two figures standing in front of her.