The messenger from the royal capital arrived on a bright, sunny morning.
Though the work in the fields had yet to begin for the day, the village entrance was already unusually noisy. Curious, I went to take a look and found a carriage so magnificent it looked entirely out of place.
The body of the carriage bore a polished gold crest, and several armored guards stood around it like sentries. The official who stepped out of the vehicle was dressed in clothes more refined than anything I had ever seen in our village.
Clearly mismatched with our humble surroundings, the men announced they were there on a royal command and began gathering the villagers near the entrance. The official unrolled a document and began shouting, but I couldn't make sense of a single word he was saying.
He spoke of the Primal Labyrinth and of individuals called The Chosen.
He went on at length about how great an honor this was, but from where we stood, it all seemed completely irrelevant. I could only tilt my head in confusion, wondering what any of this had to do with us.
"...Do you think they’re here to collect taxes?"
"Don't even joke about that. It’s too early in the morning for bad luck," Ciel replied to my muttering.
Always composed, Ciel seemed a little uneasy today. She tugged at my sleeve and leaned in closer, her long, sky-blue hair swaying as a faint, sweet fragrance drifted past my nose.
I found myself distracted by the thought of how nice she smelled—a completely inappropriate reaction given the circumstances—as I watched the scene unfold.
"Yuu, Ciel. Step forward."
The village chief called us out by name.
Neither Ciel nor I had any idea what was happening, but a summons was a summons. Taking Ciel by the hand, I led her toward the official. He maintained a perfectly unreadable, expressionless mask as he handed me a letter.
It was filled with dense, difficult rows of text. I was ready to give up after reading the first half, but the final sentence made my heart skip a beat.
—Permission is hereby granted for transfer to the Royal Arcadia Academy of Magic.
"...Huh?"
Could anyone really blame me for the undignified sound that escaped my throat?
"Wait... what? Hold on a second! The academy in the capital...?"
Ciel seemed to have received the same news. Her eyes were wide, and she looked more flustered than I had ever seen her.
"I thought only nobles could go to the capital's academy..."
"R-Right? Why us? We haven't even taken an entrance exam... This is so sudden!"
We looked at each other, our minds racing to keep up. Neither of us had done anything to merit this. Searching the document for an explanation, I found a passage stating that the power of youths like us was needed for a specific labyrinth exploration.
Apparently, they were drafting children between the ages of fifteen and eighteen from all across the kingdom.
The Chosen, the royal academy... these were words that had never belonged in our world. It didn't feel real, but with the phrase "royal command" looming over the document, it was clear we had no right to refuse.
"This is an incredible opportunity," I mused.
"I suppose... but it’s almost a little scary."
Harune Village was small—just another remote settlement made of fields and forests. For two commoners from a place like this to be transferred to an academy reserved for the nobility... it sounded too good to be true.
"As expected of Yuu and Ciel!"
"Our young adventurer duo is heading to the capital!"
"You're the pride of Harune Village!"
While we were wrestling with our anxiety, the crowd around us was ecstatic.
That was the thing—we weren't just ordinary kids. We had officially registered with the guild last year and had been working as adventurers, taking on monster subjugation tasks in the surrounding area.
From exterminating goblins and culling packs of wolf-type monsters to escorting merchant caravans, we had done it all. We had even delved into the local labyrinth once or twice. In Harune Village, we were known as the most capable fighters, which was likely why we had been tapped to be part of The Chosen.
"Maybe it really is an honor," I said.
"Maybe..." Ciel murmured, sounding unconvinced.
I had become an adventurer because I wanted to make a name for myself, but having a career in the capital handed to me like this felt suspicious.
Still, a chance like this wouldn't come twice. If I stayed in the village, how many years would it take to achieve that kind of fame? Ten? Twenty? Maybe never.
"...I'm going," I decided.
"Aren't you afraid?"
"Of course I am. But being an adventurer is always scary. This is my chance to finally make it big... I can't let it pass me by."
Ciel fell silent for a moment. Then, she let out a long sigh, shrugged her shoulders, and gave a small, resigned laugh.
"I guess I have no choice. If you're going, Yuu, then I'm going too."
"Are you sure?"
"Don't give me that. I can't let you go to the capital by yourself. You'd definitely do something reckless."
She sounded exasperated, but her voice was warm.
"If we're going to do this, let's aim for the top. Both in the capital and in the labyrinth."
"Yeah. Let's do it!"
At her words, the knot of anxiety in my chest loosened just a bit.
■
A few days later.
With our basic supplies and gear strapped to our backs, we left Harune Village behind.
The familiar fields, the scent of the trees, the cluster of small houses—I committed it all to memory. Seeing our families, Ciel’s parents, and her younger sisters waving from the village entrance made my chest feel tight.
"Let's give them a real shock when we come back," Ciel said.
"As world-class adventurers from the capital?"
"Exactly. I want to be someone they can truly be proud of."
The profile of her face as she smiled looked a little more grown-up than usual.
And so, we set out on the highway.
We were used to traveling on foot. We had gone on multi-day expeditions for guild requests before, and labyrinth exploration was nothing but walking anyway. We thought the journey to the capital would be easy enough.
We were wrong.
"...It’s so far."
"Really far."
"This has to be three times the distance I imagined."
"I have to agree with you there."
No matter how many miles we covered, there was no sign of the capital. Harune Village was deep in the frontier, after all. It only made sense that the distance to the center of the kingdom would be vast.
We were trudging along, trading complaints to pass the time, when—
"...Yuu."
Ciel suddenly stopped. Her expression turned sharp, and I knew instantly that something was wrong.
"What is it?"
"Ahead. I sense monsters. A lot of them."
I followed her gaze. A single carriage had come to a halt further down the highway. A pack of monsters was swarming toward it, kicking up a massive cloud of dust as they charged.
Standing in their path were two people—a maid and a noble-looking boy.
"This is bad! They're going to get slaughtered!"
"Let's go!"
"Right!"
Without another word, we sprinted toward them. We couldn't just stand by and watch people get killed.
I reached for the sword on my back, prepared to dive into the fray—only to realize my help wasn't needed.
"...Huh?"
I let out a confused sound as we skidded to a halt. It was already over.
The girl in the maid uniform was wielding a massive greatsword that was taller than she was, sweeping through the Grave Hounds with terrifying ease. A single horizontal arc of her blade turned several of the beasts into lifeless heaps.
"What in the world..."
The boy standing behind her was just as shocking.
He looked like a typical high-born noble, from his fine clothes to his perfect posture. He had the air of a sheltered young master who had never seen a day of hardship in his life.
And yet, fireballs were flying from his palm, each one accurately sniped a monster with surgical precision.
His movements were efficient, fast, and undeniably powerful. Before we could even draw our weapons to assist, the entire pack had been annihilated.
"That was incredible..."
The words escaped me. It wasn't even jealousy; I was simply in awe of their skill.
"I guess they didn't need us after all," Ciel murmured, her voice laced with the same admiration.
We stood there with our swords half-drawn as the boy and the maid walked toward each other. The boy placed a hand on the maid’s head, and her face instantly flushed a deep crimson. I felt as though I’d accidentally walked in on something private.
Was the relationship between a master and servant always that... close?
"H-Hawawa..."
Ciel had turned bright red as well, covering her face with her hands, though I could clearly see her peeking through the gaps in her fingers.
As we watched them, the maid’s eyes met mine, and then the noble boy turned to look at us. He was striking, with dark hair and eyes and a face so handsome it was impossible to forget.
Smiling, he began to walk toward us, the maid following close behind.
"Did you come to help us?"
His voice was surprisingly casual and friendly.
I’d always assumed nobles were arrogant people who looked down on everyone, so his approachable demeanor caught me completely off guard.
"Uh, ah... well..."
"We were planning to help, but..."
We could barely stutter out a response.
Rather than being offended by our awkwardness, the boy simply chuckled.
"The thought is enough. Thank you."
There was no condescension in his voice, no hint of superiority.
He turned back to the carriage and checked on the driver, asking if he was alright. The coachman replied, "I'm fine, young master," with a tone that was remarkably fond, almost like an uncle speaking to a nephew.
After a brief conversation with his staff, the boy looked back at us.
"You're headed for the capital as well, aren't you? If you like, why don't you join us?"
At the words spoken with that refreshing smile, Ciel and I could only stand there in a daze.