My name is Mikel.
While I can fight well enough to defend myself in a pinch, I have absolutely no desire to go anywhere magic beasts or monsters roam. It’s simply too dangerous.
And yet, Alfred was planning to head straight into such a place. Alfred is undeniably strong, so he would likely be fine, but the idea of letting him go alone was out of the question. It just wouldn't be right.
"Mother! Lord O'Brien! Please, lend us some guards!" I called out.
"Don't panic," Alfred said, his voice calm. "I’m not heading out immediately. Preparations will take a few days."
His words settled my nerves, if only slightly.
"First, we go to the Adventurer Guild," he continued.
"Why there?" I asked.
"It will be a hassle later if I don't complete my adventurer registration."
Alfred explained that the Adventurer Guild acts as an intermediary for all sorts of legal headaches: mining rights, rewards for discovering dungeons, exploration permits for established sites, and ownership rights for new discoveries. To get the guild's protection and mediation, registration was mandatory.
I had never heard of half those things, but I followed him anyway. However, the moment we stepped inside the guild, we were accosted by a group of thugs.
"Hey, hey, kids. This place ain't for the likes of—"
That was about as far as the first man got. Alfred punched him with such force that he went flying into the far wall.
"You bastard!" a second, braver man shouted.
That was his final contribution to the conversation before Alfred launched him into the ceiling. A third man tried to move, but Alfred slammed him onto a nearby table before he could utter a sound.
It was... powerful. But perhaps a bit excessive? I couldn't help but think we might have listened to what they had to say for a moment longer.
Was this some kind of ritual? By demonstrating his strength, did he intend to change how the guild staff treated us? Sure enough, the registration process began immediately. Alfred told me that without such a "ritual," the staff would think nothing of making you wait half a day—or in the worst-case scenario, refuse to register you at all unless you provided a bribe.
He seemed incredibly well-informed. I wondered if he had been treated that way before, but he simply said an adventurer acquaintance had coached him.
In the natural flow of the paperwork, I found myself being registered right alongside him.
"You are my guide, are you not?" Alfred asked simply.
Well, if I was going, I was definitely going to ask for some powerful guards.
Alfred moved with practiced efficiency. He began purchasing and organizing everything we would need: water, food, cooking utensils, sleeping bags, blankets, and lights. I suggested that my mother, Fouche, would have been happy to prepare these things for him.
"Lady Fouche is busy," Alfred replied. "I simply do for myself what I am capable of doing."
I found it hard to believe he was younger than me; he was so remarkably composed. I felt like I needed to step up my own game.
While we were shopping, we were ambushed by a group that seemed to be comrades of the thugs Alfred had leveled at the guild. Alfred beat them all down without breaking a sweat. Then, dragging the man who appeared to be the leader, he raided the group’s actual hideout.
He crushed them utterly. Even when they begged him to stop, he refused to let up. He explained that if he left them with any fight left in them, they would inevitably seek revenge.
"It would be less trouble to simply kill them," he mused, "but I don't care for that approach."
Instead, he decided to instill an unerasable fear in them to ensure they would never dare come near him again. I could understand the logic, even if the execution was chilling.
Next, he targeted the organization that had been employing the thugs—apparently a large commercial company. It turned out the company used the gang to harass its business rivals. That explained the abundance of high-end luxury goods piled up in a common thug hideout.
I suggested we contact the city guards, as the company was likely involved in all sorts of illegal activities. Soon after, the head of that large company was replaced. The public announcement claimed the previous leader had retired due to a sudden decline in health.
Alfred’s handiwork was frighteningly clean.
"Hmm? My younger sister says I’m clumsy?" Alfred muttered to himself at one point.
Clumsy? If this was clumsy, I couldn't even begin to imagine what his sister was like. The thought was terrifying.
With preparations finally complete, we prepared to depart for the monster-infested wilds. Alfred was our leader, and I was the luggage carrier. Our escorts were... the Three Princes?
"Princes? What on earth are you doing?" I cried out.
Did they honestly think those disguises would work? And where were their actual guards? They had sent them away?
I stared at them in disbelief. Do these fools want to die?! This is a life-or-death expedition!
"Alfred, don't stop me!" I shouted. "These idiots need to be knocked some sense into!"
Alfred shook his head, telling me I shouldn't punch them. Fine then! Instead, I brought my fist down on each of their heads with a sharp thud.
There they were, the three of them: Prince Istre of the Asamud Royal Family, Prince Nilk of the Seibool Royal Family, and Prince Monren of the Dargrin Royal Family. Istre and Nilk were a year or two older than Alfred, while Monren was roughly his age or perhaps a year younger.
These three had previously clashed with Alfred, only to be thoroughly humbled by my mother and Lord O'Brien. Since then, they had been acting as Alfred’s proxies, handling various administrative tasks. They were supposed to be busy, so seeing them here made no sense. Furthermore, I knew their personal guards would never allow them to wander into dangerous territory. The fact that their guards were missing meant they had snuck out on their own.
I rapped them on the heads again.
"Mikel, if you hit them in public, their royal authority will suffer," Alfred cautioned.
He pointed toward a nearby shadow, where the guards my mother and Lord O'Brien had assigned to us were hiding, looking deeply apologetic. They hadn't been able to stop the princes, but at least they hadn't actually gone home. That was a relief, especially since I had entrusted them with some of our heavier equipment.
I figured we would just send the princes back and get on with it, but they resisted. They claimed that if they weren't by Alfred’s side, they were too terrified of what he might do next. I could sympathize with that, at least. They also mentioned that the food was much better when Alfred was around.
I could understand that too, but I wasn't going to be swayed. We hadn't even left the city gates yet. I told them to think about the people who would be in trouble if something happened to them. Their personal guards were likely frantic with worry.
Alfred agreed with me, so we decided to rendezvous with the princes' official security detail. The guards were in tears of gratitude when we handed the princes over.
The princes ended up tied with ropes. I felt a little bad, considering I had just been lecturing them on royal dignity, but I wondered if this was really the best way to treat royalty. Alfred mentioned that his sister had been tied up in a similar fashion once. I decided it was best not to think too deeply about his family life.
In any case, there was no way the princes were coming with us. Alfred admitted he had never intended to let them join; their equipment was poorly fitted because of their disguises, making it too dangerous for them to travel.
With the distractions out of the way, we prepared to depart again. I was starting to feel like the only one truly motivated for this trip. Then, yet another problem arose.
"My, what a coincidence."
"It must be fate."
"Would you mind if we joined you?"
Three women stood before us. I recognized them—they were daughters of noble houses in the Reiwight Kingdom. They weren't from the highest-ranking families, but they were prominent enough to attend royal galas. Now, they were dressed as adventurers, clearly waiting for Alfred.
I was about to turn them away, but Alfred paused to evaluate them. He noted that their equipment was well-fitted and showed signs of heavy use, and their packs were packed with professional precision. He concluded that they actually had experience as adventurers.
"Indeed," one of them said. "We've been called upon to clear magic beasts and monsters from our family lands many times."
"We have a fair amount of confidence in our skills," another added.
They certainly seemed more capable than the princes, but Alfred still refused. His reason? We didn't have any female guards.
I wasn't sure what he meant until one of our escorts whispered an explanation. In the wilderness, the party has to stay together for safety. That includes sleeping arrangements and using the outhouse. It would be highly inappropriate and problematic for noble daughters to be surrounded only by men during such private moments.
"It is a great shame we cannot travel together," Alfred told them. "Let us hope for another opportunity."
His polite rejection only seemed to embolden them. I could see the gears turning—they were already planning to hire female adventurers so they could join us next time.
At this rate, it felt like we were never going to actually leave the city.