The streets of Velgrath bustled with life, but Shirou barely noticed. He strolled with an unusual lightness in his step, practically bouncing with each stride. A rare smile played on his lips as he glanced at the translucent blue panel hovering near his vision.
[Level: 53]
Not bad, he thought, whistling a cheerful tune. I didn't expect to jump that far in one go.
Just as he rounded a corner, a voice called out to him, sharp and familiar.
"Shirou!"
He turned instinctively and saw Amelia waving at him from across the street. She looked relieved, but strangely... urgent. Next to her stood Elliot—tall, serious-faced as always—and a third man who was clearly not part of their usual company. The stranger's appearance screamed wealth: an immaculate coat stitched with golden thread, polished boots barely touching the dusty ground, and a jewelled ring on every finger.
"Come on! What took you so long?" Amelia shouted, beckoning him across the road.
Shirou squinted. "The hell is she talking about?"
Still, he jogged over, slightly confused but curious.
As soon as he reached the group, Amelia leaned in close and whispered behind her hand, "Hey, just act along, okay?"
"What's happening?" Shirou asked, keeping his voice low.
"I'll tell you later," she replied, her tone rushed.
She straightened up and turned to the man in fine clothing. "See? There he is. I told you he'd show up."
The man, Darwin—judging from the expensive embroidery stitched onto his collar—narrowed his eyes at Shirou. He looked ready to speak, but Amelia cut him off again.
"What?" she said with exaggerated annoyance.
"You want to see his ID too? Seriously? You think I'd just drag some random guy off the street and pretend he's part of my team?"
Darwin's mouth clamped shut. He gave Shirou another wary glance before nodding curtly.
"The name's Darwin. I was sent by Sir Lucas. I'm here to escort you to the mansion."
Without waiting for a response, he turned his attention to Elliot. "If your team is ready, we should get moving."
He motioned for them to follow him as he started walking toward a side alley. Shirou fell into step beside Amelia and Elliot.
Shirou leaned closer to her. "Let me guess—you didn't have enough people for the mission?"
"Yeah… something like that," Amelia admitted, scratching her cheek with a guilty look.
"Something like that?" he echoed. "Where's the other guy? Archie, right?"
"I'll explain on the way," she said, avoiding his gaze.
The alley opened up into a private parking space where a lavish, mana-powered vehicle was stationed. It gleamed under the sunlight, polished to perfection. Gold filigree spiralled along its sides like vines wrapping around the marble. Shirou noted the absence of any horses or beasts to pull it.
"So it runs on a mana stone, huh?" he muttered.
"Of course," Darwin said, almost smug. "Only the finest transport for clients of Sir Lucas."
The man opened the side compartment of the vehicle with a light push. Amelia climbed in first, followed by Elliot, then Shirou. Darwin closed the door behind them and moved to the driver's seat up front. With a subtle hum of mana activating, the vehicle glided forward, smooth as silk.
Shirou raised an eyebrow at Amelia as they settled into their seats. His eyes silently asked the question.
She smiled sheepishly. "Okay, okay. Here's the full story: this guy came to the Guild Organisation with a request. A very well-paying one. I just happened to be at the desk when he showed up."
Shirou nodded slowly, arms crossed.
She continued, "So I told him I'd take it. I contacted both Elliot and Archie, but…"
"But?" Shirou said, leaning forward.
"I couldn't get Archie," she said with an exaggerated shrug.
Shirou blinked. "So you made me your third member so that the mission wouldn't get assigned to someone else?"
"Pretty much," she admitted.
"But I'm not even registered to any team. Won't that be a problem?"
"Only if the organisation finds out," she said dismissively. "Don't worry—we won't mention your name. We'll just say it's Archie. You just have to be quiet and look like you belong."
Shirou stared at her. "The hell kind of logic is that?"
Amelia grinned. "Relax. You won't even have to do anything. This is a D-class mission. Elliot over there could do it with one hand tied behind his back."
Shirou turned to look at Elliot, who met his gaze and gave a polite nod. He looked composed, maybe even slightly bored.
"He is at the late adept stage," Amelia added with a touch of pride. "He could mop the floor with these guys."
Shirou glanced at Elliot "Late adept ..huh".
"And what about you?" Shirou asked.
"I'm hovering between late apprentice and early adept," she replied.
Shirou gave her a look. "So let me get this straight. You—who aren't even officially adept yet—took the mission, brought me along without authorisation, and forged the party roster just to get the reward money?"
"Hey," she said, holding up a finger. "It's not forging. It's... creatively organising."
He shook his head in disbelief. "You're gonna get us all arrested."
She waved him off. "Come on, it's not like we're robbing a noble or anything ."
"Still sounds like fraud to me," Shirou muttered.
"Technically," Elliot said, chiming in, "it's only fraud if the Guild checks our identity logs. But they rarely do for D-ranks."
Shirou glanced at him, then at Amelia. "How are missions ranked anyway?"
Elliot replied without hesitation. "Based on team strength. A-rank missions are meant for Sage-level combatants. B-rank for Ascendant level. C-rank for Adepts. And D-rank is for Apprentice-level threats."
Shirou listened carefully as he processed the information.
"The system checks the average level of the team," Elliot continued. "Then you're allowed to take on missions one tier below your average."
"And where's Archie supposed to be?" Shirou asked.
"Early Adept," Amelia said. "So with Elliot at late Adept and me on the verge, our average should've been solid."
Shirou nodded. "Makes sense."
Amelia turned to him with a curious expression. "What about you? What's your level?"
Shirou smirked. "Nothing special. I am just at the early adept level."
Her eyes widened. "Wait… seriously? You're ahead of me. That can't be right?"
He leaned back in his seat with a smug grin. "Some of us are just born talented, I guess."
She scowled. "Still lower than Elliot though."
"True. But as long as I'm above you, that's all that matters."
Their bickering escalated into full-blown roasting. Shirou teased her about taking random missions. She jabbed back about his oversized ego and poor fashion sense.
Through it all, Elliot sat quietly, eyes on the passing scenery through the crystal-panelled window. Eventually, he sighed and shook his head.
"The hell did I get myself into?" he muttered.