The kingdom of Solaria

The Kingdom of Solaria was now in view. Zereth, Aeltheris, and Missanya stood on a nearby hill, observing the kingdom from afar.

"Surrounded by walls... pretty much your average isekai kingdom," Zereth thought.

Unlike before, his vision now extended several meters. In the distance, he spotted guards patrolling near the gates.

"Alright, you two, let's get going," he said, not waiting for a response before moving forward.

Missanya looked around nervously, holding onto Aeltheris like a child clinging to their mother. Zereth mused, It must be her shyness... or maybe nervousness.

"What... what do we do?" she stammered.

Zereth glanced at her but ignored the question. His mind was preoccupied. We're at the gate now. I need to think of a way to get in.

The guards stood at attention, holding spears. "Just keep a cool head and pass through," Zereth told himself.

He knew some beastkin were considered taboo—kill on sight, even—but he had no way of knowing if Missanya fell into that category anymore . He glanced at her. Will she be okay?

"Halt!"

One of the guards pointed his spear near the entrance, blocking their path.

"May I see your identification cards?" the other guard asked.

Zereth's eyes darted between the two guards. One points the spear, and the other asks questions? What are they, idiots?

"Ho ho! I don't need an indefatigable card. You see, I'm pretty famous around the area, so you can just let me through," Aeltheris said confidently.

Zereth sighed, glancing at her. Speaking of idiots, here's another one. If I were them, I'd think of her as some sort of legend.

"Who are you again?" the guard replied, frowning. "Indefatigable ? Why don't you go back and learn to read?"

Aeltheris's confidence visibly dropped. Talk about catching a stray, Zereth thought, shaking his head. He stepped forward to intervene, noticing Missanya was frozen in place, unsure of what to do. Meanwhile, Aeltheris was being... well, Aeltheris,"*what's this the guard blocking the entrance is scared did he see my horn? Either way this is an opportunity*

"We're new here, and we don't have ID cards," Zereth said to the trembling guard.

"So... so you guys are new here?" the guard stuttered, attempting to hide his fear. "Are... you... by any chance mercenaries?"

Zereth hesitated. If I say yes without knowing what that means, I might get into trouble. He shook his head. "No, we're not mercenaries. We come from a secluded village, so this is our first time here."

The guard locked eyes with Zereth. Did he buy it?

"Fine," the guard finally said, returning to his post. "You can let them through."

"Thank you," Zereth said, walking past him.

"Listen," the guard added, "go straight to the guild and register. If the royal army inspects you, it might take a while before you're released."

"Thank you again," Zereth replied, bowing slightly. He glanced at Missanya.

"What about her?"

The guard inspected Missanya briefly before laughing. "I've never seen a beastkin like her before! Ha ha! I don't think there's a problem."

"I see," Zereth said, leaving with his companions.

Aeltheris pretty much looked human, and Zereth had resized his horns so they were now hidden under his hair.

As they entered the kingdom, they were greeted by an impressive sight: mages practicing their arts, the sound of children playing, and bustling market stalls where merchants sold all sorts of goods.

I'm finally in an isekai, Zereth thought. These are things you only see in fantasy.

All he could think was, If I had started here, I would've already met a girl or two to join my harem. He shook his head. Focus. I need to find the guild.

After asking several merchants for directions and being ignored, he heard a voice behind him.

"Hey there, are you lost?"

Zereth turned to see who was calling him. He was met by a bright, shining light. As bright as the sun, he mused.

Aeltheris burst into laughter.

"I know I'm bald, but being called as bright as the sun is a first," the man said, waving his hands dismissively.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were human. I thought you were a reflection," Zereth replied, embarrassed.

The man sighed. "You're not making it any better."

"Anyway, yes, we're lost," Zereth admitted. "We're new here and looking for the guild."

The man chuckled at Zereth's awkwardness. "The guild, huh? I can take you there if you don't mind."

"That would be really helpful," Zereth said, glancing at his companions. Aeltheris stood next to him, while Missanya gawked at everything around her.

"My name is Zereth," he introduced himself.

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Stains," the man replied.

As they walked, Zereth thought, I never held conversations like this as Kyouya. Even now, I don't know what to say to this guy.

"You seem like someone who's new to this kind of place. Did you grow up in the villages?" Stains asked.

Zereth rubbed his cheek. "I guess I can't hide that, huh? Yeah, I grew up in the villages. I know next to nothing about this kingdom."

Stains nodded. "For starters, the name of this kingdom is Solaria."

As they walked deeper into the kingdom, Zereth noticed how the roads were paved, almost resembling his previous world. In the distance, near the castle, he spotted more luxurious houses. That area is much more developed than where we are now, he thought, thankful for his enhanced vision.

"Our first king, Solandros, was crowned in his late seventies," Stains continued. "He was an otherworlder."

"An otherworlder?" Zereth asked, intrigued.

Stains's smile disappeared. "I'm not proud of it, but our kingdom used to practice summoning circles to bring otherworlders here to do our bidding."

Zereth nodded. Summoning otherworlders... that's definitely something to note.

"It's not your fault," Zereth replied. "If anything, you should be proud of the sacrifices those people made. Without them, this kingdom might not exist today."

Stains chuckled softly but didn't reply.

Eventually, he pointed to a building in the distance. "There are two guilds here: the adventurers' guild and the merchants' guild."

Stains said his goodbyes, leaving Zereth with a positive impression. He's a good guy. I don't know many people who would go out of their way to help strangers like that.

The three entered the guild, and all eyes immediately turned to them. To be precise, most of the attention was on Missanya. Zereth noticed Aeltheris was also drawing her fair share of stares.

"Not even a single person is interested in me," Zereth muttered. "Aren't I the one who got isekaied here?"

A chuckle brought his attention to the guild receptionist. Her pale skin and blue eyes complemented her blue hair, and Zereth found himself mesmerized.

"You have it quite rough," she said gently.

Her voice is like that of a goddess, Zereth thought. Marry me.

"Are you here for a guild mission?" she asked.

Shaking off his shyness, Zereth replied, "We're here to register."

"I see," she said, taking out some papers. "Here you go," she added with a smile.

I'm in heaven, Zereth thought.

The woman gave them an order. "Follow me."

Zereth already knew they were being taken to assess their power.

"So, you wimps all want to join my guild?"

A voice echoed across the room. Zereth took a look around, noticing others, but what really caught his attention was the shirtless man standing in front. A real weirdo, he thought.

"Pipsqueak, did you not hear me?"

Zereth looked around to see who was getting all the smoke.

"What are you looking at?"

The man raised his brows and pointed at Zereth.

"Me?" Zereth asked.

"Did you just talk back to me?"

Realizing this pervert had some kind of commander complex, Zereth decided to play along. He stood at attention and gave a mock salute.

"No, sir!"

Aeltheris covered her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter. She's just rubbing it in, Zereth thought bitterly.

The guild master, clearly enjoying the attention, held up five orbs. "Listen up! These five orbs will evaluate your strength. If the first one glows, it means your rank is E."

So they're using the E-to-S ranking system, Zereth thought.

"And the same applies to the other orbs. Now then, get in place and await your turn!" the guild master commanded, flexing his muscles for no apparent reason.

What a weirdo pervert, Zereth thought as he went to sit down.

Scanning the room, Zereth observed the other participants. His gaze shifted to Missanya, who seemed more confident now, no longer hiding. She's growing, he thought with a small sense of pride.

The first participant stepped forward, laughing.

"Ha! Watch me, all you losers!"

Instead of starting with the E rank, the kid confidently stood before the B rank orb.

Isn't he supposed to go to the first orb? Must be a noble's kid, Zereth thought.

The B-rank orb glowed brightly, earning gasps from the crowd.

One by one, the others took their turns, but no one managed to make it to A rank.

"Is this it? All you sissies are a disappointment!" the guild master barked, flexing his muscles again.

Yack, Zereth thought, grimacing.

Missanya stood up and approached the orbs. She tested the E rank—nothing. The same happened with the other orbs. Even the B rank didn't light up.

"Haha! I'm the strongest here!" the noble kid taunted. "She's just a filthy beastkin! She doesn't even have energy equal to E rank!"

What an arrogant brat. Zereth clicked his tongue. I've never been one to favor nobles, even in novels.

But then Missanya stepped in front of the A-rank orb. Suddenly, it glowed brightly, filling the entire room with light. Everyone was stunned, their jaws practically hitting the floor.

"She cheated!" the noble kid cried, but nobody paid him any attention.

Next, Aeltheris confidently stepped forward. Zereth expected the S-rank orb to glow for her, but only the A orb lit up.

An error? he thought smugly. Either way, serves her right.

"I am a mighty being!" Aeltheris protested. "Let me try again—there must be a mistake!"

Walking past her, Zereth stuck out his tongue. "Time to show you how it's done," he said.

He stood before the E-rank orb, and a huge golden light radiated from it.

"A golden light?" the guild master said, squinting at Zereth. "He must be a golden weakling—rare, but still weak."

"'Time to show you how it's done,' huh?" Aeltheris cackled, doubling over in laughter.

"Come and get your cards, you damned sissies!" the guild master barked.