Forgiving Who You Are

I let the heavy history of this world settle in the room for a moment before I spoke again, my tone shifting back to the practical.

"I know we've only known each other for less than a day," I started, looking her directly in the eye. "But I need your help. You've shown me a potential career path. Now I need the training manual. Will you teach me? I need to know how this kingdom's economy works how investors and companies operate and what the actual process is to become an adventurer."

Kerina was silent, considering my request. Her sharp eyes searched my face, her mind clearly weighing the pros and cons.

He's a complete mystery, but he hasn't done anything to harm us. He's cynical and harsh, but he doesn't seem malicious. And that angel... I saw it with my own eyes, a divine being whispering to him, blessing him. She thought. 

A new, strategic thought cut through her confusion. He is connected to powerful entitiesl. Helping him, guiding him... this is an opportunity. I can understand what he is, and gaining a connection to someone like him could be an invaluable advantage for the future.

Her expression shifted from thoughtful to decisive. She gave a sharp, definitive nod.

"Alright, Hayato. I'll do it. I will be your guide. I'll answer your questions and teach you what you need to know to survive. But you'll listen, and you'll do exactly as I say. Understood?"

I gave her a firm nod. "Understood."

***

The Adventurer's Guild hall was a chaotic roar of noise and activity. But today, it was even more crowded than usual.

A large mob of adventurers was gathered in the center of the hall, buzzing with excitement.

"What is all this commotion?" Kerina muttered, pushing her way through the throng with the ease of someone used to commanding respect. I followed silently in her wake.

As she reached the front, the crowd parted for her. And we saw him.

Reyn, the adventurer from the alley, was sitting triumphantly on the chest of a defeated figure lying on the floor. The figure's face was unmistakably mine. Reyn looked bruised and battered, but he had a wide, proud grin on his face.

"It's over, everyone!" he announced to the cheering crowd. "The Unseen Thief who has been plaguing our city is finally caught! I took him down myself!"

The cheers died as people noticed us. Kerina froze, her eyes darting from the body on the floor to the identical, unharmed man standing right behind her. I just blinked.

Reyn's grin faltered as he saw me. He pointed a shaking finger. "Wait... you!" he stammered, his face draining of color. "I... I killed you! How are you standing there?! You're..." In his confusion, he looked down and slapped the chest of the body he was sitting on.

I tilted my head slightly. "What kill?"

As I spoke, the figure on the floor was changed into training dummy, crudely stitched together and stuffed with straw.

The adventurers who had been cheering fell into a stunned silence, which was quickly broken by a few snickers. Reyn, the great hero, was sitting on a scarecrow.

The snickering from the crowd turned to outright laughter. Reyn's face flushed with a deep, furious red. He scrambled off the straw dummy and got to his feet, his sword raised and trembling with rage as he pointed it at me.

"You'll pay for making a fool of me!" he roared.

Before he could take a step, Kerina moved. She stepped between us, placing herself in his path. She didn't draw her sword, but her hand rested firmly on the hilt at her hip, a clear and dangerous warning.

"Reyn," she said, her voice cold as ice. "Do not move."

He froze, his rage warring with her undeniable authority. A wild, frustrated grin stretched across his face. "What's this, Kerina? Are you siding with him? Why are you protecting the Unseen Thief?"

Kerina didn't take her eyes off him. Keeping her gaze locked on Reyn, she spoke over her shoulder to me. "Hayato. Answer the question. Are you the thief?"

"No," I said, my voice clear and steady in the now-silent guild hall. "It's my first day in this kingdom. I don't know anything about a thief. That man just accused me on the street without a shred of proof."

Reyn scoffed, gesturing wildly with his free hand. "No proof? He vanishes into thin air! That's the Unseen Thief's exact method! He's faster than any B-Rank Assassin and strong enough to knock me off my feet! Does that sound like a simple traveler to you, Kerina?"

Kerina listened to his outburst, her expression unreadable. When he was finished, her gaze hardened.

"Reyn, stand down," she said, her voice cutting through the hall with absolute authority. "You cornered a man in an alley based on one observation. You have no stolen goods, no witnesses, and no formal complaint. All you have is a strange story."

She then turned her head slightly, addressing the watching crowd. "This man, Hayato, is traveling with me. He is under my sponsorship. His identity has been verified."

Finally, she looked back at Reyn, her hand still resting on her sword. "If you have an official accusation to make, take it to the Guild Master. Otherwise, this is over. Sheathe your sword."

Reyn's face was a mask of fury, but he was beaten. To defy a direct order from a fellow Rank-A in public was unthinkable. With a final, hate-filled glare at me, he slammed his sword back into its sheath with a loud, angry clang and stormed away, pushing through the dispersing crowd.

Kerina watched him go, then turned to me, her eyes narrowed. "Now," she said in a low, dangerous voice. "You and I are going to have a very long talk about what really happened in that alley."

I met her hard stare with a calm, logical one of my own.

"Let's be rational, if I were an 'unseen thief,' wouldn't your coin purse have vanished in the carriage? We were sitting in a small, enclosed space for hours. It would have been the perfect opportunity."

Her eyes flickered for a moment. My point was undeniable, and she knew it. She let out a long, frustrated sigh, the tension in her shoulders slumping slightly.

"You have a point, this is too complicated for the middle of the guild hall." She shook her head, her decision made. "Let's go."

"Where?" I asked.

"To the Guild Master's office," she replied, turning and striding towards a large, imposing door at the back of the hall. "We'll have our talk there. With him."

I gave a short nod and followed Kerina as she strode purposefully away from the dispersing crowd.

The murmurs of the guild members faded behind us as we approached the large, imposing oak door at the back of the hall.

She knocked once, before pushing the door open and walking inside without waiting for a reply. I followed her in.

The room was the office. Maps covered one wall, shelves of scrolls and ledgers lined another, and a rack of well-maintained weapons stood in the corner. Behind a massive wooden desk sat an older man. He looked up from a report as we entered.

"Kerina...?"

"Master Valerius," Kerina said with a respectful nod. "Apologies for the intrusion. We have a... complicated situation." She gestured to me.

"This is Hayato. An undocumented traveler I have just taken under my sponsorship. There was an incident with Reyn in the street. This man possesses an unregistered and unidentifiable ability. I need your judgment on the matter."

The Guild Master, Valerius, placed the report he was reading face-down on his desk, giving the situation his full and undivided attention. He looked from Kerina's serious face to my own neutral one, his experienced eyes taking in every detail.

He didn't speak to Kerina. Instead, he addressed me directly, his calm, baritone voice filling the room with an unshakeable authority.

"Step forward," he said. It wasn't a request.

I did as he commanded, moving to stand in the center of the room before his desk.

"Tell me your version of what happened, i heard at outside seem... there's a fight."

"My name is Hayato," I began, my voice steady. "I am a new arrival to this city. Reyn witnessed me... appear... in the street. He immediately accused me of being a known criminal called the 'Unseen Thief.' When I denied the accusation and attempted to leave, he drew his sword. I was forced to defend myself, and then I fled. The scene in the main hall was the conclusion of his pursuit."

I presented the facts without emotion, a simple, chronological report of the events. Valerius listened, his expression unchanging, absorbing every word.

To Be Continued.