Routine had a way of making time fly by, and a month passed fairly quickly as Leon settled into his new position as an instructor. Students came and went, some decided they had grown strong enough and others failed to return from missions. The former ones were hardly a surprise, many bronze-tier adventurers were perfectly content taking on easy and safe missions so long as they continued to pay well. Those ones tended to take his lessons as a precaution. He tried not to dwell on the latter ones too much.

  The students who consistently trained with him were fewer in number and were those who actually wanted to advance into the silver tier. Mainly, that was only Rayne and Syra, along with Lili and her group. It was almost disheartening to see that so few adventurers wished to advance up the ranks, that they could settle for mediocrity. He tried not to hold it against them, however. The nature of adventurers meant there would always be less near the top. Competition for better monster kills for the mana just became harder as one advanced.

  “I hear that Whitebanner’s team has taken an interest in that Rayne kid. With a proper silver-tier mentoring him, the kid’s got a bright future.”

  Leon tuned out the conversation of a nearby table as he enjoyed his lunch. As much as things had changed in the Guild, it was still irritating how well Rayne’s reputation had grown.

  It seemed like everyday there was a new rumor about the man, a new story about his grand conquest of another mission. Their team was by far the most proficient and known bronze-tier team in the Torid Guild, but by hearing what the other adventurers talked about, one would assume Rayne was clearing the missions alone. It was always, ‘Oh, did ya hear what plan Rayne came up with?’ Or ‘I tell ya, Rayne’s got a bright future in him.’

  Never mind the fact that Leon and Syra had to be the ones who actually executed the plan most of the time. Rayne had grown considerably, but he was still the weakest member of their trio by far. Granted, he had managed to develop the Fortify Armament skill and teach them, and he was generally the strategist of the group. But that did not mean he deserved all the credit!

  Leon was brought out of his ruminations by the Guild doors slamming open and a well-dressed man frantically looking around. Normally, this would not be cause for general concern, messengers barged into the Guild regularly. This one, however, was different. This one was wearing a tabard with a noble’s insignia.

  Most of the Guild quieted, and those who did not were quickly shushed. Everyone had their attention on the messenger as he briskly walked over to the clerks. Noble contracts were worth their weight in gold, often literally. It also allowed an adventuring party to form a connection with a noble and was a major boon in terms of reputation.

  Needless to say, everyone in the guild would want that contract. The second the messenger had handed off the note and left the guildhall, there was a mass scraping of chairs as adventurers all ran to the clerks, including Leon. They were all stopped in their tracks by the banging of two pans together from one of the older clerks standing on a table.

  “The commissioner already had a team in mind, the lot of you can all sit down,” she yelled.

  This was met with a predictable amount of grumbling as the adventurers all returned to their tables.

  Returning to his table, he found it occupied by his teammates. He also found it bereft of the other half of the sandwich he had been eating.

  “Who d’ya think got the commission?” Syra asked, brushing off the breadcrumbs around her mouth.

  Leon sighed and sat down. “Probably a silver team. Not like a noble would need to be so conscientious of their coin.” It was a shame, he would have liked to have built a connection with another noble.

  Rayne shrugged. “Probably for the best anyway. I wouldn’t want to work for a noble.”

  Leon and Syra stared at the man. It was hard to believe Rayne of all people would be willing to pass up on such a rewarding mission. Their attention was quickly pulled from Rayne as Mavis awkwardly approached their table.

  The entire guild watched as she tapped Rayne on the shoulder and handed a very fancy looking envelope to the confused man. Then she returned to the desk, leaving a very bewildered Rayne with a letter and the eyes of every adventurer glued onto him.

  Rayne seemed frozen in place, eyes stuck between glancing at the envelope before jumping to Leon and Syra and back again. After a couple seconds of this, someone evidently got bored.

  “Well? Open it!” The random adventurer’s yell was echoed by others until the guild was chanting for Rayne to open the letter.

  Rayne slowly shook himself out of whatever stupor he had found himself in and reluctantly opened the letter. He read it quietly until another adventurer shouted for him to speak up. Looking up, he looked around at all the eyes on him, his shoulders drooping slightly.

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  Firming his eyes, he gave an awkward laugh before speaking aloud. “Can’t be doing that, don’t want one of you getting any ideas.”

  He said it like a joke and did indeed receive a few laughs, but to those who knew Rayne, there was an obvious tightness in his voice. It was something Leon had heard many times, typically when a plan was being suggested that Rayne knew he would object to.

  A different adventurer spoke up, “Ah leave the boy alone. Got enough nerves without us all piling onto them.”

  There were murmurs of agreement as the hall slowly returned to its previous rambunctious volume. Rayne visibly relaxed as attention left him.

  Despite having calmed down, he still seemed unusually tense. Leon had to wonder why his companion was so agitated. Luckily, he was saved from having to ask why his companion had such a look when Syra spoke up.

  “Why so glum, chum?” she asked, voice caught somewhere between concern and diminishing excitement.

  Rayne glanced around at the jubilant crowd, many of them still keenly paying attention, before leaning in to whisper, and Syra and Leon leaned in to hear. “I’m not taking this job.”

  Those five words hung in the air around them, causing Leon the strangest urge to reach across the table and slap his companion.

  Rayne having grown some principles was as interesting a change as it was infuriating. For a brief instant, Leon wondered if the frustration he currently felt had been the same frustration he had inflicted on his teammates over his own principles. Quite clearly, it had been, but perhaps hypocritically, he did not calm. Despite his protestations, he rarely got his way. It was almost vindicating how now he would be able to gang up on Rayne, though he would never admit to such.

  Syra’s voice brought him out of his daze. “What?” she asked incredulously.

  “I don’t like working with nobles,” Rayne explained. Sparing a glance for Leon, he added, “No offense, Leon.”

  Well that was uncalled for, he thought, but outwardly, he said, “You are aware of the possible rewards for such a mission, correct? No offense to yourself, but I would have imagined you would jump at such an opportunity.”

  Syra was furiously nodding alongside his statement.

  Rayne looked away evasively. “I thought you weren’t in it for the money.”

  Leon’s eyes narrowed, but he was stopped from erupting into an argument when Syra’s hand clamped on his shoulder and held him down.

  Her eyes were similarly narrowed as she asked. “Why’re you dodging the question?”

  Rayne brought his eyes back to them. “Look, I just don’t trust them, okay? Drop it.”

  Syra shook her head. “No way, buddy. I’m not dropping a job worth gold just on your word. Tell me what the job is first at least.”

  Seeing she was not going to drop the issue, Rayne relented. “Some baron had a mine overrun and wants it cleared out,” he reported.

  Syra threw her hands in the air theatrically. “That’s all? You’re picking up such a fuss over a mine? You best get over it fast, or I’m swiping it and taking it to another party.”

  As distasteful as her threat may have been, Leon was forced to nod along. The coin was nice, but the real reward of this mission would be the connections he might form with the noble. Friends in high places would be important for when he reasserted the claims to his former titles.

  Rayne was staring at them intently, likely trying to determine if Syra were bluffing or not. “You’d really take it and leave me? I thought we were friends,” he said.

  Syra scoffed. “We are friends. That’s why I’m waiting for a response rather than just taking it,” she explained.

  Rayne sighed. “Don’t you think this is just a bit too good to be true? Leon said it himself, a noble wouldn’t need to save coin hiring a bronze party,” Rayne explained.

  This time, it was Leon who spoke. “Perhaps they are simply being prudent with their finances. Wasting coin on a silver-tier team where a bronze one would suffice is hardly clever bookkeeping.” At Rayne’s dubious stare, Leon continued. “Or perhaps”—he had to grit his teeth to speak his next words—“they have heard tell of your cleverness. An overrun mine could be set up similar to a small dungeon, traps and all.”

  Such brazen flattery was not typically how he liked to coerce people, a fact evidently not lost on Rayne who now wore a somewhat confused expression.

  “I suppose they might have heard that I used to be an Academy student,” he said, an almost skeptical tone to his voice.

  “Well, there ya go. An adventurer who can think is worth a lot more than one that just smashes through everything,” Syra encouraged. Saving a glance for Leon, she said, “No offense, Leon.”

  Rayne laughed quietly as Leon made an indignant gesture. “I’m intelligent,” he protested.

  Syra patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. “Of course you are, sweetie, clever adventurers charge monster strongholds all the time.”

  Rayne’s laughter only grew as Leon grumbled.

  Will they ever let that go? he thought to himself exasperatedly. Looking back towards Rayne, he waited for the man to stop laughing before he brought the conversation back on track.

  “Well, what will you do?” Leon asked.

  Rayne looked down at the letter and back to his companions. Seeing their determination, the man sighed. “Fine, but when it’s revealed this is all one giant tax evasion scheme, don’t come crying to me.”

  Next to him, Syra cheered silently as Leon rolled his eyes. What his companion had against nobles, he did not know, and ultimately, it did not matter.

  Rayne would see how a true noble conducted themselves soon enough. It was time to return to high society, and Leon was excited.