Carmilla said, "We'll need a place to stay in the city."
"Can you suggest a place to stay?"
"The Silver Griffin is in the merchant district. They have clean rooms, good food, and don't ask too many questions about adventurers."
"Alright, thanks. How much do we owe you for the carriage and your service to lead us here?" Carmilla asked right away.
The driver told Carmilla how much he would charge for his services, and she paid without arguing.
As soon as they got out of the carriage, a young man in blue robes came up to them. He looked like he was in his early twenties and had ink-stained fingers and a lot of nervous energy.
"Greetings..."
He asked, looking at a piece of parchment, "A-Are you Rick Rolland?"
"Yes. Who's asking?"
"My name is not important. The Grand Magister is waiting for you... so please come with me."
Rick, Carmilla, and Natasha exchanged glances with one another. "All three of us?"
"The summons named you specifically, but you can bring your allies with you."
"Now... please come this way."
They followed the anxious assistant around the academy grounds. As they walked by, students and professors stopped to stare at them, who were looking kind of striking.
They were clearly interested in seeing armed adventurers being led through the academy. Rick felt very out of place among all the scholarly robes and strange tools.
"Those stares... and I fucking bet one of them is staring at my soon-to-be wife's boobies..."
...
The main tower loomed ahead. It was made of white stone and had windows that looked like they were filled with magical energy. They went in through doors with protective runes on them and started to climb a spiral staircase that seemed to go on forever.
Their guide said, "The Grand Magister's office is at the top," between breaths.
"Two hundred forty-seven steps." He thinks that the climb keeps people from coming for no reason.
"It's working," Rick said under his breath, his legs burning after the hundredth step.
He felt Carmilla's amusement at his discomfort and Natasha's slight disdain for the impractical design through the Spirit Bond. At least he wasn't the only one in pain.
They finally made it to the top. The assistant knocked on a fancy door, and a deep voice said, "Come in."
The office beyond was round, and the windows gave a full view of the whole capital. The walls were covered in bookshelves that held magical objects and old books. A man who could only be the Grand Magister stood behind a massive desk in the center of the room.
He was tall and scary, probably in his late fifties, with silver hair and a well-groomed beard. His robes were dark blue with silver embroidery, and his sharp gray eyes seemed to see right through them.
He gave off power, but not in the warm way that Liora's holy magic did. Instead, it was cold and calculated, which made Rick's Basic Combat Awareness skill go crazy with warnings.
"You must be... Rick... Rick Rolland," the Grand Magister said, his voice full of power.
"Yes. That's me. The one and only Rick Roll-and!" Rick said it while pointing to himself with his thumb.
"It's good to see you with my own eyes. I'm known as the Magister Fredrich Thornfield, the head of the Royal Academy and the crown's main magical advisor."
"Thanks for coming to my call so quickly."
He pointed to chairs that seemed to come out of nowhere with a 'puff' sound. "Please, take a seat."
"Your allies can stay too, and I guess I can trust them?"
"Of course you can trust them! Just look at them," Rick said, trying to keep his voice steady. It was hard to breathe with this man around.
Fredrich looked closely at each of them before nodding. "Okay. I'll be honest right away why I wanted to meet you."
"Our scholars found a prophecy in the temple archives three weeks ago."
"The prophecy says that a Hero of Mature Hearts will come when the kingdom is in the most danger."
"This hero has the special ability to connect with powerful, mature women in ways that go beyond normal political and social boundaries."
He took out a scroll and read from it. "When the world breaks apart and darkness rises, one will come with the gift of understanding."
"They will bring together those who are divided by ties of heart and spirit. The Hero of Mature Hearts will bring together the scattered powers and form an alliance against the shadow that is coming."
Fredrich put the scroll down and stared at Rick with a lot of intensity. "Your profession, or should I say... job, as listed with the Adventurer's Guild, is that of a Mature Affinity User."
"A job that has never been seen in writing before now. My sources also say that you've made a lot of Spirit Bonds in a very short amount of time and helped High Priestess Liora at the Golden Shrine recently."
Rick's mouth felt dry. "Holy fuck... your sources are so quick that the Flash probably can't beat you to it."
"I have agents all over the kingdom."
"When someone who fits the prophecy's description shows up, I make it my job to learn everything I can about them." Fredrich moved closer. "Rick Rolland, the question is straightforward. Is it you who is meant to be the hero?"
Sebastian was on Rick's shoulder, and everyone could see him. "He is. It might be too much to call him a hero at this point, but let's say he is more like a hero in training."
Sebastian's looks made Fredrich's eyes widen a little. "A spirit of the system that has come to life... now that's very impressive."
"These are things I've only read about in old books."
"You're welcome," Sebastian said in a dry voice. "Now, do you want to talk about the real crisis, or do you want to keep checking what you already know?"
"Sebastian," Rick said in a low voice. "Don't make the most powerful mage in the kingdom mad."
"I'll bother whoever I want."
"He called you here, and he probably can handle who I am."
Fredrich's lips moved in a way that could have been amusing. "Your system spirit has spirit, which is funny."
"Okay, let's talk about the crisis." He waved his hand, and a fake map of the kingdom appeared in the air above his desk. There were red marks in many places.
"Over the last two months, strange magical events have been happening more and more in the realm. There has been a 30% increase in monster activity."
"People have seen ancient animals that were thought to be extinct. The magical barriers that keep our big cities safe have been getting weaker for no clear reason, which is the most worrying thing."
He pointed to a few red spots. "These places have seen the complete collapse of their barriers, where monster attacks have destroyed two villages. A third barely made it through thanks to help from adventurers."
Carmilla leaned in to look at the map. "What is making it weaker?"