Violet was confused.
"Well??? What does it say?"
Negis had stood up with his hands on the table, staring at her intently.
The children were tense like bowstrings.
Even Célene, still stirring the stew, was watching her from the corner of her eye.
"It's a summons… I've been summoned!"
After a brief but heavy silence, the children exploded into chaos.
"Summoned? What does that even mean?"
Piro squinted, trying very hard to understand the mysterious word.
Gal nodded with his eyes closed, confident.
"I told you! She made someone mad and now she has to duel them!"
"Or maybe it's a secret admirer who wants to meet you!"
Lili chimed in immediately with her theory.
Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, Violet had no idea how to respond.
Had she done something wrong without noticing?
"Summoned means she was called, children…"
Célene lifted the boiling pot and placed it on the table, beginning to fill the children's bowls.
"So she has to go to the guild to meet someone?"
"What did you do this time?"
Negis stared at her accusingly.
"What exactly does the letter say?"
Célene raised her voice slightly, gathering everyone's attention.
She was looking at Violet, unable to hide a hint of concern.
"Well… it doesn't actually explain anything… It just says to show up as soon as possible…"
After filling Violet's bowl, Célene continued to look at her with clear worry.
"In that case, I think you shouldn't keep them waiting."
After gulping down her breakfast, Violet hurried to her room to grab her staff and get ready to leave.
When she reached the door, she froze.
"Okay… who took my shoes???"
Negis came running toward her, holding Violet's black boots and offering them with a mischievous grin.
"Sorry…"
Pulling on her boots, Violet quickly straightened her clothes.
"Well then… I'm going!"
Without waiting for a reply, she dashed into the courtyard, followed by the children cheering her on.
Closing the small gate behind her, she marched quickly down the dirt road, crossed the bridge, and headed toward the city center.
She walked back and forth several times, slipping into every alley she came across, until she suddenly stopped.
"…Ah!"
Right in front of her was the guild headquarters.
Good… I made it!
Swallowing hard and taking a deep breath, Violet gathered her courage and walked toward the door, pushing it open.
Inside was the usual loud, chaotic crowd, which Violet ignored as she pushed her way through the hall, heading straight for the counter—
where a familiar figure greeted her in surprise.
"Good morning! Welcome to the Guild of—"
It was Camelia, the receptionist who had registered her the day before. She stared at Violet, taken aback.
"You're… the girl from yesterday… Do you need anything?"
Camelia flashed her usual fake, smug smile.
"Well, I… I received this…"
Violet pulled out the letter and showed it to her. After reading it, Camelia's eyes widened.
"I see… So it's you…"
She didn't hide her irritation. "Please, follow me… This way."
Camelia stepped out from behind the counter and motioned for Violet to follow her.
They passed through a side door into the guild's inner corridors—quiet, private, and empty.
"I…" Violet tried to ask,
"…May I know why I was summoned? Did I do something wrong?"
"Wrong? What do you mean?"
So there's no issue with my registration…
"Well, I… Why was I summoned then?"
Camelia kept walking without even looking back.
"I don't know."
She doesn't know???
"Two women showed up early this morning. Strange types. They flashed high-ranking guild credentials and spoke briefly with our Guildmaster, asking that we deliver a message to you… From how they were dressed, they looked like they came from the Royal Capital. That's all I know."
From the capital? But… why? I don't know anyone there. I don't know any Guildmasters, or important people…
"…Honestly, I thought you would know."
Camelia glanced at her, clearly curious about who this unknown girl could be to stir up attention from such high authorities.
"Well, I… No…"
They walked down the side corridors lined with closed doors, turning the last corner and following the hallway to its end, stopping before a closed door.
Camelia raised her hand and, after a brief hesitation, knocked.
Knock knock.
"…Come in."
The voice from the other side was unmistakably a woman's.
Camelia opened the door and stepped aside, letting Violet enter while she craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever—or whatever—was inside the room.
Violet took a deep breath and stepped forward, noticing Camelia's curious and annoyed expression.
As soon as Violet crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut behind her, making her jump.
"Miss Vandellione!"
From behind her emerged a figure cloaked in a hooded robe, head lowered, moving past her toward a desk positioned against the opposite wall.
Violet stared with wide eyes. The robe was elegant, almost glowing faintly, and from beneath the hood spilled long, glossy black hair, along with a small, slightly pointed nose.
The room was bare except for the desk—and a second chair, on which sat another woman, her legs exposed in full view.
The seated woman looked noticeably shorter, also wearing a robe far too large for her. But something about her hair was off.
Violet could clearly see a lush mane of shining golden-blonde hair and a pair of enormous, bright blue eyes—deep and strangely lively.
Yet above those… there was another pair of eyes in a dull brown, completely clashing with the rest of her appearance.
They were strange, unnatural, as if someone had simply stuck them onto her head.
"Well then, Miss Vandellione, take a seat. Let us not waste any more time."
The hooded woman stepped behind the desk, gesturing toward the chair.
What kind of situation is this supposed to be?
"Come now, dear, have a seat," the woman sitting beside the desk insisted, crossing her legs and somehow making her shapely thighs even more visible.
Violet forced herself to move, reaching the worn-out chair placed before the desk.
"And who are you supposed to be?"
She blinked at the two women, who looked like performers who had accidentally wandered out of a theater play.
"…Are you from the guild?"
The seated girl stared at her intensely, crossing her legs again and making them even more prominent as she began to speak.
"My name is Sig— ahem —Silvine. And my colleague here is Mury— ahem —Marielle."
Silvine's tone was relaxed as she smiled at Violet, staring at her with a depth that felt almost… familiar.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice. I truly appreciate it."
Violet studied her closely, her gaze lingering on the woman's hairline.
"Well then, miss, let's see…" Marielle picked up a few papers on the desk and looked her over.
"Violet hair… violet eyes… just under one-sixty. Yes, that should be her."
Violet blinked, looking back and forth between the two women before forcing herself to speak.
"Why did you summon me? Did I do something wrong?"
The strangely-haired woman leaned forward.
"Alright, Miss Violet, let's get straight to the point…"
Violet turned toward her, meeting that deep, odd stare head-on.
"…We contacted you to entrust you with a mission of the utmost urgency! A mission of vital importance, commissioned personally by the divine Sigillaria!"
Violet's eyes widened.
"…Who?"
Marielle spoke before she could blink. The two women kept taking turns so fast it made her head spin.
"Sigillaria, Goddess of Celestial Bindings! Keeper of the Halls of Time! Sentinel of the Ancestral Seals!"
"…A goddess?"
Is this a joke?
"Yes, Violet, the goddess Sigillaria," Silvine said, folding her hands over her knee and raising her eyebrows at her.
"The goddess Sigillaria?"
"That's correct."
"Ah… never heard of her…"
Marielle stepped in again before Violet could breathe.
"The goddess Sigillaria has requested the guild's assistance in finding an adventurer—someone unquestionably trustworthy—to handle a crucial assignment."
Silvine immediately cut back in, not giving Violet the chance to understand what was happening.
"You see, Violet, a magical artifact of tremendous power was stolen from the goddess's custody…" Her expression grew grave, worried.
"…It's an ancient seal, a relic dating back to the dawn of time. The Seal of the Jar of the Void, the hermetic lid of the vessel containing the eternal void."
The void of what? I'm completely lost…
Violet had had enough. She pointed straight at the woman.
"…Is that a wig?"
The woman froze, then instinctively reached for her hair, adjusting it in a desperate attempt to hide what was far too obvious to Violet.
"Absolutely not! Anyway—back to the mission…"
Violet was now certain this was some kind of awful prank.
"…You must understand that this seal is extremely important. The container it was closing is a very dangerous artifact. It is absolutely essential that the seal be recovered immediately and returned to its rightful place. Otherwise, the consequences could be… catastrophic."
Violet weighed Silvine's words for a moment.
"A seal that closes… a container?"
"Exactly, Miss Vandellione."
"So… a lid???"
Marielle instantly raised her voice, talking over her.
"The mission is simple, Violet. Retrieve the li— the seal, and return it to the Goddess before the end of time is unleashed."
The end… of time???
"What??? Are you kidding me???"
Violet shot up from her chair.
"I don't know anything about this Sigillaria, or divine seals, or magical artifacts! I refuse!!!"
"May I see your guild stone?" Silvine asked calmly, extending her hand as if Violet weren't on the verge of a breakdown.
Without thinking, Violet pulled it from her robe and handed it to her. Silvine examined it carefully.
"Yes… very good!"
BEEP.
"What was that noise???"
Violet darted her eyes between the two women, seconds away from exploding.
"Nothing, nothing! Anyway, dear Mur— ahem, Marielle! Would you be so kind as to prepare the necessary forms?"
Marielle instantly turned toward her colleague and bowed so deeply Violet's jaw nearly hit the floor.
"As you command, divine Sil— vine."
Divine?? These women are insane!
Straightening up, Marielle began rummaging through a messy stack of papers on the desk.
Violet suddenly felt trapped.
"Forms? What forms? What are they for?"
She was right on the edge of snapping.
"Well now, Violet, let's talk about your bonuses…"
Silvine pointed toward the back of the room—where a section of the wall unexpectedly slid open.
From the darkness of the adjoining room, a figure stepped forward.
Short, clad in armor and a horned helmet. A thick beard and short hair the color of red clay.
A dwarf.
"What? And who the heck is this???"
The dwarf took a few steps forward and then simply stood there, completely still, eyes blank and unfocused.
"Allow me to introduce Nainai Thunderbellow—your bonus!"
Violet's mouth fell open in disbelief.
"He's a hero, you know? A Diamond–rank adventurer, and suuuper strong!"
Violet shot glances between the two women, trying to make sense of what was happening.
"A dwarf? This is supposed to be a bonus?"
She walked up to Nainai to look at him more closely. A hard face marked with small scars, a sturdy and muscular build. Eyes completely unfocused.
"And what am I even supposed to do with him???"
"Well, he's… your new partner, Violet," Silvine replied with a satisfied smile.
"Partner? Partner for what?"
Violet stared at the dwarf's vacant face for a second, then stormed toward the desk where Marielle had just finished arranging a stack of large documents.
"I don't want him! He's ugly, and I work alone. And anyway, I never agreed to anything!!!"
Marielle pretended not to hear her and simply placed a quill in Violet's hand as she continued yelling like a madwoman.
"Yesyesyes, sign here… there you go. Perfect!"
Caught up in the chaos, Violet signed the parchment—only to immediately realize the horrible mistake she had just made.
No!
The ink she had used began to glow.
The parchment lifted into the air, igniting in bright blue flames that quickly consumed it. The fire spun itself into a tiny wisp and landed onto Marielle's palm before vanishing.
"The magical seal has been applied, my divine one," Marielle said, bowing deeply to the woman beside her.
"Excellent, Miss Vandellione."
Silvine stood up and approached Violet, returning her guild stone along with a sealed envelope.
"Now that everything is formalized, you should set out immediately! These are your mission details."
Violet stared at the stone and the envelope in her hands, on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Damn it—what have I done?
"Thank you for choosing our guild! May your journey be fun and full of adventure!"
"What??? No! I'm not going on any kind of mission! I—"
SLAM!
The door behind her shut violently, and Violet suddenly found herself outside, standing in a narrow alley behind the guild.