Morning sunlight poured down on the city of Celiant. After paying 0.08 Gren for lodging, Valkus had 2.92 Gren remaining. Staring at those numbers, he left the inn. The central plaza was already bustling with activity. The voices of merchants preparing their stalls, the scent of vegetables and fruits being unloaded. An ordinary morning. Yet for Valkus, it was the dawn of a new life. The Adventurer's Guild branch—marked by a beacon—stood as a modest building on the north side of the plaza. An old wooden sign hung above the entrance. From inside, he could hear active voices. When he opened the door, a woman with reddish-brown hair was organizing something behind the counter. Mid-thirties, wearing a white shirt and brown vest. Despite her worn expression, there was something warm about her. Her nameplate read "Helda Mizett." She looked up as Valkus entered. "Welcome. Are you here for adventurer registration?" Her voice was gentle, a natural smile on her face. "Yes." "I see. Here's the registration fee list up to Silver rank. Bronze rank is 0.5 Gren. Iron rank is 1 Gren. Silver rank is..." Helda explained while spreading out documents. Meanwhile, Valkus glanced at his purse. (0.5 Gren. My total is 2.92 Gren. Considering living expenses... this is tight.) He calculated mentally. Food, lodging, travel. To survive in this city, he needed at least 1 Gren minimum. "0.5 Gren... I see." Helda's eyes lifted slightly. In that moment, she caught sight of Valkus counting old silver coins from his purse. She understood immediately. "Ah... is that a bit difficult?" Valkus said nothing, his hand holding the coins freezing. "No, it's fine. I'll manage somehow..." But Helda tilted her head. Her eyes held not mere sympathy, but understanding. "No, I can tell from how you look. You came from some organization, didn't you?" Valkus caught his breath. "The Holy Kingdom, right? The Silver Flame Knights?" A brief silence. Her words had hit the mark perfectly. "...I was expelled." Helda nodded with an "Ah." Her attitude wasn't accusatory—it was sympathetic. "The Holy Kingdom's pretty harsh. Whatever the reason, being expelled must be rough." Those words eased something in Valkus's chest. He hadn't expected someone to accept his status as an expelled Silver Flame Knight so easily. "But the problem is, you can't pay the registration fee like this." Helda placed her hand on her chin, thinking. She seemed to be considering something. "So here's what we'll do." She leaned forward. "Before formal registration, you work as an 'apprentice' helping with the Defense Squad's chores. Daily wage of 0.1 Gren. Work for 5 days, you get 0.5 Gren. That covers your registration fee." Valkus was surprised. Such a system existed? "Is that... possible?" "If the Defense Squad agrees to it. The captain's supposed to return today anyway, so I'll ask her." Helda smiled naturally and began putting away her documents. Just then. The branch door burst open forcefully. "Helda! This time's haul—eight ash-maned wolves!" Standing in the doorway was a woman with short, reddish-copper hair. Her body was splattered with blood, her armor bearing several scratches. Yet her amber eyes gleamed with vitality. Twenty-three years old. Beyond her appearance alone, the aura radiating from her presence was clearly different from anyone else's. "Calculate the reward for me." Aursla Vein. Captain of the Celiant Defense Squad. Even without knowing her name, her attitude and atmosphere conveyed that she was no ordinary person. "Aursla, perfect timing." Helda looked up from her calculations. "This person's a former knight, and I want them to help with chores." Aursla's gaze turned toward Valkus. It was an appraising look. "A knight? From where?" "The Silver Flame Knights." Aursla's eyes widened. In that instant, her entire body's consciousness concentrated. Like a beast of prey locking onto its target. "No way!? From that elite unit!?" Aursla stepped closer to Valkus. The distance was nearly an invasion of personal space. "Why are you in a backwater like this?" "...I was expelled." Valkus answered carefully. A faint tension ran down his spine. "Huh, expelled, huh?" Aursla grinned. That smile wasn't malicious—it was the expression of someone who'd found something fun. "So what about your skills? If you're Silver Flame level, I'd love it if you'd be a training partner for the squad." Aursla leaned in. "Oh, you backed away." Aursla pointed out that Valkus had taken a step back. "Maybe you're weak?" There was teasing in those words. But not pure malice—it was a testing intent. "Aursla, that's too sudden." Helda chided her with a wry smile. "Ah, sorry. Habit." Aursla crossed her arms. Her attitude was as if she'd made a decision about something. "Well, fine. If Helda's asking, I'll have you help. But you're training with me too. I need to see what a former knight can do." Valkus nodded. "...Understood." "Then it's settled." Helda began taking notes. "Starting today, five days of Defense Squad chores. Daily wage of 0.1 Gren. Formal adventurer registration after five days." Aursla looked up. "Nice to meet you, Valkus. I'm direct, so I won't hold back, but I'll be disappointed if you're weak." Saying that, Aursla laughed. That smile carried not threat, but expectation. "...I'll do my best." Valkus replied. Internally thinking: (This person... is closer than I expected.) "Aursla, do something about that blood-soaked armor." When Helda spoke with an exasperated tone, Aursla looked down at herself. "Oh, right." Aursla laughed. The contrast between her innocent smile and blood-stained armor was strangely comical. And so Valkus's new life began in an unexpected way. An expelled knight meeting a hot-blooded captain and an easygoing branch manager in a small frontier town. Nothing had truly started yet. But he felt something beginning to move from this point. Valkus stepped further into the branch, feeling that sensation. Morning sunlight streaming through the window illuminated his back.