Ascension from Dual Professions

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: A ”Commission

The firelight danced, illuminating Reya’s face, which, though still tear-streaked, she had forced into a state of calm.

She pulled the cloak tighter around herself, mulling over the explanation given by the man sitting on the other side of the fire. He was Jon, a passing Adventurer who had happened upon two bandits about to assault her while she was unconscious. After dealing with them out of a sense of duty, he couldn’t just abandon her in the wilderness, so he had no choice but to bring her to his destination: the Abandoned Mine.

Logically, there were no major holes in his story.

Besides, he hadn’t taken advantage of the situation to do anything to her, so he clearly wasn’t an ill-intentioned person.

The only troubling questions were how she had survived after piercing her own neck, why her clothes were gone, and why he hadn’t mentioned anything about her guards.

But Reya didn’t know the answers to these questions herself, and she certainly couldn’t ask the man before her. She could only keep them bottled up inside for now.

The girl put on the proper mask she had perfected in social settings and gave Jon a slight bow of her head in thanks.

”Mr. Jon, thank you so much for stepping in to help.”

”Mm.”

Jon just grunted in response, saying nothing more as he focused on the deer jerky warming over the campfire.

He flipped the piece of meat, watching the fat drip into the flames, creating a sizzling sound and releasing a richer aroma.

After roasting it for a moment, he decided it was ready. He casually took a large bite himself before holding out the rest of the steaming jerky to Reya.

”Here,” he said. ”Get something in your stomach. I was worried you wouldn’t be used to eating it cold.”

His tone was so natural and nonchalant, as if he were simply handing her a piece of bread.

Influenced by this casual air, Reya, her mind heavy with thoughts, almost subconsciously reached out and took the stick.

A warm, rough texture met her fingertips. The jerky still bore the teeth marks from where Jon had just bitten it.

The self-respect and propriety instilled in her since childhood made the girl recoil slightly, but she immediately realized his act of taking the first bite was to put her at ease—to show he hadn’t tampered with the food.

The red-haired girl held the hot jerky and looked up at Jon, at the true face revealed now that he had shaved off his beard.

It was a young face with hard lines that should have given him a stern look.

But that seriousness was softened by his calm and composed demeanor, as well as his thoughtful actions.

And then there was the imposing aura he had when they first met, like a moving mountain...

’Could an ordinary Adventurer really possess such a presence?’

Reya was once again lost in confusion and conflict.

’Is he a good person or not?’

’Is this kindness just a facade to make me lower my guard?’

’Can I temporarily trust this man who, at the very least, is offering me shelter right now?’

All sorts of thoughts clashed in her mind.

’No... Mr. Jon can’t be with those people. If he had malicious intent, I would be powerless to resist... There would be no need for him to be so courteous...’

’But... even if Mr. Jon’s intentions are genuinely good, I can’t drag him into the struggles of the nobility... It doesn’t matter how strong he is. I can’t. It’s for his own good...’

’My lord Po Ao... please forgive me for this well-intentioned deception...’

The brief internal struggle finally came to a resolution.

Reya looked up, trying her best to make her voice sound calm and polite.

”Mr. Jon, thank you for saving my life and for taking me in.”

”Please allow me to formally introduce myself.”

She paused, habitually choosing her words with care, and gave an ordinary alias she had prepared for traveling.

”I am Reina Weber, the only daughter of the Weber family.”

”If it’s convenient for you, I would like to ask you to escort me to the nearest safe place, such as... Birch Town.”

At this point, she drew out her words slightly, observing Jon’s reaction. Seeing no change in his expression, her heart tensed a little as she continued to offer her bargaining chips.

”Rest assured, as long as I arrive safely in town and find my family’s contact, I will be sure to reward you handsomely for your help.”

”I swear on... on the honor of the Weber family.”

Jon was rinsing his mouth with water. When he heard her words, the corner of his mouth twitched upward almost imperceptibly.

’Reina Weber?’

He almost laughed out loud in his mind.

’The girl’s skill at coming up with a fake name is at least passable. She knew not to use a prominent surname, choosing ”Weber”—the name of a merchant family with some local business but not so much as to be conspicuous. She even changed her name to something with a similar sound.’

’This perfect blend of caution and distance, maintained even in an unknown situation, is quite in line with her future style as the ”Flame-haired Princess”.’

He swallowed the water and wiped his mouth. His face still held the same placid expression, but his gaze towards Reya now contained a hint of subtle amusement.

”Miss Reina Weber, may I consider this a commission?”

The red-haired girl looked into his blue-gray eyes and nodded seriously.

”Of course. I know the rules of Adventurers.”

At that, Jon set down his waterskin and nodded in satisfaction as well.

”Alright then. I accept this commission.”

As he spoke, a notification popped up in the quest log that only he could see.

——

[Quest Status Updated]

[Another Choice I (Rare - Chain Quest)]

[You have chosen to help Miss ”Reina Weber”. You will escort her to Birch Town.]

”Warning: You may be attacked by enemies of the ’Weber family’.”

——

’As expected of a Rare Level quest, it’s full of pitfalls. Enemies of the Weber family... heh!’

’If some other player who didn’t know the truth took this, who knows what kind of mess they’d end up in. The assassins from the Blood Eye Association are no pushovers.’

However, although the quest was a trap, the rewards were equally generous.

This part of the quest alone gave a Basic Reward of 2,000 general Experience Points, not to mention reputation with the ”Weber family” organization and tangible rewards that needed to be negotiated for.

As long as he handled it correctly and got the quest completion rate as high as possible, this one part of the quest would be enough for him to level up several times, get some high-quality gear, and even begin to build a good relationship with an organization of limitless potential.

This quest was completely worth doing.

As for Reya, she clearly let out a sigh of relief after getting Jon’s affirmative reply.

She finished the jerky in her hand with small bites, a gesture to show her trust in Jon, then used the calmest tone she could muster to hide her urgency.

”So, Mr. Jon, when do we set out?”

”About that... no rush...”

Jon adjusted the gear on his body, paying special attention to the bow and arrows he had just acquired. Then he casually pointed a thumb behind him toward the deep, dark entrance of the mine.

”It wasn’t easy for me to make this trip. I have to find what I came for first.”

His tone held a matter-of-fact insistence.

”If things go smoothly, we can leave tomorrow morning. At the latest, it won’t be past noon tomorrow.”

”Tomorrow... noon?”

Hearing this timeline, the color instantly drained from Reya’s face.

How she wanted to leave right now!

Every moment she was delayed here, the danger to her father grew!

She tried to negotiate to change Jon’s mind, but when she met his eyes—calm and deep as the abyss—all her urgent words caught in her throat.

She didn’t dare expose her anxiety, afraid this mysterious young man would see through her.

Little did she know, Jon had already seen through everything she was thinking.

But he just watched her, his mind on other matters.

’Sorry, Reya... but if I don’t level up, it’ll be hard for me to deal with those suicidal assassins.’

’As for whether your old man can survive this period, that’ll depend on how tough he is...’

His gaze dropped, looking down past [Another Choice I], which was highlighted in the blue of a Rare quest on his quest panel.

Below it was an elegant green.

——

[Abandoned Mine (Excellent - Dungeon Quest)]

[Twenty years ago, this mine was an important asset for the Birch territory. However, as time went on, the output of high-quality ore dwindled until it was finally abandoned. Twenty years later, Adventurers who came here discovered that it seems to have become the lair of some kind of monster!]

[Quest Objective: Explore the mine and clear out the monsters within.]

[Basic Reward: 500 general Experience Points]

[Bonus Reward: An additional experience reward multiplier will be granted based on the Dungeon completion rate.]

”Warning: Watch your head!”

——