Kate frowned.
“E-rank?”
Although Eileen hadn’t told her the specific rank five years ago, based on her performance back then it had clearly been S-rank level. How could she have dropped all the way to E-rank in just five years?
She’s lying to me again…
That was Kate’s first thought.
Five years ago, Eileen’s sudden departure without a word had already shattered Kate’s trust in her. They had promised to stay together for life and see every corner of the human world side by side, yet she had vanished in an instant. That disappearance had lasted a full five years.
“Eileen, what kind of game are you playing now? Do you really hate staying with me so much that you’d use such a pathetic excuse to lie to me…?”
Kate bit down on her red lips, her expression filled with disappointment. Ever since Eileen left without saying goodbye five years ago, she had spent countless nights wondering what she had done wrong—whether there was something about her that Eileen disliked. Over those five years she had worked hard to fix every flaw she believed Eileen might have hated. But why wouldn’t Eileen even give her the chance to show the changes?
“No no no, I really am only E-rank right now!”
Eileen shook her head so hard it was like a rattle. “If you don’t believe me, just check the flow of magic power inside my body. I taught you how before.”
Kate hesitated for a moment, then gently rested two fingers against Eileen’s wrist and sent a thread of magic power into her. This was a technique mages used in the game to check on their companions’ condition. It wasn’t difficult to learn, so Eileen had mentioned it offhandedly back when she was courting Kate and running quests together.
“This…”
The moment she finished her probe, Kate’s eyes flew wide open in disbelief. “How… how is this possible?”
If five years ago the magic power coursing through Eileen’s body had felt like a vast, unstoppable river, now it was barely a trickle—something that could be stopped with a single finger. Calling her an E-rank adventurer was being generous. Honestly, this was no different from the mana flow of some random person off the street.
“I wasn’t lying, right?”
Eileen gave a helpless, bitter smile. Just yesterday—well, in her previous playthrough—she had been farming S-rank magical beasts like they were slimes. Even an A-rank beast like the Minotauros wouldn’t have been a real threat. But this New Game+ had reset everything. Equipment, skills, level—all gone. She had been left with nothing. Today she had only survived because Kate showed up at the perfect moment. Otherwise that axe would have cleaved her in two.
Kate drew in a long breath, then quietly undid the rope around Eileen’s wrists. “It’s okay, Eileen. You’ve protected me all this time. Now it’s my turn to protect you. Even if you stay E-rank forever, it doesn’t matter… Actually, I’d rather you stay like this.”
Eileen blinked, not quite following.
Stay like this?
She had zero intention of remaining weak forever!
Kate’s current attitude toward her was clear enough. But in the game she hadn’t only pursued Kate. She still had no idea how the other heroines would react to her. If she wanted to survive in this familiar yet completely foreign world, securing real strength was her top priority. What if one of the other girls came looking for payback? She couldn’t afford to be completely helpless.
“Miss Kate, the carriage is waiting by the side of the road.”
Frank’s voice came from behind as he returned.
Kate gave a small nod. She leaned down, slipped one arm under Eileen’s knees, and lifted her up in a smooth princess carry before walking toward the carriage parked nearby. Only then did Eileen finally understand what Kate had meant.
Right now she was nothing more than a powerless low-rank adventurer, while Kate stood at the very peak of combat strength in the Navora Principality. Keeping her under control would be trivial. Just like how effortlessly Kate could carry her right now.
On the ride back to Crisel, Kate didn’t try anything inappropriate—probably because the coachman was sitting right there in front. She simply talked with Eileen about the adventures they had shared in the past. Still, Eileen couldn’t shake the feeling that Kate’s eyes held a dangerous, almost aggressive possessiveness.
Tonight… there was probably no avoiding a “big battle.”
The thought left Eileen both excited and nervous. Excited, because this would be her first time. Nervous, because Kate apparently had some rather intense little quirks, and she wasn’t sure her small frame could handle them…
Meanwhile, Atia came barreling into the Crisel Adventurer’s Guild just as it was preparing to close for the night. The trip that should have taken a full day, she had completed in only three hours. Not because she was especially gifted—she had simply sprinted the entire distance, especially since Eileen had been walking at a snail’s pace…
“Is there anyone who can help me? Please, you have to go save my companion!”
She rushed into the main hall, pleading with the adventurers who had just returned from their daily work. But the only responses she got were cold, dismissive stares. They had already put in a full day’s labor outside. None of them were in the mood to take on extra work.
The receptionist recognized Atia immediately. In a city like Crisel where humans made up the majority of the population, a non-human like her naturally left a strong impression.
“Atia, Guild Master Frank took all the elite adventurers with him earlier. If you need assistance, you’ll have to wait until they get back. I can post a request for you in the meantime and see if anyone accepts it tomorrow.”
The receptionist walked over as she explained. A rescue commission meant the situation was serious enough to require high-ranking adventurers for safety. Unfortunately, Frank had already reassigned all the B-rank and C-rank adventurers to serve as Kate’s support team. The only ones left in the hall were D-rank and E-rank adventurers—hardly useful in a real crisis.
“Tomorrow? Can’t we do something now? Sis, please, there has to be a way!”
Atia was frantic. That monster was A-rank! Eileen’s agility wouldn’t be enough to overcome such a massive difference in power.
And her stamina had never been great to begin with. Otherwise she wouldn’t have taken an entire day just to cover that short distance…
The receptionist looked genuinely troubled. This wasn’t something she had the authority to decide.
“Atia! Where is Eileen?!”
The guild doors suddenly burst open with a loud crash. Gillian stormed inside, her eyes locked on Atia as she marched straight toward her.
Before Atia could get a single word out, Gillian seized her by the collar and yanked her off the ground like she weighed nothing.
“Spit it out! Or I swear I’ll strip you bare and dump you in the sewer right now!”
Gillian was furious beyond words. She had believed she struck gold today.
She had cheerfully taken the ring Eileen gave her straight to the item shop to sell. But the owner had barely glanced at it before declaring it worthless trash.
No aesthetic value, no fine craftsmanship, no practical use—not even a single magic circle carved into it.
The only thing remotely decent about it was that the magic power inside was slightly purer than that of cheap magical trinkets.
In the end, the owner had offered a mere fifty coins. Gillian had nearly fainted on the spot from sheer rage.
After Frank and Kate left the guild with their entourage, she had torn through the city searching for Eileen, only to discover that she and Atia had already left town.
That evening, she had planned to drown her sorrows at a tavern near the guild.
But as she passed by, she happened to glance inside—and there was Atia.