endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 16

As he made his way towards the tower, Vahn continued to look around at the various comings and goings of people on the street. He noticed that even though everyone had unique outfits and appearances, nobody stood out quite as much as he did. It was rather ironic that clothing meant to enhance stealth now made him appear like a sore thumb as he moved along drawing the eyes of several curious pedestrians.

After about an hour Vahn noticed a building that had dozens of people coming and going in groups of differing sizes. The building had an aged but regal look. From what he could see there were three floors and the design of the architecture made it stand out from all the surrounding buildings. After observing the building, he didn't see any posted signs indicating what the building contained so Vahn let his curiosity get the better of him and decided to enter.

Once he entered the building he immediately knew where he was. It seems entering from the northwestern gate was the correct decision, as it put him on the same route where the Guild was located. Vahn couldn't help but sigh at how 'The Path' always seemed to take his future actions into consideration. Following the map directly from his cave ended up putting him in the same trajectory as the Guild if he were to try and approach the tower when entering the city.

Vahn looked around to see if he could recognize any of the characters from the show. He remembered the two girls Eina and Misha as they were noteworthy characters within the manga and thought it would be interesting to meet them in real life.

"Excuse me, Sir, may I help you find something?" spoke a sonorous voice from behind Vahn.

Vahn turned towards the source and saw a mature lady with lilac-colored hair and pale green eyes. She looked only a few years older than Vahn, but she carried herself a lot like Dr. Keenly from his previous life which caused Vahn to grimace slightly. The most notable thing that caught his eye was the fluctuation of her aura which seemed to change back and forth between transparent and a dull grey color.

Noticing the change in the boys' expression the Receptionist, Fauna Vestille, couldn't help but feel a twitch in her eye. She had taken the initiative to approach this vagrant child in front of her in accordance. Yes, she probably would have overlooked him outside of work, but she couldn't help but feel annoyed with his the boy seemed to observe her body with a frown on his face.

Trying to keep her cool she continued to perform her duties, "This...Sir. Is this your first time at the Guild?"

Vahn realized the woman must be one of the guild employees, and seeing the black pantsuit that seemed to match everyone behind the counter he couldn't help but feel apologetic for worsening her mood.

"I'm sorry, and yes, this is my first time in the Guild and I'd like to register as an Adventurer."

Fauna was a bit surprised with how polite the boy was, especially since he had so rudely stared at her body previously. She decided he was likely not used to interacting with girls and believed her charm was the reason for the slip in his expression.

Smiling at the thought, she turned to the boy. "Welcome to the Orario Guild Main Office. My name is Fauna, may I ask for your name young sir?"

Vahn was able to see a drastic change in the aura emitted by the woman who had introduced herself as Fauna. Though transparent, it now had a vague mellow color similar to sunlight. With a smile on his face, he decided to introduce himself as well.

"Hello, Ms. Fauna. My name is Vahn Mason."

Fauna giggled a bit at how quickly the boy named Vahn's expression changed. It was very subtle, but due to her profession, she could easily distinguish what the boy was thinking based on the small changes in his facial features. It would seem this unkept child was taught proper manners, and she shouldn't have snuck up behind him thinking he was a vagrant that had wandered in.