Clap!
Auren clapped his hands together. "Alright! Now that you've officially joined our team, it's time for your first task!"
Han straightened like a soldier and snapped into a perfect salute. "Sir, yes sir!"
"I see you're ready." Auren grinned. "Then your first mission…!"
Han's eyes lit up with anticipation.
"…is to take care of the Capalunes." Auren pointed toward the herd of creatures grazing nearby. A few of them turned at the sound, fixing Han with a look of pure hostility, as if daring him to come closer.
"…Eh?" Han froze mid-salute.
"Well, we've been staying at this kind lady's house while tracking the Starfiend," Auren said, shrugging. "She's agreed to host Starvanguard agents on local missions, but there's a catch. We help out with chores when we're here. And we've been slacking on brushing and feeding the animals."
He gestured again. "So get to it."
"…Eh?" Han repeated, completely stunned.
"Ahahahahaha!" Erika burst out laughing at the dumbfounded expression on his face. He had clearly expected some grand mission to slay a terrifying Starfiend, only to be saddled with farm work. "Welcome, slave number three! Now that you're the youngest, you better be ready to take on the hardest work and serve your seniors well! Ahahahahaha!"
"Here, dear, you can use this to brush them," an elderly woman suddenly appeared beside him, holding out a large brush with clumps of wool stuck to it.
Startled, Han blinked at her in surprise.
"My, what a good boy. It's rare to see young people this polite and helpful," the old woman said, smiling warmly.
"Right? Isn't Han just the kindest and most righteous person?" Erika said as she approached and elbowed him playfully.
Realizing he couldn't weasel his way out of it, Han sighed and reluctantly accepted the brush. With no other choice, he allowed the old woman to lead him off to begin his new mission of tending to the Capalunes. Erika followed close behind, clearly not done teasing him.
Alwyn and Auren watched the group from a distance. Despite Erika's insistence and her blatant display of dislike, it seemed she was already somewhat taken with Han. Oh well, Auren thought. It might just be her desire to have someone beneath her for once, to not be the lowest-ranked in their little team. Still, it was nice to see the kids getting along.
"You know he's still hiding something," Alwyn said, his gaze fixed on Han, who was timidly trying to brush the wool of a nearby Capalune.
"Uh huh," Auren replied.
"You're not going to dig deeper?"
"Everyone has their secrets, Alwyn," Auren said. "Just like you and Erika have yours."
The two shared an unspoken, understanding look before Auren turned and walked back toward the house. On the way, he turned over his thoughts.
When he had injected his aether into Han, the boy hadn't realized it, but what Auren did was dangerously reckless. It was one thing to use healing Aether Arts, but another entirely to inject one's aether directly into another person. If done carelessly, it could cause unpredictable consequences. Advanced aether users knew how to construct internal barriers to repel foreign aether. Han, however, was completely unaware of this. Despite his ability to fight, he was new to everything. He hadn't resisted at all, allowing Auren full access.
Auren had taken the opportunity to examine Han's soul, and what he found confirmed the boy's claim. Han truly wasn't from this world. Every native soul bore a signature, a hue colored by the aether of this land. But Han's was different. Foreign. Cracked and battered, yet still holding together. The fact he'd survived on his own was a miracle in itself. The soul was damaged, yet slowly, stubbornly, mending itself. That explained the fragmented stories Han gave about his past. No doubt, the poor boy could barely remember anything clearly.
Once, Auren would've stepped back and washed his hands of the mess, wanting no part in whatever storm Han had brought with him. But now, already saddled with two disciples, what was one more?
He stepped inside the house and pulled out Elarin's Whisper, a device crafted for long-distance communication. It fit neatly into his palm, forged from moon-tempered silver and etched with softly glowing runes. Tracing the activation sigil with his fingertip, he brought the Whisper to life and scrolled through the list of contact names.
He found the one he was looking for: Helena.
He pressed the name, and the device began to hum softly. Within seconds, the call connected, and a familiar female voice came through.
"It's rare for you to contact me."
"Well, I think I've got a new disciple," Auren said, glancing out the window just in time to see Han and Erika ducking as the Capalune charged at them.
"Another one?"
Outside, Erika, irritated at being attacked, flung out threads of golden aether to restrain the creature. The shimmering strands coiled around its legs, halting its advance, only to provoke the rest of the herd. With angry bleats, they turned and began chasing after the two.
"What can I say? The two I already have practically dragged him in like a lost stray. You don't expect me to turn him away coldly, do you?"
"Hmm… alright. Send me his information and I'll approve it."
Just as one of the Capalune came dangerously close, Alwyn stepped in. With a flick of his hand, he summoned two great birds from his book. They swooped down and snatched Erika and Han into the air, lifting them to safety.
"Thanks."
"I hate Capalunes! I swear I'll kill and gut every single one I meet," Erika hissed, glaring at the herd lazily grazing in the distance. She wasn't hurt, but the experience had been so humiliating she wanted to bury herself underground.
"You'll get penalized for hurting livestock," Alwyn said dryly.
"It's all that useless master's fault," Erika grumbled. As if yesterday hadn't been bad enough, Auren had ordered them to continue taking care of the herd, saying that now she and Alwyn had to help Han. Apparently, he thought Erika was enjoying tormenting the Capalunes a little too much.
Thankfully, they were finally finished with their mission in this backwater place and could return to the city. They rode in the same carriage they usually used to travel between settlements. The Baros pulling the carriage trudged forward steadily, its massive frame and hooves moving without care for the hot sunlight beating down from above. Most lower-ranked Starvanguard agents wouldn't waste their money on such a luxurious ride, but if there was one thing their good-for-nothing master excelled at, it was not wronging himself. He refused to exert himself unless absolutely necessary. If Erika had become the disciple of another master, she'd probably be walking back to the city right now.
"Why are we going to the city?" Han asked curiously. "Are we getting a mission?"
"Gosh, you really are a workaholic, aren't you?" Erika muttered.
"Well, eventually. But first, we need to get your Starpass. Nobody will believe you're a Starvanguard without one," Auren replied.
"Oh!" Han's eyes lit up at the idea.
"Also, what do you say about your clothes? You're still wearing that dirty, torn jacket. I could buy you a better one. People might start saying I don't take care of my disciples," Auren said, gesturing toward the filthy blue jacket Han stubbornly clung to.
Erika wrinkled her nose at the reminder. She couldn't understand how he could be so disgusting. Alwyn had even offered to lend Han some of his own clothes, but the idiot refused and kept wearing that ragged thing.
"I… I think this one is fine," Han said, clutching the jacket tightly.
"I can see you're attached to it, but you really can't keep wearing it. It's oversized and falling apart. How about you give it to me first? I can have someone resize and repair it for you," Auren offered.
"You can do that?" Han asked, eyes wide.
"Yup. Not all Aether Arts are about fighting. Some have no offensive use at all, but they're still valuable. I know a good tailor who can fix just about anything."
"T-thank you, then," Han said, strangely touched. He wasn't sure why he felt so attached to the jacket, but he couldn't let it go. Despite Erika's endless jibes, he kept wearing it.
"Good. Now change into something else, unless you want to get kicked out for being mistaken as a beggar," Erika added with a sharp glance.
With the promise that his beloved jacket wouldn't be tossed aside, Han was more open to changing. Alwyn lent him a spare outfit, and Erika's complaints lessened significantly once Han looked more presentable. The group chatted lazily as the carriage rolled toward Windale City, the nearest large settlement that had a Starvanguard branch office. It was a well-fortified city with physical walls and a secondary barrier warding off intruders.
Thanks to their Starpasses, they passed through the gates without any trouble. Beyond them, the city spread out in a lively sprawl of stone buildings. The streets buzzed with vendors shouting their wares and the steady clatter of hooves on cobblestone. The air was thick with the scent of baked bread and spices. The group decided to stretch their legs and walk the rest of the way. As expected, Han looked completely out of place, staring around with wide-eyed wonder. He spun around more than once, caught up in all the sights and sounds. At one point, Alwyn had to pull him back just before he could have been run over by a passing carriage.
Thankfully, they soon reached the local branch. The building was tall and spacious, several stories high, with people constantly moving in and out.
Instead of entering with them, Auren waved them off and said, "Alright, this is where I leave you guys. Don't cause trouble, okay? I'm heading to the tailor."
He didn't wait for a reply before disappearing into the crowd.
"Don't we need Master for this?" Han asked, confused.
"Nope. That guy avoids this building like it's contagious," Erika said.
"Don't worry," Alwyn added. "We usually handle these things ourselves. Everyone here knows us."
Just as Alwyn had said, the moment the three of them stepped into the building, a few passing agents called out.
"Oh look, it's the unfortunate duo!"
"There's another new face with them!"
"Where's your master?"
Alwyn and Erika ignored the remarks and headed straight to the front desk. Behind it sat a woman with long brown hair tied into a neat bun. She looked up from her paperwork and offered a tired smile.
"Here to file the paperwork? Let me guess, your master left it all to you again?"
"As usual," Alwyn replied without hesitation.
"I figured as much. I also read the latest update. So there's a new Starvanguard?" Her eyes briefly scanned Han. "He'll need to be processed first. Diana?"
Another staff member appeared and quietly guided Han into a side room that turned out to be an infirmary. Han let them poke and prod him without complaint. Though his curiosity burned, he stayed silent. He didn't understand the tools or spells they used, but it was clear it was some sort of health check.
"You're clear," the nurse said and waved him off.
When Han returned, he spotted Alwyn and Erika coming out of a hallway. Alwyn reached into his coat and handed something over. Han took it and stared at the card in his hands. His name was printed clearly, alongside an ID number, and listed beneath "Master" was Auren's full name: Auren Falkner. It even had a photo, which Han now remembered being taken back in the village.
"That's your Starpass," Alwyn said. "Don't lose it."
"So... I'm a Starvanguard now?" Han tilted his head as he reexamined the card. It certainly looked official.
"Yup," Erika replied.
"But... isn't it too easy? I thought the test with Master was just a preliminary. I expected some kind of formal evaluation here..."
"Well, most candidates do go through that," the front desk officer cut in, overhearing them.
"What do you mean?" Han asked, glancing at her.
She studied his face for a second. "Do you even know who your master is?"
"No, this idiot doesn't," Erika said, arms crossed.
"Well..." The officer gave Han a conflicted look. "I don't know whether to say you're lucky or cursed. Your master, Auren, is... somewhat famous."
She glanced at Erika and Alwyn, silently asking if she should continue. Alwyn just shrugged.
"He was once a prodigy," she said. "Rose through the ranks faster than anyone and earned the title of High Master while still in his teens. But then... he got demoted to Master rank. Nobody really knows the full story, but he's been stuck there ever since. Barely shows up for assignments. On top of that, he's also related to the current Grandmaster…"
She trailed off, hesitating. Glancing around, she noticed the secretive glances cast their way by others in the lobby, no doubt fueled by curiosity for more drama and rumors.
Erika snorted. "What she's trying not to say is that our no-good master pulled strings to get you accepted. Normally, you'd have to go through tests and evaluations like everyone else."
Han's eyes widened. "That... that can't be!" Wasn't nepotism something only the bad guys did? The sneaky act of using connections to climb the social ladder and skip the hard work everyone else had to endure, unlike the heroes?
"Oh, but it is," Erika said with a grin. "You got in because of nepotism. How's that feel, goody two-shoes?"
Han's jaw dropped. "No... no..."
Erika burst into laughter at the horror on his face, as if he'd just been told the world was ending.
"Well, don't feel too bad," Alwyn said, trying to comfort him. "Erika and I got in the same way."
That only made it worse.
"It can't be... Impossible... It shouldn't be like this..." Han muttered. In his head, he imagined a dramatic rise to glory, not a fast-track membership through favoritism. As someone who'd been transmigrated, shouldn't he be climbing the ranks through hard work, defeating powerful foes, and gaining fame through tournaments?
How had it turned into this?
Erika leaned in with a smug grin. "Too bad, bucko. You're one of us now. Welcome to the club."