Chapter 54: The System’s Favoritism
Lance stood his ground, his gaze sweeping over the young woman before him from beneath the shadow of his hood.
He had read her file, but seeing her in person instantly sent alarm bells screaming in his mind.
He never imagined that the old fox would saddle him not only with an inexperienced young lady, but a Half-Elf to boot!
The slightly reddish, pointed ears peeking out from her hair and her eyes, as pure as rubies, all proclaimed her rare lineage.
In the world of Adventurers, such a delicate, almost inhuman appearance was directly linked to the Attribute of "high-priced commodity" in certain shady corners.
Even though the entire continent had signed the Eternal Holy Covenant.
Under this sacred legal framework, the personal freedom of all good-aligned species possessing souls, language, and intelligence was absolutely protected.
Any act of capturing, trading, or imprisoning these species as slaves, playthings, or forced laborers within the signatory domains would be considered a felony against civilization, punishable by the gallows upon discovery.
But laws could only restrain those willing to abide by them.
In this world, there were always outlaws willing to trample the rules for a fistful of Gold Coins.
After all, if someone was locked away deep in a private dungeon, who would go out of their way to search the basements of a Great Noble’s estate to find them?
’I’m screwed. I signed the contract too soon!’
’She’s a walking magnet for trouble.’
A large group of interns was setting out with great fanfare today, so their identities would soon spread throughout the Adventurer community of Gray Rock Town.
That would act as a slight deterrent to those outlaws.
But what if?
Human trafficking was an incredibly profitable business. If just one or two wandering Adventurers, blinded by greed, decided to take a desperate risk, this internship would turn into an escort mission.
Lance’s fingers rubbed against the hilt of his sword twice. ’Looks like I’ll have to be fully prepared.’
Just as he was carefully observing her features, a notification suddenly popped up on his retina.
[You have captured the significant physical characteristics of a Sub-human Species·Half-Elf through careful observation. Half-Elf Research Progress +1]
Lance stared at the line of text, the corner of his eye twitching uncontrollably.
’What the hell?’
’Back when I was researching Goblins, I had to do everything from chopping off heads to piercing hearts. It took a ton of effort.’
’And now I just stare at her for a couple of seconds, and the Research Progress goes up?’
’Does this mean good-looking species really get preferential treatment from this system?’
’The double standard is so obvious.’
"H-Hello..."
Just as Lance was reeling from the shock, Cecilia, having caught her breath, spoke cautiously,
"Excuse me, are you a member of my internship team?"
"No."
Lance’s reply was curt and decisive.
Hearing that single word, Cecilia actually let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Even though the man before her had saved her, the eyes hidden in the shadows had been sizing her up with an extremely critical gaze ever since he appeared.
It made her feel very uncomfortable.
’If my future teammate is like this, this internship is going to be unbearable.’
However, Lance’s next words shattered her fleeting sense of relief.
"I’m not a team member."
Lance pulled the commission form from his coat and presented it to the young woman.
"I’m your internship mentor."
"For the foreseeable future, I alone will be responsible for all of your internship activities."
"What?!"
Cecilia’s eyes widened.
’One person?’
’No Warrior to hold the line, no Priest for healing, not even a Scout?’
’This is completely different from the standard party configuration they taught at the academy!’
But faced with Lance’s commission form, stamped with the Guild’s bright red seal, the young woman finally, grudgingly, accepted this reality.
’Professor Gideon said to trust the Guild’s arrangements.’
"My name is Raven."
Lance put away the commission form, his tone flat.
"Sir, hello. My name is Cecilia."
The young woman immediately changed her form of address. Though her voice still held a hint of unease, her manners were impeccable.
’"Sir" again.’
That word made the face of that silly kid, Damian, pop into Lance’s mind.
’I wonder how that kid’s injuries are healing. I’ve been so busy brewing potions to make money these past two days that I forgot all about him. I should go check on him another day.’
Lance pushed the thoughts aside, his gaze turning stern again.
"Now, for your first lesson."
"Yes, sir!"
Cecilia immediately straightened her back, like a new recruit awaiting inspection.
Lance raised a hand and pointed to the exquisitely tailored, violet uniform she was wearing.
"Change out of those clothes."
"Huh?"
Cecilia was stunned.
Without another word, Lance turned and walked toward the main gate.
"Keep up."
He led the way, explaining to the bewildered young woman behind him as they walked,
"Violet may represent nobility in human cities, but in an environment like Copper Creek Forest, it just makes you a target."
"Colors that are too vibrant easily attract the attention of Demons, especially predators with poor eyesight, which are extremely sensitive to color contrast."
"Besides, the fabric of your uniform is too high-end—silk and gold-thread embroidery."
"Not only does it offer no effective physical protection and will tear the moment it snags on a bush, but more importantly..."
Lance stopped and glanced back at her.
"These clothes are basically screaming ’I’m an easy mark’ to every ill-intentioned wandering Adventurer out there."
Cecilia was dumbfounded. She felt a bit wronged to hear her uniform, a symbol of her academy’s honor, being disparaged, but upon reflection, she realized what her senior was saying made a lot of sense.
One after the other, the two quickly arrived at a ready-made clothing store on the edge of the Artisan District.
They didn’t sell high-end goods here, just sturdy, durable clothes made of coarse cloth.
Lance didn’t even bother browsing after entering the store. He just yanked a dark brown, hooded linen cloak off a rack and tossed it into Cecilia’s arms.
"Put it on."
"Cover up your ears and those conspicuous clothes, and make sure they’re hidden well."
Hearing him mention her "ears," Cecilia touched them self-consciously.
’So my senior also thinks my lineage is a problem?’
But she quickly remembered he was waiting and hurried to put on the cloak.
After the young woman had flusteredly wrapped herself in the cloak, which gave off the faint smell of coarse fibers,
Lance pointed to a worn-out wooden stool in the shop, meant for customers to use when trying on clothes.
"Sit down and take off your shoes."
"Huh?"
Now Cecilia was truly bewildered.
She looked down at the shiny little leather shoes on her feet, then back at Lance.
Though filled with confusion, her senior’s order came first. Blushing, she could only sit down obediently on the stool.
The young woman reached down, undid the buckles, and took off the delicate little leather shoes.
Underneath was a pair of pure white cotton ankle socks, covering her feet.
Lance stood to the side, professionally eyeing their size.
’The paths in the forest are all mud and slippery moss. With flat-soled leather shoes like those, which have zero grip, she wouldn’t make it two steps without twisting an ankle.’
’And then I’d have to carry her. Now that would be a real pain.’
The instant his gaze swept over the white socks,
The familiar blue box popped up again.
[You have captured the physical characteristics of a Sub-human Species·Half-Elf through careful observation. Half-Elf Research Progress +1]