Jack's POV
I walked back to the others after my... 'discussion' with Orin. Thankfully, he got the message and won't get involved.
I smiled, seeing everyone else being excited about their rank up.
When Orin joined us, Araki said, "So the four of us can rank up, but what about you, Ark?"
Ark looked at me, then back at Araki, and said, "I do need three more quests to rank up..."
Orin, hearing up and distracting himself, said, "Then why don't we go get you some quests now, and we can all rank up together?" He smiled.
Zek nodded in agreement. "Yeah, now that you're awake, we can—"
"No," I interrupted. "We should use the rest of the day to prepare for classes. Get our supplies in order, rest up, and make sure we're ready for whatever the academy throws at us."
Aaron raised an eyebrow. "But we—"
I turned to him and said, "We can do that another day. You'll have plenty of time to help him later, during the weekend."
The group exchanged glances before sighing in reluctant agreement.
"I guess that's true," Araki muttered. "I guess I should get some new gear anyway."
I smiled, seeing them act like children. "Though, if you guys want, let's have your rank up today. It's still an important thing for adventurers."
Their eyes shot up with a shine as they all realized they could still do that.
Orin turned to Ark and said, "I feel kind of guilty leaving you alone for this, Ark. Why don't I wait, and we can rank up together?"
Ark looked at Orin in surprise but said, "No, it's alright. You get your rank up. I can wait a few days." Ark smiled reassuringly, but I could see a slight sign of embarrassment in his eyes.
Orin calmly nodded and said, "Alright then... I guess we should go then?"
We all nodded and headed to the counter.
Ella was there at this time, and we spoke to her about getting the rank up.
"Oh, you five have finished 10 quests already?" she asked.
Ark shifted slightly and said, "N-no, I didn't, but the others did."
Confused, she asked, "Were you unable to complete enough today?"
Ark shook his head. "No... I was... unable to do quests today."
Ella gave Ark a confused look, then noticed his ears and tail, and realization showed on her face.
Her face paled. "Wait, does that mean..." She turned to me.
I nodded.
'She must have heard what happened,' I thought.
She gave a nervous cough and said, "I'm sorry about what happened."
Ark gave her a curious look, then realized she heard about what happened.
Ella quickly diverted the conversation back to the rank up and asked for their IDs.
They all handed their cards over, and she put them into a machine and pushed a button. After a minute, four Bronze IDs came out, and she handed them out.
With a smile, she said, "Congratulations! You have ranked up to E Rank. You are now allowed to accept D rank quests and below, but I would recommend E rank ones at first. Please remember that you need 10 completed quests in a row to qualify for D rank, and F rank quests do not count."
Everyone smiled, seeing their new IDs and hearing about their new opportunities.
After letting them bask in their excitement for a bit, I said, "Well, we should probably get going. We have a few things we should buy." Everyone nodded and waved to Ella, thanking her.
As we walked out the door, I realized something. "Sorry, but can you guys go on without me? I forgot I have some other business here at the guild."
They all gave me curious looks, but thankfully, no one pressed the matter.
They said they would be at the Blue Horse Smithy in an hour.
I nodded and said I would be there and walked back into the guild.
~~~~~~~
Ark's POV
"What do you think Jack needs at the guild?" Araki asked us.
"No idea," Zek said. "But knowing him, it might be a good idea not to ask."
Orin gave a weird look and nodded.
"You spoke to Jack before we left, Orin. Did he say anything?" Aaron asked.
Orin turned to Aaron and froze slightly.
"N-no. I have no idea what he needs at the guild," he said with a hint of fear.
Aaron gave him an intrigued look and said, "You know something. What is it?"
Orin paled and said, "I-I can't say. Jack made me promise not to say anything."
We all turned to Orin, curious.
Araki and Aaron tried to get him to spill, Zek, for some reason, stayed quiet, and I just watched.
Orin didn't say anything despite Araki and Aarons's insistence but I did notice a hint of fear in his eyes when Aaron asked him.
~~~~~~~
Jack's POV
I walked over to an empty table in the corner and set up a soundproof barrier.
I sighed and got to thinking.
"Everything is moving too fast. Too many things are happening at once. I don't think I can do this on my own." I turned to the main door and shook my head. "They aren't able to handle this stuff yet..." I mumbled to myself.
I pulled out my notebook and a pen and started making a list of everything I had to deal with, currently or concerning things from my past that could become relevant.
High priority:
Aaron
Zareth's Request
Rook hunting Ark
Medium Priority:
The attempt on my and Ark's life during the Exam
Ark is a werewolf who doesn't understand his powers
The Headmaster knows what Ark is and is exploiting him and his grandfather so Ark can remain enrolled
Ark's mental trauma
The Hellhounds summoned during my exam
Volt's prophecies foretelling of Araki and Ark's deaths, Zek's enslavement, and Orin's torture
Low Priority:
The mark on Orin's chest
The 4th princess's interest in me
My stalker
Unknown Priority:
Zek's master's disappearance?
The Unity Howl's reaction to Rook's actions.
The Nightshades watching me.
I chuckled at that last one, remembering how I found them snooping in my room at the Rondo estate and have noticed them watching me ever since, causing me to learn how to lose them easily.
I can't say how surprised I was when I caught the leader in a trap years ago and learned who sent them to watch me.
In exchange for not spoiling their reputation, I made a deal with them to leave me alone and give false information to the one who fired them.
I crossed that one out as they haven't been near me in years.
'Aaron, I have a plan for, but I need the books for that. Zareth's quest I can do on my own, but the books will make it easier. As for Rook... I can't do anything other than watch out for him,' I thought as I wrote down the solutions for each problem one by one.
'The Hellhounds and Inferno Bear... I don't have enough information to make a plan, plus the bear could just be a mistake, but the hounds were planted. With the books, I could learn their origin and how they got there.'
'Ark doesn't understand his powers is also likely tied to his trauma... we are working on that, but as for his powers... if I had the books, I could just learn about his powers myself and lead him to them... plus, I do need to understand transformation factors for my evolution.'
'The prophecies are the more annoying thing. I don't have one for Aaron, but I can't risk 'it' knowing I'm on to it.' I decided to skip this one for now.
'The marking on Orin's chest... I hope I'm wrong, but he could be from the Red Hand. I hope his story of running away is true.'
'My stalker is here at the school no doubt. I can sense her even from here. Thankfully, she doesn't know I can tell where she is, so I can avoid her... then the princess... she hasn't done anything since Thronbranch, but that girl has been a thorn in my side for a while, especially sending the Nightshades after me.'
'When The Unity Howl [1] hears about Rook's actions against a 'beastman', they may use it as an excuse to start causing problems for the area and even kingdom... they may even try and recruit Ark... I wouldn't put it past them.'
Reaching the last thing about Zek's master, I decided to write the prophecy down so I could see it all at once.
The stars align under the lion's mane, forging bonds of blood and steel. The mentor's hands craft not salvation but servitude, as kin becomes captor and the frost-fire soul risks the same chains that bind its shadow.
'This prophecy suggests that his master is alive but could be involved with a crime syndicate or the slave trade...'
I leaned back, staring at the ceiling as I turned the words of Zek's prophecy over in my mind.
'Zek is definitely the Frost-Fire Soul, but what did it mean by kin becomes captor? Does it mean he will be captured by kobolds... but what does that have to do with 'his shadow' or the 5th lion's mane...'
'What is the 5th Lion's Mane… is it literal or figurative?' I paused, leaning back.
'Could it be talking about Aaron's family? No… Leonin don't have that kind of ranking. Maybe it refers to a beast or a spirit, or even a warrior named after a lion? No, that doesn't fit either.'
I ran a hand through my hair, frustration creeping in. 'What if I'm overthinking this? Maybe it's a title? A position within a knight order or warrior faction?'
I frowned, drumming my fingers on the table. Something about the wording kept nagging at me.
'The stars align under the 5th lion's mane... stars... Could it be related to a star or constellation, the Zodiacs maybe?'
Then it hit me.
I sat up fast, my heart pounding. 'The leader of the Zodiacs… Leo the Lion!'
I reached into my storage ring, pulled out a book on legendary spirits, and flipped through the pages.
'Constellations. I needed the constellations.'
When I finally found it, I started reading.
Leo – the constellation of the northern sky. People blessed by it are known to be bold, intelligent, and strong leaders. It is considered the 5th sign and leader of the Zodiacs.
I exhaled sharply, gripping the book tighter.
"So that's it… but is it the organization or the spirits?" I said.
I sat there worried and said, "What about the others?"
I quickly wrote down the other prophecies.
Araki: the fire in those eyes burns bright enough to burn the sky, but he shouldn't fly too close to the sun or he will burn to ash
Orin: The road Orin treads is paved with questions, at its end lies answers but also agony, not from knowledge, from the hidden venom of a mad swan
Ark: This one has a fate of pain, misery and abandonment. The winds around him grow weaker with time. One day they will no longer carry him and he will fall. He walks to the horizon, one that no one should cross, one that will end his story if it is written alone.
I paused and thought about them all.
'Araki will at some point fly too close to a heat source, possibly related to the sun, and die.'
'Orin, during his search for answers, probably for what happened to his father, will be poisoned and tortured by this mad swan.'
'Ark's foretells him killing himself due to depression... but he seems so happy now. Did I already change it, or is it something else?'
I gripped my pen so tight I broke it as I went over each prophecy over and over again, trying to figure out what it meant.
I know it is a foolish thing for most people to try and understand a prophecy before it happens, but I am different.
I have knowledge outside this world, giving me an edge in this, plus I have had a contract with Volt for almost 10 years now. I've heard enough of his prophecies that I can guess most of them pretty easily.
I leaned back and went over it all again.
'I can't do much right now until I have the books back, but their seal won't break for another 2 months...' I lamented. 'Currently, time is working against me... wait! Time!'
I stood up, cancelled the barrier, and went to a receptionist.
"I need a meeting with the guildmaster! It's urgent!" I said.
[1]: The Unity Howl is a freedom-fighting organization comprised entirely of Beastmen and Beastfolk.
Beastmen have been enslaved and harmed for no reason for centuries in many kingdoms (Rumia stopped when the current king came to power), The Unity Howl is a large group that takes radical actions to free their kin or destroy places where beastmen are enslaved.
They are not against killing their own members in order to further their goals.
Jack does understand their mission and would support them but because of their actions and hatred of all humans, he doesn't side with them.