A Bug In Fate

A few moments passed in silence as everyone waited for Arbiter Ravenna’s decision. Even though Alden had come here to meet the Branch Manager, the man wasn’t even in a position to speak anymore and could only stand silently behind her.

Ravenna let out a quiet sigh before her gaze shifted from Alden to the chocolate resting on the table. A faint smile slowly appeared on her face.

"We accept your conditions."

The moment those words left her mouth, the tension inside the room disappeared. Alden unconsciously let out the breath he had been holding, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders.

"Thank you."

He spoke sincerely. The main reason he had come to the Adventurers’ Guild had finally been fulfilled. At the very least, he no longer had to worry about money for a long time.

Meanwhile, Boren looked at Alden with undisguised amazement. He had to admit that the boy had some serious guts to walk into the guild and propose a business deal on equal terms.

If it had been anyone else, they would have taken the recipe to merchants, restaurant owners, alchemists, noble families, or any organization related to trade. Very few people would have thought of approaching the Adventurers’ Guild instead.

His thoughts were interrupted when Arbiter Ravenna turned her gaze toward him.

"Give him the card."

Boren looked confused for a brief moment, but realization quickly dawned on him. He nodded respectfully before turning around and leaving the room.

"Card?"

Alden muttered in confusion as he watched his favorite receptionist leave the room.

"Just wait for him."

Ravenna replied with a mysterious smile, while Branch Manager Hilton stood quietly at her side, finding it difficult to keep his expression calm. Unlike Alden, he already knew what was coming.

A few moments later, the door opened once again.

Boren walked back into the room and returned to his previous position. Without saying a word, he carefully placed a card on the table in front of Alden.

"This card is now yours."

Ravenna said with a smile, gesturing toward it.

Alden lowered his gaze and picked it up for a closer look.

The card was simple yet elegant, forged from a dark metallic material that gave it a refined appearance. A single golden star was engraved at its center, while the letters VVIP were inscribed neatly beneath it in the same golden color. Turning it over, he found nothing except the Roman numeral XI, deeply engraved into the otherwise smooth surface.

"What is this?"

Alden asked with a puzzled expression. Even without an explanation, he could tell it wasn’t an ordinary card. The VVIP engraved across its surface alone was enough to show that it represented something exclusive.

Hilton stopped speaking as Ravenna raised a hand.

"There are a few other minor benefits as well, but I’ll leave those for you to discover on your own."

As she spoke, she picked up the last piece of chocolate from the table and casually popped it into her mouth.

"I understand."

Alden nodded before carefully putting the card away.

"You may leave now."

Ravenna gave him permission to leave, but Alden remained seated, absentmindedly scratching the back of his head.

"Umm..."

Seeing his hesitant expression, Ravenna raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have something else to say?"

"Another deal, perhaps?"

There was a hint of amusement in her voice, naturally assuming Alden had come up with another business proposal.

Behind her, both Boren and Hilton looked equally surprised.

No wonder he didn’t visit the guild for the past two days...

It seems he was busy preparing something else.

Boren thought to himself as everyone waited for Alden to speak.

"Haha... it’s not that."

Alden let out an awkward laugh before gathering his courage.

"Earlier... you mentioned that you were willing to personally train me for three hours."

As he spoke, his expression gradually became serious.

He knew better than anyone that he lacked a proper teacher. Meeting someone willing to guide him, especially someone of Ravenna’s caliber, was an opportunity that might never come again.

"Ah... that."

Realizing what he was referring to, Ravenna leaned back slightly, a faint smile appearing on her face as she silently gestured for him to continue.

"I was wondering..."

"...if that offer is still available."

The room fell silent for a brief moment.

Ravenna continued smiling, but behind her, Boren and Hilton were utterly stunned. They couldn’t believe someone actually had the courage to ask the Arbiter to personally teach him.

"Please teach me."

Alden spoke sincerely, his eyes filled with determination.

"Hmm..."

Ravenna rested her chin lightly on one hand as she looked at him with interest.

"So you want me to train you..."

"...but what exactly do I get in return?"

There was obvious amusement in her voice.

Boren’s eyes widened once again.

The fact that she hadn’t rejected the request immediately meant she was actually considering it.

Alden fell silent as he considered everything he owned. A moment later, a rather humble realization dawned on him.

I’m poor...

After thinking for a while, he finally spoke, since Ravenna was still waiting for an answer.

"I don’t think I have anything that would interest you."

He smiled helplessly before continuing.

"But I can offer you two percent of my share, and in addition..."

"...you’ll always be the first person to experience anything new I create in the future."

His voice remained calm throughout. It was the best offer he could make, and although two percent sounded small, it would only become more valuable as his business expanded.

"Hmm..."

Ravenna rested her chin on one hand as she considered his proposal.

"Interesting..."

"But not enough for me to spend three hours teaching you."

She smiled faintly.

"Anything else?"

The room fell silent once again.

While Hilton and Boren wondered where this conversation was headed, Alden searched his mind for something else he could offer.

After a long moment, he closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, a calm smile rested on his face.

"There is one more thing."

Ravenna waited patiently.

"When I become famous in the future..."

"...you’ll be able to proudly tell everyone you were my first teacher."

"Huh?"

A startled sound escaped Ravenna’s lips.

She understood every single word...

She simply couldn’t understand where this young man’s confidence came from.

Behind her, Hilton and Boren were equally speechless.

Every time they thought Alden had reached his limit, he somehow managed to surprise them with another unbelievable statement.

Alden met Ravenna’s gaze without the slightest hesitation.

"And besides..."

"You’ll be the first—and only—person I’ll ever acknowledge as my teacher."

He paused for a brief moment before smiling.

"And please believe me when I say this..."

"...I’m a genius."

Silence.

"...He’s crazy."

"...He’s completely insane."

Boren and Hilton muttered at almost the same time, not even realizing they had spoken aloud as they stared at Alden in utter disbelief.

Ravenna, on the other hand, remained much calmer.

Even so, she found herself at a loss for words.

Whether he was truly a genius or not was another matter entirely, but very few people could confidently praise themselves in the middle of a serious negotiation.

After staring at him for several seconds, she finally let out a helpless sigh.

"Very well."

"I’ll teach you."

Alden’s eyes lit up.

"Come meet me tomorrow morning."

For the first time since entering the room, genuine surprise appeared on Alden’s face.

He quickly composed himself, stood up, and bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you."

"I won’t waste your time."

"You’d better not."

Alden bowed slightly once again before turning toward the door.

"Well Then, I’ll take my leave "

"I’ll return to my duties."

Boren respectfully bowed to the two before following Alden out of the room.

The two quietly descended the stairs.

Back inside, Hilton could no longer suppress the question on his mind.

"Arbiter Ravenna... did you see something in him that I couldn’t?"

Ravenna remained silent for a moment before a mysterious smile appeared on her face.

"Hmm... I don’t know."

"I suppose we’ll find out soon enough."

Meanwhile, Alden and Boren had already reached the second floor.

The moment they were alone, Boren finally spoke.

"You really are insane."

"Hmm?"

Alden glanced at him in confusion.

"By the way... how did you make those chocolates? They were unbelievably delicious."

"That’s a secret."

Alden smiled.

Boren chuckled before lowering his voice.

"I wanted to ask you something."

Alden stopped and turned toward him.

"What is it?"

"Don’t you think Arbiter Ravenna is beautiful?"

"How were you so calm in front of her?"

"Huh?"

Alden blinked, completely caught off guard.

After thinking for a moment, he nodded.

"Yeah... now that you mention it, she really is beautiful."

"...That’s it?"

Boren stared at him strangely.

*...It seems he’s still just a boy.*

*It’ll take him some time to become a man.*

He sighed inwardly.

Seeing his expression, Alden was confused for a moment before realization dawned on him.

"Wait... did you expect me to fall in love at first sight?haha."

A mischievous grin appeared on his face.

"That’s not what I meant... but, you know."

"Hahaha!"

Alden laughed as they continued downstairs.

By the time they reached the first floor, the guild had become lively once again. The adventurers from earlier had been replaced by new faces gathered around the tables and mission board.

Near the entrance, Alden stopped and looked at Boren.

"Well, thanks for helping me meet my teacher."

"I owe you one."

"Teacher?"

Boren was confused for a moment before understanding.

A helpless smile appeared on his face as he shook his head.

"I’ll remember that."

"Then I’ll get going."

With that, Alden left the Adventurers’ Guild with relaxed steps.

Boren watched him disappear into the crowd before sighing quietly and returning to his duties.

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