Chapter 34: The Silver Falcons

The small waiting room was surprisingly quiet.

Beyond the closed door, the voices of the adventurers in the guild reached them only as a distant murmur. Every now and then, the sound of a mug striking a table echoed through the corridor, followed by a burst of loud laughter.

A pot of hot tea sat on the small table between the armchairs.

The three children remained seated in silence.

Rowan’s large shield rested beside Lyra, and she kept running her fingers over the scratches in the metal. Her touch was careful, almost as if she were afraid that even the smallest mistake might somehow damage it.

Kaien took a small sip of his tea before lowering the cup.

“So... what do we do now?”

Yun Yun turned toward him, looking confused.

“What do you mean?”

Kaien glanced down at his hands.

“Well...”

He hesitated.

“What exactly is our goal?”

The question hung in the quiet room.

Even Lyra looked up from her diary.

“I want to become a real adventurer,” Kaien continued. His expression gradually grew more serious. “I want to become stronger. Strong enough that I never have to stand by helplessly again.”

Yun Yun remained quiet.

Lyra watched him closely before leaning back in her chair.

“Someday, I’m going to become a great mage.”

She lightly tapped the cover of her diary.

“And when Rowan sees us again... he’ll be amazed.”

A small laugh escaped Kaien.

He and Lyra exchanged a brief glance before both of them turned toward Yun Yun.

“And what about you?”

Yun Yun blinked.

“Me?”

She lowered her gaze and thought about it for several seconds.

A faint smile appeared on Yun Yun’s face.

“To be honest... I’ve never really thought about it.”

Her gaze briefly fell to her metal-reinforced gloves.

“After Rowan told us how rare people with red eyes are, I just assumed I’d probably become a mage.”

She smiled a little.

“But I enjoy fighting normally too.”

Kaien immediately smirked.

“Especially throwing sand.”

Yun Yun’s face turned red at once.

“T-That was a tactical decision!”

Lyra immediately wrote something down in her diary.

“Yun Yun now officially considers throwing sand a combat technique.”

“Lyra!”

Kaien burst out laughing.

The atmosphere began to feel a little warmer again.

Yun Yun smiled to herself.

“Besides... I’d like to see the world.”

Her red eyes gleamed softly.

“There must be so many places outside of Asterveil.”

Lyra nodded slowly.

“And so many things to draw.”

Kaien grinned.

“And monsters to defeat.”

Yun Yun turned toward Lyra.

“Maybe we really can learn magic.”

Kaien immediately nodded.

“Rowan said one of the Silver Falcons might be able to find out what kind of magic suits you, didn’t he?”

Yun Yun paused to think.

“Did he really say that?”

Lyra immediately opened her diary.

She began flipping through several pages.

Soon, the only sound in the room was the soft rustling of paper.

Lyra’s fingers suddenly stopped between two pages.

“Here.”

She cleared her throat before reading aloud.

“Quote, Rowan Ashgard: ‘My friend among the Silver Falcons can probably determine your magical potential.’”

She lowered the diary.

“So yes. Kaien was right.”

Yun Yun and Kaien both laughed.

“I guess your diary is useful after all,” Yun Yun said.

Lyra gave her a mock-offended look.

“Of course it’s useful.”

She immediately closed the book again, holding it protectively against herself.

“Without me, the two of you would probably have forgotten your own names by now.”

“It’s not that bad,” Kaien protested.

Yun Yun grinned.

“I think it is.”

All three of them started laughing again.

And for a little while...

everything almost felt normal again.

About an hour passed.

Eventually, the door slowly opened.

The three of them immediately fell silent.

A man entered the room.

He had black hair, lightly combed back, and a short, well-groomed beard. Over his dark clothes, he wore a long, elegant cloak. A silver falcon was embroidered across its back.

His gray eyes studied the children carefully.

He crossed the room and calmly took a seat in one of the empty armchairs.

“So, you’re the new strays Rowan sent to me.”

His voice was calm, yet carried an unmistakable confidence.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“My name is Gareth Valen.”

He relaxed back in his chair.

“Leader of the Silver Falcons.”

His gaze moved across the three children.

“And you must be Yun Yun, Kaien, and Lyra.”

Lyra immediately pulled out her diary and began sketching him.

Kaien and Yun Yun, meanwhile, looked completely surprised.

“How do you know our names?”

Yun Yun nodded in agreement.

Before Gareth could answer, however, Lyra continued speaking without looking up from her drawing.

“Rowan probably sent you a letter beforehand.”

Gareth glanced at her in surprise.

Then a quiet laugh escaped him.

“That’s a pretty good analysis, Lyra.”

Lyra nodded with satisfaction.

“Thank you.”

Gareth continued to smile.

“Yes. Rowan did, in fact, send me a letter.”

His expression became slightly more subdued.

“Although, I’ll admit... I honestly didn’t expect you to be this young.”

Kaien became a little nervous.

Yun Yun automatically reached for his hand again.

Gareth noticed it immediately.

His gaze slowly drifted toward Rowan’s shield.

For a brief instant, his smile faded.

“He even gave you his shield...”

A faint smile soon returned to his face.

“Then Rowan must really trust you.”

Kaien drew in a deep breath before rising from his chair.

“Please, let me join your guild!”

Yun Yun and Lyra both flinched slightly.

Kaien gave a small bow.

“I want to become stronger.”

His hands trembled faintly.

“And I want to learn how to fight.”

Yun Yun stood shortly afterward as well.

“And we would like to learn magic.”

Lyra immediately nodded.

“Very much.”

Gareth studied the three of them in silence for several seconds before slowly getting to his feet.

“Not everyone can learn magic.”

His gaze settled on Yun Yun and Lyra.

“Just because the two of you have great magical potential doesn’t mean you possess everything that is truly required.”

A slight smile appeared on his face.

“But Rowan has already written quite a lot about all of you.”

Lyra immediately looked up with curiosity.

“What exactly did he write?”

Gareth grinned.

“You can ask him yourself next time.”

Lyra immediately looked offended and began writing in her diary with noticeably more force.

Gareth couldn’t help but laugh.

His expression grew serious again.

“Still, I’d rather form my own opinion.”

He turned toward the door.

“Come with me.”

His cloak shifted slightly as he began to walk.

“Then let’s see...”

He glanced back over his shoulder at the three children.

“...whether there’s really any potential in you.”

The three exchanged a brief look.

Then they rose from their seats together.

And left the waiting room side by side.

Ready for their first real test.