Unleash the Chuunibyou!

Chapter 10: Algus

Saying that the guards were surprised when Buru rolled up to the city gates would be an understatement as they must have thought that a monster or something similar was approaching them. Though when they gathered to fight off the threat to the city, all of them were surprised when Buru suddenly turned at the last minute and the back opened up so that Hani and the mercenary, who Fumiko still didn't know the name of, could climb out of the back. And when they appeared, she had to stop herself from laughing at the guards, especially when she exited as well and Buru disappeared behind her as it turned into an anklet that flew through the air until it attached itself to her leg where it would wait until she needed it again.

"Sorry for the trouble, but I need to get this man to the chapel!" Hani called out as soon as she was outside. "He has wounds from a sabre cat and he's growing sick!"

Following the woman, Fumiko had also known that the man was getting sick but could do nothing about it. After all, she was a witch who specialized in destruction and seeking answers through the void of the abyss, not healing. And while she didn't know if she could heal or not, she knew for a fact that she would only ever try during an emergency. And as to why this was... well... she guessed that one could say that using her overwhelming power to heal was against her religion... Yes, it was a stupid reason, but it was hers! She was a witch, not a priestess!

"You guys... are with the mercenaries that left here last month, aren't you?" One of the guards asked. "Where are the others?"

"They didn't make it." Hani replied with a low tone before getting back to business. "But I might be able to save this one if we get him to a healer!"

"Right, both of you have already been cleared once, so go ahead and come on it." The guard replied. "Is the little girl with you?"

"Yes, she is." Hani replied immediately, making Fumiko pout as the woman had ruined her chance for an introduction. However, she didn't let it bother her too much as they were allowed to enter the city and she couldn't help but smile as she walked into a scene that she'd always dreamed about. The log houses were large yet tightly packed together in order to allow as much room as possible, the sound of several different kinds of craftsmen working along with conversations filled the air and, somewhere, she could clearly smell that someone was baking fresh bread and possibly cooking sausages as well. And on that note...

"Ah, food..." Hani commented, and Fumiko couldn't help but agree as both of their stomachs rumbled together this time. "Fumiko, I'm going to drop this guy off at the chapel and then we can go and get something to eat, alright?"

"Yeah, sure thing!" Fumiko agreed immediately before she followed the woman down several streets before they finally made it to the city's chapel. However, she didn't plan on actually going inside seeing as she firmly believed that her corrupted self wouldn't be allowed, and thus she sat on a bench outside while taking out her Arcane Codex while she waited. And while she still had a bunch of things to catch up on, this time she went back to the 'World Information' bookmark and waited as the pages flipped. And when they finally stopped, she began to search for any jobs where she'd be able to work while still following her passion before she finally spotted a word that made her stop on it.

Adventurer

Slaying monsters, exploring new regions and accepting contracts in order to help people all while being able to keep her image and act as she wanted to. It sounded perfect, and best of all, adventurers from the Adventurers Guild operated all over the continent with the main branch being at Citadel, which was a massive city which resided at the very center of the continent where all five territories met. Though seeing as there were supposedly branches of the Adventurers Guild in almost every city, Fumiko was excited about finding the one in Algus so that she could join them. Though, she only hoped that they would accept people as young as she was.

"Miss, are you here by yourself?" A kind voice asked, and Fumiko looked up to see that she'd been approached by a female guard while she'd been reading. And while she was dressed in chain mail armor and had the same orange and yellow tabard that all of the other guards were wearing, she also had a strange badge pinned to her left shoulder which Fumiko guessed meant that the woman held a higher rank than the others or something. "Did you lose your parents?"

"No, I'm here alone and am just waiting for a friend who had business inside of the temple." Fumiko replied. "Thank you for the help, but I don't need it."

"Then do you mind if I sit here with you until your friend comes back?" She persisted, and Fumiko's eye twitched as she knew what the woman was doing.

"I'm really not lost, honest!" She protested though it seemed that her words weren't going to get through to the woman. But before the guard could even sit down, Hani thankfully reappeared while running down to steps.

"Fumino... You're already getting yourself into trouble, aren't you?" Hani asked as soon as she reached them.

"Are you this child's guardian?" The guard suddenly interrupted before Fumiko could reply. "No, even if you're not, you should know better than to leave her out here on her own unattended in a city that she's never been here before. You need to keep a better eye out."

"But uh... she-"

"No buts. If I see her out here alone again, I'll have her wait for you at the guard barracks and you'll be fined for negligence." The guard scolded.

"But I never met this girl until the day before yesterday." Hani defended herself.

"Then where are her parents?" The guard continued.

"A being from the abyss like myself has no need for such things!" Fumiko, finally tired of being ignored, interrupted them. "Now please, Ms. Guard, I want directions to Algus's Adventurers Guild Branch please. Either that, or the best restaurant in the city!"

"Y-you... Do you need to make a request from the guild?" The guard asked in shock as she apparently must not have expected the outburst.

"Of course not!" Fumiko answered with a fierce smile. "I plan to join them!"