Chapter 23

  I knocked softly on the clinic door where Healer Leah had her office. My palms were sweating despite the cool morning air, and I had to wipe them on my dress twice before the door opened.

  “Come in." Leah's voice was warm as always, but there was something different in her expression. More formal, maybe. I am not sure.

  I stepped inside and immediately froze.

  There was someone else in the room—a middle-aged man with graying red hair and sharp green eyes. He wore the dark blue robes of the Crown Guild, the silver insignia on his chest.

  My heart hammered against my ribs for a moment before I forced myself to breathe.

  "Vera, this is Nicholaus," Leah said, closing the door behind me. "He's the branch head for the Crown Guild here in Oakenford."

  The man stood up from his chair, offering a polite smile. "Miss Vera. I've been hoping to speak with you."

  I took a deep breath, steadying myself. "Nice to meet you."

  "Please, sit," Nicholaus gestured to a chair across from his desk. His voice was calm, professional. "I know this might seem overwhelming after what you've been through, but we need to discuss your registration with the guild."

  I sat down, keeping my hands relaxed in my lap. "Registration?"

  "Standard procedure for anyone with magical abilities," he explained, settling back into his own chair. "Especially after the... incident that occurred during your journey here."

  "I understand you're a tamer?" Nicholaus continued, his green eyes studying my face. "That's quite rare. We don't see many people with your particular gifts."

  "Yes,"

  "Your monsters showed remarkable loyalty during the bandit attack. Two Great Wolves and stone golems, from what the survivors described. That level of bonding usually takes years to develop."

  I nodded. "I've always had a natural connection with creatures."

  "Where did you learn to develop these abilities?" His tone was conversational, but I could sense the importance of the question.

  "My hometown," I said calmly. "It was isolated. We didn't have formal training, just passed down knowledge through families."

  "And where was this hometown?"

  "North of here. A small settlement." I kept my voice steady. "It was destroyed by raiders several years ago. That's why I was traveling south."

  Nicholaus made a note on his parchment. "I'm sorry for your loss. And your family? Other tamers in your bloodline?"

  "All gone." I let a hint of sadness creep into my voice. "I'm the last one."

  "That must be difficult." His expression softened. "Leah mentioned you've been struggling with what happened to your traveling companions."

  I nodded, finding it easier to show genuine emotion about that.

  "The basilisk that appeared during the attack," Nicholaus said carefully. "Did you see where it came from? Any idea why it chose that particular moment to strike?"

  "I was knocked unconscious early in the fight," I said, meeting his eyes steadily. "By the time I came to, the basilisk was already there. I assumed it was drawn by the noise and scent of blood."

  "Basilisks are territorial creatures. They rarely leave their lairs unless something drives them out." He tapped his quill thoughtfully. "But you're right—the commotion might have attracted it."

  I remained silent, letting him draw his own conclusions.

  "Your Great Wolf…he's quite impressive. D-rank, possibly pushing into C-rank territory given his size and intelligence."

  "He's been with me a long time," I said. "We understand each other."

  "Most tamers work their way up gradually. Start with smaller creatures. Building that kind of bond with multiple D-rank monsters suggests exceptional natural talent."

  I shrugged. "Like I said, it's always come naturally to me."

  "What's your current level?"

  Level? I blinked, genuinely surprised. So other people could see their levels too? I'd thought that was something unique to me, part of my weird isekai system. Guess I was wrong.

  For a moment, I considered lying, perhaps saying I was lower, maybe level 10 or 11. But what would be the point? Lower levels might make me seem less threatening, but they'd also make my abilities look even more suspicious. Plus, if they had ways to test for levels...

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  "Seventeen…" I said carefully.

  He looked at me for a moment, then nodded.

  "We tested you while you were unconscious… Its standard procedure for unregistered individuals.”

  Relief flooded through me. I'd made the right choice being truthful. Getting caught in a lie right off the bat would have destroyed any trust I was trying to build.

  "That's quite typical for someone of your apparent abilities, though most tamers advance more slowly due to the nature of their abilities."

  Interesting. So levels were just a normal part of this world. That actually made things easier—one less thing I had to pretend not to understand.

  "Vera, I'm going to be direct with you. Your abilities are impressive, especially for someone without formal training."

  I waited, keeping my expression neutral.

  "There are protocols we need to follow for registration. Documentation of your abilities, establishment of records. Standard procedure for all mages."

  I swallowed hard. "And if I refuse?"

  "I'd strongly advise against that." His tone remained friendly, but there was steel underneath. "Unregistered magic use is illegal in all five kingdoms. The penalties can be... severe."

  "I understand," I said calmly. "What do you need from me?"

  "Cooperation, mainly. Full disclosure about your abilities so we can properly classify and register you."

  "Then let's get started," I said.

  =====

  I collapsed onto the narrow bed in my small inn room, every muscle in my body aching from the afternoon's ordeal. The registration process had dragged on for hours—endless questions, forms to sign, magical signature recordings that left me drained.

  Unlike in fiction, registering was a long and arduous process in real life.

  But it was done. I was now officially registered with the Crown Guild as a D-rank tamer. The identification papers sat on the small wooden table, proof that I existed in this world's bureaucracy.

  The room was simple but clean—a bed, a table, a washbasin, and a small window that looked out over the street.

  I pulled out the small pouch of coins Jorik had pressed into my hands earlier. He'd found work at the market, hauling goods for merchants and doing odd jobs. The pay wasn't much, but it was honest work that kept his hands busy and his mind occupied.

  I'd tried to refuse but he insisted and there was nothing much I could do after that.

  Anyways, three days ago, as I fully healed from the injuries I sustained from the basilisk, I couldn’t stay anymore in the clinic, so I opted to stay in an inn from then.

  Thankfully, the Crown Guild would cover my accommodation for two more days—standard procedure for refugees registering their abilities. After that, I was on my own.

  Nicholaus had been clear about that.

  I stared up at the wooden ceiling, my mind racing.

  Back home, I'd lived paycheck to paycheck doing web design, so there was nothing much that changed.

  The guilt was still there, gnawing at me like a constant ache. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw their faces—Senna, Henrik, Marta. All the people I'd failed to save. All the lives lost because of my monster.

  But wallowing in guilt wouldn't pay for food or shelter. It wouldn't help Emil recover or keep Jorik from working himself to exhaustion. I couldn't afford to fall apart when people were depending on me.

  Guess I'm becoming an adventurer…

  Back home, I'd dreamed about exactly this, being transported to a fantasy world, going on adventures, fighting monsters.

  And nothing had changed, I still wanted to. Now that it was actually happening, recent events made me realize how fantasy was different from reality.

  I pulled up my status screen, something I'd been checking more frequently these past few days. The familiar blue window materialized in front of me.

  Before we'd hit the road to Oakenford, I'd been level 13. Now I was level 21. ..

  When I woke up a week ago, I'd been level 17, and now.

  Level: 21

  My stomach dropped.

  At first, I was just confused. I mean, I hadn't exactly been out there fighting monsters or gaining experience. Then it hit me.

  The basilisk.

  Did this mean that even while staying neutral, I could gain experience from the monsters I created? I stared at the glowing numbers, realizing how broken my skill really was.

  Then came the dread. Those levels…they came from things the basilisk had killed. And that included innocent people.

  I wanted to throw up. The dread sat in my stomach like a lead.

  I'd heard the news around town, adventurers going missing, trade caravans found destroyed on the eastern roads. Each time, I'd felt that distant pulse through our connection. My monster, my creation, adding to its body count.

  And I was getting stronger because of it.

  The thought made me sick. I was literally leveling up from the deaths of innocent people. People who'd probably had families, dreams, lives they'd wanted to live. All of it cut short by something I'd unleashed.

  I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to block out the images flashing through my mind. But they wouldn't stop coming.

  God, what kind of monster am I?

  Back home, gaining levels in video games had been exciting. A reward for progress, for overcoming challenges. Here? Here it felt like blood money. Currency paid in lives I should have protected.

  I dismissed the screen with shaking hands and stumbled toward the washbasin, splashing cold water on my face. The reflection staring back at me looked pale, haunted.

  This had to stop. Somehow, I had to find a way to end this.

  But how?

  I had no answer.

  All I could for now is to wait. To earn more wild charges, to get stronger. To stop my creation.

  I walked over to the window. The inn's back courtyard was visible from here, a small patch of packed earth surrounded by a low wooden fence.

  That's where Nox and Fei were.

  The innkeeper, a stout woman named Margot, had been surprisingly understanding when I'd explained my situation. "Monsters, eh?" she'd said, looking me up and down with shrewd eyes. "Well, as long as they don't eat my chickens or scare off the paying customers, I suppose they can stay in the back. But you're responsible for any damage, girl."

  They'd been patient these past few days, staying quiet and out of sight while I dealt with the registration process. But I could tell they were getting restless. Monsters weren't meant to be cooped up in tiny courtyards.

  That I know…