Rayne was silent on the way to the Academy, and on the way home. Not because of his ongoing feud with Issa, but due to the events of the day. The commission had been dangerous from the start, but they had naively believed that, with the strength of the three of them, they’d be fine. That assumption had nearly gotten Syra killed, and only a stroke of good fortune had prevented him from joining her on the healer’s bed.

  Cooking dinner was a quiet affair, with Issa burying herself in her books as had been her habit ever since their fight. Even as he ladled soup into the bowls, Rayne found himself grappling with his thoughts. What if he had not been able to avoid the hobgoblin’s attack? What if their ambush had failed? What if Leon had been a slightly less competent adventurer, and lost his duel with the hobgoblin? Did he have the strength to survive if any of those scenarios had come to pass?

  The questions tormented him, and he picked at his soup half-heartedly, bringing the spoon to his mouth only when he remembered that he was supposed to be eating.

  Across the table, he could vaguely feel Issa studying him, but she stayed silent. Paying her no mind, Rayne stirred his soup, seeking answers in its vegetable-laden depths.

  Only after five minutes had passed without him taking a bite did Issa act, putting down her book and staring pointedly across the table at him. “What’s up?”

  “Hm?” Broken from his thoughts by her question, Rayne blinked, then refocused his eyes to glance at her. “Ah, sorry. Just distracted.”

  Folding her hands beneath her chin, Issa rested upon them as she gazed at her brother. “Distracted by what?” Then her gaze turned sharp. “Did something happen today?”

  Rather than answer, Rayne went silent once more, doing his best to figure out what to say before he said it.

  “I’m sorry,” he said at last.

  Issa blinked, apparently taken aback by his sudden apology, but Rayne wasn’t done. “I know that you’re only worried about me. And you’re right that adventuring is dangerous. I should have told you and included you in my decision.”

  Suddenly, the realization of just why she was so angry suddenly dawned on him, and he hung his head in shame. It was not just him becoming an adventurer that had brought her wrath down upon him, but an even greater betrayal.

  For a few seconds, he was silent as he grasped for the words he was looking for. Rather than speak, Issa seemed to realize that there was more to come, for she stayed silent as well.

  At last, Rayne was ready, and he gave her a sorrowful look as he began. “We’re a team, but I haven’t been treating you like a teammate. I should have come to you the moment I found out about the tuition hike, and I shouldn’t have hidden the fact that I became an adventurer.” He bowed his head in apology. “For all of that, I’m sorry.”

  Despite her clear shock, Issa recovered quickly. With a demure look, she nodded, a little stiffly but nevertheless. “Thank you. And I’m sorry too. I was so worried when I discovered that you had become an adventurer that I lost my cool.” She cringed as the memory washed over her. “Which is the nice way of saying that I lost my senses in the middle of a crowded street. Oh gods, I’m so embarrassed.”

  Rayne grinned weakly. “I guess we both messed up, eh?”

  With a small laugh, Issa returned his grin. “I guess so.” Then she turned pensive. “I suppose the question is, where do we go from here?”

  A sigh escaped Rayne’s mouth. “It’s going to be tough. But I’m going to fully follow through on your idea from the other day. Adventuring is dangerous, and I can’t approach it half-heartedly. I’ve started training, but I need to invest in better gear, and I need to have my mana unlocked. The only problem is that all of that costs money. And a lot of it. However, it’s something I need to do. It’s too risky otherwise.”

  Issa nodded, a gentle look creasing her features. “What happened today, Rayne?” Reaching across the table, she put a hand on his forearm. “Not that I’m not happy to hear you’re taking my words to heart, but it’s clear to me that something occurred today to cause this shift in your thinking. Would I be correct in saying that?”

  “Yes,” Rayne said heavily. Taking a second to organize his thoughts, he began to recount the events of the day.

  To his sister’s credit, she did not interrupt him at any point. For the most part, she reacted very little, only nodding and tilting her head slightly to indicate when he needed to elaborate. When he reached the hobgoblin’s dispatching of Syra, however, she gasped, both hands flying to her mouth in shock.

  “Is she all right?” Issa asked hurriedly.

  Rayne nodded. “Thankfully, yes. Our companion carried her back to the city on his back, and we got her to the healer. It will cost her a good portion of her earnings, but she’ll be back on her feet in no time.”

  Letting out a relieved exhale, Issa looked towards the window. “That’s good then. Syra…” she played with the name on her tongue. “Is that the Katiine I saw with you that day?”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Yeah, that’s her,” Rayne acknowledged. “She’s my adventuring partner. We met during initiation, and then formed a party not long after.”

  “Well, I’m glad to hear she’s all right at least.” With a conflicted look, Issa stared at him. “Still, I can see why this experience has you scared. You almost died, Rayne!”

  “I know. Hence my apology and decision to do better going forward,” Rayne replied, a slight edge to his tone as he warned her not to push too hard.

  Wearing a dubious expression, Issa shifted in her seat. “Alright… Well, since we’re working together again, what’s your plan?”

  “I need to pay for proper armor, a decent weapon, and to have my mana unlocked,” Rayne replied, listing the items off on his fingers. “On top of that, I also need to acquire the eight gold for your tuition and continue paying rent and groceries. All told, it’s going to add up to a pretty little sum. Thankfully, adventuring makes a lot more than clerking does, but the investment is no joke.”

  “How much will the mana unlocking and new gear cost?” Issa asked, leaning forward to better study his expression.

  Frowning, Rayne ran the numbers in his head. “From what I’ve gathered, unlocking mana through the adventurer’s guild costs fifty silver. But there’s also a two gold penalty if I can’t make it to the silver-tier as an adventurer in a year. That’s not something we really need to worry about right now, but it is a consideration should I fail to make any headway in my new career. As for the gear…” He scratched his cheek, feeling the day-old stubble that was beginning to sprout from his chin and surrounding areas. “That will depend on what I can find. I don’t intend to become a knight, but I would like armor that offers decent protection, so that means metal, which isn’t cheap.”

  Issa nodded emphatically. “Metal is a must. Are you sure you don’t want to be a knight?”

  Her eyes shone as she asked it, and Rayne gazed at her in amusement, his worries temporarily forgotten by her sudden enthusiasm.

  “No,” he replied, flicking her forehead lightly in order to make her back off, which she did with narrowed eyes as she clutched her brow. “But it will be metal of some sort. So likely in the one gold range for that. Perhaps a little cheaper if I can find something used, but that will require additional funds for tailoring so that it fits me. As for the weapon, I can probably get a decent blade for less than thirty silver. We’ll have to see.”

  “Which means you’re looking at anywhere between one and a half and two gold for the gear and mana unlocking all together,” Issa replied, adding the numbers together in an instant as she rubbed her forehead where he had flicked it. “Do we have that?”

  “I’ve got a little over that saved up,” Rayne responded. “It’s all set aside for your tuition right now, though.”

  She waved him off. “The tuition is unimportant right now. Like you said earlier, adventurers make good money. If you investing in yourself can lead to better jobs, the money will make its way back to us quickly. The only question is if you can earn enough to cover tuition before the deadline this fall.”

  Rayne let out a heavy sigh. “That’s the issue, yeah.”

  Issa seemed to ponder the situation for a moment, not responding, but not making any indication that he should continue either. For a minute, they both just sat there, Rayne’s soup forgotten as they each sought ways to overcome this challenge.

  It was Issa who spoke first, and she tilted her head slightly, in the way she did whenever she wanted his opinion on something. “What about new scholarships?”

  Picking up her cup, Issa cradled it in both hands as she headed towards the window, gazing out of it in the direction of the Noble District and the Academy.

  When Rayne did not respond, she glanced back over her shoulder at him. “While you’re correct that this is all likely a scheme to force commoners out of the Academy, that doesn’t mean that every noble or their associates have to be in on it. There are those who might be willing to help if we approach them in the right manner.” She paused. “Professor Iain and Professor Hanah are both quite fond of me. They might be able to give us leads on nobles or wealthy merchants who’d be willing to sponsor a new scholarship. Even if only for a single term or two.”

  For a moment, Rayne wanted to shake his head, his natural distrust of nobles telling him that it was a fool’s plan, but he restrained himself. Logically, Issa was correct. The nobles of Torid were not a monolith. There had to exist someone who disagreed with the plan to exclude commoners from the Academy. If they could track these people down and convince them, it was very possible that a handful of new scholarships would be created. And who else should benefit from these disbursements than the most brilliant student of her year?

  “It’s a good idea,” he said at last. “The only issue is that I have no access to any nobles. Especially now that I’ve left my clerk position.”

  “Leave that to me,” Issa replied, still gazing out the window with a hard expression. “I’ve done quite a bit of tutoring over the past few years, and built up some small relationships with a few families as a result. It’s not much, but I should be able to gain an audience with at least a few of them.”

  “You’ll want to try and figure out which families to meet before cashing in any favors,” Rayne cautioned. “Nobles might not forget a debt, but you don’t want to go barking up the wrong tree by mistake.”

  Issa nodded in reply. “I’ll use Professor Iain to help me with that. If he can point me in the right direction, then I can work on my classmates to discover the sympathetic families and go from there.”

  “Good call. While you’re doing that, I’ll see if there’s anyone in the guild with connections to nobility. Most of the noble adventurers are silver-tier at a minimum, but there should be a few with connections.”

  An image of Leon passed through his mind as he spoke, but Rayne dismissed it. As far as he could tell, Leon was disliked near universally in the adventurer’s guild. If his reputation in noble circles was anything like his reputation in the guild, then bringing up his name was more likely to be detrimental than helpful.

  “You do that,” Issa agreed, unaware of his thoughts. “But focus on adventuring. I don’t need you getting hurt or worse because you were trying to impress some noble’s bastard son.”

  With a chuckle, Rayne rose. “I’ll do my best.” Approaching her, he wrapped his sister in a hug. “I’m glad we’re talking again.”

  Eyes moist, Issa returned the hug, though she did not speak. Instead, she buried herself deeper in his embrace, as if afraid that the moment she stopped he would disappear forever.

  Holding her safe within his arms, Rayne could feel her trembling, and he gave her a reassuring squeeze. They were going to be fine. He would make sure of it.