While I was in the queue, I noticed that the people on my line handed over a silver and a yellow card to the uniformed guy. I could see what was written on them. They were IDs. Specifically, the silver card was the Citizenship ID of Orario, while the yellow one was the Adventurer's card. There were more kinds of cards, but I didn't bother looking at them.
When I discovered this, I knew I was in the wrong line. I looked at the other queue and saw that they were only handing over money, which must have been the entrance fee.
Seeing this, I decisively left the queue and went to the other one. The one handling this queue was a cute elf girl. She had shoulder-length silver hair, a slim figure, and was wearing the guild's uniform, consisting of black attire.
A while later, my turn arrived.
The elf girl smiled at me. "Welcome to Orario, I'm Sophie. Please put your hand on the magic item over there. That magic item will determine if you're a criminal or not. Once you're cleared, pay the entrance fee—which is 300 valis—and you can enter the city."
I followed her instructions and placed my hand on the magic item in question—a crystal ball.
Upon contact, the crystal ball glowed green.
"You're cleared. You can now fill out this document, pay the entrance fee, and you may go," Sophie said, taking out a document and a pen that seemed too advanced for this era. That pen could only be seen in the modern era on Earth.
I took the pen without saying anything and started filling out the document.
It was asking for info such as name, age, address, and a couple more things relevant to the record, like whether I was in a familia, my purpose in the city, and other details, which I answered honestly while avoiding revealing too much.
While I was filling it out, I noticed Sophie sneaking glances at me, curiosity in her eyes.
"What's the matter?" I asked without looking away from the document.
"Can I take your number?" Sophie asked, pulling a smartphone from her pocket.
When I saw the phone, I paused and looked at it strangely.
"What is that?" I asked, incredulous.
"You haven't seen this magic item yet?" Sophie looked surprised.
"I was living in the mountains my whole life. This is my first time visiting a town. I've never seen one until today." Of course, that was a lie.
Sophie nodded in understanding. "That explains a lot. I'll get your number when you know what a smartphone is."
I looked at her, wanting to say something, but held my tongue for now. I'd ask her later—if I managed to catch her interest. This wasn't the right time for that.
A couple of minutes later, I finished filling out the document, handed it to Sophie, and paid the entrance fee at the same time.
Sophie flashed me a bright smile. "Welcome to Orario, Mr. John." Then she smiled again, even brighter.
"Thank you. See you later, Miss Sophie." I waved goodbye.
Sophie smiled and waved her hand in response.
A few minutes ago…
"It's getting dark," Sophie thought, looking at the distant horizon.
She sighed. "I hate the night shift, especially at the gate."
Her colleague sighed too and snuck a peek at the elf, debating in his mind whether or not to confess to her. Even though her beauty couldn't compare to that of the goddesses, she was still quite beautiful by mortal standards.
A few minutes later, a crowd of people came into view and approached their booth.
Sophie's relaxed demeanor shifted into a professional temperament. Her colleague also turned serious.
Sophie was busily processing documents, and after handling several, she called out for the next one.
"Next," she shouted without looking up. But when she did, she paused.
In front of her was a tall and handsome man. Sophie was already used to seeing handsome men thanks to her profession, constantly interacting with gods of exceptional looks—she had grown immune to their charm. But today, that immunity wasn't working. The man before her was more handsome than any god she had seen.
He wore a white robe and held a beautiful black staff. His black hair danced in the wind, his white bandana fluttered along with it, and his blue eyes were sharp. He stood tall—around 7 feet (213.36 cm)—and carried himself with a relaxed, carefree air.
As she observed him, she noticed something strange. She couldn't sense any presence from him—as if he didn't exist. If she hadn't seen him with her own eyes, she wouldn't have noticed him at all.
'What a weird guy... and a dangerous one too,' she thought. Normally, she'd be on guard against people with no presence. Most of them had concealment skills and were often assassins. But thanks to her elven intuition to sense someone's true nature, she stayed calm. Her intuition was telling her the man in front of her wasn't evil.
'He's got good looks, but unfortunately, his non-existent presence hides it. If not, he would've become the center of attention.' While thinking that, she looked around and noticed that no one else saw the man in front of her—like he didn't exist.
Sophie shook her head, tossing those thoughts away, and refocused on her job. However, from time to time, she'd sneak glances to make sure he was still there.
The few people who noticed were confused. The elf girl was talking to thin air. Was she going crazy? 'What a shame. A beauty gone mad,' they thought.
Not far away…
"What is she doing talking to air?" one guard asked his friend in a quiet voice.
"I don't know, but for your sake, don't offend her."
"Why? Is she that scary?"
"I'd rather not talk about it."
'After all… that is the Ice Witch,' the guard thought quietly, recalling the figure from a memory several decades old. Only the older generation know her.
Sophie continued talking with the man, ignoring the few stares focused on her. She said her usual lines, then spoke with him casually, getting his name in the process.
"Mr. John, are you planning to become an adventurer?" Sophie asked.
"No, Miss Sophie," John replied.
"What's with that bandana? Is it for aesthetics or something else?" Sophie asked curiously.
John smiled gently. "For aesthetics."
They chatted for a while, and once the documents were ready and John paid the fee, they said their goodbyes and parted ways.
With a smile, Sophie absentmindedly stared at the door where John had disappeared. No one knew what she was thinking, but one thing was certain—everyone nearby was mesmerized by her smile.
And no one noticed John's entrance—not even the adventurers.
Except for the elf girl, whose true identity was only known by the older generation.