Adventurer of Many Professions

Inside the house.

Sylph sat awkwardly on a chair at the guest table, fidgeting slightly. Across from her, Raymond and Arya sat side by side, making her even more uneasy.

Raymond, noticing her discomfort, found it amusing. However, Arya shot him a sharp glare, immediately wiping the smirk off his face. He adjusted his posture, but couldn't help silently thinking to himself, 'Well, at least it seems my "cure" for her tsundere tendencies is working. She's already acting a lot more direct.'

Sylph, on the other hand, was far more distracted by the interactions between Raymond and Arya. Their familiarity with each other sparked a burning curiosity in her. Finally, unable to hold it in any longer, she blurted out:

"Um… Raymond, who is she?"

"Huh?" Raymond blinked, surprised. "You didn't introduce yourselves earlier?"

Sylph shook her head. Clearly, there hadn't been much of an exchange outside.

Raymond cleared his throat, gesturing toward Sylph. "Arya, this is Sylph, the magician teammate I told you about before."

Arya nodded politely, already piecing things together from what she'd overheard outside.

Raymond turned to Sylph. "And Sylph, this is Arya. She's… a relative of mine."

"Relative?" Sylph's eyes lit up with interest. "Oh! Is she your sister?"

Before Raymond could respond, Arya immediately interjected, "Not his sister!"

"Not your sister?" Sylph tilted her head, looking confused. "Then… what is she?"

Arya's face flushed slightly as she stumbled over her words. "I… we… uh…"

Raymond stepped in, trying to defuse the growing awkwardness. "She's not technically a relative, but we've been through a lot together, and we consider each other family."

"Oh, I see." Sylph nodded slowly, though her gaze darted between Raymond and Arya with growing suspicion. After a moment, she leaned forward and asked slyly, "So, if she's not your sister… is she your fiancée or something?"

Raymond nearly choked. "What?!"

Arya's face turned bright red, and she quickly looked down at her lap, saying nothing.

Raymond sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Sylph, did you come all the way here just to interrogate me about Arya?"

Sylph flinched at his question. "Of course not!"

"Then why are you here?" Raymond pressed, his tone sharper now.

Caught off guard, Sylph hesitated for a moment before regaining her composure. "I'm here because we haven't done any missions in over ten days!" she said, sitting up straight. "We need to get back to work. If we stay idle for too long, we'll lose our edge. How do you expect us to handle the promotion mission if we've gotten rusty?"

Raymond was about to respond, but Arya suddenly turned her head toward him, her eyes narrowing.

Sylph's words sparked a realization in Arya's mind. Just a few days ago, Raymond had returned from a mission. She remembered noticing the scratches on his armor and thought nothing of it at the time. But now, hearing Sylph say they hadn't taken any missions together for over ten days, it became clear: Raymond had gone on a mission alone.

"Uh…" Raymond felt Arya's gaze bore into him. He avoided eye contact, scratching the back of his neck as he turned back to Sylph. "So… you're worried about being out of practice. Makes sense. How about this, we'll pick up a mission tomorrow. I have some other things to take care of today."

Sylph's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Other things?"

Her attention shifted to the long sword strapped to Raymond's back. She had noticed it earlier when he arrived, and now that they were inside, she couldn't ignore it.

"Raymond, why are you carrying a long sword?" she asked, pointing at it. "And not just any sword, a heavy one like warriors use."

Raymond hesitated, his brain scrambling for an excuse.

Sylph crossed her arms, her tone growing sharper. "You're a fighter, aren't you? What do you need a warrior's sword for? Those things are heavy. Anyone without the strength of a warrior would get exhausted after just a few swings!"

Arya, sensing the tension, stayed quiet but kept her gaze fixed on Raymond, clearly curious about his answer as well.

"Uh… well," Raymond began awkwardly, "I, uh, thought I'd try something different. You know… diversify my combat skills."

Sylph raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Diversify? By carrying a sword that doesn't suit your class? That doesn't make any sense."

Raymond sighed, realizing there was no easy way out of this conversation. "Look, I'll explain everything later. Just trust me for now, okay?"

Sylph frowned but reluctantly nodded. Arya, however, remained silent, her eyes full of questions she hadn't yet asked.

Raymond leaned back in his chair, feeling the weight of their stares. 'This is going to be a long day,' he thought.

Seeing Sylph's gaze fixate on the long sword strapped to his back, Raymond sighed internally. 'Why not just tell her?' He had always planned to reveal his Warrior profession to protect her and Lorene anyway, so there was no reason to keep it a secret now.

"I awakened the 'Warrior' profession last night," Raymond said calmly. "That's why I need to practice today."

Sylph blinked, stunned. "Raymond, are you... joking?"

Raymond rolled his eyes. "Do I 'look' like the type to joke about something like this?" To prove his point, he raised his right hand, revealing the Warrior emblem etched into his skin.

The sight of the emblem wiped away any doubts from Sylph's mind, but it left her even more shocked.

"You're serious..." she murmured, feeling a little dizzy.

Dual-profession awakeners were practically myths, things you read about in books but never expected to see in real life. Yet, here was Raymond, her own teammate, casually revealing that he was one of them.

And this wasn't just any teammate. Raymond was already unnervingly talented, and now he was a dual-profession awakener?

Sylph felt her self-confidence take a hit. She had always prided herself on being an Explosion Mage, a rare and powerful path. Before, she could at least comfort herself by thinking she wasn't far behind Raymond in skill. But now? The gap seemed insurmountable.

'Wait… if Raymond is this talented, maybe teaming up with him wasn't just random luck. Maybe I'm the one benefitting here...'

This realization made her expression shift into something complicated; part shock, part amusement.

Knock, knock, knock!

Raymond rapped his knuckles on the table, snapping Sylph out of her thoughts.

"Are you even listening?" he asked with a slight smirk. "We'll take on a mission tomorrow. First, we'll visit the temple to see Lorene and check if she can join us. Oh, and keep this to yourself, don't go spreading the news about me being a Warrior."

"Got it! Don't worry, I won't tell anyone!" Sylph promised, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

A moment later, she left the house, practically skipping with glee, her expression betraying how thrilled she was to have such a gifted teammate.

Watching her leave, Arya chuckled. "She's pretty cute, isn't she?"

Raymond gave her a knowing look. 'Cute? That's because you haven't dealt with her tsundere personality before…'

Arya leaned forward slightly, her eyes narrowing. "By the way, how did you two meet? And why didn't you tell me your magician teammate was such a 'pretty girl'?"

"Uh… well, let me explain…" Raymond rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

He went on to recount how he'd first met Sylph, their initial encounters, and how they ended up working on a mission together.

Arya listened quietly, her expression turning thoughtful. "So, let me get this straight, Sylph basically pestered you until you gave in, and that's how you ended up forming a team with her?"

"Exactly," Raymond replied, shaking his head helplessly. "But honestly, if she hadn't insisted on joining me in the sewers to deal with the mutant rats, I might not have made it back alive."

He paused, his tone turning serious. "If I'd gone in alone and faced that giant mutant rat, I probably would've ended up like the dead swordsman we found."

Arya nodded solemnly. "I see. So in the end, it worked out." Then her eyes brightened, and she grinned. "Still, I didn't expect her to be an Explosion Mage! That's incredible!"

Even Arya had heard of Explosion Mages, they were famous for their raw, devastating power, though notoriously hard to control.

She tilted her head, her expression turning stern. "But since you promised her a mission, you can't go sneaking off to do one alone again!"

Raymond winced at her tone, but her glare made it clear she wasn't joking. Reluctantly, he nodded. "Fine, I won't."

Arya's expression immediately softened, a satisfied smile replacing her earlier scowl. "Good."

But beneath her calm exterior, Arya felt a flicker of happiness knowing Raymond had chosen to go alone rather than with Sylph.

'Not for long,' she thought. In less than a month, she would turn fifteen, the age at which she could awaken her profession. Once that happened, she could finally join Raymond on missions herself.

The thought made her heart race with anticipation. She couldn't wait to stand by his side, not just as someone watching from the sidelines, but as his equal in the field.