Nobina and Her Strange Journey Through Another World

Nobina found herself leaving the café, satisfied yet worried about the upcoming decision. The offer of nobility wasn’t something Nobina saw as a clear-cut yes or no. There was a lot to consider when it came to being a noble. She might not have known how exactly the nobility worked in this world, but she did have an idea based on the knowledge she studied here and what she knew about nobility from the history of her own world.

The main concern out of all of this was being locked down to the territory she was in now. Her dream of being a writer wouldn’t be too hampered being stuck in Lord Kasanta’s territory, but the main concern came with the freedom she wanted to maintain.

“Meeting Fay will be much harder… I think.”

There was a chance it would actually make it easier to see her, but Nobina knew that minor nobles, which she likely would become, didn’t have that much influence. It’d likely be a case similar to Carina, where she would work for the guild yet have some noble authority under her belt. She wasn’t even sure about what family she’d be put under. She had doubts she’d get her own noble family at least.

“Is there really a good reason to become a noble? I think I have enough help to get me by…”

She continued to weigh the pros and cons of nobility until she eventually found herself back at the guild. At the entrance was Mimiki, who was talking with a group of adventurers. She was in her guild officer uniform and Nobina could tell she was on the clock based on how she was acting. Her ecstatic self was a reminder that she really did love helping adventurers above all else.

As she was talking, she eventually glanced over and saw Nobina, prompting her to invite her over.

“Nobina,” said Mimiki as Nobina joined the group. “I’ve been helping these adventurers get together a party and was going to search for a fourth person. However, would you like to join them?”

Nobina found herself excited about the prospect of going on an adventure and forgetting her current dilemma, but she knew how irresponsible it would be. She was tempted to leave Mimiki be and seek advice from someone else, but Mimiki was her only friend from her town. Not to mention that she trusted Mimiki probably the most out of everyone there.

“Unfortunately, I have something important I need to do,” said Nobina reluctantly. “I do need to ask you an important question, if you don’t mind stepping away.”

Mimiki turned to the group, who gave them a reassuring nod.

“I’m good to talk, said Mimiki.

The two of them found a quiet room on the first floor of the guild. Once they locked the door, Nobina began telling Mimiki about everything that had happened so far, eventually leading to the question she was asking herself.

“Do you think I should become a noble or should I remain a normal commoner.”

“Commoner,” Mimiki answered immediately, surprising Nobina. “Honestly, I don’t think you need the title of nobility Nobina. It has its benefits, but the main thing to be concern with are the cons. You’d be in the service of Lord Kasanta for the rest of your life or until you somehow leave the nobility. You’d no longer be a part of our family as well, which would honestly be sad. Unless… you really want to try to go at it on your own.”

“Of course not,” said Nobina, shocked at what Mimiki said at the end. “I’d never want to abandon you guys. All of you are my friends and I wouldn’t give it up to be nobility.”

“Then that’s your answer,” nodded Mimiki.

With that, Nobina thanked Mimiki, who left shortly after, leaving Nobina alone in the room. As she stood there, doubt began to creep back in in regard to her answer.

“Is… the answer really just… no?”

She didn’t want to doubt Mimiki’s answer, but she had every reason to want Nobina to stay a commoner. It would allow them to stay together, and it didn’t really matter what benefits came with nobility. Nobina wanted to believe Mimiki would have been willing to change her answer if it was in Nobina’s best interest, but it was hard to believe that completely.

“I should… get more opinions,” Nobina told herself.

Nobina left the room and headed to the second floor. She contemplated going into the financial room but decided not to do that until she had her answer. Instead, she found herself knocking on the office room of Guild Master Aunai.

“Come in,” she called, prompting Nobina to enter.

When Nobina was inside, she was surprised to see how messy Aunai’s room was compared to Eric’s. Books were scattered everywhere. There were all sorts of decorations that didn’t fit the aesthetics of the room as well. The main thing that drew her attention was Lila, who was lying on the sofa, reading a book.

“Lila?” said Nobina, surprised to see her there.

“Ah,” said Lila, fumbling the book, causing it to fall on her face.

She quickly got it off and set it to the side, getting up and trying to make herself presentable.

“Oh Nobina,” she said, trying to play it cool. “What brings you here?”

“I had an important question to ask Aunai, but I guess you can hear it too,” Nobina replied back.

Aunai had a curious glance as she watched Nobina sit down to the sofa across from Lila. She took a deep breath before speaking.

“Ok… so… I was offered the position of nobility. Do you two know any reason why I would accept or decline it?”

Hearing that, Lila nodded her head.

“Easy! Accept it,” said Lila with absolute confidence.

Nobina was curious as to the reason she told her to accept it, but soon she regretted even entertaining it.

“If you become a noble, then you’ll have access to Lord Kasanta’s guards, and you can have a three versus one with me! It’d totally be awesome.”

Both Nobina and Aunai found themselves dumbfounded by the line of logic that Lila came up with. As both of them stared, Lila soon found herself confused by the expression.

“What? Is there something I missed? Does Lord Kasanta have some legendary weapon she can use?”

“No,” said Aunai. “Lila. Please go ahead and help out downstairs. Breaks over.”

“Alrighty!” said Lila joyously. As soon as she was gone, Nobina saw that Aunai was shaking her head.

“I’m sorry Lila gave you such an unserious answer to your question Nobina. Truth be told, she is right though. You really should consider accepting the position,” she smiled.

“Oh? Why is that?” asked Nobina, curious about Aunai’s reasoning.

“You might not know this, but the position of a noble is one that cannot be earned unless you have the status to support it. Luckily, you have the title of Hero of Agora, which is a part of Lord Kasanta’s territory. He might allow you to stay in Agora if you’re lucky.”

Nobina was aware that Agora was in Lord Kasanta’s territory, but it was at the very edge of it. There was doubt in her mind that he’d allow any nobility under his command to be in such a risky spot since Agora was close to Lord Gensura’s territory. It was well known that neither of them liked each other.

“Isn’t it likely that he keeps me close?” asked Nobina. “I don’t think he’d allow me to stay in Agora if he is willing to making me a noble in general.”

Aunai gave a nod.

“It is true that there’s no guarantee that you’re allowed back to Agora. You might be stuck here in Navira considering your value. However, if you work diligently enough, you might gain the influence to accomplish your goal of meeting Fay.”

Hearing that, Nobina asked her to clarify what she meant by that.

Aunai began explaining how there was a path she envisioned Nobina taking that would lead Fay directly to her. If Nobina grew her noble influence enough, and with Aunai’s support, she could put in a direct request through the guild to get Fay to come to Navira. Of course, if Fay was out of the nation or had a status of S-rank, things would be complicated. However, it was a better chance than Aunai trying to get Fay over with the just her own influence.

“It’s all a possibility, but nothing is certain though,” said Aunai, putting doubt into her grand plan. “The point I’m trying to make is nobility comes with a lot of influence. For someone who wants to be a writer, I’m sure you’d love the free time. No needing to worry about working in the guild as the noble family and guild supports you.”

“Wouldn’t my situation be similar to Carina?” asked Nobina.

The mention of her name caused Aunai to freeze.

“She mentioned this plan to you, right? Asked Aunai.

When Nobina gave a nod, Aunai could only sigh as she leaned back.

“Be careful of Carina, Nobina,” said Aunai. “She’s constantly trying to grow her own power, so be careful of what you tell her. If she learns of anything… important, you’d best believe that secret is no longer safe.”

Hearing that, Nobina could only nod after giving a gulp.

“Wait… if Carina isn’t trustworthy, why is she a guild employee?”

Aunai merely smiled upon hearing the answer.

“I’m sure you don’t want to get into the complicated political web between us and nobility.”

Nobina merely gave a strained smile.

“Uh… thanks for the advice and warning Aunai. I think I’m… going to think this over a bit more,” said Nobina.

“Happy to help,” she smiled.

Nobina left her room, heading downstairs and back into the lobby. Mimiki was no longer there, leaving Nobina to focus on thinking about the decision.

“Both of them are pretty biased… I really should ask a neutral party.”

As she said that, Nobina caught a glimpse of four horses and a carriage pulling up to the entrance of the guild. The coachman got off his seat and went to the carriage door, opening it then bowing. Nobina found herself taking a step back when she saw it was Doriten, the 5th son of Lord Kasanta.

“Oh god,” said Nobina, finding herself moving further away. However, she failed to completely avoid Doriten’s gaze as he gave a rather creepy smile.

“Ah! Nobina! Someone I’d love to have a chat with. Please wait right there.”

The moment he asked her to wait right there, Nobina had no choice but to listen. If she didn’t, she knew that Doriten could use his authority to make her declining to speak an issue.

As he approached, Nobina began wondering what exactly Doriten had planned for her. She really hoped it was going to be a casual talk, but she wasn’t sure what kind of noble Doriten was.

“Alright,” said Doriten, stopping a bit far from Nobina. “Come on. Let’s go for a ride.”

Nobina merely nodded, following Doriten’s order. The grim facial expressions of those nearby didn’t help ease Nobina’s concerns. Many of those looks made her more and more convinced Doriten had something bad in store for Nobina. It wasn’t too late to back away, but Nobina had to trust that this decision was better than drawing Doriten’s ire.

Doriten was the first into the carriage, with Nobina following right afterward. When both were inside, the driver shut the door, and they were off.

As the two began their ride through the town, Nobina couldn’t help but ask her questions regarding his plans.

“So… where are we going?” asked Nobina, offering a polite smile.

“Oh… we are just going around the town. It’s still too early for dinner and I rather not have dinner with someone I barely know. Hence why we are talking now,” he said with a smile.

Nobina wanted to shiver at how creepy the smile was, but she barely managed to hide how she was feeling.

“Oh… that’s… a splendid idea," smiled Nobina weakly. "Shall I introduce myself first or do you wish to go first?”

He gave a laugh so strong that Nobina thought he was going to keep it up for a good minute. However, after ten seconds of laughing, he reeled himself in and manage to recompose himself.

“Oh, you are so funny… Of course you know who I am, so obviously you want to introduce yourself.”

Nobina gave a nod.

She introduced herself as a guild employee at the Agora Adventuring Guild. However, she realized that perhaps showing her merits would best protect her, as it would make him think twice about messing with her.

“Besides that, I’m considered the Hero of Agora and have connections with Eric, Aunai and Lila,” she said, trying to be as confident as possible.

Hearing that, Doriten once again chuckled, shaking his head.

“Oh, that’s good. Spouting your qualifications. Of course, I’d love to know why you think yourself highly as I’ve asked that, yet… it seems odd. You don’t see them as a ‘show off’ type of person. Any chance… you are merely putting up airs to make yourself scary while in reality… you’re more like a puppy?”

Nobina found herself freezing, realizing that she had made a mistake. However, she couldn’t back down now. Especially after he was calling her a puppy, which felt insulting.

“It’s enough… to earn the qualification of Nobility by Merit.”

The moment she said that, Doriten’s attitude went instantly cold. That happy attitude he had was a thing of the past as he smiled and looked at her while pointing deadly daggers towards her.

“Oh… So you plan to become nobility? I see that Carina is trying desperately to build herself a shield and you, unfortunately, are being chosen to be that.”

Nobina remained silent, waiting for Doriten to speak.

“Let me give you some friendly advice… don’t become a noble. The fight between us nobles is quiet… messy. I have no doubt your achievements make you an asset to father. However, you should be wary that you’d find yourself dead if you try to make yourself a noble. Carina can’t protect you from the enemies you’d likely have.”

Nobina couldn’t deny the possibility. If she wasn’t careful, one of the main family nobles might want her dead. She wasn’t strong enough or in a position to protect herself either.

“I… thank you for the advice,” nodded Nobina.

Doriten chuckled, giving a nod.

“A wise decision will be rewarded Nobina. Honestly, this talk was rather fruitful. I learned your true self and I’m excited to see what you do from here on out. It’s been a pleasure.”

The moment he said that the carriage stopped. The door opened to reveal they were at the guild.

“That was… rather short,” said Nobina. “Is that… really all you wanted to talk about?”

Doriten shook his head.

“There’s plenty more, but I’ve learned enough that I can plan out future excursions. They should be… quite enjoyable. Anyway, this was the perfect trip around the building,” he smiled. “Now then… I wish you the best Nobina.”

Doriten closed the door, leaving Nobina standing out in the open. There were a lot of eyes on her, but she was too focused on what Doriten said to notice.

“I… think he’s right,” Nobina told herself.

The reality was that she might be putting a target on herself if she became a noble. She doubted she’d have the protection she’d need to counteract the targeting, so it seemed the choice was clear.

“For now… I think I’ll just remain myself,” she nodded.

Whether it was the right choice was yet to be seen, but she was convinced being steadfast against those who wanted to use her was the correct choice at least. Perhaps Carina didn’t intend to use her, but the moment she became nobility, she’d be someone others would use for power. Instead of that, she wanted to maintain her freedom for now. With her decision made, she decided to return to Carina to give her answer.