Chapter 63 (1/2)

As we enter the guild, we find that it seems that almost no other adventurers other than us have come to visit, just as I expected.

The inside of the guild, which is like a restaurant and bar, is quite spacious.

Still, there are many adventurers in this city; during busy hours, so many people gather in this building that it starts to feel too small. The adventurers that are currently standing around are looking at the few request forms that are hanging on the quest board.

That’s because new quests are posted after midday. The reason for that is partially to make the bar that’s a part of the guild thrive.

Quests are generally first-come, first-served. Getting relatively good work when the new quests are posted means inevitably coming to the guild at noon and dropping money for food at the bar. The reason it’s not done in the morning is because lunch-time is when hunger firmly sets in, causing the adventurers to place more orders, and because a lot of people combine breakfast and lunch into one meal.

The reason that most adventurers begin moving just a little before noon is because if they haven’t already accepted a request, their schedules are flexible and they are unable to oppose the temptations of laziness, and this system is likely promoted to match this behavior. But in the end, the guild needs to sustain itself as well, so they’re not doing anything wrong.

“Now then…”

After quickly looking around the guild once more, I head towards the reception desk once more. The reception desk is made of something resembling plywood, and each booth has a single receptionist sitting in it.

There are two types of people among the receptionists lined up in the Adventurers’ Guild. You have what are known as the beautiful female receptionists, and receptionists who are so muscular that it’s difficult for them to be doing office-type work, exuding an intimidating presence.

Adventurers are casual people, so a lot of them are ignorant when it comes to culture and manners, and there are many who live by the logic of strength.

That doesn’t mean that all adventurers are like that; higher-rank adventurers have more experience and realize how useful it is to have connections and interactions with others, so fewer of them have these qualities. But the unfortunate reality is that as a whole, many adventurers are vulgar people.

That’s why the guild has selected their employees like this so they can hold the reins in a way, preventing these kinds of adventurers from acting forcefully.

The numerous beautiful female receptionists are apparently there to help relieve things. It would be problematic to intimidate those that come to accept requests, and in a way, these receptionists are even more effective for holding the reins on some of the young, inexperienced adventurers.

As I head to the second closest reception desk, a female receptionist calls out to me with a businesslike smile.

“Good morning. What business do you have with us today?”

I get the feeling that Minnalis’s eyes have become a bit reproachful, but I pay her no attention.

Why should I have to go and spend a sad morning sitting next to a filthy man? I don’t really care about their looks, but in this situation where I can choose anyone I like, I don’t see any reason for me to choose to go to an enormous man that looks like he raises the temperature of his surroundings by five degrees Celsius. I’m not a homo, you know.

“Me and this girl want to register as adventurers,” I say.

“Register as adventurers?”

The receptionist’s gaze runs quickly up and down, as if she’s evaluating us.

The way she looks at people is too conspicuous. She’s a newbie.

“My apologies, but registration as an adventurer is only possible from the age of fourteen onwards,” she says. “Until then, you can become apprentices, and although your ranks won’t increase, you can accept safe, miscellaneous tasks in the city. You will not receive the privilege of being exempt from city entrance fees, but you can participate in the elementary-level adventurer training course held by the guild, free of…”

“Ah, no, I’m over fourteen,” I tell the receptionist. “I’m seventeen years old, and she is sixteen.”

The reason it took me a moment to respond is because I’ve physically experienced over twenty years of life, but since the age displayed on my Status is seventeen, this is probably the correct choice.

“Eh?” The receptionist blinks in surprise and gives me a spectacular expression of astonishment. I’m already used to this kind of reaction from my first time through this world.

She’s too inexperienced; both her behavior and the way her gaze is completely fixed on me show that plainly. It’s easy to see exactly how she looks at someone and what she thinks of them. Of course, it’s not like my face looks young. This is truly the magic of Japanese people.

To be honest, I’m completely used to it already so I don’t think anything of it. But it looks like I’ll need to have a word later with Minnalis, who is having to even use her Audacity skill in what appears to be an attempt to suppress her laughter.

“Certainly. Now then, could I ask you to touch this crystal, please?” The receptionist produces a baseball-sized crystal ball that’s known as an Age-reading Orb.

As its name suggests, it’s a magical tool that reads the age of the person who holds it in their hand, and although I don’t know the details of how it works, it turns red when the person holding it is younger than fourteen, and blue if they are older.

“If you touch this, it will turn red if you are below fourteen years of age, and blue if you are above,” the receptionist explains. “This age limit is something that has been agreed on by every nation, so please understand that no matter what kind of social position you may be in, this rule must be obeyed.”

The fact that she went out of her way to add that last part probably means that she suspects that I’m trying to become a nobleman or something.

It seems that she did once see the slave mark on Minnalis’s neck, so there’s no mistake.

Slaves are generally expensive. Even the clothes that Minnalis is wearing, I paid a considerable price for them in the royal capital, so they’re well-tailored. In other words, I should appear as someone who doesn’t really face difficulties when it comes to money. That’s probably why this receptionist thought that I was the foolish son of a nobleman ignorant of the ways of this world, unaware of the Age-reading Orb’s existence and trying to use my powerful influence to make things go my way.

In fact, that kind of thing is apparently not that uncommon. Pigs who have been raised in privileged families try to have their way with everything, mistakenly thinking that this will work in the outside world.

But knowing that this is a reasonable evaluation of the situation doesn’t change the fact that it feels unpleasant to have this seen by my partner.

The receptionist is smiling at me during our interactions, but the fact that she’s looking down at me is clear as day.

Minnalis seems to have seen this as well; she has undone her Audacity skill and her expression is one of slight displeasure.

Wait, calm down, this is actually convenient, isn’t it? I tell myself.

The two of us look young; I should have expected that we would be looked down on to some extent. And we didn’t come here to show off how strong we are; we’ve already accomplished our goal of not attracting any unnecessary attention. With that said, it is still irritating.

Once I calm down and take the Age-reading Orb from the receptionist, it gives off a clear blue light inside my hand.

“Minnalis,” I say, flinging the Age-reading Orb across.

“Yes.” Minnalis catches it in both hands.

The Age-Reading Orb gives off a blue light in her hands as well.

“I apologize for my rudeness,” says the receptionist. “But that Age-reading Orb is among the more valuable of the guild’s equipment, so please handle it more carefully.” She sounds displeased.

It seems that this receptionist is a very proud person. The fact that she has been given the responsibility of being a receptionist despite not having much experience means that she’s probably quite the hard worker, but honestly, the thought of intimidating her with some light overwhelming pressure did cross my mind.

Well, it’s not difficult to imagine the brawny, macho, combat receptionists would come flying in if I were to make any direct moves, so I can’t do that.

“Ah, my apologies. It did not appear to be such a valuable item to me. I thought you would not mind me treating it the way the guild treats adventurers.” I give the receptionist a smile with my poison-injected words.

“…”

I haven’t released any mana or used any skills, but I’ve indirectly told her that I can see exactly what she’s doing, and it seems that she’s caught my drift.

“No matter,” I say. “I wonder if you could hurry and bring the registration forms, Receptionist-san?”

“Y-yes, I will bring them now.” The receptionist hurriedly withdraws towards the back of the building.