Chapter 11: Adventurer's Guild
"Good morning, Kakel-sama."
As I welcomed the pleasant morning, another pleasant voice tickled my ears.
When I turned to the source of the voice, there stood a maid with shining silver-threaded hair and blue eyes with dog ears? No, wolf ears? She wasn't in the mansion yesterday, so maybe I just didn't notice her.
Despite the difference in eye color, she was a beautiful girl that momentarily reminded me of Mikoto-san. I found myself captivated by her for a moment.
"I am Chloe, and starting today, I will be your exclusive maid, Kakel-sama. Please take care of me," she introduced herself.
"Huh, exclusive for me? I see, nice to meet you too, Chloe-san."
Carlos-san, you're amazing. To deliberately throw a fastball right into my strike zone...
"Yes, please take care of me. If there is anything you need, whether it's personal matters or any other troubles, please don't hesitate to ask. Also... Kakel-sama, please call me Chloe."
"Got it, Chloe. I'm counting on you."
"Yes! Leave it to me, Kakel-sama. Oh, by the way, I am a silver wolf beastman, so please make sure not to mistake me for anything else."
So she was a wolf after all. I'm glad I didn't accidentally say dog ears or something.
"By the way... In this different world, is the spoken language the same? You speak normally, Kakel-sama," Chloe asked.
"No, the language is different. Once I hear it, I can usually speak most languages. By the way, I can even speak Goblin."
"Kakel-sama, th-that's amazing! Can you understand Wolf Language by any chance? ------------"
"I've learned it now. Black eyes look lovely... Ah, don't be embarrassed. Thank you, Chloe."
"No way... Many of us wolf beastmen can't even speak Wolf Language..."
Chloe stared at me with sparkling eyes. Yeah, she's cute. I want to touch her tail.
Afterward, Chloe helped me fix my bedhead and assisted me in changing while I put on the Death God's robe. As Chloe combed my hair, she showered me with compliments about my black hair and eyes, making me feel extremely embarrassed. Men are weak to the natural touch of women, after all.
***
"Kakeru-sama, what are your plans for today?"
After breakfast, Chloe asked with upturned eyes. She's cute. Is she doing it on purpose? It's fine because she's cute.
"I'm planning to go to the Adventurers' Guild today and register as an adventurer. I also need to buy clothes and other necessities, so the rest will be shopping, I guess."
When I told her my plans, Chloe smiled after a moment of thought. Her wolf ears were twitching. I want to touch them.
"Understood. I will prepare immediately, so please wait."
Hmm? What kind of preparation is she talking about?
Chloe quickly returned wearing her coat.
"I apologize for keeping you waiting. Shall we go then?"
It seems Chloe will guide me through the city. There's no reason to refuse, and I decided to ask her. Friar and the others seem busy for a while, and I don't want to be a bother.
In my case, I never forget the places I've been before, so I won't get lost. But it's definitely more enjoyable to be with someone than alone.
Come to think of it, I don't know anything about the prices or common sense of this world. Yeah, there was no choice but to ask for help from the beginning. Since I have the opportunity, I'll ask Chloe to teach me various things today.
***
The Adventurers' Guild is located on the border between the third and fourth districts, and it takes less than 10 minutes to walk from Carlos-san's mansion. Carlos-san lives in a really convenient place.
"Is this your first time at the Adventurers' Guild, Kakeru-sama?"
A beautiful maid with shining silver hair next to me smiled.
"Yeah. Well, to be honest, it's my first time coming to a city in this world, so I really don't know anything. I'm sorry, but I'll appreciate it if you can teach me each time."
"Understood. I will do my utmost to assist you with utmost sincerity."
"No, you don't have to go all out... but I'm counting on you, Chloe."
"Yes! Now, let's talk about the Adventurers' Guild right away..."
Adventurers are divided into ranks from F to S. F-rank is for beginners, and S-rank is the highest. There are only three S-rank adventurers in this country, and they have authority and power surpassing nobles.
In no time, we arrived at the Adventurers' Guild.
I started getting needlessly nervous, thinking I might get involved with some shady adventurers.
The guild building is a three-story brick structure and quite large. In terms of building area, it might be even larger than Carlos-san's mansion. Well, comparing it to a personal house might not be fair, but it's quite spacious.
The entrance is also quite wide. It has a height of three meters and a width of about five meters, so it can easily accommodate large materials and even people equipped with weapons.
Upon entering the guild, there are reception counters on the left and right sides. On the left counter, there are beautiful receptionists smiling while lining up, while on the right counter, stern-looking men are glaring with displeasure. I heard that the counter on the right is for dismantling and material-related inquiries.
Next to the reception, there is a bulletin board filled with numerous requests, and adventurers gather around, examining the contents.
Although the guild interior is quite spacious, the adjacent bar is crowded with many adventurers, even though it's still before noon, making it feel somewhat cramped.
As we head towards the reception counter, for some reason, all the gazes start to focus on us. I guess that's what happens when someone as beautiful as Chloe comes to the guild... I've done something bad.
But leaving her alone and waiting is dangerous, so maybe I'll treat her to something delicious later and ask for forgiveness.
"Hey, look! She's an insanely beautiful girl."
"Whoa, she's seriously cute. Go talk to her, man."
"Hey, you guys don't know Chloe? Are you new here? Stop it if you don't want to die."
"So that's the rumored Chloe... She looks like an amazing woman on the outside..."
...It seems that Chloe's appearance alone is not the only reason for the attention.
Ignoring the voices around us, we head to an empty counter.
The one who attended to us is a knowledgeable-looking lady with blue hair tied back and wearing glasses. As expected of a receptionist, everyone here is a beauty that could rival actresses, but this person exudes a different aura.
"Good morning. Chloe, weren't you supposed to have a day off today?"
"Good morning, Claudia. Today, I've come as the maid accompanying Kakaru-sama here."
"What? A maid... Did you actually find one?"
"Yes... I finally found one."
I feel like Chloe is giving me a passionate gaze. Huh? Did she find me?
"Is it really... this person? Excuse me for a moment."
Claudia sends a strangely intense gaze my way.
"I have memorized the appraisal."
Huh? Did Claudia just appraise me? Well, I'm really happy because I wanted an appraisal. After all, in another world, it can't start without an appraisal.
"...You're certainly quite strong, but honestly, it's a bit disappointing."
Claudia-san... Isn't that a bit harsh for our first meeting?
"Claudia, Kakeru-sama arrived just the day before yesterday."
"Huh? The day before yesterday? You're kidding..."
Claudia looks at me as if she can't believe it.
"I don't really understand, but I'm certain that I arrived the day before yesterday. Oh, and I'd like to register as an adventurer soon. Can I ask you to do that?"
"I-I apologize, Kakeru-sama. It's my oversight... Claudia, please proceed with the registration immediately."
Chloe comes to her senses and apologizes in a hurry.
"No, it's fine. Can you please take care of it as soon as possible? I'm itching to hunt monsters."
"That's reliable of you. Hehe. Well then, please infuse a little bit of magic power into this. Even a drop of blood is fine."
Claudia presents a transparent sphere the size of a soccer ball. I nod and infuse magic power into it.
Ever since I gained the ability to use magic, I've learned the knack for manipulating magic power. I want to infuse the Death Scythe with magic power as soon as possible and test its sharpness.
The sphere begins to emit a rainbow-colored glow.
"Oh, an All-Magic Aptitude All-Rounder... Truly remarkable..."
Claudia tells me the aptitude result with a slightly contorted expression.
"Kakeru-sama, you have aptitude for all types of magic! As expected, my master."
Chloe proudly exclaims. Hey, Chloe, your voice is too loud...
A commotion starts within the guild. Oh well.
"Hey, an All-Magic Aptitude All-Rounder showed up."
"It's certainly rare, but they tend to be jacks of all trades. It's still too early to say."
"More importantly, what's with Chloe calling him 'master'? Who on earth is he..."
...Certainly, being able to do anything easily can lead to being versatile but poor.
The rainbow-colored radiance intensified, and a bronze-colored card was ejected from the sphere. What kind of mechanism is this?
"Kakeru-sama, this is your guild card. The card automatically records the monsters you've defeated and ranks up based on the rank and number of monsters. It also provides location information, so you can feel secure in case of accidents or theft."
It's quite a convenient system. It's especially good that the rank-up is easy to understand.
"Was this system created by someone from another world?"
"Indeed, you figured it out. Yes, it's said to have been created by Hideki Takahashi, the founder of the guild."
...Thank you. Unknown Takahashi-san. Thanks to you, my life in this different world is likely to go smoothly.
***
"That concludes the explanation. Do you have any questions?"
"I'm fine. Thanks for the clear explanation. By the way, was Chloe an adventurer?"
Curious, I asked Claudia.
"Yes, Chloe is the youngest C-rank adventurer and our guild's rising star. She even has the nickname 'Silver Devil.'"
"Hey, hey, Claudia! You don't have to say unnecessary things!"
Silver Devil... Indeed, it's a dangerous nickname. Does it mean she's as strong as a devil?
"It's not bad. It's going to be revealed soon anyway. Kakeru-sama, please listen."
Claudia whispered the origin of Chloe's nickname into my ear.
Being whispered by a beautiful woman, I couldn't catch the content because her scent was so nice, but my instant memory kicked in, so it's all good.
Apparently, the nickname originated from Chloe beating up every guy who approached her based on her appearance. No wonder the guild adventurers fear her. I should also be careful not to anger her.
When Chloe's gaze met mine, she smiled cutely. Yeah, she's cute. But if I were to ask her to let me touch her ears and tail, would she still beat me up?
"Oh, Chloe's smile is rare. It seems you're quite fond of Kakeru-sama."
Certainly, Chloe is usually expressionless, but she smiled a lot in front of me. But...
"...I don't know what Claudia said, but it's baseless rumors!"
Sure. Chloe with a pouty face is cute, huh?
"I don't care about other people's opinions. Chloe, as I see her, is a silver angel."
"—! I-Is that so? Well, if you say so..."
Chloe's tail wags vigorously from side to side. Claudia-san, don't smirk.
"That's right! Since we're here, let's take a look at the requests, Chloe."
"Yes, let's go."
As they head towards the bulletin board, Claudia stops them.
"By the way, there's a good request available. It's an investigation request in the southern village. It includes exterminating Horned Rabbits, but it's just right as a first quest, I think."
Exterminating Horned Rabbits, ranked F-class magical beasts... It might be a good way to blow off steam in the afternoon. The villagers must be in trouble, and everything is an experience.
"Understood. I'll take that request."
"Thank you for accepting the request, Lord Kakeru. Here are the details and a map for the request. Don't forget to receive the approval stamp for completion from the village chief. If you don't have that, you won't receive the remaining payment."
When adventurers accept a request, a portion of the request reward is provided as an advance payment by the guild. However, if the request is canceled or fails, the advance payment must be returned, of course.
Therefore, adventurers tend to avoid reckless requests, which increases their survival rate. The guild and the requesters seem to benefit from the increase in achievement rate without anyone suffering losses.
For adventurers, the ability to discern requests is crucial and becomes a necessary skill if they want to succeed.
"Well then, shall we go soon? Claudia-san, thank you for your help."
"Take care. Call me Claudia from now on."
"Got it, Claudia. I'll come again tomorrow."
They bid farewell to Claudia and leave the guild together.
***
(A person from another world with black eyes and black hair... Chloe, you must not let go. It's for the sake of our long-cherished desire.)
As she watches the two leave, Claudia hurriedly returns to her reception duties.