"M-Miss, y-you are v-very strong…!"
The timid girl's eyes widened as she gasped - and there was much more awe than shock in her voice as the number in the crystal ball reflected in her pupils.
"Yeah… a lot happened."
Melinda looked towards one of the windows where the rain was pouring down the glass before admitting with an awkward smile.
"N-now, th-the form please…"
The receptionist was a professional in the end and requested to take back the shining crystal ball and the paper that Melinda filled out.
Then, she placed both on top of the graphite plate, carefully topped the structure off with the blank card, and put her hands over it all.
"Register."
The receptionist murmured in a hushed voice, and particles of mana began descending from her palms - and interestingly enough, the same thing happened with the graphite plate.
The rising and descending particles met at the level of the blank card and continued merging for around a minute.
"Whew…"
As the mana particles disappeared and the receptionist moved her hands, the blank card turned soft-green with black writings while the orb underneath it lost its glow and the paper beneath both of them dissolved into nothingness, leaving only the intact graphite plate.
"H-here… I-I am very s-sorry, Miss, but even with your level, the highest rank y-you can get without completing a rank-up quest i-is D…"
The timid girl began cowering yet again while offering the soft-green card to Melinda, making the gold-haired girl wonder whether she had been traumatized by some other applicants in the past.
"Yeah, that's how it is everywhere~ Oh, I'm Melinda, by the way~! Just the name is fine. I believe we might be around the same age~"
The gold-haired girl took her guild card and smiled brightly, introducing herself.
"N-nice to meet you, M-Melinda… I am… Catherine…"
"I will not stay in this city for long, but I'll be in your care in the meantime, Catherine!"
The green-eyed girl cracked the smallest and timidest smile and nodded, introducing herself and making Melinda cheer out with a grin.
"You probably hear it all the time, but… Emeraldios Empire Adventurers Guild card is so pretty. It's so much prettier than the pearly one Diamondium Kingdom has!"
"...y-you think so…?"
Melinda cheered while holding the card to her face as if examining a precious stone, making Catherine keep a bashful smile.
"Of course~! Ah… that said, I do have some important stuff to do… Cath, by any chance, do you have a rough map with monster areas around the city…?"
"C-Cath…?!"
Melinda nodded confidently before pocketing her card and leaning in, making the receptionist gasp at the sudden familiarity.
"I… I mean… y-yes, we do have maps like that prepared for the newbies… h-here…"
Still, Catherine shook her head and pulled a folded sheet of paper from a compartment under the counter and slid it to Melinda who spread it open and began studying it without delay.
"Oh… b-but I am afraid that th-the monsters from this area might have to get blown away by the s-storm… that-they are q-quiet light and a-all… y-you might find their a-area e-empty…"
Seeing the newbie's eagerness, the black-haired receptionist gathered her courage and revealed while pointing at the area marked as Wolly Lesser Arachnids below level 10.
"H-here should be n-nice and s-safe for y-your level even with th-this h-horrible weather."
She added, moving her finger to the area marked as Pigkin orcs below 30.
"Oooohhhhh… I see! That's very helpful, thanks!"
Melinda who didn't bother with that part of the map since she noticed the description of the monsters level, let out a polite gasp and noodded with a greatful smile to not discourage the timid receprionist.
"Before I go, here is my second reason for showing up. Here."
"...?"
The gold-haired girl folded the map and hid it within her clothes, pulling out the last of her letters instead while Catherine observed her with her big, innocent eyes.
"Some people were supposed to pick me up, but because of all that mess, we might miss each other. If someone shows up to post a quest about Melinda Fenrioette, please just give them this."
Melinda explained, handing Catherine the letter.
"If no one shows up, don't worry—it means we found each other just fine~!"
"A-alright…"
Melinda added, seeing that the other girl made a worried expression.
"I have to go now, but I might show up with a monster or two later. Bye-bye, Cath!"
The gold-haired girl moved to the door and waved her hand at the timid receptionist before pulling up her hood and leaving into the stormy outside.
"B-bye-bye…"
Catherine raised her hand nervously and weakly waved back.
A few moments later, a large black-haired man with brown eyes walked out of the door behind the counter.
"Hey, sweetie, I thought that I'd heard someone. Did any of our slackers come back to whine about the major's quest? Did you send them back as I said?"
The man looked around, and when he saw no one else besides the black-haired girl, he spoke to her with a soft smile.
"N-no, p-papa… I-it wasn't any o-of o-our a-adventurers."
The girl turned around and shook her head lightly.
"Hmm?"
The man raised his brows, noticing the graphite plate and the crystal ball.
"A g-girl a-around my age came by to r-register a-and left a letter for p-people that might look for h-her. I-I think th-that she might be going to the J-Jade Academy like me and sh-she was supposed to meet up with someone wh-who made a t-teleporter reservation, b-but then the s-storm happened and those p-people got d-delayed. Sh-she left th-this in c-case they w-won't find each o-other f-first…"
Catherine took a deep breath and did her best to explain the situation while her father patiently waited while smiling softly, observing her progress.
"Oho! She sounds like a resourceful girl if she decided to register as an adventurer while she was at it~!"
"Y-yes. M-Melinda i-is n-nice, a-and s-strong…!"
The man chuckled while reaching to his daughter and patting her head while she stuttered and nodded.
"Aww! Look at you! My babyyyyy! You were so worried that you would not be able to make friends in the Academy, and you had already made one!"
"...nn…!"
The man gasped delight and kneeled down by his daughter, pulling her fringe away and kissing her forehead, making the already blushing girl let out a cute, slightly rebellious noise.
"P-papa… I am not a b-baby anymore…!"
Catherine grumbled, leaning away and combing her fringe back in place with her fingers.
"Sweetie, you might be an adult by law, but for your papa and mama, you will always be our precious baby!"
The man laughed, standing up and dusting off his sides.
"Now then. I'll go to check on those lazy butts. I bet Veronica and Blake are slacking off in some dark corner! I swear if they will hole up in some dark corner to make o... ehem. Don't mind me, sweetie."
He declared, going to the door.
"Hold the fort while I'm gone~."
"B-be safe out there, p-papa…!"
The black-haired man looked back at his daughter and nodded, leaving after she nodded back, raising one hand and waving to him, wishing him the best.