79: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/05/02 (Tue) 08:36:01 ID: OrE49BneOv
By the way, the most valuable information currently being traded is about the Angel Quest.
We untie Trinity and set her free. She gazes at me for a moment before rising to her feet.
"...You really think I'd just run away?"
"Hm? You can escape if you want, but if you do, you won't be able to return to the royal capital."
"Your group hasn't suffered any real loss. The situation is different now; if I play dumb, there won't be any consequences, right?"
Well, it's true we prevented Trinity's robbery, so if we report it to the Thieves' Guild or the Guides' Guild, she could simply deny any involvement.
"This is a world with magic, after all. There must be spell or magic items that can detect lies, right? I assumed you were using something like that to verify the truth of the situation."
"Guh… how do you know that, you otherworlder...?"
Oh, it looks like my guess was spot on. Of course, using such high-level spells or expensive magic items wouldn't be something you could do casually.
"Come on, don't be so harsh. You're going to be our exclusive guide and thief from now on. If you want, I could even front the quota for the Thieves' Guild this month."
"Seriously!?"
She took the bait, and who could blame her? Given how desperate she was to resort to robbery, it makes sense. But doesn't her pride suffer from accepting help from someone who tried to rob her?
When I asked Trinity about the shortfall for this month's quota and reached for my coins, Ava stepped in and offered her own.
"I've got quite a bit of money, so this amount is no big deal for me."
If Trinity's words were to be believed, Ava indeed had a substantial amount of gold coins on hand.
Comparing the coins in this world that Trinity mentioned to the currency in our own world yields the following:
- Small Copper Coin = 1 Gold = 100 yen
- Copper Coin = 10 Gold = 1,000 yen
- Small Silver Coin = 100 Gold = 10,000 yen
- Silver Coin = 1,000 Gold = 100,000 yen
- Gold Coin = 10,000 Gold = 1,000,000 yen
Apparently, there are even higher denominations above the Gold Coin, but they are rarely encountered in everyday life.
Looking at this comparison, it seems that Ava has several million yen in her possession.
"I'm starting to doubt whether Ava is really a beginner, what with her magic skills and all that cash..."
"I agree. Even with a blessing, that level of privilege seems impossible."
"Oh dear, that's harsh. But for you, Suzanne, it should be a plus, not a minus, right?"
When I think about it, that's true. Ava's skills would be incredibly helpful in searching for Yuki.
"Oh, right! Suzanne came to this world to find his childhood friend. Her name is Yuki, right? What does she look like? I can help you find her through the Thieves' Guild's network, though it's not my first choice."
"Well, Yuki is her name in our world, but in this world..."
At that moment, I realized something significant.
I realized that I didn't know anything about Yuki's name or appearance in AIWOn. In a typical VRMMO, names are fixed, but in AIWOn, players can choose any name and even have multiple ones. As for appearance, I had no clue since I had never logged in with Yuki.
"Wait, what!? How were you planning to search without knowing her name or what she looks like? Are you an idiot or something?" Trinity exclaimed, clearly exasperated with me. I had no comeback for that.
"Hold on! There must be some clues," I reassured myself. "Think hard. Yuki wouldn't stop talking about AIWOn, even when I said I wasn't interested."
"...! Right! She mentioned teaming up with someone named Miba last time—an otherworlder! If I ask her, I'll surely find out Yuki's name and appearance!"
Trinity, along with Ava, stared at me in shock. "Wait, seriously? Miba? The S-rank adventurer known as the 'Divine Blade'? The clan master of 'Gekkou'? No way…"
"Wait… Is Miba really that famous?" I wondered. An otherworlder who's an S-rank adventurer? Just how hardcore is that? And Yuki's ability to keep up with someone like that is mind-boggling.
Later, I learned that a clan is a group of players, much like a guild in other MMORPGs. 美刃's clan, "Gekka," is quite famous and known to be relatively large.
"Is there any way to get in touch with 美刃?" I asked.
"It's not impossible, but... sigh. Let's head back to the royal capital for now. We can talk about it there."
Come to think of it, we had been discussing this right next to the corpse of the werewolf.
Leaving the task of skinning it to Trinity, we prepared to return to the royal capital.
---
Upon arriving in the royal capital, we decided to visit the Adventurers' Guild first.
"He's one of only five S-rank adventurers in the world, so the guild should have some intel on him."
We could seek information from the Thieves' Guild about 美刃, but its location is hidden, accessible only to guild members who know the right codes. Therefore, we could easily find out where he is through the Adventurers' Guild or by asking the members of 美刃's clan, "Gekka." There was no need to take unnecessary risks.
The Adventurers' Guild in the royal capital, Elemeria, is situated close to the royal castle and is a sizable building filled with many adventurers. It felt somewhat reminiscent of a city hall.
In addition to the reception counter on the first floor, there were counters for buying materials, selling adventurer tools, and a tavern where adventurers could gather for meals and information exchanges.
"Speaking of which, I thought it was normal to register at the Adventurers' Guild to get an ID card at the start," Ava remarked casually.
"...Now that you mention it, that's true. For some reason, that was overlooked here," I replied, intentionally throwing some sarcasm at Trinity.
Issuing ID cards is a staple in fantasy settings, and yet Trinity deliberately bypassed the Adventurers' Guild to trap us. By not processing our ID cards as newcomers and simply whisking us away, she could erase all traces of us and pocket our entire savings.
"Ugh, can we drop that topic already?" Trinity shot me a resentful glare, clearly irritated by the jab.
Honestly, she had no right to resent me. It was all her own doing.
"Since we're here, why don't we register as adventurers ourselves? An ID card won't hurt," Ava suggested.
As she said, having an ID card was advantageous, especially since we would need it for travel and other activities ahead.
"That's true. It could be useful in finding Yuki. What about you, Trinity? Want to get one too?"
"I already have a guild card; I was an adventurer before," she replied, slightly deflecting the suggestion.
"Wow, you're juggling quite a few roles—guide, thief guild member, and adventurer guild too."
"…I keep my affiliation with the thief guild a secret from everyone. Don't go blabbing about it. I was an orphan from the start, and I became an adventurer to make quick money. But being an adventurer isn't easy. I struggled just to get by until I got help from a bear—a thief who also happened to be an adventurer. That connection led me to the thief guild, and here I am now."
Ah, this is a classic story—an orphan turned adventurer or thief is quite common. And Trinity combines both roles. But—
"Even though you sought help from the thief guild to escape a life of poverty, aren't you ultimately struggling more financially now?"
That's true. Trinity's situation is indeed tougher than before.
"That's none of your business!!"
I suddenly wondered if Trinity's poverty was somehow linked to the thief guild. Perhaps they cleverly roped her in, binding her with money, and eventually pushed her to work in a brothel.
…No, that's unlikely. There's no way they'd force someone as small as her into that kind of work. Sure, she looks cute, but she's only around fourteen. She's still a child, with not much in development. Although, maybe there are some who'd be interested in that…?
"Hey, what's with the sudden silence? Are you alright?"
"Uh, yeah. It's nothing."
Trinity eyed me skeptically, considering my abrupt quietness.
There was no point in brooding here; my goal was to find Yuki. I didn't have time to dwell on unnecessary matters.
"Hey, Trinity. I think the papers on that board are requests, but what about that large poster—does it count as a request too?"
On the wall, near the reception desk, there was a bulletin board crammed with papers resembling quest requests. Among them, as Ava had said, one stood out, covered with glass and made of high-quality paper, clearly different from the rest.
"Oh, that one? Yes, that's a request as well. A special one, in fact.
That request is for the Angel Quest. The client is none other than the goddess Alice herself."
"Wait, what?!"
I couldn't help but exclaim. Ava didn't speak up but displayed a look of shock.
"It's a special quest that received divine prophecy from the Alice Faith years ago. The objective is to receive proof from the 26 apostles appointed by goddess Alice. The deadline is unlimited, so anyone can take on the quest at any time. But completing it won't be easy unless you have the corresponding skills."
So, this is like a grand quest in a VRMMO, isn't it...?
However, since it's posted as a request, it must be meant for individuals or parties. I approached the notice to check its contents. It clearly stated that the request was for an individual (or a party of up to seven). And in the rewards section, it simply said—
"Arcadia...?"
That was all.
"Arcadia is a world where the gods dwell. A paradise free of conflict, a place where one can gain divine power, a realm that grants eternal life. Well, that's how it's often described. The reward is the ability to go there."
That certainly sounded like a grand quest. But grand quests are typically tackled by large groups, right? In this case, it was for individuals (or parties), so maybe it was different.
"Would you like to give it a shot, Suzanne?"
"Unfortunately, I came here to find Yuki. I don't have time for that."
"I figured you'd say that."
As Trinity and I continued toward the reception desk, Ava stood off to the side, her expression serious as she stared at the Angel Quest notice.
"Ava?"
"Oh, sorry about that."
What was it? Something felt off.
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
Ava and I completed our adventurer registration at the desk without any issues. The guild card we received had our name, rank, and home city printed on it. I learned that a magical technology was used on the back of the card to record the monsters we defeated upon accepting quests.
This place feels more like a VRMMO than pure magical technology.
After listening to the receptionist's explanation about the adventurer's guild, I learned that the ranking system for adventurers ranges from E to S. Here's the breakdown:
- E rank: Beginner
- D rank: Novice
- C rank: Intermediate
- B rank: Advanced
- A rank: Elite
- S rank: Top-tier
Monsters have similar ranks, which helps in determining the difficulty level of quests. Since we've just registered, our rank is displayed as E. Trinity, who's already registered, is at D rank, not far from us. I suppose if she had a higher rank, she wouldn't be struggling financially.
"I actually came to ask Tris a question. Registering as an adventurer is just a side note," Trinity said, shifting from her earlier rough tone to the polite manner she'd used when we first met as she addressed the receptionist. Naturally, she would put on a friendly front.