Chapter 20

After a five-day absence, the adventurer's bureau lobby seemed unusually crowded compared to before. A fair number of people were seated along the walls, engaged in casual conversation. The moment Thor and his companions stepped in, the chatter paused slightly, and after a moment, voices began to leak out from various corners.

"Hey, look at that."

"I heard that the True Silver Rank Lazzel was taken down easily?"

"No way. That's just a rumor, right?"

"Apparently, he was knocked out in an instant. He didn't even have time to use his skills."

"Really? If that's true, then he's not as tough as he looks."

"Not only that, but his companion is said to be an incredible magic user. They say he deflected a martial skill with just a flick of his staff."

"Indeed, ... he's pretty cute, too."

After several adventures, Sora seemed to have grown accustomed to her pure white linen robe, exuding a fitting aura. Her soft, bouncy black hair, lightly colored lips, and large, charming eyes that slanted downward all contributed to drawing attention. The men in the lobby naturally focused their attention on the charming young girl.

However, Sora, completely unaware of the attention, turned around and smiled innocently at the man with her. Immediately, jealousy and envy crept into the surrounding voices.

"How can such a cute girl be with a dull old man?"

"That's just a rumor, they're said to be father and daughter."

"No, no, I heard they claimed to be husband and wife at the reception."

"Seriously? No way. How many years apart are they? This could end up in the Court of the Divine, you know."

"No, that's going too far."

"Thor, is this the place?!"

The group, who had been whispering, stopped their conversation at the sudden sound of a young voice echoing through the lobby. Everyone's gaze shifted to the third person who appeared behind Thor.

There was a child with golden curly hair pulled back, revealing a broad forehead. He wore a brand new red leather cape that reached his thighs, and his thin legs were covered in thick stockings. With wide, purple eyes, the child was gripping Thor's belt with one hand. The presence of this adorable, out-of-place child caused more voices to rise around the room.

"Bringing a child?!"

"Can it be, already?"

"No, no, they don't look related at all."

"But he called him 'Thor.'"

"......What's going on here......?"

The group, who had been watching from a distance, seemed to be reassured that the previous incident had gone well. Thor wanted to focus on Sora and Moe's training and avoid unnecessary interference.

"Be a bit quieter. This is the adventurer's bureau."

"An adventurer, huh. Grandma Yuril told me it's Thor's job."

"Hey, Moe, I'm the senior, so I'll show you around."

Sora, already looking proud, led Moe to the bulletin board.

"Look, Moe. Isn't it amazing?"

"What is this?"

"Everyone writes down what they want or what they want to do together here."

"Can Moe write too?!"

"Sure, go ahead."

Sora, giving permission on her own, watched as the child, who was trying to act older, happily rubbed the white chalk on an empty spot. Thor, curious to see if he could write, watched as Moe started drawing freely.

"What is this?"

The mysterious nature of the child's doodle made Thor speak out in confusion. It was a distorted circle with three black dots and thin, branching lines attached. There were three of these shapes in a row.

"This is Thor. This is Moe!"

Upon closer inspection, they vaguely resembled people. The one on the left was Thor, the small one in the middle seemed to be a self-portrait, and the one on the right was larger than Moe but smaller than Thor.

"Is this me?"

"That's Grandma Yuril!"

Upon closer inspection, there were small protrusions on the side of the face, which seemed to represent pointed ears. At Yuril's feet were a white circle and an oval with diagonal lines.

"Wait, so this is me?"

"That's Crow and Shima."

Moe, who didn't understand what was being asked, and Sora, who didn't understand what was being said, looked confused. Seeing that the tension had eased, Thor prompted the child.

"Are you satisfied? Let's go to the reception now."

"Okay! We'll draw again next time."

Moe, putting down the chalk, grabbed Thor's arm and walked energetically toward the window counter. The girl left behind looked dejected as she stared at the bulletin board.

"Hey, I'm not there......?"

The new registration window was manned by a young woman with short hair and a serious face. Her green uniform seemed to be a bit too big for her, indicating she was still a new employee.

"I'd like to register a new adventurer."

"Of course! Welcome! Thank you for coming today. Please fill out this form."

Her speech was clear, but she skipped the usual Q&A, showing she was still inexperienced. Moreover, she didn't notice the green-bordered plate hanging from Thor's neck.

Thor filled out the application form and handed it over. The receptionist began to read it.

"Your name is Mume. You're from Hakuri, and you're nine years old... Chief, Chief Sieka!"

The receptionist suddenly turned and called out, and a thin, red-haired man approached quickly.

"Again? What is it this time, Mikaki?"

"It seems to be a case of age fraud."

"Huh?"

"Look, the suspect claims to be nine years old."

The receptionist, who had been consulting with her superior in a low voice, glanced at Thor, who looked exasperated.

"What nonsense... Really, you're nine years old? Customer, is there any mistake in your age? You seem to be about thirty years younger."

The staff member, who accurately guessed Thor's age, made Thor exhale and scratch his chin. Then, pointing to Moe, who was trying to peek over the counter, Thor said:

"It's not me. The applicant is this one."

"Oh, I see. My apologies."

The staff member, who had quickly glanced at Moe's face and Thor's adventurer's plate, glared at the receptionist.

"Really, you. Stop jumping to conclusions."

"Sorry."

"Try to be more careful."

"Very sorry."

Moe, for some reason, gave the receptionist a thumbs-up and waved it from side to side. Immediately after, Thor grabbed Moe's cheeks and pulled them to the sides, a gesture he had learned from the armor shop owner.

"Let's get the paperwork done."

"Of course. Is it okay to register such a young child?"

"He's a magic user. He doesn't need to get close to monsters."

The minimum age for adventurers is eight, a rule pushed by the privileged classes to train their children early. Skill points are distributed even for just enhancing or healing party members during combat. Additionally, using martial or magic skills on a monster is considered participation in combat. However, this method of forcefully growing skills is equivalent to fighting with one less person, and only parties with exceptional strength attempt it. Lower-ranked areas have restrictions, making it impossible to earn money comfortably in such places.

Therefore, young adventurers with underdeveloped bodies are quite rare. However, if there is a valid reason for their combat contribution, they can be included in a party. The receptionist, perhaps realizing this, stopped her hand and stared intently at Moe's eyes.

"Permission is impossible."

"Can you give me a reason?"

"Well, it's that..."

"Never mind, Mikaki. Fulfill the customer's request."

"But, Chief, it's not good. Using a <Lightning Detector> owner only for detection can result in the suspension or revocation of adventurer status."

The receptionist, trying to speak quietly, was still heard by Thor and the others. The male supervisor, acknowledging his honest subordinate's advice, made a soundless click of his tongue.

<Lightning Detector> is a branch skill of the Lightning God Gigiro's magic skill tree, allowing the user to pinpoint the location of nearby monsters. While useful, it doesn't grant any skill points. In the past, this led to the widespread practice of bringing <Lightning Detector> owners along just for detection, which was banned as it was not conducive to the development of adventurers.

Moe, being a purple-eyed magic user with no combat skills, was likely considered a similar case. If he had other offensive magic skills, it would be a different story, but typically, a person is only given one initial branch skill.

Furthermore, there are no offensive branch skills in the lightning magic tree. Only at the mid-branch level is there <Lightning Arrow>, which can shoot a small bolt of lightning. The role of a lightning magic user in a party is mainly to use detection and self-enhancement to draw the attention of monsters and provide defensive support.

"Should I withdraw the application?"

"No, continue. There's no problem."

The male staff member's lower lip trembled slightly at Thor's words. While it might seem foolish to willingly fall into a trap, Thor had already taken precautions. Or rather, he hadn't done anything yet.

"Can you touch this, please?"

"What is this, Thor?"

As Moe asked, he patted the crystal ball placed by the receptionist. The male staff member, who had pushed the receptionist aside to look at the soul detector, changed his expression to one of disbelief.

"So, Mume is of the purple trunk, Lightning Spirit Tree. The skill is... <Lightning Thorn>?!"

"Impossible... It's not <Lightning Detector>?"

Unlike the rare <Lightning Detector>, <Lightning Thorn> is a common lightning magic skill. Since it can only be used on the owner, there's no reason to include the owner in a party.

Seeing the two surprised, Moe raised his hands and widened his eyes, mimicking the armor shop owner, which oddly fit the situation perfectly.

"Then, there are no issues, so I will issue the adventurer's plate. Is that... okay, Chief?"

"......Yes, sure."

"Please wait a moment while we process it."

The receptionist, confirming with her still wide-eyed superior, began to work efficiently. Thor, sitting on a bench, whispered to Moe, who was swinging his legs.

"Hey, have you ever used <Lightning Thorn>?"

"Huh? Is it something tasty?"

"Not food. It's like wrapping your body in lightning... Do you know lightning? It's when the sky suddenly lights up and makes a loud noise."

"Oh, I know! It's the 'Boom Flash' thing, right?"

"It's like that, but smaller, running through your body. Have you ever done something like that?"

Seemingly remembering something, the child clapped his hands.

"Oh, it's the itchy thing. It tingles, Thor."

"Probably that. So, you don't have to worry about a lack of magic power."

"Okay, no worries!"

Thor rubbed Moe's forehead with his thumb, even though Moe didn't fully understand. After waiting on the bench for a while, they were called by the receptionist. In exchange for a large copper coin, they received the plate, completing the registration.

"Alright, now we can finally go hunting. By the way, where's Sora?"

"Oh, she's drawing!"

It seemed Sora had been drawing something on the bulletin board the whole time. When Thor and the others approached, they saw that she had drawn a field of flowers around Moe's doodles.

"Hey, it's done."

"It's done!"

"What, when did you finish?"

Moe, proudly showing his adventurer's plate, made Sora both surprised and happy.

"Congratulations! I'm glad, Moe."

"Now Moe is an adventurer too, just like Thor!"

"Then, let's head to the forest right away."

"Okay. Let's do our best!"

"Sure!"

As Thor opened the door for them, he briefly glanced at the counter. The male staff member, hiding his expression, was watching Thor and the others leave.