Chapter 83

The time rewinds, returning to October 3rd.

The day after my meeting with Piers Wagman, a council member of the Mage Guild, I headed to the Adventurer's Guild with Ridi to pay the additional reward for the information investigation request. This time, I had also asked Sharon to stay behind.

Since it was just about the additional reward, Ridi alone would have been enough, but as it was around ten in the morning, the time when the guild is least crowded, I decided to go along as well.

When we entered the Adventurer's Guild, a few young adventurers were lounging in the waiting area. They either were waiting for someone or just killing time, with a jug of alcohol in hand and red faces.

(Are there a lot of idle people? I remember seeing someone drinking alcohol the last time I came here... If they have time to drink here, they should go to the forest and hunt monsters...)

Ridi and I, avoiding eye contact with them, pulled our hoods deeper over our heads and headed towards the reception counter.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew in from the open entrance. I noticed the sound of the wind and turned to look. However, this action backfired. The wind blew my hood off.

I thought I was clumsy and quickly pulled my hood back on. Just as I was about to start saying, "To pay the additional reward for the request..." a young man with a slightly high, grating voice called out from behind.

"Thought you were hiding your face, but you're just a kid. This isn't a playground for kids. Go home and suck on your mommy's tit."

He laughed lewdly. I couldn't help but stop. It wasn't that I was scared or angry at his voice; I was simply taken aback that something like this could actually happen.

(Such a cliché scenario... I laughed more at how cliché the lines were than at being mocked... Hehehe...)

I thought to myself, trying to suppress the laughter that was welling up. Then, Ridi looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked in a whisper, "What's wrong?"

"I can't help it, it's just too much like a script... Hehe..."

Ridi, sensing the small-fry aura from the man and not wanting to engage, ignored him. As a result, Ridi and I ignored the man.

When we ignored him, the man became irritated by the lack of reaction and started yelling.

"You kids are ignoring me! Looks like you haven't been taught manners. I'll teach you a lesson, even if it hurts a little!"

The man lunged at me. I suppressed my laughter and quickly stood up from the chair, running past him. He tried to grab me, catching the edge of my cloak. I slipped out of my cloak at that moment and moved behind him.

"The welcome at the Dractus Adventurer's Guild is a bit rough, isn't it?"

When I said that, the other adventurers behind him started to cheer him on.

"Terri! You're being laughed at by a kid!"

"Teach him some manners!"

The other men, clearly drunk, egged Terri on even more.

(I won't tell you not to drink in the morning, but do it at a bar. It seems the guild's management is lax if they let adventurers hassle regular customers.)

I was quite calm. Terri's skills weren't that great, and with the alcohol, his footing was a bit unsteady. I signaled Ridi, who was about to stand up, to stay put and complained to Tina, the receptionist I had seen before.

"Does the Dractus Guild not respond to violence against customers?"

Tina, looking troubled, shook her head and decided to try to stop Terri.

"Mr. Terri! That's enough! And the rest of you... If you cause any more trouble, I'll have the branch manager punish you!"

The adventurers laughed but didn't stop. I took the opportunity to remove my sword from my back and threw it to Ridi. She looked at me questioningly.

"Drawing the sword will make it more than just a joke. Don't worry, I won't kill him," I said lightly to Ridi.

Disliking my tone, Terri exploded. "You brat! Don't talk to me like that!"

He shouted and drew his sword from his waist. The light from the window glinted off the blade.

I was so calm that I noticed how well-maintained it was. Tina was shouting something from behind him, but the other adventurers were just cheering him on, not trying to stop him at all.

(These guys are hopeless. Ian, the leader of the adventurer party I met in the forest who was attacked by a giant centipede, was much more competent. Well, how should I handle this? A blast of air to send him flying would be the easiest...)

Terri, wielding his long sword, swung it at me. However, his footing was unsteady, and the sword wobbled. He swung horizontally, using the momentum from his waist, but it was a slow, yawningly slow strike. I easily sidestepped it. The momentum from the swing caused Terri to stagger. I switched places with him and took a step back.

(From this position, I won't cause any trouble. If anything breaks, I'll make Terri pay for it.)

Terri muttered curses and turned around, holding his sword loosely. I quickly cast the Air Hammer spell and released the magic at him.

A mass of air hit Terri's stomach. He let out a choking sound and tumbled backward, rolling out the open entrance and falling outside.

(It's like a comedy. Too bad there's no laughter...)

The adventurers who had been laughing a moment ago were now deathly silent. I turned to Tina at the reception and said, "That was self-defense, right? I put my sword down, but he attacked me."

The drunk adventurers looked at each other, unsure of how to react.

As I was about to return to the reception, a husky, bold voice came from the entrance.

"Terri is lying outside! Didn't anyone notice?"

I turned around, and in the backlight, I saw a tall female spearwoman standing there. She was dressed in leather armor and held a spear about 2.5 meters long in her right hand. As she slowly entered, the adventurers who had been causing trouble hurried to help Terri. The light made her figure clearer. I couldn't help but hold my breath and stare at her.

She was nearly 2 meters tall but moved gracefully, not at all cumbersome. Her face, when it became clear, was that of a plain but handsome woman in her late twenties. Her sharp, slightly intimidating eyes were striking, and I found myself captivated by her.

(She's definitely a predator. A different type of beauty from Ridi... And she's so tall. Taller than Father... No, more importantly, those breasts. The shape of her leather armor is unusual. I wonder what she looks like without it?)

The chest part of her leather armor was custom-made to be large, and the sides bulged out as if they might burst. When she removed her leather helmet, her dark golden hair was revealed. Between her short hair, cat-like ears protruded. I could also see a yellow and black striped tail swaying from the skirt of her leather armor.

(She's a beastkin. A cat? A tiger? That would explain the predatory feel... But she seems like a boss. Her movements suggest she's very skilled. I should finish the request before any more trouble starts.)

I finished the additional payment at the reception counter and sighed in relief. Just then, the female spearwoman's slightly sultry voice came from behind.

"Was it the kid who took down Terri?"

I braced myself, thinking I might be in trouble, but said,

"I was attacked with a sword, so I defended myself with magic. I held back, so I don't think he's injured, but if he is, I can heal him."

I wanted to leave the scene as quickly as possible, so I tried to be as humble as possible.

"Hmm, with magic... And you can heal injuries too?"

She narrowed her eyes and looked me up and down before saying,

"You're not just any mage. You seem well-trained. It's no wonder Terri got taken down..."

I tried to leave with Ridi, but she called out, "Wait."

I slowly turned around and asked, "Is there something you need?"

"Terri isn't my subordinate or anything, but it seems he caused trouble for a regular customer. I wanted to apologize."

"No, there's no need to apologize. Nothing happened."

She smiled slyly and said, "Well, don't be so formal," as she approached. I imagined her as a predator about to pounce.

(Trouble. I don't want any more trouble. What's her angle?)

"I'm Beatrice. Beatrice Lavalle. And you are?"

I quickly replied, "Zack." Normally, I would introduce myself as Zacharias Rockhart, but my instincts were warning me, so I didn't use my real name.

"Zack? Hmm. Zack, huh... Well, that's fine." She looked me up and down again and said,

"Can you spare a moment?"

Ridi, unable to hold back, stepped in front of me, pulled back her hood, and said provocatively, "I'm Ridianna. What do you want with my Zack?"

The men who saw Ridi's face sighed, but Beatrice smiled slyly.

"Hehe, don't be like that. I just want to see the kid's skills in the training ground. I'm not going to eat him or anything."

"I'm in a hurry. And what do you want to see from a kid?"

Ridi glared at her, and Beatrice laughed loudly.

"Ahahaha! I just want to see the skills of the famous prodigy, Zacharias Rockhart. Right?"

She seemed to have recognized me and directed her last question at me. I was surprised that my name had spread among adventurers.

(I knew I was a topic at the Mage Guild, but I didn't expect to be known among adventurers... I hope no more trouble comes my way...)

I looked at Beatrice warily, and she moved closer.

"You don't need to be on guard. About a month ago, you helped a young man named Ian, right? He told me about it."

It seemed she had only heard from Ian, who had been attacked by the giant centipede. However, I felt it would be unwise to engage further, so I said firmly,

"What's the point of seeing my skills? I'm already inconvenienced by being accused. And I was attacked with a sword. Now you want me to spend more time with you? Doesn't that seem strange to you?"

Beatrice looked slightly surprised, then burst into laughter.

"Ahahaha! You're a funny kid. You're not afraid of me? You've got some guts!"

After laughing for a while, she said,

"If there's a benefit, you'll cooperate, right? What do you want? I could even share my bed with you. Ahahaha!"

Her teasing made me angry, but I thought that a connection with this skilled and influential woman might be useful in the future.

(She's very skilled. Not as good as Walt, our head squire and a master spearman, but still very good. That means she's at least a third-class adventurer. If she becomes my sponsor, I can register as an adventurer. But appearances can be deceiving. What should I do?)

As I was thinking, she said, "You really are different from what you look like," with a piercing gaze. I felt a cold sweat run down my back.

(It's not outright hostility, but... it's like pressure. I can't just refuse her... I need to be careful.)

Ridi stepped in front of me again and glared at Beatrice. "It's not right for an adult woman to threaten a child," she said, then took my arm and said, "Zack, let's go."

I was still undecided about how to handle my relationship with Beatrice and hesitated. Ridi gave me a "What's wrong?" look, but I signaled her to let me handle it and looked at Beatrice.

(She's skilled and doesn't seem like a bad person. She seems to be well-liked. If I plan to hunt monsters in this city, it would be better to have a good relationship with her. Even if I'm wrong, the risk is low...)

I relaxed my expression and asked, "Beatrice, are you third-class or higher?"

She replied, "Yes, I'm third-class," with a puzzled look.

"Sharing a bed is tempting, but if you think my skills are worth it, will you be my sponsor? I want to register as an adventurer."

Beatrice, surprised by my offer, looked at me blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Ahahaha! You're a funny kid. Alright, if you're good enough, I'll be your sponsor."

I nodded, and Ridi elbowed me. She whispered, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's a good opportunity. If it works out, I can register as an adventurer. Even if it doesn't, sparring with a skilled person will be beneficial."

I followed Beatrice to the training ground behind the guild.