Chapter 50

Following Iksa's guidance, we were heading towards a corner of the capital's shopping district.

"Look, how about this place?"

Where Iksa pointed, there was a shop that dealt with glass crafts. We promptly entered the store.

"Hmm... I see, the main products are containers made of glass, huh?"

Various glass containers of different sizes were lined up.

"How about it, Mako? Is there anything that suits your taste?"

"Hmm..."

Indeed, this is what I was looking for. However...

"...The designs are a bit monotonous, aren't they?"

They are basically bottles. Not that that's a bad thing, but while there are various sizes and shapes, they are all simple and ordinary, lacking in interest. They all feel like standard products.

"It seems there's nothing in the shape you're looking for, Mako."

"Yeah, but I think the kind of glass craft I'm looking for can only be made by talking directly to a craftsman."

"If that's the case, we should be looking for a craftsman, not a store."

Gurai looked around the store and muttered. Yes, not a store, but a craftsman.

"Is there a glass craftsman in this capital?"

"Yes, there is."

At that moment, a young woman, an employee of the glass shop, spoke to us. A young lady in the store's uniform seemed to have overheard our conversation.

"Do you know where, miss?"

"Yes, there's an artist's studio on the outskirts of the residential area ahead."

She said it's quite famous. This is good information!

"Thank you, miss! If possible, it would be even more helpful if you could tell us exactly where the studio is."

"Yes, no problem."

The young lady, who is beautiful and has a good personality, must be popular. She's the shop's star.

"But..."

At that moment, the young lady smiled wryly.

"He's... well... hmm..."

"Is there a problem?"

When I asked, the young lady answered hesitantly.

"He's a bit... unusual. You'll be surprised when you first meet him."

Her expression seemed to be somewhat amused.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

"...Is this it?"

On the corner of the map the young lady from the glass shop had marked, we found the studio. It's a wooden house. And, to be honest, it's a bit run-down.

"It looks like an ordinary house... Is this really the right place?"

"...But there are no other buildings like this around."

Iksa tilted his head, and Gurai looked around. Maybe we took a wrong turn somewhere...

"..."

Then, suddenly, I heard that "sound."

"...Just now."

The sound came from inside the house. If that's the case...

"Gurai, Iksa, I think this is the artist's studio after all."

"Huh?"

"...Did you figure something out?"

I stood at the entrance and knocked on the door.

"Excuse me. I'm planning to open a store that deals with fruits and vegetables nearby, and my name is Honda Mako."

I said my name and waited for a response. However, there was no answer from inside.

"Hmm? Maybe no one's home?"

"Just open it."

Before I could say anything, Iksa stepped forward and opened the door.

"Hey! Iksa!"

"If it's a studio, it means the artist displays his works and is open to visitors. So, it should be fine to enter. If we get caught later and get scolded, we can just say, 'Sorry! I really wanted to see your work!' The artist will probably be pleased."

Saying that, Iksa entered the studio. ...He's a prince, after all.

"Wow!"

Then, I heard Iksa's surprised voice. Guided by his voice, Gurai and I cautiously entered.

"...Wow."

What I saw were various glass artworks placed everywhere. Not just glass containers, but a wide variety of shapes and colors.

"Ah! Is that a stained glass!?"

A picture made of colored glass, a stained glass, hung on the wall. I looked around the room at the displayed works. Amazing. They are all highly original and show great skill.

"...Ah."

Then, I noticed something hanging from the ceiling.

"So, that was the 'sound' I heard just now."

"What is that?"

Iksa looked puzzled. Hanging from the ceiling was an oval, thin glass ball with a glass bead inside, which made a sound when it hit. Yes, a very familiar object to me. A "wind chime."

"...This person made a wind chime."

Did the artist come up with the idea himself? Or did he imitate a wind chime from somewhere in this world? The sound it produces is pleasant, and it's a very well-made wind chime. In any case, this is promising.

"Still, it's strange."

"Yeah."

Gurai reacted to my words as I looked around. It seems he had the same question. As expected, a technician would be most concerned about the "tools."

"This studio, which is supposed to be a glass workshop, has no place to heat the glass."

There should be a furnace or something to heat the glass... Is the workshop in the back? At that moment,

"Who's there?"

A voice came from the open door. I turned around quickly. It was an old man. He frowned when he saw us in his studio.

"Ah!"

Could it be the artist himself!?

"Sorry! We just had to see your work!"

The words that came out of my mouth were exactly what Iksa had said earlier, which I found embarrassing.

"No, I'm not the owner of this house."

"...Huh?"

I was taken aback by the old man's response.

"What brings you here?"

"Well... We need to see the owner of this studio... the artist."

"Hmm, did you come to ask that man for a job? That's unusual."

The old man sighed.

"But, unfortunately, he's not here. He left a few days ago and hasn't returned."

"He hasn't returned?"

"Probably took on a job to make some money."

A job?

I tilted my head at his words.

"What? You don't know? That man is a registered adventurer with the Adventurer's Guild."

"Really?"

An artist and an adventurer? Quite an unusual combination.

"Well, it's typical of him. He'll probably come back eventually. You might as well wait patiently."

Saying that, the old man left.

"What do we do, Mako?"

Iksa asked from beside me. Hmm... An adventurer and an artist. It's getting more and more intriguing.

"Let's try to gather information at the Adventurer's Guild."

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

In the heart of the capital, there is a building with a solemn appearance. The adventurer's guild, built like a fortress of stone, is a place I saw with Gurai on our first day of sightseeing. We passed through the entrance where people in various equipment were coming and going. Inside, there was a huge entrance hall where adventurers were exchanging information and loitering in front of a bulletin board. We headed to one of the reception counters.

"Welcome to the Capital Adventurer's Guild."

A lady in a neat uniform with an intellectual air greeted us with a bow.

"What brings you here today?"

"Um, did a glass artist who is also an adventurer come to this guild recently?"

"Perhaps you mean Mr. Delphi?"

The receptionist said, her face slightly stiffening. Delphi... that's his name. I was a bit concerned about her reaction.

"Yes, Mr. Delphi visited this guild a few days ago, accepted a job, and left. He hasn't returned yet."

"Is that so... What kind of job did Mr. Delphi take?"

When I asked, the receptionist looked down.

...What's going on? It seems there's something to it.

"There's a rumor of treasure in a cave deep in a certain mountainous area. The job was to investigate the cave and verify whether the treasure rumor was true. It was a low-difficulty, E-rank job."

However, the receptionist paused.

"Due to Mr. Delphi's delay, several other adventurers later joined the job... but none of them have completed it yet. Now, the job has been upgraded to B-rank."

"Why is that?"

"Before reaching the cave, they were attacked by mysterious monsters and forced to retreat. Several skilled adventurers have been defeated. Mr. Delphi is probably... already..."

It seems Mr. Delphi is presumed to have died. But there's no certainty. It's possible he reached the cave and couldn't come back down.

"Can we participate in that job?"

"Excuse me?"

The receptionist looked at me in surprise. It seemed she was thinking, "Did you hear what I just said?"

"Um, is there a problem... Are you adventurers?"

"No, we're not."

"Then, you'll need to register first."

I might have been looked at with a sigh. It felt like she was thinking, "If you're just here to cause trouble, go home."

"Once registered, your adventurer rank will be F. You can only accept jobs up to one rank higher than your own, which means E-rank jobs."

I see, in our current state, we can't participate in the B-rank job.

"Hmm... Is there no way?"

"No, there isn't."

The receptionist said firmly.

"Hey, miss. Don't cause trouble for the guild staff."

A voice came from behind. Other adventurers were looking at us with smirks.

"What's going on?"

"This miss wants to participate in a B-rank job."

"Haha! That's common with newbies! They want to take on high-rank jobs to quickly make a name for themselves!"

"Most of them die early."

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Start with low-rank jobs and work your way up."

The adventurers laughed loudly. They were mocking us, but I guess it's understandable.

"Mako, what do you think? We can gather information and head to the destination without becoming adventurers..."

"Hmm..."

I pondered Iksa's words. Then, suddenly—

"Come now, everyone. Don't be so harsh."

A man appeared. He was short, slender, and wore glasses. He had an intellectual air about him.

"This person and Miss Beltona's conversation about the job is a matter of great urgency. We need all hands on deck to solve it."

"Mr. Moguro..."

Miss Beltona, the receptionist, looked at the man with glasses. Mr. Moguro, as he was called, looked at me with a gleam in his glasses.

"Let's try a 'judgment.' You might have the perfect skill to solve this job."

"Judgment?"

"Yes, judgment."

When I repeated the word, Mr. Moguro said,

"I am Moguro, a 'judgment specialist.' My job is to judge and record the status of adventurers. Let me see if your abilities are suitable for a B-rank job."