Chapter 10

After confirming that the monster had stopped breathing, I approached the adventurer who was sitting on the ground.

"Are you okay?"

"Ah, yeah. I'm fine, thank you for helping me."

The adventurer, still catching their breath, expressed their gratitude. I couldn't tell from a distance, but this adventurer was a woman. While female adventurers often pay attention to their appearance and wear equipment that clearly identifies them as women, the woman in front of me didn't seem to care about that. She was dressed completely like an adventurer, and I only realized she was a woman when I heard her voice. After that, I helped her move to a safe place where we could see if any more monsters were coming. During the move, we introduced ourselves, and I learned that her name was Chloe.

"Hey, why were you alone in a place like that? I heard from the guild that no adventurers had any requests in this area."

"…Actually, I didn't plan to come here. I was used as a decoy by my companions and ended up here while running away."

"A decoy? That's the worst thing an adventurer can do, according to the code of conduct…"

I said this, surprised by what Chloe had told me.

"Yeah, I was really shocked to be used as a decoy. The people I was laughing with just yesterday didn't hesitate to sacrifice me to save themselves…"

As Chloe spoke, trembling, I didn't know what to say to her. After that, I took Chloe back to the place where we had encountered the monster, completed the request, and returned to the capital.

"Jin, you're really strong. I thought you were strong when you defeated the monster so quickly to save me, but I was sure of it after the battle just now."

"Thank you."

I said this sincerely, as I was praised with sparkling eyes. After that, we went straight to the Adventurer's Guild.

"So, he just left on his own! "

When we entered the guild, we saw a group of adventurers arguing at the reception. The receptionist, who was dealing with the adventurers, noticed us at the entrance and called out, "Chloe!"

At the receptionist's words, the adventurers arguing at the reception turned to look at us, surprised, and said, "C, Chloe!?"

"Could it be that they are Chloe's companions?"

"…Yes. The receptionist who was arguing is from the guild where I registered as a partner."

On the way to the guild, Chloe and I had talked a bit about each other. In that conversation, I learned that Chloe, which is rare in this world, had started using the "partner registration" immediately after becoming an adventurer. I was surprised to learn that someone else, like me, had been using it since they were a beginner.

"Sorry, Jin. We might get involved in a discussion after this."

"That's fine. I thought it would come to that when I heard the story. Besides, it would be better for Chloe to have a witness, right?"

With that, we went to the receptionist who had called out Chloe's name.

"Why is Chloe here?"

"Surprised, huh? How surprising is it that I'm still alive?"

Chloe smiled at her former companions and said this. Then, she told the receptionist, who was her partner, about today's events, and I also testified. During this time, her former companions were shouting, but since they had been the ones to commit the misconduct, they were restrained by the guild staff, and the discussion proceeded in our favor.

"The other side will have their adventurer's license revoked, be banned from registering as an adventurer for a year, and be required to do odd jobs for the guild for six months. They will also have to give part of their property to Chloe. Did you manage to get back what you lost?"

After about three hours of being restrained and the discussion finally ending, I asked Chloe this. She looked a bit tired and said, "Just about, I guess."

"Chloe, I'm really sorry. I failed to investigate properly and put you in danger."

Chloe's partner from the guild bowed and apologized, and Chloe said, "It's over, so it's fine. I was foolish to trust them just because I knew them, so you don't need to feel responsible, Rikora."

"Chloe…"

The woman, Rikora, shed tears at Chloe's words. Fienne and I just watched this exchange in silence. After they had calmed down, I reported to Fienne about my request.

"Jin, you helped someone and completed your request as well…"

"Well, it wasn't a difficult request."

"You say you're not strong, but the monster you fought was the kind that a copper-class adventurer could handle, right?"

Chloe said this with a look of exasperation at my words.

【Request from the Author】

If you found the story interesting and are curious about the next part, please leave a rating and bookmark. It will be a great encouragement for the author and help in the motivation to continue writing.