Chapter 50

So, curious about the guild card system, I visited the Adventurer's Guild to find out more.

When I entered, the receptionist was looking at documents with a bored expression.

"Hello!"

"Oh, right, what brings you here... Wait, it's Llyod!?"

The moment she saw me, her attitude changed completely.

She threw the documents aside and rushed over to me.

"You finally came! You know, it's not good to not report your accomplishments yourself! Let me tell you, you got promoted to D-rank with just this one request, which is super special! Normally, you'd need to complete at least three or four requests. But I pushed for it a bit... I mean, I pushed for it a bit because I trust you! This is all because I have high hopes for you... really, just between us, okay? Hehe."

She started talking really fast.

For something that was supposed to be a secret, her voice was pretty loud.

When I looked at the card, I saw my rank had gone from E to D. I hadn't even noticed.

Well, I didn't really care about raising my rank, so it didn't matter to me.

"Llyod, you have a talent as an adventurer! Please complete more requests and raise your rank!"

The receptionist looked at me with a fierce expression.

"Actually, I wanted to ask about the guild card."

"Usage? I can tell you anything! Basically, it's used as an ID and to check your own status, but there are other uses too. For example, you can charge it with money and use it as currency in restaurants, and you can rent equipment needed for adventures based on your rank. There are also various benefits, so raising your rank is highly recommended!"

The receptionist spoke proudly, but that wasn't what I wanted to know.

"No, I want to know how it's made."

"Surprised you asked about the manufacturing process! ...What do you want to know that for!?"

"Just curious. ...Is it not allowed?"

"N-no... it's not that it's not allowed..."

She thought for a moment, then beckoned me over and whispered.

"...Alright. This is special for Llyod. Come with me."

The receptionist led me to the second floor of the guild.

When we opened the door, there were various magical devices like printing machines and automatic scribes.

"We make the guild cards here. We use a special metal plate with high magic conductivity and engrave the text with magic-infused ink."

"Wow, so this metal plate is the base of the card. ...It looks like it's been specially processed. Maybe some kind of chemical is applied. It seems to be covered with a very thin, transparent film..."

"Is that so? These are made at the headquarters of the Adventurer's Guild, so I'm not sure about the details."

I see, so they send the cards from headquarters and we just input the information here.

I'll take a closer look at the card later.

If I say I lost it, it'll be fine.

"...Llyod, I hope you're not thinking about disassembling it. Reissuing costs one gold coin, and you have to start from the beginning to raise your rank again."

"I understand."

I see, that makes sense. It shouldn't be a problem.

I'll take a closer look at the card later.

"Hmm, what's this..."

My eyes caught a stack of papers in the corner.

They had portraits and bounty amounts written on them.

They looked like wanted posters.

But why are they here?

"Ah, you noticed those. Impressive, Llyod. ...Why are the wanted posters not posted downstairs but here, you ask?"

"They don't seem like they're about to be posted. They look pretty old."

"Yes, these were once posted downstairs. They were put away, but they're going to be reposted soon. Do you want to know why? You do, don't you?"

"Eh, not really."

After a moment of silence,

"Actually, these wanted posters are all for assassins who once caused a stir in the city."

The receptionist started to explain.

I didn't really ask to hear this, but...

"‘Rene the Poison Moth,’ ‘Thalia the Hundred Wounds,’ ‘Galilea the Thread Spider,’ ‘Babylon the Giant Rat,’ ‘Crow the Dark Crow’... All of them had bounties of over 100 gold coins. But a few years ago, their names disappeared from the wanted posters. The reason was the appearance of a man—‘Jade the Shadow Wolf.’ He gathered these notorious criminals and formed an assassin guild."

The receptionist's tone became more passionate.

She must have really wanted to tell this story. I just wanted her to finish quickly.

"Jade approached the Adventurer's Guild with a proposal. They would take on the dirty jobs that adventurers didn't want to do, in exchange for having the bounties on their heads removed. Of course, we refused at first. There are plenty of dirty jobs that no one wants to do, like dealing with corrupt nobles who impose oppressive rule, or adventurers who take on requests no one else will and then steal food and other supplies as 'additional fees.' Completing these requests would be a huge help, but we couldn't just say yes because they were wanted criminals. The Adventurer's Guild is also responsible for maintaining law and order. Naturally, we turned them away. ...But later, they completed all those requests. Not just once, but multiple times, using their unique methods as assassins. They particularly targeted people who were planning to start wars. While their methods weren't commendable, their actions saved many lives. We couldn't do anything about those people. The people were grateful, and their views on the assassins began to change. They started to see them as not much different from us adventurers. They wondered if there was any need to fight, if they could be considered a necessary evil, and if it was possible to work together... So the bounties on their heads were temporarily removed."

The receptionist spoke very quickly.

She was quite talkative and enthusiastic.

"But one day, Jade disappeared without a word, suddenly... After that, the members of the assassin guild lost control and started acting recklessly again. They committed robberies and destruction, though they didn't kill anyone. In the end, they were back to where they started, and bounties were placed on their heads again... That's the story."

"Hmm, I see."

That's all I could say.

The receptionist looked proud, but honestly, it didn't really matter to me.

I just wanted to know how the guild card was made.