Chapter 16

"Ah! S-Sorry!"

After a moment of silence, Alice regained her composure.

Suddenly, she opened her mouth as if she had noticed something.

"Huh? Zeros, and the Crest of Nothing... Could you be the son of the Sylphid Marquis?"

"Wh-What!?"

I involuntarily gasped at her unexpected statement.

Surprised that my true identity had been seen through, I directed a suspicious gaze at Alice.

Seeing my reaction, she quickly added,

"Please, don't be on guard. Just because Zeros is a noble, it doesn't mean I'll do anything special."

...Her words seemed sincere.

There was no point in trying to bluff, so I decided to be honest.

"If that's the case... How did you figure out who I am?"

"Well, the thing is, I'm a noble too. I'm here at the guild temporarily to gain experience as a leader, but I used to live in the capital."

"...Is that so?"

I had thought she had received a decent education from her manner and tone, but I didn't expect her to be a noble.

In front of my surprised self, Alice continued,

"Since I'm taking over as the guild master of the Sylphid branch, I have dealings with the Marquis family. A few days ago, I heard that the second son had received the Crest of Nothing. I only vaguely remembered your name, but the situation made me think it might be you..."

"I see."

I nodded in understanding.

If that was the case, it made sense that Alice had seen through my true identity.

"I understand the situation. I'm sorry for doubting you."

"No, don't worry about it. It's natural to be cautious when someone knows your true identity."

"...It's a relief to hear that."

I let out a sigh of relief.

Then, a question about the consequences of my identity being revealed came to mind.

"By the way, is it mandatory to register with a family name for adventurers?"

Alice looked down at the paper I had given her and replied in a calm tone,

"No, it's not a problem. Given that most adventurers are commoners, I understand the desire to keep one's identity hidden. I'll register you as Zeros."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"No, no! It's a relief for us to have a capable person join."

Alice smiled softly, as if to reassure me, and said so.

After a few minutes of waiting, I received my completed adventurer card from Alice.

The card listed my name, crest name, and "Rank: F."

Everyone starts at F rank, and you can work your way up by completing quests.

In any case, the registration was successfully completed.

I had been worried about what would happen if my noble status was revealed, but Alice's flexibility was a great help.

After that, I exchanged farewells with Alice and left the guild master's office.

◇◆◇

About an hour later.

With the reward money I received, I bought a few items and headed straight to the F-rank dungeon, "Asuka Rakuzei."

The recommended level for this dungeon is 16.

It is considered more challenging than "New Recruit's Training Ground" but less than "Thorn Needle's Lair."

"Well, the unique gimmicks are the main feature of this dungeon, so the level recommendation is just a reference..."

In any case, I should be able to clear it without any problems.

And in this dungeon, I can obtain a skill for the Crest of Magic.

"Gathering only sword skills would be a waste of getting the Crest of Nothing. Alright, let's give it a shot!"

I psyched myself up and entered the dungeon.

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