Chapter 14

After parting with the sleepy clerk, I headed for the second floor.

This is the first room, right here. There was no door, just a small room about two tatami mats in size. On one side of the room was a bookshelf, and opposite it, a long bench was placed. It was supposed to be a reference room, but there were fewer than ten books...

Let's see, the Adventurer's Guide.

It says not to fight, not to take things that aren't yours, and to keep to deadlines. It reads like it's for kindergarteners. But the latter part had some useful information. How to dismantle, where to find magic stones, which parts to take as proof of slaying, and how to collect them. Also, the benefits you can receive with your guild card. A promise to participate in battles when needed for a discount on carriage fares. Discounts at inns run by the guild. And so on.

This one is about how to collect. ...No, it was written earlier, wasn't it? Looking at it, it was more detailed than before. It even had preservation methods. But unfortunately, it didn't have anything beyond what my grandmother taught me.

This is a map, right? It's a map of this area, but as expected, it's very rough. Maps are military information, after all. Come to think of it, I've never heard of any wars, but what's the relationship with the surrounding countries like?

I memorized the locations of the surrounding towns, forests, and mountains. If I can collect while on a slaying mission, it would be a two-for-one deal.

And this is the history book of this country. It's for children with few words. I read it when I was learning to read at the church. So I don't need to read this.

The last one is a noble directory.

It would be good to memorize it, but I don't want to get involved, so I won't look. I'll just take in what I hear.

Hmm. Overall, it was good to come. I wonder if every guild has this. I'll peek into the reference room when I first meet someone.

It was already past lunchtime.

I went outside the guild to get something to eat. After that, I'll try to complete a short-term request. I need to earn at least enough for the meal.

I bought some skewers from a nearby stall. They were just okay. There was a honey bread that looked delicious. I couldn't resist and bought one. It was disgustingly sweet...

I returned to the guild and looked at the bulletin board. The requests weren't sorted by rank, so it was very hard to read. It seemed like they were just posted in the available spaces.

I searched for F-rank requests and read through them.

The job content, reward, deadline, and requester. Sometimes there were detailed notes.

"Maybe I'll take this one."

...I can't reach it.

With a giggle, a hand suddenly appeared from behind. Looking up, I saw a familiar face.

"Hey, Hita-san!"

"We met again so soon. Is this the one you wanted?"

He peeled off the request I wanted and handed it to me. It was Hita, whom I had just parted with at the carriage stop earlier.

"Thanks. What about the others?"

He scratched his head and said, "They're off today, so they're all doing their own thing. I thought I'd get some exercise."

Tilting my head, he told me there was a training ground behind the guild. Anyone could use it if it was free. He invited me to join, but I declined. I wanted to earn money for my bow. Although training might be necessary to earn money.

I parted with Hita and handed the request to the counter.

"Here you go. It's a letter delivery. This request must be completed today, so please do it by the end of the day. Now, please wave your guild card over here."

When I brought my dog tag close to a black board, it made a beeping sound. Only this part seemed electronic.

"Please wait a moment. Here is your letter. This is a map of the delivery location. There are two letters, so please don't mix them up. Write your signature on this receipt and submit it to complete the task. Please be careful on your way out."

She was polite but had a unique manner.

"Thank you. I'll be on my way."

I took the request, map, and two letters and left the guild.

The first letter is for the guardhouse where the gatekeepers are. It's the south gate where we entered. The second one is for a merchant guild in the middle of the city. It's on the main street, so I want to check out the shops on the way.

By the way, the guild's reception is basically staffed all day. However, requests can only be accepted and reported until 8 PM.

Incidentally, this world has a 24-hour day, which is very familiar to me. However, there are no clocks. The bell tower rings every two hours, and people use that as a reference. Then how does the bell tower know the time? Only the gods know... It could be magic, which is scary, the mystery of another world.

First, I'll go to the guardhouse.

I walked down the street. Carriages and people were mixed, so I walked on the side. It's amazing there are no accidents. Everyone seems to be used to it, slipping through the gaps between carriages.

Ah, there's a beastman.

As befitting a fantasy world, there are various races. But apparently, there aren't many in this country. It's not human supremacy; they just aren't there. I don't know why.

I'm not that into beastmen, but I do want to pet them. However, touching a beastman's ears or tail is probably not allowed, so I have to be careful.

Thinking about this, I made my way back to the gate.