Chapter 7

July 12, 2015 - Typo corrections

When I entered the guild, a counter was on the left side of the door, dividing the room in half.

There were gaps at both ends of the counter, wide enough for a person to pass through.

Like the inn, there were no mechanisms to lift the counter or doors installed.

On the right wall, several sheets of paper were posted, likely containing the details of quests, as the old man at the inn had mentioned.

The paper-making technology must be advanced here.

I had thought the same thing when I was with Don and the others; in this world, paper seems to be relatively inexpensive.

The wall was covered with quest papers, packed tightly together.

Moreover, the fact that so many quests remained suggested either that there were few explorers or that the economy was thriving, with a constant stream of quests.

Either way, it seemed I wouldn't be short of work.

This town might be better than I had expected.

About forty people who looked like explorers were on this side of the counter.

It was probably because it was morning, but there were more people loitering than the old man at the inn had described.

The receptionist and a few explorers looked at me with mild surprise. The meaning of their surprise differed between men and women, which was understandable. Their gazes moved between me and Mariel, who was floating above my head.

I had learned the meaning of their reactions from the innkeeper's wife.

The main reason for their surprise, common to both men and women, was that Mariel, a fairy, was not wearing a subjugation collar.

A subjugation collar is, in simple terms, a magical artifact used to force slaves or fairies to obey.

The absence of this collar proved that a wild fairy was accompanying me of her own free will.

For a wild fairy to accompany someone voluntarily meant that the person had an extremely high amount of magical power.

It was said that a person needed more than ten times the magical power of an average person for a wild fairy to even consider them.

In other words, the surrounding people would see a highly powerful, unknown magician suddenly appearing at the guild.

A highly powerful magician alone would be a subject of interest and caution.

If they thought I could be useful, they might try to recruit me. If I seemed dangerous, they would keep their distance. I wondered if my self-consciousness was making me overthink their expressions.

Ignoring the curious and surprised gazes, I headed straight for the window where the oldest receptionist was.

Of course, I was inwardly praying, "Please don't start a fight or cause trouble according to the template."

However, I didn't think it would be that easy to provoke a fight.

An unknown magician, especially one with a high amount of magical power, wouldn't be provoked so easily, I thought.

"Excuse me, I would like to register as an explorer. Is this the right place? I just came from the countryside, so I have many things I don't understand. Could you please help me with that?"

When I arrived in front of the oldest receptionist, I tried to speak as politely as possible.

"Yes, we can handle that here. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. May I ask if you can read and write?"

She had been organizing some documents, and she quickly moved them aside and smiled at me.

Good, my judgment was correct. Choosing the older woman was the right decision. I wasn't nervous, and she responded professionally.

"Thank you. I would like to register. I can read and write without any problems."

Perhaps because I mentioned coming from the countryside, she assumed I might have trouble with reading and writing.

I recalled what Don had told me.

In urban areas, the literacy rate exceeded sixty percent, but in rural areas, many people couldn't read or write.

Incidentally, when it came to arithmetic, the situation was even more serious.

While many people could do addition and subtraction, multiplication and division were known by less than twenty percent of people in urban areas.

Royal employees and knights could manage simple multiplication and division.

Merchants, government workers, and the upper echelons of the royal palace were the only ones who could handle complex calculations.

Hearing this, I thought that we, the transferred people, might be valued just for being able to do the four basic arithmetic operations.

"Please fill out the necessary information here."

The receptionist smiled and handed me an A4-sized sheet of paper, a pen, and ink.

I thanked her and looked over the form.

The fields to fill out were name, age, gender, and specialties.

"Excuse me, what should I write for 'specialties'?"

"If you can use magic, please write the attributes of the magic you can use. If you have a preferred weapon, please write that as well. If you have any production skills or special abilities, please include those too."

"Do I need to write everything honestly?"

I asked, with an expression and tone that said, "I know this already," based on the information I had gathered from the innkeeper.

"Of course not. It's sufficient to write the information you think the guild should know. However, if the guild is aware of your skills, you might be assigned specific quests."

She seemed surprised and cautious, assuming I didn't know anything, but she maintained her composure.

The explanation was the same as what the innkeeper had told me.

"Thank you. I'll fill this out. And thank you for the information."

I filled out the form and returned it, along with the pen and ink, to the receptionist.

Name: Michinaga Fujiwara

Age: Eighteen

Gender: Male

Specialties: Light magic, Fire magic, Wind magic, Swordsmanship, Shield use

"Thank you. Please wait over there. I'll issue your guild card now."

The receptionist checked the form, glanced at my face in surprise for a moment, then returned her gaze to the form and gave me instructions without looking up.

Oops, I forgot to ask how long it would take.

Well, it's fine. There's still time before lunch. I might as well go look at the quest papers on the board to pass the time.

There were three large boards on the wall, and I looked at one of them. The boards were packed with quest papers.

I see, the quests are categorized and posted on different boards.

"Hey, are you a fairy enthusiast too?"

I was called by a voice that wasn't particularly loud but carried well from behind me.

Turning around, I saw a man in his thirties with a fairy on his left shoulder. Was he the one who called me?

I responded to the man at eye level.

"Yes, I'm a beginner."

"You can tell by the fairy's outfit."

The man with the fairy on his shoulder laughed heartily and continued.

"My name is Thor. Are you planning to stay in this town for a while? There's a fairy enthusiast meeting next month. Let me know if you're interested."

He said this with a friendly smile.

"Is there such a meeting? I haven't decided how long I'll stay, but if I'm around, I'll let you know."

I responded with a friendly smile. Relationships are important, especially with someone as kind as him.

"Excuse me, Thor. I need to talk to him. Is that okay?"

"Huh? Sure, go ahead. See you, buddy."

Thor waved and left with a friendly smile.

A boy then stepped in front of me, replacing Thor.

He was much smaller and thinner compared to Thor.

"Hey, you're a beginner, right? How about joining my party?"

The boy, who looked about fourteen or fifteen, started speaking without any introduction or greeting, with a bratty face and tone.

You're calling me "you" just because I look younger? I'm eighteen, so I'm actually older.

Well, it's a time when you want to act grown-up, so I'll be lenient.

"Thanks, but you guys look like beginners too, don't you?"

I tried to be lenient, but seeing his bratty face, I couldn't help but tease him a bit. Forgive me, boy.

Following my words, the surrounding people started making fun of him and egging him on.

"Looks like you're in trouble, Rody."

"Last week, you guys were still apprentices, only carrying luggage."

"You're being underestimated, Rody."

"If you keep this up, you'll never form your own party."

Rody's face turned red from the teasing and taunting.

It seemed I had hit a nerve, and he was the type who got picked on.

I felt a bit guilty.

"You think you can mess with me just because I'm younger? I'll teach you a lesson. Come to the training ground."

He suddenly raised his voice and walked towards the door leading to the training ground.

I was taken aback by his sudden reaction.

Really? An unknown magician, and he's starting a fight. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe magicians aren't that intimidating.

Three others followed Rody. He had friends.

Just to be safe, I appraised Rody, but he only had a few combat skills, like throwing.

Really? I'm impressed you'd start a fight with this level of skill. It's scary how reckless young people can be.

Still, it was a typical guild encounter, but the opponent was weaker and a child. I felt like a small-time character.

I looked at the receptionist for help, and she pointed to the training ground door, as if to say, "Go ahead."

The surrounding people were only cheering me on. They found it entertaining.

◇

"About time!"

Feeling like a small-time character, I entered the training ground and was greeted by the opponent's angry shout.

The spectators followed me into the training ground, pushing me towards the center.

Indeed, it was spacious.

I slowly walked around, observing the training ground. It was probably larger than a soccer field.

I had imagined it would have various terrains and training equipment, but it was just a large open space.

"Good for you for showing up. I'll go easy on you as a reward. Don't hold back."

He must have said this to others before. He spoke confidently.

No, it's fine. Don't say anything more; I'm embarrassed just listening to it.

Besides, from the outside, this looks like a fight between kids.

Let's get this over with.

I readied the wooden sword and leather shield I had been given.

Wait, this is a good opportunity to test the level 1 swordsmanship and shield use skills.

"You guys, get out of the way!"

A shout and commotion came from the guild entrance.

"Hey, kids, playtime is over. It's a duel now, so get lost."

A tough, bald man entered, his voice booming.

"Is Zack causing trouble again?"

"Who's he fighting? Poor guy."

"He's not likable, but he's skilled."

He didn't seem to have a high reputation, but it was as expected.

Looking at Rody, he was pale and hiding in the crowd.

I see, he knows how to navigate the world. He's not as reckless as I thought.

I appraised the tough, bald man, Zack, and he was strong. He only had level 1 fire magic, but his combat skills, including sword, spear, bow, axe, and shield, were all level 2.

Maybe I can take something from him. Thinking this, I led Mariel into the crowd of spectators.