Chapter 20

I couldn't respond to your message, I'm sorry. I'll get back to you as soon as I have time, so please wait...

It had been three days since we left Evilbough, and after getting lost a few times, we finally made it to the port town on the demon continent.

"Hmm... It's been a while since I've smelled the sea, it's so calming."

As the sea goddess, Leviathan's mood started to rise as we approached the port town. Now she's in top form, walking in front of me.

"Right... That's good..."

...I'm the opposite, my mood has been at rock bottom since yesterday. It shows no signs of improving.

"Cheer up already, there's nothing you can do about it, right?"

"That's why my mood isn't improving..."

It happened yesterday, while we were camping and I was rummaging through my magic bag...

"――――Your magic bag really has everything in it, doesn't it?"

"Hmm, yeah."

I was spreading out the various tools from my magic bag by the campfire. There were a lot of things I couldn't remember when I got them, but sometimes I'd find something that brought back memories and made me feel nostalgic.

Why do I have something that looks like a dog's bone...

"Huh? What's this?"

"Oh?"

What Leviathan picked up was a card about the size of a license. I took it with a sense of nostalgia.

"This is my adventurer's guild card from when I was an adventurer. You get it when you register with the adventurer's guild."

"Wow... But there's nothing written on it."

As she said, my guild card was blank, with not even a single symbol written on it.

"It's designed so that the information doesn't show unless you channel magic into it for security reasons. If it were stolen, it could be misused, so no information can be obtained unless the owner's magic flows through it."

The adventurer's guild is an organization for adventurers that handles everything from odd jobs in town to the extermination of disaster-level monsters. They mainly rank registered adventurers and provide jobs appropriate to their rank. The jobs you can take are your own rank, one rank higher, or two ranks lower. If you're C-rank, you can take B-rank and D- and E-rank jobs.

The quality of service provided by the adventurer's guild also varies by rank. There are many benefits, such as lower prices at weapon shops affiliated with the guild and being provided with housing.

"――――In other words, it's a system to prevent someone from stealing a higher-ranked adventurer's guild card and misusing the higher-ranked services, right?"

"That's right. So, when I try to... huh?"

I tried to channel magic into the card to show its contents, but the card didn't react at all. It should have shown text immediately...

"Maybe it's not really a guild card? Maybe it's a different card..."

"No, the only card item I have is this one... could it be..."

I squinted to see the magic array embedded in the card. Generally, magic items are completed by creating a magic array that gives them their effect and embedding it. This guild card should have such a magic array embedded...

"Sure enough... it's gone."

The magic array has disappeared. This means that it's just a plain card with no other effect.

As I realized this, a sense of regret swelled up inside me.

"...It's expired..."

"Huh?"

Like a Japanese driver's license, this guild card must be renewed every four years at the guild, or all the data is deleted. This system is designed to pull out S-rank adventurers who have retired with a lot of money, by giving them jobs when they come in to renew.

I hadn't renewed for five years, so of course it had expired and all the data had been deleted.

"M-my... SSS-rank..."

My body went limp, and I fell to all fours. The intense sense of loss threatened to crush me. The time and effort I had put into reaching SSS-rank had all been wasted because I was just one year short... This was the biggest shock I had received since returning to this world.

"You can just work your way back up from the bottom!"

Leviathan's encouraging words didn't reach me. She had never seen me like this before and didn't know what to do with me, lying on all fours and unable to move. I couldn't pull myself together no matter how hard I tried, and the night wore on...

Even after we entered the port town, my mood didn't improve. I didn't hear the fish vendor shouting loudly or the old lady teasing us as we walked by.

"Should we go to the guild first?"

"Yeah..."

Above all, I wanted a guild card. Giving up here would be a defeat. I can't lose to the guild's system. Even if I have to start over from E-rank, I will climb back to SSS-rank... sigh...

"Is this it?"

"Huh?"

At Leviathan's voice, I lifted my head. There was a wooden two-story building with some signs of renovation, but it was rugged and looked like a guild straight out of a story. The guild is generally found in every town, but since this was the first time I was visiting this town, it was a good place to start... sigh...

When we went inside, the adventurers drinking in the guild's bar stared at us. Most of the looks were of "Who's that guy?" but a few were already focused on Leviathan. Her appearance is at a level where ten out of ten people would turn their heads, so it's inevitable. Envious looks were directed at me for bringing such a woman.

Ignoring all those looks, we headed to the reception counter.

"Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild! What brings you here today?"

The receptionist was a woman with a ponytail wearing a red and white checkered apron. This apron is the standard uniform for receptionists at the guild. It's apparently best if it's a little plain.

"I'd like to get a guild card issued..."

"Y-Yes, of course!"

My abnormal negative aura made the receptionist flinch for a moment. Leviathan poked me in the side, and I reluctantly reined in my aura.

"Sigh... If I had come a year earlier..."

"? Excuse me, but have you let your renewal period expire?"

The receptionist picked up on my muttered words. I nodded, hanging my head, and the receptionist said something incredible.

"Expired cards can be reissued for one gold coin, as long as you have the expired card..."

"What!?"

I quickly latched onto this.

One gold coin is 10,000 gold, which is about 10,000 yen in Japanese currency. While 10,000 yen for reissuance is a lot, it's not a big deal for me.

"It's a technique that was developed just three years ago... It's a magic to restore lost information. Would you like to have it reissued?"

"Right now, please!!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

I took the blank card out of my magic bag and handed it over as if slamming it down. To get my hard-earned achievements back for 10,000 yen is too cheap!! I also handed over the gold coin. Whoever developed this, good job.

"That's... good..."

I must have looked pretty intense, as both the receptionist and Leviathan were a bit taken aback, but that's just the necessary sacrifice.

"Then, I'll reissue it... Huh!? SSS-rank!?"

The information was restored, and the rank displayed shocked the receptionist. There are only a handful of SSS-ranks in the world, so this reaction is understandable.

The receptionist's voice was loud enough to cause a stir among the adventurers. This is going to be a hassle.

"Is the reissue complete?"

"Y-Yes!! Here you go."

"Thanks."

When I channeled magic into the returned guild card, the information appeared as it did before.

―――――――――――――――――――――

Name: Setsu

Age: 23

Race: Human

Adventurer Rank... SSS

Current Quest... "None"

―――――――――――――――――――――

The age is a bit off... It's probably still the information from my previous body. I was 18 when I was sent back to Japan, so 23 after five years. Makes sense.

"Alright, we're done. Let's go!"

"Sure, sure... Your mood is way too high..."

Despite Leviathan's exasperation, we left the guild. I thought about checking the quests, but I didn't want to get sidetracked by an interesting one, so we went straight out the door.

After Setsu and Leviathan left, the guild was in an uproar due to his rank.

"Hey, that kid is SSS? Must be a mistake, right?"

"But you can't fake a guild card, and why would anyone bother to pretend to be SSS?"

"Guess you're right..."

"More importantly, the girl next to him!! What's with that face and figure!?"

"Is that guy her boyfriend? Damn it!!"

From the rough, beer-soaked adventurers to the well-equipped ones, everyone was grumbling about Setsu.

In the corner, a young girl was listening to the conversation. She was dressed like a typical adventurer, with the pale skin characteristic of a demon and short, black hair. She was probably about the same age as Ruri, with a cute face that still had a hint of childishness.

"SSS-rank... If he's that amazing... surely..."

The girl stood up and ran out after Setsu and Leviathan.

No one in the guild noticed her.

Next time, the encounter with the mysterious girl.