Chapter 36

I came to the guild early in the morning with the party application form.

Today, the only people at the guild were a group of six men who seemed to be foreigners from their equipment. There was one local adventurer, but he was lying down near a bottle of alcohol, seemingly drunk.

I headed straight to Marry's desk without checking the board for quests, as I remembered they were there last night. I recall they were being kept at a distance.

"Good morning. I would like to apply for a party today."

"Yes. Are you alone...? Where are the others?"

"My brother is buying bread for lunch and dinner at a bakery. The other childhood friend has some errands to run... We're meeting at the town entrance. Can't we apply if they're not here?"

"No, it's fine."

I filled out the application form and handed it back to Marry. Since we hadn't decided on a party name, I just listed the members, but it seemed to be fine.

"Your application has been accepted. Would you like an explanation of how parties work, just in case?"

"Yes, please."

I received an explanation of how parties work:

1. The reward for quests taken by a party is deposited into the party's account. Withdrawals can be made using the party registration card.

2. Anyone can take a quest, but in principle, it is treated as a party quest. If you want to take a quest individually, you need to state this. (However, if a quest is specifically assigned to an individual, they have priority. If they state this, the quest can be treated as a party quest.)

3. If a party fails to complete quests repeatedly, a warning will be issued. If it continues, the party may be disbanded.

4. Even if you have a party, you don't have to act together.

5. If requested, a fixed amount can be transferred from the party account to individual accounts once a month.

6. If multiple parties want to form a joint party, the party leaders need to submit an application.

7. The maximum number of members in a party is 10. If you want a larger party, you need to apply for a clan.

"That's about it."

"Um, what about rewards other than quests?"

"Rewards for slaying monsters or delivering items can be decided individually... How would you like to handle it?"

"Then, please put half of my personal rewards into the party account. Also, please transfer a fixed amount to each individual account monthly."

"Understood. Please fill out this application form."

Now... with the procedures mostly done, I need to think about how to deal with the people who have been observing me. I can feel their gaze on me.

Other adventurers have come, but they are at different counters, so I can rule them out. The gaze is from the foreigners who were here from the start.

"Marry, is Leonis here today?"

"Um... yes, I think so. Is there something wrong?"

"I have something to discuss... "

"Understood... please wait a moment."

Marry left the counter to check.

Pretending to be casual, I turned around to check the surroundings and saw the men grinning. It seems they have been targeting me for some reason.

"Mr. Crane, please come this way."

"Yes, thank you."

After a while, I was called by Marry and entered a room in the back.

I decided to consult about the situation.

"Hey, Crane. What's up?"

"Nothing much. It seems some adventurers on the floor are targeting me."

"Hmm... if nothing has happened yet, the guild can't do anything."

"Yes, but if I'm attacked in the guild and I defend myself, what happens?"

"It depends on the situation... but we will intervene to mediate."

Since adventurers carry weapons, it can be dangerous. There's a possibility of death, so the guild would likely intervene.

With six against one, it would be hard not to overreact. I would claim self-defense, and the guild staff would make the final judgment.

"What if the people are foreigners and are trying to force me into a party?"

"... Disputes between adventurers are not something we can interfere with. We can stop forced actions, but... with foreigners, it's complicated. I'll check and get back to you."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

Leonis went to check with the guild master. After a while, the guild master returned.

Leonis was already on the floor. They wanted to catch troublemakers quickly and asked for cooperation.

Since I'm important to myself and I'm seeking help from the guild, it's fine.

I went out and checked the board. Two men approached me from either side.

"This one... and this one..."

Pretending not to notice, I took a few regular quests and was suddenly grabbed by the right hand.

"Ah!"

"Instead of these cheap quests, why don't you join us?"

"Right. We're taking this quest, but we can add three more people. We'd welcome a cute girl."

"Look, you can earn so much money."

I was pulled towards the men, and a third man blocked my escape.

Pretending to be meek, I was shown a D-rank quest. I could handle it, but foreigners can't take it. They either don't know they can only take quests up to their own rank or want to use me to take it.

They said they needed three more people, so one might be the local adventurer who is drunk. I don't understand their motive.

"Please... let go."

"What? What?"

"Hey, let me take the quest, right? I'm a bit hard of hearing... Oh, that's great. Let's go, then."

The men were talking nonsense, and Marry was watching worriedly. Leonis, who was behind her, nodded, indicating he had seen everything.

"Let go of me!"

"Huh? Just join our party, and we'll let you go."

"I refuse. Let go. If you don't, I'll defend myself."

"Don't be angry... It's not a bad deal for you."

"... I said no! Let go!"

"Huh?"

I relaxed my hand, created a gap, and pulled my arm free. I stepped in and hit the man's stomach with my elbow. I then tripped the man next to me and took a step back to warn them.

"Damn, you... You're asking for it!"

"That's enough. Forcing someone to join a party is a violation. You're foreigners, right? We've explained that causing trouble will result in the revocation of your qualifications."

"But... it's not us, it's this girl. We were just trying to help her with these small quests, and she suddenly got violent."

The third man, who was not attacked, claimed I was violent, but I had clearly told them three times to let go.

Moreover, Marry and Leonis were witnesses, so there was no way to bluff.

"I saw it from the beginning. You interfered by grabbing her arm while she was taking a quest. You even blocked her escape by standing on either side and behind her. Since you didn't let go even after being told three times, you deserve what you got. Hand over your adventurer registration cards quietly."

"Wait, wait..."

"It's this girl!"

The three men, intimidated by Leonis, and the other three, who realized the situation, were in a bind.

"Will you hand them over quietly, or do you want to be restrained and thrown in jail?"

"Um... we'll hand them over... but this girl..."

"Right. We were just being kind and offering to help. She seemed to be trying to take a lot of quests because she didn't have money."

"Let me make this clear. The quest you're trying to take is not available to F-rank adventurers. If you want to join another party, that's different. If all six of you are F-rank, your party rank will also be F. D-rank quests are not allowed. ...The other three, come with us. You six are the ones who will be punished. We will take statements. If there's no sign of repentance, your qualifications will be revoked."

I watched them go into the back room and asked Marry to help with the quest application.

"Did you know you would be targeted?"

"Sort of... They were looking at me and grinning. Since it was a party of six men, I thought it would be dangerous if they tried to talk to me in a secluded place."

"That's important. You look young and a bit timid. Be careful."

"Yes, thank you."

I took some quests, like the two-week Killer Bee extermination and other nearby extermination quests. After the training, I could easily complete these quests by targeting these monsters. I chose quests that didn't require me to submit materials, so each one was cheap. ...I noticed one of those men was only taking cheap quests.

He's sharp, but why is he with those guys? Well, it's not my business.

"Mr. Crane, please be careful. Have a good day."

"Yes, thank you."

I apologized to the other adventurers in the guild for the commotion and hurried to the gate to meet my brother and the others. The party formation explanation took longer than expected, but I'll just say that.

If I say I was targeted by foreigners, it might worry them.

However... they were so forceful, and none of the six tried to stop the others. As my brother and the others said, their behavior seems rough and suspicious. I need to be careful.