Chapter 49

The next morning, after all the commotion in the city the previous day, Narusena and I, still feeling the effects of staying up late, headed towards the guild.

"It would have been nice to stay a bit longer and relax after finally returning to the city after so long..."

On our way to the guild, Narusena muttered these words. Occasionally, she would look back at the city with a wistful expression, and I felt the same way.

It might have been a short time since we returned to the city, but after defeating the mutated hydra, we hadn't been back for about two days. The guild seemed to be concerned about the mutated hydra, and we were detained to provide information about it, which left us deeply fatigued after just two days.

To be honest, I would have preferred to rest at the inn today.

"...Sorry. I wanted to take on that request as much as possible."

"No, no, don't worry about it! I also think it's better to take on that request."

However, we had a reason why, despite feeling fatigued, we couldn't choose to rest.

It was the existence of a certain request that had been posted recently. Although it might be an overreaction, Narusena and I felt a sense of danger regarding this request. That's why we decided to take it on ourselves to increase the chances of success.

After all, we understand how terrifying the consequences could be if the worst-case scenario were to occur.

I resolved to resolve the situation as soon as possible, so that we could return to our daily lives without any worries.

"...But, that's not the only problem."

At that moment, I remembered a concern.

"The guild..."

The concern I remembered was about the adventurer guild. The words that Mary had muttered last night when she was drunk resurfaced in my mind.

...The guild was raising the prices of materials as if trying to drive us out.

It was hard to believe. Normally, the guild and the city, which deals with materials, have an inseparable relationship. While some level of misconduct might be tolerated, it would be unusual for the guild to take actions that clearly aimed to drive us out.

The city sells equipment to strengthen adventurers, and in turn, profits from the materials obtained from the adventurers. The city develops using the materials obtained from the guild.

If the number of adventurers decreases, the guild would suffer a significant loss. Considering this, it was hard to believe Mary's words, and they might just be the ramblings of a drunk person.

...But still, I had doubts about the guild.

Mary's expression when she told me this was very serious. It was hard to imagine her lying with such a serious look.

Moreover, I didn't trust the guild. I recalled the attitude of the guild staff, Hansum, when I explained the mutated hydra yesterday. Hansum listened to me intently, almost changing my perception of guild staff.

However, Hansum remained calm throughout, showing no surprise or relief.

...As if the mutation of the hydra was a trivial matter.

Hansum's attitude gave me a very bad feeling, far worse than the other concern about the request.

"...There's nothing we can do, I guess."

But my concerns about the guild were all based on imagination. Understanding this, I sighed. No matter how suspicious it seemed, if it didn't go beyond imagination, there was nothing I could do.

After all, I couldn't even guess what the guild was thinking.

Deciding that there was nothing I could do, I focused on the immediate task at hand, the request. Yesterday, various obstacles prevented us from taking the request, but it was early morning now, the time when there were the fewest adventurers.

At this time, there would be no competition.

...Well, even if there were many adventurers, it would be rare for this request to be fought over.

But this was still the best time for us to be at the guild.

"Let's hurry."

"Yes!"

With that decision, we started running towards the guild...

◇◆◇

Inside the adventurer guild, there were almost no adventurers, as we had expected. While there were a few, the number was clearly much lower compared to the daytime.

Moreover, the adventurers who were there seemed to have specific reasons for coming early in the morning and looked busy. They occasionally glanced at Narusena and me as if they wanted to say something, but in the end, they left the guild in a hurry without saying anything.

"Alright."

Seeing this, I smiled, thinking that no one would interfere, and walked towards the reception desk.

"Hi, I'm Nancy."

"Y-Yes..."

...However, a few dozen seconds later, we realized that the enemy wasn't just the adventurers.

"Um, I want to be friends with you, big brother."

The one speaking to me in a very annoying tone was a receptionist named Nancy.

"!"

Narusena was clearly irritated by her. It seemed that Nancy calling me "big brother" really got under her skin.

I couldn't help but sigh. Honestly, I didn't like being called "big brother" by Nancy, and I had a very poor impression of her. After all, this was our first meeting, but I remembered being insulted by her before.

...And to add, she didn't speak like this before. Honestly, it gave me goosebumps, and I wished she would stop.

"Hehe..."

But despite this, I couldn't leave Nancy's desk.

...The reason was the other guild staff, who were sending us intense glares.

Narusena and I were not recognized as top-tier adventurers.

Top-tier adventurers are officially called exclusive adventurers. The condition for this is to be officially recognized as a party by the guild and to have an assigned guild staff member.

In other words, no matter how skilled we were, since we didn't have an assigned guild staff member and weren't officially recognized as a party by the guild, we couldn't be considered exclusive adventurers.

...That's why we were being targeted by guild staff who saw this as an opportunity.

The exclusive adventurer system benefits not only the adventurers who receive various privileges but also the guild staff assigned to them, who receive considerable benefits.

That's why the guild staff were trying to get close to us, who had the potential to become exclusive adventurers in the future. If they could get a verbal commitment to become an exclusive guild staff member, they could assign us to a random adventurer and forcefully recognize us as exclusive adventurers.

"You're really cool, big brother."

...There were also receptionists like Nancy who were aiming for a wealthy marriage.

However, I had no intention of becoming an exclusive adventurer and being surrounded by the guild, nor did I want to marry a receptionist. But if I didn't nod, I wouldn't be able to take the request. I understood this from the gazes of the guild staff, and I felt an urge to escape.

...It was really, really troublesome.

But running away here wouldn't solve the problem. I sighed, thinking about this reality.

"This guy won't become an exclusive adventurer. After all, he's a member of my party."

"...Huh?"

At that moment, someone placed a hand on my shoulder and said those words.