Chapter 5

After returning to the guild, I didn’t really want to, but I had to join the queue at the reception. The processing of completed quests can only be done at the reception, so there was no other choice. Well, it’s probably inevitable since the situation where a guild member completes a quest is not even considered. After a while, another male adventurer joined the queue behind me.

"Hey, bro. Can you let me go first?"

He spoke from behind.

"No way. We have to follow the order. It’s written in the documents given to adventurers, right?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? You want a beating?"

As he said that, the man raised his fist.

What? Is it going to come to a fight over this? Give me a break! I can’t afford to cause any trouble!

Reluctantly, I let him go first. Then, the people who joined the queue after me said the same thing. And when I tried to reason with them, they wanted to fight. I’ve had enough.

I decided to put off reporting the completion of the quest and first take on the "Search for Missing Adventurers." When I returned to my room, something was placed on the desk, along with a piece of paper.

"This is the uniform of the Tauran Adventurer's Guild. - Mina"

There, a uniform in green and white was laid out. I see. That’s why I was being looked down upon by other adventurers for not wearing it.

I quickly changed into it, and the size fit perfectly. On the back, there was the Tauran Adventurer's Guild emblem, designed with a sword and shield.

Then, I immediately arranged the list of missing adventurers on the desk.

There were five search requests.

- Location of S-rank adventurer

- Location of A-rank adventurer

- Rescue request for B-rank adventurer party

- Two rescue requests for D-rank adventurers

... The top two can be put on hold for now. Many adventurers, once they reach a certain rank and no longer need money, tend to disappear. The problem is the other rescue requests.

Checking the locations, they were all in different places.

I took the paper and went to check the guild cards. The guild card is an identity card that adventurers carry, with one copy held by the adventurer and one by the guild. It’s a convenient tool that can confirm if the adventurer is alive; if the adventurer dies, the card turns into a stone.

I went to the warehouse where the cards are stored and realized I hadn’t borrowed the key.

... This is troublesome.

"Unlock"

I used my skill to open the lock and went inside. After checking, it seemed that all five were still alive. Along the way, I found several cards that had turned into stones.

What the heck. ... They weren’t properly checked, were they? Why are there so many stones? What are the administrators doing?

Then I realized. ... It’s me.

I collected the cards that had turned into stones to prepare the reports. If I reported them normally, it would be revealed that I didn’t borrow the key, so I decided to borrow it later.

"Alright, let’s go. First, the rescue request for the D-rank adventurer. The location is the 'Forest of Monsters.'"

This forest is located north of the town and is dark even during the day. The appropriate rank is D or higher. Probably, a newly minted D-rank adventurer got lost.

I ran out of town again. Upon arriving at the "Forest of Monsters," I used a summoning spell.

"Like a snake in the grass. Come out, 'Hellhound.'"

A complex magic circle appeared on the ground, and a black dog-like monster appeared in front of me.

"It’s been a while."

"It’s been about three years, hasn’t it?"

"Did you forget about me?"

"No way."

"Are you an enemy?"

"No, not at all. Actually, there’s someone I need you to find."

"Hmph, is that all? It’s a cheap favor. So, what’s the clue?"

"This."

I showed him the guild card of the missing adventurer.

"I can smell blood."

"Right. The blood is read as information."

"Hmm. I’ll give it a try."

The Hellhound disappeared into the forest. He is a monster I once fought to the death and subdued. His name is Taro. He gets angry if I call him by his name, so I don’t use it in front of him.

Still, you can find someone with a guild card? I underestimated Taro. After about half an hour, I received a telepathic message from Taro.

(I found him.)

That was quick. As expected, Taro.

Following Taro’s telepathic message, I found the male adventurer trembling in a cave at the bottom of a cliff. His leg was broken, which is why he couldn’t move.

"You did well. It’s safe now."

"Guild staff? ... Why? ... And, there’s an A-rank level monster, the Hellhound, right there..."

"Don’t worry about the details. I’m here to save you."

"O-Oh... me?"

"Yeah. Let’s go back."

"Can I go back? I... ... ugh... thought it was over..."

"Then, can I get a fingerprint on this request form?"

I took the man’s fingerprint using his blood on the request form.

Then, I cast a healing spell on his leg. He should be fine now. I carried him on my back and left the forest.

"Is that it?"

"No, actually, I need you to find two more people."

"What? Two more? This calls for a reward."

"I know!!"

By the way, the reward Taro is talking about is dragon bones. Usually, I give wyvern bones, but this time I’ll give something higher. ... How about a fire dragon? I have the materials from one I defeated before.

I returned to town. Doing this makes me feel like I’m back to being an adventurer.