Chapter 5

I pass through the bustling streets. In this town of considerable size, as I walk down the main street, I can see the sign with crossed swords that was mentioned in the description.

Walking through the town, I drew attention because Kokuyou was walking beside me.

Despite the bothersome gazes, I finally arrived at the Adventurer's Guild. After telling Kokuyou to wait here, she responded with a "Buruu," so I opened the door and went inside with peace of mind.

Inside the Adventurer's Guild, there were several bulletin boards on the right side, and a few reception counters straight ahead. On the left side was a waiting area, and behind it was a bar where the sounds of people drinking and making a ruckus could be heard.

I went straight to the reception counter and called out to a free receptionist.

"Welcome. Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild Fendy branch. What can I do for you?"

"I want to register as an adventurer... and... I want to register my horse as a familiar."

"Register as an adventurer, I see. However, there's no need to register a horse as a familiar, right?"

"Well, it's a Black Obsidian Horse... A friend told me it's better to register it."

"...?! A Black Obsidian Horse!? A B-rank monster. That does require registration... So, where is the Black Obsidian Horse...?"

"It's waiting outside the guild right now..."

"Understood. First, please fill out this form for adventurer registration."

The paper handed to me looked like it wasn't in Japanese, but I could read it.

There were only four items to fill out: name, race, age, and occupation. I wrote down Toya, human, 16 years old, and healer, as listed in my status, and handed it to the receptionist. I intended to write in Japanese, but the characters that appeared were like squiggly lines.

"Is this okay?"

The receptionist checked the content and nodded. Then she placed a crystal and a needle on the counter.

"Mr. Toya, this is fine. Could you please give me a drop of blood? We need it for card registration."

Following the receptionist's instructions, I pricked my finger with the needle and touched the blood to the crystal.

The crystal glowed slightly, and after the receptionist confirmed, she took out a card.

"This is your guild card. It also serves as an ID, so please don't lose it. It costs 10 silver coins to reissue, so be careful. When it comes into contact with your body, it will automatically absorb your magic and display your registration information."

I took the iron-colored card, and as I did, something seemed to be pulled from my right hand, and the text floated up from the card.

◇――――――――――――――――――――◇

【Name】Toya Kisaichi 【Race】Human 【Age】16 【Occupation】Healer

【Level】1 【Rank】F 【Affiliation】Fendy Branch, Sarandiel Kingdom

◇――――――――――――――――――――◇

"The information has appeared. Let me explain the details. The name to occupation are as you filled out on the registration form. The 【Level】 indicates your strength, and the 【Rank】 represents your contribution to the Adventurer's Guild. You start at F-rank, and as you complete quests, you will rank up. You can accept quests up to one rank higher than your current rank. In your case, you can accept up to E-rank quests. Starting from B-rank, there are promotion exams. That's a topic for the future... And the 【Affiliation】 is the location where you registered as an adventurer. Do you have any questions about this explanation?"

I shook my head while looking at the card. The receptionist nodded in satisfaction and began the next explanation.

"Next, let's talk about familiar registration."

She placed a bracelet, a necklace, and a form on the counter.

"Please fill out this form, wear the bracelet, and put the necklace on your familiar. The necklace is a magical item that automatically adjusts its length, so it will work even for large familiars. Please put it in a visible place so others can easily see it's a familiar. There have been cases where familiars without necklaces were fought over."

I took the three items and filled out the form. The form only required the owner's name and the familiar's race. I wrote "Toya" for the name and "Black Obsidian Horse" for the race, and handed it to the receptionist.

"That completes the registration. Do you need an explanation of the system as well?"

I nodded and asked for an explanation.

"Sure, I'll explain. The ranks for accepting quests are as I mentioned earlier. They range from F-rank to S-rank, and the card type changes with the rank. From F-rank to E-rank, the card is iron-colored, and you're called a novice. D-rank and C-rank cards are copper-colored, B-rank is silver, and A-rank is gold. S-rank cards are different, but they are extremely rare, so I'll skip that. Regarding conflicts between adventurers, the guild generally does not interfere, but if the law is broken, there can be severe penalties such as rank reduction or revocation of qualifications. Other points—"

While listening to the receptionist for a few minutes, I was worried about Kokuyou waiting outside.

"—That's all. Do you have any questions?"

I shook my head and said, "Thank you. I'll ask again if I have any more questions."

"Ah... Also, could you recommend a place where my familiar can stay? It's bigger than a horse..."

"In that case—"

The receptionist took a piece of paper from a drawer and handed it to me.

"This is a place where your familiar can stay. Please ask about the price on-site."

"Thank you for everything, Miss Receptionist... um..."

I said with a smile, and the receptionist blushed as if she had forgotten something.

"Excuse me. I'm Miria, the receptionist at this Adventurer's Guild. Nice to meet you, Mr. Toya."

"Miria, thank you! I'll ask again if I have any more questions—"

At that moment, the door opened forcefully, and someone flew in.

—As if kicked by a horse...

—Kicked by a horse...??

"Can't be..."

I thanked Miria, opened the door forcefully, and went outside. There—

Two adventurers lay on the ground, and Kokuyou was standing next to them, looking angry. I calmed her down by stroking her neck, and she rubbed against me and calmed down.

"Kokuyou, what happened?"

Even though I knew Kokuyou couldn't answer, I asked, and the stall owner behind me explained.

"That big horse is rare, right? The adventurers lying there tried to tie it up and take it away. Then the horse started to rampage... That's how they ended up like this. They're usually bad guys, so they got what they deserved. Are you the owner? Since you got to see a good show, I'll give you some skewers for free!"

The stall owner started grilling a few skewers, and the smell of the sauce tickled my nose.

The commotion caused by the adventurers being kicked out of the guild also drew the attention of the staff, who came outside to see what was happening.

"What's going on here..."

The staff's gaze naturally fell on me, standing with Kokuyou and the two fallen adventurers.

One of the male staff members approached me.

"Could you tell me what happened?"

While enjoying the smell of the skewers, I decided to explain what the stall owner had told me.

I held back my desire to eat the skewers—.