Chapter 20

When I entered the building of the Adventurer's Guild, I could tell that people were looking at me.

It wasn't the kind of stare that scrutinized or sized me up, but rather a natural shift of attention because someone had moved into their field of vision.

Many people seemed to recognize Fred, with his distinctive long bangs that hid his eyes, and several called out to him by name. I knew he was well-liked, but it was clear that he was widely known and appreciated by many.

A moment later, when they noticed the unfamiliar child standing behind Fred, a distinctly curious vibe mixed into their gazes.

"Hey?! Fred, weren't you supposed to return in the winter?!"

"Well, something unexpected happened, but in a good way. I received the full reward, but the mission was cut short."

I could tell they were curious about me standing behind him, but perhaps because they knew I was related to Fred, no one asked me directly. It seemed that the man who came out from behind the counter to greet Fred was the guild master, and from his tone, it was clear that he and Fred were personally close.

In a casual, conversational manner, he asked, "So, who's this kid?" and Fred introduced me as his cousin.

"This is Liana, the granddaughter of the old man who taught me hunting and combat skills. She's my cousin."

"I'm Liana, nice to meet you."

I bowed slightly, a bit stiffly, as I was a bit nervous. I had to be careful not to instinctively perform a knight's salute.

After I straightened up, the man Fred called the guild master said, "She doesn't take after you, Fred, but she seems like a serious and good kid," with a teasing tone.

Though they looked at me with interest, they didn't pry, as that would be a breach of etiquette. I didn't want to seem unnatural by volunteering too much information, so I just smiled.

"When is the next beginner's training for adventurers?"

"There's one tomorrow, but you could teach her."

"That would make the knowledge too one-sided. Besides, Liana, in terms of strength, there's probably nothing I can teach you. You've been thoroughly trained by your grandfather. However, you're a bit naive about the world, so I want you to get a proper introduction and understand the system as a new adventurer."

Though I was told to go with this setup, I felt uneasy. I had a premonition that I would disappoint everyone's expectations. I wondered why Fred had given me such a background as "a child from a decent family and the granddaughter of a skilled hunter."

I nodded in agreement with the guild master and headed to the reception desk. I was led there with a hearty, "Here's our shiny new recruit," and felt a bit embarrassed.

"Fred, if the content of the mission changed during its execution, it needs to be processed. Do you have the client's approval?"

"I've got it."

"Then, please handle the paperwork here."

Fred went to a private room to discuss the details of the mission with a man called the deputy, who seemed to be in charge of the actual administrative work. It was common for retired high-ranking adventurers to be brought in to manage the more unruly adventurers, while the deputy guild master handled the administrative duties.

Fred, being a silver-ranked adventurer and well-liked, seemed to be a rare and valuable asset, judging from what I had seen of him so far.

"Miss, this way. I'm the clerk, Darla."

"I'm Liana. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, what a polite and good girl."

Darla, a kind-looking woman with a friendly smile, gestured for me to sit across from her. I noticed a pendant with a design matching the ring on her finger, which was likely a man's ring. I recalled that there was a system to employ the widows of adventurers who had contributed to the guild, and I assumed this country had a similar system as I listened to her.

When asked about my reading and writing skills, I answered that I had no problem with them and proceeded to fill out the registration form as instructed.

Name, gender, specialties, whether I could use magic beyond daily life, if I was willing to take on long-distance missions, if I intended to take on joint requests with other adventurers, and contact information, among other things. There were many items, but there were also many I couldn't answer honestly.

Many of the items could change over time, so it was fine to update them later. For the contact information, I wrote down the address of the room Fred said he was renting, as I was his relative.

"Do you have any specialties?"

"Nothing I can really call a specialty..."

I was at a loss for words. I had nothing I could confidently say I was good at. While I had received training in magic and combat skills from experts, I wasn't sure if they were sufficient to earn a living as an adventurer.

"But you must have fought monsters before, since you've decided to become an adventurer. Just write down the name of a monster you've defeated alone. Don't exaggerate your abilities, though. It's a matter of life and death, and it's easy to tell. Oh, don't take it personally; I give the same advice to everyone."

"I understand."

I nodded in agreement. But if so many people felt the need to exaggerate their abilities, it must be a common issue.

We had discussed what to say, but this was something we hadn't talked about. What should I do?

If I had to mention my highest solo kill record, it would be the Cockatrice I defeated in the spring. But that was largely due to luck, and I couldn't handle a mutated Cockatrice. I couldn't write something irresponsible. After much deliberation, I hesitantly wrote, "Solo kill: Evil Rabbit."

While they were often considered harmless pests that could be hunted by civilians, I knew I could handle any known variant of the Evil Rabbit.

But this way, I could be sure. Even the most extreme variants of the Evil Rabbit I had encountered could be defeated.

If it had evolved into a Gluttonous Rabbit, it would be a different story, but that was classified as a disaster and treated separately.

After that, I engaged in what seemed like casual conversation with Darla, but I was impressed by her skill in subtly gathering information about me. As Fred's relative, I was already trusted, but if I had registered alone, I would have been much more scrutinized.

But such subtle vetting was necessary to prevent criminals from easily finding new jobs. While criminals had their magic patterns registered, it was too costly to register all adventurers, so there were gaps. Additionally, once you crossed a border, verification became much more difficult. In a world of magic, human observation was still the most effective for early detection.

I felt guilty about deceiving Darla, who was diligently performing her duties, but I managed to complete my adventurer registration as "Liana, Fred's cousin."

"It's good to hear that you were able to register as an adventurer without any problems."

"No, it's all thanks to you, Fred. Thank you for all your arrangements."

I received a brief explanation from the staff about the beginner's training sessions, which would be held over the next few days, and when it was over, Fred invited me to dinner to celebrate my new status as an adventurer. He had reserved a private room, where we could have more private conversations.

There, I reconfirmed the appropriate actions for a "newly registered adventurer."

"As I mentioned before, you don't need to deliberately hold back. I don't think you're the type who can do that, and it would be too much of a strain. Just try to use the minimum amount of effort necessary to achieve your goals."

"...I'll do my best."

I was still unsure if I could even function as