Chapter 34

At the counter of the Adventurer's Guild, the receptionist Gloria's cheeks twitched as she saw the "delivery" that Hikaru had taken out.

"Hikaru-sama, this is..."

"I thought there was a delivery request for it, though?"

"That's true, but—"

The bag Hikaru had been carrying was full of items.

The special moss, "Wolf Grass," which only grows on the back of Green Wolves.

The butterfly, "Mirage Butterfly," which flies away and disappears like it's melting into the sky when humans approach.

The flower, "Drowsy Orchid," which is said to be cultivated by Forest Barbarians and impossible for humans to obtain.

The fruit, "Dried Insect Loquat," which, when dried and made into tea, can cure a very rare disease that occurs in childhood.

In addition to these, there were dozens of proof parts of "wanted monsters" — monsters that are recommended to be hunted on sight due to their high danger level.

When Hikaru took them all out at once, the few adventurers who were still in the guild at closing time began to murmur.

Hikaru wondered if he had been a bit too hasty, but when he looked at Gloria, the image of her naked body that he had seen when he peeked into her room one night after following her came to mind.

It was impossible for him to be calm in such a situation.

"Hikaru-sama, you're saying you want to deliver all of these at once?"

"Yep."

"Hmm... roughly, this is about half the amount of requests needed to move from Rank F to Rank E—oh, by the way, you've become Rank F, congratulations."

"Thank you. —So, what about the appraisal?"

"I'll do it, but the amount is quite large. We need to check for any irregularities—"

"That's fine. Go ahead and check."

Hikaru said this so confidently that Gloria looked surprised.

"Usually, people don't like that."

"Checking if I stole them from other adventurers or something, right? I have nothing to hide. —But just to let you know in advance—"

Hikaru leaned in close to Gloria, and she naturally leaned in as well.

"...I bought them."

"Bought them?"

"Shh, you're being too loud."

Hikaru put his index finger to his lips, deliberately acting as if he cared about appearances—showing that he was concerned about his reputation.

"A group of hunters apparently stopped by the Great Forest. I bought them from them. It was quite expensive, but that's not cheating, right?"

"That's... true, but, Hikaru-sama? If it was expensive, wouldn't you have lost a lot of money? Delivering insects and plants earns money, but for wanted monsters, you don't get a large reward unless you bring back the materials."

"Right. I'm prepared to take the loss."

"...Hikaru-sama, do you want to rank up?"

"It's a bit of a special situation."

"Can I ask what that situation is?"

"...Hmm, that's a secret."

Hikaru deliberately made it sound mysterious.

This setup should be enough. The rest will be left to Gloria's imagination. It doesn't matter if she suspects him. What's important is that the other adventurers think, "He bought the materials with money to rank up."

Rank E is absolutely necessary for "Dungeon Entry Permission." Since it's a permit to enter a dangerous dungeon, only competent adventurers can become Rank E.

However, if a new adventurer like Hikaru becomes Rank E, he will stand out. He will definitely stand out. If he stands out, it might draw attention to Ravia as well. The "alibi" that he "bought the materials" is to cover that up.

"That kid, is he some rich kid?"

"Buying ranks with money, seriously? That's so corrupt."

The adventurers reacted exactly as Hikaru had imagined. It was almost scary how perfectly they fit the script. This will make him stand out, but in a natural way. Being seen as a "promising new star" would be far more terrifying.

Of course, the "hunters" are all a lie. He had defeated them all himself and collected everything himself.

Since it's a lie, the guild won't be able to find the "hunter group" when they investigate. If they can't find them, Hikaru can just say, "They must have moved somewhere else," and that will be the end of it.

"By the way, Gloria-san. If the appraisal takes a while, I need to withdraw some money. To be honest, my wallet is empty."

This was also a lie, but it was to make the story more believable.

Hikaru withdrew 10,000 Gilan.

"Thank you. So, please take care of the appraisal."

"Ah, Hikaru-sama."

As Hikaru was about to leave, Gloria called him back.

Oh no, did she notice something—

"What is it?"

He turned around, trying to look calm.

"Jill was angry, you know?"

"…What?"

"Jill was angry. She said, 'I can't believe you went to the capital without telling me!' She also seemed to be expecting a souvenir... of course, I was expecting one too."

"!?"

A souvenir? What? Do I have to buy something?

Hikaru was breaking out in a cold sweat. Gloria was smiling, and seeing that smile, Hikaru realized she had probably figured out his intentions to some extent. "Maybe she thinks I bought some from someone else, but the rest I collected myself. Hikaru just doesn't want to stand out, so he's lying," her face seemed to say.

In other words, "If you give me a souvenir, I'll play along with your lie."

But, the problem was—

There was no souvenir.

None at all.

"…Hikaru"

At that moment, Ravia approached him and slipped something into his hand.

"…A handkerchief with a popular pattern in the capital."

Hikaru was grateful to God for giving him such a considerate girl as Ravia.

"Oh, right, right. A souvenir. I bought it, of course. I hope it suits your taste."

He said this in a flat tone, then forced a smile and turned back to Gloria.

He handed her the handkerchief—a unique pattern dyed in two colors.

"Oh, thank you. I didn't expect anything, but thank you."

"It's popular in the capital."

"This will be something to show off to Jill. …You didn't get the same one for Jill, did you?"

Hikaru was taken aback again, but behind him,

"…It's fine."

Ravia whispered.

"Ah, right. You can show it off."

"That's true. Of course, Hikaru-sama. —Since you're in a hurry, I'll talk to Mr. Unken to speed up the appraisal."

"Thank you."

With that, Hikaru finally left the Adventurer's Guild.

The evening darkness was thick outside.

Once he was away from the guild, Hikaru exhaled a heavy breath.

"Phew... thank you, Ravia. You saved me."

"Really, Hikaru. I thought you would at least buy a small souvenir."

"Eh? Is a souvenir that important?"

"If you want someone to do you a favor, there's no better tool. Pound is a satellite city of the capital, so everyone is interested in what's happening there."

"Ugh…"

"Especially since she's the receptionist at the Adventurer's Guild. A thoughtful gift is expected."

"Ugh…"

"Hikaru."

"Yes…"

"The handkerchief I gave you, I bought it for myself."

"Sorry."

Hikaru bowed his head in apology.

He never thought he would be learning about social interactions from Ravia, who could be called a professional recluse.

"…Well, it's fine. The money came from you, after all."

"I'll make it up to you somehow."

"It's fine, really. In fact, I'm glad to know you have some flaws. If you were a perfect superhuman, I'd suffocate."

Incidentally, the gift for Jill was a small accessory case. It was more expensive than the handkerchief but not as portable. Both had their good points, so it was hard to compare, according to Ravia.

When he asked if he should give something to Aurora, Ravia said it would be counterproductive to give a gift to someone who wasn't that close.

"Well… Jill and Gloria aren't that close either."

At this, Ravia sighed deeply.

"Those two aren't close, but there's a bit of a rivalry between them. So, not giving a gift isn't an option."

"Is that how it works…?"

It was a world Hikaru didn't understand.

---

They booked a room at the same business hotel as before. The cat-eared woman at the front desk said, "I thought you weren't coming back," in a tone that made you want to ask, "Do you even understand customer service?"

"By the way, front desk lady."

"What is it, Hikaru-san?"

"…(Why are you so familiar?) I went to the capital, and they don't check the guild card there. Instead, they check if you're a criminal."

"That creepy stone tablet, right?"

"Putting aside whether it's creepy or not, the stone tablet, yes. But here, they check the guild card instead. Why is that?"

"Well, that's simple. The stone tablet only works in the capital and its surroundings."

"…Really?"

"Soul cards and guild cards work nationwide, or rather, worldwide. But the stone tablet uses a different technology, so it only works in the capital. Or, to be precise, in the capital and the cities of the nobles. Only in major cities."

Hikaru was relieved inside.

If it was a technology similar to the guild card, he thought Ravia's name might be referenced when she touched the stone tablet.

But it seems it only checks "criminal records." If so, it can only check the criminal records of the capital and major cities, and only the crimes that have been exposed. If "Ravia" hasn't committed a crime under her name, there's no problem.

"Pound can't use the stone tablet, so! It's my turn to shine!"

The cat-eared front desk woman put her index finger to her temple and made a smug face.

"I'll remember you perfectly by looking at your guild card."

"Memory, huh."

Hikaru thought it was a surprisingly reliable method, even if it was analog.

People in such professions are often very good at matching faces and names.

"So, you can rest easy, Hikaru-san."

"…Ah, right."

Hikaru suddenly felt uneasy.

Remaining: 27,190 Gilan (+90,000 Gilan)

---

They rented the same room as before. Hikaru didn't mind sharing a small futon with Ravia. In fact, he was happy that she accepted him.

The next morning, he thought he would treat Ravia to a slightly more expensive breakfast as a thank you for the previous day. He wanted to go to a restaurant or café, but Ravia didn't seem to be feeling well. It seemed the fatigue from using magic yesterday had caught up with her.

He needed to be more careful with the use of magic.

Hikaru went out alone to buy a light breakfast at Ravia's request.

(Light breakfast...)

Suddenly, Hikaru remembered that Ravia had been eating a very spicy hot dog.

Had the taste improved during his time in the capital? It might be just right by now—

With that thought, his feet led him to the hot dog stand.

"…?"

The owner of the hot dog stand was still a muscular man, but in front of him, a girl was standing with her arms crossed.

What caught Hikaru's eye was not just her attire—though her attire was also unusual. She was wearing a high-quality robe that you wouldn't see often even in the capital. The color was white, a lustrous silk-like white. The sleeves and hem were adorned with crimson and silver threads in patterns that looked like magic arrays. It was a very expensive robe, the kind a royal mage might wear.

But what surprised him more was her hair.

"What a surprise! To find proper ketchup and mustard in this town!"

Her hair was lustrous and abundant, black.

She had tied it up with ribbons on both sides—truly, it was a twin-tail.

"This hot dog is approved!"

There, a black-haired, black-eyed girl stood.