Chapter 55

The man known as Secretary Dott adjusted his glasses with his middle finger and spoke to Aichi in a calm voice.

"Your story has been heard in broad strokes. There are many witnesses, so it shouldn’t be a lie. Although it feels a bit excessive… well, as long as no one died, it’s within the acceptable range. In any case, before they wake up and we hear their testimony, please stay in Fren. I also need you to register your identification and contact information… I don’t think you will refuse this, right?"

The unspoken message from Secretary Dott was that he couldn’t give in any further. Aichi shrugged and replied.

"Ah, it’s fine. If those pigs over there start complaining, I might even want to contact them. When that happens, I’ll make them understand more seriously."

Aichi gave a positive response and handed his attribute card to the surprised Dott.

"Contact information… I haven’t decided where to stay yet… I’ll hear it from the guide over there. We’ll stay at the inn she recommends."

Noticing Aichi’s gaze, Rishi shuddered and said, "I’ll show you the way," as if giving up, and slumped his shoulders.

"Um, okay… [Blue], huh. The one who fell over there is [Black]… What’s wrong with your attribute cards?"

Aichi’s attribute card indicated the lowest adventurer rank, [Blue], which slightly surprised Dott. However, hearing that the two women had defeated Reganid, he thought they must be strong. Dott also asked them to submit their attribute cards.

"No, Tsuki and Shia are… they lost their attribute cards and haven’t replaced them. You see, they’re quite expensive, right?"

Aichi lied smoothly. However, after seeing their exceptional strength, this might not matter much. Still, he wanted to avoid being thoroughly investigated as much as possible.

"But, it’s necessary to clearly identify you and keep records. If you frequently cause problems in the guild, both the perpetrators and the victims will be listed on the blacklist. Can you go to the guild and replace them immediately?"

From Dott’s tone, it was clear that identification was necessary. However, when making attribute cards, their hidden skills would certainly be revealed. Moreover, their divine generation magic would also be displayed, causing a big commotion. If a commotion broke out, Aichi thought they could just defeat everyone who intended to harm them, but then they wouldn’t be able to stay here properly. Aichi felt that no matter what, there would be various troubles. As if reading Aichi’s thoughts, Tsuki spoke to him.

"…Aichi, the letter."

"Ah, that letter…"

Tsuki’s words reminded Aichi of the letter they received from Katherin at the Brook branch before leaving the town. "If you have a dispute in other towns, show this letter to the local guild leader; it might be useful," she had said, handing over the strange letter.

Originally, Aichi had planned to leave the city as soon as possible if things didn’t work out, but he took the letter from his pocket and handed it to Dott. Since Katherin had only said half of what she meant, Aichi didn’t know the content of the letter. He slightly regretted not checking it first.

"I don’t know if this can serve as identification, but this is something a guild staff member I know said to give to the local guild leader if I encounter any trouble."

"Guild staff member? …I see."

Dott, who had been puzzled by their refusal to replace their attribute cards despite their apparently good financial situation, read the letter and immediately showed a look of surprise.

Then, his gaze wandered back and forth between Aichi and the letter, reading it repeatedly. He seemed to be trying to verify its authenticity. After a while, Dott politely folded the letter and put it back in the envelope, his gaze returning to Aichi.

"If this letter is genuine, it can indeed serve as identification… However, I find it difficult to determine if it is from the person himself. I would like to have the branch manager verify it. Could you please wait in another room? It won’t take long, just about fifteen minutes."

Seeing Dott’s unexpected reaction, Aichi and the others thought, "Really, who is Katherin?"

"Sure, that’s fine. I understand. We’ll wait a bit."

"Please follow the guide staff. See you later."

Dott instructed a nearby staff member to take Aichi and the others to another room and then disappeared into the depths of the guild with the letter. The designated guild staff member urged Aichi and the others to move. As they were about to follow, a voice, slightly confused but with a hint of hope, sounded.

"Um… what should I do?"

It was Rishi. Her eyes seemed to say, "If you have more to discuss in the guild, maybe I can be excused from my duties?" Clearly, she wanted to leave as soon as possible, away from the troublemakers, Aichi and the others.

Aichi nodded with a matter-of-fact expression and replied straightforwardly.

"Wait here… don’t run away, okay? It’s your job, right?"

"Okay…"

Rishi, looking dejected, walked to a seat deeper in the restaurant. From her back, a sense of the sorrow of a working adult who must accept even unpleasant tasks wafted.

---

After ten minutes of waiting in the reception room, the door was finally knocked on. Aichi said, "Come in," and after a moment, the door opened. There stood a man with blonde hair, a slicked-back hairstyle, and sharp eyes, who appeared to be in his late thirties, along with Dott from earlier.

"Nice to meet you, I am the branch manager of the Adventurer’s Guild in Fren, Ilva Kanzaki. Aichi, Tsuki, Shia… is that correct?"

After a brief introduction, Branch Manager Ilva confirmed Aichi and the others’ names and requested a handshake. Aichi shook hands and replied.

"Ah, no problem. Is our names written in the letter?"

"Yes, it’s written in the teacher’s letter. It’s very prominent… I should say, it’s quite eye-catching. It mentions that you have a promising future but a tendency to get into disputes, and hopes that I will take good care of you. That’s the gist of the letter."

"Dispute-prone… huh. Indeed, we were continuously involved in disputes in Brook. Well, that’s fine. What about the important identification? Is this enough?"

"Yes, the teacher wouldn’t write a letter for someone problematic. Her judgment is never wrong. Since you were specifically asked to bring this letter, using it as your identification is certainly no problem."

It seemed that handing Katherin’s letter to the guild’s higher-ups was quite useful. She must have a lot of credibility. Moreover, Ilva referred to Katherin as "teacher," indicating a deep relationship. Sitting next to Aichi, Shia, who was particularly close to Katherin, seemed very interested in the conversation and timidly asked Ilva.

"Um… who exactly is Katherin?"

"Hmm? Didn’t you hear it from her? She used to be the secretary of the Adventurer’s Guild in the capital. At that time, she was responsible for educational work related to the guild’s operations. About 50-60% of the current branch managers in various towns are her students, including me. I can’t even look her in the eye. She was beautiful and had a noble character, and to me, she was like a saint or an admired older sister. Later, she transferred to the Brook branch due to marriage, saying that raising children is better in the countryside. Her marriage announcement was a real shock. It caused a stir both in the capital and in the guild."

"Wow, such an amazing person…"

"…Katherin is amazing."

"I just thought she wasn’t an ordinary person… I didn’t expect her to be from the core. Speaking of which, such a popular person… now… well, never mind."

Hearing about Katherin’s true identity, Aichi and the others were impressed. She was a much greater figure than they had imagined. However, Aichi seemed to feel the cruelty of time, gazing into the distance.

"Well, in any case, is everything settled now? Can we go?"

Originally, they had come here just for identification, and there was no need to stay any longer after the matter was resolved. Aichi confirmed this with Ilva. However, Ilva’s eyes sparkled as he said, "Could you wait a little longer?" Aichi had a bad feeling about this.

Ilva urged Dott, who was standing beside him, to hand a commission letter to Aichi and the others.

"Actually, considering your abilities, I hope you will accept a commission."

"Refuse."

The moment Ilva proposed the commission, Aichi deliberately interrupted, saying "Refuse" and tried to leave. Tsuki and Shia also stood up, but Ilva’s next words made them stop in their tracks.

"Um, can you at least listen to me? If you listen, I won’t pursue the matter this time…"

"…"

The unspoken message was, "If you don’t listen, there will be various troublesome procedures regarding this incident." According to the testimonies of the people around, Aichi and the others had a slightly excessive defensive tendency, but they wouldn’t be held accountable for the incident with Pum and the others. Through the proper procedures, the guild would hear both sides and make a fair judgment, which would take time. The result would likely be that Aichi and the others were not at fault, but conversely, they would have to waste a lot of time waiting for the procedures to be completed. Moreover, if they avoided these procedures, they would end up on the blacklist, which would make it very difficult to use the guild in the future.

Aichi glared at Ilva for a while, thinking that it wasn’t about "accepting the commission" but "listening to him" to avoid future troubles, which was a good deal. He sat back down, trying to appear calm while wiping cold sweat from his forehead. Seeing this, Ilva continued with a wry smile.

"The chances of survival are slim, but not zero. The count is also a personal friend of mine, and I want to start the search as soon as possible. To put it bluntly, you are the only ones who can do this now, and there is no one else who can take on this responsibility."

Ilva’s pleading tone seemed to be not just because the guild had taken on the commission, but also out of personal concern. If he was a friend of the count, he might also know the missing Will and be personally worried about his safety.

"Even if you say that, we have a travel destination. We just stopped by here. The Northern Mountains are not on our itinerary, so please allow us to refuse."

For Aichi, the life or death of the noble’s third son was of no concern, so he refused without hesitation. However, as expected, Ilva proposed the reward he would pay even before Aichi left.

"Can I increase the reward? The amount on the commission letter is of course included, and I will also give you additional rewards. I can also raise your guild rank. From your abilities, it’s not a problem to raise you to [Black] in one go."

"No, money is enough as long as it’s sufficient, and the rank doesn’t matter to me…"

"Then, in the future, if any disputes related to the guild arise, I will stand behind you. Don’t underestimate me; I have considerable influence in the guild. Given your tendency to get into disputes, having me, the branch manager, as your backer is a good reward, isn’t it?"

"You’re really going all out. The target is just a friend’s son, isn’t it a bit excessive?"

Aichi’s words made Ilva’s expression collapse for the first time, showing deep regret.

"He… I was the one who persuaded Will to take on that commission. The team that accepted the investigation commission was also formed due to my recommendation. Although it was an investigation of an anomaly, there was no actual disaster, and the team members were all trusted experts, so I thought it would be fine. Will felt that being a noble didn’t suit him and had always admired adventurers… but he didn’t have the talent for it. So, I had him follow strong adventurers to dangerous places, hoping he would realize that being an adventurer was impossible. I’ve known him for a long time… and because of that, I wanted to use this commission to make him give up…"

Aichi listened to Ilva’s monologue and calculated that the relationship between Will and Ilva was even deeper than he had imagined. Despite his calm demeanor, Ilva’s heart must have been racing. The chances of survival were decreasing with each passing moment. The extravagant reward he offered was also evidence of his anxiety.

For Aichi, after returning to the city, he was tired of having to repeatedly explain Tsuki and Shia’s identification. If he had a connection with a high-ranking official, it would be convenient to use the city’s facilities. Aichi and the others had no intention of aligning with the Holy Church or the kingdom and might be labeled as heretics at any time. If they were really labeled as heretics, it would be extremely difficult to rest in the city. If he could clear that concern by connecting with this person, it would be a good thing.

Moreover, Aichi considered that with the support of a branch manager from a major city