Chastity-Reversed Hard Mode: Surviving as a Steel-Minded Adventurer in Another World - Chapter 10: Not Quitting Adventuring with My Steel Mentality

Chapter 10: Not Quitting Adventuring with My Steel Mentality

That afternoon, I went to the Adventurers’ Guild to confess my big decision to Wes.

“Wes, don’t be shocked when you hear this. The truth is… I’m thinking of retiring as an adventurer.”

“Oh, finally?”

…Wait, what?

I’d put so much weight into my words, bracing myself for the gravity of the moment—yet Wes just took it completely in stride.

He even looked… relieved, like a huge burden had just slipped off his shoulders.

“Honestly, you really did well to last six whole months. To tell the truth, I thought you’d want to quit way sooner…”

Ah, so that’s how it was.

He’d already figured out half a year ago that I had no aptitude for this line of work. For him, my “retirement” was basically inevitable.

“As expected of my best friend, Wes. You can see right through me.”

“Eh? No, if anything, you’re still a total mystery to me…”

“Hahaha, come on now—don’t be shy.”

I answered with a smile. Moments like these made me feel the strong bond that tied our souls together.

…Though, at the same time, a faint draft of loneliness blew through my chest.

“I’ve gotta admit, talking with you at the counter like this for the last time makes me a little sad… But even after I quit being an adventurer, I hope you’ll still hang out with me once in a while. Alright then, I’ll just—”

“Whoa whoa whoa! And where exactly do you think you’re going?”

“Huh? Well, since I just quit, I figured I’d go look for my next job.”

“No, you can’t just toss out ‘I quit’ and then vanish! Do you even have another job lined up? Where are you planning to stay? Just so you know, the guild-sponsored inn is off-limits once you retire. Are you seriously planning to become homeless?”

“Eh? Wait, that’s… bad.”

What was I supposed to do now? Autumn was coming, nights were getting colder… Could I really just curl up under someone’s eaves?

I mean, thanks to [Disease Resistance], I probably wouldn’t catch a cold, but still.

As I was busy spiraling into panic, Wes let out a long sigh.

“I figured you hadn’t thought this through… Anyway, forget that for now. I’ve actually prepared a little present for you.”

With that, Wes pulled something out from under the counter—a card.

It was palm-sized, with an incredibly detailed portrait of me on it.

Pretty weird, considering this world didn’t even have cameras yet, but it looked exactly like a photo.

There was a bunch of text printed next to it too, but since I still couldn’t read this world’s language, it was all just gibberish to me.

“What’s this?”

“A temporary citizenship card. Remember how your mana hit 1 this morning? I went to the city hall right after that and rushed them to make this.”

“Uh… meaning?”

“It means I pre-registered your citizenship. Yuji, you’re officially a citizen of this city now.”

…Okay, that didn’t immediately click for me.

“Sorry, but what exactly does becoming a citizen do?”

Wes looked a little troubled, then leaned close to my ear and whispered:

“To put it bluntly… it means this city’s government now recognizes you as a human being. Up until now, you were basically a drifter—an outsider. In the worst case, even if a citizen attacked you on the street, you had no right to press charges, and the guards wouldn’t investigate. This city’s official stance is that drifters and slums don’t exist at all. So whatever happened to people like that… everyone just looked the other way. The only reason nothing ever happened to you is because the guild specifically protected you.”

…Seriously? So I basically had no human rights until now?

Damn, I guess I really do owe the guild. Maybe I should forgive them for sticking me in the peep-room after all.

Wes pulled back from my ear, cleared his throat, and continued.

“But from now on, you’ll be treated as a citizen. That means you have the right to take cases to court. Anyone who harms you will be judged under criminal law, and both your person and your property are now protected. In exchange, however, you’ll be required to pay the head tax.”

“Wait—what? I have to pay taxes…?”

“Of course you do. Though, given your situation, it’d be tough right now. So the guild will cover that part for the time being.”

“…Seriously? But hold on, I’m retiring as an adventurer, you know.”

“And that—”

Wes snapped three fingers up and adjusted his glasses with a gleam.

“To be recognized as a citizen of this city, three conditions must be met. One: you must have a fixed residence. Two: you must be employed or at least willing to work. Three: you must possess mana.”

He ticked each condition off on his fingers, calmly laying out the rules.

“Until today, you were thought to be mana-less, so no matter what you did, you could never be registered as a citizen. But now that we’ve proven you have mana, the path is open at last.”

“Heh… I see. So wait, are there other people out there without mana?”

“No. None.”

Wes gave a small, wry smile and shook his head gently.

“They say such people existed long ago, but in the Naroppa region, not a single human without mana remains. Remember this morning, when I explained that mana is inherited through blood? Everyone wanted that convenient power for their descendants, so over time, the blood spread everywhere. That’s why non-mana humans disappeared. Honestly, when you first showed up, I was shocked. I thought you had to be from the East, since I’d heard mana-less people still exist in the New Continent or in the Orient.”

“I see, makes sense.”

Of course they’d want to marry into magic blood if it meant their kids could use spells.

I mean, if I could use magic, I’d want that too.

“Well, this rule was established in a very old era. By now it’s basically a dead law, with no real effect. But then you came along and accidentally tripped it. Now, though, with your mana proven, you finally meet the condition to become a citizen.”

Ah, so that’s what Wes meant this morning when he said there was a huge difference between mana 0 and mana 1.

“But hang on. I’m still living at an inn. Does that really count as having a fixed residence? And if I quit adventuring, wouldn’t that make me unemployed?”

“True. Which is why—you’ll be moving. I have an acquaintance who runs an apartment building. You’ll live there. As for work, don’t quit the guild. Stay registered. Even if you don’t fight monsters, you’re still allowed to call yourself an adventurer.”

“Wait, so what—you want me to just keep doing ditch-cleaning and lost-cat jobs forever? Come on, that’s a bit much…”

I mean, yeah, getting introduced to an apartment was definitely a blessing.

After all, spending every single night being ogled through a peephole by some horny monkey next door was getting old fast.

Not that it actually stressed me out—thanks to [Mental Resistance], I could still sleep like a baby till morning.

But hearing all those moans and gasps through the thin walls? Yeah, that definitely got me worked up too.

At this point, I just wanted the freedom to rub one out without worrying about the neighbors.

Masturbation, you see, should be free—done without interruption, in peace, in salvation. That’s how it ought to be.

Still, the real problem was money.

The bottom-of-the-barrel jobs the guild tossed my way barely paid anything. As side gigs while rabbit-hunting, sure, fine. But as my main work? I’d dry up and starve.

Catching my sour expression, Wes gave a wry little smile.

“No, no—you don’t need to do ditch-cleaning or cat-finding anymore.”

“Then what? Guild receptionist? I can’t even read the letters, you know.”

“Ah, yes, literacy is kind of a requirement for that… But no, what I mean is: how about running a business? One carried under the guild’s banner.”

“…A business?”

I tilted my head.

Me, doing business? I hadn’t even worked a part-time job at a convenience store before.

Wes, watching my doubtful face, went on.

“It can be anything. For example, you could buy potions from an alchemist’s workshop and resell them at a street stall. Or maybe haul goods from the hunting spoils our guild buys up. Since you’re good at mental math, I’d say you’re suited for arbitrage—making a profit off price differences. Whatever business you decide to run, we’ll let you operate under the guild’s banner. In exchange, you’ll pay twenty percent of your sales as dues. …That’s the contract I’m proposing.”

Twenty percent cut, huh.

Was that good or bad?

Thinking about how the guild wouldn’t actually be lifting a finger but would still be taking two whole tenths off the top… kind of felt like I’d be getting ripped off.

I tilted my head, unsure what to think, and Wes gave a faint, wry smile.

“Honestly, it’s a good deal. Normally, street vendors have to join the merchants’ guild, and their dues are twenty-five percent. Plus, don’t forget—our guild master is the local lord’s third daughter. That sort of political backing makes a world of difference. She’s directly related to the head of the city government. Whatever trade you’re in, that kind of protection will always pay off. Oh, and the head tax for the city? We’ll deduct that straight from your dues to us.”

So basically, in modern Japan terms, this was like being directly under the wing of the government itself.

The Adventurers’ Guild wasn’t just a monster-extermination company—it doubled as a law-and-order organization too. Honestly, most of the time they were rowdier than the people they were supposed to be keeping in check, but hey, this was the Middle Ages. Back then, disputes got settled faster with a little violence. And the power backing that violence came from the local gentry—the landowning family that ruled the city. Specifically, the guild master, Lady Deabolica, the lord’s third daughter.

I’d always thought she gave off “career woman who secretly feels like a mob boss” vibes… turns out she really was about half-yakuza.

Still, this really was a sweet deal.

This wasn’t just like having a police substation backing your shop—it was more like running a store directly overseen by the National Police Agency. People would definitely see it as a business they could trust.

“Are you sure about this? Feels like I’m being handed some crazy privilege here. Do you allow this for all adventurers?”

“Of course not.”

Wes raised a finger to his lips and gave me a playful wink.

“Just you. So don’t go bragging about it, alright?”

“…Why would you give me such special treatment?”

I mean, come on—I was just a useless bottom-tier adventurer who happened to fall into this world.

No way I deserved perks like this.

But Wes just gave a small smile, scratching his cheek.

“Leaving a friend in trouble would leave a bad taste in my mouth, that’s all.”

“Wes…!”

A swell of emotion rose in my chest.

He’d taken time off work just to get my citizenship registered, and now he was even setting me up with privileges like this… Truly, friends were the greatest treasure a guy could have.

“Thank you…! Thank you so much…!”

I grabbed Wes’s hand and pumped it up and down with all my strength, pouring every ounce of gratitude into the motion.

Damn it… if only [Mental Resistance] didn’t dull my empathy.

Even now, Wes’s face—so full of genuine friendship—just looked vaguely troubled to me. One day, I had to fix this drawback, so I could properly read his emotions.

Wes gave a little cough, then added almost as if making an excuse:

“Well… if you ever start running some shady, underhanded business, I’ll have to step in. Just promise me one thing: don’t drag the guild’s name through the mud.”

“Of course! I’ll live up to both the guild’s trust and yours! A promise between men!!

At that, Wes suddenly snorted.

“…W-What was that line? ‘A promise between men’? I’ve never heard such a weird phrase before.”

“It’s a good one, isn’t it? A saying from my homeland—it’s all about the bond of male friendship.”

“Heh… yes, I suppose it is a good phrase.”

And with that, Wes finally gave me a smile—bright, warm, and completely unguarded.

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“So it’s true! He’s finally decided to quit being an adventurer!”

In the master’s office at the very back of the Adventurers’ Guild, Deabolica reacted to the report with more excitement than she’d shown in years.

The woman whom guild members secretly nicknamed Iron Mask and Cold-Blooded Lady completely shattered her usual poker face—throwing both hands in the air and hopping up and down in joy.

Of course, the only other person in the room was her cousin, so she probably felt safe enough to let loose.

Her cousin Wes, after delivering the report, calmly polished his glasses with a cloth before continuing.

“Yes. He says he’s realized his own limits and no longer intends to fight monsters. However, if left like this, he’d have no means of support. And if he were to transfer to another guild, he would leave our management entirely. So, at my own discretion, I granted him the privilege of running a business under our guild’s name. I trust that’s acceptable?”

“Ah, yes, quite right. No issues at all—you’ve done well.”

Deabolica nodded along with Wes’s report, a bright smile spreading across her face.

Honestly, she’d been at her limit trying to hold back the guild members’ constant outbursts. Every single day it was the same chorus from those desperate, lust-starved women: Hurry up and hand him over! How long are you gonna make us wait? Just one taste is all we ask!

Deabolica’s nerves had been worn thin from endlessly placating them.

If they were really that pent-up, why not just go blow off steam at a brothel? That was what she thought.

But no—their logic was, playing with a working boy at a brothel and having a cute husband at home are two totally different things.

Utterly inefficient. Completely incomprehensible.

So yeah—having to deal with those sex-crazed idiots every day had been exhausting. That was why she found Wes’s handling of Yuji’s “post-adventurer arrangements” such a relief.

Her cousin, three years older, always managed to patch the gaps in her schemes like this. As a secretary, he was incredibly reliable. Sure, he had the occasional sarcastic streak, but compared to his competence, that was an easy flaw to forgive.

“The current top scorers were Moira and Aster’s party, weren’t they? In that case, maybe we just hand him over to them as their shared husband. We could even hold a grand wedding while we’re at it—use the chance to win some favor. With Yuji as their anchor, even if the party members clash, they won’t be able to break apart so easily. And if we really wanted, we could even make him one of our family’s vassals.”

“And what about the second-place parties? You think they’ll just accept it with a ‘Too bad, better luck next time’?”

Wes’s point was valid.

For half a year, Deabolica had driven these women into a fierce competition. If, after all that, she just declared “You lost, so no prize for you,” the losers might sulk and leave for another city’s guild. People might say “Well, a loss is a loss,” but that didn’t mean they’d actually accept it gracefully. Humans were never that simple.

Deabolica rested a hand on her sharp chin, letting her gaze wander thoughtfully into the air.

“Yes, that is true. I had considered making him the shared husband of the parties ranked first through fifth, but then the non-leader members would likely grow resentful. Ah, I know. We could give parties ranked second through fifth a One-Night Husband Rental Ticket. That way, even the losers wouldn’t complain. Yes, yes… brilliant idea, if I do say so myself.”

As she spun her little schemes, Deabolica’s lips curled into a self-satisfied grin.

The nerve of her.

The reality was, Yuji had only decided to retire from adventuring—he hadn’t agreed to marry into her plans. She still had to somehow convince him to go along with it.

“Well, thanks to Wes granting him those privileges, I can now use that as leverage to push him into marriage. You’ve really done well, Wes, ufufu.”

“…Haaah.”

Wes lowered his face, looking genuinely disgusted—though a moment later, he masked it with a blank nod.

This woman’s cunning and silver tongue were truly something else. Her very name, Deabolica—“like a devil”—fit her personality perfectly.

Seriously, what kind of sense of naming did this family head have?

“Oh, and one more thing. During today’s re-examination, Yuji was found to have a trace amount of mana, so I had his citizenship temporarily registered.”

At Wes’s casual remark, Deabolica narrowed her brows and fixed her gaze on his face.

“…So he wasn’t mana-less after all? Half a year ago, his test came back at zero. I even checked the machine myself.”

“Perhaps it was a misreading. This morning’s test clearly showed mana present. When past and present results conflict, it only makes sense to trust the newer one.”

“…”

Deabolica stared at Wes with an unreadable expression.

After a long silence, she finally gave a small shake of her head.

“Well, such things can happen. And having even a little mana is better than none. His market value has gone up, so I suppose it’s good news. True, it would’ve been more convenient if he had no citizenship—easier to claim him outright. But in the end, as long as he remains in this city, he is still property of our house. Hardly a problem. …Send the testing device in for repairs, just in case.”

“Understood.”

Wes bowed respectfully.

Turning her back to him, Deabolica happily resumed her little calculations.

A narrow chance had been given.

Would Yuji be able to find a way out? A path to freedom that even Wes himself—the one who had set up that chance—still couldn’t begin to imagine.

Caught between his role as secretary to his devious cousin and as a friend to the strange foreigner, Wes quietly prayed for Yuji’s success.

He was a younger son of a provincial noble family with no title. Born a noble, yes, but that meant no matter how much he wished for it, he would never get to see the world beyond the city walls.

That was why his oddball friend—this man who claimed to have come from another world—brought him such rare joy.

Every time Yuji returned and shared his tales—whether it was struggling against mere Big-Horned Rabbits, or gawking at the muddy brown river water filtered through peat that every Brishav local took for granted—Wes found himself smiling. Yuji’s small adventures sounded so lively that Wes felt as though he too was exploring the outside world through Yuji’s eyes.

As for his own lot in life… that couldn’t be helped. Being born a noble son meant he’d never had wings to spread in the first place.

But if nothing else, Wes prayed that those wings—the ones belonging to that peculiar, unpredictable, big-hearted fool who called him friend—would never be stolen by anyone.