Chapter 12: The Old Man Meets the Guild Receptionist

I wonder if knights are, by nature, exclusively from noble families.

That’s probably not the only reason, but their attitude seems incredibly arrogant.

I mean… you can pretty much tell just by the way they strut around wearing those pointlessly flashy golden helmets like they own the place…

In fact, they didn’t seem to care one bit about the commoners like me walking on the street, riding their horses recklessly right beside us.

I was walking down the road, munching on my fruit, watching the cavalry troop out of the corner of my eye.

And then… I saw a little girl crouched down on the ground in front of the riders.

It looks like she’s picking something up.

“Hey! Look out!” someone nearby shouted.

But… the horsemen were already right in front of the girl…

My body moved on instinct.

I leaped in front of the girl, scooped her up, and jumped to the side of the road.

Phew… made it just in time.

I’m sure I had a bit of a smug look on my face.

I may be a perpetual F-rank, but if there’s one thing I’m confident in, it’s my speed.

And I had just heroically saved a little girl.

That means I know exactly what comes next.

I flash the little girl a charming smile.

Her cute face blushes a shy crimson as she says,

“Thank you… mister…”

“Think nothing of it. I only did what anyone would have done.”

That was the exchange I imagined in my head for a split second, but…

The little girl in front of me had a look of pure terror on her face.

“Eek! M-Mister… w-who are you…?”

“N-No… I just… you were about to be run over by a horse… I-I’m not… a suspicious person…”

“No! S-Stay away from me!”

And with that, the little girl burst into tears and started screaming.

…Come to think of it, that makes perfect sense.

From her perspective, I must have just appeared out of nowhere.

On top of that, as you can see… my appearance is quite shabby.

Plus, I spent the night outside and haven’t had a bath.

I probably… smell pretty awful, too.

“What the… you… where did you… no… more importantly, what are you doing to that child!”

While all this was happening, a crowd started to gather, drawn by the commotion.

They were clearly looking at me like I was some kind of creep.

And, of course, the cavalry troop was long gone, having galloped off somewhere.

All that remained was an old man… me… holding a crying little girl.

Objectively speaking, this makes me look like a pervert who just accosted a child.

I tried to explain myself, but it was obvious no one was going to believe me.

I could already see the town guards rushing over.

…Which means there’s only one thing left to do.

Just like always, I fled the scene like the wind.

“Hey! H-Hey! You! Stop!”

I heard the guards shouting, but I ignored them and kept running.

Heh… too late now.

When it comes to this particular field… running away… there’s no one better than me.

The town guards are no match for me.

Well… not that I could win if I fought them head-on…

I quickly lost the guards and ducked into an alleyway with a sigh.

I thought my luck was finally turning around, but my day has been nothing but trouble.

Sigh… An F-rank like me has no business trying to be a hero.

That’s right… I’m not the protagonist of some story.

It’s been ten years since I read any of those web novels, but it seems I still haven’t grown out of my delusions… my desire to be a hero…

It’s probably because I was reminiscing about the old days yesterday.

My reality now is that of a commoner… no, not even that.

I’m a jobless… no, an F-rank adventurer middle-aged man on the verge of living on the streets.

Sigh… my previous life might have been better than this.

Well… complaining won’t get me anywhere.

Time to quietly head to the unemployment office… no, the Guild, and look for a job…

When I entered the Guild, it was empty, a stark contrast to the crowded street.

There wasn’t a single adventurer in sight, just the receptionist—Mira-san—looking bored.

As soon as Mira-san noticed me, she called out.

“Oh! Mikami-san! Good morning!”

Mira-san spoke in a bright, energetic voice, then placed her hands neatly in front of her and gave a polite bow.

Her short hair was neatly styled.

The cut suited her adorable face, which still had a hint of childishness to it.

Mira-san is a rookie who’s only been at the Guild for about a year.

But rumor has it she already has a lot of secret admirers.

As you can see, she has a good personality and a cute face.

On top of that, she’s kind to everyone—even to a perpetual F-rank old man adventurer like me.

And yet, despite her appearance, Mira-san is surprisingly unfazed by anyone.

She isn’t afraid to speak her mind, even to those adventurers the merchant described as having no manners.

It’s probably because of her mother’s influence… the Guild Master, Emma-san.

The Guild in this remote town is small.

It’s effectively run by the mother-daughter duo… Emma-san and Mira-san.

And for me, these two are a blessing.

That’s because they’re the only ones who acknowledge my skills.

The least I can do is show them a minimum level of courtesy.

Well… as an old man, I can’t be quite as refreshing as she is, though…

“Ah… Mira-san, good morning.”

I bowed my head just as she had.

“Honestly… Mikami-san… you’re still so formal… I’d think we’ve known each other long enough by now…”

Mira-san puffed out her cheeks with a slightly sulky look on her face.

“No… I can’t thank you and your mother… Emma-san… enough. And if we’re talking about being formal, you are too, Mira-san—”

“That’s different! It’s because… you’re the one who saved my life, Mikami-san. I couldn’t possibly be rude to you… besides, to me, you’re someone I look up to…”

Mira-san said, touching her hair a little shyly.