“We’ll Definitely Come Back to Save You!” — It’s Been Three Years Since I Was Left in the Most Difficult Dungeon, Isn’t It About Time for Help to Arrive...? - 60-61

Chapter 60: To the Guild!

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There was one boy and three girls. The four of us moved through the lively streets together. The scenery that we had once rushed past out of breath could now be leisurely taken in thanks to being turned into children.

“Our disguises are a huge success, Master. Unlike before, no one is picking a fight with us.”

“Yeah. It seems as long as I don’t show my face, blending into the city is surprisingly easy. Well, Well, that’s all because my bad reputation has spread far and wide…”

I realized all over again that I had been the main cause of all that relentless chasing, and a vague, frustrating feeling of “What did I even do…?” welled up inside me. As we walked through the city, I occasionally heard voices of adventurers excitedly heading out after seeing the bounty on my head, or anxious residents chatting worriedly.

“So, Athos… What are we going to—mgh…!”

As I let out a sigh and strolled along, I heard my name called from behind and instinctively covered her mouth—the source of the voice.

“Stop! …Midi, how many times have I told you before we entered the city? Right now, I’m not Athos. I’m ‘Sthoa.’ If you keep calling me by my real name, our cover will be blown away.”

“Ah, right… Sorry, I just called you like I always do without thinking…”

Midi’s face instantly lit up with a startled expression, as if to say she had just realized her mistake.

“Um… then… Sthoa, what should we do next? Are we going to look for Eishia and Ripley now…?”

“It’s still too early for that. We don’t even know if those two are back in the city yet. We need to gather information first.”

“So you’re saying we’ll walk around the city to look for clues? If we split up, it probably won’t take too long, but it’s a bit of a hassle, isn’t it? Should I just fly up and scout things out quickly?”

Lazuli spread her wings wide enough to block the sunlight, as if to demonstrate her point.

“No, that won’t be necessary. We should avoid any movements that would make us stand out as much as possible. And when it comes to gathering information, there’s a perfect place for that.”

“A perfect place?”

I took the lead and followed the path I knew so well. Moving with the flow of people, we arrived at a raucous building that was almost certainly the first stop for most visitors to this city. When I threw the doors open wide, we were greeted by a space brimming with the energy of countless dreamers and looking to turn their skills into coins. This place was where jobs and money gathered together.

“So this is the guild… I see, it definitely makes sense. It’s far more efficient to gather information in this place rather than wandering the streets. …If you ignore the fact that we’re going right in the middle of enemy territory.”

“Exactly. So, Midi, I want you to go around and ask any adventurers or guild staff you know if they’ve seen Eishia or Ripley. Out of the four of us, you’ll be the most natural at striking up conversations.”

“Okay, got it… What about you, At—Sthoa?”

“The fact you specifically asked Midi means you have roles for the rest of us too, right? What exactly should we do?”

Midi and Lazuli both directly voiced the questions that had popped into their heads.

“Hel, Lazuli, and I are going to work on establishing our livelihood in the city. In other words, earning money. Well, we’re probably just going to spend the rest of the day getting everything prepared for that.”

“Earning money?”

“Preparation?”

“What do you mean…?”

Maybe sensing what I was about to say, the three of them exchanged glances before turning their eyes on me.

“Yeah. Here’s what we’re going to do now. We’re… Going to become an adventurer.”
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Chapter 61: The Tomboy Guild Girl

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“Unfortunately, being an adventurer is the only way I know how to make a living. You guys prefer the rough-and-tumble approach anyway, don’t you?”

After parting ways with Midi, I took Hel and Lazuli with me and made my way through the noisy guild hall toward the reception desk.

To survive in human society, you needed two things: information and money. Besides food, clothing, and shelter, you needed funds for weapons, armor, magical tools, and sometimes even to hire mercenaries to help. There were endless scenarios where money was absolutely necessary.

Right now, though, we didn’t have a single coin to our names. We couldn’t even buy a piece of bread. At this rate, it would hinder our ability to search for the others, and we wouldn’t be able to respond if something serious happened.

“Well, that’s true… But it’s a little insulting to be thought of as someone with a rough personality. I’m a delicate maiden, you know?”

“In your case, you just dump everything on Athos and pretend to be weak… Right? Anyway, knocking out monsters is a breeze for me too, so I’ve got no objections. Alright, since we’ve decided, let’s hurry up and become adventurers and start earning money!”

Lazuli stepped ahead to the front of the reception desk and called out to the female clerk who was reading some documents.

“Hey, got a second? We wanna become adventurers.”

The guild staff member was leaning in so close her face was practically stuck to the paper, checking the documents with great focus. She didn’t so much as flinch, seemingly trying to memorize the contents of the sheet, and didn’t respond to Lazuli’s voice.

“Hmm… This request is mostly investigation, but the difficulty is probably top-tier… It’s dangerous to recommend it to just anyone, right? Then I guess I need to find someone stronger to take it… But anyone who’s interested probably already joined the subjugation team earlier… Still, at this rate, this request will never get resolved… Aahh! What am I supposed to do—?!”

Just when we thought she was deeply focused on the document, she suddenly grabbed her head and started writhing in distress. The three of us instinctively took a step back, watching her with concern.

“Hey! Myriel! How long are you planning to stay glued to that request form!? Do your job at the reception already! There are adventurers waiting!”

“Huh…? Ah—aaaah!! I-I’m terribly sorry! I didn’t notice! I—I don’t even know how to apologize…”

“We only just got here, so no need to apologize like that…”

“Oh, really!? Then, how can I help you!? Looking for a job? If so, I have a list of active quests right he—waaah!?”

The clerk, called Myriel, fumbled in her panic and dropped all the materials she was holding in a spectacular spill.

“Master… Is it really okay for someone this clumsy to be doing clerical work?”

“Well…I mean, if it’s just this much, we can just say this is part of her charm… I think?”

I gave a strained smile at Hel’s completely reasonable question and picked up one of the request sheets that had fallen near me, glancing toward Myriel as she scrambled on her knees to gather the scattered papers. It was our first meeting, but after watching all that, it was hard not to question her competence.

“Seriously! You’re hopeless! Can’t you work a little more efficiently!?”

Another staff member sitting next to her—probably six or seven years older than Myriel if she was about the same age as us—sighed in exasperation and crossed her legs again. Myriel could only meekly respond with, “I’m sorry~!” as she rushed around picking up the scattered request sheets.

“Haah…Haah… Sorry to keep you waiting…! So, which request would you like to take…?”

“We haven’t seen any requests thanks to your little paper explosion…”

“And like I said earlier, we want to become adventurers. So, how do we do that?”

“Oh, I see! You’re applying to be adventurers! In that case, you’ll need to take the aptitude test first. Are both of you hoping to register?”

“—No, not two. Three.”

I leapt onto the counter, which was about the same height as me, and peeked my head over to look at her.

“It’s these two and me, a total of three people—”

Just as I began speaking, nearby staff and passing adventurers began chuckling. It wasn’t mocking laughter exactly—more like the kind adults give when a kid tries to act all grown-up. Still, it was uncomfortable.

“Listen, little guy, maybe come back in ten years or so when you’ve grown up a bit? This isn’t the kind of place for playing pretend.”

“I wasn’t joking when I said that…”

I was trying to think of how to explain myself to the clerk brushing me off when Myriel stood up and hurried over to us.

“Got it—three people, right? Please come this way!”

“—Hey, wait, Myriel! Don’t tell me you’re seriously including that kid!? If you’ve got time to play along with children’s games, go find someone to take that request I gave you earlier!”

“B-But this boy seems serious about wanting to be an adventurer, and the rules—wait, huh!? Is there an age restriction for registering as an adventurer!?”

Once again, Myriel began to panic, thinking she’d messed up.

“No, age doesn’t matter for becoming an adventurer. The line between child and adult varies by species anyway, and without the ability to fight monsters, it’s all meaningless.”

As I explained, the staff’s expressions visibly changed.

“After all, the guild’s policy is that anyone who passes the aptitude test and proves their strength by completing a given request qualifies to be an adventurer, right?”

“Th-That’s… True, but…”

The older clerk, who had been scolding Myriel moments ago, suddenly lost all momentum and began mumbling.

“So, yeah. There’s no problem, right? Mind showing us the way?”

I flashed a childlike smile at Myriel, who was still staring at me in surprise. She blinked, then replied cheerfully, “Yes!” and began guiding us toward the back of the guild.

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