9. Adventurer Registration

As we continued our journey like this, the last town we would stop at in Ustenia finally came into view.

The name of the city is Sumeria. The city is near the border with Midogal and is definitely larger than Dallas.

We got to the gate and got in line.

The line was quite long, but at the current speed, it would take about 30 minutes to get in.

As I stood in line, I thought about registering as an adventurer in this city.

「Welcome to the city of Sumeria. Do you have any identification on you? The young lady over there is wearing a slave collar, so I guess she’s a slave.」

When my turn came, the gatekeeper, who looked to be in his twenties, thin, macho, and somewhat handsome, asked me for my ID. However, since I don’t have it, I just tell him. I also confirm that Eleanor is a slave as well.

Incidentally, even slaves can register as adventurers and get an ID card. Also, other than that, slaves are said to have a certificate of identification from their masters saying that they are their slaves.

「Well, then, I’ll check your criminal record with this magic tool, so will you please touch it? This magic tool glows red if you have a criminal record of murder, robbery, theft, or rape, and glows blue if you have none. Of course, killing in self-defense is not a problem. It can read the information in your soul, so it’s impossible to hide anything from it. Can you get that slave over there to join us?」

After listening to the explanation, Eleanor and I each nodded and touched the magic tool with our hands.

Naturally, the magic tool glowed blue. Don’t tell anyone, but I was a little nervous because it was my first time.

「Okay, no problem. Then the next step is to pay the entrance tax since you have no ID. The admission tax is five silver coins per person.」

I paid for the two of us with the gold coins I had taken from the bandits and went straight into the city of Sumeria.

Since it was still early in the afternoon, we decided to find an inn and have a meal first, then visit the clothing store and the adventurer’s guild.

Various innkeepers and touts touting their services, so I decided to ask the touts to help me find an inn with a bath.

Incidentally, the house I lived in Dallas also had a bath, but in this world, baths are mainly used by people in the middle class and above.

I found a tout for an inn with a bath, though it was more expensive, and he took me there.

The exterior of the place is a four-story brick structure, and it seems to be a rather magnificent inn.

「Welcome!」

When I entered the inn, I found a well-dressed woman at the counter.

Furthermore, looking around the inn, it was rather quiet and had a nice atmosphere. I decided to stay here.

「There are two of you. Seeing as how she’s wearing a collar, the girl looks like a slave, isn’t she?」
「Yeah」

They guessed right away, but I guess it doesn’t help that she usually wears a collar.

「Then you’d have to be in the same room, so it’d be a double room.」

There was something that bothered me a little in the current exchange, so I asked the lady about it.

「Why do we have to be in the same room?」
「Oh, you didn’t know that, and you had a slave with you? Can’t be helped. Well, I’ll tell you about it while I’m at it. Slaves are like property, you know that, right?」

I already knew that, so I nodded to the lady.

「So you’re just going to leave your property out of your sight? What if somebody does something to her? Well, it’s not every day that a burglar breaks into an inn, and we’re very careful. Still, just to be safe.」
「Oh, I see.」
「If you hide her slave collar and nobody knows, you won’t have that problem. Well, in the end, it’s the customer who loses or suffers from it, not us.」

I was convinced that the lady had a good point.

「Oh, I see. That’s very kind of you.」
「It’s fine. I’ll continue with the rest of the information, okay?」
「Yeah. Please.」
「The price for a double room is six silver pieces per night, including breakfast and dinner. You can choose between twin or double beds. Meal times are from 6:00 to 10:00 in the morning and from 18:00 to 23:00 in the evening. Other than that, there’s a fee and a silver coin per meal. The bath is in the room, so feel free to use it. I’ll put in magic power into the magic tool for hot water if you tell me. And it won’t cost you a thing.」

The bed would challenge my sense of reason, and I’ll settle for a twin.

「It’s okay, I can put magic power into the magical tools myself. Twin beds, 10 days, please. I also want to eat now, so I’ll have a meal for two. A total of sixty-two pieces of silver? I’ll give you six gold coins and two silver coins, please confirm. After we eat, I’m going to the adventurer’s guild and the clothing store, so please let us know if you know where that is, I’d appreciate it.」

I took out some money from my【Item Box】and handed it to the lady.

「You calculate fast, the amount is spot on. The room is up the stairs there, room 202. Please sit there and wait a moment for your meal. At the moment, it’s the same menu as breakfast: white bread, fried orc and stew. The Adventurer’s Guild is on your left when you leave here, turn right at the crossroads, go straight for a while, then it will be on the left. The large sign with the sword and shield symbol stands out, so it should be easy to find. The clothing store is five doors down from the Adventurer’s Guild.」

I thanked the lady for telling me about it and decided to go straight to the table she pointed out.

When we got to the table, Eleanor sat down on the floor, so I rushed her to get up and got her to sit on a chair.

Eleanor was pleased when I explained that she would not have to sit on the floor from now on, and that she could eat at the table with me. That’s because no one wants to sit on the floor and would rather eat at a table…….

My meal was brought out, and I dipped a piece of white bread into the stew.

The orc meat was a bit bland, so I started to eat it with some yakiniku sauce. Eleanor seemed to want it too, so I put it on hers too.

The food is pretty good too, it’s just expensive. When I looked it up in the library, the average innkeeper charged five copper coins per night, so this place must be quite expensive.

But I need a bath and I don’t want the food to be bad, so I’m glad I’m here.

Eventually, we finished our meal and got up to head to the clothing store and the adventurer’s guild.

《20 Adventurer Registration》

After leaving the inn, Eleanor and I arrived at the clothing store without getting lost.

After we entered the clothing store, I insisted that Eleanor buy about six outfits and underwear.

I decided to buy some clothes too, and as I was browsing around, a shopkeeper came up to me on the way and recommended some things……

I was going to be stuck for a while listening to them, so I sent them away.

I thought to myself, “I was never good at being stuck with a clerk in a clothing store in my previous life,” and I picked out some clothes and underwear at random.

In addition, I decided to buy a scarf for Eleanor.

After paying the bill and putting the items I bought into the【Item Box】, I looked at her.

Eleanor was smiling and rummaging through the different clothes, but she still seemed lost. I heard that she was a slave for a long time and didn’t get to choose her own clothes, so I guess it’s no wonder she seems lost.

So I decided to wait quietly until Eleanor finished her selection.

After waiting for about 30 minutes, Eleanor came over to me, apologizing for making me wait.

I calculate the cost of the clothes she has chosen and hand the money to the shopkeeper.

After paying the bill, Eleanor put away her clothes and underwear in the magic bag I had given her.

However, I spent a lot of money. There’s not much money left we recovered from the bandits…….

Maybe I’ll sell the monster materials and magic stones I got when I hunted in the dungeon, but I use them for armour and food, so I can’t sell them all.

A magic stone is a stone with magic power that can be obtained by defeating monsters, and can be used to create armour and magical tools.

And the stronger the monster, the higher the price of the magical stones it possesses. Well, I’ll think about all this later.

Returning to my original thought, I start walking outside with Eleanor.

After we left the clothing store, I wrapped a scarf around her neck.

So I hide the slave collar for her, and Eleanor is a little teary-eyed and happy.

I waited for her to stop crying and moved to the adventurer’s guild nearby.

As I entered the Adventurer’s Guild, I felt the stares of those around me.

As I looked around, I saw a bar in the back, where what appeared to be adventurers were drinking in broad daylight.

To the left of them, there are adventurers chatting with each other.

From there, I looked a little to the front right and saw a board with a request form on it. A few adventurers seemed to be looking at the papers on the board and rummaging through the requests.

Further to the left was the reception area.

Adventurers lined up in rows at all five counters.

I don’t know if it was my imagination, but I felt like there were a lot of female eyes on me and a lot of male eyes on Eleanor.

The receptionists were all beautiful, and I stepped forward to get in line with the least crowded of them.

But for some reason, Eleanor pinched me lightly, so I patted her on the head.

When she was stroked, she smiled sloppily.

I stroked her for a while, but I couldn’t keep doing so forever, so I stopped abruptly. Eleanor looked like she regretted it, but I moved my feet, which had stopped to get in line.

After that, I wait quietly for my turn.

While we were waiting, I talked to Eleanor and she said that the receptionist at the counter with the fewest people was the prettiest. She said it made her unhappy, but I honestly don’t know.

After about ten people in line in front of me, it was finally my turn.

「Welcome to the Adventurers Guild, how may I help you?」

The guild’s receptionist had a big smile on her face, which made me admire her a little.

But I couldn’t let Eleanor pinch me again, so I pulled myself together and talked to the receptionist.

「I want to register this girl and I as adventurers.」

Hearing my words, the receptionist responded with another big smile on her face.

「I understand. Now, let me explain the rules and regulations for new adventurers. It’s a long one, but please listen carefully.」

I nodded to the receptionist and waited to hear what she had to say.

「The guild will issue guild cards to all registered adventurers. There are nine ranks of adventurers: EX, S, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The EX rank is the highest and the G rank is the lowest. If you are a newly registered adventurer, you will start at G rank.」

Well, it’s natural to start at the bottom, isn’t it? I mean, I knew this when I was five years old.

「The color of the guild card is different for each rank: EX is black, S is platinum, A is gold, B is silver, C is red, D is blue, E is yellow, F is brown, and G is white. Therefore, you can judge the rank at a glance. Also, EX and S ranks have a lot of influence because they are backed by their abilities.」

Influence. I’m sure they’ll be able to associate with the aristocracy and such.

「There are three types of requests: urgent requests, nomination requests, escort requests, normal requests, and permanent requests, and each request has its own rank, up to one rank above your adventurer rank. Please notify the guild counter when you have finished your request. We will check your guild card and determine if the result is achieved or not. Please note that some requests require the client’s signature on the request form. If the request fails, the guild will fine said adventurer 30% of the request completion fee.」

So you have to take requests that are not likely to fail. Well, unless something massive happens I don’t think I’m going to fail.

「It is almost mandatory for adventurers of C rank or higher to participate in urgent requests. If you have no choice but to refuse, you will be required to pay a fine of 10 platinum coins to the guild. Although it is not recommended, adventurers of D rank and below can participate at their own risk. The monsters you defeat during an emergency request will be registered on your guild card, so there will be no conflicts over rewards.」

When I heard about the urgent request, I thought of Dallas. That blast and the wilderness…… and Dan, Sarah, and Galwin, who have passed away……

「A request for nomination is a request made by the requester to an adventurer of B rank or higher. The guild will inform adventurers who have received nomination requests. If the guild does not hear from the adventurer for two weeks after receiving the request from the client, the request will be considered abandoned and the request will be cancelled. The fee includes the nomination fee, which is often higher than other requests. It is possible to refuse, but if you do so repeatedly, you may not receive any more nomination requests.」

Hmm, I have an image that nomination requests are made by aristocrats and rich people. And when I think of aristocrats, I think of Alfred. I don’t think all nobles are like that guy, but I don’t want to take nominations at the moment.

「The difficulty of escort requests varies depending on the request, the minimum rank you can receive escort requests is B. Please check the request form carefully, as we may be looking for A or S ranks.」

I’m not really interested in escort requests either. It’s more like I don’t want to be constrained by time.

「The normal requests are the ones posted on the request board over there, and anyone can accept them if they match their rank. The same board is used for permanent requests. To distinguish a permanent request from a regular request, the request form will have the word “permanent” written on it. Do you have any questions so far?」
「Nothing in particular. Please continue.」
「Yes. I will continue. To increase your rank, you need to complete requests. If you complete a request that is the same as your rank, you get one rank point, and if you complete a request that is one rank higher, you get double points. If the request fails, you will lose 10 points. If your cumulative points fall below 0, your rank will be downgraded, and G ranks are expelled when the cumulative number of failures reaches five.」

I don’t know what a G-rank request looks like, but they’re right, nobody wants someone who fails to complete it multiple times.

「The points you have will be reset to 0 every time you move up in rank. This means that you start with 0 points, and the excess points at that point will be retained. Also, even if you complete a request that is lower than your rank, you will earn 0 rank points.」

So if you get fractional points when you move up in rank, you can carry them over.

「There is an exam when you move up from B rank. This is to prevent those who are not competent from working with higher ranked parties to accumulate points and move up to B rank or higher.

We do this to work out the true strength of those who are not properly competent.」

「To get from G to F is 20 points, from F to E is 40 points, from E to D is 60 points, from D to C is 80 points, from C to B is 100 points, and from B to A is 150 points. You can be promoted from A to S by achieving 200 points or some significant achievement. From S to EX is not based on a point system, but is determined by a committee meeting when a great feat is accomplished.」

Greatness, I guess, is not something I can relate to because I’d rather spend my time freely.

「You can get different rank points for each request, because requests of B rank and above are more difficult and range in difficulty. There are some requests where you can get five or ten points at a time. Please note that the number of people you can accept in a party depends on the request. The number of people will be listed on the request form.」

That means that once you get up to rank C, you can take requests for rank B, and you can move up faster from there, right? That is, of course, if you are good enough.

「I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out how to do it. Therefore, a large number of adventurers work in parties with each other. A clan is a large group of people who are mutually supporting each other. Notifying the guild when establishing a party is only a recommendation, but contacting the guild when establishing a clan is mandatory. The benefits of a clan include easy access to information, flexibility among adventurers, and the ability to get help when problems arise.」

Clan, huh. Right now we’re a party of two, and it’s unknown if there will be more.

There’s the matter of Lisa and Airi, but I can’t say for sure until I see them in person. They said they’d wait for me, but I still don’t know what’s going to happen.

「The Guild is an organization independent of the state, and is not subject to the power of the state. However, the guild will not be able to back you up if you voluntarily get into trouble with the nobles. In this case, you will be responsible for handling it. Also, if a nobleman is terrible, we will not accept their request for nomination, or a large number of adventurers will move out of the city, so we have some deterrent power.」

Hearing this, I thought of Alfred again. In the end, even if the power of the state does not extend, it must be different in each country.

At least Dan didn’t look like he was consulting with the guild in the city of Dallas. Dan wasn’t stupid, and of course he would have thought of turning to the guild.

But if they didn’t do that, it probably means that the …… lord and the head of the guild or something were in cahoots or something of that nature.

「Any problems between adventurers are their own responsibility, and the Guild will not intervene. The guild will only be involved in the free loan of the arena for adventurers to fight each other in duels. For dueling between adventurers, both parties agree on who and what to bet on. Injuries or deaths that occur in such cases will not be criminalized or noted by the guild. The guild is available to collect bets on your behalf and for miscellaneous tasks.」

Is there such a thing as a duel? Well, if we both agree to it, so I guess we can’t force it, but adventurers seem to have an image of a lot of bloodthirsty people, so I wonder how it would be.

「If you bring a small amount of monster materials to the guild counter, you can redeem them at the counter; if you bring a large amount, you can redeem them at the dismantling station. The dismantling station is located behind that door. Thank you for listening at length. If you have any questions, please let me know.」
「Not particularly, thank you.」
「I’m going to start making your guild cards. When you place your palm on this magic tool, a card will be created. The only information that will be read is your name, species, and age, so please don’t worry.」

As the receptionist told me, I put the palm of my hand on the square magic tool. Then I thought I heard a 『pop』, and a card came out from the back.

The receptionist takes it and checks it.

I then had Eleanor put the palm of her hand on it, and the same card came out.

The receptionist confirms the second one in the same way.

「The cards were in order and registered without any problems. Please accept this. With this, from today, Louis-sama and Eleanor-sama will become adventurers.」

After receiving the white guild cards for the two of us from the receptionist, I left the counter.

Thus began Eleanor and my new life as adventurers.

《21 Duel》

I understood everything that the receptionist explained to me. So I decided to accept the request from now on in order to increase my rank.

Then, as I go to the request board to look for a request, I hear a threatening voice from behind me.

「You’re new, right? You’re new, right? I recommend that you do something non-dangerous first, like gathering herbs. And if it’s a non-dangerous job, you can do it by yourself, right? That’s why we’ll use the beastman beside you to carry our stuff. Give me that girl for our party.」

Huh, he’s talking to me about this, right? I think it’s called a cliché.

Is it okay to duel in these situations? I’m not quite sure how much I should start.

I know that if he touches me, I can do it back in self-defense, but what can I do?

As I pondered what to do, they rambled on and on.

I turned around and saw that there were two men and two women, all in their early twenties.

「Haha, Zuan, it seems like he’s too freaked out to respond, you should be nicer to him.」
「Hey, hey, let’s leave these guys alone and get on with the job!」
「That’s fine, that’s fine. It’ll be easier if we have more baggage handlers.」

In order, they are the dialogue of the man with brown hair, the woman with red hair, and the woman with brown hair. By the way, the man called Zuan had blond hair.

「Of course I’m going to say no to that. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear about it now, so you can go do what that Onee-san told you to do. I’m busy looking at requests right now.」
「I don’t want to follow you.」

Eleanor, who followed up on my words, looked at them with cold eyes as if she were looking at garbage.

The guild was suddenly becoming noisy.

When I looked around, I saw that some people were watching how things went, some were looking at me sympathetically, and some were cheering me on.

What can I say, I get the impression that everyone is starving for events.

I can hear a lot of whispering around me.

「Umm, new guy, getting tangled up with Zuan is a disaster.」
「The silver-haired boy doesn’t seem to want to duel anyway, so we’ll probably just end up arguing.」
「He doesn’t look really strong but he is in good shape, Zuan.」

They didn’t seem to listen to me when I refused, so I ignored Zuan and the others and went back to rummaging through the requests.

This was because, as we were talking, Zuan and his friends had already〈appraised〉 it and determined that they were too weak and could be ignored.

「Hey!! Don’t ignore me!! Hey! I said, turn around!!」

When I turned around because it was so loud, Zuan’s face was red and he was puffing.

The scene was so funny that I couldn’t help but let out a「pfft」laugh.

It’s not my fault! But poker face is difficult.

「You’re finally looking at me! I’ll never forgive you! Let’s duel!」
「Eh? You look weak and you want to duel me?」
「Are you really going to mock me that much? If you’re so confident, then of course you’ll accept a duel?!」

Hmmm, it doesn’t seem to do any real harm, so I could have left it alone.

From the whispers in the guild earlier, he doesn’t seem to have a good reputation, so why don’t we do ……?

「All right, I’ll accept. What do you want to bet?」
「You bet your beastman woman! The rest of you can get down on your knees for me.」
「Then you guys have to bet three white gold coins.」
「What? I’m not such a rich person.」
「If you don’t have enough, you’ll be a debt slave. I’m betting on Eleanor, so you have to pay a fair price for her, right? Right now, I’ll give you a special offer of two additional platinum coins.」

There’s no way I’m going to lose, so I’m going to add my money to the bet.

They were selfish and energetic, and they were freaked out by the amount of money at stake.

However, Zuan and the others seemed to be fascinated by the amount of money that was added afterwards, and the four of them began to discuss it in secret.

After waiting for a while, he finally decided to place his bet.