——The Guild meeting room.
The staff, assembled by the Guild's executives, received documents about a newly discovered Dungeon and held a meeting to decide which party to dispatch.
Tahnia, with her black hair in a bob cut, adjusted her glasses as she reviewed the contents.
(At least ten floors deep. It's been confirmed that each level has a boss. Parties that entered and explored up to the third floor have returned.)
The subjugation difficulty wasn't particularly high—some might even call it lenient.
That was precisely why they had to be careful choosing which parties to send. Even if they sent a large number of adventurers to clear it, any casualties would reduce the adventurer pool the Guild already had to manage.
No matter how many adventurers gathered at Baim each day, sending in incompetent ones and having them wiped out would only cause the Dungeon to activate further.
Leading the meeting was a chief who was anything but a sweeper—a simple staff member.
A slender male employee with a thin mustache divided seventy-thirty, he checked his own exclusive documents while confirming with everyone.
"Does anyone have a party to recommend? Even if you recommend one, they might decline, so give me a few more options. I want to have enough that even if everyone agrees to participate, we won't have a problem. Also, only recommend parties that can actually handle this. Parties out on commissions with no clear return date won't work."
The female staff member sitting next to Tahnia—Marianne—was a receptionist who was Tahnia's complete opposite.
She wasn't a sweeper either. She had long, straight blonde hair, drooping eyes that were green, and gave off a mature older-sister vibe. She was often perceived as having a gentle, easygoing impression.
She let out a sigh, grumbling about how pointless it was to attend the meeting.
"I'm basically assigned to rookies, you know."
Tahnia chuckled at this.
"Attending meetings is mandatory. Besides, the party you handle might end up tackling the Dungeon someday."
Hearing this, Marianne shook her head.
"How many years from now would that be? By then, some prettier girl younger than me will have taken over. I handle a few parties, but they're all young kids who don't know a thing about anything. Flatter them, get them to do the work—and less than half of them actually succeed. You know that, right?"
The parties Marianne handled were either newcomers who had become adventurers at Baim without any knowledge, or parties lacking in skill.
There were many staff members like her, whose role was to guide such parties into becoming outstanding adventurers for the Guild.
Tahnia nodded as she looked at the blackboard in the meeting room. The names of the nominated parties had been written on it.
"That's right."
Around her, staff members were recommending adventurers and parties they were on friendly terms with. There were plenty of receptionists, and they naturally got along with many people.
This was a form of networking—building connections so that quests brought into the Guild would actually get completed.
Tahnia thought for a moment, then raised her hand.
"Tahnia making a recommendation—that's unusual. So, who are you nominating?"
The chief's surprise was understandable. After all, this was the first time Tahnia had ever recommended an adventurer for a Dungeon subjugation.
For the Baim Eastern Branch Guild, Dungeon subjugations were a significant benefit for adventurers. It was a chance to obtain the treasures of the innermost chambers.
For that reason, many curried favor with the reception staff. Tahnia, however, was a receptionist on the surface but a Sweeper in the shadows.
Her role was to deal with criminals who posed as adventurers, though she normally worked at the reception desk. That way, she could keep a constant watch on the faces of the adventurers passing through.
Because of that, she had never been particularly interested in things like nominations.
But this time was different.
"I'd like to recommend the party led by Lyle. Their registration number is—"
Hearing this, the chief sifted through the documents at hand, searching for the records of Lyle and his party.
"Ah, this party. They certainly are interesting. Good adaptability too—a versatile group that can handle basically any quest... But isn't this a bit too soon?"
Despite having been in Baim for only a month, they had earned high marks for quest completion. The issue was simply that not enough time had passed since their arrival.
From an outsider's perspective, it might look like they were receiving special treatment.
"I believe they have sufficient ability. Besides—"
"Besides?"
The chief showed interest, and Tahnia gave a slight smile.
"They're quite an interesting party, but I consider them highly capable and would very much like to keep them on."
The chief looked down at the documents in his hands, stroked his chin, and nodded several times.
After completing my commission, I had headed over to the Eastern Branch of the Guild — the Eastern Branch.
My blue hair was still damp from the bath, and it had grown out enough that I was thinking I should get it cut soon.
When I entered the Guild lobby, the spacious hall was packed with people, as usual.
Miranda, with her light green hair, was wearing a coat over her outfit due to the cold.
I was the same in that regard, though what I had draped over me was a robe.
Underneath I wore my usual clothes, with my Saber and knife hanging at my waist.
I looked around, searching for a line that wouldn't take too long.
"It's as crowded as ever. Couldn't we have come tomorrow instead?"
Miranda had just gotten back, and between the bath and a light meal, she looked a little drowsy.
This time's commission had involved taking on multiple jobs at a village near Baim — Monster subjugation, along with helping with village repairs and various odd jobs, all bundled together.
Normally they'd send several parties for something like that, but since we were a party that could handle anything, we'd be able to finish with fewer people, so I negotiated and took it on.
In return, we'd been given a pass to skip accepting commissions for a while.
With a full month of free time ahead of us, I was thinking about taking on Baim's Dungeon.
"I want to get it over with quickly. Besides, we're starting our days off tomorrow, so it's better to start resting from the morning, right?"
I picked up the envelope with the documents and got in line, with Miranda following along.
"Then come shopping with me tomorrow. That's fair, right? You bought Shannon a pendant, but nothing for me?"
I laughed — ha ha ha — but inside my head, I was panicking.
(Crap! I still haven't gotten anything for Miranda... But didn't we go shopping together at that commission site before? No, that was Aria!)
Without letting her see that I was panicking, I said.
"It's not exactly top-quality, but... did you want a pendant?"
Miranda smiled brightly.
"If it's from Rael, I'll take anything. If you want to go the cheapest route, I'll let you off with a kiss."
I watched Miranda blow a small kiss in my direction and said something like "I'll think about what would be good," all while clutching the blue Jewel hanging around my neck.
(Somebody help me!)
From the Jewel I was desperately squeezing for help, the Successive Heads took turns offering their best advice.
First was the Third Generation, as nonchalant as ever.
"I wonder how you could forget about Miranda-chan. She's the one you need to be most careful about, you know... I think she'd actually be happier with a kiss."
The Fourth Generation was irritated with me.
"That's why I told you to keep a proper diary! Listen, there are eight of them! There's no way you can remember them all! Write things down diligently and plan ahead!"
The Fifth Generation, teasing the Fourth Generation.
"You could barely handle even one woman, so who are you to talk. More importantly, Rael... I think acting only after someone tells you to is a pretty sorry approach. If you just maintain the bare minimum of contact, you won't have to get too involved, so watch yourself."
The Sixth Generation, on account of Miranda being his favorite.
"...I said this before too, didn't I? Why is it that you're always hopeless when it comes to that sort of thing?"
And then there was the Seventh Generation — the grandfather who doted on his grandchild.
"You lot, give him some actually useful advice! Rael, cutting her off coldly is also a valid option here. Listen, I have never once been put on a leash by Xenoa, not a single time. When it comes to situations like this—"
As I listened to the Seventh Generation's words, I thought.
(No, Grandpa, she had you wrapped around her little finger the whole time. Even now, when I think back on it, Grandma was really something...)
Other adventurers were scattered around me, and I was starting to break out in a cold sweat.
If we kept up this sweet atmosphere in a situation like this—
"Hmph! Must be nice, being you."
The one wearing his irritation on his sleeve was Erhard Baumann, standing in a different line.
His top was a tank top, but this time he had a coat draped over it. A greatsword was strapped to his back, and his party members stood around him.
He was glaring right at me.
(Do I really look that enviable to you, man?)
I flashed a smile and deflected with an awkward laugh, but Erhard and I were the kind of guys who had immediately started a duel right after arriving in Baim. He didn't exactly see me as a rival, but he definitely seemed to harbor some competitive hostility—he was always looking for a fight.
However—
"Next up, Erhard~! Oh, you're glaring again! Stop it, okay!"
Once the adventurers ahead of Erhard's group finished their registration and moved on, Erhard and the others walked up with big grins to the blonde, well-endowed receptionist.
"N-No, come on, Marianne. This guy over here was being annoying. I'll be right there."
His eyes lit up as he reported today's results to the staff member named Marianne.
"We split up and did some trench clearing! Here are the papers!"
"Alright, thank you for your hard work... Wow, this is amazing! You guys used to be rated 'D' but now you're at 'C'! You really put in the effort, didn't you, Erhard? I'm happy for you too."
"Heh, heheheh."
As Erhard and his crew beamed with pride, the surrounding adventurers murmured among themselves.
"Hey, you know that, right?"
"Yeah. That beauty is exclusively for newcomers."
"They don't have a clue... Poor guys."
I tilted my head, wondering if I should feel sorry for Erhard and the others. Still, they looked perfectly happy, pursuing the path of proper adventurers.
(…Maybe for them, this really is the better way)
As I watched them, Erhard and the others turned toward me with triumphant grins. They seemed to be showing off that their exclusive receptionist was a beauty.
Just then, someone lightly pinched my cheek.
It was Miranda, smiling brightly.
"You shouldn't stare so much, you know. I might get jealous."
I brushed Miranda's hand away and let out a sigh.
"Don't be ridiculous. You look like you're having fun."
I knew Miranda's personality. If she were truly jealous, she wouldn't hesitate to use any means necessary to eliminate the object of that jealousy.
Then again, Miranda was the type who would figure out ways to prevent that scenario from ever arising in the first place.
"Well, it's entertaining to watch, but you don't need to stare so hard. A little peek now and then is fine."
Miranda had apparently noticed too that Erhard and the others were being smoothly taken advantage of. I stopped watching so obviously.
The line began to move, and our turn came up.
Today's receptionist was a new staff member whose name I didn't even know.
The two of us sat down in our chairs, and the staff member took the envelope and Guild Card I held out.
They opened the envelope carefully, checked the contents, and while their expression didn't change, they nodded and offered their thanks.
"All requests rated 'B.' Well done. They were requests of several different types, but everything seems to have gone smoothly. We'll be counting on you in the future."
The staff member processed everything briskly, then returned the documents and my Guild Card. They stood up to go fetch our reward.
Once the person had moved away, Miranda spoke with a slightly deflated tone.
"Aramsass couldn't be more different. I heard he was trained, but I never expected anything like this. I had the impression he'd be much rougher."
What were they expecting?
The staff member brought the reward promptly and asked me to confirm the amount. But at the same time.
"You're Mr. Lyle, correct? Since you've completed multiple requests, we'd appreciate it if you could come to the Guild about once a month to bring along your fellow adventurers. We also need to renew your Guild Cards, so we'd like you to stop by regularly."
The staff member's courteous manner reminded me of how Mr. Hawkins from the Eastern Branch had treated me back when I first became an adventurer.
"That's right. I'll try to stop by soon."
"Thank you. And will you be renewing yours as well?"
When Miranda handed over her Guild Card, the staff member took it and processed the renewal right away.
"Ah..."
The staff member suddenly seemed to recall something, so I looked at them with a serious expression, wondering what it was.
They apologized with an "I'm sorry" and returned Miranda's Guild Card.
"There's a request for dungeon subjugation involving you and your party, Mr. Lyle. If you're planning to go on the subjugation, it would help if you could complete the Guild Card renewal beforehand."
I exchanged a glance with Miranda, then looked at the staff member with the same puzzled expression.
"A dungeon subjugation request?"
The staff member looked a bit troubled but explained anyway.
"Yes. A dungeon was discovered, and a subjugation request has been issued, so... Wait? You hadn't checked?"
I knew that dungeon subjugation notices were posted on the lobby bulletin board. But we hadn't been in Baim for very long yet.
After explaining that to the staff member,
"I see. Well, the request was only just issued, so you're free to decline. The departure is scheduled for one week from now."
I spoke to the staff member.
"I'd like to discuss it with my party first, so I'll decide whether to take it or not by tomorrow. Would it be alright to report back then?"
The staff member nodded.
"Yes, that's perfectly fine. The sooner the better, but two days from now would still help us out."
After completing the formalities and receiving my reward, Miranda and I stood up from our seats and made our way across the lobby to leave the Guild.
Miranda spoke.
"That's earlier than I expected."
"Yeah, it feels almost too soon, actually."
I had figured it wouldn't be for another three months at least.
But unexpectedly, a request for a Dungeon subjugation had been issued to us.
From within the Jewel, the Sixth Generation's skeptical voice reached me.
*'This is going a little too smoothly. I just hope nothing goes wrong…'*
I considered whether someone might be trying to set us up in a trap, but I couldn't figure out a reason why the Guild would do that. They might be holding back on us, but it was still a fact that we were powerful adventurers in the Guild's eyes.
*(Is something going on?)*
As I was deep in thought, Miranda turned to look at the bulletin board mounted on the Guild's wall.
"Oh, there really is a Dungeon subjugation request posted. And the registration number is listed too."
What was written there was the management number assigned to the adventurer party that had been given the Dungeon subjugation request, used for tracking within Baim.
It was engraved on my Guild Card as well, and I checked the number against the one on the board.
"It really is up there."
I still felt a bit of unease, but the chance to take on the Dungeon this early was a welcome miscalculation.