Darion was a town near the Royal Capital.
It was apparently famous for having been brimming with vitality in recent years and growing in scale.
Compared to the city in House Walt's territory where I'd grown up, it was smaller, but the chaotic bustle that you wouldn't find in a neatly arranged cityscape felt refreshingly new.
"So it's two days from the Royal Capital through a post town... As expected, well-maintained roads make a real difference. Travel is faster too."
As I stretched and looked around upon arriving in Darion, Novem had turned her attention to a signboard nearby.
"There's a simple map here. It even has shop names listed."
Finding it convenient, I joined Novem in studying the signboard. Among the information was the location of a building marked "Adventurer's Guild."
Judging from the layout on the map—
"Lord Lyle, isn't that the building over there?"
The building, visible even from Darion's entrance, towered above the surrounding two- and three-story structures.
It was probably the largest building in the vicinity.
Darion's Adventurer's Guild seemed to be making quite a profit.
"Home... er, it's bigger than the branch in House Walt's territory."
Seeing me correct myself, Novem looked like she wanted to say something for just a moment. So I forced a smile.
"Well, we have time. Shall we register at the Adventurer's Guild?"
"Yes, Lord Lyle."
I took Novem's travel bag as she beamed at me, and walked on ahead.
(Still, both Zell and Novem were right... money really does run out fast.)
My wallet had gotten considerably lighter.
Naturally, I had purchased various things before coming to Darion. The most expensive was probably the sword. I bought a Saber, but since there wasn't much demand, even a mass-produced one was on the pricey side.
(I need to start taking savings seriously. But the ancestors all basically have different values...)
Their values differed by generation, and that included their sense of money.
Perhaps because each generation had grown wealthier, the Seventh Generation, Sixth Generation, and Fifth Generation—who were all grandfathers—apparently had a rich man's mindset?
The First Generation, for instance, used to say a man's weapon should be an axe or a bludgeon, and grumbled that a Saber was useless.
"Just smash 'em with whatever tree branch or rock is lying around, right? If there's nothing, fists work fine, don't they?"
—Truly the owner of a thought process brimming with wildness.
As I walked toward the prominent building, I noticed adventurers heading in the same direction around us.
Their appearances varied widely, but among them were some who looked like nothing more than a gang of delinquents.
They strolled with knives at their waists, moving as if to intimidate the passersby around them.
Adventurers routinely walked around armed. They were managed by the Guild, but that didn't mean crime rates were low.
After all, many adventurers were either delinquents or mercenaries.
Among them, there were even criminals who simply hadn't been listed as wanted. The Guild seemed to be keeping watch, but it clearly wasn't working.
In reality, if thirty to forty percent were decent adventurers, that was probably good. Most of the rest were people doing it on the side.
(Well... it's knowledge I heard from the ancestors, anyway.)
Not my own knowledge.
I'd only ever had a vague understanding of adventurers. But once I learned the details, my past admiration made me feel foolish.
The reality was that fewer than one in ten adventurers were the kind children dream of becoming.
"We've arrived, Lord Lyle."
"Huh? Why is the first floor of the Guild running like a market?"
The first floor of the building—which bore a large sign clearly marking it as the Adventurer's Guild—was propped up by pillars and resembled a warehouse.
Merchant traffic flowed in and out among horse-drawn carts and adventurers.
There, adventurers, merchants, and what appeared to be ordinary civilians were all shopping.
"Lord Lyle, that's the trading area. They use the first floor to buy and sell the monster materials that adventurers bring back."
"Huh? Really? Don't you hand over what you get to the Guild?"
At that, Novem made a troubled face.
"I'm not entirely sure myself, but when you go out to deal with monsters and bring things back, well... it gets really dirty, doesn't it? It'd be a hassle to walk straight inside like that. See, there's a bathhouse right next door? If you absolutely need to visit the Guild's reception, you clean up there first."
Sure enough, when I thought about it, handing over monster materials at a counter was pretty odd. They were bloody, and thoroughly filthy to boot.
At a reception desk, they'd be filling out documents and such, so having a separate area for it was only natural.
"R-Right. Ahaha..."
I'd resolved to do my best, and already I was showing my ignorance. How many times was this now?
(I wonder if I'll actually be able to manage from here on out?)
Harboring that anxiety, Novem and I headed to the Guild's second floor where the reception was. We climbed the stairs and followed the signboard's directions.
The second floor of the Adventurer's Guild housed the reception, and the counter was wide.
Several staff members were handling queues of adventurers.
"There are a lot of people."
"There are. I've never registered before either, so I'm nervous."
At that, a voice came from the Jewel—not the First Generation's, but the Second's.
"That old man's sulking, so I'll explain instead. Besides, you don't really need to worry about Guild registration or whatever. They're used to handling newcomers over there."
(Should've just gone with the Second Generation from the start.)
I touched the Jewel on the first floor to signal my understanding. Then, listening to the Second Generation's voice, I considered which queue to join.
The differences between the queues were clear at a glance.
Young, novice adventurers, perhaps? Those ones were lined up at the counter staffed by a pretty employee.
A woman with a lovely smile was serving the adventurers with a cheerful grin.
Elsewhere, a seasoned older woman was efficiently handling a queue of adventurers who were in a hurry.
The staff were predominantly female. Male employees were rare.
I was about to step toward the older woman's queue. But the Second Generation stopped me.
"Lyle, why don't you join that one over there—the queue with the fewest people?"
(Huh? Fewest means...)
When I looked toward the front of the queue the Second Generation had indicated, there was a tanned, heavily muscled male staff member with red hair buzzed short.
His appearance made him quite intimidating.
As I hesitated, the Second Generation spoke.
"Don't worry. He's the most competent one of the bunch."
(His appearance is anything but competent.)
He had his suit jacket off, but I could see steel-like muscles beneath his shirt. If I provoked him, would a fist come flying at me?
He gave that impression.
"Ha-ste up! Don't keep little Novem waiting!"
(Why are the First through Fourth Generations all so pro-Novem? I mean, I know she's from the family that took care of us, but still...)
Reluctantly, I joined the queue that staff member was handling. At that, Novem spoke in a surprised tone.
"You chose that one? I thought Lord Lyle would pick one of the faster-processing staff members."
"Yeah, that was the plan."
I couldn't very well say I would've preferred that. But Novem looked relieved.
"I was actually going to recommend that staff member too, so it works out perfectly."
"Oh, really?"
Novem apparently shared the Second Generation's opinion.
"Yes. His work is careful and thorough, and for people like us registering for the first time, a careful approach is better."
Hearing that, the Second Generation seemed to agree.
"Exactly. That's spot on. Rather than a beauty who just smiles while doing sloppy work, or a fast staff member who you can't tell anything from if you're a beginner, you should pick the one who's kind and thorough despite looking tough. Besides, that beauty is no good."
When the Second Generation said the beauty was "no good," I glanced at her queue.
"Mmm, having dinner would be a problem~"
"Come on, let's grab a meal together after work!"
"But~"
She handled them with a smile, but when the next person stepped up—
"Here you go, this is your reward."
"Uh, um..."
"Next, please."
Her attitude toward good-looking adventurers with nice gear was clearly different from how she treated those with decent equipment but ordinary faces.
And the ordinary-looking adventurer was visibly at a loss.
"Wait a second! The reward amount is off! The client's rating was..."
"Even if you say that~"
While she made a show of being troubled, an adventurer behind him in line spoke up.
"Hey! I'm in a hurry too! Don't cause a fuss over a small amount!"
Watching that, I resolved never to join her queue.
"That's no good. I mean, she's pretty, but she should be removed from reception. With that attitude, I doubt she works hard behind the scenes either."
The Second Generation's assessment was harsh.
The beautiful receptionist apparently had popularity among newcomers and adventurers looking to hit on someone. But her work performance was terrible.
(Good thing I didn't pick her.)
As I thought that, Novem called out to me.
"Lord Lyle, you're next."
"Oh."
And my turn arrived.
Up close, the staff member was even more imposing than he'd appeared from a distance. His large build contributed, but it was more about his presence.
He was like a warrior.
"This guy's probably a former adventurer. If he retired from adventuring to work as Guild staff, he's likely quite capable and upstanding. Lyle, do your registration with him from now on."
While the Second Generation decided things on his own, I asked the staff member for adventurer registration.
"I'd like to register as an adventurer. Um, there are two of us."
Upon hearing that, the staff member seemed to understand and prepared the forms.
"Registration? Nice to meet you. I'm Hawkins. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Also, since there are two of you, shall I set up a party registration as well?"
Party registration? I tilted my head, but Novem responded before the Second Generation could.
"Please take care of us."
Hawkins spoke with a surprisingly polite tone, contrary to his appearance. Then he moved the process along.
"After adventurer registration, your home Guild will be this Darion branch. When you change your base of operations, please file a transfer request at the Guild. Then, at your destination, you'll need to submit a relocation notice and complete the procedures to designate that location as your home base. Otherwise, you'll be able to sell monster materials at the Guild but won't be able to take on requests, so please keep that in mind."
I wrote my name on the form, and Hawkins checked the documents for any issues. Both Novem and I were accustomed to filling out such paperwork.
Our family had trained us in these things, and above all, there had been countless documents to sign.
"Very well. Now, could you apply blood to these two plates? Please use this needle. Ah, it's been properly sterilized, so don't worry. And you, miss, as well."
"Yes."
"Thank you."
The needle pricked my fingertip with a slight sting. When the blood formed a small bead, I pressed it onto the silver plate.
"Very well. Here's some medicine—please wipe off the blood before using it. Now, I'll engrave your names on these two plates. One will be kept by the Guild."
The silver plate was a card that also served as identification, issued by the Adventurer's Guild.
Its common name was a Guild Card.
Apparently, it was a mysterious plate that would cause the engraved name to disappear if the owner died. Additionally, records could be written onto it, and the Guild could read that information whenever they wished.
Hearing that explanation, the Second Generation—
"...After enough years pass, things do get convenient. There was no such tool in my day. Besides, isn't this thing pretty expensive?"
The Second Generation was right.
"For the first time, the fee is five silver coins. However, if that's too much, we can deduct gradually from future rewards... one to two-tenths of your earnings will go toward payment. Is that acceptable?"
At that, Novem produced gold coins.
"No, I'll pay in full."
"Understood. I'll prepare the Guild Cards, so please take a seat on the sofa and wait."
Hawkins headed through the door behind the counter with the Guild Cards. After a while, he returned and went back to his reception work.
Novem and I headed to the sofa and sat down side by side, drawing the attention of those around us.
We received clucking tongues and envious stares. The reason was obvious.
Because the beautiful Novem was sitting next to me.
"He was exactly as I thought—polite and kind, Lord Lyle."
"Y-Yeah."
Novem seemed completely unbothered. Then, the First Generation's voice, which had been silent until now, rang out.
"You punks! Don't you dare look at Novem-chan with dirty eyes, you hear me!!"
The Second Generation followed suit.
"If anyone messes with Novem-chan, Lyle will beat you to a pulp!"
Finally, even the Fourth Generation chimed in.
"Well, we can't exactly take direct action... But don't you two feel pathetic saying all that? Besides, try not to get too worked up. Lyle will collapse."
Emitting a weary veteran aura, the Fourth Generation calmed the other two down. The act of raising their emotions and conveying their voices to me consumed my mana on its own.
(Getting tired without doing anything... Makes me sound like I'm pathetic.)
I hadn't thought my mana was lacking. But compared to the ancestors, I apparently had quite little.
"Now then, here are your Guild Cards. Since you're already registered as a party, each other's names have been engraved on both cards."
On the Guild Card Hawkins handed me, my name was engraved in large letters. Novem's name was also engraved, though in smaller script.
"Next, here is a booklet covering the Guild's regulations. There are no more sessions today, but tomorrow morning there's a training session for new adventurers in the third-floor conference room, so feel free to drop by if you have time."
Hawkins told us we should attend.
"Thank you for the thorough explanation."
When Novem thanked him, Hawkins looked at us and pondered for a moment.
"Something wrong?"
When I asked what was up, Hawkins gave a wry smile.
"It's just that new adventurers rarely take me in stride like this, so I couldn't help it. Also, this is just my personal opinion, but—if you have the financial means, why not hire an instructor?"
"An instructor?"
When Novem asked for clarification, Hawkins explained.
"Yes. You hire an outstanding adventurer guaranteed by the Guild for several months—usually three months—as an instructor. There are various contract methods, but the main ones are paying from your rewards or paying a lump sum upfront."
The difference in payment method apparently affected the quality of the adventurer you could hire.
With the reward-based payment, the best you'd get was a lower-mid-tier adventurer as your instructor. But with a lump-sum payment, a mid-tier adventurer in the upper range would take the role.
In exchange, you had to pay ten gold coins upfront.
(No way I have that kind of money.)
As I thought that and was about to ask Novem if we should go with installment payments from our rewards—
"Then, we'll pay the lump sum."
"...Huh? The lump sum?"
Novem produced ten gold coins from her wallet and handed them over. Hawkins, who received them, looked visibly flustered.
He had probably expected us to choose the installment plan after he'd brought it up.
"W-Wait, Novem!?"
When I tried to stop her, Novem explained with a serious expression.
"Lord Lyle, we'd be taught by a capable adventurer guaranteed by the Adventurer's Guild. This is an opportunity we should cherish. Especially since we don't really understand what it means to be adventurers."
Novem's opinion made sense, but I was even more stunned that she'd paid ten gold coins without hesitation.
Quite a contrast from me, who'd been kicked out of home penniless and was borrowing money from a servant.
Hawkins double-checked.
"So, to confirm, you'll be paying the lump sum?"
"Yes, please. We'd like an excellent instructor."
"Of course. If there are any issues with the arrangement, I'll return the money you paid."
Hawkins seemed confident, but from my perspective, everything was moving forward without me having any say whatsoever.
Then—
"You know... from the outside, Lyle totally looked like a deadbeat just now."
The Second Generation's words weighed heavily on my heart.