Having secured our lodgings, the three of us decided to head to the Guild.
The academic city of Aramsass was like a maze. We asked passersby for directions as we made our way toward the Adventurers' Guild.
The streets were clean, and the people walking about had a neat, presentable look to them.
Still, it was every bit the cluttered city it had always been — easy to get lost in.
I used my Skills to get my bearings, but the Adventurers' Guild was tucked away in a convoluted part of the city. That was probably its defining feature.
(If the horse-drawn carts are coming from this side, that means the other way must be hard to get through.)
Once we finally navigated the maze and arrived at the Guild, a building smaller than Darion's stood before us. It looked rather small given the city's scale.
The first floor was the same as always — a bustling market-like space.
Adventurers and horse-drawn carts came and went, selling off Monster materials and Magic Stones they'd brought in.
At times, merchants would purchase the goods in bulk, load them onto their carts, and head back outside.
"The Guilds all look the same, don't they?" Aria murmured.
Novem nodded in agreement.
However—
"From the outside, they probably do look the same. But the atmosphere of a Guild changes depending on the location. Bice was the same way."
Bice was the territory of House Walt — my family's home.
It was large enough to be called a major city, and it had an Adventurers' Guild as well.
Though I didn't know much about its operations.
The Seventh Generation spoke.
"It's there in name — a place is set aside, but really, it's just a gathering of future criminals. We kept it around to secure Magic Stones, but... honestly, even in my day, it wasn't all that necessary."
Most adventurers are degenerates — mercenaries and thieves can call themselves adventurers, and that makes them adventurers.
The difference between them comes down to what one claims to be.
Naturally, the Guild cracks down on criminals, but whether it can manage everything is doubtful, to say the least.
There were criminals who changed their base of operations and managed to slip away.
There are also adventurers who hunt such adventurers down — bounty hunters, a specialized lot who focused on targeting people.
The Sixth Generation seemed to share this view.
"Send out troops, and you get monster materials and Magic Stones. There's plenty of work too... but no matter what, there are always people who won't fit neatly into the framework. Can't be helped, I suppose."
The Seventh and Sixth Generations thought of the Guild as a catch-all net at the bottom of the barrel, but the Third Generation offered a different perspective.
"That's awfully harsh. I think it's fine to use them because they're useful, don't you? They've got a stranglehold on the Magic Stone trade, and they're basically the ones running the mercenaries. There's no point in making enemies of them. What matters is staying vigilant while maintaining a measured distance."
It seemed the Third Generation was of a mind to make use of the Guild.
The Second Generation chimed in to add something.
"Now that you mention it, that was during your time, wasn't it... when a Guild was established in our house as well."
A Guild had been established in my family's domain during the Third Generation's era. It was a period when the family hadn't yet grown to a particularly large scale, so it surprised me that they'd managed to set one up.
The Third Generation must have noticed my doubt, because he offered an explanation.
"There were so many monsters out on the frontier, so the environment was ideal for obtaining Magic Stones and materials. Besides, I didn't go out of my way to tighten the leash too much."
There were lords who levied heavy taxes from the Guild.
In those cases, the buyback prices for Magic Stones and materials took a hit, and in the end, even hard work sometimes didn't pay off.
However, that drove adventurers away. Earnings would drop even further, and apparently this sometimes led to bigger problems down the line.
"Novem, what was the Guild in Bice like? I've never been there, so I don't know."
When I asked Novem about the current Bice Guild, she wore a slightly troubled expression.
It doesn't seem to mean anything bad, but apparently the explanation is a hassle.
But to put it simply — —
"I'd say it's neither good nor bad. It's strict about crimes and such, but the taxes aren't heavy, and they aren't light either. It's a Guild where you can make a living without trouble, so there seemed to be quite a few adventurers."
Upon hearing that, the Seventh Generation was pleased.
'Much the same as my time. Mm, a good feeling indeed.'
The Seventh Generation, who disliked adventurers, seemed to have had a rough time with mercenaries.
And the cause of that was apparently the Guild…
(Maybe I'll hear the details later.)
We entered the Aramsass Guild.
What was different from Darion was that there were a bunch of huge bulletin boards everywhere.
Both sides of the large boards were in use, and they were covered with an enormous number of posted requests.
The contents were things like: gather Monster materials we need.
Clean a room.
Be a test subject.
And so on — a staggering number of requests were posted up.
"What the… this is nothing like Darion."
While I stood there at a loss, Aria was the same. She was grimacing as she looked them over.
"Isn't this request weird? It says to clean a room, but the location is a research lab at the academy. Are they going to let adventurers into a place like that?"
Countless incomprehensible requests were posted up all over the place.
When we headed to the reception area, there were more staff working behind the counter than at Darion.
People of all ages were present, but the overall impression was of them proceeding with their work in a matter-of-fact way.
In the cramped space, they appeared to be working in somewhat uncomfortable conditions.
The Fourth Generation observed this and commented.
'Quite a unique guild. Well, maybe things are more relaxed since there's no lord overseeing it, but... well, it feels like there aren't many requests that would truly satisfy an adventurer, so to speak.'
Collecting specified materials was, in a sense, a job befitting an adventurer.
However, the specifics involved harvesting materials from designated Monsters in a Dungeon managed by the academic city.
For our trio of three, it was a rather tough request.
(If we three were to tackle a Dungeon, it would be fine if it was shallow, but a managed and deep-looking Dungeon would be too much.)
Maybe it would be better to go fight Monsters nearby to earn living expenses.
When we submitted the transfer form together, the reception staff explained things in a detached manner.
"Is this your first time in Aramsass?"
The bespectacled male staff member with a 70-30 parting didn't seem to have the same earnestness as Hawkins-san.
Was Hawkins-san the exception in taking his job so seriously?
Novem answered for us.
"All three of us are first-timers. Our goal here is to learn, so we don't expect to take on many requests."
With that, the staff member scanned my Guild Card with a device to confirm.
"...Your request evaluation qualifies. You've also completed an emergency request, and your Guild rating is 'A'? You're from Darion? Well, the quality of adventurers there is... let's just say it varies, but I expect you to handle the requests here in Aramsass properly as well. If you can't do something, I'd appreciate it if you'd state that clearly."
The staff member adopted a slightly condescending attitude, but it would be foolish to get angry about it, so I just received my Guild Card and gave a nod.
The Second Generation scoffed.
'These kinds of people are everywhere. Acting like they're superior just because they're in a different place? Looking down on anyone different from them.'
The Third Generation reprimanded the Second Generation.
'They said it's an academic city, so they must be pretty confident in their knowledge, right? Let's cut them some slack. There hasn't been any real harm done yet.'
The way he emphasized "yet" seemed a bit pointed, but I gave my reply to the staff member.
"I'll do my best as much as I can."
"...Is that so. Then, I'll be holding onto your Guild Card. Do you need an explanation? If so, there's an additional fee."
They charge for that? I thought to myself, but I shook my head.
After politely taking our leave of the thoroughly indifferent staff member, we finished our business and left the Guild behind.
Once outside, the group began to complain about the staff member we'd just dealt with.
At a casual eatery near the inn, we finished our meal and continued voicing our dissatisfaction.
Mostly from Aria.
"He just had a bad vibe, you know?"
It wasn't just his attitude—the real issue was probably how he looked down on Darion.
To Aria, Darion was the city where Zelphy lived.
It was also the city that had taken them in. Aria's family had been robe nobility in the Royal Capital of Central, but their title had been stripped in a single generation due to the head of house's misdeeds.
After being banished from Central, it was Darion that had accepted them.
Novem seemed to understand all of this, but she also chimed in to defend the staff member.
"It's different from Darion, you know. But if someone's just doing their job in a straightforward way, that's actually pretty easy to deal with. With someone like Hawkins, even requests you'd want to refuse would be hard to turn down, but with a staff member like him, you can just say no."
More than a defense, that was a somewhat dark observation.
But not having to worry about managing the other person's feelings was, in a sense, convenient.
I sat down to discuss our plans going forward with the two of them.
"Shouldn't we think about a place to stay after that? Unlike Darion, there aren't many affordable properties here, so this time it'll definitely be an apartment, right? Whether the three of us live together or we each rent a small room — we need to decide and start looking soon."
In Aramsass, apartments were far more common than standalone houses, a feature of the city's character.
The reason was that students came and went in large numbers, and few people bothered to set up single-family homes.
In Aramsass, where so many young people flocked to study, apartments were the norm.
"If possible, I'd like the three of us to stay together. In terms of money, we should be fine for a while, so maybe we could decide after checking how much we can earn here."
Taking Novem's suggestion into consideration, I decided that tomorrow we would head out nearby to hunt Monsters.
The ancestors were in agreement — all except the Third Generation.
"Let's go to the library! The library. We'll be fine for a little while, and if we find a well-paying quest and complete it, won't that buy us some time?"
It seemed like their mind was already heading toward the library.
I wanted to go to the library too, but our daily income was also a critical issue.
On that topic, the Fourth Generation — who loved money above all else — started shouting.
"You should figure out what we can earn here first! This is exactly the kind of attitude that — when it came to the territory —"
The Fourth Generation, who had excelled primarily in financial matters and domestic policy, had the appearance of an intellectual wearing glasses.
When it came to internal affairs, this ancestor was exceptionally dependable.
But right now, we had no territory to manage, and Novem handled all our finances, so there was no opportunity for them to step in.
The Third Generation spoke with an exasperated look.
"You're too harsh about money. I wonder who you get that from?"
When the Third Generation — the Fourth Generation's father — said that, the Fifth Generation took charge of the situation.
It was normally the Fourth Generation's role.
"Leave it at that, will you? No matter how much Raier's magic power has increased, the First Generation's Skills absorb magic power every single day too. Making a fuss now just to train Raier a little isn't going to accomplish anything."
Previously.
I was thought to be the type who didn't gain any magic power even as I grew.
The reasoning was that, since I used two Sabers, I must be the type whose dexterity grew instead.
(Well, I have two arms, so it makes sense I can use two Sabers)
That was never particularly surprising to me, but according to my ancestors—
"You're abnormal!"
R-right.
And so, in order to increase my magic power, I was forced into a training regimen that pushed me to expend every last drop of it.
All without even being told what was going on.
In the end, it turned out I wasn't the dexterous type at all. Instead, I achieved dramatic overall growth, but was a late bloomer who needed twice the experience of anyone else.
(My Skill, Experience, is one that lets me earn more experience points, but since it's always active, my magic power consumption is just as high as ever)
I was also good at magic, but with usage restrictions, magic power consumption was one of my biggest problems.
"Let's assume we're heading out to hunt Monsters tomorrow. Today, I should gather intel on the surrounding area. That means either researching it at the library or finding someone to ask, which would be ideal—"
Just then, someone called out to our table.
"Aria?"
Hearing the voice, Aria turned around.
Her expression showed surprise at why this person was here.
"I knew it! You're Aria Lockward, right? It's me—Miranda Cerclie! We hung out together a few times in the Royal Capital, so I had a feeling it might be you."
The other woman was slightly more mature-looking.
She was around the same age as us.
What stood out were her wavy, light green hair that complemented her green eyes.
The slightly upturned, mischievous eyes were no doubt part of her charm.
She gave off a mature impression yet possessed a lively, almost childlike quality — that was Miranda Cerclie.
"Miranda? What are you doing here? You're the eldest daughter of House Cerclie, aren't you!"
Aria said with exasperation.
In a scholarly city, it wouldn't be unusual to find a second or third daughter around, but the eldest daughter was a different matter entirely.
She was primarily expected to marry into another household or bring in a groom for the family.
"We're four sisters, so I can do as I please with at least two of us. More importantly, if you were here, you could have at least told me..."
Miranda's expression turned slightly sad, and Aria spoke awkwardly.
"I only arrived yesterday. Before that, I was in Darion."
After her brief explanation, Aria had not looked at Miranda's face since.
Seeing this, Miranda gave a wry smile.
"It's not like I mind... We also hung out with Shannon, you know."
A woman named Shannon came up, but based on the flow of the conversation, she was likely a friend or Miranda's younger sister.
Aria remained silent.
"...I'm sorry. I've been attending the academy here for three years now. I'll write down where I live, so feel free to visit anytime. Shannon would be happy to see you too."
Saying that, she wrote an address on a memo, and since Aria refused to take it, Miranda handed the note to me instead.
"Forgive me for asking, but what is your relationship with Aria?"
I was about to clearly state that we were party members, when —
"I'm one of Lady Rael's lovers."
Novem chimed in from the side.
Miranda blinked, but when I hurried to clear up the misunderstanding, she burst out laughing.
"Ahahaha, sorry. That was just too funny. A lover of Aria's, huh… and more than one? I thought she was quite the looker, but she's got game, doesn't she?"
I was prodded in the elbow with a jab, and as Miranda walked away, I reached out my right hand toward her.
Before I could clear up the misunderstanding, she had already left.
I hung my head, then turned to look at Aria.
"She seemed like a nice person. Do you have some kind of grudge against her?"
Aria let out a sigh.
"It's not like that. She really is a good person. She's a year older, very caring, and she even shielded me when there were bad rumors going around about our house… but she's the type who ends up getting burned for being too kind. A sweetheart who never speaks ill of anyone."
Aria summed up Miranda as the type who was too nice for her own good.
Novem agreed with that assessment.
"She sounds like someone who wears her heart on her sleeve. Well, perhaps more the type who bottles things up? Still, I heard that many students had come from Central, but I never expected I'd actually run into someone Aria knew."
I felt the same way, but Aria clutched her head in her hands.
"Miranda's fine. But if I ran into the others…"
She looked visibly deflated.
I asked her.
"Come to think of it, why did you ignore her? If she's such a nice person, couldn't you have at least talked to her?"
When I said that, Aria answered — that was exactly why.
"She is a nice person. And because of that, even Miranda ended up getting badmouthed behind her back. So I distanced myself from her on my own. And right after that, I got expelled from Central, anyway."
It seemed like she'd been through her fair share of troubles as well.
Still, I thought — maybe here they could get along like they used to, couldn't they?
(Friends are something you should treasure, aren't they… especially the kind who don't leave when things get tough.)
I was a little envious of Aria, who had that kind of same-sex friendship — something I'd never had myself.
For me, Novem was a romantic interest, not a friendship.
(If I had to name someone recent, it'd be Rondo and the others, I guess? I wonder how they're doing…)
I glanced at Miranda's note and worried about whether Rondo and the others were doing all right.
Before returning to the inn to turn in for the night,
I came to the place I called the meeting room — the one with the round table.
Right in the center of that round table, which sat in the middle of the room, a large blue Jewel gleamed.
The room itself was circular, with six doors leading off to the respective chambers of my ancestors.
There were seven chairs in total.
Today, unusually, only the Sixth Generation was present in that meeting room.
"Hm? You're all alone today. Where's the Fifth Generation?"
When I shifted my gaze to look for the Fifth Generation, the Sixth Generation gave a wry smile.
"I'm not always with the old man, you know."
The Sixth Generation possessed a skill called Search — a skill born on the premise of the Fifth Generation's ability. It could identify friend and foe in the surrounding area, and even pinpoint the location of traps.
By combining the two, they could be used as a devastatingly powerful ability.
Having a map of the surrounding area appear in your mind, letting you know the exact positions of enemies and allies — from an enemy's perspective, that must be a terrifying skill.
"Then was it you who called me here, Sixth Generation?"
"That's right."
He often agreed with the Fifth Generation's opinions, making them a rare father-son pair with a good relationship in House Walt.
Even with Grandfather, the Seventh Generation, I had never seen them argue much.
The Sixth Generation had messy hair swept back, giving him a wild appearance, but in front of the Fifth Generation, he could be quite docile.
Since he was always together with the Fifth Generation, that had simply felt normal to me.
"Actually... I know about House Cerclie, so I thought I should let you know."
"Miranda's maiden family?"
The Sixth Generation was a man surrounded by dark rumors.
There were many rumors that he sent bribes, connected with nobles of the Royal Capital, and acted in ways that benefited himself.
Because of that, he had long been considered the most scheming member of House Walt... but he didn't really come across that way.
If anything, the Third Generation was more cunning.
"We used to be close, you see. My younger sister married into House Cerclie."
I had never heard that before.
Well, perhaps they did have a connection back in her maiden family, and I just didn't know about it.
Still, from my father's perspective — the Eighth Generation — it was a connection from two generations past.
From the standpoint of Banseim's nobility, it was practically as if the marital ties no longer existed.
"You're saying there's a possibility they're still connected to her maiden family?"
"The chances are slim, but keep it in mind. I don't really want to suspect it either, but... well, she didn't have many sisters she was close with."
Hearing that, I remembered something.
The Sixth Generation had a great many younger brothers and sisters.
After all, the Fifth Generation had a total of five women — wives and concubines combined. Five women in his household.
Moreover, all five of them had cleared House Walt's family precepts.
Finding that many women was impressive enough, but what truly surprised me was—
"...Come to think of it, didn't he have about thirty younger brothers and sisters below him?"
"...Yeah."
The Sixth Generation and I exchanged a look.
The Fifth Generation was famously known as the greatest lecher in House Walt, but meeting him in person, he gave off a rather dry impression.
He didn't look like someone consumed by lust at all.
"Our ancestor's reputation and reality seem to be really far apart..."
"That's what they say... I was shocked when I heard I was the biggest schemer in House Walt, too."
As I continued making small talk with the Sixth Generation, I pondered the possibility that Miranda might be connected to her birth family.