kscans

Chapter 22 - # The Adventurers' Guild and the Little One

"Alright, all set!"

Chihiro, dressed in her usual red overalls and green poncho, slung her bag over her shoulder. Then, she abruptly made to leap out the window with Pochiko-san.

But Dorfen caught her by the leg.

"I’ve told you to stop doing that, haven’t I?"

Dorfen was supposed to be waiting in the drawing room, but he was quick on his feet. The Little One clicked her tongue, and with no other choice, she let Dorfen lead her out the front door.

"And please refrain from clicking your tongue. It is unseemly for a young lady."

Lately, Dorfen’s nagging had become quite bothersome.

He had started to frown slightly at her appearance, and when she asked him what was wrong, he would evade the question. He was not like this before. The recent Dorfen was like a fussy lady-in-waiting from the royal palace, and the Little One was growing a bit weary of it.

"Wait, Hiiro. I’m going too."

"You too, Nii-ni?"

"Yeah."

Chihaya took Chihiro’s hand and smiled brightly.

As the twins toddled along, Dorfen let out a small sigh.

After the recent commotion, his perspective on his surroundings had changed. He had been guarding the Little One in a carefree manner until now, but upon observing his surroundings anew, he realized just how many eyes were fixed on the young girl. Come to think of it, it had been the same at the knight order’s training grounds.

And then there was that statement from Katsumi.

‘In Kilfan, everyone knew.’

He had been careless.

Dorfen clenched his jaw.

The same could very well happen in Frontier. There was no telling when someone might notice. So, in an attempt to reduce any conspicuous behavior and to have her wear clothes that would not make her circlet stand out, he, with his fundamentally aristocratic mindset, had been making a variety of futile efforts. Dorfen, a man of action, could not predict that his efforts would be in vain.

"So this is the place."

Leaving the aristocratic district, the two arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild. The building was sturdy and old-fashioned for its location in the middle of the city, and the Little One could not hide her excitement.

The classic otherworld experience, part three!

Adventurer registration.

Dorfen opened the double doors, and the three of them stepped inside. The interior was more modern than expected. In the bright room, there were several counters straight ahead. Signs for job postings, quest reception, currency exchange, and buybacks hung from the ceiling. To the left, several round tables were arranged, with another counter at the back. This seemed to be a dining area, likely serving simple food and drinks. The entire right wall was covered with something like a corkboard, where request memos were pinned up in dense clusters.

It was the very picture of an adventurers’ guild.

"Wow…"

The central area was an open atrium, providing a clear view up to the second and third floors. An adventurer-like man passing by glanced at the children staring up blankly and spoke to them.

"Huh? Here for a tour?"

The man was burly and had a menacing look in his eyes, but it was clear he was trying his best to smile. Perhaps he liked children. His miserably failed attempt at a pleasant smile made the corners of his mouth curl up cruelly, like a bandit’s. It was enough to make a child cry.

The Little One couldn’t help but burst out laughing. She shook her head, giggling.

"Nope. We came to register as adventurers."

At those words, a stir went through the adventurers who were nearby.

"What? You haven’t even had your baptism yet, have you? Uh, well, even if you have…"

The burly man’s eyes widened, and he stared at the knight who seemed to be their guard.

Well-tailored clothes and a knight for a guard. The children’s movements were also refined. They did not seem like ordinary children at all.

Ignoring the man, the twins toddled forward, popped their heads up at the reception counter, and beamed at the lady sitting inside.

"We’d like to register as adventurers, please!"

"Eh? Ah, um…"

The lady glanced back and forth between the twins and Dorfen, her eyes darting about in clear surprise.

"Please register the two of them."

…So they were serious.

As the onlookers held their breath, the lady hurriedly took out some documents.

"Alright, please write your names, ages, and any skills you have here."

The Little One took the documents and checked the contents. The skills section listed usable techniques like swordsmanship, as well as detailed crafts like plastering and metalworking. Magic was also categorized by element.

"Should I just circle my skills?"

The lady’s heart warmed at the large eyes looking up at her innocently, and she nodded with a gentle smile. The twins placed the documents on a stool and began to write, click-clack. They looked just like they were drawing a picture, and even the surrounding adventurers couldn’t help but smile.

"Here you go!"

The children handed the completed documents to the lady and rested their chins on the counter, their faces full of excitement. The lady felt a sense of peace, but when she checked the documents, her eyes instantly froze over. She cautiously looked up at Dorfen and tilted her head slightly. Dorfen, understanding her unspoken question, gave a firm nod.

"Swordsmanship, archery, spearmanship, staff techniques, martial arts… And you have every elemental affinity on top of that. That’s impossible!"

A personal information leak…

The Little One’s eyes narrowed at the lady’s outcry.

The lady gasped and quickly covered her mouth with both hands, but it was too late. Among the stunned adventurers, the man who had spoken to them first strode over.

"What? You’ve got to be kidding. That’s way too much of an exaggeration. I can see you’re nobles from your appearance, but a clean sweep of all weapon skills and every elemental affinity?"

With unconcealed indignation, the man looked down at the twins.

"The two of them are knight apprentices. They have already studied martial arts for several years. Watch your tongue."

Moving only his eyeballs, Dorfen glared at the man.

A bottomless killing intent radiated from him.

The burly man was so flustered he nearly stumbled backward. This adventurer had surely been through his share of dangerous situations, but a warrior was a professional who made a living by killing people. It was a different world from fighting wild beasts or monsters. A unique, dark gaze, devoid of human compunction or morality. The deep killing intent gained by a proper human who has crossed that line easily stained the surroundings with a gloomy aura. Ensnared by an indescribable chill, the adventurer found it difficult to even breathe.

Just as the man, panting and with tears in his eyes, fell to his knees, a deep, powerful voice came from above.

"That’s enough!"

With that single shout, the dark atmosphere that had enveloped the area dissipated. Dorfen and the twins, who had reflexively looked up, saw a large silhouette. It was a huge, bald man. With a soft smile that didn’t suit his build, he descended the stairs.

"Knight-sama, please don’t be so rough. Your killing intent reached all the way upstairs, you know. You gave me quite a fright."

A muscular, bald man speaking in an effeminate tone? The appearance of such an incongruous person seemed to drain the venom from Dorfen as well, and he stood there dumbfounded. The large man glanced at him, then noticed the children at his feet, who were gaping.

"Oh my, what adorable little customers. Are you here with a request?"

He’s huge. Isn’t he bigger than Father?

The twins stared up in amazement.

Ignoring them, the receptionist hurriedly handed the twins’ documents to the large man.

"Guild Master, look at this."

"…Hmm."

The man, called the Guild Master, glanced at the papers and then looked at the twins.

"You seem to be quite skilled. Can you use magic?"

Here was her chance!

It had been two months since their baptism. The two of them demonstrated the magic that had even impressed their tutor. Fire in one hand, water in the other. When combined in a certain ratio…

Bashu! It exploded with a loud noise.

"An explosion from fire and water? Could it be?"

The Guild Master’s eyes widened.

A steam explosion. It was a method unknown in this world. The guild fell as silent as if water had been poured over it at the sight of this completely unknown magic. Only the Guild Master looked at the two of them with an expression of understanding. His gaze was full of amusement, shining with a mischievous glint.

Well now. They did remain perfectly calm amidst that knight-sama’s killing intent, after all.

The twins had been unfazed by Dorfen’s murderous aura that had frozen the guild, acting as if it were nothing. That alone was enough to tell him they were no ordinary children. And on top of that, their impressive magic. There was surely no falsehood in their listed skills.

"My, you seem to be very capable children. Welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild. We welcome our new adventurers!"

He gave a sharp wink, and hearts seemed to fly from it. The Little One instinctively leaned back to dodge them. Dorfen and Chihaya, who couldn't dodge in time, stood there with dazed expressions, hearts stuck to them.

Ugh, this guy is intense. In many ways.

With a physique rivaling Drago’s, a bald head, and an effeminate way of speaking, even Chihiro did not know where to start processing it all.

The Little One grimaced.

They were told they needed a drop of blood for adventurer registration, so the twins pricked their fingers with something like a thumbtack. When Chihaya pressed the small bead of blood that formed against a palm-sized needle crystal, light swirled within the crystal. With a kokon sound, two small, round, shining stones fell out. They were strange stones that shone with a jet-black luster. As the twins gazed at them with curiosity, the Guild Master pinned one to the document with his nail and the other to a triangular adventurer’s tag.

"These shining stones react to your life force. If you die, the color will vanish from both linked stones, confirming your death."

Ooh. A mysterious otherworld item.

Chihaya took his adventurer’s tag, and Chihiro pressed her finger to the crystal in the same way.

The stone that fell out with a kokon sound was honey-colored.

Blood drained from their faces. Chihiro and Dorfen grabbed the shining stone so no one else could see it.

Are you serious!

She slowly looked up and saw that the Guild Master in front of her had lost all color in his face. It was no wonder.

"Ah… keep this top secret."

Dorfen muttered in a low, piercing voice, as if threatening him. The Guild Master let out a long, exaggerated sigh and raised both hands.

"Okay, I didn’t see a thing."

"Much appreciated."

Chihaya’s shining stone was black. So, it must be the color of their eyes.

Damn you, gods… Don’t be so lazy!

After discreetly setting the shining stone in place, the three of them left the Adventurers’ Guild with innocent expressions. Despite the unexpected incident, the Little One’s long-awaited adventurer registration was complete, and she couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face.

"I want to take a request tomorrow!"

"Me too! I want to do some gathering or monster subjugation!"

"Now, now, let’s start with an errand or something…"

The three of them chattered cheerfully.

Unaware of the Guild Master’s ominous gaze watching them go, the Little One’s life as an adventurer was about to begin.