2-2
The Strange Book Says to Head to the
Adventurer's Guild
I
wanted to say that haste makes waste, but by the time I returned to the surface
from the dragon's altar, it was already dusk. The only harvest was the Strange
Tome filled with nothing but unreasonable demands, the Tome of the Evil
Dragon.
When
I casually looked up at the western sky, the vast Imperial Capital was
burning red against the sunset. That made me a bit curious, so I opened the
tome again.
— Exploration —
- 【Lap the
Imperial Capital 5 times】
- Completion Reward: VIT +50
- “Walk, do not run.”
Evil
Dragon Zirant,
does he not know the stride of a human? Walking five laps around that gigantic Imperial
Capital? Zirant, no matter how you look at it, I cannot go along
with such an absurdity.
Incidentally,
VIT is a concept from another world. Roughly speaking, it means total
stamina; the higher it is, the tougher a warrior you are. Well, I’m a man,
after all. It’s not like I don't have a strong yearning for the reward of becoming
'tough'.
Of
course, there is also the possibility that Zirant and this book are
lying to me. If that happens, there is only one option to choose from this
book. I looked down at the first page once more.
— Adventure —
- 【Head to the Adventurer's Guild】
- Completion Reward: EXP 100 / Premonition
of an Encounter
- “Do not be picky.”
“First,
the Adventurer's Guild, huh? It's just like a story from another
world...”
To
be honest, I had a strong interest in the Adventurer’s business from the start. It depends on the quest, but their business
is essentially that of a gambler. The stake is one's own life, which is why
they are called Adventurers.
From
the perspective of an excavator like me, I felt a certain kinship with their
way of living by gambling in pursuit of romance. If you hit a rare find, you
make a fortune at a stroke; if you draw a blank or get beaten to the punch by
others, you don't make a cent.
I
don't know if an oddball with talent only for a Shovel can do the job,
but I felt it resembled my hobby.
The
next day, having woken up early, I decided to sneak out of the palace again.
“Ashley-sama!
You must not! Going down to the Imperial Capital incognito again! What
do you intend to do if an assassin is sent after you!?”
“When
that happens, it happens. Either way, I am not born to live long. Sorry, Jii (Gramps),
but if Sister Atomina comes to visit, please handle her for me.”
I
do have someone like a guardian, at least. An elderly page. Despite knowing my
cursed appearance, he has looked after me warmly since I was young.
“How
selfish! No, Your Highness! Georg-sama will be angry again! Please consider
this old man's position!”
“Sorry.
Apologize to Brother Georg for me too.”
“Please
wait, Prince Ashley! He is cruel to the elderly! I beg you, while Georg-sama
is staying here...! P-Please wait, Ashley-samaaa!!”
“My
bad. Also, I might not return today. See you, Jii.”
I
feel bad for Jii, but after sleeping on it, the refreshingly
unreasonable demands of the book turned into my curiosity. Thus, taking
advantage of the fact that he officially does not exist, the Emperor's
Seventh Son seems to have decided to become defiant starting today.
I
arrived in front of the Imperial Capital Central Branch of the Adventurer's
Guild. From what I hear, money should be flowing well, but this
organization skimps on investment in its building.
Therefore,
at a glance, it looks like nothing more than a large tavern. No, once you
actually pass through the entrance, the interior was a structure for roughnecks
that looked like a tavern, reception, and office combined.
“Oi...
that guy, he's glowing...”
“Oh,
what's that, he's glowing...”
“No,
more importantly, why is that man holding a Shovel...?”
I
am aware that I have entered a place where I don't belong. But to make matters
worse, a pale light overflowed from inside my bag, and it spread to my whole
body.
“Oh,
he ran.”
“Hahaha,
what a weird guy~!”
“I
wonder what business that guy had here...”
That's
right, I ran away. I was looked at with curious eyes by the drunkards at the
counter; I had no choice but to withdraw first...
Oi
Zirant, I didn't hear anything about this happening... Next to the guild
is a tavern. I slipped into the narrow gap between the buildings and opened the
accursed Tome of the Evil Dragon inside my bag.
— Adventure —
- 【Head to the Adventurer's Guild】 (Completed)
- Completion Reward: EXP 100 / Premonition
of an Encounter (EXP Received)
- “Look at the next page.”
— Adventure —
- 【Complete 1 Job at the Adventurer's
Guild】
- Completion Reward: EXP 150 / Premonition
of an Encounter (For real this time)
- “Do not be picky.”
— Table of Contents —
- 【Name】 Ashley
- 【Lv】 3 → 4
- 【Exp】 215 → 315
- 【STR】 11 → 13
- 【VIT】 25 → 28
- 【DEX】 20 → 22
- 【AGI】 14 → 15
- “Rejoice, you have grown by
about 10%.”
“So
I grew by meeting the quota... But having my lack of strength thrust in my face
with numerical values like this is quite hurtful...”
I
tried rolling up my sleeve and making a bicep. Naturally, it falls far short of
Brother Georg. I thought I was training through excavation, though...
However,
re-entering the guild has become tedious. I'm sure I'll be teased with things
like, 'The glowing Shovel man appeared again!' or 'Brother, not glowing
anymore?'...
“Zirant...”
I
looked at the guild-related page once more. Then, new letters floated up there.
『Do not be picky. Just get in there
quickly.』
This
is what it means to doubt one's eyes. That girl with Dragon Eyes who
disappeared inside me seems to be watching my actions from within.
“It's
your fault for not explaining... Fine. Right now at the palace, Brother must be
drilling new recruits with a demonic expression in place of me who ran away; I
can no longer retreat.”
Steeling
my resolve, I danced back into the Adventurer's Guild and stood straight
in front of the reception. I want to become strong and win against Brother Georg.
As a motivation to follow the book, it was more than enough.
“Oi,
the glowing Shovel bastard is back.”
“Hahaha,
he ain't glowing anymore!”
“Hey
Buddy,
not
gonna glow today? Dahahahaha!!”
It's
all your fault, Zirant... Ignoring the teasing of the drunken
patrons—no, if I look closely, the Adventurers—I turned my eyes toward
the reception.
He
was also a considerably rough man, not much different from those drinking over
there.
“A
request?”
“No,
give me a job.”
“Hmmm...
Then how about attracting customers? If you have that glowing trick from
earlier, well, at least people will gather.”
The
receptionist's words made the crowd at the counter burst into laughter again.
Just because I started glowing the moment I passed through the entrance, being
treated like this is too much. ...Though I understand the feelings of those
laughing.
“Is
that a guild job?”
“As
if.”
“Then
I'm in trouble. Give me a job, please. I won't be picky.”
“I
see. Then let me ask one thing. You don't intend to fight with that Shovel,
do you?”
“Yeah,
that's right. I have no talent other than this. So I fight with a Shovel.”
“Are
you seriously serious...? So, your name?”
The
receptionist seemed to take an interest in me. If he was just going to drive me
away, he wouldn't ask for my name; that's what I wanted to believe.
“—Shinza.”
“A
fake name, huh? Your real name is Ash, huh?”
“Yeah,
it's a fake name. If I'm doing a side job, I want to change my name; it
interferes with my main job.”
“...I
see. You're in luck, Shinza. Luckily, we're short on hands today. It's
true that you won't be picky, right?”
The
receptionist man grinned. This doesn't look like a decent request... But well,
it's probably easier work than dealing with Brother Georg. I have no
choice but to think so.
“It's
true. I'll do anything, so give me a job.”
“OK!
It's my first time seeing such an interesting guy. As thanks for making me
laugh, I'll give you a good job!”
You
never know how things will turn out in the world. What was just trouble from my
perspective seems to have pleased the receptionist man.
Though
I'm not deft enough to level up just because I'm told to do it.
“Here,
this is it. From now on, you will head to the Great Forest of Ilmia and
collect the herbs listed here. But remember this well: even if you bring back
weird grass by mistake, I won't give you money. This, this, and this—don't
mistake them, got it?”
“You...
your face is scary, but you're surprisingly kind.”
When
I replied to the reception like that, the crowd at the counter seats burst into
great laughter again. It's my first job. To become a tougher man, I accepted
the guild's herb gathering request.
The
Great Forest of Ilmia. Even I know of it. It is a danger zone where
strong Magical Beasts inhabit.
“Yeah,
be careful, Shinza. There's a reason we're short on hands; a large Magical
Beast has been sighted there. Well, since you accepted, do it properly. Be
as careful as you can.”
“I
believe I said I wouldn't be picky. Understood, I will be as careful as I can.”
“Hahaha,
you've got guts...”
“Wrong.
This is neither guts nor resolve. It is simply that—my life is lighter than you
think.”
“Pfft,
what's that? Dahahahaha! Buddy, you're interesting! You're totally
crazy!”
I
left the guild and departed for the great forest beyond the reach of the
Empire's order using a shared carriage. Even in stories from another world, the
first job is always fixed as slime or goblin extermination, or herb gathering.
My life is one where I don't know when I might be assassinated. The danger of death was no risk to me at all. I profited from my life being light...
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