The Adventurers Guild had started to settle down into its usual midday lull. I figured it probably varied from place to place, but here in Lypaed, most people came in early to report on the quests they’d finished the day before, so mornings were the busiest time of day.
New quest notices were posted in the morning as well, so it made sense to come early and grab a new quest while reporting in. Back when I was still working as an adventurer, I’d always report in as fast as possible to get paid right away. I’d been reminded of that when I first got stationed here.
Setsuna had dropped by during the morning rush and hung around for a while, but he’d finally chosen a quest and headed out. A few younger female adventurers had turned to watch him go, though I couldn’t tell if he’d noticed or not.
He spoke politely and was graceful in his movements. On top of that, he was so handsome you rarely saw someone with his looks. It was no wonder the women at the guild couldn’t take their eyes off him. We’d had some guild staff do a background check on him, and they’d told me he was even popular with the other women around town.
They should be here soon…
It was almost time. I’d arranged the meeting specifically so my guests wouldn’t run into Setsuna, and it would start as soon as they arrived. I found myself thinking about Setsuna since he would be the main focus of the discussion.
What stood out the most was how much he cared for his young apprentice. When I first heard he’d taken in a beastfolk kid to mentor, I hadn’t believed it. I’d even sent for the records to double-check myself.
The documents described how Setsuna had rescued the boy from slavery in Gardir. Apparently, the two of them had built a strong bond during their stay at an inn there.
I knew the moment I saw it with my own eyes that the connection between them was real and couldn’t be faked. They were a true mentor and apprentice.
Still, I never would’ve guessed that giant, Dahlrok, would end up running an inn…
She had once been part of a team of black-ranked adventurers called Drink and Dine. It was hard to believe someone like that was now working as an innkeeper. I remembered the note I’d read… Apparently, she’d turned the place into a kind of safe haven for beastfolk.
No, that’s not important right now… What matters is Setsuna.
I thought of some of his other qualities. The first thing that came to mind was how reserved and kind he was. Unfortunately, that kindness had backfired. Adventurers from outside of Lypaed had started calling him a coward.
It all began around when the Founding Festival ended. Setsuna had gone to pick up a quest from the board just as another adventurer reached for the same one. He was from out of town, having come for the festival like many others.
Setsuna gave up the quest without complaint, purely out of courtesy. Since the local adventurers knew him well, they assumed he was just being kind and didn’t think twice about it. The outsider, however, seemed to think that Setsuna had backed down because he was too timid to stand up for himself. He started spreading the rumor that Setsuna was a coward, which caught on with the other out-of-towners.
Before long, people started deliberately grabbing quests he was about to take. I’d even stepped in a few times when it got too out of hand.
“Why do you keep giving up the quests?” I remembered asking him.
“There are plenty of others,” he’d replied casually. “It’s not like I had my heart set on that one, and if someone’s got fewer options than I do, isn’t it better to let them have it?” I was too stunned to even argue.
The meeting time had snuck up on me as I was lost in thought, and I spotted the familiar faces heading my way.
“I see you two are as inseparable as always,” I commented.
“Of course we are.”
“Looks like you haven’t changed, either. Good.”
After that quick exchange, I left the front desk to the other guild staff and took the two of them downstairs to a private room.