Chapter 4

4 The Former Assassin’s New Job After a Career Change “Where are you going today, knave?” asked a black cat while I was getting dressed that morning. It seemed Rila had gotten used to her feline form, even having learned how to speak while transformed. “To work…at a regular job.” “Quite the smug look you’ve got there.” After noticing that a lot of the guild employees were wearing glasses, I’d picked up a lensless pair on my way back from the interview yesterday. With that, I’d succeeded in becoming even more normal. “My, you do seem motivated to work despite the low wage.” Rila slid me a piece of paper using her front paws. The standard guild-employee salary was written on it. All told, it came to a hundred and fifty thousand rins. So long as I didn’t live extravagantly, or rather, so long as I lived a normal life, I would get by. That’s not to say I’d end up with a whole lot of extra money to throw around, though. “Knave, if you were to snuff out one or two lives, you’d be able to enjoy yourself for three entire months.” “Rila, that’s not a normal job.” “That is a very smug look.” “Make sure you behave.” “I couldn’t make a commotion in this form even if I wished to. If you could at least return me to my original body…” “Even if no one knows you’re the demon lord, having a demonic woman hanging around wouldn’t be normal.” “So you’ve learned to speak of what is normal, even though you don’t know what that is yourself.” “See you later.” I closed the door behind me and left the inn. It was only a ten-minute walk to the Adventurers Guild. Upon arrival, I was met by the same receptionist who’d cheered me on the other day. “Oh, is that you, Mr. Roland? I heard about you starting today from the branch manager. I’m looking forward to working with you.” Apparently, this girl had been tasked with showing me the ropes. “I’m Milia McGuffin. Honestly, I’m still pretty impressed you were hired.” “Huh? I thought that was a normal interview, though?” “No, no, you’re being too modest. The branch manager Iris hasn’t ever hired anyone.” I see. Supposedly, Milia and the other employees had been hired before Iris had become branch manager. “I’m pretty interested in knowing more about the man who the branch manager hired on the spot…” “It’s nothing so special. I just had a normal interview with her.” “I used to be the bottom rung here, but it looks like I’ll be guiding you as you get used to things. So if there’s anything you’re having trouble with, feel free to ask me about it. Okay, mentee? ♪” “I will, mentor.” Clearly in a good mood after our introduction, Milia started showing me around the cramped office. Receptionists waited at counters to help any adventurers who came in, while other employees behind them sat at desks poring over documents. There were even more people in another room appraising various goods that had been brought to the office. In short, all kinds of things went on at the guild. “So this is normal work…” I can make a living without killing anyone… What a strange world. Since I didn’t have a clear understanding of what an adventurer was, Milia gave me a thorough explanation. Apparently, those who had registered at the guild were called adventurers. They would tackle various client orders, called quests. Sometimes they’d also go mining for rare materials or delve into dungeons to treasure hunt. “So they’re not pros or anything? Aren’t they basically just amateur odd-job workers?” I inquired. Flustered, Milia brought a finger to her lips and shushed me. “Mr. Roland, you can’t say that out loud.” The Adventurers Guild acted as the go-between for those odd-job adventurers and the clients. Part of our responsibility was to determine a quest’s difficulty and pick out the right people for it. “Look,” Milia called. “Someone’s just finished a quest and brought in materials. Seems like it’s gotta be an antidote herb-collection quest.” A male adventurer was handing a cloth bag over to another receptionist. So long as he’d gathered the correct things, he was entitled to a reward. “Please handle these.” The receptionist turned around and gave the satchel to another man. We followed that man to a different room, where he inspected the herbs. It seemed he was looking over the materials and, as I studied what he was doing, the examiner lifted his head from his work. “Miliaaaaa, who’s this guy?” “This is Mr. Roland. It’s his first day of work. Mr. Roland, this is Mr. Maurey.” “Nice to meet you,” I said. “Hmm… You have adventurer experience?” Maurey asked. “No, I do not.” “Bold of you to work here when you haven’t got any experience, don’t you think? Right, Milia?” Milia responded with a strained smile when pressed. “Ummm, I’m not too worried about that…especially when the same applies to me…” “Better not get in the way of a former C-rank adventurer like me, rookie,” Maurey cautioned. “Uh-huh…,” I answered ambiguously. Milia, realizing I didn’t really understand, quietly informed me that “a C-rank adventurer is a very capable, amazing person. Only around ten percent of all adventurers make C rank.” “I see.” So that made them slightly more competent amateur odd-job workers. Milia brought over the slip for the antidote herb-collection quest. Difficulty for quests was ranked with letters, with S being the highest and F being the lowest. F Antidote Herb Collection Collect thirty medicinal emogiso leaves that can be used to treat poisoning. Reward: 5,000 rins Clearly, Maurey was checking whether the herbs that had been brought in were the right plant. “All right, that’s exactly thirty of them.” He stood up and closed the cloth bag. “Miss Milia, I think I saw some leaves in there that weren’t emogiso. Is that all right?” I asked. “Huh? I didn’t see anything unusual…” “Hey, what’re you whispering about?” Annoyed, Maurey raised his voice and stared me down. “There were leaves mixed in there that weren’t the kind the quest asked for. That’s all.” “What? You trying to nitpick my work?” “No, I’m not nitpicking. It’s the truth.” “You know what, I did this quest all the time when I was an adventurer. I’ve checked them emogiso leaves more times than I can count since I started working here, too. You better not butt in when you don’t even have the experience to back it up, rookie.” Milia, who was in a fluster, cautiously whispered to me, “Mr. Roland, if you’re not certain, you really shouldn’t say anything…” “Fine. Then I’ll check them again,” Maurey replied in a huff. “I’ve seen a lot of these leaves in my day, and I’ve got a Plant Master qualification, too.” The hell is that? I thought. As if on cue, Milia said, “A group that oversees all the Adventurers Guilds called the Adventurer Association created the Plant Master qualification for staff members.” Basically, it was a kind of certification that meant someone knew a lot about plants. “…Hey, if you’re going to apologize, now’s the time to do it,” Maurey chided. “Please go ahead and check them again,” I insisted. “Tsk.” Maurey clicked his tongue and emptied the bag, scattering the leaves all over the table. “See? No matter how you look at them, they’re still emogiso leaves.” “It seems you weren’t looking closely at their bottom sides, then.” “…Uh.” Based on Maurey’s reaction, it was obvious that he wasn’t unaware of the existence of look-alike plants. That, or…he’d known and still done it anyway. I picked up a few of the fronds and showed the other two their undersides. “There are some with small black spots and some without. Though they look exactly alike from the front, the ones with the spots are a weed called selily. It doesn’t have antidotal properties.” “Really? That’s a first for me. Ummm, so then…one, two…that’s half of them! Only half of them are emogiso!” When Milia reexamined the leaves, Maurey averted his gaze. It looked like he was in hot water. “If you’re going to brag and claim you’re a professional, then I really can’t applaud you for doing such a shabby job,” I declared. In my old line of work, any sort of mismanagement could prove fatal. “Guh… Uggghhhh… But you’re just a rookie!” “And what does that have to do with anything?” Maurey flung his arm out in an attempt to grab me. He’s getting hostile… How absurd. Even the demon lord hadn’t been able to touch a hair on my head. After I swiftly evaded, Maurey lost his balance and collapsed onto the ground. “Um, so could you tell me—are C-rank adventurers supposed to be skilled?” I asked. “Urk.” Maurey, face red, stood up and left the room. Milia let out a sigh of relief. “We were able to avoid an error because of you, Mr. Roland. I’m so impressed you knew that! That was great!” I shook my head. “Mr. Maurey should be the one thanking me. That was close. Really close,” I said. “Oh, it was?? Was it that bad??” “Yes, Miss Milia. To fail at your job means death.” “No it doesn’t!” “Huh?” “Why are you acting legitimately confused about that?” Failures aren’t fatal here…? Often, assassination attempts ended in failure when someone other than the target, such as an escort or guard, suspected that something was amiss. This led to a confrontation. At best, the hired killer would be murdered on the spot. At worst, they’d be captured. First, the assassin would be tortured in the hope they’d give up the name of their employer. Regardless of the outcome, the assassin doesn’t make it out of that situation in one piece. Squealing meant no one would ever trust them again. Silence meant they’d be subjected to more painful torture. Either way, a captured assassin’s career was over. It was the same if they were spotted and fled the scene. They’d lose trust, and the target would grow far more cautious. Nothing but drawbacks. “Um, so what about torture…? Or poison…?” I asked. “Why’re you spouting all those disturbing words?” Milia’s eyes went wide. Evidently, nothing was going to happen to Maurey. I’d never experienced failure. But in the event of the unthinkable, I had a poison-filled suicide capsule hidden away in my mouth. At the moment of capture, I’d kill myself. I thought that those who considered themselves professionals would’ve done the same. “I’m a bit surprised, but it seems that conventional wisdom differs by trade,” I admitted. “That’s so funny. Mr. Roland, you’re such an oddball.” Milia giggled. Milia suddenly offered to prep a chair for my work space. Maurey, having returned, motioned with his chin. “The rookie can sit over there, can’t he? You better not get in anyone’s way.” It was a seat next to the window that was piled high with documents, among other things. Earlier, Milia had told me that Maurey had been here longer than us and that we were all going to be working together from now on. As such, she’d asked that we try to get along. “I’ll help you with cleaning off the desk!” “Milia, you don’t have to do that for this guy. It’s obvious the branch manager is gonna can him anyway.” If Maurey’s claim was anything to go by, the branch manager seemed like a pretty ruthless boss. “Oh, but…” “Don’t worry your pretty little head. Hey, come help me with my work, will you?” “Ummm…” After I nodded that it was okay, Milia gave a small bow and went to lend Maurey a hand. “Keeping things organized… That seems nice and normal.” “What did you say was normal?” Hearing a familiar voice, I looked down at my feet and spotted Rila. Where’d she come from? “What are you doing here?” I asked. “What else? I’m here to mock you.” “Nice personality you’ve got there.” “I am the demon lord, after all.” Rila slowly waved her black tail under the desk. “I cannot fathom anything stranger than a legendary assassin toiling away for a monthly salary of a mere one hundred and fifty thousand rins.” I suppose Rila just didn’t know what to do with her time now that she was a cat. As I sorted documents, Rila and I held a hushed conversation. “I’m not an assassin anymore. I’m not going to compare my previous occupation with this one.” “Oh-ho, that is a decent thing for a killing machine who sheds neither blood nor tears to say.” “Hmph. It’s only natural, since I’m normal now.” “That conceit truly is disagreeable.” I took another look at the other staff members who were hard at work. Excluding Milia and Maurey, there were only ten people in the building. It was a pretty small guild. Desks were grouped into fours, and each person had their own. There were three reception windows, two of which were currently busy. Hanging on the wall was a bulletin board where quests that anyone could take were posted. I overheard some light chatter from adventurers who stood in front of it. “Did you hear about the hero who brought down the demon lord?” “Yeah, I heard. Looks like we won’t be having any big wars for a while.” “True, but monster-slaying quests are fewer these days, too. Things might be tough for us.” “Got that right.” This town was far from the front lines and free from the ravages of war. Compared to settlements that were more likely to be raided, there wasn’t much in the way of a sense of crisis around here. While I was riffling through papers, Almelia and the others from the party of heroes were probably busy with their triumph parade and celebratory party in the capital. “Are you sure you’re fine with them believing that the hero defeated me?” Rila asked. “Yeah, I don’t care about prestige or recognition. The moment I made a name for myself, I’d be a failure as an assassin.” “Hmph, I suppose that makes you top-notch, then?” “Killing a target came as easy as breathing. It was dull, bereft of any sense of opportunity or crisis. That’s all it was.” “What a waste,” Rila muttered and curled up into a ball. Right as I finished straightening up most of the things left on and around the desk, Milia took notice and said, “You’re sure quick at cleaning, Mr. Roland.” “No…I’m just normal at it.” “Huh? Why are you grinning…? Well, never mind. It’s lunch break, so let’s eat together.” Maurey glanced over and stood up, then headed outside through the back exit. “You didn’t bring your own lunch, right? In that case, I’ll give you half of mine. ♪” Milia offered this cheerily. “No, I couldn’t do that. I’ll find something to eat outside,” I replied. Meow, meow, Rila agreed from under the desk. She wasn’t about to risk speaking in front of other people, after all. There was a place I frequented nearby, so I left the guild and headed over there. Along the way, however, two men and a woman—all of whom looked to be adventurers—blocked the road. “Hey, dude, where do you think you’re going?” one of them asked. “I’m on my way out…for lunch.” “Spare us a moment, will ya?” “We heard you’re the one who scrutinized our quest. That right?” I see. These were the ones who’d brought in that emogiso. Maurey probably had some sort of connection with these people. Normally, I didn’t think adventurers should’ve known who’d be examining the materials they brought in. “’Cause of you, we got a quest failure.” If Maurey had some kind of deal with these three, he was probably watching from somewhere nearby… There we go. I spotted Maurey observing us from a spot a short ways away. Apparently, he wanted me out of the picture. If I fought back, I was sure the three adventurers would simply spread some lie about me starting the hostilities or the like. I needed this to end peacefully. “Who you lookin’ at?” one of the adventurers prodded. “I’m going to eat lunch, so I’d appreciate it if you could take this up with me after work,” I said. “See you later,” I added, trying to pass the trio by. Unfortunately, one of them grabbed me by the shoulder. “See you later?! Think you’re better than us, do you?” A fist came flying toward me. The man’s wide hook had obviously seen some scuffles, but not proper battle. He was slow. I need to hurry and resolve this peacefully. Attempting to evade his attacks would take time, and trying to counter would give the three reason to spread unsavory rumors that they’d been beaten up by a guild employee. That being the case, the best possible thing was to make sure it was clear that I hadn’t committed any violent acts. I considered allowing the punch to hit me. If I did so, though, these adventurers would likely look down on the guild staff and continue to cause trouble. That wouldn’t do. Much like with beasts, if a person got hurt doing something, they’d develop an amount of aversion to that action. Right as the man’s fist was about to hit my cheek, I shifted slightly and took the hit on my head. Crunch! I heard a strange noise go through my skull. The bones in the attacker’s hand were unexpectedly weak. Based on that sound, they’d definitely broken. “Ah! Ah, ughhhhhh…guh…” The adventurer held his hand and started to tear up. Based on his reaction, the bone might’ve been sticking out of the back of his palm. “Doctorrrrr!” The man ran off with tears in his eyes. I hadn’t meant to take it that far. I suppose that was a pretty terrible thing to do to an amateur. One of the other adventurers came at me with a mid-kick. I didn’t mind taking it, but my lunch break lasted only for so long. I needed to hurry and eat, since I wanted to go back to my normal job. At the same time, I still couldn’t use violence, however. Maurey was watching. I invoked my skill, planning to give Maurey a bout of “anemia.” In an instant, I sped forward. Maurey was still staring intently at where I’d been standing in the street. I stood behind him and lightly tapped his neck. He slumped on the spot. “Huh…? Where did that guy—?” Having noticed my disappearing right in front of his eyes, the adventurer who’d tried to kick me was glancing around. Again, I invoked my skill. I was going to give this guy a bout of “anemia,” too. In the same way I had with Maurey, I instantly approached the man and made him faint. It might’ve been going too far using my skill on amateurs, but I did it to make sure things resolved in the simplest way possible. “Wh-what are you…?! Th-there’s no way you’re just a regular guild employee!” The unyielding female adventurer pointed at me. From her perspective, I’d teleported in the blink of an eye. It was no wonder she was on her guard. “No, I am a very normal new employee.” “L-liar. Some random guild staffer couldn’t possibly move like tha—” It’d mean trouble if she created a commotion in a town thoroughfare. I took the ruffled woman over to an alleyway. Unable to keep up with the pace at which I carried her, she looked around in surprise. “Huh, where are we?” “What just happened stays between you and me…” I pushed her against the wall and stared intently into her eyes. Her face flushed, but she didn’t budge. Apparently, she wasn’t planning on trying to escape my restraint. “But I might let word about you slip somewhere…” Even if she did say anything, the only thing she knew for certain was that I was powerful. I didn’t want to take any chances with rumors, however. “What do I need to do to keep you quiet?” When I asked her that, she glanced up at me, the obvious lust in her gaze a full-blown invitation. Maurey I came to. Damn. I’d only walked here to sneak a peek while that rookie Roland was getting a little roughed up. When did I fall asleep…? The three adventurers and that rookie were now gone. I could hear what sounded like somebody slapping raw hamburger patties into shape coming from a nearby alley. “…Huh?” When I glanced around the corner, I saw my sweet Tanya. She was half-naked, her white buttocks were out, and she was panting in short breaths like a dog. …HUH?! T-Tanya! A-and the rookie…! Wh-whaaat? This can’t be right…? I meant to take him to pound town, but this wasn’t what I had in mind. I—I didn’t understand what was going on. When I’d come to and looked into the alleyway, the two of them were… How the hell did things end up like this?! What the hell had happened while I was out?! Damn it, damn it, damn it, freaking damn it…! Tanya… I loved you just as much as Milia…! On top of that, she was doing it with that rookie creep. And here she never let me have a round with her… Seemingly enraptured, Tanya said between heaving breaths, “Ohhh, mister… This might be the best I’ve ever had…” I didn’t want to be, but…I was turned on… What the hell…?! I—I just couldn’t take my eyes off it… In the end, I watched until the finale… I couldn’t help it. After that, I went to the bathroom and was consequently a little late to the afternoon shift. After my lunch break, Milia taught me the duties of the Adventurers Guild. Apparently, those without any noteworthy skills started at the reception desks. Getting a different post was possible if you received a qualification from the Adventurer Association, like that incompetent Maurey. “So? How is he doing?” Iris, the one who’d interviewed me, came by. Her hair fluttered with her sauntering approach. “Oh, B-Branch Manager! Th-thank you for all your hard work.” Milia bowed her head in a fluster. “Mr. Roland is quirky and says some odd things, but he’s doing great! He soaks up everything like a sponge and is such a joy to teach. ♪” “Is he? That’s good, then.” Iris spoke in a cool and collected manner. Just by making an appearance, Iris had made the atmosphere of the place stiffen. I hadn’t realized it because of the way our initial meeting had gone, but based on how Milia was acting, Iris really did seem like a ruthless boss. That was curious. She’d been reduced to trembling when I’d snatched off her underwear and then put them back on. “Roland, I have a low tolerance for mistakes. Make sure you don’t ever forget that.” “How are your delicates doing today?” The moment I said that, Iris put her hands on her behind. “Um! Uh… Th-they’re fine! Are you t-trying to tease me…?!” “Well, it’d be a delicate situation if you weren’t wearing any at all, wouldn’t it?” “Grrr…!” Iris’s face turned red again. All around us, the other staff members were whispering to one another. “Did the branch manager lose her cool…?” “Who’s that new guy…?” That happened to jog my memory about something from earlier. “So according to Milia, it seems that failure doesn’t result in death. Is that right, Branch Manager?” “…Huh? Of course it doesn’t.” Despite having said that she didn’t tolerate mistakes, she sure seemed lenient. “Make sure you memorize that.” Iris motioned with her chin to a nearby employee manual and then left the office. I flipped through the booklet and memorized the information written there—not as words but as images. In my previous line of work, I’d had to memorize building blueprints in mere seconds. As such, committing things to memory was pretty easy. “I’ll handle the adventurers, so for the time being, please observe how I do things.” Milia huffed as though she was filled with determination and sat down. “Right now, your job is to learn, Mr. Roland.” I’d already memorized everything, though… Then again, Milia, a more senior colleague, had given me an order, so I couldn’t say no. A man in his mid-thirties with a five-o’clock shadow sat down across from her. Milia bowed her head. “Welcome. Are you looking for a quest today? I see. In that case, please present your adventurer permit.” She really knew her stuff. What she was saying matched the script in the manual perfectly. Likewise, the man handed over the necessary documentation like he’d done it a million times. It was the first time I’d seen any such forms. So this is an adventurer permit… The little card was about the size of a palm. The man’s rank, name, number of accepted quests per rank, and number of successful quests per rank were listed in the upper left. “…” The man started blinking rapidly. “Okay, you’re a D-rank adventurer. What type of quest are you looking for today?” Milia asked. A slight sigh escaped the man’s lips, almost like he was relieved. “…Right, a D-rank quest, please. Something I can finish before the end of the day.” “I see. Please wait one moment.” Milia swiveled her chair around and searched through the shelf behind the reception desk for a quest that matched what the man was looking for. “See that, Mr. Roland? You do it like this. Find a quest suitable to the adventurer and present it to them… Right, I think this one will do just fine.” Milia pulled out a quest slip and nodded as though to affirm her decision. Then she checked the adventurer’s permit one more time. Something’s definitely off. “Would you let me take a look at that?” I asked. “Huh? You mean at the adventurer permit? Sure you can,” Milia replied. Taking a moment to scrutinize the card, I discovered a faint trace of magic on it. “This is a fake,” I declared. “Huh? Whaaaaaat?!” Adventurer permits were made out of a magic-repellent material so that quest achievements and ranks couldn’t be faked. At least, that’s what had been written in the manual. That’s why I’d found it odd that there were traces of magic on this one. “Traces of magic? That can’t be possible… Oh. There are. They’re so faint, though; I’m surprised you noticed,” Milia said. “That man was cycling between being nervous and relaxed, so I thought something must have been amiss,” I explained. “Nervous and relaxed, you say? Hmm.” Milia didn’t appear to get it. She glanced at the man and lowered her voice. “But why would he use a forgery? …Does he really want to go on adventures that badly?” He didn’t look the type, but the reason was probably even simpler than that. In the manual, there’d been conditions for taking on quests. One of them was… “Felons can’t become adventurers.” Under typical circumstances, anyone who passed an exam could become an adventurer. There were some exceptions, however. The wavelengths of a person’s mana were as unique as fingerprints, and they couldn’t be changed. That was why there was a mana measurement to check an applicant’s wavelengths during the adventurer exam. If someone had been previously registered for a felony, regardless of whether they changed their appearance or name, the guild would find out the person was a criminal. Such a regulation was less about the Adventurers Guild and more about the clients. “Hey, what’re you gossipin’ about? Hurry up and do your job!” The man had practically shouted, earning him the attention of everyone in the room. “Oh! Um! Th-th-th-th-this is a forgery, isn’t it?! You can’t use a forgery!” Milia stated rather nervously. Judging by the man’s reaction to Milia’s accusation, it was hard to tell whether he was grasping at straws or had just lost it. “What’re you saying?! You spout that crud, and I’ll hack ya to pieces! Got that?” “Uhhhhh… But it… Th-there are traces of magic on it, so…I thought that maybe it was a forgery…” “You an idiot? It’s natural for a permit to get a li’l roughed up and dirty!” While that wasn’t necessarily wrong, it didn’t mean there’d be traces of magic on any of the cards—if they were real, of course. “Uhhh… I suppose…that could be the case…” As Milia floundered, Maurey spoke up from behind her. “Milia, just apologize—go on. It’ll all blow over if you do.” Milia bowed her head after hearing Maurey’s suggestion. “I—I am so sorry for my rudeness…” “You think apologizing’s gonna cut it?!” The man’s hollering nearly brought Milia to tears. As though asking what to do next, Milia looked back at Maurey. She signaled for Maurey to come over and help her out, but her senior colleague merely turned his eyes away. “Didn’t you say it would blow over…?” Milia asked. “You just didn’t apologize the right way, Milia. I never told you to do it like that…” “Whaaa…?” I see. If we didn’t run a tight ship on our side, malcontents would have a field day with the place. Unwilling to remain a bystander, I decided to step in. “Just to be sure, sir, we will check whether your permit is genuine.” “Hmph. Fine, try it. And what’ll you do if you’re wrong?” Before anyone could answer, I ignited my fingertips using magic to burn the permit I’d taken from Milia. I saw the man grin. “No use trying that! My card’s the real deal!” A faint iridescent film enveloped the little thing. That meant I was dealing with a high-level Barrier—a type of protective magic. If the permit was made of real magic-resistant material, the man wouldn’t have even been able to cast a Barrier on it. It seemed he hadn’t realized that contradiction. I decided to educate him. When I increased the power of my fire, the card was engulfed in roaring flames. “Ahhhhhh! That thing cost me a hundred fifty thousand! Oh.” “The sale of adventurer permits is strictly forbidden. Peddled or traded permits are invalid. Naturally, magically ignitable forgeries are no good, either.” “I had ’em cast some high-level defense magic on that thing! It shouldn’t have gone up from some little finger fireworks show!” the man shouted, incredulous. Just because I was an assassin, that didn’t mean magic was beyond my capabilities. Depending on the situation, it’d make for an ideal termination. If I could stab someone to death with a dagger, I could plow them through with magic. Admittedly, I didn’t have much experience with the latter method, but I was skilled enough to at least try it. …Regardless, this guy was soft. Evidently, an adventurer (or someone claiming to be one) could manage only a pretty obvious forgery… Failure as an assassin meant death. If it were me, I wouldn’t have used an imitation. I would’ve stealthily snuffed someone and used their card. Adventurer permits didn’t detail the holder’s appearance. As long as no one in the guild recognized the person, they wouldn’t be exposed. Work was in the details. It was the man’s own fault for doing a half-baked job. Just by killing a single adventurer, he would’ve been able to obtain a genuine permit that he’d never have gotten his hands on otherwise. It seemed a cheap price to pay, but perhaps he just didn’t have the stomach for it? I didn’t know what crime he’d been convicted of, but he was no professional. That much was certain. “You’re lucky you’re an adventurer. Had you been an assassin, you would have been dead by now,” I said casually. “Huh?” “W-we have to tell the Order of Chivalry—” When Milia said that, the man turned around and scrambled toward the exit. We were likely going to have to question him about where he had acquired the forged papers. I leaped over the counter, caught the man, and pinned him to the floor. “G-guuuuuuuuh…” Clap, clap. Applause broke out in the guild. Hmm? Is that for me? I tied up the man with a rope and handed him off to the Order of Chivalry knights who came by. After explaining the situation to them, we left it in their hands. “Mr. Roland, that was amazing. You caught him lickety-split. Also, you really helped me out there. Thank you so much. I was so frightened…” “Not at all. I’m glad nothing further happened.” “It’s only your first day…yet you’re so laid-back and reliable… What a curious person.” Milia nodded a few times and gazed at me, enraptured.