▼△▼
“Here you go, Hisui. This is your Adventurer Card.”
After I handed over the personal information form that was needed to complete my registration, Arisa went into a backroom for a moment, then returned with a single card in hand.
Receiving it from her, I noticed the card was about the same size as business cards had been in my previous life. How did they even make these ID cards? It was sturdy and well-made, considering how thin it was. My name and gender had been written on its front side.
“Thank you.”
“You can use that as identification. You won’t be taxed upon entering or leaving the town with that. But you need to keep up with taking jobs—your registration will lapse if you don’t accept any for a certain amount of time. If that happens, you’ll need to reregister or you’ll lose any rights associated with your card.”
“What happens if I try to use my card after my rights have been revoked?”
“If you get caught, you’ll be in a lot of hot water. There’s a huge penalty fee, and in the worst case, you’ll be arrested on the spot.”
“That...sounds scary.” Yikes... In this world, they arrest people for something as minor as forgetting to reregister their papers, huh? I figured it was because there were some crimes people might commit using an invalid card, so keeping them tightly controlled was a way to preserve peace and law. That was probably it.
“Right, so keep all that in mind, okay?”
“I will.” I nodded in understanding, and Arisa patted me on the head.
“Good, good. Honestly, I don’t want such a little kid like you to be doing a hard job like adventuring. If it weren’t for the order from the crown, I never would have allowed it.”
“I’m pretty strong, though.” I mean, I had beat a dragon. And if I could beat a dragon, then I could put up a pretty good fight against just about any monster. She really didn’t need to worry about me so much.
But when I voiced my objection, Arisa only patted my head again and smiled gently at me. “That doesn’t have anything to do with it. No matter how strong someone is, it only takes one mistake to get them killed. So the most important thing is your safety—don’t forget that. If you need advice, come ask me anytime, okay?”
I sighed. She had a point. “All right. I promise I won’t make you worry too much.”
I knew what she was trying to say. To her, I was a kid—a kid who could beat dragons, but still a kid nonetheless. I could understand that outlook. In my previous life, society overall wanted children to be happy and healthy as a basic rule. But I had different ambitions now. As long as I was dedicated to making my sisters happy, I knew I’d have to accept a certain amount of personal risk. Besides, I adored the idea of being an adventurer. A job with the freedom to do what I wanted, when I wanted—how perfect!
But right now, I had things to do. “Anyway, I’ll be going now,” I said.
“I know I just ran my mouth about your safety, but don’t you want to take a job today?” asked Arisa.
“I only wanted to register.”
“I see. Well, I’ll see you later, then. Come visit whenever I’m on shift, okay?” She winked at me. I could feel my cheeks heating up.
“I-I’ll think about it!” I couldn’t think of a clever response on the spot, so I just waved goodbye and left the guild flustered.