“None of these will even take you outside the town!” exclaimed Aruna.
Cult snorted in amusement. “It’d be more efficient to go out and kill some monsters without taking a job at all. Then you could just sell any materials you manage to get.”
“Right?” Fouré followed.
“Indeed,” Aruna affirmed.
The goddesses were chatting behind me. They sounded like they were having a lot of fun, but I just couldn’t agree with them. Before me stood the adventurer life I’d wanted so badly. Following their suggestions wouldn’t make me any more of an adventurer—I’d just be someone who kinda acted like an adventurer.
And seeing as I’d literally just told Arisa that I thought rules should be strictly followed, I couldn’t just go back on my word. Ignoring my disgruntlement, I decided to start with little jobs and take this step-by-step, just like I’d said I would. Resigning myself to complete some random tasks, I chose a job request that seemed reasonable enough for me. The leaflet I grabbed asked me to find a lost cat.
“This looks like something I could easily accomplish.” I could imbue my legs with magecraft and speed around town, and I could sense animals as long as they were within a certain distance—after all, I had Dandelion.
“Chirp!” Dandelion’s voice was full of playful confidence. He was clearly on board with my plan.
Holding the leaflet, I turned to head back to Arisa. But before I could reach the reception desk, a large shadow blocked my path. “Hey, kid,” said a gruff voice from above.
“Huh? What is it?” I looked up. A rough, massive, muscle-bound man who stood at least two meters tall blocked my way. His bald scalp was smooth and shiny, the skin sparkling ever so slightly in the light. A battle-axe larger than me was strapped to his back. Given his ragged, sleeveless clothing, he seemed less like a warrior—or even an adventurer—and more like the leader of a band of criminals.
“What’s a kid like you doing as an adventurer? Heard you chatted with the guildmaster. Got yer card now and everything, that right?” he asked, sounding a bit like growling.
“I guess so, yeah.” I-Is this the isekai fantasy cliché of a newbie adventurer getting into a fight with guild veterans?! I wondered. If so, it was turning out to be kind of cookie-cutter and boring. I hadn’t thought my new life was going to hit all the classic tropes like that.
Honestly, when I was getting registered, I was half expecting to get jumped right then, but nothing happened at all—what a letdown! But now, I had an older adventurer trying to start a fight. I was trembling with excitement. Mistaking my shaking shoulders for fright, the big bald-headed man leaned his ugly mug near my face and began to shout.
“Hah! If you’re scared of a big ol’ lug like me, you ain’t cut out to be an adventurer!”
He was incredibly loud. I’m sure the other adventurers in the hall had heard. Soon, a staff member would come and stop him, lecturing us about how it was against the rules to fight among ourselves. All I had to do was wait. If I played the OP protagonist and beat up the first guy who tried to pick a fight with me, it would only make things worse. It was best to work things out without the use of force.
At least, I’d figured that’d be the case. But for some reason, no one came to talk to us. The staff clearly had no intention of interfering either. Wait... Were they expecting us to solve our own little squabble because we were adventurers? And was Arisa just going to stand by and watch after her long spiel about the importance of staying safe?
Was only one of us supposed to walk away from this?!
I despaired at the fact that no one was going to come save me, and my shoulders drooped as I looked up at the man. “So, what are you trying to tell me?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Don’t go doing anything dangerous! Make sure you stick to what you know you can do!”
Uh... Huh?
“Don’t leave the town, and be careful with how you spend your money. Yer always welcome to ask us vets for help, so don’t be shy. What else...” the man mused. “Ah! The guild has a library, so you can go read up on monsters and herbs and stuff. Knowledge’ll always be useful.”
“Oh, um... Are you trying to give me advice?” Whoa, this was some whiplash! He had a face like a mountain bandit, but he was actually a pretty upstanding guy.
“Of course I am! I ain’t got a clue why a li’l kiddo like you’s decided to be an adventurer, but I’m sure there’s something real special about you. That’s why, as yer elder, I decided I had to help take a load off yer shoulders! Better be thankful!”
I couldn’t think of anything to say. He was a super-duper incredibly nice guy! I knew it was wrong to judge a book by its cover—even school kids knew that—but the difference between his looks and his personality was just astounding. If someone told me humans evolved from gorillas, I’d believe it after seeing this guy. He had the vibe of a feral beast, but he was incredibly considerate in thinking about me and my situation. Oh man—this guy was really winning me over, actually. My heart leaped at his kindness for a moment.
“Th-Thank you. I’ll be careful.” Oh, I got it—people knew he was a nice guy, and that’s why no one had stopped him. There was no need for it.
“By the way, about the li’l guy on your head...” The man trailed off, looking at me earnestly.
“Huh? Oh yeah... You mean Dandelion?”
“Dandi, huh? That’s a real cute name.”
Dandi... Even the nickname he’d given to Dandelion was cute. Was he an animal lover or something? Like a pompadour-sporting thug who goes out of their way to rescue puppies abandoned on the roadside in the rain?!
“If it’s all right with you, could I pet ’im? Call it thanks for the advice I gave you.”
“A-Are you sure that’s all you want?! If so, go right ahead.”
Gingerly, he reached out to the top of my head. I felt like he was about to crush my head like a ripe melon with his bare hands, and Dandelion chirped loudly in alarm at the man.
“Ch-Chirp?!” He swung his right wing at the man’s hand, striking it with a thwap!
“D-Dandelion?! He’s a nice man, so you can’t be hitting him!” I reprimanded Dandelion on the spot, but to my surprise, the man spoke up.
“Ha ha, it’s fine. I think it was actually cute of ’im. Most animals run when they see me, so I’m actually real envious you got yerself one that won’t, and he’s still a real firecracker!” The man smiled and rubbed his nose, breaking out into a satisfied laugh. He was such a saint, I couldn’t take it! The gap between the first impression I’d gotten and who he really was... It was just so charismatic! With people like him bolstering their ranks, the adventurer’s guild was clearly a force to be reckoned with.