39 - a rookie scandal

It was yesterday.

Thor and his friends had visited the Adventurer's Bureau to register as new adventurers in Yuril.

The lobby was deserted after the commotion had died down, and not a soul was to be seen sitting by the wall chatting and laughing.

The high rankers of the army had returned to their respective hunting grounds, and the activity seemed to have ebbed away at once.

A few security guards in black uniforms wandering around looking bored are rather conspicuous.

"Well, I'm going to go draw with Moo-chan.

"I'm going to go and paint it, To-chan!"

"You've got to moderate that."

The message board is not a public forum, but only a service to facilitate communication among adventurers.

Therefore, we will not be offended if you make a few silly posts, but we cannot overlook those that are too far removed from the purpose of the message board and cause trouble.

The two nodded cheerfully at Thor's words and ran to the blackboard, holding hands in a friendly manner.

"Well then, shall we go too?"

"Yes, please show us the way."

Yuril, who had been looking around curiously, smiles back at Thor's prompting.

Thor flinched a little at the gap between his seemingly ice-cold good looks and the way his face instantly melted away, transforming him into a different person.

It had been a few days since Yuril looked the way he does now, and Thor was still puzzled by his appearance.

At nearly forty years of age, a mere pretty face is not so disturbing.

However, when it becomes too much, it does not seem to be so.

Moreover, Thor and Yuril have known each other for about ten years, and he may have seen her face at some point, which may have made him even more upset.

It was understandable that he was a little distracted by this.

Thor led the way to the counter.

They chose a window a little farther away from the counter because the two customers ahead of them were making some kind of noise.

Seated behind the counter was a woman with a somewhat stern face and slightly slanted eyes.

She was a pretty woman, but her makeup was a little heavy.

"Hello. I wonder if this is the right place to register as an adventurer?

The receptionist nodded her head and opened her eyes in a languid manner at Yuril's question.

"......, welcome."

"May I ask you a favor?"

"What?　Well, uh, ......."

When the receptionist was at a loss for words, Ulil tilted his head and smiled at her.

At that moment, the air around them suddenly softened.

"Yes, yes!　That's right. You can register here, Adventurer Registration."

"Good. Well, I'll be looking forward to working with you."

"Yes!　Uh, what's that?　What was that?"

"Look, there's the paperwork. The registration form."

The receptionist impatiently turns over the items in front of her, and Thor, unable to bear the sight, interrupts her.

The receptionist's face becomes aware of Thor's presence for the first time, but she obediently follows his advice.

"Here. I'm sorry, could you please write it on this?"

"Yes, I see the letters clearly, that's good."

"Hey, aren't you skipping a step?"

Usually, new registrants must be accompanied by an escort, or they may have to undergo a rather long interview.

This someone can be anyone, but must have been an adventurer in the city for a certain period of time.

Therefore, most of the people will turn to their predecessors from the same hometown.

From there, factions of the same hometown or clan may be formed.

The reason for this is that the adventurer's card also serves as a pass to the outer gate, so it is not easy to issue.

If a newly registered adventurer runs away or fails to make good progress, he or she is held accountable by the person who has been assigned as his or her chaperone.

When I pointed this out to the receptionist, who had forgotten to check Thor's Adventurer's Tag, she responded with the following misguided remark.

Oh, I see...a substitute..." Don't you want me to write for you?"　

"Yes, I hope that's correct. Please let me know if there are any mistakes.

The receptionist handed the form to Yuril, who wrote it down smoothly, and the receptionist happily accepted it and began checking it.

The receptionist handed him the form and he took it happily and started to check it. Your name is Ulir. You are from Stora, oh, that's why you have that ear. Your age is 22 and ...... yes, I see no problem.

Yuril's real name is Euralir, but we use the abbreviation because it would be complicated if it were left as it is.

However, there is no problem in registering the name even if it is the real name.

Adventurers' records are kept by each border town, so that they cannot be taken out to other places.

This is to avoid the risk of losing the best talents.

The only exception to this rule is a document that certifies the correct rank on the adventurer's card when transferring to another border town.

Since Yuril was based in a town farther north than this one during his active career, there is no danger of being matched.

However, in case of any suspicion of a connection, Thor asked to be registered under the abbreviated name.

Incidentally, the neighbors and acquaintances are informed that Euralir is back home and his grandson Yuril is acting as a landlord.

"Well, can you touch this?　Here we go."

With an exaggerated shout, Yuril placed his hand on the crystal ball without hesitation.

Thor, peering from behind, was again impressed by the branches of the tree.

All three of the lower branches of the skill tree were fully branched, and fruit with branching characteristics were hanging from the apex.

In addition, one of the middle branch skill trees is fully grown, and the second one is almost ready.

The receptionist, who was also peeking in, shouts in surprise.

The problem, however, was what she muttered after that.

"Wow, this is really amazing!　This is a C for sure, or maybe even a B. I'll give it a B."

"Hey, wait a minute. I thought all newcomers started at rank G."

"Huh?　What are you... Can you please stop this nonsense?"

If you are raised in rank without permission, you will be in a lot of trouble.

According to the Bureau's regulations, it is forbidden to join the same party if there is a difference of two or more ranks.

Furthermore, the hunting grounds are also restricted.

Thor, looking for help, peeks inside the counter.

However, there was no one he knew who seemed to be available, and Miss Enna, the one person he could count on, was occupied with a customer who seemed to be a complainer from a while ago.

"Don't handle it yet, please. I'll go check it out."

"Yeah!　Why not?　I'm a bureau employee.

"I'm sorry, can I wait a moment?"

Yes, please. I'll wait as long as you want.

Leaving Yuril in charge, Thor hurried to the window where Miss Enna sat during the dispute.

As he approached, he could hear the sound of a well-pitched conversation.

I told you that I am the hero who saved this city.

I'm sorry, sir, but I need something to prove it.

"Well, if you say it wasn't me, then prove it. Well, what's the name of your hero, for example?

It is your wish to remain anonymous at ......."

"Look, you're saying it could be me."

That's me. I think we're done here. Mr. Enna, can I talk to you for a second?

The woman who had been speaking turns her large almond-shaped eyes toward Thor at the sudden interruption.

She has a chiseled face with a deep nose, thick eyebrows, and bright red lips.

She is an eye-catching beauty, but her words and actions are full of strength.

The red-haired woman was about to say something, but suddenly retracted her words when she saw Thor's face.

Enna, with a slight look of relief on her face, speaks to Thor.

"Oh, Thor, how can I help you?"

"I'm here to register a new acquaintance, but I'm afraid they're going to raise my rank without my permission."

Have you completed the soul-measuring test?

Yeah, I'm done.

"If that's the case, ......, then I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

According to Enna, new registrations are now given higher ranks from the beginning, depending on the growth of their skill trees.

This is a natural system to eliminate waste, but more than ten years ago, newcomers were uniformly given the lowest rank to start from.

Thor, who is not familiar with such a situation, has made a mistake.

Since the receptionist had already confirmed it with a soul-measuring device, there was no way to Yuril's skill tree now.

Thor, who was frowning, was helped by their boss, who had apparently heard the conversation.

"Excuse me, Mr. Thor. We have heard your story. I understand that you would like to have a party with her.

"Well, something like that. I'd appreciate it if you'd lower the rank a little."

"We can't give you a too unreasonable valuation, so C is as close as we can get.

That would require at least an E rank to make the party.

Siecka, who works as the head of the customer service department, hurriedly connects her words with Thor's slight movement of his jaw.

But there will be no problem as long as Thor and the others are promoted. Yes, fortunately for us, the party to attack the cave of the imps, which is the test for promotion to rank E, has not been decided yet. If it is your wish, Mr. Thor, you will have priority as the discoverer.

The cave of the kobolds that caused the outbreak the other day has not actually been conquered, although the overflowing monsters themselves have been defeated.

Since a certain number of days have already passed, the hobgoblin chief, the master of the labyrinth, must have already revived.

It seems that this is the best they can do as a compromise.

It is not Thor's intention to force his way out of the situation.

Thor's impatience to get Yuril into the party as soon as possible and his slight hesitation had brought about the situation in the first place.

Thor scratched the bottom of his chin and thought for a while, then nodded his head.

"...... Okay. I'll take care of it."