Chapter 75

The Adventurers’ Guild―――

It is the name of a huge organization with branches all over the world.

The history of the guild is long, and it is said that the guild was established more than 500 years ago.

It is said that the Adventurers’ Guild originated in a small village, and was not even called the Adventurers’ Guild when it was first established.

The guild was a kind of「jack-of-all-trades」that took requests from villagers and completed them, such as exterminating vermin that were destroying crops, repairing and reinforcing broken buildings, delivering supplies to other villages, etc. At that time, the guild was only active in a very limited area. It was a small organization.

However, it had a good reputation and was much appreciated by the villagers, who had their hands full with other things in the village. Moreover, the guild was able to take on the task of exterminating vermin that might otherwise have injured themselves, and the guild gradually established itself in the village, albeit slowly.

At this time, the guild received only modest remuneration from the villagers. It was money and crops. In those days, food was more valuable than gold coins, unless you were in a large city, and most of the rewards were crops grown in the village.

Perhaps due to the low fees, the guild received a steady stream of requests, and from some time later, requests began to come in from neighboring villages.

However, the guild had only a few members at the time… and history books state that the guild had no more than 10 people… so it was difficult for the guild to keep up with the demands of the local people. It was physically impossible to fulfill all requests.

Therefore, the guilds began to place the requests they received from the villages as jobs for outsiders.

This was the moment when the foundations of the Adventurers’ Guild, which has continued to the present day, were laid.

The scale of the organization gradually grew, and from the village where it began, branches were established in neighboring villages, then three, then four, and so on, gradually increasing in number until the guild had grown to a large scale.

The guild, which at first only handled small requests, gradually began to receive requests of a larger scale. In proportion to this, the difficulty level of accomplishment also increased.

The number of requests that required risking one’s life visibly increased, including requests to kill dangerous creatures, procure difficult-to-obtain items, and escort people.

However, the rewards were exceptional, and those who accomplished the requests became respected and well-known to the public.

Perhaps because such stories spread throughout the world, there was no end to the number of people who visited the guild.

If they could achieve it, they could gain wealth and fame. Anyone, regardless of their status, could undertake such dreamlike work through the guild.

People, especially young people, flocked to the guild after hearing this story.

Those who risked their lives to enter the guild, hoping to capture the glory, came to be known as―――『Adventurer』.

The guild organizes these adventurers, accepts requests from various people, and acts as a mediator. The guilds also established educational institutions for new adventurers, gathered information on dangerous creatures, or as we know them today, demons, and managed them independently.

Furthermore, the guild introduced a rank system to facilitate requests according to the abilities of adventurers. This system was established to prevent newcomers from taking on reckless challenges and dying in vain. As a result, the survival rate of adventurers has increased dramatically compared to before the system was introduced.

Before the system was established, there were so many deaths that the guild was at one time called『Zarq』, comparing its building to a burial coffin, or『Mimic』, as it resembled a demon that mimics the appearance of a treasure chest in a dungeon and eats people.

However, the number of visitors to the guild never decreased, and to cope with the situation where more people were dying than necessary, the guild established an educational institution with adventurers as teachers and established a rank system.

When the guild was first established, its purpose was to earn money and food by taking care of troubles in the village, but as time passed, it became primarily focused on the adventurers who visited the organization, and this led to the current name of the organization―――『The Adventurers Guild』is the name.

As an aside, there is a reason why adventurers’ guilds often have bars and inns attached to them. When guilds began to mediate requests to others, the people who carried out the requests were often detained in the area for long periods, depending on the nature of the work. For this reason, guilds would rent out their facilities for lodging and meals. The traces of this practice have continued to the present day.

If modern adventurers heard about this, they would no doubt be envious of the fact that they could secure a base of operations for free.

However, the main reason guilds today operate both taverns and inns at the same time is that they are unable to run a business based solely on commission from requests and the buying and selling of items brought back by adventurers…

◆◇◆◇◆

Shortly afternoon.

I entered the commercial district of Cid through the portal Yggdrasil had set up yesterday near the center of town.

I asked a random person on the street and asked him for directions to the Adventurers’ Guild, which turned out to be located almost in the center of the town.

Walking down the cobblestone-paved main street, I wondered why I was strangely seeing guards.

Could it be that the town’s security has been beefed up due to yesterday’s brawl?

I make my way to the Adventurers’ Guild, taking care not to let anyone see my face, just in case.

I was involved in the recent disturbances. It would be troublesome if I was stopped.

A guard watching is stood out. It looks as if they are looking for someone… Maybe it’s us?

It seems like there are a lot of guards for that matter. The number of guards seems a bit excessive for chasing after those involved in the brawl.

「It would be troublesome if I got caught. Let’s hurry a little.」

I proceeded at a brisk pace along the path to the Adventurers’ Guild, which I had been instructed to follow. I sneak along the side of the road, watching out for the guards I pass.

It stands out, after all, they…

◆◇◆◇◆

Keeping an eye on the guards’ movements, I finally arrived at the center of Cid.

「So this is it…」

Straight down the main street was a circular plaza.

There is a fountain in the center of the room, with children playing around it and their mothers watching over them. The atmosphere is peaceful and relaxing.

There are a few stalls, but they are also lined up in a row. This might be a good place to take Demiurge on a date.

It is a more relaxed space than the commercial district, and there seems to be less worry about being exposed to the eyes of so many people, as was the case the other day.

「Now, the guilds, let’s see.」

I’ve been told that there is an adventurers guild here… I crane my neck in all directions to find the building I’m looking for.

Then I saw,

「―――oh, there?」

Behind the treasure chest, I see a sign with an emblem of a sword and mulberry crossed design. It is a two-story building and stands diagonally across the street to the left of the main street I came in on.

Green ivy covered the entire building, and the exterior looked different from the adventurers’ guilds I know.

A glimpse of the exterior wall reveals that the building is made of wood.

However, I had never seen an adventurers’ guild building with green walls like this.

「It’s an unusual appearance.」

Well, still, this is where the sign for the Adventurers’ Guild is displayed, so there should be no mistake here.

I opened the wooden door and entered.

「―――Welcome~!」

Then, a voice that sounded laid-back greeted me.

I looked and saw a woman with honey blonde hair tied back, holding a tray in both hands and looking back at me.

Slightly slanted yellow crystal eyes. Her bosom, which pushes up her white shirt, is quite ample and not inferior to that of the Dragon God. However, in direct contrast to this, she has a thin waist and feminine rounded buttocks covered by a pair of black pants. She also wears an apron with a cute bear design on the waist, which is quite adorable.

Adorable, but…

The moment I enter, I can’t help but feel uncomfortable.

That being said, the guilds should be provided with a common uniform and wear the basic garçon style for their work.

However, the woman in front of me was wearing clothes that, no matter how I looked at them, did not match the uniform of a typical guild.

「Welcome to Cafe【Bear’s Claw】. Please take a seat at your favorite table~」

『Cafe』? Hmm? Huh?

Cafe, err, you mean『coffee shop』?

I tilted my head at the smiling woman and looked alternately at the door through which I had entered and at the inside of the building.

I duck through the entrance again and check the sign outside.

「? Customer?」

However, the sign definitely indicates that this is the Adventurers’ Guild. It does not seem to be a case of mistaking the building.

「I’m sorry, I’m pretty sure this is the Adventurers Guild, right…?」

「Yes, that is correct. But this is both an adventurers’ guild and a coffee shop… Oh, we also have a bar at night. However, there is no accommodation, so please be careful if you get drunk. 」

「Ha, hahh…」

After receiving a careful explanation, I turned my attention to the interior of the building, which was said to be an adventurer’s guild.

The overall atmosphere was classical, and the indirect lighting from the magic tool made the interior somewhat dim, yet somehow warm. The greenery of the decorative plants placed throughout the room was pleasing to the eye, and as the woman said, the interior was exactly what a coffee shop should look like.

However, I have never seen a place where an adventurer, a guild, and a coffee shop are simultaneously running a business.

…What is this place?