Chapter 103

A Day for a Child’s Quarrel

The next morning.

I woke up shivering in the cold after having been robbed of my blanket. Next to me lay a happy, very warm and sound asleep Daniela. I had a momentary urge to take the blanket back, but I lost the will to do that after seeing her carefree expression.

And so I changed into my usual outdoor clothes and washed my face. I only woke Daniela up after brushing my teeth and fixing myself up. She stared dumbly with half-open eyes and sat with crossed legs on the bed. It reminded me of how I used to act before getting up to go to work.

“It’s a nice day again… The town is beautiful, and the room was great. Don’t you think, Daniela?”

I said as I looked around. Daniela had fallen back from her sitting position and was attempting to go back to sleep. But life was not so easy. And we were supposed to go and check the guild quests!

“Come on, get up. We’re going to the guild. We’ll be late.”

“Uh…”

She shook her head in disagreement and buried her face in the pillow. She really was terrible at this…

“Do you want me to leave you behind? I would, you know?”

“…I will go after you, you go on ahead…”

“Hahhhh…”

I did want us to go together…oh, well. I scribbled a little note just in case and placed it on the glass table. Then I slid just the Glampanzer into my belt and left the room.

I greeted the other guests as I made my way down the stairs and to Vegun at the front desk.

He noticed me as I came walking, and greeted me politely.

“Good morning, Mister Asagi.”

“Good morning. I’m off to the guild.”

“I see. And the key?”

“My partner is still sleeping…”

I had left the key near the door. On the shelf with the security devices.

“Ah, then I will have someone lock it from the outside.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

“It’s nothing. Have a good day.”

“Thank you.”

And with that, I went out into the sunlight. There weren’t that many people in sight until I reached the main road, but once I was there, there were large crowds of people. I noted how energetic they seemed in the morning as I walked towards the guild. I also took note of the many Adventurers I started to see. Some wore light leather armor, others were huge and covered in full plate armor, and there were women who wore hoods and carried staffs. It was like an Adventurer showcase.  I’ve been to a couple of guilds now, but I’ve never seen so many Adventurers before. But this was Adventure City.

Adventurers crowded the area near the guild. I feel like this was the first time I was seeing a real crowd of people since coming to this world. Many of them were holding something that looked like paper. Was it for quests? If it was, most of the lucrative ones were probably gone by now. With that thought in mind, I frantically entered the guild and checked the quest board. My shoulders dropped. There was almost nothing left on the board.

“Damn…really…”

We were way too late…I hadn’t imagined that things would be this competitive. I thought that they would try to keep things a little more satisfying for everyone…I suppose it was the true Adventurers who rose to the top in this struggle. In that case, Daniela had no chance at all. I bet she was still sleeping right now.

“Well, might as well check these…”

If it came to it, I would just have to collect herbs again. I actually enjoyed it in a way. It was easy to mindlessly collect things.

“Okay…”

I looked at the sad quests that had been left. Goblin extermination, Grass wolf hunting, Lost pet, Poisonous herb gathering…poisonous herbs? And what would you do with poisonous herbs…?

“There is nothing here that’s worth a damn…”

All of them were bad. The goblin one…was really the only one that allowed you to make extra on top of the reward money.

Oh, well. I will just have to bear it for one day… And so my hand stretches out for the notice. Just then, another hand stretched towards it.

“Hm?”

“Hm?”

I follow the arm and see a boy who is looking at me. He looked like the most typical sort of newcomer.

“Hey, you! How dare you try and steal my quest!”

“Uh, no. That would be you. There wasn’t even anyone here when I arrived.”

“Shut up! Get out of my way!”

It seemed that I had no luck with children. Well, as irritating as this was, I was an adult. I suppose I could allow the new kid his first quest…

“Ah, very well. Good luck out there.”

“Sure, you cowardly old man.”

My ears twitched.

“…Hey, what did you call me?”

“I said you were a cowardly old man.”

I could feel my temples convulsing.

“Now look here, I won’t let anyone call me an old man!”

“Shut up, geezer! I’m not going to talk to some beggar who can’t even afford armor!”

“You f*cking little shit! You’re dead!”

I had no money, but I did have armor! My fists were clenched as I was overcome with the urge to put him in his place with a good punch. But then another figure interrupted us.

“Hey, you two. No fighting inside of the guild.”

“Oh?”

“You really want to do this, don’t you?”

I probably looked like the hated bastard Adventurer now, but I had my pride. I was a young man who had yet to reach thirty. Clearly, not an old man. And I had to make this kid understand that. But this huge guy who came in… I take a better look at his face. …Was I remembering things wrong? I knew that face.

“Hey…you’re…”

“Are you, Gardo?”

“Asagi!?”

That stern face. That huge frame. There was no mistake, he was the Adventurer I had known back in Fhiraldo.

“It’s been a while!”

“Yes, but what are you doing here, Gardo?”

“Well, why wouldn’t I be? Every Adventurer wants to come to Adventure City!”

“I wouldn’t know. But you look great. What happened to Ness?”

“Ah, he’s having his breakfast in the dining hall over there. But that reminds me, where’s Daniela?”

“She’s sleeping at our inn. She’s the worst in the morn-!?”

As I was talking, something kicked me in the back of my leg. Who the hell would do such a thing, I think with hatred as I glare at the likely culprit.

“You two! How dare you ignore me!”

“This kid…”

He had his hands on his hips and stood proudly as I glared.

“You seem to have your hands full, Asagi. But that’s nothing new for you, is it?”

“You make me sound like the hero of some story…damn, that hurt…”

“Do not ignore me!”

What was it with kids these days…they were the easily pissed off generation… I was just starting to feel a sense of fear as I looked at the little shit, who was nothing more than the most incomprehensible of creatures, when a guild worker approached us to see what was happening. It was really too late.

“What is the matter?”

“This kid is kicking me. He even tried to steal my notice from the quest board. Then he went berserk.”

“Ahh.”

The guild worker looked at the kid who stood behind us and let out a deep sigh.

“It is you again…”

“Shut up! How dare you look at me like that. You’re nothing but a guild worker!”

An Adventurer who defied guild workers. What was going on here? What was wrong with children these days?

“To the contrary, the guild master has told us all to treat his son exactly as we would any other Adventurer.”

“What!? Are you suggesting that I am equal to those mediocre Adventurers over there!?”

He thrust a finger at us to make his meaning unmistakable. Mediocre…I, wait…? I just heard something important.

“Son? The guild master’s son?”

“Yes. This is Cline Mavis’ son, Penrose Mavis.”

“Hmph!”

The son folded his arms and grunted with a look of self-importance.

“He is also Rank G.”

“That’s not necessary!”

So the guild master’s son was an impressive little…rock.