CH 193

Episode 193 – Meeting the Prospective Member

I filled out the document that was handed to me and left the Adventurer’s Guild hurriedly. The receptionist lady’s cold stare felt like it was burrowing into my soul, and I escaped without asking any further questions. However, since the terms and rules written in the document handed to me were meticulous, I was able to get a pretty good understanding of the contract.

As for the rules of the contract, there was nothing that was difficult to uphold; as long as I acted normally, there wouldn’t be any violations. One concern I had was that the contract was surprisingly detailed, and I was afraid that I would break a rule without even knowing.

Also, the commission fee for having 1 Guild employee fill in for the party was listed as 1 gold coin and 5 silver coins per day. Considering that my first request with the [Azure Alliance] was at a rate of 4 gold coins for 4 days, I could see why Tobias said that this wasn’t an amount that any ordinary rookie adventurer would normally be able to pay.

As someone who had once worked for a Guild, I could tell that this party fill service was something that was forcibly set up through a lot of pressure from all sides. It was conveyed quite transparently through the sheer amount of money listed on the written contract that the Adventurer’s Guild had no intent of letting me receive this service so easily, but they had no choice considering their circumstances. It was a service that hadn’t been provided in over a decade, so I was sure that there were probably a lot of Guild employees that now had their hands full with the procedures and extra work related to my request…

Since there are no adventurers challenging the Dungeon solo or in duos, I have no other choice but to use this service. I hope you’ll take my money and just forgive me for this…

Repenting silently in my mind, I returned to Araku Village. The sun hadn’t completely set yet, bathing the area in a crimson evening glow. I had just left the Adventurer’s Guild and didn’t have anything else to do, so I came a bit early.

I thought about stopping by the Laudungeon Company again to thank Tobias for the useful information he’d given me, but I decided against it, thinking it might be a bother to stop by a second time in one day just for that. If I hadn’t just gotten the information from today, I would have gone to thank him. I placed my hand on the handle of the door to Araku Village, knowing that I would probably have to wait for a long time.

I went inside… but as I probably should have expected, the place was still completely silent.

“Excuse me. This is Lewin, I was here earlier to ask about something. Is the owner here?” (Lewin)

This time, I didn’t go any further into the bar and just called out from the entrance. Eventually, I heard footsteps coming from the back of the establishment.

After waiting a while, the woman who helped me earlier in the day peeked out from the back before walking over to me.

“Ara. Back already? You said you’d look for me at night, but you’re here so early.” (Araku Village Owner)

“I’m sorry for visiting early. I’ve finished with my business for today, so I came early to see if I could wait here until the person you mentioned comes to work.” (Lewin)

The woman who called out to me was no longer as languid as she had been when I met her at noon, and she was now dolled up in a luxurious, chic dress and perfectly applied makeup. It seemed that I had disturbed her sleep earlier, and she had probably been talking to me in her sleep at that time.

…Sure enough, you should never judge someone by their looks.

I continued the conversation, inwardly reflecting that I was shallow in judging this considerate woman to be scary earlier in the day.

“I see. Well, this works out. The employee who I said was looking for a party member is already at work. You can go talk to her before we open.” (Araku Village Owner)

“Really?! Thank you so much!” (Lewin)

“It’s not like I told her to come to work early, so no need to thank me. Anyway, hang a right after you enter the back room, then you can just knock on the door and enter. I’ve already told her about you, so I think we can just cut to the chase.” (Araku Village Owner)

“Okay! I’ll go right away!” (Lewin)

The woman puffed on a cigarette as she spoke to me kindly. I bowed deeply to her before following her directions to the right room in the back. To be honest, I was prepared to wait a long time, so I was glad to be able to meet her right away like this.

I stood in front of the right room in the back, feeling my palms get a bit clammy with nervousness. I knocked on the door a few times and waited for a response from inside. After a short pause, a cold voice answered.

“Enter.”

“…Please excuse my intrusion.” (Lewin)

I walked into the room timidly. There stood a woman in a suit with long, fluffy ears on the top of her head. Her body fur was white, and her short hair reached to her shoulders. Her eyes were big and round, and her irises were a deep, fiery red. Combined with the long, fluffy ears on top of her head, her face should have radiated a charming and cute air, but… the combination of her expressionless face and slender figure, garbed in a stylish suit, made her exude a totally unapproachable aura.

This person was most likely a demi-human, just like Ruth-chan and her mother. Also, I didn’t mean to be rude, but she kind of reminded me of a Horn Rabbit.

“What’re you staring at me for?”

“S-sorry! My name is Lewin, and the owner might have already mentioned it, but I’m looking for a party member!” (Lewin)

Her words were so cold and devoid of emotion that it felt like being splashed with cold water, so I hurriedly introduced myself. Then I held my hand out for a handshake… But my gesture wasn’t returned in the slightest and was completely ignored as if the hand I held out was invisible.

“I’m Aruna. I’m also recruiting members, but did you come here knowing the requirements I was looking for?”

“E-err….Yes. I heard from the owner… that you were searching for a female.” (Lewin)

The way she spoke put so much pressure on me that it felt like I was choking on my words. Considering her tone, she’s probably like, ‘why are you, a man, here in front of me when I’m looking for a female party member?’

The tone of her voice was so icy that I couldn’t even tell if she was angry or not.

“That’s not all. I’m looking for someone who’s a woman and is also strong. You’re neither of those,” she said to me in a matter-of-fact tone. I was scared, and I wanted to apologize and get out of here right this instant… But I was told that it would take 6 months to rent two Guild employees, and that period of time would be a fatal blow for me if I wanted to catch up to the [Azure Alliance].

This person was really the only person I knew who was solo, searching for a party.

In my position, I can’t give up so easily.

“Certainly, I’m not female, but I have confidence in my strength. I don’t mean to be rude, but I think I’m stronger than you, Aruna-san.” (Lewin)

When I said that to her straight, Aruna’s mouth twitched for the first time. I was being a bit rude to someone who I was just meeting for the first time, but I couldn’t think of any other way out of this situation than to bluff my way out of it.

“That’s an amusing joke. However… if you can get me to admit it right here right now, I’ll consider joining your party.” (Aruna)

She could have gotten upset or told me to leave immediately with an uninterested attitude, but she instead seemed to find it amusing. Considering my appearance and the vibe I gave off, Aruna had really judged me as weak.

It would be cool and all to land a big blow on her when she was careless and negligent, but… Aruna had the scent of the powerful, just like Ahmed and Kirty.

In that case, there was a good chance that if I took action in a way that Aruna, who was a level above me, could expect, then I would be easily dealt with. In my mind, I ran some quick simulations of the moves I needed to make to get her approval, then declared confidently.

“I understand. I will land a blow on you right here and now.” (Lewin)