Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 384: A Quest Recommended by the Branch Manager
Tauro and the other members of Black-Gold Wings visited the Adventurers’ Guild to reaffirm their plans now that Zion had officially joined the team.
“Oh, Tauro-kun, everyone—please wait a moment. The branch manager has something important to discuss with you.”
When the receptionist Armine noticed them, she hurried away to fetch him.
A moment later, the branch manager emerged from his office, his freshly shaven head gleaming.
“Black-Gold Wings, please come with me.”
He beckoned them into the reception room.
“…This isn’t something bad, is it?”
Tauro was slightly wary.
“He probably wants to thank us for the other day,” Ankh said, dismissing his concern. “He had only just taken over this branch when that incident happened, and he’s been too busy dealing with the aftermath to speak with us properly.”
“Oh, right. For a moment, I thought the murder and injuries inside the guild had caused another problem.”
With a wry smile, Tauro followed the branch manager into the room.
“I sincerely apologize for all the trouble this guild has caused Black-Gold Wings.”
The branch manager bowed so deeply that his forehead nearly touched the desk.
“You had only just assumed the position, so there was no way you could have prevented the deputy branch manager’s crimes,” Tauro replied. “We were dragged into the situation by accident—or rather, we chose to stick our noses into it. Either way, it isn’t something you need to apologize for.”
At Tauro’s urging, the branch manager raised his head.
“Thank you. The least we can do is prepare a worthwhile quest that will help Black-Gold Wings advance from D-plus to C-minus. Unfortunately, as you know, this is a relatively peaceful region with few monsters, and the average adventurer rank at this branch is notoriously low.”
He paused, then continued with a troubled expression.
“The only high-ranking requests we receive involve hunting remnants of the Assassins’ Guild. Yet, for some reason, those requests are repeatedly completed by outsiders who aren’t even registered adventurers. Here in Caxart, captured remnants are often delivered directly to the mayor’s residence.”
The branch manager had drifted away from the main subject.
Ah. That must be the dragonfolk…
Tauro had delivered Chief Ryuga’s message to the dragonfolk staying in Caxart. Apparently, one or two had remained in the city to continue hunting the Assassins’ Guild’s surviving members.
Other dragonfolk had scattered throughout the kingdom to do the same. Tauro hoped they would register as adventurers while they were at it.
At this rate, rumors of astonishing new adventurers will probably start appearing all over the kingdom.
My condolences to the remnants of the Assassins’ Guild…
He almost felt sorry for them.
“So, what did you want to discuss with us?”
Tauro gently steered the branch manager back to the matter at hand.
“Right. I found a well-paying quest that I’d like to recommend to Black-Gold Wings. The client specifically requested the best adventurers this branch could provide. Would you be interested?”
“What kind of quest is it?”
“The daughter of a village chief near Caxart is to marry the son of the mayor of a neighboring town. The request is to escort the bridal party. It’s a free quest, so if you accept it, I can be generous when awarding contribution points.”
A large award of contribution points would bring them closer to promotion.
“There’s no need to give us special treatment,” Tauro said. “More importantly—”
He looked toward Ragune and the others.
“An escort quest, huh?” Ankh said. “Most of those end after an uneventful round trip.”
“Hmm… But if it takes us through the area around Caxart, wouldn’t it suit Tauro’s other duty rather well?” Ragune pointed out.
“Other duty?”
Zion looked puzzled.
“Ragune’s right. I wanted to inspect the surrounding settlements anyway, so the timing is perfect,” Tauro said.
“Then I suppose there’s no reason to refuse,” Ankh replied. “It may not be exciting, but it should be useful experience for our leader.”
Zion still had no idea what they were discussing.
I forgot to tell her that I was appointed a territorial inspector. I’ll explain it later.
“Is everyone willing to accept it, then?”
Tauro looked around. Ragune and Ankh nodded, and Zion, swept along by the others despite her confusion, nodded several times as well.
“All right, Branch Manager. We’ll take the quest. Could you explain the details?”
“Certainly.”
The branch manager began his explanation.
The village chief’s daughter and the mayor’s son had apparently fallen in love and begun discussing marriage.
Her village was prosperous because of its famous dyed cloth, but a village chief still ranked below a town mayor in social standing. The marriage would therefore be advantageous to her family, especially if she eventually bore a son.
The village chief intended to spare no expense and had asked for the strongest adventuring party in the nearest major city to serve as the escort.
He probably wants the procession to look as prestigious as possible.
The bride-to-be was receiving an impressive collection of wedding gifts from the surrounding area, and transporting them was included in the escort assignment. Tauro’s [Magic Storage] made Black-Gold Wings particularly well suited to the task.
Villagers and several locally hired fighters would also accompany the procession, but the client wanted everyone placed under a single command.
The more Tauro heard, the more troublesome the assignment sounded. It no longer seemed likely to be the uneventful excursion Ankh had imagined.
“In that case, we’ll leave for the village first thing tomorrow morning.”
After a final round of questions, Tauro nodded to show that he understood the request.
“Are you certain about the contribution points? I really can award you more.”
“Raise them if the quest proves difficult enough to deserve it,” Tauro joked.
The party then left the reception room.
“The bride is fifteen,” Ankh remarked. “She’s close to the same age as the leader and Zion. I suppose that’s fairly common in rural villages.”
His tone sounded oddly paternal.
“Hehehe. You’re old enough to have a child that age, Ankh. I suppose it’s only natural for you to think that way,” Ragune teased, which was unusual for her.
“Hey, now. It might have been common when I was younger, but these days not everyone marries immediately after coming of age. Besides, no one knows when they’ll meet the person destined for them—”
“Ahaha! Hearing the words ‘destined person’ from you is unexpectedly romantic,” Tauro said, joining in the teasing.
“I believe my meeting with Tauro-sama was destined!”
Zion stepped eagerly in front of Tauro and made her declaration.
“Hahaha! All four of us were destined to meet, whatever may come of it.”
Tauro answered cheerfully, neatly sidestepping the implication behind Zion’s appeal.