Chapter 487: The Nostalgic Adventurers’ Guild

After leaving Angus’s Blacksmith Shop, Tauro continued his nighttime walk through Saisi.

His curry shop was still open and busy.

Tauro had already eaten dinner, and Leo handled the shop’s day-to-day management. Satisfied after watching the thriving restaurant from a distance, he continued toward the Adventurers’ Guild, where lights still burned.

The guild building’s exterior had been renovated and looked new, but the interior had changed very little.

Apparently, only the outer structure had been refurbished.

Standing inside the familiar hall filled Tauro with nostalgia.

No adventurers remained at that hour. A single man sat behind the reception counter, handling the nighttime administrative work.

Rather than disturbing him, Tauro walked quietly to the quest board.

G- and F-rank requests still covered part of it—the same kinds of jobs Tauro had accepted more than three years earlier.

Out of curiosity, he also examined the D-rank requests that had once seemed far beyond his reach and was surprised by how ordinary many of them now appeared.

“Oh? Are you an adventurer, kid? I haven’t seen you here before. I wouldn’t recommend accepting a request at night. Come back in the morning.”

The man at the reception desk had noticed him.

That advice was reasonable. The night shift primarily handled reports from adventurers returning after completing daytime requests.

“Sorry. I used to be an adventurer registered at this branch. I felt nostalgic and wanted to look around.”

Tauro apologized to the unfamiliar employee.

“Really? You’re that young and already a former adventurer? If you worked here before I arrived, that must have been more than two years ago. Impressive. You sound like the famous child adventurer from all the puppet shows and street stories.”

Perhaps lonely during the quiet shift, the receptionist eagerly seized the opportunity for conversation.

Tauro realized he might learn what had happened during his absence and encouraged the man to continue.

“There’s a story associated with this branch about a young adventurer whose achievements sound completely unbelievable. Puppet troupes and street storytellers perform it all over town. His name was Tauro—”

The receptionist began recounting Tauro’s old adventures, though the stories had accumulated considerable exaggeration.

“It all sounds like a tall tale, but Branch Manager Leo, the famous solo adventurer Mina, the veteran team Blue Guardian, and the rising Five Arrows all speak about that Tauro boy. He must have existed. I moved here from the countryside and started working at the guild two years ago, so I never met him myself.”

The man continued at length, enthusiastically repeating the local legend of Tauro.

Listening in silence made Tauro genuinely happy.

Mina, Roy and the other members of Blue Guardian, and the adventurers who had helped him in the past were apparently still active at the branch and remembered him fondly.

“By the way, there used to be a receptionist here named Nei. Do you know how she is?”

Tauro couldn’t resist asking about the woman who had cared for him so kindly.

“Nei-san? Wait—were you interested in her? I can’t blame you. She was extremely popular. A real beauty. Many adventurers had a crush on her.”

Was popular?

The past tense caught Tauro’s attention.

“Where’s Nei-san now?”

“She still works here as a receptionist, but…”

The man hesitated as though the subject were difficult.

“But?”

“She’s married. You should give up, kid. I secretly liked her too. Then a top-class adventurer appeared out of nowhere and married her. It was a terrible shock. I suppose beautiful women really do choose impressive men quickly.”

“Nei-san married!?”

Tauro was shocked rather than embarrassed by the misunderstanding.

The Nei he remembered had always remained calm and composed, deflecting countless adventurers’ advances with a polite smile.

Had she truly married a man who seemed to appear from nowhere?

For a moment, Tauro wondered whether they were speaking about different people.

“Does this Nei-san have long brown hair, black eyes, and a height of about one hundred sixty centimeters? Is she kind, dependable, caring, and often smiling?”

“Yes, that’s her. You really did know her. You must have liked her badly—my condolences. The man she married didn’t look special at all. He simply appeared one day looking like any ordinary adventurer. Perhaps his B-rank status was enough. Receptionists must have a weakness for high-ranked adventurers.”

The receptionist sighed and gave Tauro a sympathetic look.

“Do you know the name of the adventurer she married?”

“His name? I can’t quite remember. He was friendly with Branch Manager Leo and Instructor Daz, but his name was so plain… Mob? Mauve? Something like that.”

The receptionist scratched his head and casually spoke a name that stunned Tauro.

“Mauve? You mean Mauve-san of Silver Sword?”

Tauro leaned forward in disbelief.

“Yes, Silver Sword was probably the name of his party. Now that you mention it, he and Nei-san often spoke about someone named Tauro.”

A delighted smile spread across Tauro’s face.

So Nei-san married Mauve-san.

Somehow, the pairing made sense. Mauve was more formidable than his unremarkable appearance suggested.

Tauro wondered when their relationship had become so serious.

Mauve had spent long periods away from Saisi, so something significant must have happened during one of his returns.

“He helped this branch cover for some missing adventurers, then left on another journey without Nei-san. Watching that made me realize how difficult it must be to marry an adventurer,” the receptionist continued. “If you’re an adventurer yourself, remember that. You should date someone who can travel and adventure with you.”

“Ha ha… You may be right. It’s getting late, so I should leave.”

Tauro gave him a wry smile and quietly departed the guild.