Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 15: The Guild
The capital of the Rugen County, Sentriz.
With well-maintained roads around it, and the lord’s mansion and the knights’ barracks located nearby, this place bustles as the central hub of Rugen County.
While the merchants gather using the roads, leading to active commerce, the dungeon industry in Rugen County is thriving above all else.
The territory, vast compared to other earldoms, is home to many forests, rivers, and dungeons and gates.
To accommodate this, guild halls have been established in each city within the territory, recruiting skilled adventurers from all over.
As a result, about 10% of the mana stones circulating within the Empire are gathered from the dungeons in Rugen County.
—Naturally, there is also a guild hall in the capital, Sentriz.
“This is the guild hall.”
The Adventurers’ Guild Hall, Sentriz Branch.
A young man with black hair and black eyes, blending into the night like a shadow—Hyde, disguised as his past self, looked up at the grand building glowing brightly with the light of mana stones, and let out a sigh of relief, glad that his plan had gone well.
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Becoming an adventurer. Deciding to do so is easy, but putting it into action is quite difficult.
First, there’s the limitation of time.
Since Hyde Rugen must spend his days as Hyde Rugen, the only time he can be Shou is during the quiet hours of the night, when everyone is asleep.
“If I use my wings, I could get to Sentriz in no time, but the problem is that it would attract attention…”
Although there is a mansion near Sentriz, it still takes about an hour to walk there. If he flies, it wouldn’t even take five minutes, so whether he can use his wings or not makes all the difference.
“I wish I could turn invisible…”
Saying this, Hyde slowly widened his eyes.
Changing into an animal, transforming into his past self, and becoming invisible. What difference does it really make to distinguish between these when standing before the [Clay Doll of the Divine Realm]…?
“Head Maid, do you know where young master Hyde has gone?”
“Isn’t he back in his room?”
“He’s not there.”
“Oh, then maybe he’s in the library.”
Hyde, just in front of them, heard the conversation of the maids.
He had been wandering around the mansion for a while, but not a single butler or maid noticed his presence as they passed by.
“This skill really lets me do anything, doesn’t it?”
Returning to his room and dispelling the invisibility, Hyde grimaced.
However, with one problem solved in his quest to become an adventurer, he felt somewhat more positive.
The next issue that came to mind was sleep.
If he was going to be active day and night, there wouldn’t be time to sleep.
But, that too could be solved with the [Clay Doll of the Divine Realm].
“――Wow, my head feels so clear. It’s a strange feeling.”
After staying up all night, he immediately tried using the [Clay Doll of the Divine Realm] to remove his sleepiness, and the typical headache and mental fatigue from lack of sleep were instantly relieved.
“Could it be that I no longer need to sleep?”
He felt as if he were somehow abandoning his humanity, but decided it was just his imagination.
The remaining question was whether someone like Sho, whose background was unknown, could become an adventurer. However, it quickly became clear that this wouldn’t be a problem.
In this world, unlike Earth, there is no such thing as a registry system.
Unless one is a noble or a clergy member, there is no official proof of identity.
(In a way, the adventurer’s license issued by the guild seems to serve as an identification card for commoners.)
Of course, influential merchants may have others vouch for their identity, and in rural villages, the ledger used for tax payments serves as a kind of makeshift registry.
However, none of this had anything to do with Shou…
“Anyway, with that, the preparations are complete. I’ll head to the guild tonight.”
Come to think of it, since his reincarnation, most of his time had been spent in the vast grounds and forests of the Rugen estate.
This would be his first time visiting a city in this world.
Feeling a strange sense of excitement, Hyde waited for the night to come.
And then, night came.
As planned, Hyde, who had transformed into Shou’s form using the [Clay Doll of the Divine Realm] and turned invisible, quietly took off from his room’s window.
In an instant, he saw Sentriz below him. Using [All-seeing god’s eye], he confirmed that there were no people around, and he landed near the roadside.
He dispelled his invisibility and wings, and headed toward the large gate, the entrance to the city walls that surrounded Sentriz.
The bonfire burning at the gate cast an eerie glow in the night, and guards stood watch, keeping vigil by the gate.
Although his lack of luggage and his solitary presence raised suspicion, he was quickly allowed through after a light body check and paying the required toll.
Passing through the gate, the interior of the city came into view.
The long-awaited view of the capital city was, unfortunately, hidden in the darkness of the night.
“There’s no electricity, after all.”
Some buildings had lights leaking through their windows, but the flickering flames of candles looked frail and unreliable.
However, the streets were wide and well-maintained, much like the roads outside the city.
Public sanitation seemed to be well-managed, as there were no signs of waste left on the streets.
And the guild headquarters, his destination, stood out in the dark city.
Inside, it was brightly lit by abundant mana stones, illuminating the space like daytime and completely dispelling the surrounding darkness.
Ad
Hyde hesitated for a moment before stepping into the guild headquarters.
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The interior of the hall is impressively built.
Next to the entrance is a lobby with tables and chairs set up for conversations, and even at this time, adventurers can be seen scattered around.
It seems that a tavern is attached, as there is drinking and eating taking place as well.
And directly ahead, there is a place that looks like a hotel front desk, where three women are waiting.
(That must be the reception.)
Feeling the gazes of the adventurers in the lobby focusing on the unfamiliar face that had appeared, Hyde headed towards the reception.
“Excuse me, I would like to register as an adventurer.”
The receptionist briefly observed Hyde before smiling warmly.
“Please fill out the necessary information here.”
Hyde took the form handed to him and checked the paper.
The form had spaces for name, skills, and desired position.
However, it was noted that filling in the skills section was optional.
Confused by the unfamiliar words, Hyde decided to ask directly.
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“What is this ‘desired position’?”
“What’s with you! Don’t you know something like that?”
Just as Hyde asked the receptionist, a strong, bald man who had been drinking behind him stood up and shouted loudly.
“Sorry, I’m just a bit inexperienced in these matters.”
“Heh, you probably failed at business and are now in a rush to become an adventurer, huh? Tch. Hey, miss, can I get some paper?”
The man, stomping forward to Hyde, took the paper and quill from the receptionist and began writing something on it.
“Listen, a position is basically your role in a party. You’ll usually dive into dungeons with a party. It’s best if you can form a fixed group, but often you’ll form groups as needed. That’s when you’ll need to know your position.”
While speaking, the man held up the paper.
It said the following:
- Tank… Wall role.
- Attacker… Melee combat role.
- Support… Detection and ranged attacks.
- Healer… Recovery role.
“When you recruit for a party, the guild will help you find members based on the position you registered. It saves you the trouble of revealing your skills to others. It’s a real help,” the man said.
The receptionist gave a cheerful bow in response.
“Thank you for your kind words. It’s been very helpful.”
“No problem at all. Oh, by the way, my name’s Nick. I’m an attacker. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m… Shou. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nick.”
Shou shook Nick’s hand firmly.
“…By the way, do you have any healing skills? We’re actually looking for a healer right now.”
“No, unfortunately. I’m sorry I can’t help.”
“Ha ha ha, don’t apologize for something so trivial. Makes me look like the bad guy.”
Laughing heartily, Nick slapped Shou’s back a few times. Just as Shou was about to smile at the warmth of the moment, the door to the guild hall opened, and a woman entered.
Her golden hair, almost translucent, peeked out from beneath her hood.
The moment she appeared, Nick, who had been laughing so loudly, suddenly fell silent.
The adventurers who had been causing a ruckus in the lobby also seemed uncomfortable.
(What’s going on?)
As Shou wondered, Nick suddenly placed his arm around Shou’s shoulder and whispered in his ear.
“I’ve got a piece of advice for you, newbie. Stay away from that woman. You’ll get cursed.”
“Cursed…?”
Shou blinked in confusion at the strange statement, and Nick nodded gravely.
“Yeah. Every adventurer who’s teamed up with her… ends up ruining their lives.”