GalaxyTL
* * *
(Haaaa~~~ How troublesome…)
Pilitza sighed as she raked her fingers through her bright orange hair with gentle waves.
That cursed child Emi or whatever was no longer inside the guild.
She had gone to complete the “task” Pilitza had assigned her for becoming an adventurer.
The “task” was to gather medicinal herbs.
Herb gathering, along with slaying monsters, is a fundamental duty of adventurers, and one cannot become an adventurer without being able to do it.
Saying that, Pilitza had successfully chased Emi out of the guild for the time being.
(Why do I have to deal with that filthy cursed child? So troublesome.)
The reason Pilitza stubbornly refused Emi’s adventurer registration… was because she didn’t want to be involved with a cursed child.
And because it was troublesome.
First, preparing all the paperwork for registering a new adventurer was troublesome.
Next, preparing the various lectures for new adventurers was also troublesome.
More importantly, guild staff have a supervisory responsibility over new adventurers.
If a newcomer causes any problems or dies quickly, the guild staff could face penalties.
Considering that, it was just too much trouble no matter what.
Why should she have to go through all that hassle for some cursed child?
(Was his name Kamasse or something? That brat, he should have just killed the cursed child right then and there. Useless.)
With another sigh, Pilitza finally stood up and mentally cursed the young magic swordsman who had stumbled out after Emi.
Even if the cursed child died, no one would care anyway.
Just clean it up quickly and the guards wouldn’t say a word.
That’s how this world works.
(“Combat ability on par with 2nd rank” my ass, you crappy old man. He lost to a tiny cursed child. Pathetic.)
It was the chief Dakkante, currently away on a business trip, who had evaluated Kamasse’s combat ability as “on par with 2nd rank.”
Pilitza herself, having grown up as guild staff, had no combat ability and didn’t understand battles well.
Moreover, she hadn’t been paying close attention to the earlier fight between Emi and Kamasse.
She didn’t think a cursed child could fight properly anyway, and in the moment her eyes were drawn to paperwork on her desk, Kamasse had already been defeated. She completely missed Emi’s abnormal movements.
While she was certainly shocked by the result of the esteemed Kamasse being defeated, it wasn’t because Emi was strong, just that Kamasse had lost.
In other words, in Pilitza’s mind, the conclusion was “Kamasse was so weak he lost to Emi,” not “Emi was strong enough to defeat Kamasse.”
If she had asked the other adventurers in the guild, she might have realized how precarious that conclusion was, but Pilitza would never bother with such a troublesome task.
(Haaaa~~~~… Seriously, what? What is this? Why do I, of all people, have to deal with a cursed child at this rural branch office?)
Sighing again, Pilitza lamented her circumstances.
She wasn’t originally a staff member at this Yoshanka branch office.
Her previous workplace was a branch of the Adventurer’s Guild located in the capital city of the Teenidys Kingdom.
The capital of elegance.
The capital was lined with fashionable cafes, restaurants, and clothing stores, making every day enjoyable.
Unlike this rural town on a windy cliff.
There was a sparkling, sophisticated life in the capital.
Once upon a time, the young and lovely-faced Pilitza was one of the most popular receptionists in the capital.
There were many adventurers who flirted with her.
Many adventurers who showered her with gifts.
Many adventurers who whispered sweet nothings about marrying her.
And Pilitza became arrogant.
Her work attitude gradually worsened, and she started discriminating in how she treated adventurers.
For higher-ranked adventurers, those who gifted her, or had handsome faces, she would act attentive, recommend better quests, and give preferential material buyback rates.
But for adventurers she didn’t like, she treated them shabbily.
The bigger problem was that she came under suspicion of accepting bribes.
Or rather, she was actually doing it.
She would award more “contribution points” required for rank promotions to the adventurers who gifted her.
……Actually, she was doing various other things too, but let’s set that aside for now.
In any case, this came to the attention of the guild higher-ups.
Using money and looks, she somehow avoided being fired, but her punishment was being transferred to the Yoshanka branch office – essentially being banished.
It’s quite rude to the people of Yoshanka to say being transferred there was a punishment, but for Pilitza, who clung to her life in the capital, it was the harshest penalty imaginable according to the guild leadership.
Before she knew it, Pilitza was now in her mid-thirties.
Her lovely face still remained, but she felt her skin’s tightness had declined compared to before, leaving her feeling anxious these days.
She should have been happily married to a wealthy high-ranked adventurer and built a comfortable home by now, but what had gone wrong?
Had she been too picky…?
Engrossed in such self-reflection, Pilitza never reconsidered her poor work attitude.
* * *
Now then, back to the matter at hand.
Pilitza assigned Emi the “task” of gathering medicinal herbs.
Normally, a receptionist has no authority to assign such “tasks,” and there aren’t even tests or tasks required for adventurer registration to begin with, but let’s set that aside for now.
Pilitza didn’t think Emi could complete that “task” at all.
“Herb gathering is a fundamental duty of adventurers, on par with slaying monsters.”
Those words Pilitza told Emi were absolutely true.
However, when it comes to herbs, there are many varieties.
There are herbs low-ranked adventurers can gather for pocket money, and herbs that high-ranked adventurers must risk their lives to obtain.
The “task” Pilitza assigned Emi was of the latter variety.
To gather the medicinal herb known as “Cysh Grass.”
That was Emi’s “task.”
This Cysh Grass is an ingredient for high-grade potions, and it has been confirmed to grow in the Kaise Forest south of Yoshanka.
And the Kaise Forest is a “demon realm” prowled by dangerous monsters.
A demon realm refers to an area beyond human reach, dominated by monsters.
The Kaise Forest is famous in these parts as a demon realm rivaling even the sacred Mount Zahan, an immense forest so vast it rivals the size of a small country.
While the outskirts may be safe, the interior is an unexplored land overrun by perilous monsters.
Its danger level is unmatched, even compared to Mount Zahan.
To instruct an aspiring child adventurer to gather herbs there is akin to outright telling them “go die” – something that would normally be an outrageous act.
However, since the one ordered to do so was the cursed child Emi, no one would have a problem with it. And since Emi isn’t an adventurer yet, Pilitza wouldn’t face any penalties.
When given the “task,” Emi fell silent for a moment, seeming to ponder something, but after only asking Pilitza to confirm that the Cysh Grass grew in the Kaise Forest, she wrapped a cloth around her head to hide her hair and left the branch office. (Emi had her black hair exposed inside because Pilitza had forcibly removed the cloth when she noticed a single strand of black hair peeking out.)
That cursed child has probably hit a dead end by now.
A cursed child would never have the opportunity to receive a proper education.
Therefore, there’s no way she could even know what Cysh Grass actually is.
She’s definitely thinking she can just go to the Kaise Forest and gather any old plants indiscriminately.
With no preparations, if she tries that in the demon realm, she’ll undoubtedly be killed by monsters.
And with that, the unpleasant matter of dealing with the cursed child was concluded.
Judging it to be over, Pilitza turned her attention back to the paperwork on her desk and let out a yawn.
The strong sea breeze continued whooshing against the branch office windows as ever.