Chapter 51: Strolling in the Royal Capital

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Translator: Soafp

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The morning after arriving in the royal capital, during breakfast…

“Grandpa, may I go explore the royal capital on my own?”

“…”

“…”

“Joshua told me about it…”

I looked at Grandpa with hopeful eyes.

“Staring at me won’t change my answer.”

“Why not?”

“I won’t allow you to stroll through the city without a guard.”

“Then, what if I go armed?”

At that moment, Grandpa proposed something with a mischievous smile.

“If you can defeat the strongest among the guards, I’ll give you permission.”

“Really! Thank you!”

I gleefully agreed to his proposal.

On the other hand, El and Marl shook their heads as if to say, “That’s a bad idea.”

After breakfast, I put on my full armor and moved to the mansion’s garden.

In the garden, Noel was equipped with a one-handed sword and shield, standing with a serious expression. The equipment was a wooden sword for practice.

“Grandpa, do I just need to defeat Noel?”

“Yes, that’s right…”

“Understood.”

I faced Noel and asked

“Noel, am I allowed to use magic?”

“Absolutely not!”

“I see. Anything else?”

“I’ve got more! First, don’t kill your opponent! Then, lethal attacks are prohibited! Next, don’t aim for vital spots! And also…”

“I-Is that enough?”

“Y-yeahl, no lethal strikes, please!

“G-Got it…”

“Once you say ‘I give up,’ it’s over! You stop the attack immediately, got it?!”

“Y-yes….”

“Now, could you move a bit farther away? A bit more!”

I moved about 50 meters away, but I could hear the knights talking.

“Captain, is she going to die single…?” “Isn’t that the blood-soaked Shura? No way…” “I’d quit being a knight before facing that…” “If the captain dies, who will be the next captain…?” “If we’re going to face that thing, we’ll need a whole squadron…”

I could hear various comments. One of them was strange, but can I cry now?

Noel and I, with tears in our eyes for different reasons, faced each other.

“Begin!”

Grandpa’s voice echoed in the garden.

After about 10 minutes into the mock battle, Noel received another effective hit.

“I yield…”

Finally, Noel acknowledged defeat. It was my victory.

I turned to Grandfather.

“I’m going to go for a walk in the capital, as promised.”

“W-wait…”

“As promised if I defeated Noel I am allowed to walk in the capital, right?”

“Gugugu…..but going without an escort…”

“Understood. So, is it okay if I take Noel with me?”

“Ah, well, that should be fine.”

The knights murmured among themselves.

“Is that thing meant to have an escort?” “If anything happens, can’t he just fly away?” “Well, if it’s just a walk…”

I ignored their remarks!

“Noel, let’s go!”

“Understood.”

I was to explore the royal capital with Noel as my escort! As we passed through the mansion’s gate and stepped outside, I asked Noel.

“By the way, do you know much about the royal capital?”

“I’m not proud, but I have no clue.”

“Certainly not something to proud about.”

“Is there anywhere you want to go?”

“I’d like to visit the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“The Guild, huh?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Well, I thought trouble would surely follow if it’s Aldo-sama…”

“Don’t worry. Also, just call me Aldo. Using honorifics feels like you’re aiming for something.”

“Got it. Aldo.”

“Now, where’s the Guild… Shall we ask someone?”

While asking several passersby for directions, we managed to reach the Guild.

The royal capital’s Guild was larger than expected, a three-story building with a sizable compound.

“The first floor has reception and a tavern. Pretty standard template.”

“Template?”

“Never mind. Alright, let’s go in!”

“Understood…”

I slowly pushed open the door of the Adventurer’s Guild. There were no queues at the reception, and only a few people were in the tavern.

“Shall we also register as adventurers?”

“If you do whatever you want and get scolded, it’s not my problem…”

“It’ll be fine. Noel, you’re overly cautious.”

“Geez…”

I asked the receptionist for adventurer registration.

“Excuse me, I’d like to register as an adventurer.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m 12.”

“Well, come back when you’re a bit older.”

“Can’t I register at 12?”

“It’s not that, but I dislike the idea of a child like you losing their life.”

“If that’s the case, it’s alright. I’ve been training properly.”

“Even if you say that, every year there are kids who don’t come back. I won’t say anything harsh, so come back when you’re older.”

“I’ll be fine, so please register me.”

“You’re persistent. While I’m handling the reception, it’s an absolute no.”

She might be saying it out of kindness, but honestly, it’s a hassle. I understand not being able to silently watch a child being killed by monsters, though.

“Naga-san, what’s going on?”

“Ah, Joeguna-san, this kid wants to register as an adventurer.”

The man referred to as Joeguna intervened.

“Kid, Naga-san’s saying it out of kindness. It’s better to go home quietly.”

“Haa… I understand it’s out of kindness. But I’m fine. Don’t force it.”

“Kid, everyone says that and still doesn’t leave. Give it up and go back. Besides, unless Naga-san approves, you can’t register.”

“Why not?”

“Naga-san is working at reception now, but she’s actually the Deputy Guild Master.”

“Deputy Guild Master? This young lady?”

“Hey, watch your words… Take a look at Naga-san’s ears; she’s an elf. Don’t judge by appearances.”

“Really! An elf! First time I’ve seen one.”

“You… I’ll give you credit for your guts.”

“Indeed, it’s the royal capital. To see an elf from the start.”

“Alright, get going.”

“That’s a different story. I’ll get registered.”

“Oh, it’s such a hassle… Naga-san, can I teach this kid a lesson?”

“I haven’t seen anything.”

“R-Right. Kid, let me massage you a bit.”

Though he might be in a similar situation, I was a little annoyed too.

“Noel, stay back for a bit.”

“Yep, just as I expected… I’ll just stay out of this…”

Joeguna and I faced each other in the expanded area of the guild. People, perhaps used to fights, started to gather around, some gambling on whether the kid could last a minute or not.

“Hey, old man, what’s the bet if I win?”

“Huh? There’s no way it’s a bet.”

The guild burst into laughter at the words of the gambling man.

“Gold coin.”

“What?”

“One gold coin to the winner.”

“Are you serious? Kid…”

“Here.”

I tossed a gold coin to the man.

Facing Joeguna again, I am 1.5 meters tall, while Joeguna is 1.8 meter tall, exactly the height difference between an adult and a child.

“Kid, don’t take me lightly… Even I’m getting irritated…”

“Is that so? I just want to earn some pocket money.”

“Fine, I thought about giving you a light pat, but I’ll stop. You need a tough lesson.”

“…”

Reacting to Joeguna’s killing intent, I instantly strengthened my body. Joeguna aimed a powerful punch at my face…

But it was too slow… Ashera was several times faster.

Using the palm of my left hand, I diverted his fist to the right. Joeguna’s body shifted to the right. I thrust my right fist into his solar plexus.

A dull thud echoed in the surroundings.

Joeguna kneeled and bent forward, losing consciousness.

Silence fell upon the tavern. No one could believe what they just witnessed.

Everyone widened their eyes, seemingly forgetting their words. I cast a recovery spell on the fallen Joeguna and laid him in a corner.

“Old man, how much did it become?”

“Huh?”

“I said, how much did it become?”

“Oh, it’s 10 to 0, so it’s doubled… There you go…”

“Thanks, old man.”

“Oh, yes…”

I then moved back to the receptionist and asked for adventurer registration.

“With this, can you register me as an adventurer?”

“Eh? Uh, yes…”

“Then please.”

“R-Right…”

“…”

“I’m sorry for earlier…”

“You were worried about me, right?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“I understand it was out of kindness, so it’s okay.”

“Thank you…”

“Rather than that, please proceed with the adventurer registration.”

“Y-Yes. Please fill out this paper.”

“Sure, my name is Aldo. I’m 12 years old. My specialty is short swords. Done.”

I handed the completed form to Naga.

“Would you like an explanation of the Adventurer Guild system?”

“Yes, I’d like to hear it.”

“Then, let me explain.”

“Okay.”

“First, adventurers receive requests. The requests are posted on that board, so you take the request sheet from there and bring it to the reception. That completes the request acceptance.”

“Okay.”

“There are mainly three types of requests: ‘Slay,’ ‘Gather,’ and ‘Escort.’ Slay is to defeat specified targets. For proof, bring the specified part. Gather involves collecting herbs, monster parts, etc. Basically, you can buy or collect the items on-site. Escort is as the name suggests.”

“I see.”

“The adventurer ranks range from S to G. Initially, everyone starts from G-class. Based on your contributions to the guild and the accuracy of your requests, you’ll be promoted. But from C-class onwards, there’s an exam for promotion, so be cautious.”

“What if you don’t take the exam?”

“Apologies, but you’ll remain in the D-class.”

“I understand.”

“Basically, you can only accept requests up to one rank higher than your current rank.”

“What about lower ones?”

“Sometimes, there are urgent situations where we need immediate acceptance. However, if someone in the C-class repeatedly accepts requests from the G-class or similar discrepancies, we will caution them at the time of accepting the request. If this pattern continues, penalties such as rank demotion may be imposed.”

“Got it.”

“Next is about failing requests. For a failed request, you’ll pay a penalty of 1/4 of the request amount. If this happens repeatedly, it may lead to a demotion, so please be careful.”

“Yes.”

“There are 2 more points. Within the requests, there’s something called a repeating quest. The current repeat is to defeat goblins. You don’t need to bring a request form. Just bring the proof of the defeat as written in the request form, and we’ll process it afterward, no matter when it’s brought in.”

“I see.”

“Another point is when you reach C rank, there’s something called a mandatory request. Once the request is triggered, the adventurer cannot refuse the request. If you refuse, your adventurer status will be revoked.

“Understood.”

“So, that sums up the guild’s explanation. Any questions?”

“Um… nothing comes to mind right now.”

“If you have any later, feel free to ask.”

“Thank you.”

“Now that the explanation is done, here’s your adventurer card.”

It seems they arranged the card during the explanation. This person is quite efficient.

“Oh, this is the adventurer card…”

“Can you take on any requests today?”

“I’ll just head back for today. I’ll come to pick up some when I have time again. Thank you.”

“Got it. I’m Naga. Looking forward to working together in the future.”

As I turned to leave, I noticed Joeguna from earlier standing there.

“Oh, sorry about earlier. I thought you were just a kid who couldn’t even fight.”

“I’m the one who should apologize. I caused embarrassment.”

“It’s fine. But kid, you’re pretty strong.”

“I still have a long way to go… I usually get beaten up by my childhood friend…”

“You’ve got someone beating you up?! I should’ve been more careful then. Can you tell me more about them?”

“She’s a silver-haired girl, 14 years old. Looks innocent and quiet, like a sheltered noble’s daughter.”

“I can’t talk to girls like that! What kind of trap for a guy’s heart is that?”

“Truly…”

“By the way, you know her, right?”

“Oh, yes, she’s my fiancée.”

“…Are you… an M perhaps?”

“Shall we go for another round?”

“Sorry, my bad.”

“No, it’s okay…”

“…”

“…”

“I’m Joeguna. My close friends call me Joe or Joe-san. I’m a C rank.”

“I’m Aldo. Just Aldo. G? rank.”

“I’ve heard about you.”

“I figured.”

“If you ask around, you’ll find where I usually am. I apologize, but I’ll teach you the ABCs of being an adventurer. It’s not just about strength; otherwise, you’ll die quickly.”

“I appreciate it. I’ll definitely ask for your help.”

“Whenever you have free time, give me a shout.”

“Got it.”

Today, I made acquaintances with Joe and the elf receptionist. With my adventurer registration done, I left the guild and headed back to the mansion.

“Noel, it was fun today.”

“I’m glad for you… haa, being with you exhausts me way more than usual…”

As I listened to Noel’s complaints, I walked the path back to the mansion.