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Translator: Barnnn
The journey to Rinzuda, their next destination, had gone remarkably well.
It had been over two months since the summoning that had pulled them from their world — a strange memory of late July, now softened by the transitioning of the seasons.
Now, as they ventured further northward, they felt the gentle embrace of autumn’s coolness. It wasn’t the deep chill they’d expected, however, given how far they’d traveled from the royal capital.
“Feels milder than a Kanto autumn,” Ize commented. “Maybe like the Tokai region? …Not that I’ve ever been there myself, though.”
“Could even be farther south. If the capital feels like Kyushu, maybe this is more like Kansai?”
“Heh… let’s stop. We’ll drive ourselves nuts comparing it to Japan. This continent’s weather patterns could be like the U.S. for all we know — now that would really throw us off. But it’s a relief to hear that the Kingdom of Tajellia up north isn’t as frigid as Hokkaido.”
“Right? I’m not exactly ready to face a Hokkaido winter.”
“A mí también.”
Hal raised a brow. “Wait, that’s the wrong phrase, isn’t it? Shouldn’t it be ‘a mí tampoco’ if it’s negative?”
“Ehhh, you’re probably right. My Spanish’s pretty shaky… And don’t forget — I was only a semester into my second year of junior high before all this happened.”
“Fair enough.”
“At least there’s no more school to worry about. That’s got to count for something…”
“Yeah, but we’ll have to do plenty of studying later — Fieda will make sure of that. He’s a surprisingly strict teacher.”
“Oh, he sure is — but I wouldn’t say it’s surprising, though, considering his face and voice. I’ll just… try to be ready.”
With that, Ize and Hal continued their quiet conversation over a soothing cup of tea as the night settled around their camp.
Above, stars sparkled in silence; they didn’t know much about Earth’s constellations, but even they could tell that their arrangements were not the exact same here.
As sleep finally tugged at them, Ize sent up a quiet wish for Fieda’s safety, hoping the old warrior, off on his final guard duty, was faring well on his journey.
◆
Rinzuda was a modest town, quieter and about half the size of Dukatten.
The locals spoke of a nearby Rank 4 Dungeon, though, as they told it, it was something of a “dud” — stingy with treasure and rarely home to dangerous creatures. The town came alive with adventurers only during an impending Deluge, when a Dungeon’s energy peaked, but remained a peaceful outpost the rest of the year.
“And that means… no Mystic Beast skewers…” Ize groaned in dismay.
“Yup. We probably won’t be finding any skewer stands till we cross the border, my li’l bro.”
No skewers — a despairing blow to morale indeed.
But every cloud had a silver lining — when they went to reserve their seats on the next horsebus north, they learned that the recent travel restrictions had just been lifted.
For ten days, routes had been closed due to a Mystic Beast nesting in the forest between two northbound routes. Now, the Beast had been slain, and the roads through the mountain and along the river were open again.
A joint announcement from the Adventurers’ Guild and the Border City Guards confirmed that horsebus operations would resume the next day.
“We’d like two tickets northbound, please,” Hal said, stepping up to the counter.
“Thank you for doing business with us.” The clerk nodded, but then glanced apologetically at them. “However, for northbound tickets, we’re prioritizing travelers whose trips were delayed during the restrictions. If you book today, the earliest we can offer is five days from now. Is that acceptable?”
“Guess that’s our only option. Five days it is, then.”
“Understood. We’ll reserve two seats for you.”
“Oh, and…” Hal started again. “This is a personal request — one of the guards who escorted our horsebus to Dukatten, Fieda, advised us to avoid any route involving a guard named Hekirt. Is there any way to arrange that?”
The clerk raised a brow at the unusual request but didn’t seem overly surprised. “Oh, Fieda’s recommendation? Just a moment, please…” After a short pause to check the schedule, she returned. “Thank you for your patience. Hekirt will be on duty for tomorrow’s departure. If you travel any day after, another guard will be assigned.”
“Oh, that’s perfect! Thank you so much!”
Listening to this exchange from behind, Ize allowed herself a quiet celebration.
It seemed the “flags” of a potential Mystic Beast encounter and a troublesome guard — raised so blatantly days ago — had, thankfully, been unceremoniously broken.
◆
And now came the next question: How best to fill the five days remaining until departure?
In a place as small and unassuming as Rinzuda, there wasn’t much to occupy them for long. Perhaps two days, they figured, would be enough to see all the sights.
“We could always swing by the Adventurers’ Guild,” Hal suggested.
“Planning to take on some quests?”
“Yeah. I mean, I’ve got that quota to meet within the next six months. Plus, I’d like to learn more about the Mystic Beast that was killed. If the Guild has any recent reports, we could also see if there’s been any shift in the local Mystic Beast population and if anything else around here has been affected.”
“Sounds like a plan. The Guild first it is, then… And we can pick up some sightseeing in between quests.”
“Already optimizing our adventure, I see,” Hal teased.
“What can I say? We ARE on a sightseeing journey,” Ize replied with a playful shrug.
With their tentative plan settled, they set off toward the Adventurers’ Guild.
There, a man at the counter — one who looked like he’d spent his whole life amid the sleepy routine of this small town — welcomed them. He informed them that the Mystic Beast recently hunted down had been a particularly high-ranking creature — a six-armed Blood Bear variant that had been driving other Mystic Beasts to migrate out of the region. Now that the Blood Bear was dead, those displaced creatures would likely return within a few days, restoring the usual balance.
Reassured by the news, Ize and Hal made their way to the quest board to check for available tasks. But with just one look at it, their faces fell.
“Hold on, there’s nothing here! What’s the meaning of this?” Hal asked, frowning.
“Nothing means nothing, I’m afraid,” the receptionist answered with a calm shrug. “While the hunt was on, the area was practically locked down — other than the hunting team, no other adventurers could go too far, so they swept up all the local quests they could. It’s a good problem to have, though — usually we’re buried under a mountain of pending quests.”
“Welp, no use looking for something that doesn’t exist, I guess,” Hal said, exchanging a wry look with Ize.
With a polite nod of thanks to the receptionist, they turned to leave. Just then, however, the sound of a heated argument reached their ears. A man was speaking harshly to the Guild staff, accusing them of a mishandled appraisal.
“Look at that,” Ize muttered under her breath. “Isn’t he trying to pass that off as a Silver Wolf claw?”
Hal squinted at the item in question. “Yup, that’s a fake. He just used some powder and glue for effect.”
“Hmph, what an amateur. Who’s he trying to fool?”
“Damn, that bad, huh? I’m starting to feel a teeny tiny bit sorry for him…”
“…Um, excuse me,” said the receptionist behind the counter, interrupting them.
“Ah, sorry! Was I in the way? We were just about to leave,” Hal said, startled. Assuming they were blocking the counter, he started to step away.
“Actually, no, not at all. I’d just like to ask — would one of you happen to have any Appraisal-type skills? If so, we could use some help.”
“O-kay…?”
The man proceeded to explain that the Guild was short-staffed and struggling with the volume of appraisals required. Given the influx of adventurers turning in materials and rare items, their limited appraisers had been overwhelmed, leaving low-ranking staff to handle routine items. This had led to some adventurers attempting to pass off inferior or outright fake items as genuine, which in turn had led to disputes.
Hal raised a skeptical eyebrow. “But I’m not part of the Guild. And what if it turns out I didn’t have an Appraisal skill?”
“The Guild often hires freelancers for odd tasks — appraisals, Mystic Beast carcass disposal, such and such. If you don’t have the required skills, we’ll know soon enough — a quick confirmation with one of our appraisers is all we’d need.”
The man walked away into another room, vanishing beyond the doorframe. Moments later, his head reappeared, peering around the edge as he beckoned them forward with a wave.
Inside, they found another man, with the weary face of an engineer who hadn’t slept in five days. His eyes lit up when he spotted Hal, and, to their surprise, he let out a strangled cry,
“An appraiser! Thank the Goddess! I can finally rest!”
And without another word, the man collapsed onto the floor, sleep claiming him the instant his eyes shut.
“Well, well, he’s hit his limit,” the Guild receptionist chuckled, shaking his head. “There’s your confirmation — you do have an Appraisal-type skill. And this seals the deal — you’re hired. I’ll bring a few logistical quests for you to start with. Your… little brother can help, too.” He cast a look at Ize and Hal before stepping out to gather the necessary materials, leaving the slumbering man sprawling on the floor.
Ize blinked in confusion. “…Hal, all this is happening a little fast. I’m not sure I’m keeping up.”
“A mí también.”
“That was… supposed to be negative, Hal.”
“Oof…”
◆
The following morning, the Rinzuda Adventurers’ Guild was buzzing with an unusual energy.
And the cause of that was…
“Hal, we just got a hundred bundles of medicinal herbs in — check them ASAP!”
“Ize, my boy! Would you like some almond cookies?”
“Oh, I’d love them! Thanks so much! Here, Hal, you have some too — c’mon, say ‘ahh’!”
“Save it for later, Ize. I’m busy — mmph-mff!”
“Hal, here’s thirty-two Magicites. Give them a look, eh?”
“Ize, these appraised herbs need to go straight to the pharmacy. Could you deliver them?”
“Of course! Hal, I’ll be back soon!”
“Sure. Take care out there, Ize.”
Both Ize Hal’s lives had entered some strange phase of ‘Mister and Miss Popular’ — Hal for his Eye of Appraisal skill, and Ize, with her Fleet Foot, for practically becoming the go-to errand-runner.
One task followed another, and by the end of the day, the stack of completed quests had grown so immense that Hal found himself promoted to F-Rank. It wasn’t just the sheer number of tasks that earned him this recognition, but also the high marks granted for those demanding rare or unique skills — Appraisal among them.
“I should be proud of this, but I’m not really feeling it…”
“Hey, Hal, I’m back! The pharmacist granny gave me some of these ‘night-strength candies’ as a thank-you! They’re pink! Look how cute they are!”
“BROOOOOO!!” A horrified expression dawned on Hal’s face. “Ize, throw them away! RIGHT NOW!”
The receptionist chuckled. “Listen to your brother, Ize. It’s far too early for you.”
“Oh, right! I’ve got to wait until night — that makes sense!”
“Umm, Ize, that’s not what I…”
“IZE, NO!”
And so, amid lots of laughter and gentle encouragement from the staff, Hal and Ize found themselves fitting right in as they spent the next two days at the Guild, thoroughly busy yet thriving in their roles.
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