The Guild Hall

“Aaah! Konoha-chan, seriously, everything looks good on you!”

“Tree, how about this!? Put her in a maid outfit and have her say, ‘Welcome home, Master!’ or something!”

“Yes! Yes, that’s perfect!”

And thus, the culture of maid obsession was born in another world. Though it was already pretty old-fashioned.

“Ah, ahahaha…”

“…Cute.”

“Huh?”

“N-Nothing.”

Konoha had been turned into a dress-up doll at Tree’s house. Now then, let’s begin with our customary flashback.

~Flashback~

“I’m out of the bath! It was really nice!”

“I see. I’m amazed you could get straight into the bath after eating that much. You were tearing apart those crabs at an incredible pace, weren’t you?”

“Stop it, you’re making me want to eat them again~!”

“For now, hurry up and get dressed. Before those beasts over there attack you.”

“Fueh?”

Somewhere between ten and twenty figures were staring intently at Konoha, who had emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. This was Tree Carmen’s house. Given that her grandmother was Forest, Konoha had vaguely expected it, but apparently theirs was quite a distinguished family, and the house was extremely luxurious.

As for Tree’s parents,

“If they saved our daughter, then we have to treat them to something wonderful!”

they had said, ordering the chef to prepare an incredible feast. Many of the girls who had been intended as sacrifices had also been invited, and the dining room had already taken on the atmosphere of a university students’ celebration party.

“It’s like a little party. What should I eat first~?”

“Well, in your case, crab is obviously the safe bet. Even while you’re pretending to think about it, your feet are already carrying you toward the crab…”

“Ah!! As expected of you, Mr. Crab… This overflowing cosmos and mysterious gravitational pull!”

“Why am I playing along with this nonsense?”

The Saint of Can—… Never mind.

And after finishing dinner, taking a bath, and coming back out, they had arrived at the present. The bath itself had also been surprisingly large.

“I’m out~.”

~End Flashback~ Actually, that really wasn’t worth flashing back to.

“Pajamas!! Precious, absolutely precious! What is this overflowing feeling inside me!?”

“A scorching, surging passion.”

“No, it’s love! Not romance, but love!”

“Uwah, it feels breezy…”

Konoha shyly pinched up the hem. Apparently, sleepwear in this era was rather sexy. The merciless bombshell figures of the older girls fresh from the bath struck Konoha from every direction.

“Yes, it suits you! It really suits you, Konoha-chan! Now all we need to do is tie a ribbon around you and take you home!”

“But this is your house, Tree-san.”

“Then I’m taking you home to my roooom!”

“No! Mghhh… I can’t breathe…”

Konoha began suffocating between a pair of breasts. At this rate, she might actually be carried off and thoroughly devoured by the older girls, so Meiro put a stop to it.

“No. Excessive physical contact is strictly forbidden.”

“I feel like I’ve become some kind of idol…”

“Ahahaha, I’m kidding~. We prepared a proper room for you, Konoha-chan, and Meiro-chan, your room is right nearby too, so use it!”

“Your eyes did not look like you were joking at all.”

In the end, the older girls thoroughly doted on Konoha as their dress-up doll until she grew sleepy, at which point Meiro carried her away and put her to bed. University girls were terrifying.

“Amaaaazing!!”

“So fuuun… Urgh, what is this memory…?”

Maybe some kind of signal hijacking?

Konoha, Meiro, Tree, and the group of university girls had gone shopping in Racluzero. They were scheduled to visit the Guild Hall in the evening, so they were able to shop at a surprisingly leisurely pace.

“They have character candy! What character is this?”

“That’s the 【Forest Magical Girl】. She’s Racluzero’s hugely popular mascot. Hmm… looks like she isn’t around today.”

“Huh, there’s someone walking around in a costume? Also, this looks like a cat, so why is she a magical girl?”

Konoha had bought a green piece of candy. It seemed to be modeled after a cat, but how exactly was this supposed to be the Forest Magical Girl?

“That cat is only her temporary form. When she transforms, she turns into an incredibly cute girl who mows down her enemies one after another. She’s a character from a picture book. Oh, and it’s green-apple flavored!”

“Huh~. I’d like to meet her. Ah, it’s delicious!”

The stalls sold all sorts of unusual foods. Since this city was farther inland, seafood was fairly difficult to obtain, but food from the mountains was abundant.

“Ah, Meiro-chan, look at this!”

“Hmm? What is it, a demon?”

“Maybe? It looks really scary.”

It had a pitch-black face, huge bright-red eyes, fangs bared from an angry-looking mouth, and two horns protruding from its head. It was a strange mask resembling both a demon and an oni. There was a childlike eeriness to it, but apparently it was the work of an artist from this city. Or rather, apparently it was the work of the person selling it.

“It’s breathable and doesn’t obstruct your vision! All right, I’m getting this!”

“Wait, you’re actually buying it?”

“Yeah. That way, even if we run into my classmates during a fight, they won’t know it’s me, right? Like… the Righteous Oni Mask!!”

“Fine… Wait, that’s expensive!”

Twenty silver coins. For reference, the Sacred Kingdom of Parsia used three forms of currency: gold, silver, and copper coins. The system was simple: one hundred copper coins equaled one silver coin, and one hundred silver coins equaled one gold coin. Easy enough even for beginners newly transported to another world. In Japanese yen terms, one copper coin would be about ten yen, while one silver coin would be around one thousand yen. If you want a dollar comparison, please consult the morning exchange-rate report on N○K.

Incidentally, gold coins bore a portrait of Parsia, the first king. Silver coins depicted the ancient Dragon God, 【Ragnarok】. Copper coins bore an image of Fortuna from the Church of the Full Moon. The currencies changed once one reached the Empire or the United Kingdom, so these coins could only be used within Parsia.

“We should visit the exchange office before the gold coins we got as drops run out… Hey, stop making such a fuss.”

“Yaaay! This is so cool!”

“I’ll enchant it later so it won’t interfere with your vision. I’d be furious if your combat ability dropped because of something like that.”

“It won’t. But just in case, please do.”

Afterward, they successfully obtained a decent amount of money at the exchange office.

“That ancient armor we got as a drop sold for more than I expected.”

“It was heavy~. And smelled like rust. Was it really okay to get twenty gold coins for it?”

Once they reached Racluzero’s commercial district and continued toward the city council hall, the streets became even livelier.

Then something caught Konoha’s eye.

“Ahhh!!! The Forest Magical Girl!?”

Indeed, there stood a cat mascot surrounded by children and looking rather flustered. It was one of Racluzero’s specialties: the Forest Magical Girl.

“Wait, Konoha!”

“Please shake my haaaand!!”

The Forest Magical Girl flinched for an instant, but happily shook Konoha’s hand. She even gave her a balloon. We shall omit the mysterious middle-aged man’s voice that could be heard from inside. We shall omit it.

“I thought you were adorable from the very first moment I saw you!”

There was no middle-aged ma—… mascot who would not be delighted to hear that from a beautiful girl. Even if it was merely a temporary form, the mascot worked hard today as well so as not to shatter the children’s dreams. Thank you for your hard work.

After that, they leisurely toured the city, eating Racluzero specialties and visiting art galleries and museums, and before they realized it, evening had arrived.

“Well, here we are. The Guild Hall.”

Guild Halls were organizations that managed the various Guilds and were generally established in major cities. They managed local Guild treasuries, warehouses, records, and other resources, while also handling quest applications. Adventurers were first issued something called a 【Tag】 by a Guild. Commander Legato had explained it before, but as adventurers completed quests, their Tags rose in rank. From highest to lowest, they were:

Gold Moon

Silver Moon

Copper Moon

Purple Moon

Blue Moon

Green Moon

Yellow Moon

Orange Moon

Red Moon

White Moon

Gold, silver, and copper were self-explanatory; below those, it was easiest to think of the ranks as growing stronger as they moved through the cooler colors of the rainbow. This ten-rank system had a major impact on what quests one could accept, and many quests required adventurers to possess at least a certain Tag Color.

The Kingdom of Parsia also used this Tag Color system to select personnel for palace security. Every member of the Royal Guard Knights was an adventurer ranked Green Moon or higher, and such adventurers were stationed at the palace as 【Knights】. Likewise, whether in the central territories or the provinces, anyone seeking employment as a kingdom knight was required to be Orange Moon rank or above. While they guarded their respective garrisons, they could also be dispatched as adventurers to eliminate demons in various regions when requests came in.

Roughly seventy percent of the forces the kingdom used in war were mercenaries, and the number of directly controlled knights was comparatively small. In practice, wars were fought with the military corps of the Seven Generals who guarded the royal capital acting as rapid-response forces and forming the command structure for the regional armies.

“Excuse us!!”

The Guild Hall was packed with people eating and drinking. Apparently, it also had a tavern attached. Drunken patrons hurling jeers was an everyday occurrence.

“Oh! A cute girl just came in!! Hey, whose girlfriend is she?”

“Come keep me company! Don’t tell me you’re actually an adventurer?”

“Gahahahaha! Another round!”

“What a vulgar place…”

“They seem fun~.”

Then, rather than a drunkard, a gentle-looking man approached them. He casually placed a hand on Konoha’s shoulder.

“You’re cute. How about it? I’m pretty confident in those kinds of techniques.”

“Techniques?”

“Judging by the look of you, you’re a White Moon rookie, right? Being an adventurer is dangerous. There’s nothing wrong with finding happiness as a girl instead. What do you say?”

“Hmm, but we were summoned here to meet someone. Sorry, handsome mister.”

Konoha smiled. The gentle-looking man appeared surprised for a moment before his face reddened slightly.

“This is troublesome. I only approached her for a little fun… but she’s ridiculously cute.” (mutter)

“Huh?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m Ezel. A Green Moon-class dual swordsman. Who summoned you here? Surely it wouldn’t hurt to have a little fun with me first?”

“Have fun?”

Konoha, completely oblivious to what he meant, practically had question marks floating above her head. Meiro cut in between her and Ezel.

“Would you stop? We already have an appointment. You’ve got some nerve trying to pick Konoha up.”

“Oh? And you’re another cute little rookie? I simply hate seeing girls like you get killed. I’ve seen plenty of cute girls head out adventuring full of confidence only to meet horrible ends. Ah, or did you come here looking for men? If so, I’d like to volunteer. I’ll take good care of both of you.”

Meiro sighed. There was no getting through to him. Then again, given how beautiful Konoha and Meiro were, it was probably inevitable that people like this would approach them.

“Yeah, that’s right!! This isn’t a place for kids!! Hell, I’ll give you a good time myself, then you can go home!!”

“So your name’s Konoha-chan~! Aren’t you seriously cute? Come on, give me one shot~.”

“Her body’s developing pretty nicely too. Somebody go land her before Ezel takes her again.”

“Konoha-chan, don’t do it! Ezel’s famous for sleeping with girls and dumping them right after, you know?”

The adventurers in the tavern shouted one vulgar remark after another. They were quite drunk, but many of them had Orange Moon Tags. They were indeed ranked above Konoha and Meiro.

“That’s enough, you bastards.”

A bearded man entered the hall. He was a massive man well over 190 centimeters tall, and his face was every bit as unfriendly as his build.

“Welcome to the Racluzero Guild Hall, rookie adventurers. First you’ll need to register. There’s a receptionist over there, so go take care of the paperwork—”

“That won’t be necessary. We were summoned here, but apparently the message hasn’t gotten around properly. And who are you?”

“Whoa there, little miss. You’ve got some serious nerve, don’t you? I’m Sid, Guild Master of Racluzero’s combat Guild, 【Den of Starving Wolves】. That womanizer over there belongs to my Guild too. So? Who called you here?”

“That would be me.”

A raspy voice came from the room in the back, and the person who walked through the doorway was—

“Lady Carmen. So it was you.”

The Green Sage, Forest Carmen. She was the chancellor of Racluzero University and a figure whose authority surpassed even the mayor of Racluzero City. Carmen had already arranged Konoha and Meiro’s Tag Color registrations the previous day. At present, the two of them were White Moon rank—in other words, the very lowest rank.

“So these are the girls you were talking about? I find it difficult to believe.”

“I told you what they looked like too, didn’t I? Honestly… Sorry about that, girls.”

“Indeed. Communication is important.”

Meiro spoke with exasperation. Sid looked Konoha and Meiro up and down as though appraising them.

“Hoh. These little girls, huh? You’re saying they slaughtered Black Apes? I don’t buy it. And they’re White Moon rank on top of that. Lady Carmen, you didn’t actually see them do it yourself, did you? My vote goes to it being a tall tale.”

“Konoha-chan and the others really did save me!”

Tree stepped forward in protest. But the adventurers who saw this began shouting one after another.

“Hahaha! That’s a good one!! I can already see her getting taken down by a goblin in one hit and ending up violated. Hell, want me to buy her off you?”

“She’s got a nice body. It’d be a waste if she died. Come on, let’s have some fun~.”

Seriously, was that the only thing these people thought about?

“Honestly, you idiots… Anyway, girls, why don’t you come inside? The extermination party should be getting back soon, so it’ll probably get noisy again—”

The instant Forest said that, the doors to the Guild Hall burst open with a loud crash.

“Speak of the devil.”

Several adventurers entered, but every one of them wore a grim expression. Many appeared to be injured as well.

“Oh? What happened to you lot? More importantly, where’s Flora?”

“…Flora is the one who’s gone missing. Several other adventurers who accompanied her have also disappeared… During our retreat, we were attacked by a large goblin force, and this was the result. We have no excuse for our failure.”

The male adventurers spoke apologetically.

“Also, nearby Nakago Village was attacked and destroyed by a goblin army. It would probably be best to issue a full-scale extermination request for them.”

“Hmm. Yes, I suppose so. In that case, could you have the Den of Starving Wolves form the core of the extermination force? I can’t imagine Flora being killed by ordinary goblins, but she may be hiding somewhere in the mountains and unable to move, so I’d like you to search for her as well, Sid.”

“Got it. You hear that, you bastards!? You’ve got a job. Five silver coins for every goblin. Damn good money, isn’t it? We need numbers, so the younger ones are coming too!!”

The adventurers who had been drinking reluctantly got to their feet. Goblins were widely regarded as little more than the weakest monsters imaginable—pathetic creatures whose only advantages were cowardice and cunning. Stories of novice adventurers being killed by them were common, but these adventurers were confident. After all, they had killed stray goblins many times during their travels.

“Actually, you girls should join us too. Don’t worry. You’re White Moon rank, but your seniors will protect you. Getting some experience will do you good.”

“We aren’t weak enough to lose to goblins.”

“That’s what most White Moon rookies say. They’re too confident in themselves, and then they die before they know it. Listen, little miss. Don’t get conceited. This world isn’t that forgiving.”

“I already told you, I—”

Meiro grew irritated and tried to argue further, but Konoha stopped her. Konoha smiled brightly at Sid and said,

“Understood. We’ll go along with you, Sid-san, so please take care of us!”

“Now that’s more like it. Obedient girls live longer. Just sit back and watch us work. Watching is a valuable experience too! Wahahaha!”

Sid laughed heartily, barked instructions at the adventurers, and then headed into the back room while chatting with them.

“Konoha.”

“Meiro-chan. Let’s not make too much trouble here, okay? With the way we look, it’s only natural they’d react like this.”

“But I can’t accept people looking down on you.”

“Meiro-chan…”

Meiro clenched her fist in frustration. Konoha slowly walked toward her, stretched out her arms, and embraced her slender body.

“Wha!? Konoha!?”

“Thank you, Meiro-chan. For getting angry for me.”

“I-It wasn’t entirely for your sake! I was frustrated too, and so…”

“Yeah, thank you. Ehehe, you smell nice, Meiro-chan♪”

“W-W-W-Whaaa!?”

Her face bright red, Meiro stumbled backward away from Konoha. Apparently, she was not accustomed to this kind of physical affection.

Forest approached the heartwarming pair.

“Sorry about that. Actually, I should have just shown them your status, but if we do that now, it’ll probably cause unnecessary trouble. For now, once you get back, take your time and show Sid your status. After that, I’d like you to formally accept proper requests and work your way up.”

“Ahaha, we’ll do that. Um, Forest-san, sorry about all this too. We somehow ended up causing all sorts of trouble.”

“No, this one’s on me. Those who are strong deserve to be properly recognized for it. And if possible, try to help those idiots out as well. That’s assuming something happens, of course.”

“Understood! All right, let’s get ready, Meiro-chan!”

Meiro reluctantly nodded. First, they needed to prepare their equipment.