Her Occupation Was Errand Runner

I was Roylotte Blake.

In my previous life, I had been… that.

Right now, I was dreaming. I’d seen this dream over and over again, so I knew.

At the very least, I knew this was a dream.

A white ceiling.

A white floor.

The circular formation drawn beneath my feet was covered in divine crests and divine script.

It looked a lot like the magic circles used by mages.

Man, how many times was I going to keep having the same dream?

“You are to be reincarnated as a human.”

“A human?”

“It means you are to live as one of those fragile beings called humans.”

“…”

So I was going to be reborn as a human… That didn’t sound so bad.

I had already grown utterly exhausted from days filled with endless conflict.

At that moment, a small puppy came padding over to me.

I gently stroked the puppy’s head.

“The instant this formation begins to shine, you will be reincarnated as a human.”

“Got it… Wood, stay away from here.”

I told him that, but the puppy, Wood, vigorously shook his head.

You idiot… Were you saying you wanted to come with me?

I stroked Wood’s head once more when he stubbornly refused to leave my side.

I steeled myself and closed my eyes.

The formation began to glow.

If I really could be reborn, then this time, I wanted to live a much more relaxed life.

A plain, modest life…

Morning.

When I woke up, I let out a breath beneath an indescribable sense of exhaustion.

It had been another dream about my previous life.

The dream showed the moment when my guilt had been decided, back when I had been… that.

Whenever I had that dream, I woke up feeling unbearably heavy.

I sluggishly climbed out of bed to wash my face.

Standing in front of the washbasin, I looked at my reflection in the mirror… Appearance-wise, well, I didn’t think I looked bad. I was neither particularly handsome nor particularly ugly.

My eyes drooped slightly at the corners, while my eyebrows were thin and angled upward. Combined with the whites visible beneath my irises, people sometimes told me I had an intimidating look.

My stubble was starting to get a little noticeable. Maybe tomorrow I’d finally shave it.

My naturally soft hair was blond and apparently famous for being surprisingly smooth.

I was fairly tall too.

When I’d last measured myself three years ago, I’d been about 185 centimeters.

Incidentally, a centimeter was one unit of length. Smaller measurements were expressed in millimeters, while larger ones used meters and kilometers. I had no idea why those units had come into use, but there was a theory that the god Xenoric had based them on measurements used in some other world.

A height of 185 centimeters was somewhat above average, but among adventurers, where huge and exceptionally tall people were common, I didn’t stand out at all.

I was probably somewhere in my mid-to-late thirties.

I had no memories from early childhood, so I didn’t know my exact age.

Apparently, I had been around two or three years old when the orphanage took me in.

Other adventurers who saw how thoroughly I enjoyed my modest life sometimes said I lacked vigor for my age, had no ambition, and acted like an old man who had already seen everything.

I figured the memories of my previous life had made me mature beyond my years.

And yet, apparently, even I still had something resembling youthful excitement left in me.

“Good morning, Roy.”

Yuri, already fully dressed and ready, came out of the room next to mine and greeted me.

Was it just my imagination, or did the morning sunlight behind her look like a halo?

Her smile was dazzlingly beautiful.

“Y-Yeah… morning.”

Captivated by her smile, I returned her greeting in a slightly squeaky voice.

I cleared my throat once to settle myself, then decided to tell her today’s plans.

“After breakfast, we’re heading to the reception desk. We need to get you registered as an adventurer.”

“Ah… y-yeah.”

Every major city, including capitals and royal capitals, had a Guild Hall.

Now that Yuri had been expelled from the Hero’s party, she needed to formally register her name with the Guild Hall as an adventurer if she wanted to work.

“I’ll pay you back for the sword, the clothes, and the lodging as soon as I can.”

“You don’t have to rush that much.”

I shrugged at Yuri’s earnest words.

I wasn’t exactly struggling for money, so there was no need for her to repay me immediately.

I’d rather she paid me back at a pace she could comfortably manage.

The Eto Branch of the Adventurers’ Guild Hall.

We went straight to the reception desk and had Yuri’s name registered.

Once she was registered here, she could receive monster-subjugation requests, collect bounties on slain monsters, and receive payment when the Guild bought monster carcasses or materials from her.

Erin-chan, the receptionist, was only twelve years old, but she was a capable girl.

Even though this was Yuri’s first time registering, Erin-chan kindly explained how to fill out the documents and complete the procedures.

As Erin-chan looked through the registry, she suddenly asked Yuri a question.

“Yuri-san, weren’t you previously part of a party? The Hero’s party?”

The Hero’s name was registered in the Guild records.

Apparently, the Hero’s name appeared in Guild registries all over the world so that Guild branches could support him wherever his journey took him.

Naturally, Yuri’s name was listed as well.

“They told me I was useless and kicked me out of the party.”

Erin-chan’s face took on an indescribably complicated expression.

Yuri continued.

“The Hero was my childhood friend. When he left the village, I went with him to protect him. But gradually, I stopped being useful in battle.”

“…”

She had probably protected him as his guardian at first, but as the Hero’s level rose, Yuri, being an ordinary person, had been unable to keep up… Was that what had happened?

And that was why they had eventually expelled her from the party.

Erin-chan spoke to Yuri considerately.

“Please don’t lose heart. If a job comes in that Yuri-san can handle, I’ll make sure you’re the first person I contact.”

“Th-Thank you.”

“By the way, Yuri-san, what occupation were you registered under before? Your name is here, but the occupation field is blank.”

“…I was registered as an errand runner.”

Erin-chan looked bewildered by Yuri’s answer.

An errand runner…? Nobody registered under a title like that.

Feeling an unpleasant sensation creeping over me, I asked Yuri.

“Don’t tell me the Hero told you to register yourself that way?”

“Yes. I wasn’t particularly outstanding with either the sword or magic.”

Even so, “errand runner” was ridiculous.

That wasn’t even the name of an occupation.

The Guild Hall that accepted that registration had problems too. The Eto Branch had probably left the occupation field blank because it wasn’t an actual occupation title.

“But you can use both swords and magic, right?”

“Yes, more or less.”

“Erin-chan, register Yuri as a Magic Swordswoman.”

Erin-chan nodded vigorously and wrote Magic Swordswoman in the occupation field.

All while quietly muttering, “The Hero is the worst…”

“By the way, Yuri-san, can you use healing magic?”

“Ah, yes. A little.”

“Then I’ll let you know if any requests come in from clinics or hospitals.”

“Th-Thank you very much.”

And with that, her registration was successfully completed, but judging from the job postings, recruitment notices, and request forms plastered across the lobby walls, there didn’t seem to be any work an E-rank adventurer could handle.

At this rate, there was no telling when she’d find a job. Even if a request came in, jobs involving weak monsters didn’t pay much.

I patted Yuri on the shoulder.

“Yuri, why don’t you help me out for now? I’ll hire you as my partner.”

“Huh… but…”

I grinned at the hesitant Yuri.

“That’ll be the quickest way for me to recover the money I spent on your lodging and clothes.”

“B-But I’m useless…”

“Don’t worry about it. If something looks too difficult, just stay far back and cast support spells. Even an E-rank can manage that much, right?”

“I can do that. I’ll work hard not to hold you back.”

Yuri’s cheeks flushed as she clenched both fists.

Good, good. She was fired up.

A cute girl really did look best with a bright expression.

Her eyes had looked completely dead when she was with the Hero’s party.

Even if she really had been useless, what had the Hero been thinking, dismissing such a cute girl in such a humiliating public spectacle?

Once the registration was done, we went straight to the barbershop next to the inn.

I decided to have Yuri’s messy hair tidied up.

“U-Um… how does it look?”

Yuri stepped out of the barbershop with her hair neatly trimmed.

Her cheeks were pink with embarrassment as she looked up at me through her lashes.

Doing my best to remain cool, I replied, “Looks good.” With her bangs neatly cut and the rest of her hair shortened and shaped, she had become a strikingly beautiful girl who still retained a faintly boyish air.

Oh no… she was absurdly cute…

Cute enough that I almost wanted to start pounding on the wall.

Of course, I was a grown man, so I didn’t.

If I’d been ten years younger… no, twenty years younger, I might actually have done it.

Yuri tilted her head as she looked at me, and my heart skipped a beat.

—…What the hell was I getting so excited about?

I was basically Yuri’s guardian.

I was only helping her become independent.

I needed to avoid getting too emotionally attached… otherwise, parting with her later would only hurt.

I told myself that, but whenever my eyes met Yuri’s, I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from softening into a smile.

“Your hair looks much better now.”

“Yeah. It kind of feels like the whole world got brighter.”

Her bangs had been covering her field of vision until now, after all.

Even her expression seemed brighter somehow.

Well, whatever. As long as we were together, there was no harm in letting myself enjoy it.

First, I needed to help her reach a point where she could live happily and cheerfully.

And if that was the goal, then I ought to start by being cheerful and enjoying myself too.