The Heim Guild Branch

That evening, I was treated to a magnificent dinner at the Lord’s estate. After indulging in some light, pleasant conversation with the Lord and his wife, I retired to my room for the night.

The following morning, our party headed toward the Heim City Guild Branch. The facility appeared to be located right around the heart of the city.

“It truly lives up to its name as the City of Adventurers,” I remarked, looking up at the guild building.

While it didn’t quite operate on the same massive scale as the Guild Headquarters in the Royal Capital, it was an exceptionally grand and impressive structure for a local branch. Stepping inside, the interior was absolutely overflowing with young warriors clad in distinct adventurer armaments. I caught a fleeting glimpse of the main quest board, noting that the sheer volume of postings was completely on par with the Capital’s selection.

“I need to speak with the Branch Master.”

Approaching the general inquiry desk, I presented my guild card certifying my S-rank status.

“I-I shall go verify his availability immediately, sir!”

The receptionist sprinted toward the back offices with a visible wave of panic. Well, considering one of the mere handful of S-rank adventurers active in this kingdom had suddenly walked through her doors, a minor panic was a perfectly logical reaction.

After waiting around for a brief moment, the same receptionist returned to the counter.

“The Branch Master will see you right away. Allow me to escort you.”

She guided our party straight to the Branch Master’s office.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable and take a seat,” the Branch Master urged, gesturing toward the sofas the exact fraction of a second we stepped across the threshold.

“I am Reimer, the overseer entrusted with managing the Adventurer’s Guild here in the city of Heim. Reports of your legendary exploits have successfully breached our borders and reached my ears, you know.”

“I am Vim Arbel. I highly hope those rumors weren’t entirely negative,” I replied with a wry smile.

“You have arrived in Heim to handle the dungeon investigation, correct? I have already been comprehensively briefed regarding the situation by the General Manager. Your formal transit permit has been fully issued.”

The Branch Master placed a single sheet of parchment onto the table.

“Perfect. The transit permit is fully verified.”

Folding the document into thirds, I secured it safely inside my breast pocket.

“And furthermore, this is a regional navigation map detailing the exact spatial coordinates of the dungeon entrance.” The Branch Master handed over another sheet of parchment featuring a printed map.

“This is a massive help. With this locked in, we shall head out to initiate the investigation immediately.”

“I calculate that harboring safety anxieties for a party of your caliber is a completely redundant exercise, but please, take care out there.”

“Thank you very much.”

Leaving the Branch Master’s office behind us, we exited the guild.

Utilizing the map we had just secured to guide our steps, we set out toward the dungeon coordinates. Based on the logistical scale, a short walk of several tens of minutes would bring us straight to the perimeter.

Our party maintained a steady pace for the next chunk of time, until the structural opening of the dungeon entrance finally loomed into view.

Stationed squarely in front of the entrance were multiple knights operating as sentries. Their presence was an absolute mandatory safeguard to prevent civilian units from accidentally blundering into an estimated S-class zone. By imperial and guild decree, entering an uninvestigated dungeon without an official transit permit was strictly prohibited.

“Hold your steps. This sector is a designated estimated S-rank dungeon zone. You cannot pass without an official transit permit,” one of the knight sentries declared, blocking our path.

“We are the party formally commissioned by Guild Headquarters to handle the initial investigation of this site.”

I pulled out the transit permit and presented it to the guard.

“My deepest apologies for the intrusion, sir! Safe travels to your party!”

Snapping into a fierce, energetic salute, the knights stepped aside to let us pass.