Akatsuki Translations

~Day 3 of the stay in Proudia~

In the slightly northern part of the central area of the City of Sin, Proudia, at the Adventurers’ Guild Headquarters

The Adventurers’ Guild exists throughout the continent of Isralia. Its main headquarters is located here in Proudia. Situated close to the 【Stairway to Heavenly Hell】[1] that leads to the Dungeon of Sin of Proudia, the Guild Headquarters is busy as always today.

Various voices could be heard throughout the guild:

“The quest board has been updated. Please check it, everyone,” announced one staff member.

Another called out, “A new request for silver-ranked adventurer Kekeronea-sama. What? You don’t like this client? Come on, don’t say that…”

“It’s a request for party matchmaking,” observed a third. “I’ll find them a good group. I heard they had a tough time with the previous one.”

A fourth voice added, “Suspicion of relic theft in the dungeon? Again? Do we need to call in a 【Truth and Lies】 cleric…?”

The work of the Adventurers’ Guild isn’t just about sending adventurers to dig up magic stones in the dungeon and collecting them. They are, after all, a support organization for nurturing, assisting, and sometimes disciplining those in the 【Adventurer】 profession. The work is diverse and often troublesome.

Moreover, this is the headquarters—the main base of the Adventurers’ Guild. Not only do they deal with immediate issues, but they also receive various reports, communications, and consultations from Adventurers’ Guilds all over the place. It’s not an exaggeration to say that an ordinary staff member would be overwhelmed by this busyness and end up fleeing.

Mimil Nanaluna, an Adventurers’ Guild staff member, thought to herself, 『That’s why my colleagues working here are amazing. And I’m proud to be able to work with them in such a place.』

She liked the Adventurers’ Guild and the guild staff who worked there. They were refined and professional. There were no stupidly boastful superiors, and all her colleagues were capable people. Sometimes she felt a bit inferior, but it motivated her to work harder. There was little overtime (though not none). She was convinced it was a very good environment to work in.

However, she didn’t like the adventurers who came here that much.

“Why? Because they’re rough, noisy, and a bit arrogant,” Mimil reflected. “Perhaps because this place, Proudia, is the center of the world, there’s a hint of brazenness in their words, as if they themselves are the center of the world.

Moreover, they bring trouble and cause problems for my colleagues (on such days, overtime drags on for a long time). And far from being ashamed of it, some even have the nerve to say to our faces, “You’re able to make a living thanks to us!” (I felt like punching them).

Of course, she knew there were serious adventurers too. Some of the guild’s management staff were retired adventurers, and the top person here was an active 【Gold-rank】. She understood that and thought they were admirable.

But that’s precisely why she disliked the stupid and rough adventurers who disregarded the consideration of these admirable people who had the noble intention of “giving opportunities to young buds and wanting to devote effort to them.”

So, in her fifth year of work, Mimil was beginning to harbor somewhat complicated feelings: “I want to work at the Adventurers’ Guild, but I don’t want to get involved with adventurers if possible!”

However, it was impossible to avoid interacting with adventurers in her daily work. Praying not to encounter any troublesome landmine cases, she diligently went about her work today.

And on that day, she faced an enormous landmine.

“Um… well… nya…” Mimil inadvertently let out a beastperson inflection as she hesitated with her pen.

What she was filling out now was a result report detailing the outcomes of the adventurers’ exploits.

Since many adventurers can’t write, it’s common practice for guild members to create these reports based on verbal accounts. It’s a troublesome but important job to check for any “skimming” or other crimes, or even simple “false” reports during this process.

There are those who try to corroborate their stories with all their comrades, but half-baked lies always reveal themselves no matter how hard they try. She was used to seeing through such attempts.

That’s why she was troubled this time. There were no flaws to be found. Normally, having no flaws would be a good thing. But this time was different. It would have been more credible if there were flaws.

“Is something wrong?” asked the boy in front of her, the human 【Nameless】 boy, looking at her with a slightly puzzled expression. It was probably due to Mimil’s suspicious behavior. She felt a bit sorry for that.

Her first impression of him was that he seemed “serious and quiet for an adventurer.”

Young adventurers are usually hot-blooded and have particularly strong heroic aspirations (especially if their first few adventures go too well), making them arrogant. In that sense, this boy was unusually modest. He was wearing a copper ring, so he must have some achievements despite that.

Had he diligently and carefully accumulated work to gain the trust of the guild?

She didn’t dislike such steady adventurers who didn’t cause trouble. Mimil optimistically thought that today’s work might be a bit easier as she checked his background.

And then, she realized that her assumption was terribly mistaken.

“No, it’s alright, Ur-san,” Mimil said.

She never imagined that he would be the new, up-and-coming monster at the center of that big commotion. And the result report she had just heard from him was utterly unbelievable.

Mimil began to read the report aloud again.

“…On a request from the Sun Knights, moved from the City of Sin, Lust to the Gradol territory. During this process, conquered and broke through the 【Small Dungeon, Iza】.”

Well, up to here was fine.

No, there was a question of why there was a request from the Sun Knights, the sword of the Temple, but after checking the documents from the City of Sin, Lust, it seemed to be a legitimate request, so this was fine.

The problem started from here.

“Began conquest of the city of Uuga, which was planned for construction and had suffered a Dragon Disaster[2]. Repelled a 【Pseudo-Dragon】 that appeared to have been mimicked by the Slime who was the Guardian inside. Afterwards, intervened in the magic to thwart the plans of cultists trying to use Uuga for evil purposes. Usurped Uuga.”

“During this time, we had the cooperation of the【Hero, Diz Gran Fenex】, the【White Serpent】, and 【Former Sun Knight Echelle Loine Raleigh】. Please add a note that the activities of 【White King Formation User Lynne Nuu Leyline】 from our guild were also significant,” Shizuku, sitting next to Ur, added to the report.

Shizuku, this girl was also strange. What was strange was that she was too beautiful. Even to Mimil, a woman, she was incredibly cute. She didn’t even feel jealous.

There are quite a few female adventurers, but many of them often don’t take proper care of their appearance. So their skin is terribly rough, or they expose scars. Mimil often thought it was a waste when they had good features.

But what was this silver-haired girl? There weren’t such beauties even among the actresses working in the popular theaters in Proudia. Her skin was beautiful and her hair was glossy. In fact, it was glowing. She seemed to smell really nice. She did.

The conversation had digressed.

Why did the 【Seven Heavens】 suddenly appear? Living in Proudia, there was no way not to know her name. She was treated as a hero in this place. The 【Hero】 wasn’t as prominent as the great【Heavenly Sword】, but Mimil liked her because she always put herself on the line to deal with troubles that threatened the lives of ordinary people and always looked out for them.

The conversation had digressed again. Mimil cleared her throat and turned her gaze to Shizuku.

“Um… why did you cooperate with those external people? Could you tell me the circumstances?”

“We had originally contracted with Diz-sama for a guard request,” Shizuku replied.

“I see… Anything else?”

“Kalkara-sama was the client for the suppression of this Uuga disturbance. We formed a cooperative relationship after that. The White Serpent was originally staying in the area on a request to guard during the city construction. After negotiations, we formed an alliance. You can confirm the details directly with them as well.”

It was a very smooth explanation.

It was exactly the same as the story she had heard from Ur alone, without Shizuku present. She didn’t think they were lying, but she just wanted to confirm because it was honestly quite an outlandish story.

She looked down at the report again. Unfortunately, the outlandish and chaotic information continued.

“Afterwards, a major incident occurred in Gradol where most of the priests were transformed into slimes due to the evil magic of 【Cultists】. At the same time, the Sun Knights and priests of Gradol who had gone to suppress Uuga were transformed into slimes, and further into a 【Slime King】. As it was assessed as a threat level 3 and there was a high risk of a 【Monster Disaster】 occurring, under the instructions of the【Hero, Diz】, this was subjugated…”

She looked at Shizuku. There was no change in her demeanor.

She looked at Ur. He remained silent. There was no change in him either… but there was “something” here. This much she could tell immediately from her continued interviews with various adventurers.

However…

“About the transformation of the priests who suppressed Uuga into slimes… could I ask for more details about this?”

“I believe Ur-sama has already explained, but I apologize. ‘We have been sworn to secrecy by Gradol and we don’t have the right to speak about the details,’” Shizuku said, bowing her head.

The Gradol disturbance was a terrible incident. It was serious enough that even Proudia couldn’t consider it someone else’s problem.

Although the incident itself was resolved thanks to the efforts of the gold-ranked 【True Human Creator, Klaulan】 dispatched by the Adventurers’ Guild, the aftermath was also significant. A temple that couldn’t function properly. Confused city residents. And taking advantage of this, cultists, dark guilds, kidnappers, and all sorts of other nefarious elements began to stir. Of course, the Proudia Adventurers’ Guild also provided support to calm these situations.

That’s why she knew. This matter couldn’t be made public. There were circumstances that shouldn’t be revealed.

The full picture of the incident presented by Gradol, and the several “blanks” that were there, the Wise King did not pursue and accepted. The Adventurers’ Guild followed suit.

So when told this, Mimil couldn’t pursue it any further.

“I understand. However, if you ever find yourselves caught up in a situation you can’t handle on your own, please rely on the Adventurers’ Guild. Never try to shoulder everything by yourselves.”

“We sincerely appreciate your concern. It really makes us happy to hear you say that,” Shizuku, who was as beautiful as a doll, smiled with a childlike expression. Mimil’s face turned slightly red. It was a smile with devastating power. Perhaps they had been anxious. If she had managed to reassure them even a little, she was glad. Ur next to her also bowed his head apologetically.

Somehow, they were really unlike typical adventurers, Mimil thought.

If all adventurers were as exemplary as them, how much easier her job would be.

No, but considering that she now had to evaluate the report of their adventure, maybe not. Definitely not. If there were many people like them, probably even the experienced staff of the Adventurers’ Guild would die from brain explosion.

“Well then, after that, while helping with the work of Echelle Loine Raleigh, who was controlling the 【Dragon-Devoured Uuga】 that had become a familiar, you went on to defeat several wanted monster bounties in the Gradol territory,” Mimil continued.

“To be honest, it’s hard to say that those were purely our own achievements. How will the Adventurers’ Guild evaluate this?” Shizuku asked.

“It’s under consideration,” Mimil answered immediately.

She thought that perhaps past cases of evaluating adventurers who participated in joint operations using mobile fortresses to defeat wanted monsters might be useful for reference. But at least it wasn’t something that could be decided right away. She needed time, time.

“Can you tell me about the other parts?”

After that, she followed the flow from the recapture of Uuga and gathered as much information as she could.

As expected, or perhaps unsurprisingly, the report deviated from the normal flow of adventures in every way.

The result reports of adventurers that reach the Adventurers’ Guild in a City of Sin inevitably become records of adventures in the 【Dungeon of Sin】 managed by that city. Exploration records of the same place, the same dungeon, honestly aren’t very impressive. Especially the reports of adventurers who are satisfied with just hunting convenient monsters out of habit and earning enough for lodging and living expenses.

In that sense, their report was very troublesome but fresh.

Though she’d rather not receive something like this multiple times.

“That concludes the report confirmation. Is there anything you’d like to confirm from your side?”

Then the boy Ur raised his left hand.

Inwardly laughing at how he looked like a student in a children’s classroom, Mimil said “Go ahead” to encourage him to continue.

“I apologize if this sounds like we’re pressuring you, but will we be able to become silver-rank?”

“Well…”

It was clear to anyone that their achievements up to this point were far beyond the level of copper-rank. Rumors of them being “the next silver-rank candidates” were being whispered here and there.

It wouldn’t be good to keep them at copper-rank for too long in such a state. It would only be detrimental if it appeared that those who achieved results weren’t being properly evaluated.

However, it was still too early. They were too young. There were also opinions from the Guild’s 【Adventurer Assessment Committee】 pointing out that they had too few achievements, and these were also on point.

As a result, our Adventurers’ Guild’s Guild Master came up with a compromise.

“This is a tentative decision, but—”

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

At the Adventurers’ Guild 1F Reception Hall

“Silver-rank adventurer promotion ‘prospect’… huh,” Ur repeated the words conveyed by Mimil, the assessor, with a slightly ambivalent expression.

“So it’s ‘provisional’ because it will take time to persuade various parties, even though they acknowledge our silver-rank achievements,” Shizuku followed up.

Ur shook his head for a while, as if swallowing his words, and then said, “Should we say congratulations?”

“It’s provisional, but…”

“Then, provisional congratulations.”

As Ur held out his hand, Shizuku matched it with a soft pat after a moment.

“…It’s not very exciting, but I guess this is fine since it’s provisional.”

“Well, we haven’t finished the main issue at all.”

“True enough.”

Ur and his companions haven’t completed the “trial” to secure a base in Uuga yet. Even if they were to celebrate this provisional silver-rank certification, it would be after that’s done.

“Well, has Diz not finished her business yet?”

“She said she had matters to discuss with the Guild Master, the Lighting Empress, Ikaza-sama.”

“Guess we’ll wait for a while…”

The lobby of the Adventurers’ Guild was bustling with various adventurers coming and going. It wasn’t really a place where one could relax, but they had no choice. They decided to look for some available chairs. As Ur was looking around, Shizuku pulled on his arm.

“Hm?”

When he turned around, she was touching one ear with her finger and closing her eyes slightly amidst the clamor. He could tell she was listening to something, but he wondered what was going on.

“Ur-sama. We’re about to be approached.”

“What do you mean?”

As Ur was thinking ‘What is this girl talking about?’, he suddenly sensed the presence of people. As he looked up, some tough-looking large men were looking down at them, sneering.

“Yo, 【Omen Bird Butcher】, show us your face for a bit.”

“We’ve been approached.”

“…We sure have been approached, damn it.”

Ur acknowledged this fact and cursed bitterly.

TL Note(s)

[1] This is a bit of wordplay in Japanese, with Tengoku (Heaven) being normally spelled using the characters (天) [Ten] and (国) [Goku]. However, the term “Stairway to Heavenly Hell” (天獄への階段) changes the “国” in天国to 獄, which is the “Goku” in “Jigoku” (地獄) (Jigoku being the word for Hell).

[2] The author has provided the English reading to the term “竜災害” as “Dragon Hazard,” however I’m going to continue to use “Dragon Disaster” as it makes more sense.