NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36 - The Guild
Chapter 36 – The Guild
—–CROW—–
The Adventurers’ Guild.
Judging by its name, it sounded like an association formed by adventurers, but the reality was a little different.
[So it’s an organization established by the state to control adventurers, who could turn into a private armed group at any time?]
[Hmm, that’s plausible.]
[By making it impossible to properly engage in adventurer activities without registering with the Adventurers’ Guild, they induce membership, and once joined, adventurers have no choice but to comply with the Guild’s control, allowing for effective management of adventurers.]
‘Yeah, that’s exactly it. Of course, if you go to remote areas or the frontiers, there are many cases where the Adventurers’ Guild’s control doesn’t work properly.’
The incident Lilia experienced was one such example.
[But Master, wouldn’t there be little work for adventurers in a city like Venus City?]
‘There isn’t. That’s why the Adventurers’ Guild in Venus City is quite small. It feels like there’s just the bare minimum of personnel needed to maintain the branch.’
Adventurers were essentially all-purpose fixers who used force for money. Except for areas where monsters or young dragons appeared, or places where public order was poor from the start, there was no real need to hire adventurers in a large and relatively safe city like Venus City.
As a result, adventurers themselves rarely operated in cities.
[But seeing as it’s still operating, there must be some work, right?]
‘Yeah, it seems there are small jobs like delivering letters to remote areas and escort missions.’
[Hmm, I understand.]
[Actually, as long as we can properly receive the bounty, that’s all that matters.]
Integra was right.
Luther, exchanging silent words with Integra, suddenly remembered something and turned to Max, who was walking beside him, and asked,
“By the way, Max.”
“Yes, Luther?”
As Max looked back quizzically, Karen also looked at Luther.
Luther hesitated for a moment under their gaze, then pointed at the box Max was holding and said,
“That… hasn’t it rotted?”
Kapu’s head. It had been more than a week since they fought Kapu in the pioneer village, so he didn’t expect it to be in good condition.
But at Luther’s question, Max laughed heartily and tapped the box, saying,
“No, it’s fine. Lilia cast a preservation spell on the box. I haven’t opened it, but it’s probably still in the same state as that day. Should I open it for a moment?”
“No, there’s no need for that.”
Luther stopped Max, involuntarily reaching out his hand, and examined the box again. Indeed, small magic circles were drawn on the corners and sides of the box’s lid.
“I was amazed when I saw her working. Not only was the magic circle precise, but her speed was incredible.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I’m sure… Lilia is probably one of the best Enchanters in the entire West.”
Karen spoke with a resolute expression. Perhaps because she had become close to Lilia during their journey together, she spoke with pride as if it were her own accomplishment.
‘How heartwarming.’
As Luther smiled warmly, Karen smiled back and looked at the box again, saying,
“With Kapu’s head and Count Glasston’s certification, we should be able to get your adventurer certificate issued immediately.”
Even in a fantasy world, there were basic rules. Moreover, the Adventurers’ Guild was essentially a state-affiliated organization, so it had its own administrative power.
If an unidentified person with no connections asked for an adventurer certificate, they would only be suspected of being a criminal or chased out of the Guild building.
But Luther’s situation was different. He had the achievement of Kapu’s head and the certification of Count Glasston, practically the lord of Venus City.
“Even though it’s your first registration, with Kapu’s head, you should be able to start at least at the Bronze rank.”
Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Mithril.
Except for the last one, the ranking system seemed strangely familiar, so Luther was a bit bothered by the Bronze rank.
‘A Bronze rank adventurer…’
It somehow felt like a rank that would be looked down upon.
But just then…
[Master, I’m curious about Karen and Max’s ranks.]
[Please ask them.]
At Integra’s question, Luther also looked back at Karen and Max.
Karen and Max.
A psychic girl and a swordsman.
Based on his experience so far, their strength was considerable.
‘They’re both good fighters.’
Even without her psychic abilities, Karen fought remarkably well. Due to her small stature and light weight, her strength and durability were somewhat lacking, but her technique was highly refined.
Most adventurers were a mixed bag, and their swordsmanship was often self-taught, learned through haphazardly swinging their swords in actual combat. Therefore, the level of their technique was generally crude, but Karen was completely different.
Karen wielded proper swordsmanship, and the martial arts she had mastered were also exceptional. She had clearly received systematic training.
‘So, Silver.’
If you added her psychic abilities, he thought she might even reach Gold, but considering Karen’s personality, she was unlikely to have revealed her powers to the Adventurers’ Guild. So Silver was the most likely.
‘Max is probably Gold?’
It wasn’t readily apparent since they had mostly fought young dragons and monsters so far, but Max wielded even more orthodox swordsmanship than Karen.
Swordsmanship meant for fighting people, not monsters. Considering only technique, Max might even be stronger than Luther himself.
‘So Karen is Silver, and Max is Gold.’
At Luther’s conclusion, Integra furrowed her brow and said,
[Hey, Master. Don’t just guess. Just ask them.]
[Why are you guessing on your own? What if you’re wrong?]
It was a valid reprimand.
Therefore, instead of complaining that Integra hadn’t been as kind lately, Luther asked Karen and Max,
“What are your adventurer ranks?”
“Us? We’re both Silver. We registered, but haven’t taken many requests.”
Karen, saying so, pulled out a necklace she had hidden under her clothes. It was a necklace with a silver-plated pendant symbolizing the Silver rank.
“I see.”
‘Just as I expected.’
As Luther added silently, Integra scoffed and said,
[Master, you were wrong about Max.]
‘Eh, Silver or Gold, it’s all the same. Whatever.’
[I don’t know for sure, but that sounds like something that would cause a lot of people to vehemently object.]
‘Hmm, you might be right.’
Anyway, after their brief chat, the group diligently walked to the Adventurers’ Guild building.
And about an hour later…
“Hmm, it feels like it went by in a flash.”
Outside the Adventurers’ Guild building.
Luther, having received the bounty and also registered as a Bronze rank adventurer, spoke in a slightly dazed voice, and Integra replied kindly as always,
[In novel terms, it’s a scene that doesn’t need to be shown in detail.]
[Things that can be skipped should be skipped.]
It sounded like a rather casual yet profound truth.
Therefore, instead of thinking too deeply about it, Luther immediately brought up the next order of business.
“Karen, can we go to a weapon shop? Or a tool shop?”
“For supplies? I’ve already gotten recommendations for good shops from Lilia yesterday. Max?”
At the natural call, Max grinned and replied,
“Follow me. I know the way.”
And two hours later…
“This time too, it feels like it went by in a flash.”
Luther, exiting the general store, looked at the luggage in both hands and spoke. In his right hand was a newly purchased sword, and in his left was a basket filled with various supplies.
“Luther, thank you so much for ours as well.”
“Thank you.”
Karen and Max bowed their heads in gratitude. They had both received new equipment as gifts from Luther.
Specifically, Karen received a new cloak, a thin chainmail shirt, and two daggers, while Max received a new sword and gauntlets.
Luther smiled faintly at them and said,
“You both helped me a lot. And… I want you to accept these without feeling burdened, as a token of my gratitude and a sign of things to come.”
Karen and Max. When they left the Primeval Forest, they had only agreed to accompany him to the vicinity of Venus City, but after the incident involving Hekatonchires, things had changed slightly.
‘I want to continue helping you, Luther.’
Hekatonchires was clearly evil, and Luther was the good—an angel descended from heaven—who opposed them. It was perfectly natural for Karen and Max to want to help such a Luther.
[But they’ll still have some intention of receiving favors from Master and benefiting later.]
Luther also thought so. Karen was undoubtedly a good person, but she wasn’t a naive child. She was surely doing some calculations.
‘But that’s fine.’
He would help if it was something he could help with, and if not, then so be it.
[That’s right, Master.]
[We can just cut ties with them if necessary.]
[We didn’t sign a contract, so it’s fine.]
Integra, smiling brightly, made a cold remark in a rare gentle voice, and Luther smiled wryly and looked up at the sky. Thanks to leaving early in the morning, the sun was still high in the sky.
‘Should I do some sightseeing in the city?’
Even in the game, Venus City felt like a place you briefly passed through in the prologue, so he hadn’t properly explored it.
‘And…’
He had promised Integra a date, after all.
Luther, remembering Integra’s shyly nodding and delighted face, frowned with a slight pang of guilt.
But just then…
[Master.]
‘Huh?’
[There’s somewhere I want to go.]
‘Somewhere you want to go?’
[Yes, actually, I’ve wanted to go there ever since you suggested it last night.]
Feeling another pang of conscience at Integra’s gentle voice, Luther pursed his lips and said,
‘Okay, let’s go.’
A promise was a promise.
Having made up his mind, Luther told Karen and Max that there was somewhere he wanted to look around alone and started walking.
“So, Integra, where do you want to go?”
[I’ve analyzed the map. I’ll activate the navigation, so please follow me.]
Chuckling at Integra’s slightly excited voice, Luther nodded in agreement.
And about 20 minutes later…
“This is where you wanted to go?”
[Yes, Master.]
[Oh, did you perhaps have somewhere else in mind?]
[Where could our Master have been thinking of going?]
[Integra is so curious! Yes?]
This seductive AI…
Luther flicked Mini Integra’s forehead as she spoke playfully, spinning in the air—although he only hit air—and looked back at the store in front of him.
A scroll shop. A store that allowed anyone to use magic as long as they knew how to tear paper.
Luther was also curious, but he wondered if it would actually be useful. Although Venus City was a fairly large city, it wasn’t exactly a metropolis.
The scrolls sold at a shop in a place like this would probably be limited to something like Fire Arrow, and for Luther, it was more advantageous to fire a few more energy blasts than to waste time tearing a scroll just to cast a single Fire Arrow.
[There’s a tactic I want to test.]
“What is it?”
[It’s a secret for now. I’ll tell you if it works.]
And she closed her mouth tightly, seemingly having no intention of telling him.
‘Is it okay for a support AI to be like this?’
The Integra in the original story wasn’t like this.
But Luther shook his head. It was a thought he had already had several times, but he liked the current Integra many times more than the original Integra.
Even now, although her mouth was closed, her eyes were smiling; it was a face that clearly showed she was confident of success, despite talking about testing.
There was only one reason why she was being so coy.
‘Is she trying to make it more of a surprise?’
Or perhaps she wanted to see his surprised and impressed reaction.
Either way, it wasn’t bad, so Luther looked at Mini Integra again with a warm smile.
Such a cute little thing.
[Master.]
“Yes?”
[That smile is creepy.]
[Let’s just go inside the store.]
Scratch the cute part.
Luther frowned and opened the door to the store, and Integra, looking up at his profile, smiled again.
—–CROW—–
* * *
It was Lilia who greeted Luther when he returned late in the afternoon after finishing his shopping.
As expected of a genius who would leave her name in history even a hundred years later in the world of Dragon Hunter 3, Lilia not only completed a container that could completely conceal the presence of the Spirit Gem in just one day, but also created not one, but three bracelets embedded with shield magic.
“You’re going to look for that armor fragment, right? I tried my best. Hehe.”
Although her face was etched with fatigue, Lilia was still Lilia.
Luther, expressing his gratitude while looking into her moist blue eyes, accepted the bag containing the container and bracelets.
“Sigh… Thank goodness. Then I’ll go to sleep now.”
Lilia, smiling as if relieved, closed her eyes, and as if she had actually fallen asleep, she began to topple towards Luther.
[I’d like to say she’s being manipulative, but surprisingly, she seems to have really fallen asleep.]
[Lilia’s fatigue level is considerable.]
[I don’t know what she did, but she seems physically exhausted as well.]
Integra muttered in a low voice, sounding both bewildered and concerned, and Luther chuckled wryly and picked Lilia up.
“Integra, please guide me to Lilia’s room.”
Although she had deliberately stayed in the guest room with Luther and the others on the first day, since this was essentially her family home, she had her own room in the main building.
[Understood.]
[We could leave it to the servants, but this level of service is acceptable, right?]
The servants would follow them anyway.
And as Integra predicted, by the time Luther entered Lilia’s room, a string of servants had trailed behind him.
He placed Lilia on the bed, gently stroked her cheek as she mumbled in her sleep, received the servants’ thanks, and left the room.
And as he returned to his own room, Luther suddenly stopped and looked around.
Count Glasston’s estate. Although there was damage here and there, it was still a place where many people lived.
The servants who hadn’t lost their lives. Lilia, sleeping with an innocent face instead of being killed by adventurers turned robbers. Annerose, who hadn’t lost Count Glasston, a man like an uncle to her.
[Master?]
“Nothing, just…”
He still didn’t know why he had been brought into the world of Dragon Hunter Origin. He didn’t know why he had become Luther Light Seeker, a character from Star Savior.
But many things were changing because of him.
[Master?]
Integra, tilting her head again and asking.
Luther gave a warm smile to Integra, who was so much more human than in the original story, and Integra spoke in her usual gentle voice,
[Master, as I said before, that smile is creepy.]
“Yes, that’s our Integra.”
Luther chuckled wryly and resumed walking, and Integra, looking at his profile, chuckled again.
And the next morning…
Luther left Count Glasston’s estate to search for the second fragment.
—–CROW—–