Poor Noble Nord’s Adventure

2. Guild Registration

The Adventurers’ Guild, located on the outskirts of the royal capital, had a suitably rugged appearance. It was a wooden building, but its sturdy construction made it fitting for a place where rough-and-tumble adventurers would come and go.

As he pushed open the door, which had a sign bearing the guild’s emblem, the creaking sound was accompanied by the rush of noise from within the guild.

Adventurers’ taverns were usually found on the city’s outskirts, and while people claimed it was because they needed to be close to where monsters might appear, or because no one wanted them walking through the center of town looking filthy, Nord suspected the simpler reason was that they were just loud places.

Perhaps the reason it wasn’t that noisy outside was because some kind of noise-dampening magic, like [Silent Quiet], was cast on the building. However, the moment the door opened, the noise spilled out. A guild with high traffic, like this one, was clearly unsuited to being near the more orderly city center.

Nord thought about such things as he surveyed the inside of the Adventurers’ Guild.

Directly ahead of the entrance, there was a large counter where several guild clerks, all in matching uniforms, were hard at work.

Since this was the capital, the guild here must be large in scale. Nearly a dozen clerks worked busily, handling paperwork and tending to visitors without a moment’s rest.

The counter stretched to the right from the entrance, and at its farthest end was a door marked “Staff Only” that presumably led to the interior of the guild.

On the left side of the entrance, beyond the counter, there was a tavern.

It was said that every Adventurers’ Guild, no matter the town or the size of the guild, always had a tavern attached, and Nord had heard two main reasons why.

One theory was that after receiving and completing quests (technically mediated by the guild), adventurers would have a bit of money to spend. So, the guild would feed and entertain them in their own tavern, reclaiming that money in the process—a kind of financial recirculation theory.

The other theory was that the guild didn’t want ill-behaved adventurers to cause trouble outside. If they got drunk and caused a scene elsewhere, the complaints would come back to the guild. So, they kept them close for easier supervision—a containment theory.

Nord figured both explanations were probably true.

His thoughts were interrupted when the line of customers at the counter cleared, leaving an available spot.

Nord approached the counter.

“Welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild! How may I assist you today?”

The clerk’s pronunciation and smile were flawless—so perfect that even the head maid of the Ferris family, whom Nord served, would find no fault.

Even though she must have been exhausted from all the work she had been doing, Nord was impressed by her professionalism and responded succinctly.

“I’m here to register as an adventurer.”

Upon hearing this, the receptionist handed him a form with a smile.

“Please fill out your name, skills, and any prior experience you may have. We also offer a paid writing service if you prefer.”

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

Even as a noble’s son, Nord had learned the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic.

He dipped the feather quill provided at the counter into the ink pot and, with practiced ease, wrote down his name and skills.

After returning the quill to its holder, he handed the completed form to the receptionist. Since he had no military experience, he left the section for prior experience blank. Under skills, he simply wrote Swordsmanship.

The submitted form was accepted without issue.

He then paid the registration fee—though it was a small amount, the Ferris family’s financial situation was dire enough to make even that sum painful. So, Nord paid it from his own meager savings. The receptionist then began processing the registration.

After a short while, the processing was completed, and the receptionist began explaining the guild’s rules.

To summarize:

① The Adventurers’ Guild mediates requests from clients and adventurers accept them. After successful completion, adventurers are paid the reward minus a commission fee.

② If an adventurer fails a request, they are generally required to pay a penalty. This penalty is added to the reward to make the request more appealing to higher-ranked adventurers. No penalty applies to commission-based tasks, like gathering herbs.

③ The guild issues a guild card to indicate membership. It is a small, personalized plate that only the holder can use. A fee is required for a reissue, and losing a high-rank card incurs heavy penalties.

④ The guild facilitates the formation of parties among adventurers but does not intervene in internal disputes. However, theft or violence between guild members that violates criminal law results in immediate expulsion from the guild.

⑤ Expelled members cannot take on work in that city’s guild, and if the violation is severe, notices are sent to other guilds in other cities or even countries.

⑥ The guild takes no responsibility for any requests not made through the guild. Adventurers take those on at their own risk.

These were the six key points.

They all seemed like common sense, but for adventurers, who were often uneducated or lacked basic manners, such explanations were probably necessary, Nord thought.

After receiving the guild’s explanation, Nord was handed his guild card.

Newly registered adventurers at the lowest level were called “Newbies,” but technically, they weren’t considered adventurers yet.

They were just total novices who had submitted some paperwork and paid a small fee.

Newbies had to take on and complete beginner-level quests that also served as basic training. Only after that would they receive an official guild card.

The temporary guild card for Newbies was a simple wooden token with their name engraved on it.