Chapter 173

Welcoming with a Dogeza
““We’re truly sorry!!””

“””......”””

The Guildmaster and Miss Lily were both doing a perfect dogeza...

Today, I came to the Adventurers’ Guild with Brother Gene, Vee, and Pearl. As soon as we entered through the swinging doors, Miss Lily came rushing over and brought us to the Guildmaster’s office. Which brings us to now...

“Um... what’s going on?”

I have a hunch, but just to be sure, I ask...

And when the Guildmaster raised his head in response to my question, we all recoiled in shock... His rugged, bearded face was swollen.

“”“Ahhh~”””

“In any case, if there’s something you want to talk about, why don’t we sit on the sofa?”

“Yes...”

Brother Gene and Vee sat on either side of me on the three-seater sofa, with Pearl at my feet. The Guildmaster and Miss Lily sat on the opposite side.

“”......””

“U-um... if there’s nothing else, we’d like to go accept a request now.”

“We’re sorry for underestimating you, Missy... Just because you’re small, we tried to send you away without even letting you take the exam...”

“I also tried to smooth things over with juice instead of properly listening to you. I’m very sorry.”

“Um... apology accepted. I have nothing more to say about it… You talked with Grandmother and Nancy yesterday, right?”

“Yeah, we talked... and I went to the training grounds. I saw Lady Lindsay’s flaming rapier for the first time in a while...”

“I only spoke with her, but I realized the way I’d been doing things until now was all wrong...”

“I-I see... Um, if there’s nothing else—”

“Ah, Missy, just please listen to this one thing. Though this doesn’t involve someone from the Lampail Guild, it seems that lately, adventurers from outside have been targeting rookies.”

“””Targeting rookies?”””

“Yes. They skillfully lure new adventurers who’ve just started taking requests, then abandon them in dungeons or forests. They also take more than their share of the reward... Worse still, there are cases where they try indecent things with female adventurers, or even sell them to slavers...”

Even though they try to catch it at reception, Miss Lily explained bitterly that if the other party is skilled at hiding it, it’s hard to spot.

“I understand. So if I find them, I just need to beat them up, right?”

“No, no, Missy, that’s not what I meant. I’m saying be careful.”

“But if they’re not showing their tail, wouldn’t it be best to make them show it?”

“Jo, are you planning to be bait?”

“Well, that’d be the fastest way, wouldn’t it? I’m a rookie, I’m a little girl... perfect bait, right? By the way, are the same people doing the abandoning and the kidnapping?”

“Yeah, according to the victims, it seems to be the same group of people.”

“Then why haven’t they caught them? Even though there’ve been so many victims.”

“Well, there’s no solid evidence. So they keep getting away with it. In the case of abandonment, they claim they went to get help because a monster appeared.”

“Huh, I see. So we need incontrovertible evidence. Then, should we record it using a magic tool that can capture video?”

“Well, sure, if you did that, they wouldn’t be able to talk their way out of it... But if Nancy and the others find out, I might really be killed this time.”

“It’s okay. I’ve got an idea for that. Anyway, I’ll head home for now. Brother Gene, Vee, what will you two do? I’m heading back to the mansion through the Jo Company, so I’ll be fine.”

“Ah, then we’ll go out for a bit. We have to return to the academy tomorrow anyway.”

“Okay, understood. Well then—”

“Wait, Jo! We’ll escort you to the company.”

“Thank you. Then, Guildmaster, Miss Lily, see you again.”

Brother Gene took me to the Jo Company, and the store manager Kate let me borrow the second-floor residence so I could teleport. Pearl and I then teleported to my room in the mansion.

Knock knock knock. “Lady Joan~ Are you back~?”

Sarah’s voice called out.

How did she know?

It’s teleportation, so there shouldn’t be any sound...

Click. “Ah—Sarah? Are Grandmother and Nancy here?”

“Yes. Both of them are in the living room.”

“Thanks.”

When I went to the living room, Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Gray, and Nancy were all there.

“Oh? Joan. Didn’t you go to the Guild with Gene and Vince?”

“I did, but... something came up, so I came back alone.”

“Did Morgan say something to you again?”

Grandmother spoke while hiding her mouth behind her fan, but her eyes looked ready to kill. And the room temperature dropped… The cause is Nancy.

“P-please, Grandmother, Nancy, stay calm. The Guildmaster and Miss Lily are doing things properly now.”

“Then why did you come back alone?”

“Yes, Father. There’s something I urgently needed everyone to hear. Actually—”

I explained what I had just heard about the corrupt adventurer. Including the part about me acting as bait...

“I see. Got it. First, we need to hear the details again from Morgan. Gray—”

“Father, should I bring him here by teleportation?”

“Yes, that’s fastest. Alright, Gray, bring Morgan here with Joan. Kidnap—no, escort him.”

“Pfft... As you wish. Well then, Young lady, if you would.”

Father, you just said “kidnap”... And Gray, why are you laughing instead of objecting?

Look. Grandmother was glaring now...

Poof “Guildmaster!!”

“Wah!! M-Missy!? Huh? Gray? Y-you guys, wh-where did you come from?”

“Ah, I can teleport. More importantly, Father wants to hear about what we talked about earlier.”

“Even if you say that—”

“Shut it, Morgan. Come on, let’s go. Young lady, please.”

“Wha!?”

Gray grabbed the Guildmaster’s arm tightly and gently held my hand.

“Joan lifting off—!” Poof.

What do you think about this chapter?