To the Guild
Angela and I hung a [Out] sign on the shop door and headed for the guild.
As we walked through town, people looked at us, then quickly looked away.
“Boss… people are seriously whispering about us…”
Angela sounded really uncomfortable.
“Angela. What’s my name?”
“So you’re really committing to the character… Fullface Pantsman, right?”
“Maskman! What kind of pervert name is that!?”
That’s a whole different kind of dangerous!
“Same thing…”
Not even close!
We kept walking and arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild.
Adventurers are basically handymen who take on jobs like monster subjugation and escort missions.
Honestly, depending on how you look at it, it’s a bottom-tier job, but if you make it big, you can earn a lot and build a name for yourself.
There are even quite a few legendary adventurers who’ve left their names in history.
That’s exactly why kids admire them.
Back in our day, there was a war, so it wasn’t as familiar, but now that it’s peaceful, kids run around with sticks playing adventurer.
That’s how popular it is.
“… The guild, huh. Never thought I’d come here as an adventurer…”
I’d been here plenty of times before.
But always as a client.
“Boss, are you really going through with this? You can still turn back.”
“It’s fine. I’ve thought this through.”
“Yeah… sure you have…”
We opened the door and looked inside.
There was a reception desk in the back, and several tables up front.
The staff were working at the counter, but the tables were full of rowdy punks, messing around instead of working.
Some of them were even drinking, and it wasn’t even noon yet.
“… Seriously…”
Get to work.
Thinking that, I stepped inside.
The moment I did, the punks all looked at me, and went silent, frozen in shock.
The lively guild hall fell completely quiet.
“Excuse me.”
I said, heading toward the reception desk in the back.
The punks didn’t move, just turned their heads, tracking me as I walked.
“Hello.”
At the counter, I called out to a receptionist with shoulder-length brown hair.
“G-Good afternoon… umm…”
Her usual smile was gone, she looked confused.
Her name’s Viola. Local girl, so of course I know her.
Our houses are even close to each other.
She’s friendly, chatty, when she comes by the shop, she just talks endlessly with Angela.
“I am a traveler known as Fullface Maskman.”
“F-Fullface…?”
“Yes. Fullface is my given name. Maskman is my family name.”
“U-Uh…? Aren’t you Eric, the magic tool shop owner?”
That was fast!
“Eric? Never heard of him.”
“Umm… but you’re with Angela, and you sound exactly like Eric…”
“Perhaps our voices are similar? Cough, cough. Apologies, I’ve injured my throat.”
Yeah… I need to do something about the voice too.
“Umm…”
Viola glanced at Angela.
“I happened to meet her in town. She kindly guided me here.”
Pure coincidence.
Totally random.
“I see… Umm, Mr. Fullface, why are you wearing that mask?”
It’s not a mask…
“This is a helmet. I hide my face because I suffered burns during the war ten years ago. I prefer not to be seen.”
“I-I see… umm… what can I help you with?”
“I’ve been traveling, but I’ve run out of funds. I’d like to take on work. So I want to register as an adventurer.”
“Oh… then that would be a reinstatement procedure.”
Why!?
“I’ve never been an adventurer. This is a new registration.”
“Huh? But didn’t you just say you were an adventurer?”
Why!?
“We’re meeting for the first time, aren’t we?”
“Ah… right, right. Then please fill this out.”
Viola pulled a sheet of paper from under the counter.
Looks like a registration form.
“Let’s see…”
I started filling it out.
Name: Fullface Maskman.
Age… well, I’m actually thirty, but I’ll put twenty-five.
No particular reason.
I filled in the rest, skills and such.
“You can use both sword and magic?”
Viola peeked at the form as she asked.
“I travel alone, so I’ve picked up a bit of everything.”
“Ohh… twenty-five?”
“That’s right.”
Don’t give me that “yeah, right” look.
“… This good?”
I finished writing and set the pen down.
“Okay, I’ll process this. Please wait a moment.”
Viola stood up and headed toward the guildmaster’s office in the back.
◆◇◆
“Guildmaster, do you have a moment?”
While I was working on paperwork, I heard a knock and Viola’s voice from outside.
“Come in.”
I answered, and she entered with a troubled expression.
“What is it? Trouble?”
Honestly, those punks again…
“No… there’s someone who wants to register as a new adventurer.”
She placed a sheet of paper on my desk, so I took a look.
“Huh… Fullface Maskman? That’s a weird name.”
At the very least, not someone from this town.
“He’s wearing a helmet that completely covers his face, so I couldn’t see it. And he’s got a black cloak too, super suspicious. Says he’s a traveler who ran out of money and wants to become an adventurer…”
Not sure what to make of it.
Hiding his identity?
And that name…
Yeah, definitely suspicious.
“A criminal?”
“No… I think… it’s Eric from the magic tool shop.”
… Huh?
What do you think about this chapter?
