The Guild’s Schoolhouse
"Can't say I've heard tell of no Ashimos Territory nor Rossa Village 'round these parts… Reckon we'll need the guild’s help to sort that out. As for yer hair—might be wise to change it. Ain't many outsiders here, but we get adventurers comin' through, 'specially when the wind-season fish run. Can't vouch for all of 'em bein' decent folk. Color-changin' magic items just need mana to work, but we ain't got none in the village. Might manage with regular magic, but I'll be hornswoggled if I know what attribute that'd be. So what'll it be, tadpole?"
Seemed that scum lord's territory wasn't nearby.
And since he'd only known us with brown hair, pink-haired me might not ping his radar.
"Dad, how do you check what magic someone's good at?"
"Oh, about that. Why, that's somethin' the schoolhouse can test! They'll have maps too, so we can track down that territory of yours."
Ohh, so that Guild can do quite a bit.
Is it like a government office or something?
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After lunch, we headed to the guild—me riding piggyback like some tiny adventurer's pack.
The afternoon streets bustled with kids now. A pair of beastfolk brothers played tag—the younger in that wrap-around kimono, the elder in regular clothes. When the little one fell behind—
"Wait~!"
“You are too slow~ hurry up and come~”
—he poofed into a black cat mid-stride, streaking past while his clothes collapsed in a heap.
“Geez! You are too fastmeow~~~~~”
Ehh!?
The little brother who couldn’t quite catch up turned into a black cat all of sudden.
Chasing after his big brother like that, what about the clothes left behind?
"Don't they need those?" I asked as Dad stepped over the abandoned garments.
"Names're stitched in, sprout. Parents'll fetch 'em later." Sure enough, adults were scooping up stray clothes like some bizarre scavenger hunt. Guess that explained why sub-five-year-olds stayed indoors—imagine the laundry bills.
The guildhall loomed by the far gate—a sturdy timber building with a pair of crossed swords over the door.
"Bigger towns got Merchants’ Guilds and Mercenaries’ Guild, but this here's just the Adventurers’ Guild, so we call it 'the guild' plain-like."
Ohh, so this is the Adventurers’ Guild!
Is this where a drunkard gets entangled with a rookie me?
By the way, I don’t think anyone would assault me, who is basically using Dad’s body as a shield, but is this an event that would happen if I came alone?
I entered with a pounding heart, and the place was much brighter than I had imagined.
There was a counter at the front, and it wasn't just an older sister who was on reception duty, but also an older brother.
There was a staircase in the center, and I wondered if the reception on the right and left was to prevent congestion or if the reception content was different.
On the right side, there were several sets of tables and chairs. Some people were sitting and chatting, while others were writing something.
There was no one drinking alcohol and rambling on like in a light novel. In fact, there was no bar attached.
On the left wall, there were request forms, I assume. Many sheets of paper were pasted up like posters, giving it a cluttered feel. If they were neatly organized and pasted up, it would look like a government office, but this somewhat careless feel makes it seem like an Adventurer's Guild and gets me excited.
"Vio, you seem to be having fun."
"Yeah! It's so much fun! I'm so excited. Dad, there's no restaurant here, is there? And the counter is divided by a staircase, right? Is that to prevent congestion, or are the receptions for different purposes? I have so many things I'm curious about!"
Taking advantage of my Dad holding me up so I wouldn't fall, I stretched my body and looked around everywhere. Dad, who was also happy, supported me firmly without stopping me.
“Wahaha, I see something unusual. Is that the baby girl from today’s rumors?”
Descending the stairs was a muscular, handsome man with golden hair resembling a lion’s mane.
Golden hair was peeking from his unbuttoned shirt strained against pectorals that probably had their own weather systems.
The chest hair of a handsome man is great!
Does his chest muscle alone tear his shirts?
Does he have seven scars?
"Oh, Guildmaster. Long time no see. Meet my daughter Vio. Aimin' to enroll her in the schoolhouse soon. T’day we came to look ‘round."
I was lost in thought about his chest muscles and chest hair, and the conversation had progressed.
Guildmaster, huh?
He really does look strong. I wonder what kind of beast person he is.
"So you're the lass who put the spark back in this old bear! The schoolhouse'll welcome you with open arms!"
The Guildmaster ruffled my hair gently with his very rough-looking hand.
He called himself Zacks, and he’s apparently a lion-man
Beefy and fluffy, I get it.
"Guildmaster, I'd like to get a read on Vio's mana and do a bit of sleuthing on a town's name. Mind if I take a gander at the map?"
"Oh, might as well register her as an adventurer too. Even herb-gathering earns points, and it counts as residency documents, too. Since it’s a town you don’t know, it must be a foreign one, right? Well, Mimi in archives can help with foreign locations—though our records on other countries are patchier than a mended sock."
With one hand waving, the Guildmaster went up the stairs.
Did he come to greet us? What a nice guy.
What do you think about this chapter?
