Episode 16: Competition
There were three Guild employees who arrived.
Two of them were guild knights from the execution unit.
The last one was Sophie, the receptionist in charge of Kian.
「Sophie-san, what's going on?」
Kian asked, glancing at the two Guild Knights.
Sophie had her hands on her knees for a while, catching her breath painfully, but eventually, she raised her sweaty face. Her chestnut-colored bangs, which were usually parted tightly, were hanging down in a loose bun.
「9th class adventurer, Kian-san.」
「Yes.」
「Competitors have appeared for all the quests you've received. All of them, including this escort request.」
「C-Competitors? ......What?」
From the meaning of the word, does it mean that someone else has received the same quest?
「Before the order for the escort request quest was completed, the "Falcon Clan" told us to back off because they too would receive the same five quests. The guild would like to handle this in the form of a "competing bid" between the parties――」
「Wait, wait, wait! I'm the one who accepted the quest first. It's not acceptable to take it away later!」
「Yes, you're right. It's not an acceptable act. Not if you're just taking it after the fact.」
The Guild Knight who was standing beside Sophie opened his mouth.
He continued.
「Normally, adventurers do not touch the prey of other parties in order to avoid private fights. It's the same even if it's a request. The adventurer's guild also writes down the request and the date and time the guild confirms the order in the adventurer's notebook to avoid unnecessary killing each other. This way, the guild can determine which party received the order first. But...」
「Oh, ......, My adventurer's notebook is....」
Kian's eyes widened.
His adventurer's notebook had been disposed of by Sophie two days ago.
「Oh. Your adventurer's notebook has been replaced with a new one. Before I could fill out the new one, the Falcon Clan received the same quest.」
「Hey, Borzov. All I was told was that an adventurer named Kian was coming.」
That's when the big bear-like guy - Robert Pigfoot, the client, interrupted.
Does Robert know the Guild Knight man?
「Yes, Robert-san. I only sent you a message while I was working on the notebook. It was only after that that the Falcon Clan received the request - just before the guild closed. ...... I'm sorry for the delay in contacting you.」
「Tsk, bureaucracy as usual. Huh?」
「Haha, give me a break. ............. That's why I'm here, do you understand, Kian 9th level adventurer?」
「I don't understand! It doesn't make sense! Sophie-san!」
「I.........I just did what my boss told me to do! It's just a procedural problem that got us into this mess.」
「Don't blame her too hard. She's a rookie, and some things can't be helped.」
The Guild Knight stepped forward to protect Sophie.
「Bo-Borzov-san」
「It's okay, Sophie-san. Our goal is to let you negotiate with the Kian 9th Level Adventurers peacefully. We won't let any harm come to you. Then, please explain it yourself properly.」
「O-Okay! ...... So, you see, Kian-san.」
She took a deep breath and regained her usual tone.
「I am truly sorry for what happened this time. But the guild also feels uneasy about throwing the five 7th class quests we received to you! Therefore, I would like to request that you hand over the work to the Falcon Clan and leave this matter alone, Kian-san.」
「There's no way I can accept such a request!」
「If you fail, it will cause trouble for the clients who trust the Adventurer's Guild, as well as myself and many other guild employees! Can't you see that you're being selfish?」
『Kian put on the glasses. With your current courage, you will be defeated.』
Suddenly, the glasses' words echoed.
Kian hesitated.
He doesn't feel comfortable wearing glasses .......
But then, intuitively, Kian also thought,
(No, wait. The reason I've been stuck at the bottom for so long is because I've failed in all these critical areas. I have to learn. If I just lament myself as a fool later, I'll be a fool forever..)
I want to see how the other me does it.
I want to see how smart I am when I wear glasses.
I'll learn from it.
I've been living for thirty years.
I'm not too young and I'm not too old.
I should put aside my youthful insecurities and my old, entrenched pride.
『Hoho, you are a rare breed after all. Yes, you are at the crossroads of learning and changing. Steal from your other self the cleverness and audacity you need to survive. The other you are your greatest ally!』
「――――!」
「Kian-san, are you listening? You can't change anything by wearing those toy glasses. You have to understand your own power. It's better to leave it to the Falcon Clan. You'd be wise to listen to me.」
His thoughts quickly became clearer.
As he listened to the words of Sophie, the receptionist, Kian was intoxicated with the exhilaration that ran through his body when he put on his glasses.
This is it.
The current him can get through any difficulty.
Bolder than anyone else.
Calmer than anyone else.
Wiser than anyone else.
Taking a single breath, Kian pushed up the bridge of his glasses with his finger and looked down at Sophie with cold eyes.
「Sophie.」
「Wh......what is it?」
Suddenly called out, the receptionist put her fist on her chest to brace herself.
The guild knight comes forward with a scary look on his face, but Kian throws his words calmly.
「I'm just trying to have a peaceful conversation. The only time you'll get involved is when I start resorting to violence, right? Until then, stay back.」
「...... Well, yeah. Sorry about that.」
「So, Sophie. Did you properly report that you accidentally discarded my notebook?」
「...... I-I did. I did!」
「It was a mistake on the guild's part, but you can't unreasonably take down the fact that I took the order?」
「It's not unreasonable! The guild will consider this matter on a practical and individual basis, where we will come to the conclusion that you are not capable of completing the quest.」
「According to the rules, you can accept requests up to the second rank, right? If I'm not good enough, then why don't you do an adventurer's test here with the Falcon Clan?」
When Kian said this, Robert shouted from the side in amazed.
「Oi-oi, I want to be back in town by nightfall. My daughter is cooking for me. I'll have to be back at the store by dawn.」
「You're right, Robert. I think the adventurer rank system and the rank recognition of requests are to save us the trouble of testing our skills in front of clients. There's no way the guild would bend the rules to give me an excuse for my competence. Sophie, you didn't write down any special reason for my injury in the adventurer's notebook, did you? If you, the staff in charge, write a negative finding, it makes sense that the guild made such a ruling. The guild rules also state that a practical decision will be made if there are special circumstances.」
「―――!? ......What do you mean, I don't understand what you're saying」
When the Guild Knight's gaze turned to her, Sophie shook her body in a slightly suspicious manner.
「And while I'm at it, how did the Falcon Clan know about the five quests I'd taken? You must have made them all compete with me, right?」
「Wh-who knows? Didn't they see Kian-san take the request posters off the board?」
「I went to show you the five I received, plus a backup one, and three quests for when those didn't work out, for a total of nine. How can they get all five of them in the same order?」
「It-It just so happens, doesn't it?」
「That's right. As long as someone doesn't leak out which request I received, it's probably just a coincidence.」
「............!?」
Sophie let out a small gasp.
There was a sudden heavy silence among the officials gathered at the west gate.
「You're not leaking any information, are you?」
His eyes widened and his strong tone of voice twisted Sophie's gaze.
Sophie's hands shook at Kian's pressured interview-like atmosphere.
「I-I don't. If I do that, I'll be fired.」
Her statement was too faltering.
Even if you don't have the ability to detect a lie.
Even as an amateur interviewer, it was obvious that she was lying.
Kian was deliberately silent and let out an exaggerated sigh.
「I think you should quit this job.」
「............!」
Wait again.
He takes his time, teasing Sophie with silence until her spirit cracks with shame.
「Ugh ......,*sob* ......, *hic* ......」
After a while, Sophie started to get tears in her eyes.
No matter how elite she is, a teenage girl who just graduated from a well-behaved academy is probably like this.
If you're going to work for the government, you need to be able to say, "This is legal," even if it's illegal.
Calmness and courage――.
Sophie was not used to talking on the brink of stabbing or being stabbed at all.
That's why she can't even answer the obvious questions properly.
Kian shrugged his shoulders.
「I don't mind backing out from the five requests, but before I do, I'd like to see my adventurer's notebook. It's my newly made notebook. I want to make sure that there are no special reasons written in it.」
「I can't!」
Sophie shouted in a voice that sounded like a scream.
「Why not? I'm just saying that I have a right to do so. And while you're at it, make sure you talk to your boss, too. This is not a matter that can be left unresolved. I can't leave until you explain it to me thoroughly and to my satisfaction.」
「No, I can't. No ....... No. ......」
The last of her words were crushed and mangled by tears.
It was a kick to the corpse, but even the Guild Knight couldn't help but look down at Sophie.
Kian opened his mouth to try to corner Sophie further.
But before he could say anything, a hairy hand was placed on his shoulder with a *pat*.
「...... Leave her alone.」
It was Robert who stopped him.
「I've got a pretty good idea of what's going on. For my request, Kian, I'm going to let both you and the Falcon Clan participate, and I promise both of you a fair reward. There's no such thing as a quick win. I promise to give you a B grade or better if you properly collect the rare ingredients. If you do, you'll get contribution points. You're a solo, but you'll get extra points for the extra party as well. It's not a bad deal, right?」
「Even if your request is good, I can't nod my head and say 'yes, I agree' to the other four.」
「Of course not. The girl has to take full responsibility for that. But stop tormenting her at this moment. She's crying. ...... Honestly, I have a daughter about the same age as her, so it's hard for me to watch.」
「............」
Kian looked down at Sophie, who was spilling tears on the ground.
「*sob* ......,*sob*, *hic*, *sob* .......」
「All right. I'm not going to talk to her about this anyway. I'll let her deal with it properly later when she calms down.」
With that, he turned away.
As he turned his gaze forward to switch his thoughts, he happened to see a group of four people walking towards him from the western forest.
(That's...)
At the head of the group was a handsome swordsman with cat hair.
Kian narrowed his eyes.
Funnelwing and his party――.
They're the "Falcon Clan".
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Tftc
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