Strongest Swordman’s Re:START

“I have confirmed your request to undertake the escort requests to Kirel Village. Please bring the request form as well as these papers to the appointed location tomorrow morning. Because this is a last-minute request from the client, remuneration will be raised by 10%. Please review everything to ensure you didn’t miss anything.”

It was late at night at the Adventurers’ Guild branch in Logholt, and the receptionist lady was going about her business.

She just concluded approving yet another adventurer’s appeal for a request. There weren’t as many people at this hour of the night as there were during the day, but that was typical. Nothing out of the usual had happened – at least not yet.

“What?!”

As a long-time receptionist, the lady’s instincts led her to cast a quick glance towards the Adventurers’ Guild’s closed entrance door.

There were no windows or peepholes in the door. Even if there were, darkness surrounded the world outside the Guild. It would be impossible for anyone to see anything outside given how well-lit the Guild was inside.

But even so, the lady sensed something was off.

Someone is coming!

As she thought, her hunch proved correct.

“Excuse us for coming so late.”

Slowly, the door of the Adventurers’ Guild opened, revealing a stunning blonde girl with divine jade eyes.

Her figure, dressed in simple clothing, was well-proportioned and slim, and her straightened back emphasized her immaculate posture.

She exuded an irresistible charm that would draw in anybody even when she wasn’t dressed up. When the receptionist noticed the wooden stick and sword hanging around her waist, she immediately realized the girl was an adventurer. The girl’s appearance didn’t suit an adventurer in the slightest, but the receptionist could tell right away that she wasn’t ordinary.

This is most likely the girl who just recently received her Adventurer’s License.

Although the receptionist had not gotten a good look at the girl’s face, as she hadn’t been in charge of her at the time, she was aware that the girl had become an Adventurer after passing the test with flying colors. The receptionist had remembered her because of her striking presence, which was quite different from that of a newcomer.

Since she hadn’t seen the girl since the exam, the receptionist presumed this was her first visit to the Guild. Moreover, she was taken aback by the girl’s decision to arrive at such a late hour.

What a strange missy…

The thought crossed the receptionist’s mind, but she kept a straight expression.

“Wow. So this is the Logholt branch.”

“?!”

When she saw the man who entered immediately after the girl, the receptionist nearly sprang out of her seat.

Although it had only been for a brief moment, the receptionist had felt a great deal of pressure from this young man, who seemed to be in his twenties.

Throughout her career, the receptionist had interacted with many adventures, with the highest being Grade 2 Adventurers. However, this was the first time she was experiencing something like this.

She was convinced that these two were no normal people.

“Hey, Fo… Fol! Stop acting like a child. You’ll be viewed as a country bumpkin.”

“My bad. It’s just my first time in Logholt’s branch. Although, now that I look at it, it doesn’t seem any different.”

“What did you expect… In any case, let’s go pick a request.”

“Sure!”

The young man replied, and he and the young girl walked slowly over to the front desk.

Even though the receptionist could no longer sense their overwhelming presence, she was alert nonetheless.

The adventurers in the area didn’t appear to be vigilant or even paying attention. Despite this, they stole occasional glances at the girl’s and the man’s extraordinary looks.

If the adventurers knew what the receptionist was going through, they probably would laugh at her. The receptionist, however, was unable to justify her actions either. She just knew that she was terrified of the two. She had never experienced something like this before.

“Excuse me. Could I ask for your assistance?”

As the young girl walked up to the front desk and asked, a smile spread across her face. She appeared to be an average pretty girl with a slightly charismatic tone. The receptionist had no reason to be scared of her.

The receptionist mustered a smile before responding with a question.

“Of course, how can I help?”

“My name is Merc. I’d like to accept a request, but I just, just recently became an Adventurer so I don’t know how to go about it.”

“Phhh1!”

The large man behind Merc laughed out at what he had just heard. The receptionist, on the other hand, believed that what Merc had said was totally normal.

Without even turning around, the girl called Merc swung her arm and struck the man who was standing behind her with the back of her hand. She then straightened her back and said,

“As I was saying, I don’t know how to go about it. Could you please check to see if there are any escort requests to the Chulice Empire?”

“Hm…”

Normally, adventurers had to choose a request for themselves from the board that was displayed inside the Guild.

Back when there weren’t as many adventurers and adventuring wasn’t as common, receptionists would assist adventurers in finding requests. However, this proved impractical as the trend grew in popularity. As a result, nowadays, pleas like Merc’s were often denied.

What should I do…

The receptionist pondered. Hardly any people were around because it was late at night, and the reception was deserted.

In addition, the girl who had asked her was a rookie and had already apologized and explained her situation. Finally, the receptionist had no idea who these two were. There was a chance that ruining their mood would have negative consequences.

“Normally, you would have to choose a request from the board yourself before applying for it, but this time I’ll make an exception.”

After giving it some thought, the receptionist decided to assist Merc.

“Thank you for going out of your way. Once again, could you check if there are any escort requests for the Empire? If not, a Magic Beast subjugation request in the same general direction will also do the job.”

“I understand. So I can safely presume that you’re heading to the Chulice Empire. When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

Before Merc could say anything, the man standing behind her responded boldly. He then raised his hand as if to apologize for his rude behavior.

“I’m sorry for barging in like that. My name is Fo… Fol. I’m this girl’s companion.”

“Nice to meet you… Still, tomorrow is a bit too soon. There are a few requests for escorts to the Empire, but none for tomorrow. Three days remain in the recruitment period for that request, and there is also another request from a merchant heading to the Empire in five days.”

“Five days is a bit too much… How about the subjugation requests?”

“Give me a moment, please… There seem to be some requests for the subjugation of Magic Beast in the area around Logholt, but regrettably, our branch has not received any such requests for the roads leading to the Empire.”

After looking over the records, the receptionist said. Merc and Fol looked at each other after hearing her response.

“What do you want to do, Merc? Should we hold off for five days?”

“What is it that you want to do, Fol?”

“I-If possible I want to depart tomorrow…”

“Got it. Then I won’t accept anything.”

“Are you really okay with that?”

“Yea. I can always accept a request. I’ll just grab one on the way there or once we finish exploring the Dungeon.”

After some discussion, the two decided that they would travel to the Empire without Merc accepting a request.

The Empire… Wait a minute!

“I’m sorry to have bothered you. I decided that I’m not…”

“Miss Merc.”

“W-What is it?”

Merc asked, a little surprised by the receptionist’s interruption.

“It seems that someone has asked for an escort in the direction of the Empire. Sadly, it doesn’t go all the way to the Empire. However, he’s leaving tomorrow morning.”

“Really?!”

“Yes. However, that request has already been accepted by an Adventurer. Therefore, you must ask that person whether he is willing to share the request.”

“So there’s already someone on it… But still, it’s tomorrow morning, I don’t even know who that person is…”

The young adventurer’s face briefly shone before falling back into hopelessness. There was no way she could speak with that adventurer when she didn’t even know who he was.

When the receptionist noticed the girl’s dejected face, she smiled.

“Do not worry. That person is right over there.”

She pointed to a man who appeared to be reaching the end of his prime, sitting in a chair with his back to them. He was the person who had just received the request form and the other documents from the receptionist.

“That man’s name is Svemir. He accepted the request just a few minutes ago. If you’d like you could go and talk with him.”

“Mr. Svemir… What should we do, Fol?”

After some consideration, the young girl asked her companion.

“There’s no harm in asking him. You want to accept a request, don’t you? You don’t need to worry about me.”

“I see. Even so, it would have been great to travel with only the two of us. But, if you don’t mind, I’ll go ask. There’s no assurance he’ll agree.”

“You occasionally say some really nice things. But I believe you’re forgetting something. In an escort request, the client is always present. No matter what, we wouldn’t have been alone.”

“Oh yea…”

“Hmm, now that I think about it, I can’t recall the last time we went on an adventure with just the two of us. It all feels so distant2.”

The young man stared up at the ceiling of the Guild, leaving one to wonder what he could be reminiscing about at such a young age. Only then did the receptionist begin to question whether the young man was actually much older than he appeared to be.

Now that I think about it, what’s the deal with these two… They don’t appear to be just friends. Are they lovers? No, that can’t be. I don’t see any sparks between them.

“I’ll be right back then, Fol.”

“Sure.”

The young girl walked to the man who was facing away from her, paying no mind to the receptionist, who was gossiping in her head.

Robinxen: I think I’d react like this too if I saw a veteran MMO player asking someone how to accept quests on a new MMO. Robinxen: This scene would be an illustration in the light novel version if I was in charge of picking illustrations.