Sword, Magic and Academic Society

On my return journey to the Royal Capital, I decided to stop by the explorer association branch of Lacanthal, the capital of Count Serdos' territory.

I was hoping for a fun development--- like the typical escort request that just happened to coincide with my travel goal, chatting with fellow explorers, extra pocket money to cover my travel expenses, and so on.

I tried my luck with one of the receptionists, an amicable looking uncle, to see if there was any such handy request.

"Hello~. I'm on my way back to the Royal Capital, so I was wondering if there's any escort requests that are in need of an explorer. It'd be great if they were traveling to Cosrael, which has a direct train to the Royal Capital, or if not, then maybe to another city near Cosrael?"

At my words, the receptionist flashed me a kind smile and asked amicably.

"Oh, well, hello there, sonnie. We do have a few escort requests, but may I ask what your rank is? Escort requests typically fall under the D-rank category, so you should be at least E-rank, ya see?"

Unless otherwise stated, an explorer could only accept a request one rank below or above of their own. It worked as a limiter to stop a bunch of inexperienced folks from stepping into a lion's den they couldn't handle while also preventing the truly strong people from snatching work from the rookies. Though the request did open up for higher ranked explorers in case there wasn't enough application from lower rank explorers.

Then again, the reward didn't change so anyone of a particular level of competence wouldn't even bother to take requests two ranks below them. It might be another world, but society operated on more or less the same rule: the higher you go in the hierarchy, the less human resources you would find, and it would increase the price as a result.

I showed my license to him, and upon seeing that, the receptionist's eyebrows shot upward in astonishment.

"Welcome to our humble Serdos branch. I'm Traut, the chief advisor of this branch. The neighboring branches had been notified about your arrival by the Solcoast branch. We have been instructed to kindly guide you to the Branch President office should you happen to drop by. If you have no other questions, kindly follow me."

By definition, it was the Lacanthal branch, but they were often called by their capital branch's name.

I somehow resisted the urge to facepalm and followed after him with a smile. "Understood, Traut-san. It'd be great if you could relax your tone like earlier."

I had more or less given up on resisting the special treatment.

As they say, a rumor about someone lasted for only 75 days. It hadn't been that long since my rank suddenly skyrocketed, so there was no fighting the spotlight I was getting, but this was like one of those buzz-talks which I hoped would die down as long as I laid low.

Right, all I needed to do was avoid quarrelling with others and improve my image...

We arrived at the branch president's office while I was busy with my mental monologue where a corpulent man was waiting for us. A glance was enough to tell that he didn't have a clue as to the reality of the explorer profession.

The branch president started with his mild flattery while also slyly mentioning how he was actually a graduate of the Serdos Advanced School with an excellent record, and asked, or more like suggested, if I was free to be a guard for the lavish party that was going to be held at Lacanthal.

Apparently, while there were people like Uncle Shell who were the representatives of the explorer association and had clawed their way up to the top from the bottom of the barrel, people like this man with a civil course background were often more numerous.

He just started prattling on his own, and I wasn't keen to hear the obvious survival of fittest sermon from him.

But the party? Nope. I was sure this was about Dan's birthday party which, if I remembered correctly, would be held ten days later. I wasn't bored enough to stay until then, so I politely turned it down.

Dan had told me how Count Serdos wanted to greet me, which was the last thing I wanted, so I immediately ran away from the place!

"I can't reveal the details, but the party would be attended by great figures too, so I figured this honorable request would definitely suit you, Ren-kun... But you already seem to have some other commitments. Of course, having the rookie star Ren-kun working with our Serdos branch is already greatly appreciated. Traut, is there any escort request that matches Ren-kun's requirement?"

"Yes sir. We have two escort requests that I can recommend. The first is the escort request by the merchant caravan who is returning to Cosrael, the capital of Marquis Grauksh's territory. The reward is eight thousand rea.

Their planned route isn't anything out of ordinary, and since they're traveling in a caravan, it would be a slower journey than a shared carriage so expected it to last 6 days in the absence of any mishap. The request is designated C-rank, so the maximum quota is two and can only be applied for by C-rank or above explorers.

We have no report of any bandit activity or the like and since the client is from a large-size merchant firm, they should have guards already to deal with ordinary monsters. Well, they must be in search of an explorer just in case something happened."

Heh, Chief Advisor wasn't just some fancy title, huh? It truly felt like a request tailored for me.

It was an instant okay from me, but out of curiosity, I decided to ask about the other request.

"The next request is also a C-rank designated request. The client is a certain Viscount who had come to Serdos for sightseeing along with his daughter. The name is only to be revealed if you're intent on accepting the request and the task is to support them as their escort. The reward is 5 thousand rea and only one candidate would be selected.

They're going to take a slightly different path from the shortest route to Cosrael, but it's not too different from it. If everything goes without a hitch, it would be over in four days and from there, it's a two-day trip to Cosrael with enough leeway.

This is also a low-risk request compared to the typical escort requests, though the reward is equally cheap but being a noble's escort often ends up with additional rewards as they tend to tip more at the scene, so this sort of request is more popular. In fact, we already have many applications for it despite the low compensation."

Ar~gh, it's so hard to choose!

Both requests followed their own templates, so they have their own merits, and both sounded fun, too. I really couldn't decide on one. Just as I was fretting over the choice, Truat further added some details that he seemed to have just remembered.

"By the way, the young lady, the daughter of the said viscount, is just slightly older than you, Ren-san. She often comes to Serdos to hang out, so I happened to have seen her. And I must say, she's a lady of modest demeanor with pleasing beauty."

?!?!

A-As expected of another world's information holder! What's with that information, the words were falling like music to my ears, whispering 'Go ahead, and take the flight to your fateful encounter'!

My heart was honestly already leaning on the second request, but there was something I was curious about, so I asked.

"You said there are two requests that you recommend... which means there are more requests than just these two? Oh, I'm just asking out of curiosity, I did appreciate and like your recommended requests."

Truant-san didn't seem to mind my words as he explained the details of the third request with a kind smile.

"The last request pertained to a D-rank difficulty request. It shouldn't have been available for Ren-kun to take originally but due to the lack of application, the rank restriction for it has been lifted.

The request's destination is Kirika instead of Cosrael, a stop along the magical train route, closer to the Royal Capital. The main objective is to defend against the attack of monsters. The reward is 5000 rea, which is just fitting for a D-rank request.

It isn't that rare of an occurrence to take another road to Kirika which doesn't coincide with Cosrael since often the clients have an article they can't carry in the train, but..."

Traut-san paused there as his expression became clouded.

"The client hasn't mentioned the route they're going to take. A request with an uncertain element means that the client must have something they don't want to explain, which doesn't break the rule for requests of the association per se.

However, the main problem is the route. Ren-san seems to be oblivious to the nearby terrain, so let me explain. It takes 7 days to reach Kirika via the western highway, but that's when you take a detour around the Ament Volcano, which seems unlikely in this case. So it's to be believed that they have intentionally concealed the details.

Furthermore, they want to leave the instant the request has been accepted. They could take the western highway quietly if it was a matter of simple urgency and arrive at Kirika in no time. Yet, revealing no details, and even not withdrawing the request despite it being unpopular only means that their goal is the deserted village halfway up the Ament Volcano. Rumors are that the village has become the hang out of ruffians where you wouldn't see even a single tourist.

If that's their real goal, then the request should be rated C-rank and the reward needs to be at least 30,000 rea. Incidentally, it takes two days to arrive at the Ment Village and Kirika is around one and a half day's journey from there. The journey to Kirika via this route is only 4 days long. But the train that runs from Kirika to the Royal Capital is a slower model, so the end result would still be 6 days to the Royal Capital, no different from the earlier requests. So, what do you think about, Ren-san?"

Heh, I think it's my third time being impressed by the Chief Advisor's information. It was easier to guess the situation when he puts the information together this way. Well, that might just be his guess, but only a fool would disregard his information.

"Ahaha! Surely you jest, I won't even consider the last request. You have my admiration; the information was easier to understand due to your explanation. So, when are the departing times for the earlier two requests?"

Hearing my reply, Truat-san replied with a beaming face.

"It's my honor. The plan is to depart three days later, so there's plenty of time to prepare yourself! If you leave it to me, I can also recommend you a better inn!"

......What the heck was that earlier build up!? You could have told that first!

I wasn't idle enough to stay in the city for three days, but then again, the third request was absolutely a landmine. At this point, taking the shared carriage back was still the sound option.

"My words, whoever said rumors don't make a man is so true. I was a bit worried when I had heard that Ren-san is a young, hot-blooded person but your decisiveness clearly matches your B-rank, and it's not something you acquire through the grapevine.

...It's just a pity that Ment Village is but a shadow of its former self after a strong monster decided to claim it as its own territory. It used to be the kingdom's foremost Hot Spring Resort hub, and was always bustling with tourists and all. Haa, truly a pity.

Anyway, which request has Ren-san decided on?"

The kingdom's foremost H-Hot Spring Resort?! C-Chief Advisor!!

E/N - It was obvious that the MC was going to take the 3rd request as soon as I read it. I just didn't know it was the hot springs that would push him to do it. Japanese and their obsession with hot springs, I don't really understand it.