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Here I was, standing in front of the building where adventurers used to gather. I couldn’t help but wonder if this place had a name going for it. Like the Adventurer’s Guild or something.

The signage displayed only a symbol of a dragon-like creature with a sword embedded in it, but there was no writing.

I assumed that maybe the literacy rate in the area was low, which had led to this.

Back when I was in the castle, I hadn’t considered this inconvenience much, but now it seemed quite apparent. This place appeared to be quite lacking when compared to Japan.

I figured it was probably because of the division of the classes that there was such a huge difference. The people lacking knowledge and power were most likely the fault of the monarchy.

In the end, I decided to put these politically oriented thoughts aside and headed to the building that I called the Adventurer’s Guild.

◇◇◇

Once inside, the place had a bar-like atmosphere.

I had never been to a bar before, but this one was probably more akin to a fantasy tavern than the ones in Japan. I had expected it to serve cheap ale or something similar, but to my surprise, there was no food or drink in sight.

It seemed like a place where the adventurers would party after completing a quest.

Though they probably just went to a regular tavern.

I made my way to the counter with a number of burly men and some women giving me sidelong glances.

The person behind the counter was a beautiful woman, as seems to be the case with receptionists everywhere in the world.

“Um, are you free?” I asked.
“Yes, how can I help you?” she responded promptly, her tone welcoming.
“I heard I can become an adventurer here.”
“I see, an adventurer candidate then. Would you like me to explain what an adventurer is?”
“Please.”

◇◇◇

The official name of the Adventurers’ Guild seemed to be Collegium Venato.

I was surprised that it didn’t have adventurers in it.

Its history was ancient, yet it remained an institution dedicated to the extermination of demons, transcending national boundaries.

The organization had existed for a long time, but it truly took shape when the heroes from the past began referring to those associated with the Collegium Venato as adventurers.

Until then, people had apparently referred to them as ‘hunters’, ‘demon hunters’ and the like, so the change seemed fitting.

Collegium Venato was quite a mouthful, so when referring to this place one would just call it the Collegium.

“What are you doing today?” “I’ll go pick up a request at the Collegium.” is how a normal conversation would go.

I couldn’t help but feel like the Adventurer’s Guild would just be the better name for it. However, that was just my fantasy.

To join the Collegium and become an adventurer, nothing special was required.

The only notable requirement was having one’s status checked. Adventurers primarily specialized in combat. If someone was deemed weak, they were advised to reconsider.

However, if one covered those requirements then they could join Collegium Venato without much difficulty. Many preferred the life of an adventurer over resorting to a life of crime or idleness.

There were also adventurer grades, with G Grade being the lowest, and A Grade being the current highest. The legendary heroes had apparently been S Grade, or something along those lines.

As individuals were promoted to higher grades, the gap in strength within those grades would widen.

Consequently, from B class and above, they were further divided into lower and upper grades, like Lower B Grade, Upper B Grade.

This distinction, however, was solely determined by the Collegium, and beyond this point, there wasn’t any notion of ‘upper’ or ‘lower’.

“It’s true that you’re a B Grade, but this request is a bit…”

Is a line that one might often hear. I supposed I would go for it. I wasn’t particularly invested in reaching B Grade or anything like that.

To rank up, all you needed was to maintain your status and fulfill requests that contributed to your advancement. You could inquire at the Collegium about your current contribution level.

For example, they say that you were eligible for a Grade advancement if you completed a certain number of a specific grade request.

Requests followed an orthodox style, with the request form being posted on the bulletin board, and adventurers would take it and bring it along with them.

Which led to adventurers gathering when new postings were being put out.

The range of requests varied widely, from assisting with household tasks to defeating dragons. It was said that both having demon extermination while also being able to assist with domestic matters served as a relief measure for low grade adventurers.

Year after year, adventurers became increasingly adept at handling various tasks.

Furthermore, instead of facing a penalty for a failed request, a deposit was required to accept the task.

If the request failed, the deposit wouldn’t be returned, but if it succeeded, it would be refunded.

For the demons frequently sighted around town, their prices were listed separately: indicating the cost per demon slain. Since this fee was lower than requests of equivalent rank, it was likely that those unable to secure better requests would opt for them.

Notably, when taking this type of request one wasn’t required to pay a deposit.

Alternatively, if one brought a part of the demon that had to be slain, they’d still be able to complete the request even without formally accepting it.

While requests were categorized by rank, there were no actual restrictions on who could take them.

An E Grade adventurer could accept an A Grade request, or vice versa. However, the E Grade adventurer could end up being rejected due to the high deposit needed for the A Grade request.

Being an adventurer also worked as a form of identification, which allowed one to travel between towns without an identification document. However, one would still have to pay to enter.

On the bright side, D Grade adventurers and higher were exempt from this fee.

For inter-country fees, or fees that were a part of a request that included crossing a border to another kingdom, such as an escort mission, the client would handle the various procedures.

Otherwise, permission from the head of the Collegium, Duchesse, was required.

The Guild Master was known as Collegium Duchesse. The whole name was quite a hassle to say, so I decided that I would just go with Duchesse.

There were also some minor details about the training grounds being open to the public free of charge, but the lady spared me the boring details.

I was surprised by the level of detail they provided to a seemingly young girl like myself. However, it appeared that many boys and girls around my age had left their villages to fend for themselves.

They felt compelled to explain things thoroughly to these youngsters because they often found themselves in trouble due to misunderstandings.

Moreover, since the newcomers weren’t treated with disrespect, there were fewer heated conflicts.

Though it was worth mentioning that adults with low grades would become targets for bullying.

This made me relieved that I’d decided to keep my age seemingly young.

Being too stuck up or having a grade too high for one’s age could attract unwanted attention, even if it wasn’t by much.

So I decided to keep a low profile while at the Collegium.

◇◇◇

“That concludes the explanation. Do you still wish to register?”
“Yes please.”
“In that case, let me first check your status.”

The lady took out the same crystal I’d already seen once today.

A series of false numbers were projected on its screen.

I wondered if I should begin explaining my predetermined template, of being the 14-year-old Finis.

“Thank you. I’m relieved, you seem like you’ll be able to fight well enough.”
“I used to hunt in the woods,” I explained.

Although it was a short and unexpectedly simple response on my end, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

“So you’re not like the people that came just a while ago.”
“The people before me?”
“A boy and girl slightly older than you, Finis, came to register not that long ago. They too had a high status for their age, so I thought that you were from the same place.”
“Well, no, not really. I lived in the forest, so it wasn’t a village or anything.”
“I see. Well regardless, you three seem to be around the same age, so why not try forming a party?”
“I’d rather not. It wouldn’t benefit my skill.”

I replied while getting a bad feeling about the situation.¹

1. Silva: Hm… would be funny if the aforementioned two are the classmates that escaped.