Leave a comment

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“Here, huh? Easy to find. That’s a relief.”
“This guild seems a bit smaller compared to the one in Aldebaran, doesn’t it?”

After walking through the Magecraft District for a few minutes, we arrived at our destination—the Adventurers’ Guild.

Just like Momo said, the building itself was smaller than the one in Aldebaran. But this city had three separate districts, each with its own guild. Considering the total maintenance costs, there probably wasn’t much of a difference between the two cities in terms of resources.

“This place gathers a broad range of information, even if it’s mostly surface-level. Hopefully, we can find some clues about your condition.”
“Less thinking, more action! Here we go—Excuse us!!”
“Ugh, you’re always so reckless…”

The moment Momo flung the door open, the bell above rang loudly, and all eyes in the guild turned toward us.

Maybe it was just the nature of the city, but the place was full of wizards. And, as expected from adventurers, most of them looked like a rough bunch.

“Heh heh heh… What’s this? You lost, little lady?”
“Heh heh heh… This ain’t exactly a place for kids, y’know…”
“Heh heh heh… But if you are lost, there’s a guard post just outside—turn right when you leave and you’ll find it. Give ‘em a shout.”
“Heh heh heh… The Magecraft District’s a maze, after all. Sightseeing? If ya need a guide, we can show ya around…”
“Master! They’re such nice people!”
“Ahh, yeah, sure. Whatever you say.”

I ignored the fool spouting nonsense and headed straight for the counter, pulling out my guild card.

Unlike Aldebaran, where the receptionists were almost exclusively young women, Rigel’s guild had staff of all ages and genders.

“I’m Laika, a three-star adventurer from Aldebaran. I’ll be staying in Rigel for a while, so I appreciate your cooperation.”
“Welcome! Let me take a look at your guild card… Wait, did you say Laika from Aldebaran?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Something wrong?”
“N-no, not at all… I just need a moment to verify this, so please wait here.”

The male receptionist quickly disappeared into the back.

Was there an issue with my guild card? Or was it something about me?

No… I haven’t done anything in Aldebaran that would give me a bad reputation. Or at least, I shouldn’t have…

“Master, is there some kind of trouble?”
“…Wait. It was you, wasn’t it!?”
“I don’t even know what’s going on, but that’s a ridiculous accusation!”
“Thank you for waiting!!”

Just as I was about to grab Momo, an elderly man burst out from the back of the reception area at breakneck speed.

No—rather than just moving like the wind, he had most likely used wind magecraft to accelerate himself. A reckless stunt to pull indoors.

“I am Mintark, Guildmaster of the Rigel branch! You are Laika, the five-star adventurer, correct!?”
“Yeah, that’s me… Wait, five-star?”
“Please, O Savior of Aldebaran!! Save our academy!!!”
“……Huh?”

It was a flawless dogeza.

Using nothing but the power of his legs, he leaped high into the air within the cramped reception area. Then, in a single smooth motion, he soared over the counter and landed in a full prostration.

Had I been a bystander, I might’ve applauded or even tossed him a coin. It was a textbook-perfect Jumping Dogeza, executed in a magnificent arc.

“…Alright, Momo. We’re leaving.”
“Please, wait! At least hear me out! Just hear me out!!”
“Master, he seems desperate. Why not listen to what he has to say?”
“No. I refuse. I’ve had enough of troublesome affairs.”
“Oh, come on. It’s just a conversation.”
“We have tea and sweets prepared, so please, step inside!!”
“Hey! Quit pushing me! Let go—stop! Let me go! Let me gooooo!!”

✦✧✦✧✦

“Teacher shortage? Just hire someone suited for the job. Problem solved.”
“The ideal candidate… The ideal candidate is you…!”

In the end, Momo’s brute strength and the Guildmaster’s desperate pleading won out, and I was forced to listen. The story was utterly ridiculous.

“In the Magecraft District, we run an academy to teach children the art of magecraft. Due to rising demand, we expanded the number of elementary-level classes this year, but…”
“You couldn’t keep up with staffing? That’s just poor planning. Sounds like a problem of your own making.”
“No, you don’t understand! This is all because of the vile schemes of the Magic District and the Magitech District…!”
“Wait… Don’t tell me—your teachers were attacked or something?”
“They were poached with absurdly high salaries! Teaching promising young minds the art of magecraft should be a rewarding job in itself!!”
“We’re leaving, Momo. This is clearly their own fault.”
“Wait! Please, wait!!”

The moment I moved to exit, the Guildmaster, still in his dogeza stance, somehow slid ahead of me and blocked the door.

A waste of magecraft… No—there was no trace of magecraft at all. How the hell did he move like that?

“A regular teacher won’t do. You see, many of our elementary students are from noble families. An ordinary instructor… simply wouldn’t… well…”
“They’d get looked down on. In that case, an adventurer wouldn’t even be taken seriously.”
“No, no! We’ve already heard plenty about you from Lord Axio.”
“That scheming b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲…!”

I hadn’t been able to speak with him before leaving Aldebaran—he’d claimed he was too busy—but was he secretly in contact with Rigel all along?

That b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲… He knew we were coming here and deliberately dumped this mess on me, didn’t he?

“O Savior of Aldebaran! If it’s you, even the parents will be satisfied! So please…!”
“Enough. I’m not helping.”
“The academy’s library houses many rare and valuable tomes. If you accept this request, you’ll have unrestricted access to them!”
“…I don’t want to get involved with nobles. That alone still makes this too risky.”

“Master, the Guildmaster seems really troubled. If it’s a quest, maybe we could—”
“I shall also present you with our finest selection of sweets! You may take your pick!”
“………Haaah. Helping one another is the foundation of humanity. We can’t just ignore those in need, can we, Momo?”
“And who was just refusing a second ago, Master?”

No matter the situation, there’s always that part of me that can’t completely shut people out. When someone begs this much, even my conscience starts to sting.

And so, we ended up accepting the Guildmaster’s personal request—willingly, of course.

…That slight side-eye Momo was giving me? Must’ve been my imagination.

Support Us

Unlock Early Access ------- Select Project ------- Project Gender Bender Project Necro ∴ Support your favorite series and unlock chapters before the public release.