Managing to weave through the bustling crowd, Yuka and Izayoi, guided by Yuka, finally reached the Adventurer's Guild after some effort.
However, by the time they arrived, Yuka was feeling a bit dizzy from the crowd, and Izayoi, although not dizzy, was quite fed up. Izayoi wished the festival organizers had left some room for walking. Feeling slightly irritated, he looked up at the two-story building in front of them, adorned with a sign featuring a sword and a shield. Occasionally, people who looked like adventurers, wearing armor, were going in and out.
Indeed, there was no doubt that this was the Adventurer's Guild.
Then, Izayoi suddenly asked Yuka something that had been on his mind.
"Yuka, do you know any adventurers?"
"I don't have any close adventurer friends. I was so focused on defeating you that I didn’t take many requests from the guild."
"So, you were a loner."
"You were the same!"
Izayoi groaned at Yuka's unexpected comeback and avoided eye contact, looking in another direction. Yuka wore a triumphant smile, but eventually, she also realized she had been alone and drooped her shoulders.
Both with shoulders dropped, they stepped into the guild.
Inside, the guild was as noisy as the street outside. Men and women alike were drinking, fights were breaking out here and there, and the surrounding crowd was fueling the commotion. It was incredibly noisy and rowdy.
For a moment, Izayoi wondered if they had mistakenly entered a tavern, but Yuka shook her head, indicating this was normal.
"Well, today is a festival, so that's part of the reason."
"But it’s so noisy. Tables and people have been flying around since a while ago."
Indeed, objects and people were flying around due to the brawls. Even in the Demon Lord’s castle, such a commotion was… not uncommon.
Izayoi recalled the night he first defeated Gainos with a sword. That night, a banquet ensued at Gainos' suggestion. Everyone was pleased with Izayoi's growth, especially Ilm, who usually played the role of the stopper. But, when Ilm abandoned his role, chaos ensued.
Gainos, drunk, initiated a serious duel for a rematch, expressing his mixed feelings of happiness and frustration. Izayoi desperately tried to stop him, but Gainos, showcasing a mysterious sword technique while drunk, was unstoppable, resulting in a serious indoor duel. It was finally quelled by an awakened and furious Ilm.
After that incident, Izayoi and Gainos were subjected to a temporary alcohol ban, leaving Izayoi, who was mostly an innocent bystander, mildly frustrated. The mere recollection of the event gave Izayoi a headache.
As Izayoi was lost in thought, Yuka approached the reception. Following her, dodging the occasional flying objects, they reached the reception desks. However, most were unmanned, with only one man sitting at a desk in the corner, seemingly the only available staff.
"Excuse me!"
Without hesitation, Yuka called out to the man. He glanced at her, sighed slightly, and responded with a languid expression.
"How can I help you?"
Though polite, his tone suggested annoyance. Unfazed, Yuka continued.
"We'd like to register as adventurers."
"Ah, during such a noisy time..."
"Ahaha, sorry..."
Yuka apologized with a guilty smile. The man grumbled but brought out a form.
"Please fill out the necessary information on this form. If you can’t write, I can do it for you."
He handed over a quill and ink.
"It’s fine. Also, he will register as well."
Upon Yuka’s statement, the man glanced at Izayoi and took out another form. Yuka proficiently began filling them out but paused when starting the second one.
"...How old are you?"
Unable to truthfully say he was several hundred years old, Izayoi opted for a safe answer.
"Seventeen."
"Understood."
Yuka completed the forms and handed them back. The man checked them and went to the back.
"Now we just need to receive our guild cards."
"What did you write?"
"Name, age, gender, place of origin, etc. But you don’t have to write everything."
"Why?"
"Some people have circumstances they can’t disclose. Basically, anyone can become an adventurer regardless of their background."
This was very convenient for Izayoi and Yuka, especially the part about not inquiring about backgrounds.
Yuka was lecturing with a sense of superiority while Izayoi was nodding, and the man returned with two cards.
"Here are your guild cards. Please be careful not to lose them. If you do, a reissue fee will be charged."
Yuka took the cards, handed one to Izayoi, and he examined its contents. On the card, the left half had the name and age, while on the right half, the guild rank "F" was written.
"Do you need an explanation about the guild rank and such?"
"No, I've studied it beforehand."
I didn’t know, but Yūka stopped Izayoi, who was about to speak up.
"I'll explain it to you later."
Having been told so, he had no choice but to step back.
"I see, you're quite studious."
"Well, yeah."
The man's remarks seemed impressed on the surface, but his attitude was entirely the opposite. Yūka’s response also seemed somewhat indifferent.
"Well then, the registration has successfully concluded. If you have any questions, please ask the staff."
With a languid posture, as if to say this concludes it, the man rested his cheek on his hand.
Even Izayoi, who is usually composed, was annoyed by the staff’s indifferent attitude and was about to say something, when…
A table was thrown towards Yūka.
It probably got caught up in the commotion. Voices were raised, shouting at Yūka to dodge or something. But Yūka didn’t listen to those voices; she quietly clenched her fist and—
"Uraah!"
With almost no preparatory movement, she struck sharply, and the table was shattered pitifully.
"Phew…"
She released a slight breath to relieve the tension and then broke into a bright smile.
"Ah, I was surprised and accidentally let my hand go."
—Who would smash a flying table to smithereens just because they were surprised?
It was a moment when the minds of everyone present became one. Whether overwhelmed by Yūka’s smile, the previous noise quieted down as if cut off, and all eyes focused on her.
Astonishment, awe, appraisal. Various eyes were on her, but Yūka didn’t mind and nudged Izayoi with her elbow.
"Come on, let’s go."
"Ah, yeah…"
Because Yūka had spoken up, attention gathered on Izayoi as well. For Izayoi, who didn’t want to stand out, this was an unwelcome situation.
While being urged by Yūka, they left the guild. At that time, Izayoi caught sight of the man at the reception slumping, which made him feel slightly relieved.
Yūka must have been quite angry too. The fact that she intentionally smashed it with her fist and not a sword told the story.
Watching Yūka's back, which seemed about to start skipping at any moment, Izayoi couldn’t help but sigh, thinking about what lay ahead.