10 Guild Inception

After waiting for a few minutes, my turn finally arrives.

The receptionist appears to be a lovely brown-haired woman with droopy dog ears. A cute little fang peeks out from her lips, amplifying her overall cuteness. Her excited expression is absolutely adorable, making you want to give her head pats."

'I want to touch her ears so bad!' I put on a small smile as the thought crosses my mind.

"Welcome to the Adventurers Guild! How may I be of assi—" She stops mid-sentence, her gaze fixed on my face.

'This face is trouble. Why did the goddess have to go so hard with it? Maybe I should consider a mask or something. I asked the Goddess to help me with my appearance without thinking but this…' My thoughts trail off.

"M-my apologies! Welcome to the Adventurers Guild! How may I be of assistance?" Her face takes on a crimson hue as she repeats her greeting.

"Hello, I wanted to register as an adventurer," I ask with a gentle smile.

"Y-yes! Please wait for a moment!" The blush on her face deepens.

'Areh? Is my smile that deadly? I'm having mixed feelings about my face... I'm suffering from success...' I joke in my mind as the woman retrieves something from under the desk.

"Please fill out this form! You can leave the spaces that you don't want to answer blank!" She shyly hands me a piece of parchment.

I glance at the parchment and then look back up with an awkward smile.

"I apologize, but I don't know how to write. Can you please lend me some help?" I request from the woman.

"Huh? Y-yes, of course. I would love to! Please come this way to our private rooms for confidentiality concerns." A bright smile appears on her face.

"Vanessa! Take over for me for a few minutes!" She yells over her shoulder at a green-haired woman behind her.

The moment Vanessa sees me with the woman, she gives her a blank stare.

"I s-swear it's not what you think! He can't write, so I'm going to register for him!" She explains in a panic.

"Suuuure. Well, have fun." Vanessa doesn't seem to be buying it.

Vanessa ushers her away, and the brown-haired girl abandons her desk, approaching me with a defeated look.

"T-they are going to hound me at lunchtime…" She mutters to herself, a sense of impending doom in her voice.

'Rest in peace…' I offer a silent prayer for the unfortunate woman.

"Please come this way…" She tells me as she walks ahead.

I follow behind, my gaze fixated on the cute, fluffy, swinging tail ahead of me.

'She reminds me of Molly. God, I miss that puppy.' Memories of the dog I cared for three years flood my mind.

We reach a room, and she turns to face me.

"P-please, take a seat." A deep blush colors her cheeks as she avoids direct eye contact.

'Shit! Did she notice me staring at her tail?' A cold sweat breaks out on my face.

"S-sorry for staring so much." I offer an embarrassed smile

"It's okay. We get that a lot so we are used to it." she replies, her gaze fixed on the ground.

'Eh? Wait, did she think I was staring at her ass?!' My brow twitches a bit.

"W-wait! I wasn't staring at you inappropriately! I was just looking at your tail!" I hurriedly explain.

"Huh?" She looks up at me, her ears slightly drooping down.

"U-um, if you're not comfortable with demi-humans, I could ask for a human receptionist…" She says with a sad and bitter smile.

"Huh? Why?" I ask with a confused expression.

"Y-you have some reservations against demi-humans, right? It's okay! I totally understand! It's quite normal after all! Please wait while I call for a human receptionist!" She tries to go past me, but I gently grab her arm.

"I think you're misunderstanding something. I was staring at your tail because I thought it was adorable and wanted to touch it." I blurt out without thinking.

"W-wha?!" The woman's face flushes so intensely, it seems like smoke might actually erupt from her ears.

'Shit! Maybe don't touch women so casually. You idiot! Who do you think you are?! A harem protagonist?!' I release her arm, taking a step back to collect myself.

"Is t-that so? T-thank you. W-we will start with the registration. P-please take a seat." The woman says, her words stumbling a bit.

We sit at opposite ends of the table as she retrieves the piece of parchment and an ink pen.

"My name is Anika and we will now commence the registration. Please be aware that there's an additional fee for this service," she explains.

'Well, I guess that's obvious. Thank goodness I encountered that drunk lunatic.' I think to myself.

"We will now begin. What is your name?" She asks.

"Oh yes! My nam-" I pause.

'Crap! I forgot I don't have a name yet!' I panic inside but manage to keep it off my face.

As I ponder, the face of an old man, my grandpa, flashes in my mind.

"My name is Ryota…Ryota Kurogane…" A nostalgic smile creeps onto my face.

'Grandpa… I'll be borrowing your name…' I think, recalling the man who cared for me in my childhood, the man whose funeral I couldn't attend due to my illness.

"Ryota Kurogane? That is quite a strange name…I mean! N-no offense!" Anika panics a bit as she starts shaking her hands.

"Haha, none taken. I do realize that it's quite the peculiar name." I lie straight through my teeth.

"Getting back on topic. What is your age?" she asks.

"Currently, I'm 16. In a month, I'll be 17."

"S-so young! I definitely thought you would be older…" She says with a surprised expression.

"Do I look older?" I ask with an amused smile.

"Oh! I didn't mean it that way. It's just that you have this mature aura around you that I thought that…" She starts explaining herself quickly.

"Why thank you. You have a pretty adorable aura around you as well." I say with a gentle smile.

"O-oh…" Her blush deepens as she quickly looks back at the parchment.

'Areh? When did I become such a smooth talker? Well, Granda always told me to be kind to people. Maybe it's his influence. Man, that guy was popular with women. Didn't he always talk about the supposed 'harem' that he had before Grandma set him straight?' I chuckle inwardly.

"Um, can you use any magic?" She asks with an expectant look.

"Um, I don't know about that, but I do have an ability that boosts my power for a short period of time," I reply.

"Wha-?! A Divine Blessing?! And it's such a useful one too! That's amazing!" She exclaims with a happy smile.

'A Divine Blessing? What's that? I shouldn't ask that question. She might get suspicious.' I think.

"Yes. I will admit that I'm quite fortunate to have one." I rub my head with an embarrassed expression as I put on an act.

"So that means you are a close combat fighter, right?" She asks.

I nod as she writes everything down on the parchment.

"Do you have a residence in Lugunica?"

"I don't. I am new to Lugunica." I answer after thinking for a bit.

"Oh? Where are you from?" She asks me with a curious expression.

'Shit!' An awkward expression appears on my face.

"Oh! It's okay! This question is completely optional! Many people try to become adventurers to start a new life, after all!" She explains quickly.

"Thank you very much. Can I ask a couple of questions too? As you know, I'm new here so I don't know much about Lugunica. Can you tell me where I am or what surrounds this city?" I inquire, seizing the opportunity to gather information.

"Oh! I would love to!" She puts on a bright smile and looks back up at me.

"You are now in the Royal Capital of Lugunica. Lugunica comprises five major cities known as the 'Five Great Cities,' and you're currently in one of them—Costuul, also recognized as the Industrial City of Costuul. It has a predominant population of demi-humans. Costuul is the newest addition to the Five Great Cities, earning its status through a thriving industry that heavily relies on Magicreation Tools." She provides a detailed explanation.

"The other Great Cities include Priestella, also known as the Watergate City of Priestella. Positioned closest to the western nation of Kararagi, it is separated by the Tigracy River. This beautiful city is a renowned tourist destination, built in the middle of a great lake with waterways running through it. The city is divided into four parts called avenues, numbered clockwise from the main gate." She provides additional information.

'Lugunica is quite massive, huh?' I ponder silently as Anika continues.

"Picoutatte, or the Commercial City of Picoutatte, stands in the southernmost part of the Kingdom, nestled next to the border with the Empire. This splendid merchant city is segmented into five distinct areas: north, south, east, west, and central, each boasting unique rules and features. Its importance lies in being the primary trading hub with the neighboring Empire." She elaborates.

'I guess I should put this city on my radar if I want to get something…'

"Flanders, also known as the Earth Dragon Capital, is located in the southeastern part of the country on the Hyclara Plateau. The city is renowned for its 'dragon industry.'"

'Dragons exist! So cool!'

"And the last of the Great Cities is Ganacks, also known as the Mining City of Ganacks. Positioned near Elior Forest to the southeast, it lies at the foot of the Gina Mountain range. Besides its flourishing mining industry, Ganacks is renowned for its bustling entertainment district. That's all of them! If you have any more questions, please ask!"

'That was one hell of an info dump…' I sigh in my mind.

"No, that was perfect. Thank you so much, Anika." I give her a bright smile.

"N-no problem!" Her face reddens as she looks away.

'This kingdom is massive. The scale is on a whole other level. Making a foundation with business is going to be hard if I don't understand the market. As I thought, becoming an adventurer was the best choice.'

"Those are all the questions! Please come back in two hours for your Adventurers Identification Card. That will be 20 copper coins," she says.

I reach into my pocket to pretend like I'm grabbing something, but in actuality, I open my inventory and grab 20 copper coins exactly.

"Here you go," I say as I hand over the coins.

"Yes. This is the correct amount. Thank you. Please follow me." She gets up as I do the same and follow her out of the room.

She goes back to the reception desk and hands the parchment to someone with a weird-looking crystal. She then comes back.

"Your Adventurer Card will be ready in a few hours. Please be back here by then!" She flashes me a bright smile.

"Yeah. You got it. Thanks again, Anika!" I express my gratitude as I turn around.

"You're welcome!" She waves me goodbye.

I exit the guild, surveying the surroundings, and head in a random direction.

'So…how should I kill a few hours?'