Seven

"Let's create your guild card for now."

Finally, I was freed from the lecture that could only be described as preaching.

While I was exhausted and slouched, Galley took out a blank card.

"Please let a drop of your blood fall here."

I took out my Karambit knife and lightly cut my right thumb, letting a drop fall onto the card. The card emitted a glow and then transformed into a card with engraved letters.

"Ellaina-chan, let me heal your finger. Please extend your hand."

"Ellaina-san, it's okay. It'll heal on its own."

"No way! You're a girl, so you have to take care of your body. Come on, give me your hand."

Ellaina's tone had changed, likely because she found out we were the same age. She had returned to her usual way of speaking and lost her stern expression, now wearing a gentle one.

"Your way of speaking has changed from earlier, Ellaina-san."

"Hehe, I do it to create a clear distinction between work and normal conversations. Anyway, give me your hand."

Ellaina took my right hand and examined my thumb.

"Huh? The wound is gone. Did you heal it yourself?"

Ellaina looked puzzled as she examined my right thumb, which I had cut with the Karambit.

"No, it's not that. I heal quickly, so for minor wounds like this, you don't need to worry."

"Ellaina-chan's body is quite mysterious... By the way, your hands are so beautiful; I'm jealous."

Ellaina gazed at my hands enviously.

I wonder if many girls are concerned about things like beauty and skin condition, staring at me like this?

"Cough! ... Can we proceed with the explanation?"

"Of course."

Oops, I forgot. I was in the middle of joining the Comprehensive Guild.

"This is your Comprehensive Guild card. It also serves as your identification, and any crimes you commit will be recorded on the card. Additionally, if you lose your card, there is a fee for reissuing it, so be careful not to lose it. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Now, please take this."

I received the card from Galley.

"Next, let me explain the Adventurer Class you belong to. Adventurer Classes have ranks based on an individual's skill level, and your card will have it listed."

I see, it's quite standard.

"The ranks are from lowest to highest: E, D, C, B, A, and S, with E being the starting rank for all Comprehensive Guild members. So your rank will also start at E."

"To raise your rank, you'll need to accept quests at the reception desk, complete tasks like defeating monsters or gathering items, and accumulate quest points. Once you've gathered a certain number of points, you'll be eligible to take a Rank-Up Quest, and if you pass it, you'll be able to rank up. However, be aware that you won't earn points just by following others on quests without contributing. For example, if you don't engage in combat with monsters and only deliver finishing blows, you won't earn points. So, be cautious."

"Furthermore, whether you can take a Rank-Up Quest or not will be notified to you by us."

I see, you can't climb the ranks just by riding on others' accomplishments.

"Also, you can only accept quests that match your rank. E-rank adventurers can only take E-rank quests, and so on. However, there are exceptions, but I can't discuss those until you reach C-rank, so I won't mention them now. When you want to take a Rank-Up Quest beyond rank C, you'll need to meet the quest point requirements and complete mandatory quests to be eligible. Do you have any questions so far?"

Yes, I do. I need to ask this before anything else.

"Is there a penalty for failing quests?"

"I was about to explain that next."

Oh, no! Did I do something wrong?

"If you fail a quest, there will indeed be penalties. For hunting and gathering quests, it's a deduction of quest points. For escort and transport quests, aside from quest point deductions, there might be cases where you have to pay a penalty fee. Additionally, if you continuously fail quests, your rank might be downgraded, so please be careful."

I see, there's a penalty fee sometimes. I should be cautious.

"May I ask a question?"

"Of course."

"If a quest fails due to issues with the client during escort or transport quests, and they say it's your fault, demanding a penalty fee, do you have to pay it?"

"You don't need to worry about that. In case of issues, we generally mediate to determine whether you should pay a penalty fee. Besides, to request escort and transport quests, you generally need to register with the Comprehensive Guild under the Commercial or Production Departments, except for certain influential figures like royalty. Also, attempting

to demand 'pay more' or 'reduce the reward' on the spot is considered an illegal act by the Comprehensive Guild, so such individuals are unlikely to exist. On the flip side, if adventurers demand increased rewards from clients, it's also against the Comprehensive Guild's rules. You should already know this, but committing crimes for monetary gain, including killing clients, is a serious offense, so absolutely refrain from it."

Okay, if there are such rules in place, I don't need to worry.

"Finally, the higher your rank, the higher-paying quests you can undertake, but they also come with higher risks, so I recommend forming parties."

Parties, huh... Well, I can think about that later.

"That concludes the basic information. If you have any questions, feel free to ask at the counter."

"Thank you very much!"

"No, thank you!"

With that, my guild registration was complete.

Afterward, the Guild Master instructed the Guild employees to bring Grubert here for questioning.

In the meantime, everyone was waiting and chatting while expecting Grubert to arrive, but suddenly, the door was forcefully pushed open, shattering the friendly atmosphere.

"Captain Guell!"

"What are you doing, Keith?! We're in the presence of the Duke!"

Despite Guell's angry tone, Keith seemed flustered and out of breath. Something must have happened.

"This is no time for that!"

Guell furrowed his brow and looked at Keith.

"Is something wrong?"

"I'll explain later; please come with me and stop Aid!"

"What?"

"Stop Aid. What does that mean?"

I was puzzled as I made my way to the scene, only to find Aid outside, landing punches on Grubert, who was restrained.

"You scum! I knew it!"

Grubert's face was swollen and several teeth were missing, likely from Aid repeatedly hitting him. Despite his battered state, Grubert weakly started speaking while gazing at Aid.

"Yeah, it's true. After dealing with you, I was going to... tak-take a... family hostage. I'll... kill... your... family... if... you don't... follow... the orders... of... Livais... Please... spare me..."

Grubert, with tears, snot, and blood smeared on his face, pleaded with Aid, but Aid's anger showed no signs of subsiding as he clenched his fist.

"Aid, stop it already!"

Guell shouted, but Aid seemed oblivious

Guell shouted, but Aid seemed oblivious and continued to strike.

Huh? What's going on here?

I needed to intervene before things got seriously out of hand, but there was a phrase in Ellaina's words that caught my attention, so I involuntarily stopped in my tracks.

"Where is my family? If you don't want to talk, I'll kill you!"

What?! Family... Does that mean Aid...

"Huh?! Th-they're... in the... basement! There's a... hidden door... in the study... I... I threw them... down there... They're... still... alive... I beg... you... spare... me..."

As Grubert realized our presence, he begged for help.

"Aid, stop it! This isn't like you!"

"Aid, senior! Please stop!"

"Aid, let it go!"

Guell and the others tried to restrain Aid while he struggled.

Hearing the recent conversation confirmed my suspicions. I had hoped it wasn't true, but... I had to ask. I believed Aid would tell me everything now.

"Um, Aid... Could it be that Grubert has taken your family hostage?"

Up until that point, Aid had been struggling and showing anger, but when I asked, he stopped struggling abruptly, and his expression changed to one of sadness and agony.

"Yeah, that's right... I was... blackmailed by him, my family... taken... hostage."

As soon as he said those words, everyone except me was shocked.

Guell let go of Aid and stepped back. Then, he began questioning Aid.

"So, the reason you were acting strangely today was because your family was taken hostage?"

"Yeah, two days ago, my family was kidnapped. And on that day, the kidnapper told me, 'The day after tomorrow, if you don't cooperate in assassinating Duke Valdek, your family will be killed. If you dare tell anyone about this, do you know what will happen to your family?'..."

So, that's what happened. That's why Aid was giving me those menacing looks earlier.

"I managed to find out about the location of my family and the mastermind. But I had no time to rescue them, and I was desperate. So, that's why I... today... tried to betray you all."

Guell and the others had incredulous expressions on their faces.

"Aid... You..."

"Was the place where we were attacked the location of the planned operation?"

But why didn't Aid show up as an enemy on the radar? Well, I'll ask the gods about that later.

"Yeah, that's right. At the moment of failure, I hated you. But after the battle, when I thought about it more, I wondered if they planned to dispose of me as well right there."

"I asked him myself... and it turned out I was right."

Aid had a regretful expression.

"I'm sorry. There was nothing else I could do. Even if I apologize, I don't think I can be forgiven."

"Aid..."

I felt sorry for Aid and the others, but we needed to take action immediately to rescue Aid's family. Also, we should hand Grubert over to the authorities. There are things I want to ask him.

"Let's postpone the rest of the conversation for later. We'll inform the Guild staff about the hidden room and have them go check it out. Also, there are some questions I'd like to ask Grubert, so can you leave him to me?"

"Very well. By the way, Ellaina, what do you want to ask him about Livais?"

I turned to Guell and replied, "I want to know about what Grubert mentioned regarding 'Livais'."

As I did so, a loud noise came from Grubert's direction. I turned to look and saw a thick stone spear impaled in Grubert's chest, causing him to collapse.

With this, the Guild registration is complete.