"Wow, this is incredible…”

The Adventurer’s Guild was packed with people. Many wore armor made of metal or breastplates and waist protectors likely made from the scales and hides of monsters. Bows, spears, and long swords filled the space, creating a truly fantasy-like scene.

Unlike the Merchant Guild, where most people were human, the Adventurer’s Guild had a mix of various races—beastkin like cats and dogs, dwarves, elves, and even lizardmen.

Since I wasn’t dressed as an adventurer, or maybe because this was a town for beginner adventurers, the usual trope of getting harassed by other adventurers didn’t happen.

Inside the guild, there was a large request board covered with numerous posted jobs. It seemed like adventurers simply took on the requests they wanted. There was also a place for selling monster materials, as well as a cafeteria for meals and drinks. And, of course, a reception area for those issuing requests. That’s where I needed to go, but first, I had to find someone.

"Oh! Tetsuya!"

"Roya! Glad I found you! It’s so crowded, I couldn’t spot you at all."

I finally found Roya and his party, who had helped me yesterday. They were eating in the guild's cafeteria.

"Well, well, Tetsuya! You said you didn’t have any money. Are you doing okay now?”

"You didn’t come to the Adventurer’s Guild yesterday, so did you manage on your own?”

"I sold some stuff at the Merchant’s Guild, and it turned out to be worth a good amount. Thanks to that, I registered with the guild, and I’ve decided to become a merchant in this town."

"Oh, that’s great news!”

"Yeah, and it’s all thanks to you guys saving me in the forest. Here, this isn’t much, but please take it."

I pretended to reach into my pocket and pulled out 10 gold coins, which I had charged from my outdoor shop.

"Whoa, Tetsuya!? There’s no way we can accept that!”

"She’s right. We already accepted a lunch from you yesterday."

"That’s right. You treated us to such a delicious meal. That was more than enough."

"No, listen. If you guys hadn’t saved me, I might’ve been killed by those goblins. Even if I had somehow escaped, I probably would’ve gotten lost in that forest. You all saved my life, so this is honestly still too little."

Honestly, I would’ve liked to give them more, but I also needed to save money for my business. This was the best I could do for now.

"Tetsuya, we appreciate the thought, but we’re adventurers, even if we’re still beginners. The kind of adventurers I aspire to be wouldn’t accept this much money just for helping someone out of a goblin attack."

…

Well, it was completely fair to give them this reward, but they were just too nice.

"Alright, fine. But at least let me treat you guys to a meal. Plus, I have a few things I want to ask. That should count as fair compensation, right?”

"…Yeah, if that’s the case, I’ll happily accept the meal!”

"Hooray! Thanks, Tetsuya!”

"Much appreciated. I’ll gladly take you up on that offer!”

"Alright, let’s dig in."

"I see. So, you’re thinking of selling tools that might be useful for beginner adventurers."

"Yeah, I’m planning to focus on that. But I’d like to hear feedback from actual adventurers. That’s why I came to the guild to put in a request to accompany some adventurers on their job. If possible, I’d like you and your party to take the request."

"I see. In that case, you can come with us on a simple job tomorrow. Instead of our usual goblin hunts or horned rabbit hunting, we could take an easy herb-gathering quest."

"However, since Tetsuya would be coming along, it would add an escort duty to the quest. As E-rank adventurers, we might not be allowed to take that on."

Ah, that’s right. Since I had no combat ability, taking me along would mean adding an escort responsibility to their usual job.

"How about we ask the guild staff about it? They’ll know best. Let’s finish eating and then ask them."

As we ate and drank, I got valuable insights from Roya and his party about the tools they used and what other tools they wished they had. After I paid for the meal, we headed to the guild counter. Since they didn’t drink much, the meal didn’t even cost one gold coin.

"I see. In that case, because an escort is required, I’m afraid Roya’s party won’t be able to take the request alone."

"Ah, as I thought."

"I was really hoping Roya’s party could handle it, though."

Apparently, for an escort mission, beginner E-rank adventurers aren’t allowed to take the request.

"There is one way to make it possible, though. If you have another adventurer of C-rank or higher accompany Roya’s party, you could take the request. However, the cost of the request will increase."

"How much would that be?”

"It would be slightly discounted since it’s more of an observation mission, but for the adventurers, it will be 7 gold coins. Additionally, there is a guild fee of 5 silver coins. So, the total will come to 7 gold coins and 5 silver coins."

"I see. That’s fine, I’ll go with that."

"Hey, Tetsuya, that’s pretty expensive. Are you sure?”

"Yeah, it’s still within my budget."

Seven gold coins and five silver coins… Even with the discount, it’s a bit pricey, but I can’t put a price on safety. There’s no way I’m going back into that forest alone. While I could just give Roya and his party some camping gear to try out, I wanted to see for myself how adventurers work in this world.

"Understood. This request will likely be taken up by tomorrow morning, so I’d suggest you, Tetsuya, and Roya’s party come to the guild early. If no one takes the quest by noon, we’ll push it to the following day."

"Got it."

Though it cost a bit more than expected, I was glad the request got accepted. Anyway, I had planned to give Roya and his party ten gold coins, so it’s not a problem.