"A-A mithril plate..."

The staff member who had reached out for our adventurer cards with a suspicious look suddenly froze in place. Judging from the startled expression, perhaps they remembered something.

"Could you please wait a moment?"

With that single sentence, they took our adventurer cards and disappeared into the back.

Ivan looked around the guild with curiosity, while Phonia was breathing heavily in excitement.

'So this is the guild... Amazing!'

I don't really get it, but apparently it's amazing. You should take a lesson from Nir, Phonia. Look, even now, he's holding a sharp expression and warding off nearby adventurers with a big yawn... Ah, yeah, never mind.

"Sorry for the wait. Please proceed to the back room."

After a while, the staff member returned and directed us to the back, so we followed. This pattern probably means the Guild Master is going to appear.

"Your companions may come as well."

"Ah, yes."

And so, the three of us and the two beasts entered the back room. It feels like we end up in private rooms every time we visit a guild these days.

We entered a room that resembled a conference room and each of us took a seat where we pleased. Phonia, still in her beast form, tried to sit on a chair, but upon seeing Nir settle in a corner of the room, she sat beside him.

'I couldn’t sit…'

'Of course you couldn’t…'

There was no other response to her words, tinged with sadness. Maybe she hasn’t spent much time in beast form before now.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

After a moment, a stocky man with brown fur covering his head, cheeks, and chin appeared in the room. The female staff member from earlier stood behind him.

"I'm Bulldriff, the Guild Master. I've heard the story. You two are Shu and Rio... right?"

So my guess that he was the Guild Master was correct, but why the uncertainty when looking at Ivan and Rio?

"I'm Shu."

"What!? My apologies."

Among the three of us, I'm the shortest, and at a glance, the bear beastman Ivan does look stronger. Maybe I should start projecting some intimidating presence or something. After we reintroduced ourselves, we all took seats.

"We're currently processing your adventurer cards. Please wait a little longer."

"Understood."

"Shall we take care of the remaining tasks while we wait?"

"In that case, please take this."

I handed over the completion form for the Sea Emperor Turtle's neck delivery request.

"Yes, confirmed."

After verifying it, he handed it to the female staff behind him.

"Next is... the registration of your tamed beast, correct?"

"Yes. Please register the fox spirit over there."

I pointed toward Phonia, who was lazing around in the corner of the room. Nir is quiet, but a big Phonia rolling around is kind of a nuisance. Act your age. Be quiet.

"What!? A fox spirit, you say?"

The Guild Master stood up with a loud clatter.

"...That one?"

Phonia froze with a blank look when pointed at and put under the spotlight.

"I was expecting something incredible since it's the tamed beast of an S-Rank adventurer, but..."

I get what he's trying to say. She's still a child inside, after all.

"But she has five tails, right?"

"Five tails!?"

This time, with a loud crash, the Guild Master kicked over his chair.

"I-It’s fine, Guild Master. She’s properly tamed."

The female staff member quickly assured him about Phonia’s status. She might be the one handling the taming procedure. If she can appraise, then she can confirm whether the beast is tamed, making things easier and safer.

"To think... I'd get to see a fox spirit that has grown five tails..."

"They’re apparently quite rare monsters."

"Yes, indeed. I’ve only ever encountered one with four tails before... Even that was an A-Rank monster. One with five tails would be S-Rank, surely."

"Huh."

He explained while gulping nervously, but I had already expected this, so I wasn’t particularly surprised. Looking at their stats, Nir seems to lean toward physical strength while Phonia leans toward magic. If Nir, who was called S-Rank, is any indication, Phonia should also be S-Rank.

"A five-tailed... S-Rank monster...?"

Hearing this, Ivan trembled as he spoke. The idea that he had been traveling with such a fearsome fox girl must’ve finally sunk in. He looked at me, Rio, Nir, and Phonia in turn, then slumped over the desk dramatically.

"Could it be that... I'm the weakest one here...?"

Apparently, that realization hit him hard.

"Alright... we’ll register her as an S-Rank tamed beast. What’s her name?"

'Phonia!'

"Phonia."

"Got it. I'll have a tamed beast tag prepared. Lastly, we need to register that man as an adventurer, correct?"

"Yes, please."

With those words, the female staff member handed over a registration form. I passed it to Ivan, who was still collapsed over the desk.

"...I can’t read or write."

Considering he was a slave until recently, it’s not surprising that he’s illiterate. Literacy rates in this world probably aren’t that high.

'Ivan, you’ve been pathetic all day.'

'Haha, can’t be helped. Don’t say that to his face, poor guy.'

'Huh? Why not?'

Come on now, cut him some slack. Ivan’s mental health is already on zero.

Phonia can’t read or write either, right? After explaining that to her, she seemed convinced.

"Then I’ll fill it out for you."

"Please…"

"Would you like us to check his profession?"

"Ah, no need. We already know it."

"Eh? Really? ...You didn’t tell me!?"

I politely declined the staff’s kind offer, which prompted Ivan to shout in protest. He's been busy shouting and faceplanting all day today.

"You didn’t ask. By the way, it clearly says 'Hunter.'"

"Wait, seriously!? Yessss—!"

Now he’s riding a wave of excitement. Come to think of it, wasn't the probability of your profession appearing less than fifty percent? Since it came out clearly, that’s pretty lucky.

"Alright, the form is good. Confirmed. Ivan, you are now registered as an F-Rank adventurer."

"Yes. That’s everything we needed to do."

"Indeed. Thank you very much."

"Your adventurer cards will be ready soon. I’ll have them brought here. Still..."

The Guild Master glanced around the room and muttered to himself.

"Among the three people and two beasts, there are two S-Ranks... and one F-Rank. What an amusing bunch."

The Guild Master burst into hearty laughter, while Ivan, who had just reached peak excitement over his profession, was once again brought crashing back down to earth.