Chapter 10: The Long-Awaited Escort Request
ㅤ”Rank up! C~! I got it~!”
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ㅤI trace the newly engraved rank on my adventurer tag with my finger to confirm it.
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ㅤ”Me too, me too!”
ㅤ”My~! Congratulations~!”
ㅤ”Wait, Milia went up to B!”
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ㅤReid, Milia, and I, the usual three of us, are making a fuss near the entrance of the guild. The other adventurers were similarly excited. The Wyvern subjugation the other day was properly evaluated.
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ㅤ”I’m a full-fledged adventurer~! This is proof that I can make a living just by being an adventurer~!!!”
ㅤ”Me too~! Now I can brag at home~!!!”
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ㅤReid is doing a guts pose and rejoicing, and Milia, in her usual manner, asks a question.
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ㅤ”Oh my~! Does that mean Reid is going to leave his parents’ house?”
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ㅤAs someone who lives a comfortable life in the Duke’s mansion, this is a rather uncomfortable question for me. I can only avert my eyes and pray that the topic doesn’t turn to me.
ㅤBut the reason Milia asked that question is probably because Reid often complains about living at home.
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ㅤ”My mom checks the contents of my adventurer equipment……”
ㅤ”That’s…… well…… yeah…… you’re old enough……”
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ㅤDoes she think he’s an elementary school student? Well, she’s definitely worried. Was it thanks to his Okaa-san that Reid’s adventurer equipment was always well-maintained and never lacking?
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ㅤI’ve met Reid’s Okaa-san, the landlady of the weapon shop, and she was a wild and energetic person. She was friendly, worried about my slender frame, and even packed me a lunch box for entering the dungeon.
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ㅤ”But you’re also benefiting from it, right~?”
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ㅤPerhaps because she doesn’t think he’ll leave home even though he complains, Milia asks with a slightly mischievous smile. She’s enjoying this.
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ㅤ”The benefits are too great~…… Am I lacking in pride?”
ㅤ”Pride alone won’t feed you, so it’s fine, isn’t it?”
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ㅤSince I also have a house, I’m in favor of Reid living at home.
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ㅤ”Easy for the Duchess to say……”
ㅤ”You can’t compare yourself to me.”
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ㅤI’ll keep quiet about the fact that I have no dignity as a wife.
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ㅤ”Living in an inn is fun too.”
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ㅤMilia was staying at an inn exclusively for female adventurers. Although it’s called an inn, the contract is on a weekly basis, so it’s practically like living alone. It’s run by the Blood Territory, and the higher your rank and the longer your contract, the higher the discount rate, so Milia had a six-month contract.
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ㅤ’Hmm…… it’s definitely easier to live alone~’
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ㅤI’ll save that for the fun after the divorce.
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ㅤNow, being ranked C means that escort requests are unlocked.
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ㅤ”I’d love to escort a princess~!”
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ㅤForgetting that I’m a Duchess, what am I talking about? But no one here is going to point that out.
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ㅤ”That might be a little later.”
ㅤ”Have you ever accepted an escort request, Milia?”
ㅤ”I have~. Actually, I’m quite popular. It seems like women are better for escorting girls.”
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ㅤIt seems that there are quite a few cases where the client, a young lady, falls in love with a wild and tough adventurer.
ㅤMilia is highly capable in combat, calm, and kind. She has a rare temperament for an adventurer. From the perspective of the employer, especially those who put in requests for their wives and daughters, she is a presence they can feel safe having around.
ㅤIf, by any chance, a handsome adventurer gallantly rescues the young lady, you might hear the sound of wedding bells!
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ㅤ’Is it the suspension b*idge effect? Those kinds of stories are popular, after all.’
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ㅤLove stories between people of different social statuses are popular in this world too.
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ㅤHowever, Milia hasn’t accepted many escort jobs. That’s because it’s more profitable to enter the dungeon. Especially in this territory’s dungeon, with Milia’s skills, she can expect a stable income.
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ㅤ”But the escort rewards get better when you go up to B. Maybe I’ll take one occasionally.”
ㅤ”If you’re biased towards adventurer requests, your rank won’t go up easily, right?”
ㅤ”That’s right~. Being strong isn’t enough~.”
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ㅤSaying that, the two of them turn their gaze towards me. As if to say, “You know, right?”
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ㅤ”I have overall strength too! My strength just stands out! I actually made it to C, you know!?”
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ㅤWell, I understand that being exceptionally strong isn’t enough. Even I’ve been diligently taking on requests from the request board, from gathering materials for clients to subjugating stray monsters and searching for lost items inside the dungeon.
ㅤThen, suddenly, the two in front of me disappeared.
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ㅤ”Whoa!?”
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ㅤMy vision goes white. And so does my whole body. Some kind of moist white powder rained down on me!
ㅤ”Eek! I’m so sorry!”
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ㅤCoughing and spluttering, I turn around to see who did it, and there’s a little girl standing there, on the verge of tears.
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ㅤ(Ugh…… I can’t get mad at this……)
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ㅤThe girl was on her way back after receiving the pure white dye she had requested when she bumped into some adventurers who were fooling around while looking away, and it landed perfectly on top of me.
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ㅤ”You still can’t handle surprise attacks, huh~?”
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ㅤI glare at Reid, who’s trying not to laugh. Milia, also trying not to laugh, is patting the powder off me. I also try to brush the powder off my hair with my hand.
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ㅤ”Oh dear…… this is……”
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ㅤNo matter how much I brush, the powder won’t come off cleanly. Rather, it seems to be getting absorbed into my hair and clothes……
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ㅤ”E-Excuse me……! That’s a powerful dye……!”
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ㅤThe girl looks like she’s about to tremble with fear. Did she hear bad rumors about me!? I’m not angry! I’m not angry! Although I am wondering what to do!
ㅤThis dye is actually a mineral found in the dungeon that has the property of dyeing hair and cloth.
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ㅤ”Can this…… be removed……?”
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ㅤI try to ask slowly and gently, so as not to scare her.
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ㅤ”Y-Yes! There’s a special neutralizer at the workshop…… I-I’ll bring it right away……!”
ㅤ”Excuse me…… can I ask you to do that? I’ll pay for it properly.”
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ㅤI turn my face towards the adventurers who bumped into the girl. Knowing they’ve incurred my wrath, the adventurers quickly nod their heads.
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ㅤ”S-Sorry……”
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ㅤThey were also apologizing to the girl, but…… too late!
ㅤ”No, no, no! I-It’s my fault……”
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ㅤSaying that, the girl hurriedly went to the workshop to get the neutralizer. If I didn’t have to go back to the Duke’s mansion, I wouldn’t mind, but Ellis would definitely make a fuss if she saw me like this.
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ㅤ”People who come to submit requests are customers to adventurers! And it would be dangerous if that little girl got hit with a weapon!”
ㅤ”You’re absolutely right…… Sorry……”
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ㅤThe adventurers were dejected and reflecting on their actions.
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ㅤ”Tempest, you need to improve your detection ability too~.”
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ㅤReid starts saying unnecessary things, as if to help them out.
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ㅤ”Ugh! Don’t say that!!”
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ㅤBut for the next little while, my goal is set.
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ㅤ’First, I need to find out how to train it……’
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ㅤRight after I made the adventurers who bumped into the girl promise to bring me the same material again, I hear a voice calling me from afar.
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ㅤ”Hey, Tempest~!”
ㅤ”What!?”
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ㅤThe one calling out to me is Heine, who always sits at the request counter of the Adventurer’s Guild. He’s a rather laid-back staff member, and he continues talking without paying any attention to my anger or the fact that I’m covered in white powder.
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ㅤ”You have an escort request~, can you go out now~?”
ㅤ”No way! Seriously!?”
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ㅤ’Right now!?’
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ㅤ”It’s a direct request for the one who hunted the Wyvern the other day.”
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ㅤ(Yes! My name is starting to get out there!!!)
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ㅤSeeing my sudden good mood, the adventurers were visibly relieved.
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◇◇◇
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ㅤI happily head to the carriage stop near the East Gate of the territory, near the Adventurer Town, as specified by the client. By the way, I also changed into my adventurer’s clothes. It had become a mottled mess, and I was worried about what the client would think. I want to make a good impression as much as possible. Thankfully, Milia lent me some, so I was able to make it in time. Milia is taller than me, so the size wasn’t quite right, but she even adjusted it with a pretty ribbon.
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ㅤ『I’ve thought a lot about how to dress my little sisters in hand-me-downs.』
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ㅤFor some reason, she seemed nostalgic. It seems like she hasn’t been home for a while, and she must be missing her family.
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ㅤ’Alright! This is a special request. I’ll do it perfectly and raise my rank again!’
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ㅤThere’s good with the bad. But my joy was short-lived.
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ㅤ(No way!? No, no, no, no, no!?)
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ㅤIt’s Danna-sama. Danna-sama is right in front of me. Standing in front of the carriage. He’s wearing glasses and has changed his hair color to brown, but it’s definitely Danna-sama. Is he even trying to disguise himself!?
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ㅤHe just stared straight at my face.