When Kousuke and his party returned to the Public Guild in Sauril City, adventurers who were already hanging out in the cafeteria immediately started teasing them.
“Hey, hey. You picked three requests, and you’re already giving up!?”
“Don’t try to show off in front of the girls by overreaching your abilities!”
Several people said similar things, and they had been hanging around this same spot yesterday. It seemed the two unforgettable beauties, Kouhi and Mitsuki, had ensured they were well remembered. The fact that they knew Kousuke had picked three requests was likely due to the rumors spreading effectively.
Amidst the rising voices, Kousuke and his party ignored them all and walked towards the counter.
“We’ve completed our requests, can you please process them?”
“Yes. Understood. Please provide the request forms and the monster parts.”
Kousuke tilted his head at the receptionist, who was wearing a professional smile.
“Is it okay to process all three at once?”
“…Huh?”
The receptionist’s smile froze instantly.
“No. I mean, we took on three requests simultaneously and completed them, so I was asking if it’s okay to submit them all at once?”
The receptionist handling them this time was a different person from the one who had initially accepted Kousuke’s requests. Kousuke, assuming this new receptionist wouldn’t know they had taken on three requests at once, decided to clarify.
“P-Please wait a moment.”
Upon hearing Kousuke’s words, the receptionist showed a flustered expression and immediately went to confirm with a colleague.
The receptionist’s conversation, though kept at a low volume to avoid being overheard at the counter, allowed snippets to drift over. Phrases like “○○ took that request” and “They actually managed to complete it” were almost perfectly audible to Kousuke and his party at the counter. After a mere few minutes of such exchanges, the receptionist returned to the counter with a pasted smile.
“Yes, we have confirmed that the requests were accepted. There are no problems, so… Ah!”
The receptionist suddenly exclaimed, and Kousuke looked surprised.
“…What is it?”
“N-No. I apologize. It seems too cramped to display them here, so could you please come to another location?”
Hearing this, Kousuke understood that the receptionist who had confirmed the requests was flustered after checking the completion conditions. One of the requests explicitly stated the desire for *all* the slain monster corpses. Incidentally, this was a request completed by Nana and Kousuke. For adventurers without Item Box magic, it had become a request that was increasingly avoided due to the considerable weight involved in carrying the required number of monsters, even though the number of such requests available had dwindled.
“Understood. Could you show us the way?”
“Certainly.”
With that, the receptionist murmured something to a nearby colleague and began guiding Kousuke and his party. The colleague who was then spoken to proceeded to their seat, indicating that this counter was well-staffed with good follow-up procedures. Watching this unfold, Kousuke and his party were led to the back of the Guild building.
***
When they presented the monsters they had slain to fulfill the requests, the receptionist’s eyes widened in surprise. It wasn’t just the casual use of Item Box magic, but the sheer number of monsters that brought down parties to defeat them, appearing one after another in this area. It was a perfectly natural reaction. While the request indeed instructed them to defeat that many, the idea of all the monsters appearing at once had not been anticipated.
“P-Please wait a moment. I will confirm with the person in charge immediately.”
The receptionist left and quickly returned with a man. He was likely the Guild’s appraiser. The appraiser also widened his eyes upon seeing the mountain of monsters.
“Well, well. My skills are being put to use after a long time.”
With that, he immediately got to work.
The requests Kousuke’s party had accepted were typically things that required multiple parties to complete. In such cases, the processing was usually done outside the city after being transported by wagon, so it was rare for them to bring such a large quantity of monsters here as Kousuke and his party had. Of course, the appraiser noticed that Kousuke and his party could use Item Box magic, but he didn’t probe into it. Since he considered it unrelated to his work, he refrained from asking unnecessary questions.
While the appraiser calmly proceeded with his work, the receptionist was also confirming the requests.
“The content matches the requests, so we will now accept the completion. We will handle the administrative procedures inside, so may we ask you to return? We will inform you of the appraisal results later.”
“Ah. That’s fine.”
Kousuke, who didn’t mind if the materials were taken whole as long as the request was processed, readily agreed. It seemed that some adventurers might haggle. The receptionist, visibly relieved, led Kousuke and his party back to the counter.
***
When Kousuke’s party returned inside, the adventurers who had spoken to them yesterday were in the cafeteria. They must have arrived while they were out.
“Oh? What, isn’t that the group from the day before yesterday? Have you given up already?”
“No, no. We actually completed them properly?”
Kousuke, shaking his head, said this, and the adventurer’s expression froze.
“…Huh!? No, no, that can’t be right? You’re kidding, right?!”
His words conveyed his disbelief that three C-Rank requests could possibly be resolved so quickly. However, Kousuke shook his head and firmly denied it. He knew that being overly modest or hesitant here would yield no good results.
“No. It’s not a joke; we really did complete them. We just had the receptionist confirm it.”
“No, really?! …Are you sure?”
The last “Are you sure?” was directed at the receptionist.
“Yes. It’s true.”
The receptionist, who was handling the paperwork, replied curtly.
Upon hearing her answer, the adventurer’s expression turned serious, and he bowed his head.
“My apologies.”
“Huh? What is it, suddenly?!”
Kousuke was taken aback by the sudden change in behavior.
“Yesterday, I completely thought it was impossible. I apologize for underestimating you.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s understandable that I might appear to be trying to show off based on my appearance.”
Kousuke said this calmly, and the adventurer looked relieved. The fact that the adventurer hadn’t acted condescendingly towards them was partly why Kousuke forgave him. Of course, he would never say such a thing. He was well aware that they appeared quite unusual to others. He had accepted the previous remarks as mere advice. Even in their current conversation, he could tell that the man before him was a good person. Among the rough adventurers, someone who could properly bow their head like this was quite rare.
“Kou-sama, the processing is complete.”
As they were conversing, the receptionist called out to them. After confirming that the processing for the requests had been added to their Guild Cards, Kousuke received them properly. The cards he received were not just for him, but also for Kouhi and Mitsuki.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. So, what will you do about your next request?”
The receptionist, looking expectant as if she genuinely wanted them to take on a request, asked. Kousuke shook his head.
“We plan to leave this town the day after tomorrow and head west.”
“I see.”
Kousuke was inwardly puzzled as the receptionist easily backed down. He had expected her to suggest a guard request, and her not doing so piqued his curiosity. However, there was a reason for this from the receptionist’s side as well. The roads within the Thausen Kingdom were generally safe, so guard requests didn’t require a particularly high rank. Therefore, she didn’t push to recommend any requests.
In the end, after completing the subjugation requests that served as a warm-up for Kouhi and Mitsuki, they enjoyed the scenery of Sauril City and immediately headed to the next town.
They finished the requests easily. Or so Kousuke and his party thought, but the events in Sauril City would be thoroughly communicated to other towns. That is a story for another time.
