episode_0077

Meruru’s adventurer registration was completed in no time.

Of course, she was classified as a Novice.

Tina couldn’t help but wear a worried expression even after completing Meruru’s adventurer registration.

“Is this really… okay?”

“Meruru is becoming an adventurer to find her sister!”

Meruru shouted while shaking her Novice badge.

It was unclear why Meruru, who had been staying in her room, suddenly decided to become an adventurer.

But she didn’t have the talent to be an adventurer.

Although Algot had requested it, he would probably help her out a bit… but in the end, she would have to give up.

She was worried that she might realize that she had no chance of becoming an adventurer and end up in a worse state than before.

Of course, once she realized that her sister was safe and protected, her spirits would probably lift.

“And Yunoa will be Meruru’s mentor.”

Algot said to me.

A mentor? Was there such a system in the guild?

“A mentor? I’ve never heard of that before…”

“In short, it means Yunoa will accompany Meruru and watch over her.”

It was clearly a role made up on the spot, but leaving Meruru alone was not an option.

Even without officially being a mentor, she could still watch over her.

Well, in a way, Algot was making an effort to entertain Meruru with this “adventurer play.”

“Wow! Yunoa! It’s my cape!”

“It’s not a cape, it’s a mentor.”

“Cape, cape! Now I’m going to find my sister!”

Algot sighed at Meruru’s nonsensical words.

“Just because you’ve registered as an adventurer doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. First, prove your abilities as an adventurer by completing quests. Then you’ll definitely be able to find your sister.”

“I want to go find my sister quickly!”

“Do you remember what happened last time when you went out to find your sister alone? If you let your enthusiasm get ahead of you, you won’t find your sister and you’ll only put yourself in danger.”

“Ugh…”

Meruru couldn’t argue with Algot’s words and clutched her head.

“And as a Novice, you can’t take on quests from the quest board, so I’ll give you quests directly.”

Come to think of it, Algot had said he would prepare all the quests for Meruru.

But would this really help Meruru change her mood?

“Algot thought this would be a good opportunity for Meruru, who had been feeling down alone in her room, to regain her spirits.

She didn’t think at all that Meruru could actually become a real adventurer.”

A narration in my head conveyed Algot’s thoughts.

That makes sense. After all, Algot had mentioned that the indigenous people of Helvetika Island were weak.

“Meruru didn’t want to admit that she had given up on finding her sister.

So, she showed interest in adventurers who could directly help her find her sister.

She believed that by becoming an adventurer and finding her sister herself, she could convince her sister to come back.”

Now I could understand why Meruru suddenly decided to become an adventurer.

But realistically, it would be difficult for Meruru to become an adventurer with her abilities…

“Even if it was an impossible task, or just a delusion, it didn’t matter.

Just the act of trying something for herself to find her sister gave Meruru the strength she needed.”

Just trying something was enough to give her strength…

It was like deceiving herself into thinking she was ‘doing something’ to keep her mental state intact.

Mentally, there was a clear difference between completely giving up and enthusiastically trying various things, even if they might not work out.

However, deceiving oneself in this way and firmly believing, ‘I am getting closer to my goal,’ was also risky.

In cases where there is no possibility, after repeated attempts, the end result is ultimately reaching the conclusion, ‘It was indeed impossible.’

In such cases, one could fall into even greater despair than when doing nothing at all, as the forced enthusiasm would completely disappear.

Algort, of course, was not unaware of this.

However, Meruru’s situation was a bit unique.

The reason why Meruru was forcing herself to become an adventurer was not ultimately to find her sister.

And her sister was already found and safely protected by us.

Once Aruru completes her adaptation at the Demon Protection Shelter, Meruru can meet her sister.

Algort now had a rough idea of what he was thinking.

In short, until the preparations for the reunion of the sisters are complete, let’s keep Meruru from feeling down and have her go on adventures for a change of mood.

“I will prepare the request tomorrow, so for today, work quietly as a receptionist.”

Algort said to Meruru.

Meruru nodded her head and quietly returned to her position as a crossbreed specialist counter.

* * *

The next morning, when I arrived at the guild early, Meruru was waiting at the entrance.

“Oh! My mentor! Have you come, Yunoa! I’ve been waiting for you!”

“It’s not a mentor, it’s a mentor.”

“I’ve prepared a lot for today! I’m going to make a great adventurer by quickly making a request and finding my sister!”

Meruru, who was unusually energetic, had a sword hanging from her waist.

On one side of her waist, she had a jar of jerky that I had seen in her room.

“Why is that…?”

“Food is the most important thing for an adventurer! You can run away from monsters, but you’ll die right away if you starve!”

“T-that’s true.”

Leading Meruru, who was unfolding her own firm adventurer logic, I entered the guild.

It was a time when many adventurers were taking requests, so there were many other adventurers in the guild.

“Oh, it’s Meruru!”

“Are you starting work today? I felt empty without you coming every day.”

A few adventurers who recognized Meruru pretended to know her first.

Come to think of it, I heard that when Meruru worked as a crossbreed specialist receptionist, she was quite popular.

Even though regular adventurers couldn’t work at the crossbreed specialist counter, there were some strange people who wanted to see Meruru at work and came with fake elf ears.

Meruru shouted loudly to the adventurers who greeted her.

“Meruru is now an adventurer from today! The receptionist is closed!”

At her words, the adventurers in the guild murmured.

Whether it was true or not, Meruru confidently walked up to the request board and took out a small dice-shaped jerky from the jar on her waist, put it in her mouth, and raised her head.

Crunch.

The office door opened, and Algort came out.

“Meruru, didn’t I tell you to come directly to me instead of going over there?”

“I-I was just about to go!”

Did she want to show what it felt like to be a real adventurer?

Well, even I, during my novice days, wished to receive a formal request from that request board.

During my novice days, all I received were odd jobs passed on through the receptionist for a meager amount of money.

I envied the adventurers who chose requests from the request board every day.

Now, unless it’s a particularly special request, I receive and quickly complete requests without any excitement.

Compared to that, Meruru, who receives requests directly from the guild master, is treated specially even among novice ranks.

Well, it’s more like a game to make Meruru feel good and cheer her up.

But still.

Taking Meruru into the study, Algot handed me a small map and what seemed to be a personally written request.

“There’s a cave on the outskirts of Kubel, the entrance is locked but there’s a massive infestation of slimes inside. They come in various types – blue, red, green slimes, you name it. Your task is to exterminate all the slimes in this place and come back.”

The cave… is locked?

“The entrance to the cave is locked… does that mean it’s flooded?”

“…That’s highly unlikely.”

As doubts arose about the request, Algot gave me a slight glare, as if to say not to question the details.

So this is the request that Algot personally ‘prepared’.

Perhaps he gathered relatively harmless slimes for Meruru and sealed the cave with a door to prevent them from spreading elsewhere.

“Alright! I’ll take care of all those slime creatures and then we can go find Unni!”

Meruru was overflowing with enthusiasm.

Algot smiled and said, “If you successfully complete this request, I promise as the guild representative that you’ll be able to find Unni.”

“It’s a promise!”

In reality, he had already found and was personally protecting her.

Although I understand that he won’t tell Meruru until Aruru has settled in the shelter to some extent, it still feels somewhat mischievous.

Algot also left me with a word of advice.

“Oh, and since Yunoa is a ‘mentor’, please try not to interfere in the request unless it’s a very dangerous situation.”

“So you mean just stand by and watch without helping?”

“If Meruru doesn’t do it herself, it won’t have any meaning, right? Whether you continue your adventurer life or return to being a receptionist, being an adventurer is not an easy task, it will be a good experience for you to realize that.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Meruru and I set out from the guild to fulfill the request prepared by Algot.

“Let’s go and exterminate them quickly!”

Meruru’s energetic and lively figure leading the way with quick steps was full of vigor.

Indeed, being alone in the house often led to various negative thoughts creeping in.

Even if it’s temporary, it might be a really good way to chase away those gloomy feelings.