Chapter 55: Adventurer’s Guilt

The Adventurer’s Guild was shabby, surprisingly modest considering it was located in the center of town.

With only a few windows and a sign, the exterior looked like an ordinary house.

If it weren’t for the guild sign, I might have just passed it by.

‘Hmm? This is the Adventurer’s Guild? It’s smaller than I thought…’

The Adventurer’s Guild I had imagined would have been much grander and more crowded.

“Is this all?”

I asked with a slightly disappointed voice.

Evan scratched his head in embarrassment.

“Our town isn’t a big city. The Sia Kalt Mountains are a dangerous area, so it’s hard to set up a large guild branch.”

When I opened the guild door and went in, an even more surprising sight unfolded.

The interior was completely empty.

There was only one young woman sitting in front of the reception desk, and there were no traces of adventurers.

“Is this place always this empty?”

The woman at the reception desk flinched in surprise at my words.

She had her light brown hair tied neatly, and she was wearing a guild uniform.

Her name tag read ‘Lina’.

“Where are Brian’s party and Arthur’s party? I want to show you my human form.”

Evan answered with an embarrassed expression.

“I also returned to the village a little while ago… I heard earlier that they all went far away because of a request.”

Ryandel nodded and added.

“There were hardly any adventurers when we came to the village. Most of them were said to be carrying out a request.”

“Haa…”

I sighed.

It seemed that I would never see Brian and Arthur again.

It was a little regretful.

I wanted to show them my human form.

Evan looked even more embarrassed when he saw my disappointed expression.

At that moment, Ryandel approached Evan and whispered in his ear.

“Guildmaster, there is something you should be careful about when dealing with Lady Lycoris. This person…”

The two began to talk quietly.

‘What is there to be careful about when dealing with me?’

I was a little puzzled, but I thought it was Ryandel’s consideration.

The faint sound seemed to explain that I must be respectful when speaking to the master and the lord.

It was a very important story.

Ryandel, good!

In the meantime, I approached the reception desk.

Lina was still looking at me with a nervous expression.

“Make me an adventurer’s ID.”

All the humans around me looked surprised at my words.

In particular, Carl froze with his mouth open.

“Uh, are you going to be an adventurer?”

Carl barely managed to open his mouth.

“Why? Can’t I be an adventurer?”

Carl seemed rather embarrassed by my question.

“No, that’s not it, but… Licorice isn’t a human…”

“Huh? Torven isn’t a human either, he’s a dwarf, but he’s an adventurer!”

When I pointed to Torven, he stroked his beard and carefully opened his mouth.

“Um… Dwarves are treated as humans. We’re different races, but legally…”

“Anyone can tell that I’m a human right now, right? I look just like a human!”

Miel seemed to agree with my words, spreading her wings wide and flying back and forth.

Cecilia also seemed to agree with my opinion, sparks flying from her shoulders.

The humans all seemed to be speechless.

Since we came to another world, we absolutely must become adventurers!

Lina spoke with an embarrassed expression.

“Um… In order to register as an adventurer, you need to receive a rank…”

“Then of course it has to be the highest rank! National Power or SSS rank!”

Lina bit her lip and looked even more anxious.

“…Huh? That… S rank is the highest rank, but the exams only go up to A rank, and you can only get S rank based on your performance…”

‘S rank is the highest rank…’

“Then give me S rank. My performance is saving this village and protecting the adventurers in the Great Labyrinth. And there was something that woke up Seraphina and Beatrice.”

As I spoke confidently, Lina looked even more embarrassed.

She lowered her head and scratched the desk with her fingers.

“Uh… That… I think I should discuss it with the guild master…”

At that moment, Evan and Ryandel came over to us after finishing their small talk.

Evan’s expression changed slightly.

His eyes looked more serious and wary, but at the same time, he showed a look of respect.

“What are you talking about?”

Lina hurriedly explained the situation.

Evan seemed to think for a while, then nodded as if he had made up his mind.

“Understood. I will make you an S-class adventurer badge.”

“That’s right!”

It doesn’t make sense for me to start out as an A-class like Arthur’s party!

The humans all looked shocked.

Lina widened her eyes and looked at Evan.

“But guild master, S-class has to go through the central guild’s review…”

“I will take responsibility, so don’t worry.”

Lina couldn’t argue anymore at Evan’s firm words.

She quickly started preparing the documents.

Evan guided me to the second floor.

The guild master’s office was wider and more comfortable than I thought.

On the walls were various maps and pictures of monsters, and the bookshelves were filled with thick books.

Warm sunlight was streaming in through the window.

“Would you like to sit down, Lady Lycoris?”

Evan pointed to the sofa in front of the large wooden desk.

I happily sat down.

Cecilia came down from my shoulder and sat on the desk, and Miel was still looking around above my head.

Lotte was slowly orbiting near the ceiling, and Glessia lay down naturally next to me.

It was cute how she rolled around, enjoying the soft texture.

I also leaned back comfortably on the sofa, and Evan spoke with a serious face.

“I heard from Lady Ryandel a little while ago that you are heading to Desmere.”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s a great journey to meet the master.”

I answered proudly.

Evan nodded deeply and continued with his next question.

“Then… can you tell me a little more about the master? What does Lady Frostia think of humans… Are there any particular complaints?”

I tilted my head.

Why would you ask such a question?

“The master doesn’t really care about you. It seems like the master’s interest is mainly in treasures, but lately he’s only been interested in me. Hehe.”

When I spoke bashfully, Miel’s wings beat faster.

Hehe!

Miel also admits that I’m right!

Evan nodded and approached the bookshelf.

He took out a thick book with an old leather cover.

“By any chance… how much do you know about Lady Frostia’s past?”

“The past? Well… the master is a dragon who lived for seven thousand years. And the ruler of the Great Labyrinth of Sia Kalt.”

Evan slowly opened the book and returned to the desk.

A picture of silver snow falling on the page appeared.

Below it was a picture of a burning city and people fleeing.

“This is a story from about six hundred years ago. It’s a legend that Arthur investigated after hearing about his encounter with Lady Frostia.”

I approached the book closer, drawn by the picture.

Miel also flew up from my head and hovered over the book, as if curious.

“In the past, there was a country called Rosteria in the place of the Kingdom of Genes. And there was an incident called the ‘Black Winter’ that caused the destruction of Rosteria.”

“Black Winter?”

Evan nodded.

“At that time, Rosteria was a prosperous country, but one day, black snow suddenly began to fall. Black snow like ash…”

His voice gradually became lower.

“According to the legend, the prince of the kingdom at that time stole the dragon’s treasure. That dragon was…”

“You are my master!”

My eyes sparkled.

Evan nodded cautiously.

“That black snow did not stop. It is said that it continued to fall for a week. Crops withered and died, livestock froze to death… and in the end, the people…”

“Wow… You’re truly amazing!”

You brought dangerous snowfall to the entire kingdom!

I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

He held the ball with both hands and rejoiced.

“And then the master appeared at the end and destroyed a kingdom by himself?”

I said while looking at the wonderful dragon picture, and Evan and the humans exchanged bewildered looks.

They didn’t seem to expect my reaction.

“That’s right… It’s said that many people died…”

“That’s really great! As expected, the master is incredibly strong!”

I jumped up from the sofa in excitement.

Cecilia also flew up, spreading her bright red wings.

“When the master gets angry, he’s so scary! I’ve never seen him like that!”

Miel also circled the book in agreement.

Glessia only slightly raised her head as if annoyed and lay back down.

Evan’s expression hardened.

He raised his hand in embarrassment and spoke.

“Lycoris… That was a terrible disaster. Countless lives…”

“That was a disaster caused by a stupid prince, right? If you humans do something wrong to the emperor or the king, don’t you get the death penalty?”

“Ah… That’s true, but…”

Evan seemed to have no more words to say at my clever logic.

He closed the book again with an uncomfortable expression.

I knew why I brought this up.

Cowards!

“Don’t worry. The master I’ve seen never does such things easily. Just don’t steal treasures or make him angry.”

Evan’s expression softened a little at my words.

“Then… that’s good.”

“Yes, the important thing is not to make the master angry. And the same goes for Niss.”

I said, sitting back down on the sofa.

Then Ryandel asked cautiously.

“By the way, why is Lady Prostia with Niss in Desmere? Is there a special reason…”

‘Hmm… I can’t say that you two are passed out drunk. No matter what I say, the master has his authority.’

“You two are working on something very important right now. You need my help.”

The humans’ faces turned pale again at my words.

Evan cleared his throat and asked again.

“By the way… that important work isn’t something that could be dangerous to the humans, is it?”

“No, not at all. I told you not to worry about that. The master and Niss’s business is our business alone.”

When I smiled and answered, Evan’s shoulders straightened slightly.

After that, Evan asked me many questions.

How I polymorphed, how I interacted with humans in the labyrinth, about the remaining bugs in the labyrinth, what the structure of the labyrinth was like, etc.

I gave vague answers.

…

After talking for a long time, the sun had set and the moon had risen.

The moonlight coming in through the window caught my attention.

The round moon was high above the town.

When the moonlight touched my fingertips, a strange feeling rose in my chest.

‘A festival of slaughter…’

I leaned back on the sofa as if I was tired.

However, in my head, I was thinking about the blood feast of Michel-nim after a long time.

“Michel-nim would want blood…”

I muttered while shaking my legs.

An exciting sensation rose from my fingertips and tickled my whole body.

‘Yes, the master told me the news himself, so I have to open it right away!’

A small, sweet smile bloomed on my lips.