Hard Work Will Never Betray Me

The next day, after finishing my studies with my tutor, I asked my dad over lunch.

"Dad"

"what's up?"

He replied with a toothpick in his mouth, 

I"'d like to be an adventurer. Can a six-year-old be an adventurer?"

"Oh, you're finally interested in being an adventurer?"

father  muttered, but he seemed to be grinning and enjoying himself. For some reason, my mother's reaction, which is usually negative about anything dangerous, was not bad.

"What?"

"You can be an adventurer, all in all . The only thing you need to be an adventurer is your ability, and your age, gender, and status are completely irrelevant. The only thing that matters is whether or not you are a citizen of the empire. If you apply for it, you can easily register as a foreigner.

"That's rather graceful."

"Adventurers are basically responsible for themselves . The guild won't get involved no matter what happens, but registration itself is pretty easy."

" we are used to travel around the empire with a party." my mom said, her face was  somewhat happy. I'm sure she's reminiscing about the good old days of her youth.

" Oh, I forgot to mention that criminals are not allowed. If you're an adventurer, you're not going to be able to work as an adventurer. In the first place, when you are imprisoned, you are subjected to forced labor, so it is physically impossible for you to work as an adventurer.'"

"That's true."

"But there are quite a few criminal gangs. It's a rough profession, and it's inevitable."

"I see. ......"

"So the chances of getting into trouble are reasonably high. Especially kids like you, who are often the target of bullying."

It's a standard  thing when registering as an adventurer. well, bullying newcomers is common in other workplaces as well.

"Even if I can register successfully, there's going to be some kind of trouble. ......"

It's a good idea to give up on that. It's a path every adventurer must take.

"That's right. How did it go  for your dad?"

When I asked this, my father and mother looked at each other and started to grin.

" we were kicked."

I've never seen Mom smile like that before. ......

"If you're a man, you'll have to fight back. The guild does not interfere in disputes between adventurers. Shaking off the sparks of fire that fall on you is a necessary  to obtain power to survive in a cutthroat society."

"Hal, you'll be fine.  you our pride and joy."

Apparently, they were saying, "Do what you want." The parents' permission was now granted.

T"hank you. I'm going to register right after this."

The registration process would be easier if yyou  had some identification. Take your family crest with you.?"

"Yeah, okay."

My dad handed me a mithril key tag with our family crest on it around the end of last year, saying it was important, and it was stored in my room. When he gave it to me, I thought, "Isn't that an inro?"

The key tag is an item that shows noble status, so no one but our family can touch it. I can't ask Alisa to bring it, I'll have to go look for it myself later. I don't know where I put it... ......

✳︎

After spending half an hour searching for the key tag, I arrived at the Heitburg branch of the Adventurers' Guild, located on the western edge of the territorial capital of Heitburg.

It's a splendid four-story building that's worthy of the term "solid and sturdy." The grounds seemed to be quite large, which made me realize the enormity of the adventurer's guild.

The reason why the Adventurer's Guild was located at the western end of the city while the other guilds, such as the Commercial Guild, the Craftsman's Guild, and the Agricultural Guild, were located in the center of the city was simply because of the delivery of materials. While the other guilds do not transport as many goods, the Adventurer's Guild brings in a large number of demon corpses called "materials" almost every day. In some cases, human corpses are brought in as well,......, making it impossible to set up a facility in the center of the city.

That being said, adventurers love the fact that it's easy to carry in, so I guess there's no problem with that.

Incidentally, the agricultural guild, which is also thought to handle a large amount of crops, actually does not have a problem with being located in the center of the city, since its main duties are to adjust distribution volume and prices and to survey the productivity of the land, and the guild does not directly handle tax collection or sales. I was a little surprised to see that this was not what I expected, but apparently that's how it works.

Well, let's just go inside and register as an adventurer. If I don't register, no matter how many demons I hunt, they won't buy them. I want to earn money on  my own without having  help of parents, the best way is to register as an adventurer.

When I opened the wooden double doors, I heard a squeak ....... But if you think that's going to get you the attention of everyone inside,......, it's not.

It's just like city hall on earth. They don't have the kind of culture that would go out of its way to stare at people who come in.

However, as an obvious child, I seemed to stand out a bit, and when they saw me walking towards the reception desk, they looked at me in a confused way (as if they were wondering if they should talk to me).

Well, I'm not an adventurer yet, you know. The premise of self-responsibility doesn't apply to me. I guess that's why  thy wondering if  they should call out to me.

"Um..."

"Yes, what's wrong?"

I talked to the receptionist who was closest to me. She responded in the way a child would.

Hmmm, I'm not used to this kind of reaction. Maybe it's because I act like a child at home, but my dad and mom don't really treat me like one.

I want to register as an adventurer."

"Oh, do you have your parents' permission?"

The receptionist replied with a slightly troubled look. I don't understand how  i would feels. If I were at Hello Work employee and a six-year-old child came to me asking for a job, I'm sure I would react the same way.

"But you know what, sis? We may look like kids, but we're adults on the inside."

"I'm getting it. I don't know if it will work."

With that said, I took out the key tag with the family crest of the  counts of Farrenheit from my pocket.  by the way if you are a person in a slum, or if you are a person in this city who grew up with a primary education in a shrine, even ordinary people should know this family crest. I don't know about the crests of other aristocrats, but I'm sure I'll learn only the crests that indicate the imperial family and the Farrenheit family.

"I'm sure you've learned the crests of the royal family and the Farenheit family. ......?　Oh, I beg your pardon."

"I don't want to make a scene, so you can act normal. I just want to register as an adventurer."

"I'll start the process then."

As expected, the key tag. As if "I can't see this crest in my eyes!" Usually, the family crest is the judgment ability of the head-only those who are allowed to act as representatives of the aristocrats of the house outside are handed over by the head. In other words, showing me a key tag with a family crest here means that I am here at my own discretion, with the father of the  counts of Farrenheit admitting that I am a full-fledged person. I

If that's the case, then the entire responsibility lies with me. If any problem arose, it would be my fault for using my authority as a nobleman to cause the problem, and the receptionist would not be vilified.

This was one of the reasons why the receptionist's attitude had changed.

"Please write your name, age and hometown here."

"Yes.

I filled my personal information on a piece of high-quality paper. The receptionist's face was a little tense as she looked at my long name, which was peculiar to aristocrats.

Ordinary people's names are much shorter. Basically, it's just the last name and first name. Or in some cases, just the first  name. Well, these days, it is rare to see just a name. I don't know if that's good or bad.

Leaving aside the name situation of the commoners  of the empire, I finished filling my personal information for the moment. The next step is probably a standard one. Magic power registration!

"Yes. Thank you very much. . I'll start the explanation now."

"　Huh?"

"'There are eleven ranks for adventurers, from the bottom to the top: F, E, D, C, B-, B, B+, A-, A, A+, S. These ranks are there to protect adventurers and to increase the success rate of their  missions . The ranks are used to determine the appropriate level of difficulty for the adventurer receiving the request. As a result, there may be multiple rounds of testing for advancement."

Apparently, there is no magical power registration. I was a little disappointed, but I decided to listen to the explanation quietly.

"And adventurers are limited in the requests they can accept according to their rank. Specifically, you can only accept requests up to one rank above you. There are no restrictions on the lower ranks, but please note that your rank will not increase if you only target the lower ranks."

That's obvious. In the  case that you've got a lot of money to spend, you'll be able to take advantage of it.

" if your failed  request , you will be charged a penalty of about 10% of your compensation. However, this does not apply to cases where the request has been taken over through proper procedures."

This part also makes sense to me. I have no particular doubts about this.

This time,  you will start at F rank, but F rank is a little different from the other ranks. F rank is basically for chores that can only be done in towns and villages, or for gathering low herbs. Please note that requests that involve fighting will be accepted from E rank. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. ...... Do you have any questions?"

"How do I become an E rank?"

"If you complete dozens of simple F-rank collection requests or multiple E rank requests, your rank will automatically increase. Anything else?"

"No, I'm fine for now."

"Here is your guild card. If you lose it, it will have to be reissued, and you will need to provide another form of identification and pay a fee of 10,000 ells to have it reissued."

"Oh, what happens if I lose it or it gets stolen?"

In that case, you will have to go to the nearest guild and request that your card be suspended. Please note that while your card is suspended, you will not be able to make any withdrawals, even if you are the cardholder. If you have a different ID, the suspension will be lifted, so don't worry.

"I see."

It's like a credit card. It doesn't have a photo on it, so it can be misused by others if they want to, but if you notice that you've dropped it, you can stop its use with a smartphone app or a phone call.

It seems primitive, but it's an excellent system. I'm sure you can understand why you don't need to register your magic power.

This is it then. If you want to report the results of your request, please go to the counter here or the warehouse next door. We also buy materials at the warehouse next door, so please go there when you've finished your request.

"Yes.

"The guild staff will support your activities as adventurers from now on. All of us at the guild look forward to seeing you in action.

"Thank you. I look forward to working with you."

That's how I became an adventurer. Now, I'm going to hunt a lot of demons and raise my rank fast!