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A Time Bomb at the Border and Worries of the Adventurers Guild Receptionist – Part 02

“Ah, Nolan. Fancy meeting you here.”

“Oh, folks from the institute. What a coincidence.”

They sounded like acquaintances.

I’m glad I got to catch a glimpse of him, Hikaru thought as he turned to leave the store.

“I won’t be needing that long-distance magic communication device anymore. A guild staff member from Pond will be heading to the Vireocean border, not me.”

Pond? Hikaru stopped in his tracks. Did he just say Pond?

“Ah, I see. Is Pond a town close to the border?”

“No. It’s a satellite town of the royal capital.”

“A satellite town?”

The two researchers exchanged glances.

“It’s located about half a day’s trip from the city,” Ivy said.

She frowned as she recalled that the headquarters of Ballast family, the debt collectors responsible for her family’s decline, was in Pond.

“That’s correct. The capital’s guild is extremely busy collecting information about the dungeons. Therefore, we will be borrowing personnel from the satellite town. That reminds me, I think they have an interesting history with a receptionist from Vireocean.”

“History, you say?”

“Yes. Oh, sorry, it’s an inside joke in the guild. By the way, it’s my first time meeting you.”

“Ah, my name is—”

As Ivy was about to introduce herself, she thought she saw the store’s door move.

“Hmm?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I-It’s nothing. My name is Ivy. I’m a new magic researcher.”

“She’s amazing,” one of her colleagues said.

“It’s rare to find someone with such knowledge and research skills at such a young age,” the other added.

“…”

Ivy glanced at the door again, but there was no sign of anyone there.

---

One stick had its tip dipped in red ink.

Freya, a receptionist at Pond’s guild, groaned as she held it.

“I’m sorry Freya,” Gloria said, “but no matter how many times you check, the outcome won’t change.”

“I-It’s all right,” Freya replied. “I get that this was just the luck of the draw.”

“I never thought the capital’s guild would dump a job on us,” Unken said. “Sorry, Freya. Normally, I’d refuse, but with the recent dungeon commotion, the whole world is in an uproar. The capital’s guild is even more chaotic than Pond. I know it’s going to be tough, but I’m counting on you.”

“I understand, sir. I’ll do my best.”

“Take it easy, okay?” Aurora said.

“I will. Thank you. I know you’ll be busy while I’m away… I appreciate it.”

A lottery had taken place in Unken’s office on the guild building’s second floor not long ago. Freya, Gloria, and Aurora, the three receptionists, had all participated.

The job from the capital’s Adventurers Guild was to survey the dungeon right on the border with Vireocean to confirm whether it lay inside or outside the kingdom’s territory, and gather basic information about it.

Both the kingdom of Ponsonia and the maritime nation of Vireocean were launching their own investigations, but matters involving national interests like dungeons could spark conflicts between parties. To avoid such tragedies, the Adventurers Guild, a neutral organization, took action.

Receptionists were chosen from the guild staff for this investigation because they had direct communication with guilds in various cities and possessed skills in advanced surveying, map reading, and document creation. When Freya took the receptionist employment exam, she was surprised to learn about these requirements, but the skillset proved invaluable in times like these.

Since the journey to the border would take a month round trip and involve risks, the decision of who to send for the investigation had been determined fairly through a lottery.

“All right. Gloria, Aurora, please continue on with today’s tasks,” Unken said. “Freya, you’re staying here so I can brief you on the mission.”

“Understood. Good luck, Freya.”

“Bye.”

Gloria and Aurora left the office, leaving behind Freya and Unken.

Freya checked her stick again, then sighed.

“Do you really hate the idea of going that much? Worst case, I can go in your place,” Unken suggested.

“P-Please don’t! I’m sorry. I just feel a little uneasy.”

“Hmm. You’re headed near the border, but it shouldn’t be that dangerous. No sightings of large monsters in that area.”

“Well, um…” Freya mumbled.

“What’s wrong?”

“I feel uneasy about the adventurers who’ll be accompanying me.”

“I see.”

Unken finally grasped the source of Freya’s concern. When traveling long distances, an escort was necessary, meaning they had to hire adventurers, majority of which were men. While there were female adventurers around, there weren’t many high-ranked ones in Pond who could serve as an escort to a guild receptionist. In which case, Freya would likely end up with wild and ill-mannered male adventurers as her escort.

“Well… They’re not idiots. I don’t think they’d dare make a move on a receptionist…” Unken felt frustrated that he couldn’t say it with confidence. “Hmm, what to do…”

Unken crossed his arms and fell into thought. Then, he slammed a fist onto his palm.

“I’ve got it. How about we issue a commission and conduct a screening?”

“A screening?”

“If we set a high reward, many adventurers would want to take the job. We can then screen the applicants and choose those who seem decent.”

“That sounds good. I’d appreciate that.”

“Let’s arrange it right away.”

“Thank you very much.”

Leaving Unken’s office, Freya sighed once again.

She understood that Unken had made the suggestion with the utmost consideration. However, since there were already limited adventurers in Pond, they would only be choosing slightly better candidates from a pool of unsuitable ones.

“If it was Hikaru…” Freya mused suddenly, thinking of the black-haired adventurer. “No, that wouldn’t work. Hikaru is still a relatively new adventurer.”

Despite his occasional surprises, Hikaru had only been an adventurer for about six months. To serve as an escort for a guild receptionist, the adventurers had to be veterans or at least Rank E.

“Pull yourself together!”

Freya slapped her cheeks and descended to the bustling first-floor lobby filled with adventurers.

---

When Pond’s Adventurers Guild announced the commission for the escort job, more adventurers responded than Unken and Freya had anticipated. Besides the ones who wanted to get close to Freya, many were lured by the dreamy prospect of exploring an uncharted dungeon.

“We got this! We, the Twin Blade Gems, will take the job!”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’ll obviously be us. We’re Rank D, the highest in Pond.”

“Rank doesn’t matter. I’ve been watching over Freya since her receptionist debut. I know her better than anyone.”

“What a creep. Weirdos like you are the reason Freya can’t travel in peace.”

“What did you say?! You want a piece of me?!”

“Let’s take this outside, dimwit!”

“What’s going on?” wondered a black-haired adventurer, Hikaru.

Pushing through the crowd, he went to the front to check the commission.

【Bodyguard】

【Escort】Escort commission for Freya, a Pond Adventurers Guild staff member. Duration is approximately one month. Destination is a newly discovered dungeon near the Vireocean border. While the main task is to survey the area around the dungeon, if necessary, enter the dungeon for further investigation, with additional compensation for the latter case.

【Basic Reward】100,000 gilans

【Special Notes】In case of numerous applicants, the guild will conduct a screening to determine who will take the job.

So this is the cause of the uproar, Hikaru thought. Why does it have to be Freya anyway?

If it were Gloria, he could simply see her off with a “Take care,” but with Freya, he couldn’t help but worry.

Should I secretly follow her?

Glancing around, he saw heated adventurers trading insults, the kind he wouldn’t want Lavia or Paula to hear. Even Gloria, the seasoned receptionist, was silent but had veins popping on her forehead, about to explode. Freya, the subject of attention, was silently doing paperwork with a downcast expression.

These guys are escorting her?

Hikaru owed her. She taught him how to survive in this world when he first arrived, knowing nothing. Her information was also useful when rescuing Lavia.

The only concern was the one-month round trip, which would coincide with the deadline for casting the spell for crossing worlds. However, this could be easily addressed by using the spell to send a message saying he would have to do it at a later date.

Wanting to help if possible, Hikaru navigated through the crowd and approached the counter. Just as the flow of people subsided, he appeared in front of Freya.