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Quiet Satellite Town – Part 01

In the heart of the Kingdom of Ponsonia lay the royal capital G. Ponsonia, with the “G” signifying the royal family. Several roads branched out from this city, leading to various satellite towns within a day’s journey.

Among these satellite towns was Pond.

Pond, a small town inhabited by approximately 6,000 people, possessed all the essentials for a comfortable life. Its proximity to the capital ensured a constant supply of commodities, and a bustling flow of traffic between the town and the capital earned it the informal designation of a walkable town.

Meanwhile…

“Ugh… There’s absolutely no work.” Freya, a receptionist at the Pond Adventurers’ Guild, was slumped over the counter.

“Oh, my. A young girl like you should not be acting like that,” rebuked Gloria, another receptionist.

Freya, wearing a bitter expression, glanced briefly at Gloria’s ample bosom. The receptionist’s long, purple hair was neatly tied on both sides, forming a bundle that rested on her chest.

Gloria, being older than Freya, was over twenty years old. In this kingdom, reaching eighteen marked the beginning of the marriageable age, and anyone beyond twenty-five years old was considered too late for marriage.

I don’t think she’s quite twenty-five yet, Freya pondered. I wonder how old she actually is.

“Freya, were you thinking of something rude just now?”

“N-No, I wasn’t!” Freya abruptly rose and shook her head frantically. When she saw something chilling in the depths of Gloria’s narrowed eyes, she quickly changed the subject. “Y-Your shift is almost over, right? There doesn’t seem to be any work today, so you can leave early.”

“Are you trying to get rid of the old lady?” Gloria joked.

“N-No, that’s not what I meant!” Freya denied.

“I guess I’ll take you up on that offer.” Gloria retreated to the green room.

Freya placed a hand on her chest and sighed. “Scared the life out of me.”

Still, it’s a little strange. She’s so pretty, but why is she still single?

Pond’s Adventurers’ Guild had four receptionists. One of them had gone home and had not yet returned. Guildmaster Unken wondered if she got married—a common occurrence, apparently.

Not only were the guild receptionists beautiful, they also needed to be hardworking and friendly to do their job properly. As a result, they often caught the attention of magnates and landowners in the countryside.

Likewise, adventurers would frequently propose to receptionists, and many of them ended up marrying adventurers. As a matter of fact, most receptionists ended up with adventurers.

These adventurers ranged from day laborers to those officially recognized by the government, earning substantial wealth. Some even became legendary heroes, celebrated in songs sung by minstrels.

It was the job of a guild’s receptionist to support adventurers in their endeavors, and if they also understood the adventurers’ work, they made exceptional life partners.

She doesn’t look like it, but Aurora is younger than Gloria.

The last receptionist, Aurora, was a beautiful woman with a mysterious air. Freya often found it difficult to comprehend Aurora’s thoughts (as was the case with Gloria). Sometimes, she wondered if Aurora simply didn’t think about anything at all.

As Aurora lacked the same presence as Gloria, she received fewer marriage proposals from adventurers. On the other hand, she had passionate fans who formed the Aurora Alliance. Freya earnestly wished that they would focus more on their jobs as adventurers.

Freya let out another sigh. “Then again, there’s not exactly any work to be done.” She slumped over the counter again.

“No commission forms at all.”

“Yeah. People are being tightfisted with their money—”

Freya rose again and looked at the person who had spoken to her. She studied him closely.

“Hikaru!”

“Hello. It’s been a while.”

Standing before her was a boy with black hair and eyes, who seemed far from the typical image of an adventurer in this world. Despite his young age and helpless appearance, the boy had managed to earn a lot through what Freya considered to be sheer luck.

“…”

“Um, Freya?”

Freya wore a sullen expression on her face.

“Are you angry, by any chance?” Hikaru asked.

“Not really. Adventurers are free to choose any commission they want. I just thought that if it were a dangerous one, it would be better to have an experienced receptionist who has dealt with many commissions provide proper advice. That’s all.”

Hikaru had left Pond without telling Freya and even crossed the border, making his way to the Confederacy of Einbiest. What made her even more upset was that he had to learn about it from Aurora.

Freya thought that if Hikaru took a commission that required going outside the country, she could’ve guided him.

“I can tell you’re angry,” Hikaru remarked with a dry laugh, placing a small package on the counter. “I thought it would look good on you, so I bought it.”

“…What?”

“It’s a hair accessory. I bought it in Hopestadt, back in Einbiest.”

“F-For me? Can I open it?”

“Of course.”

Freya didn’t expect a gift. In reality, Hikaru only bought the souvenir—with skepticism, at that—after Lavia and Paula insisted on it. The receptionist had no way of knowing that, of course.

“Wow… It’s beautiful.”

Inside the package was a metal hairpin adorned with colorful stones produced in Einvest. The aqua blue, scarlet, and amber colors complemented Freya’s hair and the silver hairpin itself.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“It looks great on you.”

Freya’s displeasure had dissipated, and she beamed with joy as she put the hairpin in her hair.

“Ah!” She put away the hairpin. “Adventurer Hikaru. I would like to hear the details of the delivery commission to Hopestadt, so please come to the booth.”

“Why so formal all of a sudden?”

“D-Don’t think about it too much. Just come with me!”

“Oh, I also took a delivery commission from Hopestadt to here, so could you process that first? I don’t know when the recipient will come, but it would be better to deliver it right away when they do.”

“Ah, yes.” Freya took the item, then came to a realization. “You’re taking my job away from me.”

“I’m not. Come on, process it quick.”

“Ugh…”

“I’m sure someone’s waiting for the item to arrive.”

“I-I know that!”

After completing the paperwork, the two of them entered the booth and started talking about various things.

Hikaru told Freya that he crossed the border to Einbiest simply because he wanted to watch the Ruler’s Rumble tournament. He also asked about the current situation in the guild and the ongoing investigation on Count Morgstadt’s murder, to which Freya gave straightforward answers.

There were things Freya wanted to ask Hikaru, but she didn’t voice them. She couldn’t.

“Well then, that’s it for me,” Hikaru said as he waved his hand, leaving with a smile.

Freya watched him go with a downcast look. “It’s definitely weird… Maybe I should ask for other people’s opinions.”

She left the counter and headed towards the office of Unken, the guild’s head, located in the back room.

“When he asks about Count Morgstadt’s murder, his eyes seem different. Maybe he’s involved in the case, after all.”