Dream Life Vol II Chapter 2.2: “First City”

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　First, we headed to the guild to take care of Guy’s business.

　As we walk, Guy explains his plans for the future.

“It is after tomorrow, and we will accompany a merchant caravan as planned. I’m thinking of looking for a trading company that I can accompany at the Merchant Guild.” (Guy)

　Guy asked the Merchant Guild to introduce us to a trading company that would be leaving tomorrow, and he negotiated so we could accompany them. However, the trading party heading north will not arrive at Kilnarc until around 5 p.m., so we will try to get information from the Adventurer’s Guild and the Mercenary Guild first.

“What kind of information are you looking for?” (Zack)

“At the Adventurer’s Guild we will mainly get information on the monsters that may appear, and at the Mercenary Guild, we will check on the movements of the bandits. The southbound merchant fleet has already arrived, so the mercenary guild should have the latest information.” (Guy)

(As expected, you understand the importance of information, don’t you? I don’t know if it’s common knowledge in this world or in the Lockhart family, but for me, it’s reassuring…) (Zack)

　The Lockhart family always meticulously checks the situation around the village.

　Hector and Guy, who are good at scouting, were always on the lookout for the village’s surroundings, using Rob and the other hunters. Thanks in part to this, there are few monsters that seem to wander into the village.

　A few minutes from the inn, we arrived at the branch of the Adventurer’s Guild, a two-story wooden structure.

　At first glance, the entrance looks like that of a cafeteria, but once inside, there is a wooden counter where several receptionists sit.

　The counter was already filled with adventurers who had completed their requests and were reporting back to the guild.

　I was excited to see the guild for the first time.

(I was excited to see the Adventurer’s Guild, a staple of the Isekai genre. Ah! There’s a beastfolk over there. They look like they have cat ears. …Ar those Dog ears over here?　Or wolf ears? There was not a single beastfolk in our village. …There’s a bulletin board over there. Oh, there’s a request form posted…) (Zack)

　I was scurrying around like a little kid, not old enough to be a kid. Of course, I looked ten years old, so I didn’t feel any different.

“Please don’t look around too much. Sharon is more behaved.” (Liddy)

　Liddy pointed this out to me, and I instantly felt embarrassed and apologized in a small voice to Guy and Liddy, saying, “I’m sorry. “

　Guy says with a wry smile, “Well It’s your first time…”, but Liddy is merciless, saying, “Guy would be embarrassed.”

　I didn’t have any excuse to give, and I scratched my head and feign ignorance, but after all, I was still curious about the beastfolk.

(I wonder what’s going on with their ears? I wonder if they have a tail too?) (Zack)

　Liddy pokes me with her elbow and I finally come to my senses. She looked confused but said nothing.

　One spot at the counter becomes available, and Guy takes the spot.

　Guy shows his orb to the receptionist, who is in her mid-twenties, saying, “I’d like to know the status of the monsters north of here.”

“You must be Guy Jakes, a fourth-rank adventurer. I understand. We have no information that there have been any monsters of level four or above since the spring. There was a Gray Bear that wandered, around level 5, but so far no serious damage has been caused by monsters…” (Receptionist)

(Guy’s orb belongs to an adventurer, right? I had heard that Liddy’s was the same, but then you said there was a “rank”…) (Zack)

　Adventurers registered with the Adventurer’s Guild are given “ranks” from 1st to 10th depending on their level of contribution. Starting at the tenth level, the guild ranks them according to the number of requests they complete, and they gradually rise through the ranks.

　Generally speaking, those who reach the seventh rank are considered novices, those who reach the fifth or sixth rank are considered full-fledged adventurers, and those who reach the fourth rank are considered veterans. Third and higher ranks are considered first-class adventurers, and are rarely found in local cities.

　The ranks in the Adventurer’s Guild are based on contribution to the guild and are not directly related to combat ability.

　The Mercenary Guild also has ten ranks, from first to tenth, but unlike the Adventurer’s Guild, the levels of the Mercenary Guild are determined by their combat ability, i.e., the level of their Occupation, such as Swordsman or Archer.

　Guy, a fourth rank, was one of the few veteran class adventurers in a provincial city like Kilnarc.

　Guy lightly raised his hand to the receptionist and returned to us.

“The monsters don’t seem to be looking particularly dangerous. We will now head for the Mercenary Guild.” (Guy)

　We headed for the Mercenary Guild as Guy guided us.

　I was still interested in the beastfolk, but I gave up on the idea, since I would probably see them many times in the future.

　The Mercenary Guild was located a short distance from the Adventurer’s Guild, next to the Merchant Guild.

　The building was larger than the Adventurer’s Guild, a magnificent three-story stone structure.

　The wooden door to the entrance was open, and a number of large mercenaries in metal armor were entering and leaving the guild.

(They look strong, but how strong are they? I know Guy was about Swordsman level 40 and Archer level 47, but do these mercenaries have a higher level than Guy?) (Zack)

　I asked Liddy about that.

“Well, if you look at the mercenaries who are escorting the merchants… I think a captain’s level is about the same as Guy’s. Guy is a fourth-rank mercenary, which is just before the third rank, so he’s good enough to be a member of a first-class mercenary company.” (Liddy)

“Come to think of it, Grandpa is equivalent to the third rank? Considering that, how strong is a first rank mercenary?” (Zack)

　Liddy chuckled at my mutterings,

“The first rank mercenaries are monsters, there may or may not be one of them in the country. At least, you’ll probably never see one in person.” (Liddy)

　While talking about such things, we entered the Mercenary Guild.

　There were more people there than at the Adventurer’s Guild, with several people lined up at each of the four receptionist desks.

　I muttered to myself, “There’s a lot of people here.”

“It’s about this time of day when the merchants usually arrive. Especially since they have to travel long distances tomorrow, they often hire temporary mercenaries.” (Guy)

　Guy explained that they often leave early in the morning because the route between Kilnarc and Bogwood is thirty-five kilometers through deep forest. Therefore, he said, it is often crowded at this time of the day, as they often hire the necessary information and additional escorts the day before.

　Guy talks to the mercenaries nearby and confirms the information on the road.

　The mercenaries around him looked at the two children and the deeply hooded Liddy with a suspicious look on their faces.

　As expected, they did not call out to us, but our appearance seems to have aroused their curiosity. Perhaps they thought we were clients who had come to ask for an escort.

　Guy talked to a few of them and then returned.

“As for the bandits, there doesn’t seem to be any particular sign of danger. However, we can’t be too careful, since the place is originally frequented by bandits. I will go to the receptionist to ask for information on the merchants. I am sorry, but please wait a little longer.” (Guy)

　Guy bowed to me and stood in line in front of the reception desk.

　Since it was going to take some time, the three of us went to a meeting table in the lobby for the time being.

　Some mercenaries are sitting in chairs, but I still feel them glancing at us.

(If it’s a novel template, there would be a thuggish mob that would get involved, but as expected, professional mercenaries don’t do that. Well, they do seem to be very curious, but I guess they’re just concerned about whether or not we’ll get involved in their business.) (Zack)

　On the side, it’s not hard to see me and Sharon as well-off kids, Liddy as our caretaker, and Guy as the leader of the escort. Sharon, in particular, has beautiful blonde hair and white skin, plus she bathes almost every day, so she doesn’t look dirty at all. She is dressed in leather like me, but to a stranger, she could be mistaken for a noblewoman’s daughter traveling incognito.

(I seem to look good too, so maybe they see me as a nobleman traveling. That would be a bit troublesome…) (Zack)

　If we are seen as a secret travelling party of a noble’s son, the rumors might attract bandits. It’s even more troublesome, especially since I hear there’s a lot of danger ahead.

(It’s going to be even more difficult if Liddy takes the hood off. When even such a beautiful woman is following us, it looks like a duck carrying leeks on its bill…) (Zack)

　After about fifteen minutes, Guy returned.

“There doesn’t seem to be any talk of increased danger. The northbound merchant caravan is starting to arrive, so let’s head for the Merchant Guild.” (Guy)

　I nodded and told Guy what I had just been thinking.

“Sharon and I look like children of well-off families, don’t we?” (Zack)

　Guy listens to me and thinks with a difficult look on his face, but then begins to smile to reassure us.

“Yes, that’s right. I still think it would be better to blend in with the big merchant corps, even if we have to push ourselves. But don’t worry. If Lydia and I say we’ll join the escort group for free, they’ll let us in anywhere.” (Guy)

　Then, we headed for the merchant guild.

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