At dinner that night, I also told Solstice, 'I'm going to register as an adventurer with the guild tomorrow.
　When she heard that, she rolled her eyes.

...Really?
Yes.
"Hmm. Well, it's Merle's life, so do what you will.

　He was dumbfounded, but he accepted it.
　I just looked at my sister.

But is my sister Irna okay with it?
I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to disagree with you, but I knew it was necessary for Marl's sake.
Yeah.

　Nodding, Solstice begins to eat her food.
　And then.

　with a pop

　A piece of fried food popped onto my plate.

Here's a piece for you. You can keep your fingers crossed for an early death.

　And the girl laughed.
　I laughed too, "Yeah, thanks," for her typical encouragement.

　Ms. Illtimina smiled, too.

I'll make sure that doesn't happen.
'Well I'm glad, but I'm going to be an adventurer so I don't have to be protected, right?
Oh, yes, of course.

　Ms. Illtimina blurted out.
　We couldn't help laughing at her.

　After the pleasant dinner, we had a study session of Ulubak lingua franca in Ms. Illtimina's room.

　I'm still a little nervous about the characters with similar pronunciations and writing styles, but I can read and write them all now.

''It's a shame that Marl is too good to remember.
"Ha-ha.

　Mr. Illtimina, who wants to teach, sighs.
　Apparently, I am not a good student.

　After about two hours of study, I went back to my room.
　The room is empty and I lie in bed.

　Looking up at the dark ceiling.

...tomorrow, I'm going to be an adventurer.

　I thought so.

　Unknowingly, my heart is racing.

　Because it's a profession that only exists in novels, anime, and video games.

　I was worried.
　But I was still looking forward to it.

　Outside the window, the beautiful red and white moons were shining tonight, as usual.
　I reached out my right hand to Marle there.

　I squeezed it as if I were grasping something.

'Yeah, we'll do better tomorrow, Marle.

　I give a small smile and close my eyelids.

　Eventually, I slowly fall into the world of sleep, thinking about the days to come tomorrow--.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　The next morning, I left the house with Mr. Illtimina.

　Solstice was still sleeping, so I just left a note on the table in the living room. According to my sister, when the demon hunter's work is off, Solstice is reading all the time, so it's okay to leave her to stay at home.

　While we were talking about this, we arrived at the Adventurer's Guild 'Moonlight Wind'.

''Come on, let's go.''
Yes.

　Pulling my nervous hand away, Illtimina walks into the white building.

　Today, too, it's full of people.
　There are adventurers and guild employees.

　Among them, I see a familiar red-haired ponytailed beastman wearing the guild's uniform.
　The other side also notices.

''Huh?　Miss Irna and Mr. Merle?
Good morning, Ms. Qualina.

　She laughs and pats his head as she comes up to him as he lowers his head with a peck.

'You're so polite for a little one, Marle, aren't you?
Hi. Hi.

　I'm a bit embarrassed.
　Seeing us like that, Illtimina-san nodded widely.

"It's just perfect, Koo. If you're a familiar face, I'm sure Merle will be at ease.
Hmm?
'Actually, we came to the guild today to register her as an adventurer.
'What?　Merle's!

　She looks at me in surprise.

'Could you please, Coo?'
That is, of course, but are you sure about that, Merle?
Yes, sir.

　I nodded at her to confirm it.

　As it was, I stared straight into Qualina-san's eyes, straight into her eyes.
　Meeting her gaze, she nodded widely.

''Yeah, let's register then.''
Yes, sir.
'Let's go to the other room for some explanations and procedures first. Follow me.

　Then Ms. Qualina looked at Ms. Illtimina.

Irna will be waiting for you here.
What?

　Ms. Illtimina, you look shocked.
　Quarina-san puts her hands on her hips and says, annoyed.

'Marle, you're going to be an adventurer now, aren't you?　I need to take that commitment and responsibility on my own. Not with a parent or guardian!
But ... but ...
That's okay, Miss Illtimina. I don't mind being on my own.

　I smiled at her, trying to reassure her.
　But she slumped her shoulders with an extra shocked look on her face. Ah, that...?

　Ms. Qualina laughs and takes my hand in hers.

"Well, let's go, Merle.
Oh, yes.

　He turned around as he walked.
　Mr. Illtimina looked somewhat ashen and sat down weakly in the visitor's chair.

(Duh, I wonder if she's okay?)

　Feeling a little uneasy, I walked through the guild.

　Eventually, I was led to the guild staff section on the fourth floor.
　I was made to sit in a seat that was separated by partitions.

　Quarina-san, who held a document in her hand, dragged her right leg and sat down in the seat facing me.

I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Then let me explain first.
Yes, sir.
If you change your mind after you're done listening, it's okay to stop. If you don't change your mind, we'll sign you up.
Yeah, I understand.

　Nodding honestly, Qualina gave a small smile.
　She put the material on the table.

Let's start with the adventurers.
Yes, sir.
What is an adventurer, anyway?　If I had to describe it in one word, I would say I'm a 'jack-of-all-trades'. I hunt demons, escort them, explore ruins, and do anything else they ask me to do.

　So Mr. Qualina held up one finger.

'But the one thing that sets us apart from other jobs is that we're 'risking our lives'.
..........
Less than 30% of people die within a year of becoming an adventurer, and only 60% of people survive five years. It's very dangerous.

　Ms. Qualina taps her right foot lightly with a clunk.

'There are a lot of people like me who are left with the aftereffects.
..........
So, if you want to become an adventurer, you have to join an insurance guild. There is an insurance guild that is affiliated with our guild, so you must be a member of that guild, okay?

　Quarina shows me the documents she has opened.

(Is there such a thing as an insurance guild?)

　I'm a bit surprised.

'I'm still getting help from this, you know. I know the rates seem high while you're new, but good luck with that?
Huh.
Well, you can find out more about insurance when you sign up.

　I nodded.

"Now let's talk about adventurer ranks.
Yes, sir.
'Of course, but quests have a difficulty level, and you can only accept quests that are appropriate to your rank.　
Well, there are five ranks, aren't there?
Yeah, yeah. You know your stuff, don't you?

　I'm impressed, Qualina.

　It was just as Solstice had told me before.

　The adventurer's mark to indicate rank is five colors, from the bottom, red, blue, white, silver and gold.
　They are the same colors as the Lido coins.

　When he explained it in more detail.

　Red, newcomer.

　Blue, the best.

　White, top-notch.

　Silver.

　Gold.

　Apparently.

''When you become a gold mark like Mr. Kilt, one quest reward will be tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of rides?

　In other words, millions to tens of millions of yen in Japanese yen!

(Mr. Quilt, wow!)

　Ms. Qualina laughed.

The guild asks for promotion quests as you build up your achievements. When you complete them, you will be able to move to the next rank.
Heh.
Well, it takes, what, about five years on average, to move up a notch?
That much?

　I pictured three faces of people I knew.
　Mr. Qualina chuckled.

'Those guys are exceptional.
'But Mr. Quarina was a young man and a white marked adventurer too, wasn't he?
Well, it's just a coincidence, isn't it?

　He mumbles that and gives her a slightly pained, nostalgic look.

(..........Ah....)

　I'm an idiot.
　Easily, I regret saying it.

　But Ms. Qualina laughed as soon as she snapped out of it.

'Sorry, I got off track. It's an adventurer rank, but when you get to the white mark or higher, everyone knows what they're good at, so they can each call themselves a specialty.
Professional?
Yeah. For example, a 'demon hunter' who specializes in hunting demons.

　Ah, I see.

''Each professional has their own specialized quests, and they get more rewards for it.
"How?
''Besides the Demon Hunter, there are the Gosunshi, the Mahouka, and the Magaxian, for a total of four different professions.

　And so she explained.

　Protector.
　Adventurers who serve as shields to protect people.
　Guardians protect people, search for criminals, deliver goods to other cities, and are involved in many other aspects of people's lives.
　Clay-san must have been one of these "Shieldsmen".

　A true treasure family.
　So-called treasure hunters.
　Dreamers who search for treasures from ancient ruins.
　But it's a special profession that requires the ability to disarm traps and map them.

　Magicians.
　A researcher who knows a lot about witchcraft.
　They study the inventions of magical tools and the ancient artifacts they've uncovered.
　He's a scholar, but he also hides in the ruins for his knowledge.
　Sometimes they create new magic.

　Demon hunter.
　Needless to say, the well-known adventurer who hunts monsters.
　Among adventurers, Illtimina-san and the others, especially those who are strong, are the specialists.
　The reward is number one!
　...but they also have the highest mortality rate.

(Hmmm...something like that?)

　From the materials on the table and Quorina-san's explanation, that's how I summarized it.

''Strictly speaking, it only means the person's specialty, so it's possible for a 'guardian shieldsman' to receive orders for the work of a 'demon hunter' as well, right?　Of course, the guild is deciding whether or not to grant the order.
I see.

　I nodded, staring at the material.
　Then I looked up.

Um, can I ask you one question?
Hmm, what?
I've stayed at the Adventurer's Guild before. What's the difference between that place and the Adventurer's Guild?

　The quests are treated the same way, and honestly, I can't tell the difference.
　Quarina's beast ears twitch and twitch.

'Yeah, good question.'
Huh.
The Adventurer's Guild, you see, also registers adventurers and provides them with support services. All the Adventurer's Guild does is post quests and take orders.
"Hmmm?
But the biggest difference is the difficulty of that quest.

　The difficulty of the quest?

The Adventurer's Guild's quests can only be awarded to the adventurers who belong to it. And since the adventurer's rank is kept track of and orders are managed, there are fewer failed quests. That's why it's so expensive, and that's why the difficulty level increases.
"Huh?
''As long as you're an adventurer, you can take orders for the Adventurer's Inn, regardless of your guild. That's why there are so many failures, so the rewards are cheaper and the difficulty is lower.

　I see.
　Qualina-san hides her voice for a bit and approaches my face.

It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for," he said, "for example, when a demon occurs in the territory, the lord's nobles usually ask the 'kingdom' to defeat it. But since the Knights of the Kingdom is a large organization, they are slow to act. It's also a good idea to have the adventurer's guild, which is light on its feet, to receive the request.

　That's...

You mean like a red-fanged dragon, Gad?
Yeah, yeah.

　Qualina-san laughed.

''That's how much the 'Adventurer's Guild' is an organization that the country trusts!

　His ears are pinging and he's a little proud of himself.

　And my interpretation of what he explained in detail to me was.

　Kingdom.
　A massive quest (?) only.

　Adventurer's Guild.
　Support for high-level quests.
　The rewards are high.
　So many of the clients are noblemen and civilians who can pay high prices.

　Adventurer's Inn.
　Follows low difficulty quests.
　The rewards are small.
　So the clients are mostly ordinary civilians.

(........something like this?)

　Quarina smiled happily, wagging her tail from side to side.

'Yeah, yeah, Marle, you're very understanding, aren't you?　It's a lot easier to explain.
Ha-ha, hello.

　I got a compliment.

'Well, so much for the explanation. Is there anything you don't understand?
Nope.
'Anything?　I'll answer your questions until you're satisfied.

　'I can't think of anything in particular,' he said.

'Not at the moment. I'll get back to you later and ask questions when they come up.
Yes.

　Ms. Qualina nodded and paused for a few seconds.

'So, Mr. Marle?　Do you still want to be an adventurer?
Yes, sir.

　I answered immediately.
　Her jade-colored eyes stared into mine as if they were looking deep into my eyes.

　Then he smiled.

'All right. Then I'll sign up.
Yes, please.

　I bow my head.

　After that, Quarina had me fill out some papers.
　Contracts, agreements, pledges, and so on.

(Let's see, that's my name and this is my address and this is my age and gender?　(Is this your parent's name?)

　First of all, it's hard to read.

'Merle, are you sure you can't read?　Do you want me to read?
Yeah, I'm fine.

　If you take the time to read it, you can read it.
　But.

Well, it's just a name and gender.
What?
I'm having a hard time remembering things.
'What?　Eeeeeeee!

　Ms. Qualina, I was surprised.
　According to her, she said I should just write only the parts I could understand, but it was too much, so after discussing it with her, I decided to put the address at Illtimina-san's house for now, and the age is 13, the same as Solstice.

''Marle-kun, you look about 10 years old...''
It's okay!

　I definitely don't want to be Solstice's little brother.

　I managed to finish the paperwork while Qualina-san laughed at me.

　By the way, I also joined the insurance guild.
　No death benefit. If you are injured, the medical expenses are up to 5,000 rido per year, and if you have any residual injuries, 3,000 rido will be paid every year for 10 years.
　And the premium is 3,000 rides every year.........that's a lot of money.
　There are cheaper options, but the probability of getting seriously injured is high while you're a rookie, so I opted for the right one on Qualina-san's recommendation.

　After checking the paperwork, Qualina-san thumped it on the table while arranging it on the table.

So, can I have some blood at the end?
What?

　A knife is placed in front of you.
　Next to it is a clear magic stone that looks like a crystal ball.

''Let this magic stone suck the blood out of your hand, put your palm on it, and you've registered.
Okay, I understand.

　Nervously, he grips the knife.

(You're going to cut your fingers with this...)

　It's a little scary.
　I'd rather have a needle in my ass or something.

"Merle.

　Ms. Qualina said to me.

"Show me your resolve.
..........

　I take a deep breath.
　I calmed my mind, then put my finger on the blade of the knife.

　Pic.

　dripping water

　The blood that fell on the magic stone melted into the water, as if it were dissolving in the water. It drew a marble pattern.

'Put your hand on it,'
Yes, sir.

　I press my right hand against that magic stone.

(Geez ... it's hot!)

　I struggled to keep my fingers from unintentionally letting go with a force of will.

　Heat permeates my hands as well.

'Oh....'

　On the back of my hand, a bright red magical crest was born.

　I saw it on all three of their hands, that glow.

　Qualina smiled and nodded widely.

'Congratulations, Marle. Now you're an adventurer now.

　I am.........an adventurer.
　The only thing I could see now was the magic light in my hands already.

　In those ears, I heard Quorina's blessing from afar.

''And welcome to the 'Moonlight Wind' -- you are now one of us. You are part of the new Wind.　


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇.


　Having safely become 'Adventurer Marl', I returned to the first floor of the guild with Qualina-san.

(Iltimina-san...?)

　There she was.
　She had been reduced to ashes, and now she was back on her feet and in front of the quest board.

'Miss Illtimina!'
!

　When I called out to her, she immediately noticed.
　She comes in front of us, wading through the crowd.

'Merle, are you done?'
Yes.
So you're an adventurer?

　I laughed.

"Of course I did.
Okay.

　Ms. Illtimina exhaled in relief.

(Like her son passed his exams, like a mother...)

　Ms. Qualina chuckled at us.

You see, Merle?　You should show Irna the Adventurer's Marker, too.
Uh-huh.

　I turn the back of my right hand toward her.
　Ms. Illtimina combines her hands in front of her chest and stares at my hand with a pounding heart.

''..........''
..........
..........

　Huh?
　In my right hand, no magical emblem appears.
　Or rather.

How do you make your mark?
What?
Uh-huh?

　They were puzzled by my question.

Well ... if you're aware of it, won't it come out?
Uh-huh?

　I think I'm aware of that........

　And Quarina-san clapped her hands with a clunk.

''I see. Marle-kun, you can't control your magic power. You're not a 'people of demon blood', right?
Magic control?
Is that how it works?

　Ms. Illtimina seems to wonder.

'There are ordinary people who, if they had the talent, would do it unconsciously.
..........

　So I'm not talented....

(But then, how do I get my magic sigil out?)

　It's an adventurer's ID card, but we're in trouble.

　To us, Qualina smiled at us and said, "It's okay.
　Then she turns her right arm around in a circle.　

'Marle-kun, do this.'
Uh-huh?

　round and round

　As I rotate my right arm, I can feel the centrifugal force drawing blood towards my hand.
　It's a bit warm.

''Ah........''

　Iltimina let out a small voice.

(Huh?)

　When I looked, I saw a glowing red magic emblem shining on the back of my right hand. What? Why?

　To our astonishment, Qualina stood up with her ears pinned up and said proudly.

When blood gathers, the magic of blood also gathers, you know. Yes, success, success!
..........

　Is this the right thing to do?
　It's not cool, but....

　I couldn't be honestly happy about it, but Illtimina-san seemed to be different.

　I stared at that magic glow.

'So this is Marle's adventurer's mark....
Uh-huh.
Oh I see.

　She lifts my right hand reverently with both of hers.
　She places her white forehead against the crest of it.

Well....

　Once again, he muttered a sigh.

　It was as if a devout believer had made some kind of vow to the messenger of God.

(Gladly, did he get it?)

　Then she released her forehead and smiled like a beautiful flower at me.

'--Congratulations, Merle.

　........Ah.
　In that moment, I was filled with joy.

(Oh, I see.)

　It's the one word I needed to hear.
　I didn't realize it until he said it.

　I nodded, happy, but a little embarrassed.

'Yes. ...Thank you, Illtimina.　

　We looked at each other and laughed at each other.

　Ms. Qualina, who was watching us, said, "Hmmm. I wonder if they're lovers after all? She muttered.

　Iltimina looked back at her.

'Koo, too, thank you for your hard work. You've done a lot of work for my Marl.''
Oh, no. This is what I do.

　The red-haired beastman smiled and waved her hand.
　To her, Illtimina-san nodded and

Okay. Okay, Cu. I have one more task for you.
What?

　Hmm?

　Illtimina-san's white hand thrusts the 'paper of something' that was tucked into her waist belt in front of Qualina-san's face.
　It seemed to be a quest request form of some sort.

Merle and I would like to take orders for this quest to defeat them as soon as possible.
...What?

　

　In front of the stunned me and Qualina-san, the beautiful silver-marked demon hunter was smiling like a child who couldn't wait to have fun - and she was smiling.