"Kate, Aria. I'm sorry to ask you both to refrain from accepting requests directly from the Adventurer's Guild in the future.

"What?　What? Why?

Then we won't be able to make any money. ......

　Notorious, the leader of the clan, Shiliu, took us out of the adventurer's guild. We were just outside the guild grounds when he suddenly said something like that.

Oh, don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't want you guys to do your job. It's just that the Clan will be sending Kate and the others to you.

"Clan requests?　Is that any different from the requests we get from the guild?

The requests are the same. The requests are the same as the ones you get from the guild. By the way, we don't give you the reward paid by the guild as it is, but we will take a little money out of the clan's operating expenses...

"Well, that means that even if we kill the demons, the clan will take the money, right?

That's unacceptable to me!

Calm down, calm down. If we go through the clan, the reward will be lower than the original request, but of course there are benefits for you.

Benefits?

The clan can vouch for your abilities.

　I nodded my head along with Aria.

　The clan will guarantee our strength?
　What does that do for us?

　When Shiliu realized that we didn't really understand, he explained in detail.

For example, Kate is now an F-rank adventurer, right?

...... Yes, that's right.

　She just registered as an adventurer a while ago, so it's only natural.

"Do you know what kind of requests ordinary F-rank adventurers can get?　You'll need to be able to do some of these things. But if you don't do those things to a certain extent, you won't be able to take on other requests. Because you have no credibility.

　It's true that when I told the lady at the reception desk earlier that I wanted to take on a request to defeat a demon, she refused. We have the power to defeat demons, but we couldn't accept the request.

You guys can't take orders to kill demons for the time being. You can slay demons on your own and give the materials to the guild, but you won't get the guild points needed to raise your adventurer rank. That's the way it is.

So I have to go through the clan to get requests?

That's right. My clan will accept E and D rank requests from the guild on behalf of you newcomers. If Kate and Aria complete them, you'll receive rewards and guild points. As I said before, we'll have to cut out some of the rewards.

Is it okay for us to accept D-rank requests through the clan?

If we do, we'll lose guild points. ......

The reason guilds assign ranks to adventurers is to prevent them from having to pay compensation to clients when they fail to take on requests that are beyond their abilities.

　For example, suppose an adventurer is asked to escort a merchant. If the adventurer fails to escort the merchant and loses all of his goods, the guild will have to compensate him many times the amount of the request. Silu explained to me that there is a system of adventurer ranks to prevent this from happening.

I've decided that you two have a lot of power. Kate's demeanor was that of a seasoned adventurer, and Aria's magic was refined and powerful. I thought it would be a shame to let these two take on an F-rank request for several months. That's why I invited them to join Notorious.

"So, since Siryu's clan is guaranteeing our strength, we can accept requests above our current rank?

That's what I'm saying. The clan will take some of the money out of the reward, but you'll get a lot more money than if you take an F-rank request. Of course, the higher the rank of the request, the more dangerous it is. ......

　Mr. Shillue's large hand gently placed on mine and Aria's shoulders.

I think you guys can do it. I'll even train you a little before you take the job. The more experienced adventurers will help you find a request that is suitable for your abilities. If you fail, the clan will compensate you for it. That's what the Notorious Clan is all about. How about it, can you do it?

"Yes, yes!　I'll do it!
I'll do my best too!

　Someone as strong as Mr. Shilu trusts us. He has high hopes for us. How can I not feel good about this!

Thank you. "Thank you. I'm glad to hear it.

　Mr. Shillue smiled and took his hand off our shoulders.

"Follow me for a bit.

　We crossed the main street in front of the Adventurer's Guild.
　Across the street from the guild is a large building.


　In front of a building that was probably twice the size of the guild, Mr. Shiloh turned to us.

This will be your base from today.