*

That's a lot of requests, isn't it?

　Makoto sullenly looked at the church bulletin board.
　There are requests to escort troop merchants, collect medicinal herbs, kill vermin that destroy fields, and even requests to find cats.
　It's fine that there's a lot of food, but on the other hand, it can be said that the lord (Christine) isn't reliable enough for the people of the territory to have to make requests at their own expense.

''Hey, decide quickly which request you want to make.
Give me a few more minutes.

　I think an escort for a troop merchant would be appropriate.
　It looks like you'll have to make do with your own food and water, but 200A per diem is tempting.
　Since they seem to be recruiting quite a few people, I'm sure they can manage to sneak in.
　However, I'm concerned about the fact that it's marked as a rank C on the recruitment form.
　If you look at it, the rank is also marked on the other request forms.
　As far as I can tell, the ranks are B, C and D.

''Well, it's best to ask.

　Makoto went to the reception desk.
　There was a girl sitting there in a modest robe.
　As is the custom, she was wearing a veil.

''Hey, can I ask you a question?''
Oh yes, please.

　When I called out to her, the girl looked up with a huff.

''I'm going to take the request, what's the rank?''
''The ranks ... the ranks are S, A, B, C, D, and E from the top. Um.........

　The girl repeats 'eh'.
　Probably, she is a newcomer.
　But that doesn't mean she can't explain it properly.
　Customers see her as a professional, not a rookie.
　But it would be unfair to expect her to do a perfect job when she knows she's a rookie.
　Everyone is an amateur at first.

'There's no need to be so hasty,'
....

　Relieved, the girl let out a breath of relief.

''The ranks will start out with an E grade and then be promoted once they pass the assessment.
What does it take to pass the assessment?
It's the number of things we've accomplished and the character of the people we've met.
I see.

　I guess the point is that the system is to delegate important jobs to people you can trust.

'I didn't see any S or A class jobs on the board?
When you get to that level, you're mostly working by appointment.

　The girl narrowed her shoulders apologetically.

'So that means I'm an E grade?
''Um, I don't have an E grade job. I could accept the request if it was with a higher rank, but...

　The woman said in a voice that sounded like a mosquito buzzing.

'Me and that one....'

　Mako looks over her shoulder at Yuka, who crosses her arms grimly, then turns to the front.

'The women over there are on a higher level there, but still not good enough?'
Be with you in a minute.

　The girl took a pair of glasses from under the counter.

'Excuse me, but may I see your status?'
Yeah, no problem.
"-Oh!

　The girl put on her one pair of glasses and shuddered with a jolt.
　It's not unreasonable.
　A level 100 human is more of a monster than a bear.

''Oh, um, I'm sorry. After all, I'm a rank E.''
Hey!　How long is this going to take!
Hee!

　The girl screamed as Yuka approached with a wild gait.
　Well, if a monster greater than a bear approached in a sullen manner, it's only natural to scream.

''Oh, um, I'm short on ranks, so...''
What?
Uh, well, you know...

　The girl struggles to speak as Yuka stares at her.
　Poor thing, she's lazily shedding her fat sweat.
　I know the feeling.
　When you're just starting out on the job, you think you've made an irreparable mistake, even a small one.

'Well, hold on,'
You waited until now.

　Yuka said back, sounding miffed.

'So, how did it go?'
It seems that the system won't be able to take the request right away.
'Why don't we just give up on the request and go to the dungeon?　Maybe you'll make more money that way.

　Yuka's opinion is reasonable--''

''I want to conquer the dungeon a little further.
Why?
It's not safe until we're more heavily armed.

　The dungeon of the Skeleton King, for example.
　If I'd had a companion, I wouldn't have had to jump off to escape the ghosts.
　I managed to get through it that time, but I don't think I'll get through it again.

''Then what are we going to do?''
We'll go into the woods and kill the monsters.
God, that's a big first step.
Sorry. I should have looked into the system a little more. Give me a few more minutes to hear some information that might be useful.
All right, all right. Well, it's not like I don't have something to blame for leaving it up to you to gather information.

　'Can't you say you're at fault too,' Mako pouts in her mind.

'I'll sit in a chair and wait for you.
Bad.

　Yuka clicked her tongue and headed down the hall.

'Sorry to scare you,'
No, no, it was my fault for trying to get you to do what I expected.
That's true.

　Mako grunted.
　'Humans have a way of interpreting things to suit themselves, and poor quality crayfishers will use that to their advantage to tell you to show your sincerity.

'Well, next time you'll be more careful and you'll be fine.
Oh, thank you.

　The girl gave a small nod.
　She is red to her ears, perhaps because of her emotions.

''That's why I'm going to kill some monsters, do you have any suggestions for a hunting ground?
''I'm sorry. I know that adventurers kill monsters in the forest...
Well, I guess so.

　I think I asked myself a stupid question.
　A hunting ground is a meal for adventurers.
　They don't teach you things for free.

I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help.
You don't have to feel that bad about it.

　I should have done my homework, since I had the time.

'Also, let me ask you, do you buy the monster horns and fur?
'I'm sorry. We don't buy them at the church.
I see.

　Mako let out a sigh. I think that's true.
　There is a supply and demand in the world.
　It is necessary to have that much demand in order to make purchases at all times.
　Without that, inventory would accumulate - and the cost of maintaining the storage space would be high.

'Will there be some sort of admission charge when you enter the city?'
...?

　The girl was scowling.

'Oh, actually I was with Christine when we went in here.
With my lord?

　The girl's eyes widened in surprise.

'Yeah, we have a bit of a connection.'
If you know my lord, you don't have to ask the church for help...
I told you, I'm a bit of an acquaintance.
...you're so serious.
I don't want you to think I'm a good guy.

　Makoto cowered his shoulders.
　You saved my life, so you should be flexible, but if you do that, people will think you were saved by a troublesome guy.
　In order for them to feel indebted to us, we can't demand it from them.

'You can come and go as many times as you want, free of charge, with a pass issued by the church.
But it's a lot of money, isn't it?
No. 100 A per month.

　The girl giggled as Mako played along.



　Makoto and the others proceeded down the street.
　Every time they walked, a pass - a metal plate with their name and expiration date - wavered on their chest.
　It would be easy to misuse it if it was taken away or stolen.
　When I asked the girl at the reception desk, she told me that the guards guarding the castle gate could see the status.
　However, I heard that some of the bandits have skills that inhibit recognition, so they don't judge them based on their status alone.

'Hey, where are you going?'
You haven't gone that far.
I'm walking a lot.

　Yuka blurted out.
　I turned around and saw the silhouette of the ramparts.

'We haven't walked that far!'
So, what are you going to do now?
Come on, man. Go around, man, you're gonna run into some monsters, huh?
He's not here.

　Yuka said, scurrying around and looking around.
　If it was a game, monsters would attack me, but it's not that game-like, apparently.
　Well, it's not surprising.
　A creature that would suddenly attack you and fight you to death would soon become extinct.

''Can't you use your powers to find the monsters?''
So far, I don't feel anything.

　I don't even know how to do it, I add in my mind.
　Should I have practiced using my powers?

'Are your presence-detection skills working, too, or not?'
Have you got the skills yet?
He was right next to you.
I was too busy being me.

　When Makoto said with a sigh, Yuka's lips twitched in a huff.

''So what skills have you acquired?''
Check your status.
That's right.

　Mu, and Yuka's eyes narrowed.

''Well, state anomaly resistance, physical resistance, magic resistance, night vision, presence detection, improved healing, and appraisal. How to say ... normal.
I don't see why you should try to be weird.
That's true.
'What kind of skills is Yuka going to use?'
........physical resistance?
"You're a wizard.
I won't take it if your shields are strong.
I'm sorry for being such a stubborn shield.

　I say back, annoyed.
　Neither a spiritist nor a martial artist is suited to play the role of a shield.
　Even so, they were able to protect Yuka.
　First of all, I hope you will praise me for that.

''Ha~ I guess I'm going to be a waste of a bone today.
Think of it as a confirmation of the geography of your surroundings.
You're not an arranged marriage.
I don't even know what that means.
"....looking for the right place every day.

　I blurted out.
　Maybe he's trying to say that he's forcing himself to make positive statements.

'I don't know if I can do it with so little planning,'
I had a plan for that. It all went to hell in a handbasket.
........huh~

　Makoto said, and Yuka let out a deep sigh.

'But it's better than when we were in the dungeon, isn't it?
Surely you don't want to starve to death?
Right?
"Irony, irony.

　Yuka's voice is slightly hoarse.

'Since it's a random thing to do anyway, why don't we go into the forest?'
No, that's not good.
Why?　At our level, it should be easy, right?
What do you do when you get lost?

　Assuming the bandits have the minimum strength to survive around here, most opponents aren't the enemies of Makoto and the others.
　Rather, the enemy is a lack of knowledge and information.

''You know what?　The bodies found in the tree line at Fuji are about 50 meters from the road.
I should have bought a magnetic compass.

　Yuka stared at the forest and slumped her shoulders in a gulp.
　She looked at the dimly lit forest and figured she wouldn't be able to get out if she got lost.

'It's a total picnic already,'
And I brought my lunch.

　Mako looked up to the heavens.