Tenkomori: The Homecoming Club Conquers Another World

Chapter 53: The First Year at the Academy - Adventurers' Guild

A month had passed since I entered the academy.

Early one morning after the blank period, I was deep in thought as I enjoyed my morning cup of General Tea.

I had gotten used to the academy and Seren, and my life had settled considerably. Except for the roof, I finished repairing my house.

However, there is a problem.

The amount of money I had on hand was less than I expected.

I have to pay for daily necessities, like repairing my house, daily meals, and even my clothes since I have no uniform.

Clothing is difficult, and in an academy where nobles gather. Our appearances are of the utmost importance. The few pieces of clothing I had brought from Reedwald had reached their limit, and I had to buy new ones the other day. Moreover, even second-hand clothes are expensive. Even for commoners, silver coins are the norm in this world.

Should I start working as an adventurer?

I could have started earlier, but I was too new to the lifestyle. Besides, my financial situation was not as dire as it had been in the past.

Suddenly, I thought of my friends who had departed.

If I had told them I'm going to be an adventurer, they would have delayed their departure and would accompany me to registration.

It was like being accompanied by a guardian. I am still close to 30 years old, and I'm almost an old man.

Anyway, the first thing to do is to prepare.

I had to buy more consumable items like preserved food, and I also had to take care of my equipment. Especially my Rhino Sword, it has killed a large number of wolves and two Ovechs along the way. Even if I take care of it, it is an amateur job. It would be better to have a real professional look at it once.

I immediately headed for the store I had my sights set on.

I found this blacksmith shop when I came home from the academy, and the store is small. It was about the same size as Ragnidig's workshop, so I have a feeling that there was a hidden big shot lurking there.

I entered the store and called out to the back, and a man around 30 years old appeared a short time later.

He looks a little young. Is everything all right?

The man drops his gaze and smiles a childishly affectionate smile.

"Welcome. As you can see, we are a blacksmith shop."

"I've come to ask you to take care of my sword. Can you do it for me?"

I place the sword and stiletto on the counter.

The man takes it and pulls it from its sheath.

"This is ……."

And then he goes rigid as it is.

He doesn't restart easily, so I tap the counter with a knack.

"Uh–oh, yes. Uh, …… what material is this?"

Do I hear that? There is no secret big game lurker here.

I invoked "Appraisal" and found he only has "Blacksmith 2".

That's pretty low for a real job. It would have to be in a remote, remote village. By the way, Egil, the creator of this sword, has  "Blacksmith 6". I don't know of any better blacksmith at the moment.

He answers the man's question while his expression disappears.

"They are both horns of Eras Rhino."

"Huh. …… I can't believe you polished that so well. The man must have been a very good blacksmith."

They are the work of Egil, a blacksmith from Reedwald.

"I see. Then there must be some very good blacksmiths.

"So, can you take care of it?"

The man laughed cheerfully and assured me that he couldn't.

As we left the blacksmith shop, I was at a loss.

A sudden setback.

I had ordered the sword and stiletto from Egil at the Groen Armor Shop, and further tracing led me to the head of the Helit branch of the Adventurers' Guild. It was not something that could be done at a random blacksmith shop.

We had no choice but to ask a big shopkeeper for help.

I'm afraid they would charge me a lot for the agency fee, but I would give up the idea that it was a necessary expense.

As I'm looking for something on the main street, a store caught my eye.

It was small, clean, and not overly decorated. It looked somewhat like Groen Armor Shop.

The sign read Larsen Trading Company.

I went into the store, hoping for the best.

"Welcome!"

I greeted the young shopkeeper lightly and looked around the store.

It seems that they deal in a variety of goods, not just armory. There are many everyday magical items.

I also noticed that the store was strangely bright, and I followed the light to find several magic lanterns, or magical corner fixture lights, hanging on the walls. Can I have one?

But the only similarity is the atmosphere.

Derrin's store catered to beginners, but this place specializes in high-end items. It might be the correct answer for Rhino Sword, but it would be more expensive.

I told the clerk what I wanted, took out the Rhino Sword and Stiletto, wrinkled my brow, and the clerk said, "One moment, please," and withdrew.

I'm anxious as I stood in front of the now-empty counter.

When I was in Reedwald, I asked Egil to take care of it. I just thought it would be better to have the creator take a look at it, but it seems to be such a difficult sword to handle that the shopkeeper at the big store changed color.

Soon after, a stern-faced gentleman came in with the clerk from earlier.

"My name is Lauri, chairman of the Larsen Chamber of Commerce."

"I am Alter Less Riedwald. So, how is it?"

"This way?"

Lauri picks up my Rhino Sword and holds it up to the light.

He looks a bit like me. I would trust him if he told me he's a great swordsman.

As I was thinking such a silly thing, Lauri sheathed the sword.

"It's the horn of Eras Rhino, isn't it? A good blacksmith made by this sword. I see, Egil-dono made this sword, wasn't he?"

"I am surprised. How do you know?"

"I think he is the only one in Reedwald who can polish it so well."

His stern face broke into a little smile.

He is indeed a great shopkeeper. You can tell just from my name and the quality of my sword. And Egil is also very good. No matter how good Lauri was, if it wasn't worth remembering, he wouldn't remember it.

But then Lauri's face turns stern again.

"I am only a businessman, a connoisseur, but I can't estimate my skill. The best blacksmith in Selene is Ishtar. I will prepare a letter of introduction, so you can ask him directly."

With these words, Lauri quickly completed the letter of introduction.

I thanked him and headed for Ishtar.

This whole process reminds me of two years ago.

I ran around Reedwald trying to cure Valerie's illness.

With a bad feeling, I arrived at Ishtar's blacksmith shop.

It was a large workshop with nearly a dozen apprentices and employees busy at work.

I caught one apprentice and handed him a letter of introduction, and soon after, Ishtar arrived.

He is a man around fifty, and his skill is not bad, "Blacksmithing 5".

But when he sees Rhino Sword, he groans. I'd be very annoyed if he couldn't help me.

A long silence ensues.

"If you just want to take care of it, you can do it."

He finally accepts. He sounded a bit like he was about to vomit blood.

If I were to ask him again in the future, I would be very worried.

I can ask Egil if I go back to Reedwald, but I may have to go further afield in the future. It's hard to find someone who can take care of it.

When I asked Ister, who was in agony, what was hard about it, he said, "If the depth of polished sword is off even a little, the gloss will be distorted and its sharpness will be dull.". It would be easier to handle if it had "Endurance Enhancement" and maintenance would be almost unnecessary with "Repair".

Since it would take a week, I thought about it for a while and decided to take care of it at a later date.

It was still the first day of the blank period.

As soon as he registered with the Adventurer's Guild, he would be receiving requests. I don't want to go on my first adventure with an unfamiliar weapon.

I told him again that I would ask him to do it through the Larsen Trading Company, and I left Istar's workshop.

◇◇◇◇

The Adventurers' Guild is in a small but sophisticated building.

It was still early afternoon, but it was almost time for the adventurers to start returning.

Even now, a group of young people is entering the guild.

It's going to get crowded if I take it any slower.

I opened the double doors and entered the guild.

The building is almost the same as the one in Reedwald.

There is a reception and purchase counter at the front, and a dining room and lounge on the right. I looked in that direction and saw it decorated like a coffee shop.

Then, I turned my gaze toward the reception desk.

The group I saw earlier was at the purchase counter.

There are three reception counters. There was no one at any of them. Behind the counter, a woman with reddish-brown hair is sitting. The other receptionists seemed to be on break or doing other work.

She looks like a high-powered manager. Or a teacher. She looks good in a suit.

And – she's looking at me.

She doesn't look at me, but her attention is on me.

If a boy with fine clothes and two swords comes to me, it is natural that I would be interested in him.

If that's the case, it's easy to talk about it.

I walked up to her, looking at the receptionist.

She turned to me as if she had just noticed me, so I lightly bade her farewell and stood in front of the counter.

"Adventurer registration, please."

The receptionist looks at me carefully and opens his mouth.

"How old are you?"

"Ten years old. Oh, is that perhaps an age limit?"

I should have asked "Battle Axe of Destruction" at least that much. A waste of time.

But the woman at the reception desk shook her head.

"There is no age limit. The rate of growth differs depending on race. But you are a student of the academy, aren't you?"

She asked in a somewhat disgusted tone.

She asked my age to confirm whether I'm a student of the academy or not.

It is an annual event, isn't it? New students gather at Selene to become adventurers for a variety of reasons. Even if they are somewhat competent, they are only ten years old. Many are the sons of nobles and knights,

 so they must be troublesome opponents.

But don't lump me down with them.

I've been in a lot of fights, and I've known the horror of battle since before I was born. That time was really tough.

I cough lightly and shake off the memory of that time.

"Assuming you are an academy student, is there a problem? Is there a rule against it or something?"

"No, I don't think so. Unfortunately."

"We recognize that the Adventurers' Guild is a self-responsible organization. If it is not against our terms and conditions, please register."

"That decision is left to the receptionist. Every year, academy students like you become adventurers, and in the worst cases, they lose their lives. I'm sorry, but I can't allow it."

She refused once and for all.

And then she kept her mouth shut as if to say, "Go home.".

Just when I thought I had a handle on the raid, this is what I get.

He seemed stubborn, and it would be difficult to persuade him to leave.

"I'm going to change the subject, but the guild buys materials, doesn't it? Regardless of whether you're an adventurer or not."

"Yes, we do, but ……."

I apologize," she said, nipping back at the heels.

No choice, change of policy.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       I don't know what kind of harm could be done if I keep on complicating things.

Then, let's earn steadily.

As long as I can make a living, there is no need to force myself to be an adventurer.

It might be easier than we thought. Nerio also refused to become an adventurer.

"Wait a minute!"

I stopped my hand on the door and turned around.

For some reason, the receptionist was hunched over.

"What are you–what are you doing?"

"Hunting."

Yes, I'm a hunter.

Come to think of it, I haven't used a bow in a while. My Rhino Sword has yet to be repaired, so I'll use a bow for now.

Oh, but arrows are consumable, aren't they? If I'm as good as Nerio, it's unlikely that I'll ruin them. I'll go there for the long haul and see what kind of prey I can find. Well, when I went in with Markant and the others, there were boar tracks. Good, that'll save us some money on food.

"That's why I told you to wait!"

The receptionist again stops me as I am about to leave.

I kicked the peony pot out of my head and turned to the receptionist.

"Huh, is it ……?"

"Okay, I'll sign you up."

"As for me, I don't care either way anymore. I can achieve my goal with the sale of the material."

"Just go ahead and register. I wouldn't feel good if you died on your own."

"It's not your concern. Well, if I can register, please do."

The receptionist sighed loudly and returned to her seat.

She then pulled out a form with a muffled "Why are you asking me..?".

"One condition. You must take the request I choose for a while."

"I won't be picking up trash or anything like that."

"Normally, I'd get used to doing chores – but it looks like I'm going to leave you alone and go hunting, in your case. What about pickup requests?"

"If that's the case."

We talked about what to do then I received the form.

As I looked over the form, the receptionist leaned back in her chair and complained.

"This time of year is so troublesome."

"I'm sorry to hear that. But it won't take long. Adventurers are responsible for themselves. Just keep sending them out."

"What if they die? If they are children of nobles, their parents will yell at us, you know?"

"Why don't you just throw them upstairs? People like that."

"If that would work, I wouldn't have any trouble."

"Is that how it is?"

There are a lot of strange parents and children in the aristocracy.

If they were as understanding as I am, it would be easier. It's hard work, isn't it?

While running a pen over the registration form, I suddenly had an idea.

"Why don't you make them ask an adventurer to help?"

The receptionist tilts her head.

"We're going to ask them to investigate the surrounding area. The survey will cover monsters and vegetation around Selene. If we make it a yearly tradition, we can accumulate information from the same period, and while we're at it, we can ask them to check on the newcomers. It will be an easy job because we are not defeating or collecting anything specific. I'm sure the adventurers would appreciate it."

"That sounds good. I'll talk to the branch manager about it."

"Well, here you go."

I handed her the completed registration form.

There were only a few fields to fill out, and the only one required was your name. I filled in as much of my specialty as I felt comfortable disclosing.

"Is your name–Tenko?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's fine. Self-responsibility is the Adventurers' Guild."

"Oh, by the way, I didn't ask your name."

"I'm Rebecca. Nice to meet you, codename Tenko."