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Rather than the crowded general reception area, we were led to a room just for adventurer guild matters? No, that’s not quite it.

Melt and I were brought into what felt more like a simple interview room, where we faced a man who had probably taken over from the receptionist and seemed to be someone in charge of more practical duties, like recruitment and examinations.

“So, you’re here hoping to become a new adventurer. Which one of you is it?”

“Oh, I’m just accompanying her. She’s from a remote region where they don’t have any guilds or similar systems at all.” (Shizuma)

“Huh, that’s pretty rare. The girl’s name is…Melt, right? Alright, Melt, I’m going to ask you a few questions. Be honest. If anything sounds suspicious, I’ll press further.”

“Okay, I understand.” (Melt)

The man was a middle-aged guy who looked a bit tired, but something about his tone gave off a sense of warmth and responsibility.

Well, I guess that makes sense, given he’s in charge of interviews.

“Melt, can you fight?”

“Yes, I can fight.”

“Oh, she actually has experience with natural dungeons. You know the one near the border? She made it all the way to the deepest part.” (Shizuma)

“Huh? No way. That place still has lots of unexplored areas.”

“But it’s true. Of course, I wasn’t alone. There were lots of people with me.” (Melt)

“Hmm? Maybe you were doing support work for some large-scale expedition?”

“Ah, well, yeah, something like that. We were with an elite group from the Kingdom of Golda, I think? She was accompanying them. Me too, by the way.” (Shizuma)

“What’s your name?”

“Seimu. I’m a Ruby Rank adventurer, supposedly.” (Shizuma)

I literally just learned about that ranking system a little while ago!

“Hmm, well, then this might not be entirely made up. So, what happened at the deepest level?”

Yeah, I can’t exactly tell him the truth here.

“We judged that we couldn’t win against the Dungeon Master, so the whole group retreated. I stayed in the rear to cover the retreat, and Melt, who has excellent directional sense and agility, took the lead. Based on that, I think her combat ability is high.” (Shizuma)

“Well, I guess that’ll become clear in the combat test later, so that’s enough on that. Got it. I’ll acknowledge that she has combat experience. Next…knowledge about medicinal herbs, ores, and elixir ingredients. Can you name any herbs and where they grow? If you can name over ten, you’ll start at Crystal Rank at the very least.” 

“I can do that!” (Melt)

…And from there, it was a long ride.

Melt was incredibly knowledgeable. Honestly, she could be called a walking encyclopedia.

More than twenty minutes passed as she rattled off information, and finally, the man raised his hand to stop her.

“Alright, that’s enough… Wow, I’m seriously impressed… You easily named over thirty herbs alone. Could you also name ingredients for elixirs?” 

“Yep, I can. I can even make some simple ones myself.” (Melt)

“You’re kidding!? Then you should join the Alchemist or Apothecary Guild, not the Adventurers Guild.” 

Oh, right. I did think that if there was another guild that suited her better, maybe we’d go that route.

“Wait… Does that mean I can’t become an adventurer?” (Melt)

“N-No, that’s not what I meant…”

Her voice was so sad and pitiful that the interviewer was clearly thrown off.

I get it, man… I get it! You don’t want to make a sweet girl like this cry! Melt just makes you want to protect her! Even though she’s not a little kid, she somehow gives off that vibe!

“Melt, your knowledge is incredible. Of course you can become an adventurer, but I’m just saying you’d be even more welcomed in other guilds. You get that, right?” 

“But I want to be an adventurer.” (Melt)

Probably because she thinks the name sounds cool or something.

“I want to be an adventurer, like Seimu.” (Melt)

“Sir, please. Make this girl an adventurer.” (Shizuma)

There it is. My heart just melted! Please make her an adventurer, same as me!

“Well, if you’re that serious about it, I have no reason to refuse… Alright, then next is the combat test. Melt and…Seimu, was it? Follow me.” 

Now then, I’ve only seen Melt fight a few times… Let’s see what she’s got.

We followed the man outside the building into what appeared to be a courtyard.

It looked like a designated testing area. Other young people, also likely hoping to become adventurers, were scattered around, practicing with wooden swords against uniformed instructors.

“This spot should do. Melt, can you use a sword?”

“I’ve used knives before. I’m dual-wielding!” (Melt)

“Alright, then I’ll lend you two dagger-type wooden swords. I’m going to strike now; either block or dodge, okay?”

…This is totally different from my test! I had to fight like it was a real duel out of nowhere, but this is all structured and proper to assess her skill. I’m honestly jealous.

“Alright, get ready.”

“So I just need to block or dodge, right?” (Melt)

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Can I counterattack?” (Melt)

“Haha, go ahead if you want.”

“Okay!” (Melt)

The man stepped in with textbook-perfect form and delivered a clean slash.

It wasn’t slow. If it landed, it’d definitely hurt.

But Melt stood perfectly still and used one knife to neatly deflect the slash.

That…was a parry, wasn’t it? So cool, Melt!

“Whoa…”

“Here I go!” (Melt)

“Ow!”

Then, while the man was unbalanced from the parry, Melt lightly struck his side with the other wooden sword.

Yep, no question. Match over. Even if it was just a test, that was decisive.

“Wow… That wasn’t luck, was it? You were sure you could parry that?”

“Yep, I was. That’s the kind of movement you were doing, old man.” (Melt)

“Hmm… Yeah, I did use a basic move. It’s good for gauging an opponent’s experience. Someone with clear training will block cleanly and counter. Those with great reflexes dodge. But the really skilled ones deflect like you just did. Melt, you’re clearly no amateur.” 

That does beg the question: Where did she learn to fight?

Anyway, the practical test was over, and now her starting rank would be decided.

Back in the interview room, I took the chance to ask Melt something.

“Melt, did someone teach you how to fight?” (Shizuma)

“Nope, I’m self-taught. There were tons of books, so I just copied what I saw, tried it in the field, hunted with it. I’ve spent years fighting mountain monsters alone for meat.” (Melt)

“Dang, that’s impressive, Melt.” (Shizuma)

“Right? Even with those wooden knives, I could take down most monsters!” (Melt)

“Seriously?” (Shizuma)

This girl’s probably a total master already, isn’t she?

“I also remember a lot of other combat stuff. And I know a lot about elixirs, magic studies, old history…” (Melt)

“That’s amazing… Hey, I’ll probably ask you to teach me how to read and write sometime soon.” (Shizuma)

“Sure, I’ll teach you!” (Melt)

The man from earlier returned while we were chatting.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. So, you accompanied Seimu here on an escort mission for the Pigeon Company, right?”

“The Pigeon Company… Oh, you mean the merchant? Yeah, I joined them partway, but we traveled together.” (Shizuma)

“I see. Then you’ve at least got some escort mission experience. Hmm… I can’t just bump you straight up to Ruby Rank, but after talking with the others in the back, we’ve decided that you can start at Emerald Rank. No problem there.”

“Whoa, isn’t that amazing?” (Shizuma)

“Yeah, it is. But earlier, we confirmed her knowledge is the real deal. She’s got herbal expertise comparable to a specialist, and enough combat skill to easily win in duels. If Seimu’s statement is true, she’s also experienced natural dungeons. Emerald Rank is well-deserved.”

“Nice, Melt! That’s the fourth rank from the top. Fully qualified!” (Shizuma)

Clearly, they judged she was way beyond a mere beginner. This was a legit achievement.

But…

“I lost to Seimu… I’m not Ruby Rank…” (Melt)

“Ahh… My ranking’s kinda irregular, you know…” (Shizuma)

She looked so disappointed.

“You’re a demanding one, huh! Well, alright… If you complete a few monster hunts and another escort mission, I’ll personally recommend you for Ruby Rank. You’ll rank up in no time.”

“Really? Then I’ll do my best!” (Melt)

Now that we finished registering Melt as an adventurer, it was time to find a place to stay.

When I asked the guild, figuring they’d know good places, they told us there was a street full of inns and restaurants popular with adventurers.

It’s apparently commonly called the Adventurers’ Den.

They recommended a cheap inn called Hamstey as a great place for newcomers.

…Hamstey? Like…hamster?

“Inns are places where you pay money to stay overnight, right? There was an old inn building in the village, too. This will be my first time staying at a real inn, so I’m looking forward to it.” (Melt)

“Hmm… Did everyone in the village move away?” (Shizuma)

“Everyone except Grandma and me…was sacrificed.” (Melt)

“Wha—” (Shizuma)

I regretted asking so casually.

“Behind the Kingdom of Golda, there’s a vast forested region facing the sea. It’s considered a dungeon now, but it used to be the land of our clan. The entire area was apparently used in a ritual to summon a demon who governs dungeons —a Dungeon Master— and was turned into a dungeon. Grandma and I lived some distance away from the village, so we were spared. But everyone else just disappeared. Only the people vanished, and the buildings were left behind.” (Melt)

“…Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked so lightly.” (Shizuma)

“It’s okay. It happened more than ten years ago. I figure the Kingdom of Golda never thought much of us to begin with. That’s probably why they chose us as sacrifices.” (Melt)

“…Even so, you still planned to seek their protection?” (Shizuma)

“Yeah, to survive. Holding grudges or seeking revenge; that’s a luxury for people who have the room to live like that. I just wanted to build a foundation to live, so I left the village. It was a chance…” (Melt)

“A chance?” (Shizuma)

“Yeah. It’s a huge forest dungeon, but the powerful being who lived inside —the Dungeon Master— disappeared. So I figured it’d be safe to pass through the forest, and I left the village.” (Mlet)

Wait, could it be? That guy I killed… The master of that Western-style mansion?

“You couldn’t leave the village before?” (Shizuma)

“I could, but only if I planned to come back. We couldn’t go against the Dungeon Master. Both Grandma and I had been absorbed as part of the dungeon. It was like a strong homing instinct or something. But one day, that just vanished. So I took the plunge, crossed the forest, and headed for the castle town. But they wouldn’t let me in, and while I was wandering around the town…” (Melt)

So that’s when she met me.

“I heard a beautiful sound from the sky, and when I went to look for it, I found a little bell ornament hanging from a tree branch. I picked it up and took it with me, but one day it suddenly started to glow, so I panicked and threw it away. Then, when the light faded, there was a big man standing there. I got scared and ran away when I saw him…” (Melt)

“And when you watched from afar, he changed form and surprised you even more?” (Shizuma)

“Exactly! That’s what I wanted to ask you about! You are not one of our kind, right? Then why did you change like that? I’ve been wondering for so long!” (Melt)

Now then, what should I do? Should I just be honest and tell her everything?

…At the very least, I should explain about the transformation truthfully.

“Alright. I promise I’ll tell you once we get to the inn. Look, we were talking while walking, and we’ve already arrived at the main street.” (Shizuma)

“Oh, you’re right. It really is an Adventurers’ Den, huh? Everyone’s carrying weapons and looks super tough.” (Melt)

Just like Melt said, people who looked every bit the typical adventurer were bustling about.

It did give off a slightly rough atmosphere, but that was natural when everyone looked like they lived by the sword.

There didn’t seem to be any actual trouble going on. All I could hear were lively voices of people enjoying meals at the terrace tables.

Rather than saying it seemed dangerous, it felt more appropriate to call it lively.  

“Alright then, let’s go find the Hamstey.” (Shizuma)

“That’s such a weird name.” (Melt)

Yeah, I think so too.

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