After a two-hour wait, our turn came to speak with a receptionist. When we stepped forward to greet her, the receptionist curtly cut us off.
“Let me stop you right there. Morning shift just ended; you are the afternoon shift’s problem now,” the older woman said, rising from her seat. “Have a great day…”
Before we could get a word in, she collected her personal items, placed a closed sign in the window, and retired to the backroom. As other receptionists finished with their clients, they followed her example, leaving an angry crowd in their wake.
“What the hell?! Get back here and help us.”
“We have been waiting in line for hours. You cannot just abandon us now!”
“Wait a second. Aren’t they supposed to wait for their replacements to arrive before leaving their posts?”
As the adventurers grew louder and rowdier, the Guildmaster burst out of his office with an unamused expression. He hobbled to the balcony railing above us, leaning on his mithril cane for support, to demand an explanation.
“Alright, that is quite enough! Why are you idiots causing a ruckus in my guild hall?”
For several pompous noblemen, his harmless insult was the final straw. Done waiting for their turn, they bulldozed their way forward and scaled the counter. As they were about to touchdown, a massive fireball flew out of the doorway to the backroom. Before they could react, it detonated in their faces, sending them sailing across the room.
“No need to get your panties in a bunch; we are on our way out. Damn impatient assholes,” a disgruntled woman snapped.
With coffee in hand, the next shift shuffled out with annoyed looks. As our new receptionist took her seat, I was shocked to see yet another familiar face. The blonde, busty dragoness was from a series I enjoyed reading during my high school years. I had not kept up with the series after graduating, but her unique heterochromia eyes and horns were unmistakable.
“The morning shift vacated their posts again before being relieved, huh? Those damn fools! I have reprimanded them several times about that. Looks like I will have to hand out write-ups for abandoning posts again,” the Guildmaster grumbled. “Anyhow, let’s get these long queues sorted. We are running a business here, not a government office.”
“Yes, sir!”
Swiftly reopening their windows, the new receptionists waved people forward.
“Welcome back! I take it my advice bore fruit, and the two of you are here to register with the guild?” the receptionist inquired.
“It is good to see you again, Miss Lucoa,” Yunyun spoke, bowing her head. “We are here to register with the guild, but you should know your advice got us nowhere. The porters made sure neither of us could get any work because they hate our kind.”
“Come again…”
After sharing everything they had gone through, Lucoa promptly lowered her head.
“I am so sorry, ladies! Fights between porters happen every day, but it should never reach the degree you experienced. Once we are done with your registration, I will file an incident report and have them banned from the guildhall.”
“Thank you, Miss Lucoa. To be clear, we do not blame you for what happened. Both of us just want to make sure no one else has to go through what we had to,” Roxanne said.
Happy that they were not upset with her, Lucoa gave them a sympathetic smile. As her original suggestion had caused them so much grief, the receptionist swore to help them locate a well-paid posting on the job board. Before continuing, though, her curiosity had to be sated.
“So, if working as porters did not pan out, how did you earn the money? You said you have been here every day, so it isn’t from working as general laborers. The reason you came to the capital was to earn money for your families, so I doubt they sent you extra money. For women, there are a few other ways you could have… Oh no! Please tell me you have not been working in the red-light district.”
“What is a red-light district?” Yunyun inquired, tilting her head.
“According to my aunt, it is a place where people go to sate their carnal urges for money,” Roxanne said matter-of-factly.
“OF COURSE WE DIDN’T!! I… I could never do something so outrageous. One should reserve that sort of thing for the person whom one wants to marry. No matter how desperate I am, I will never sell myself for money.”
With a sigh of relief, Lucoa slumped back into her chair. This was not the time or place to pester them about it, so she opted to pry it out of them later.
“My apologies, I let my curiosity get the best of me. Anyway, our registration fees are five thousand dia per person. Can you please hand me your money?”
With an outstretched hand, Lucoa waited for them to move. When I stepped forward to place a stack of cash in her hand, the dragoness’ face froze.
“Thank you again, Baron Barfort.”
Roxanne and Yunyun, heads bowed in gratitude, were unaware of the storm gathering in front of them. With a blank expression, Lucoa asked me a question.
“Baron Bartfort, huh? Might you be related to a Rutart Fou Bartfort?”
“Unfortunately, I am related to the snobbish boar. He is the current heir to House Bartfort, and my bastard stepbrother. Please do not base your assessment of me on that waste of space.”
With a ferocious snarl, Lucoa rose from her seat as her dragonic bloodlust gushed from her like a geyser. Those behind me could not withstand the immense pressure; they fainted on the spot or fled the scene like scared children. I stared Lucoa directly in the eyes, showing her I wasn’t threatened.
“I give you credit, Baron Bartfort. You are far braver than the ilk I am accustomed to dealing with at my counter. If you walk away now, I will let you off with just this warning.”
“No, I will stay right here. Your insinuation that I am the same as those vile men is an insult. I will allow no one to besmirch my good name on baseless accusations!”
With a solid grip on my sword, I slipped into a fighting stance, ready for battle. Before either of us moved, a sudden wellspring of intense bloodlust surged out of me. In an instant, everything in the immediate vicinity fell silent under its pressure. Uncertain where it had come from, I fought to bring it under control as Roxanne and Yunyun were suffering.
“Lucoa, I will vouch for Baron Bartfort,” the Guildmaster wheezed. “He recently conquered an undiscovered dungeon and destroyed its core by himself. Instead of wasting his spoils on booze and women, he invested a large portion in his family’s territory. I have read reports that their downtrodden territory is becoming a prominent economic power.”
Above us, the elderly man was turning dark blue, as were those around me. Only Lucoa maintained her composure enough to breathe.
“Alright, please stop it! I am sorry for making baseless accusations about you. Let’s take a step back and talk this out.”
In an instant, my raging bloodlust subsided. Aside from being confused and unsure of why I reacted the way I just did, I was frankly relieved that I had full control of myself again.
With the oppressive aura gone, everyone collapsed to their knees, gasping for air. Once she had recomposed herself, Lucoa spoke again.
“Please forgive my outburst, Baron Bartfort. My reaction stems from personal experience dealing with the fallout of noble indiscretions. Many naïve citizens agree to work with noblemen under the assumption they will be compensated handsomely. In reality, they are used as distractions to save their parties or as entertainment during long trips.”
“Hold on. If that is true, why did you tell them to work as porters? There is no difference in the potential risks they would face.”
“Most noblemen do not hire regular porters. For the duration of their expedition, they hire individuals with the Item Box skill to carry equipment and loot. The average Item Box holds seven times more material than a porter’s backpack, so it is a very worthwhile investment.”
While I understood the logic, her line of thinking was skewed. Capital nobles could afford the expense of hiring specialized staff, but many rural nobles could not. They struggled to make ends meet, leaving regular porters as their only option.
“Now that you are in a calmer state of mind, will you permit me to pay their fees and create our party? If possible, I would like to clear at least one dungeon today.”
“I have no justifiable reason to refuse, but please explain this to me. From my perspective, you stand to gain nothing from helping them out. What is your goal here?”
Even after everything that happened, Lucoa still refused to let this go. I admired her desire to protect them, so I was honest with her.
“Dungeons contain many relics from our ancient past, and I want to claim as many for myself as possible. Unfortunately, my freshman year at the Royal Academy begins in five days, so my free time will soon be reduced. To maximize my time, I need to have a capable team to dive with. Between an Arch Wizard, a Beast Warrior, and myself, we should have no issues clearing Rank 5 and 4 dungeons in a few hours.”
“Ah, so you are one of those weirdos who enjoys tinkering with Lost Items. In that case, I can see the benefit for you in this arrangement. They have no use for those damaged relics, so you can lay claim to them in exchange for a smaller cut of your profits.”
Her fears abated, Lucoa gave her approval and registered them. Quickly confirming that they recalled her prior explanation of the guild’s rules and policies, Lucoa moved on to the next step. Placing a bowling ball-sized crystal before them, she shared what it was with them.
“Now that we got the boring part out of the way, it’s time for the fun stuff. This magic device is called an Orb of Revelations. It will allow me to glimpse your criminal history and stats. If you would, place a hand on it and say the phrase ‘Status Open’ please.”
Following the instructions, holographic panels materialized before them.
Name: Roxanne
Class: Beast Warrior
Age: 16
Level: 20
HP: 140
Constitution: A
Charisma: C
Dexterity: S
Intelligence: B
Strength: A
Wisdom: S
Name: Yunyun
Class: Arch Wizard
Age: 16
Level: 17
HP: 153
Constitution: A
Charisma: C
Dexterity: A
Intelligence: S
Strength: B
Wisdom: S
While Lucoa recorded the data into their guild files, Roxanne and Yunyun blankly stared at the status windows. The ability to see one’s status window was not available to the public; only adventurers and nobles had access to the required equipment. Unsure if their stats were good or bad, they turned to Lucoa for clarification.
“Hehe, I can see why Baron Bartfort is so adamant about partying with you. The two of you are diamonds in the rough! Arch Wizard and Beast Warrior are advanced jobs, according to our records; they are very rare and highly sought after. Your stat values are very good too, much higher than most people at your level. It is safe to say you were born for this job.”
“Just curious. What are the highest and lowest ranks people can have?” Roxanne asked, tail wagging with anticipation.
“The highest possible ranking is S, and the lowest is F. I should also mention that increasing your level alone will not improve your stat values. You must refine yourself through time and effort to see any growth.”
Armed with this information, Roxanne and Yunyun could not contain their excitement. The two women embraced one another as they danced like giddy children.
“Baron Bartfort, how about sharing your status window with us?” Lucoa suggested. “I am curious to see exactly how strong you are.”
“We are too!” they seconded.
“I do not mind, but please stop calling me Baron Bartfort. If we are going to work together, I would like you to call me Leon.”
After a brief hesitation, the three of them accepted my request. Stepping forward, I placed my hand on the sphere and spoke the activation phrase, “Status Open.”
Three seconds later, my status window appeared.
Name: Leon Fou Aremus
Class: ???
Court Ranking: N/A
Noble Ranking: Honorary Baron
Level: 50/∞
Age: 16
HP: 7500
Constitution: SS
Charisma: SS
Dexterity: SS
Intelligence: SS
Strength: SS
Wisdom: SS
Abilities/Powers: Force-Sensitive (Limitless Potential), Item Box (Unlimited), Magic Talent (Limitless Potential), Psyker (Locked)
Titles: Currently Unavailable
Too shocked to speak, my party members just stared at my status window in disbelief. Even Lucoa, whom I presumed was a seasoned guild receptionist, was dumbfounded by my stats.
“What in the hell, Leon!? I have never heard of anyone getting a ranking of-“ Lucoa began.
“You four, come to my office this instant!” the Guildmaster barked, interrupting her.
As instructed, Lucoa closed her line and helped me bring the women back to their senses. Once they could move again, the dragoness led us behind the counter, into the backroom, and up the stairs.
“Hey, Leon. Are you sure you need a party with stats like yours?” Yunyun asked. “The gap between us is so big, we will just slow you down.”
“Of course I do! No matter how strong I may be, I am only one man. I cannot do everything by myself; I need capable teammates I can rely on. You may be weak right now, but with some guidance and training, both of you will be amazed by what you can achieve.”
Satisfied with my answer, they clenched their fists in determination. They would catch up to me.
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