Episode 23: Hidden Technique

 

I never imagined we could acquire Lisha in such an ideal way.

 

What an unexpected gain.

 

"By the way, what rank are Rain and Milia?"

 

In this world, the difficulty of quests available depends on the adventurers' ranks.

 

If there's a lower-ranked member in the party, they can only accept quests suited to that lowest rank. I suppose that's why she's asking.

 

It's a bit awkward, but there's no point in hiding it. Let's just be honest.

 

"We're F-rank."

 

"We're F-rank."

 

"Eh...?"

 

As I truthfully answered, Lisha froze.

 

She seems bewildered.

 

"W-w-what?! Huh?! F-rank?! You're kidding, right?!"

 

"...Sorry. It's true."

 

"B-but, I don't see Rain and the others as F-rank at all! F-rank isn't for newbies, right?! If you're serious, they should graduate in just a few days if they're sincere!"

 

Explaining the whole story would take a long time, and I'm not sure how much I should tell Lisha about Milia's situation, considering we just met...

 

Just as I was struggling with how to handle it, Shion, who had been watching the whole exchange, stepped in.

 

"Lisha-chan, Rain and the others may be F-rank, but their skills are genuine."

 

"Eh, who are you?"

 

Well, it's a natural reaction.

 

Just because Shion recognizes Lisha doesn't mean it's mutual.

 

"I'm Shion. They saved me yesterday. Don't be surprised. These two took down the 'Red Dragon' alone. And Rain even healed me, nearly dead, with healing magic I've never seen before. They may be newbies, but I can't believe they're F-rank."

 

"'Red Dragon'!"

 

It seems Shion's explanation struck a chord.

 

"Hehe, I already knew that. My eyes were right. Rank doesn't matter. I was a bit surprised, though! In that case, there's only one thing to do."

 

Lisha pointed at us confidently.

 

"Let's rank up quickly. First, let's aim to reach E-rank today!"

 

"O-Okay..."

 

"Sure!"

 

Even so, even if it's a quota, if you can't gather guild points efficiently, no matter how strong you are, you can't rank up.

 

I hope there's a good quest that can earn points efficiently...

 

"Hm? Where are you going?"

 

"The guild has a little trick up its sleeve. Well, watch and learn."

 

...Lisha said that as she headed toward the counter where the receptionist was.

 

"Excuse me, is now a good time?"

 

"What can I do for you...?"

 

"I've joined Rain and their party over there... They're both F-rank, right? With F-rank adventurers, you can only take F-rank quests, right?"

 

"That's right. However, even if Lisha-sama is troubled, there's not much we can do about the rules..."

 

"That's not it! I'm not asking for a favor. I just want to raise Rain and their rank as soon as possible. So..."

 

Lisha clasped her hands together in a praying gesture and looked at the receptionist with pleading eyes.

 

And then...

 

"Please...! Please recommend a high-point quest... any quest...! Please! I'll do anything...!"

 

Lisha earnestly pleaded.

 

"L-Lisha...?"

 

"Come on, Rain, wait over there."

 

I was worried and tried to run over, but I was rejected.

 

Nothing I can do. I'll just have to watch over her.

 

"Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease! Please!"

 

"U-Um..."

 

Lisha persisted desperately in front of the counter.

 

The receptionist seemed flustered too.

 

"A-Alright! I'll introduce a high-point quest that hasn't been posted on the board yet...! Please stop... I don't want to see Lisha-sama like this!"

 

"Really?! How many points?!"

 

"It's 100 points. It's difficult for F-rank, but with Rain-san and Lisha-sama, it should be a piece of cake. If you complete this quest, you can rank up."

 

"Amazing! Thank you so much!"

 

Lisha returned with a bright smile, holding the quest paper.

 

"The little trick worked like a charm. Celebrate, because we're ranking up today."

 

"...Y-yeah. Thanks."

 

"T-That was amazing..."

 

Lisha called it a hidden technique, but it was something else entirely.

 

Apparently, it's just about earnestly asking for efficient quests. ...In a sense, it's straightforward.

 

Even so, for her to go this far for us... Thanks to her, we've saved a lot of time. I'll have to find another way to thank her.

 

"Well then, shall we get going?"

 

"Yeah. Oh, but wait a bit."

 

Saying that, I headed over to Shion and the others.

 

He helped explain our abilities to Lisha earlier, which was helpful, but I don't want it spreading everywhere. I don't want to stand out.

 

"Guys, about yesterday... I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it too much."

 

"You mean how Rain helped us?"

 

"Yeah. And also, that we defeated the area boss together."

 

When I asked them like this, the three of them showed puzzled expressions.

 

"If Rain says so... alright. But hiding achievements as an adventurer is nothing but a loss, you know?"

 

"It's fine. Please."

 

"Sigh... Well, alright, but if you change your mind, let me know anytime, okay? I'll spread it around the capital in no time."

 

"...Haha, I'll count on you when that time comes."

 

That's all I said before joining Milia and Lisha.

 

And so, we set off for today's adventure.