Chapter 32: Rank Up

 

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By the time we returned to the capital, the sky was painted with a fiery sunset.

 

Setting aside the matter with the "Black Mist Blades," our first priority was to report today's completed quest.

 

I took out my guild card and approached the guild's reception desk.

 

As soon as the receptionist saw us, she stepped out from behind the counter.

 

"Oh, Rain. It seems you had quite an ordeal yesterday… I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help."

 

"No, no… it's not your fault."

 

From the looks of it, yesterday's detainment was a result of the scrutiny during the approval process for the "Red Dragon" matter, led by the guild master, Grave. There was nothing an ordinary guild employee could have changed.

 

"More importantly, I’d like to report the completion of a direct assignment."

 

"Yes! I've heard about it. Please, come this way."

 

The receptionist invited us into the staff-only area of the guild.

 

We followed her and soon arrived at a room at the back of the guild.

 

"The master is waiting for you ahead. I'll take my leave here."

 

"Thanks for guiding us."

 

After the receptionist returned to her duties, we entered the room.

 

Inside, the room was spacious, resembling a meeting room in an office.

 

"…!"

 

I couldn't help but be astonished.

 

On the table in the center of the room, a large pile of jewels was stacked.

 

How much is this…? There must be at least 20 million jewels…?

 

"Rain, over here."

 

Grave, who was in the room, called out to me.

 

"Good work. Your guild card, please."

 

At his request, the three of us handed over our guild cards.

 

Grave took our guild cards and stamped them on some prepared documents, signing them smoothly.

 

He then handed us a flashy golden card.

 

"Congratulations. This completes your rank-up examination. This is your A-rank guild card."

 

"Wait, aren’t you going to verify it properly?"

 

I recalled that to verify the monster subjugation records, you needed to pass the card through a dedicated reader. At least, that's how it usually went for regular quests.

 

"It's fine. Direct assignments take time to input. Besides, I don't think you’d tell such a trivial lie. Your abilities were already proven when you brought back the 'Red Dragon.'"

 

"I see."

 

Well, since we completed the quest without any deceit, it didn’t matter much.

 

"Wow… it's golden!"

 

"It feels quite substantial."

 

Milia's eyes sparkled with innocent joy.

 

Now that I think about it, even though heroes had identification, they didn’t have anything like a guild card.

 

In any case, Milia and I managed to rank up to A-rank.

 

"Oh, and on the table is the payment for the 'Red Dragon.' If there's too much, the guild can store it for you, but—"

 

"Wait, is this money for that?"

 

"Hmm? Oh yes, sorry for not having it ready last night."

 

Come to think of it, we hadn't received it yet… but the timing didn't matter.

 

The real issue was the amount. I remember the estimate being 20 million jewels…

 

"Are you sure it's okay to take this much? It feels like more than the estimate…"

 

"Oh, that. Yes, it turns out one of our staff made an error and gave too low an estimate. I adjusted it. Based on past 'Red Dragon' transactions, 20 million jewels is appropriate, but this one was in particularly good condition."

 

…So that's what happened.

 

For a moment, I thought it might be related to Milia's status or yesterday's commotion, but it seems unrelated.

 

"Either way, thank you. I'll take the money."

 

The adventurer guild also functions like a bank. By registering a deposit record on the guild card, you can withdraw jewels from any guild within the kingdom.

 

Jewels become heavy and bulky when in large amounts, so it's common to deposit them at this amount.

 

"Wow…! That's the first time I've seen such magic. Impressive…!"

 

"…Haha."

 

But I can use an item box, so carrying large sums isn’t an issue.

 

Even the adventurer guild doesn't offer absolute security, and having the money on me allows for easy access anytime, anywhere.

 

"By the way, has there been any movement regarding the 'Black Mist Blades'?"

 

"I'm really curious about that too!"

 

"I'm also interested, considering my old affiliations."

 

Though I know from my previous life's knowledge that today is the day of the coup, this world's version of me shouldn't know this, so I phrased my question accordingly.

 

Milia and Lisha matched my story.

 

"As for that… actually, there's information suggesting it might be tonight. We have several spy adventurers within the 'Black Mist Blades,' and they reported that instructions were given to party leaders yesterday. If followed precisely…"

 

Grave’s expression was tense.

 

He was likely anxious. Defending the capital—and the extent of the damage—must weigh heavily on his mind.

 

"Will you be alright? I have some knowledge about the 'Black Mist Blades' since I almost joined them. They’re quite strong."

 

"…We'll have to manage somehow."

 

Well, that's true.

 

In an emergency, his role is to gather willing adventurers from his jurisdiction and lead them against the enemy.

 

He can't run away, so he has no choice but to say that.

 

—Alright. I managed to naturally bring up the topic of the 'Black Mist Blades' lack of manpower.

 

Now is the only time to make the proposal.

 

After exchanging glances with Milia and Lisha, I made the suggestion.

 

"If you'd like, we could help defend the capital."