Seeing Is Believing
Jerry sprinted back to the publishing house and delivered the request he had received from Milene in Portmus.
“Hmm, Author K wants to visit the Adventurers’ Guild?”
“Yes. She said she needs to see things for herself to write better action scenes.”
“Impressive. That’s not the sort of idea most women would have. Of course, there are plenty of female adventurers out there, but considering Author K’s background, it’s not something you’d normally expect.”
She truly was a rare talent. Most people wouldn’t go that far. To think she believed experiencing things firsthand would improve her writing. If that logic held, didn’t it also mean romance authors had to fall in love themselves to write well? The romance writers under Portmus would probably be furious if they heard that. Or maybe not.
“I’m a little worried she might feel pressured, since adventurers read her work too.”
“Still, it’s a good approach. Looking at her current series, The Hero’s Party Knows No Defeat, the protagonist doesn’t fight alone in the end. The humans who are beginning to rebuild their forces will stand against the Demon King’s army.”
“Exactly.”
“There will be plenty of bloody battles along the way, and given how Author K writes, she won’t just gloss over that. She’ll probably have to think long and hard about this part too. Speaking of which, did you hear?”
“Hear what?”
Yugo glanced around, then leaned in close and lowered his voice.
“While you were gone, that young lady from the Holpert family—the one who took Author K’s spot—sent in a manuscript.”
“Ah, you mean Lady Sophia.”
To be honest, she had always struck him as a bit dim.
“She submitted something she called a romance manuscript, and it was shockingly bad. Honestly, I can’t believe Author K lost her position to someone like that. If you’re curious, I tossed it in the trash bin over there. Feel free to take a look.”
The trash bin, huh. The boss really did have high standards. His taste was rather refined. That was why the mass-produced manuscripts that came in for the sake of the company’s profits were usually weeded out by the lower staff. Author K’s work had been a special case that caught the boss’s eye. If even he had thrown this one away, it was probably little more than scribbles on garbage. Still, since it had come from the Holpert family, Jerry decided to read it.
The Holperts were a powerful noble house. It wouldn’t do to carelessly reject a manuscript sent by their daughter. He fished the pages out of the trash and began to read.
What in the world was this?
“The prince and princess lived happily ever after. Pfft. This isn’t even a fairy tale.”
“The fairy tales coming out these days are written at a much higher level than this. Anyway, since Author K said that, we should put in some real effort now that she’s expanding into the adventurer market.”
When that woman Sophia had arrogantly tossed off a half-hearted manuscript as if novels were child’s play, Author K was willingly throwing herself into danger just to write better stories. Wasn’t that the mark of a true author? After all, romance writers didn’t actually go out and experience the love they wrote about.
“Understood. I’ll look into some adventurers.”
“Do that.”
Whatever she wanted, they would provide. From what he had heard, experiencing things firsthand really could improve one’s writing. Besides, she had no prior experience with monsters. Just taking this step was already impressive.
Seeing is believing.
“Hmm.”
On the day I was to visit the Adventurers’ Guild, I stood in front of the mirror. The reflection showed Milene wearing a blonde wig that fell to her shoulders and the glasses Jerry had given me. I looked like the very picture of a model student. Of course, since I would have adventurer escorts, I had also chosen practical clothes—pants that would make running away easier, that sort of thing.
I had to join up with the adventurers like this. There was apparently magic that could change one’s appearance, so learning it later might be a good idea.
“Alright, wig on, glasses on.”
“Oh? Master, where are you going?”
“Ugh, that really doesn’t sit right with me. Just call me Lady Milene.”
If I were the type to act all manly and boss women around, maybe it would be different. But hearing “Master” while looking like this—especially after already reaching a bad ending—felt incredibly wrong. Of course it did. Milene was a villainess. For a villainess who had been condemned to still be strutting around with a slave in tow? It was downright horrifying. Especially if Sophia saw it—she’d probably start yelling “Everyone, look at this!” and cause a huge scene.
Anyway, the girl who had just called me “Master” was named Ritz. She was the same girl who had proudly declared in front of everyone that she would become my slave and suck me dry. She had stuck to my side ever since, chasing that grand dream of hers. Well, she did handle the housework, so I could overlook it to that extent.
“Yes, Lady Milene.”
“Make dinner for yourself. I might eat out. I’ll leave some allowance money here, so either eat outside or with the publishing staff.”
“Understood.”
I closed the front door behind me. I felt strangely like a mother leaving her child at home to go earn money. On the outside I just looked like a beautiful woman with glasses, so why was the slave staying inside with pocket money while I headed out? I really shouldn’t have taken her in so carelessly back then. Tsk.
Plus, I was even disguising myself like this in case I ran into anyone who knew me. I walked down the stone-paved streets toward the Adventurers’ Guild in the royal capital.
“The Adventurers’ Guild, huh.”
After all, what was a fantasy world without a guild? Especially in isekai stories. That author Pakuri had probably thrown one in without a second thought. Anyway, I wasn’t here to become an adventurer like the protagonists in other novels. My field was writing, not adventuring.
When you enter the Adventurers’ Guild, tell the black-haired receptionist that you’re Author K. She’ll introduce you to some adventurers through the Guild Master.
That was what Jerry had told me. The Adventurers’ Guild was far more organized than I had imagined. Inside, receptionists wearing guild uniforms were helping adventurers and clients, while others carried documents or potions back and forth. This would make good reference material for my novel.
“Welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild. What brings you here today?”
As soon as I walked in, a kind-looking receptionist greeted me with a smile.
“I’m here for a request. If you tell them it’s for ‘K,’ they’ll know.”
“Ah, so you’re that person. I didn’t expect you to be a woman. One moment please. We were instructed to notify the Master immediately when the author arrives.”
Oh, it worked. Also, “a woman,” she said. Did that mean there really weren’t any authors writing in my genre in this world? Well, Portmus had only recently started dominating the market. It seemed novels hadn’t been around long enough in this world to really take off.
Following the receptionist’s guidance, I met the Guild Master. Unlike the uniformed staff, he was a rather scruffy-looking man in a thick shirt with a hefty build. He looked genuinely surprised when he saw me.
“Oh! So you’re Author K. I’ve heard a lot from Jerry at Portmus. I never imagined the person who wrote such novels would be this lovely young lady. Hahaha.”
“Hahaha, well… I wanted to try something new, I suppose.”
“Still, your spirit of challenge is remarkable. Even commoners living in the capital rarely think of becoming adventurers if they’re young ladies.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. We’ve already selected some skilled adventurers for you. Each of them has a scheduled request, though. Would you like to join one?”
The Guild Master immediately pushed a list of adventurer parties in front of me. It looked like they had prepared it specifically for me—requests that were suitable for me to tag along with while still providing adequate protection. The dates were written beside each one.
“Is there one available today?”
“Yes. Today there’s an A-rank party called Red Claw heading out to subjugate an orc settlement. I’ve already informed them, so you can just call for them.”
“And what about the request fee?”
I had seen mostly escort requests on the bulletin board earlier. So in my case, would I be the one being escorted?
“Ah, Portmus is covering the costs. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“I see.”
As expected, having a well-funded publisher behind me was nice. But when I actually met the adventurer party I would be following… they were incredibly imposing. There was a skinhead guy carrying a giant battle axe who was easily twice my size—actually, even bigger than I had been as a man—and looked intimidating enough to make me shrink back. There was also a rugged young man around my age with lean muscles, a red-haired archer girl in leather armor, and a small mage wearing a large robe whose gender was impossible to determine.
They were an A-rank party called Red Claw. I was actually a little excited.
Not long after, the Guild Master brought Red Claw before me. A group of adventurers in various outfits stared at me.
“Hello. I’m K. I’ll be tagging along with you today to observe.”
“Tch. We have to escort a girl like this?”
“Hey, what’s with that attitude? We’re getting paid extra for it.”
They were already bickering among themselves. And that bratty kid had no manners at all even though I had greeted them politely. In the past I would have given him a good scolding, but with my current body and profession, I couldn’t afford to cause any trouble right now.
“I’m sorry. But this is absolutely necessary for my work. I’ll stay far back and watch quietly.”
When I bowed my head in apology, the man who seemed to be the leader stepped forward.
“Ah, it’s fine. We’re getting paid for this after all. Hahaha. Besides, this is basically just a side job while we clear out an orc settlement, so protecting you will be easy.”
Despite his appearance, he seemed surprisingly kind.
“Thank you. I’ll be in your care.”
“Then let’s introduce ourselves. I’m the party leader, Adel. I wield this giant battle axe. I can smash orcs without breaking a sweat, so you can relax.”
“I’m Rota. As you can see, I’m a swordsman.”
Yeah, I could tell just by looking.
“I’m the archer, Rella. I never miss.”
“My name is Yuri. I’m a mage who handles basic elemental magic. Nice to meet you.”
Everyone except that brat seemed pretty likable. The leader gave off the vibe of a reliable neighborhood uncle, the archer seemed friendly, and even the mage, despite her appearance, spoke clearly and politely. It was just that one brat.
Still, I had a question. Most parties in the Adventurers’ Guild were four-person teams. That meant roles were divided—ranged attackers, melee dealers, and support mages. Red Claw seemed to fit that pattern. So why didn’t they have a healer or tank?
Well, if four-person parties were the norm, it was impossible to cover every role. There were too many specialized jobs to fit everything neatly into melee, ranged, support, and magic. So I was curious why this party didn’t have a healer. If I had to guess, the leader and that bratty swordsman were both melee dealers. Wouldn’t it be better to replace the kid with a healer? Of course, that was just my opinion. Since I needed to learn the unspoken rules of this world, I decided to ask.
“Don’t you have a healer?”
“Healers and tanks—especially paladins—are high-class personnel. We only hire them when we need to. Usually when we’re up against high-ranking monsters.”
“Besides, for regular healing, high-grade potions or priests can cover it just fine.”
“I see.”
So adventurer parties in this world worked pretty much the same as in stories. It was within the range of what I could have guessed. This combination seemed solid enough. That skinhead with the huge build was probably acting as both damage dealer and tank, while the archer and mage provided support from behind and the bratty kid struck from the side. Not bad at all.