Between Welcome and Suspicion
"A practical exam?"
"It's passing through a mock dungeon with four stages."
"It's just a test, but you have to clear a dungeon?"
The man chuckled at that. Sorry, but his already grim face looked even more sinister with that laugh.
"It's called a dungeon, but it's just an illusion created by magic. Even if you get hurt or 'die' during the exam, it only hurts for a moment—you won't actually die or get injured."
"Aha..."
Die... Even if it was fake, it meant you could get hurt or even "die" during the test.
"The practical exam must be pretty tough, huh?"
"Well, it's not easy. But if you can't pass a test like that, you should give up on becoming an adventurer."
Just then, a female adventurer approached us and pointed at me while speaking to the man.
"What's this, Hans... this cute little thing? Did you finally get into kidnapping?"
"Don't talk nonsense, Camilla. She was staring endlessly at the recruitment poster, so I was just explaining the test to her."
But the woman brushed off the man's words and strode toward me.
"Little one, this uncle didn't do anything weird to you, right?"
"...Huh?"
I was caught off guard by the sudden question and couldn't speak.
"The world's so dangerous these days. You gotta be careful of people. Especially sketchy-looking scary uncles like that. If one suddenly talks to you on the street or tries to take you somewhere... scream or run away immediately. Got it?"
I understood what she meant, but still... I felt like I should defend the man.
"...The uncle was just telling me about the adventurer exam."
The woman widened her eyes in disbelief and teased playfully.
"What? So you weren't kidnapped?!"
"What the hell do you two think I am?"
The man shook his head with a sigh.
"Sigh... whatever. Anyway, perfect timing. I was just about to explain the practical exam's difficulty, so you can tell her instead. You know more about the exam than I do."
"Practical exam? Oh... you're curious about the difficulty, right? Let me think... last exam's boss was a Gale Wolf, I think?"
"Gale Wolf? Then there must've been some complaints from the ranged classes."
"Exactly. It wasn't that strong a monster, but it's so fast that it's tough for archers or mages to deal with... so a lot from those classes failed. Matchups matter, after all."
I chimed in on their conversation.
"Gale Wolf?"
"Gale Wolves show up around here pretty often, so you've probably heard of them. Basically, you need to be able to hunt one solo to pass the exam."
Then another man's voice came from behind.
"Why are you explaining all this to a kid?"
"What's wrong with it... it might help her."
The new man had his hair neatly combed back, sharp eyes, but not as intimidating as Hans. He gave off a strong intellectual vibe, and his speech and gestures hinted at a picky, sensitive personality.
"Help? You think teaching a kid about the exam means she can take it right away?"
"Not now, but maybe when she grows up..."
I twitched my ears at that. So I can't do it now?)
"Is... there an age limit or something?"
"No age limit, but practically, kids like you never take the exam."
Good. No age limit.
"I still think experiencing a monster indirectly isn't a bad idea."
"Experience? Hah, she'll fail without even getting a proper feel for it. Or worse, even if it's an illusion, getting 'killed' by a monster could traumatize her. So don't give the kid false hope."
The man shifted his gaze and looked straight at me.
"And you, don't hang around places like this. If you wanna be an adventurer, go home and suck on your mom's tit some more."
"Mom..."
For a moment, a bitter expression crossed my face without me realizing.
"But I don't have a mom..."
At that instant, the man's face froze. The air around us seemed to freeze, silence falling. It felt like not just Hans and Camilla, but the other adventurers nearby had been listening... everyone's eyes were on him.
"Th-then... what about your dad?"
"No dad either. Dads don't make milk anyway."
The man hesitated, at a loss for words. I couldn't stand the awkwardness and stood up.
"I'll get going now... Thanks for telling me about the exam, Uncle. And sis."
"Uh... yeah."
"Be safe."
I bowed to Hans and the adventurer named Camilla who'd kindly explained the exam, then left. Noisy voices erupted behind me belatedly.
"...Feels good fat-shaming a kid?"
"No... I didn't know!"
"...Trash bastard..."
"...No, I..."
"Whatever. Don't talk to me ever again. You're disgusting."
"Seriously... it's a misunderstanding, Camilla. Hear me out..."
... .. .
Back in the waiting room, after a short wait, someone arrived.
"Hello. I'm Georgia, the information officer at the Dublin branch of the Adventurer's Association."
He greeted us politely with a neat demeanor, then carefully sat across from us.
"Before we talk... a question. Is this an official request from the Howard family?"
"No. It's the young lady's personal request."
Georgia's gaze naturally turned to Marie. He looked at her briefly, then nodded.
"I see. Understood. Let's begin the consultation."
He opened a binder. Inside was the memo the receptionist had noted earlier.
"You want to find a unicorn?"
"Yes."
"You know hunting or trading unicorns is illegal, right?"
"We're not hunting. We just want to know its whereabouts."
Georgia paused briefly, his expression flickering slightly. But he quickly returned to neutral, making it hard to tell if that tremor was real emotion or just my imagination.
"Hmm... Then, can you specify details about the unicorn you're looking for?"
"Adult male. Probably kidnapped by poachers and brought near Dublin."
Georgia trailed off, seeming to gather his thoughts. He was oddly slow and cautious.
"Looking for a unicorn brought to Dublin by poachers... is that right?"
"Yes."
Marie pressed on firmly without backing down.
"I heard the Association recently took down a poaching ring. Was there a unicorn there by any chance?"
Georgia pondered, eyes downcast, slowly tapping the corner of his binder with a finger. A subtle weight hung in his blank expression. Soon, he looked up calmly.
"Unfortunately... no unicorn."
I stared piercingly at Georgia's face. But his expression remained perfectly serene, revealing nothing of his true feelings. It seemed truthful, yet something felt off.
Wasn't it them?}
A sense of impasse washed over me. If not them, did that mean other poachers? But how would we catch them? Or maybe even the Association hadn't fully grasped the situation.
"If you don't mind..."
As the conversation seemed to hit a dead end, Georgia cautiously spoke up.
"Could you tell me why you're looking for the unicorn, and why you think poachers have it?"
I unconsciously glanced at Marie, her gaze deeply demanding an answer from me.
What do I do?}
I carefully shifted my eyes to the man's face, but it was still mannequin-like, unreadable. Not even his eyes gave anything away.
But... why ask that?}
Something was definitely suspicious. It felt like facing a starving predator salivating for info from us.
Should I probe?}
I carefully opened my mouth.
"One of our friends saw a unicorn."
At that moment... his face seemed to shed its mask, eyes flashing with intense obsession. Like a predator starved for ages, spotting prey right in front of it.
Something's up after all...