The Unregistered Contractor

Contractor. For a human to discover their own talent requires a great deal of time and countless trials and errors. Along the way, one may stray down the wrong path or suffer irreversible wounds. “That is why the wise Goddess has granted adventurers a declared profession—so they may wield their talents without such hardship.”

So that the lambs heading into the dungeon would not lose their way and wander, but instead walk the correct path. “Ah, how benevolent and gracious She is!”

The old man, overcome with emotion, rose from his seat and spread both arms wide. Beyond the monocle gleaming white under the mana lamp on the ceiling, a faint trace of madness and lingering faith could be seen. The boy—or girl—nodded in admiration at the old man’s words and spoke softly.

“…I had wondered whether declaring a profession might be cutting off the sprouts of human potential. But I suppose it can be interpreted that way as well.”

Declaring a profession and blooming matching skills to give adventurers direction—viewed from a certain angle, it was… “The Goddess may value efficiency more than I thought.”

At the boy—or girl’s remark, the old man stroked his stubbled chin. “Indeed.”

The old ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠man, who had cut through the darkness, slowly leaned back into his chair and continued, partially agreeing. “Declaring a profession is, to borrow the radicals’ expression, no different from erasing choices.”

However. “The Goddess does not force a path upon adventurers.” She merely points them toward a slightly brighter road—so they do not lose their way in the dark, so they do not waste the life that is more precious than anything…

Yet… “The Goddess pursues efficiency…? That is an interesting perspective. The more I think about it, the more it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seems to hold water. After all, the Goddess ‘Sith’ is not an ordinary ‘idol’ that demands faith. She is closer to a ‘gardener’ or ‘administrator.’”

“Indeed….”

“….”

It is said that intellectuals of ancient medieval times, lacking in entertainment, enjoyed debate and discussion by posing questions such as “What is God?” or “How was the world created?” I somehow found myself at the center of such a scene. …This is insane.

After the Contractor and the elderly appraiser began their absurdly tedious and pedantic theological debate, roughly thirty minutes had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠passed. Sion had been moved to the guild’s treatment center to heal her swollen ankle and had yet to return. Senior Regina Gura had guided us to the third-floor appraisal office, then rushed back down to the first-floor exchange, claiming she had work piled up.

In this study filled with the smell of paper and ink, there were only two passionate theologians, two appraisers rummaging through the bookshelves for materials, and one bored demon left abandoned in a corner. Damn it, I should have suspected something the moment Senior Regina Gura suddenly stopped talking in front of the appraisal office. She clearly knew this would happen and escaped first. Leaving her junior behind and running away alone—that’s betrayal…

Trembling with a sense of betrayal, I waited for Sion, my comrade-in-suffering, to arrive, but the theological debate that seemed like it would never end found its conclusion before Sion did. That damn cat Sion—why isn’t she here yet? What time is it? Is she deliberately coming up late?

“Aah, it feels like I’ve had a truly fulfilling and beneficial conversation after so long. Adventurer. If there’s another opportunity, I would love to share a cup of tea and talk at length.”

“I also learned a great deal and enjoyed our time together. If you call on me again, I would certainly like to be present.”

That would be rather troublesome for me.

Clap!

“Well then! Let us set aside the small talk and begin the original schedule—the ‘appraisal.’”

Yes, please. I beg you.

The old man, who had cleared the heavy atmosphere with applause, continued his explanation with a noticeably lighter expression.

Appraisers verify the authenticity of the information written on an adventurer’s promotion application form and identify professions, skills, and the efficacy and effects of magic. “We call this process ‘appraisal.’”

Then you must be curious. How exactly do they conduct cross-verification?

“Status is a blessing the Goddess bestows upon an adventurer’s ‘eyes.’”

Therefore, it cannot be shown to others. Or rather, it can be shown, but… “Even if shown, few people would be able to read letters smaller than faint dust reflected in a small pupil. And even if they could read them, the letters are reversed, so it would take a considerable amount of time.”

However. “That does not apply to appraisers.”

The old man tapped his monocle with his index finger. “Appraisers can read the status from another person’s eyes. Very clearly and accurately.”

And that is not all. “High-tier appraisers do not even need to look into the other person’s eyes. Simply by taking in the appearance of the person or object, they can grasp its essence.”

“…What do you mean?”

“In fact, the first appraisal was already completed the moment you opened the door behind you and entered. I am a higher-tier appraiser than you might think.”

But. The old man leaned toward the Contractor with an excited expression. “Adventurer, what might your hobbies be, by any chance?”

“…Excuse me?”

“…?”

The old man suddenly began asking about the Contractor’s hobbies, as if he had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gone senile and was hitting on a convenience store part-timer. The Contractor stood frozen, unable to continue speaking as if their thoughts had momentarily stopped. Then a tired female voice came from behind the old man.

“Mr. Wilhelm, if you speak that way, you’ll only trouble the adventurer.”

“Hm? Ah, look at me. Thank you for pointing that out, Inette. My apologies, Adventurer. When I get excited, I tend to ramble without order. Is it because of my age? Haha.”

Wilhelm slowly withdrew and sat back down. Yet his eyes, shining with a vigor that belied his age, clearly showed that his excitement had not yet subsided.

“I will continue the explanation until Mr. Wilhelm calms down a little.”

The appraiser with the tired expression, Inette, placed cups of tea emitting a reddish glow in front of Wilhelm and the Contractor, then took over the explanation in Wilhelm’s place. She offered tea to me as well, but I lightly shook my beak to decline.

“The reason Mr. Wilhelm is so excited is because the profession the adventurer awakened this time is an unregistered job.”

…An unregistered job? What does that mean?

The name of the profession the Contractor obtained after promotion was, of course, “Contractor.” Since they had made a “contract” with a demon (or not), it was only natural that the profession would be called Contractor—or so they had thought.

But that’s not the case?

“An unregistered job?”

The Contractor also tilted their head in confusion and asked again. “And it’s an unregistered job that appeared after only a year and a half. To be honest, even I am quite nervous saying this. I couldn’t sleep last night after receiving the data.”

So that’s why there were such heavy dark circles under her eyes. I thought she had pulled another all-nighter. Maybe she’s not that much of a workaholic after all?

“Unregistered…?”

The Contractor stroked their chin and voiced their doubt at Inette’s words. They glanced back at me, standing like a stone statue, then turned their gaze back to Inette and opened their mouth.

“I know there aren’t many adventurers in Bastion who have contracted with demons, but there are still some. So why is it an unregistered job?”

The betrayer demon Regina Gura, who had fled to the first floor, and the mesugaki demon Croma Ira, who worked as a waitress at the Rainbow Cup. In just two days since arriving in Bastion, I had already met two demons. Yet the profession “Contractor” was unregistered. That didn’t make sense, did it?

As if to resolve that doubt, Wilhelm, who had just taken a sip of tea, cleared his throat and spoke.

“Ahem, there is one thing you are mistaken about, Adventurer.”

“A mistake?”

“Yes. In fact, the profession that adventurers with vast knowledge regarding demon contracts or those possessing talents favored by demons awaken is not ‘Contractor.’”

It was called “Demon Contractor.”