The Rusty Safe and the Adventurer's Guild
"Can't even break it, huh? What the hell happened to all the training you did during this time? Where did you sell it off for scraps, you weakling~♡"
"A safe?" Celine had discovered a small safe.
"Where did you find it?"
"In this room."
Celine pointed behind herself.
"This... is Ludwig's room."
...Calling him 'bro' like that.
It wasn't jealousy or anything. It was just that Estelle calling someone 'oppa' was a first for me... so I was curious.
...I'm telling you, it's not like that.
"Then this safe probably contains Ludwig's belongings."
"That makes sense. Did you happen to find the key?"
"No. There was just the safe. The Hero didn't see a key either, right?"
Key? I racked my brain but couldn't spot it while searching.
"No, I didn't see it."
"Then to open it, we'll have to break the lock. It's rusted and old, so it probably won't break easily."
I pulled the Holy Sword from my back and held it up. The handle was sturdy, so swinging it down should shatter the lock.
"I'll do it."
"Yes, please."
I turned the sword around and brought it down.
Clang!
"Huh?"
"Huff♡"
...Why isn't it breaking?
It felt off, so I tried again.
CLANG!!!
I swung with all my strength, but the lock didn't break. It looked ancient on the surface, yet so tough?
"Huff huff♡ You can't break it either. Where did you sell off all the training you did while I was away? You can't even use your strength, you scrub~♡"
...Damn it.
You really need to watch your back at night.
I gathered a rock from nearby and tried one last time, but the lock remained intact. Seeing that, Celine said it wasn't an ordinary lock.
"This... judging by the rust, it's metal, but it's so old and you can't break it, Master. It looks like it's made of at least rare metal."
"Rare metal?"
That term comes up a lot in RPGs. It's portrayed as much harder than regular iron. Is it the same here?
Estelle heard the word and replied.
"If it's rare metal, breaking it with raw strength would be tough. At least if it were as strong as an ogre."
"Then what do we do?"
"Idiot Abel♡ Asking obvious things~♡"
Estelle said with a pretty eye smile.
"You go to a specialist who handles metals. This dummy."
#
Back in Bonaparte City, I asked around and was told about the city's largest, most famous blacksmith. They should know how to handle rare metal too.
So we headed to the recommended blacksmith.
Clang, clang. The sound of hammering metal echoed from quite a distance away.
"Oh..."
The heat from the forge's fire was reaching this far. It must be hot up close.
"Estelle, aren't you hot?"
"A little warm. Still tolerable. It's not like I worry about weakling Abel worrying about me♡"
...Then it's good.
Standing in front of the blacksmith's door, the heat hit even stronger. How big was that forge? Since knocking would be drowned out by the hammering, I just kicked the door open.
The blacksmith hammering nearby straightened up when he spotted us. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked.
"A customer?"
"Yeah, me."
"What brings you here?"
I showed him the safe Celine was carrying.
"!"
"Be careful, it's heavier than it looks."
Huh? It's kinda heavy.
Thinking about it, the lock alone was rare metal, so the safe had to be even tougher. I should have carried it myself from the start.
"Can you open this lock? I need to get what's inside, but there's no key."
"Hmm. Just put it down here for a sec."
I set the safe on the workbench. The blacksmith examined the lock closely and said.
"The rust is severe, so it's hard to tell, but... it looks like rare metal."
"Probably. That's why I came to a specialist."
"Then you've come to the right place. I can open it."
Oh?
"Really?"
"Of course. It'll just take some time. First remove the rust, then pick the lock. With how much rust, it might take about a day. Come back around this time tomorrow."
"Ah, okay. Got it."
It would take a day? Then what do I do in the meantime?
I left the safe at the forge and stepped outside. Estelle sighed the moment she left the shop.
"It got hotter inside?"
"The building is way hotter. This forge doesn't suit me."
It was summer, after all. Estelle complained more about cold, so would she have liked it in winter?
"Then what do we do for the day? We have time now."
"Hmm... we haven't trained much lately. Should we take on a request?"
Oh, that sounds good.
"I was feeling restless too."
"Then let's go to the Adventurers Guild. There's one in Bonaparte City too."
"Yes."
Estelle spoke while walking to the guild.
"Before taking a request, we should do a promotion exam. Right now Abel's rank is D, so all we can get is scrubby requests~♡"
"Ah, I was supposed to do the exam but something came up and I couldn't."
"Raising your rank and taking matching requests along with training would be best~♡"
Good idea. Doing the exam would let me feel how much stronger I was, and a higher rank meant higher-paying requests. Win-win.
The Adventurers Guild in Bonaparte City was as big as the city's size. Bigger than the one in Habsburg City.
"It looks like there will be a lot of people."
"Of course~♡ I'll hold your hand so the creepy Abel doesn't scare anyone."
When was I ever scary about people......Wait, an interesting thought popped up.
"Yes, hold my hand."
"...Eh?"
I suddenly thrust out my hand. Estelle looked shocked, her face clear with surprise.
"Hold my hand."
Come on, hurry up and hold it.
"Y-You're not... embarrassed at all...."
Estelle blushed but cautiously reached out and took my hand.
Her hand was incredibly soft.
"D-Done?"
...Cute.
I smiled contentedly, then turned my head as I sensed a strange gaze beside me.
Celine was watching me with narrowed eyes.
"You look like you're having fun. But you might want to be a bit more careful about timing and place."
"...Cough."
"Huff huff...."
Both Estelle and I felt guilty and quickly let go of each other's hands.
...Let's just get inside already.
#
The Adventurers Guild in Bonaparte City was always bustling with people.
It was one of the branches of the Vesta Kingdom's guild, and with the city's large population and many adventurers, there was no shortage of requests. Especially since it wasn't far from the borders, monsters often appeared, so the guild never ran out of work.
And today was no different. Adventurers of all levels visited to take requests suited to their strength, and the guild lobby was packed with many.
Among them were quite a few A-rank adventurers.
"Ah~ I'm so bored."
Among the A-rank adventurers, a man with a shaved head leaned lazily on a sofa. Adventurers passing by either ignored him completely or quickly moved away, afraid.
His name was Rustan. An A-rank adventurer known for his bad personality.
After the rumor spread that he was thoroughly beaten by a D-rank adventurer in Habsburg, more people began evaluating him unfavorably.
But Rustan didn't care. After all, he thought the weaklings just blabbering nonsense.
Today too, he was thinking of harassing the newbie adventurers. That's when Rustan's eyes landed on someone.
The three who had just entered the guild through the door. The white-haired red-eyed inspector in the middle and the black-haired female priest beside him were faces he recognized.
"...Wow, everyone here."
Rustan shot up from his seat. He cracked his knuckles and neck.
"You bastards, finally."
Rustan dashed forward and swung his fist. A-rank adventurers' physical abilities far exceeded ordinary people. Even skilled knights were outmatched by them.
Only a few A-rank adventurers in the guild noticed Rustan charging.
But....
Whoosh!
"...Eh?"
"Ah... you scared me. I almost had a heart attack."
Before Rustan could fully extend his fist, a pure white greatsword hovered right in front of his neck. One more push and his head would have been gone.
'What the... wasn't he a D-rank kid...?'
Just like last time when he was sent flying by a punch. And right now too. It wasn't something a D-rank kid should be capable of. Once could be written off as luck, but after the second, it was clearly skill.
Looking at the sharp blade, Rustan broke out in a cold sweat. If that man hadn't stopped the sword, today's Habsburg Adventurers Guild would have turned into a bloodbath.
The man swinging the sword, Abel, tilted his head and asked.
"What happened suddenly?"
"Ah, no...."
Rustan saw Abel not recognizing him and hesitated, then lied.
"...Sorry. I mistook your face."
"I don't know what you mean, but swinging your fist like that openly isn't good."
"...Sorry."
Abel slung the Holy Sword back on his back and walked past, followed by the brown-haired priest and the black-haired priest. After letting out a sigh of relief, Rustan suddenly heard footsteps stop behind him.
"Ah."
And a voice that sounded like realization. Rustan looked back warily.
"...!!!"
"It's you? The one I saw in Habsburg."
Abel was looking this way.
#
Rustan. I remember that name.
"Rustan, right?"
"Y-Yeah...."
"Whoa, nice to see you here? I saw you in Habsburg, now in Bonaparte City? You following me?"
"...U-Urgh!!!"
...What?
Even though nothing had happened yet, Rustan screamed and ran out of the guild.
"That weird guy."
"That man from back then."
"Huh? You knew? Why didn't you tell me?"
"No need to cause trouble inside the guild. Abel has one warning stacked already~♡"
"Ah..."
Even though I had to do the promotion exam, it would be bad if I got warned.
As expected, the guild was packed with people. The building's size explained it.
"...But why do people keep looking this way."
"Probably because I'm with the Saint. Normally one priest wouldn't draw attention, but two together do."
"It's not that common though...."
"Abel is cool, so♥"
"Eh!?"
What kind of sound was that!?
Surprised, Estelle giggled and laughed. You find it funny when I get teased?
"Maybe."
...Celine, why are you accepting that?
"...Let's hurry and register."
"Yes~♡"
At the counter, the guild receptionist greeted us.
"Hello."
"Welcome. Ah, wait..."
When I greeted, the receptionist looked surprisingly surprised.
What? This time it wasn't Estelle's beautiful voice.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah, no! What business did you come for?"
I tilted my head at the bewildered receptionist, but just let it go.
"I came to apply for the promotion exam."
I rummaged through my pocket and pulled out my adventurer badge. Showing the D-ranked one, the receptionist looked at me with slightly surprised eyes.
"A D-rank adventurer? Ah, but...."
Probably because of how I subdued Rustan earlier, the receptionist looked puzzled.
"I should have done the exam much earlier, but something happened and I couldn't manage for a while. So I want to take the postponed exam."
"Ah, I see. Understood. I'll prepare right away. Please follow me!"
I told Estelle and Celine.
"Wait in the lobby. I'll be back soon."
"Abel."
"Yes?"
Estelle whispered softly.
"All women are foxes. You know, right?"
"...Yes?"
...Why is that story coming up now?
"...Yes, I'll go."
I nodded that I understood and followed the receptionist up to the second floor. The receptionist gestured in front of a room on the second floor.
"This is the exam room. Come in, we'll start the exam immediately!"
"Yes."
Inside the room was the ore I had seen the first time I became an adventurer. Floating in the middle of the room, it resembled an 'X' player, the 'Magic Ore'.
"When they set the rank back then, you saw it, right? Just like then, smash it with all your might!"
"Have you completed the number of requests needed for promotion?"
"Yes! Abel the Adventurer has already met the conditions!"
"Understood."
I pulled out the Holy Sword and went in front of the Magic Ore, gripping it with both hands.
...Back then, even the tiniest fragments fell. Thinking about it now still felt like getting ripped off.
What about this time? At least something as big as a palm would be nice.
"Begin!"
Following the receptionist's signal, I swung the Holy Sword vigorously. With a clang, the holy sword collided with the Magic Ore, and I couldn't help but be startled.
In a different meaning this time.