The Male Receptionist of the Adventurer's Guild

When I opened my eyes amid a throbbing ache, the first thing that met my gaze was an unfamiliar ceiling.

It was far higher than anything in my own apartment, and made of wood, no less. Next came a set of shelves stacked rather high, and a ladder lying toppled on the floor beside me.

"Ugh… ow, ow, ow…."

The pulsing pain at the back of my skull was the finishing touch. Judging by the scene, it looked as though "I" had fallen off the ladder — though honestly, I had no memory of it whatsoever.

My last clear recollection ended the night before, the moment I'd staggered home after thirty-eight straight hours of overtime at the office.

This is definitely not my place. And it's not the office either….

I'd never heard of our company having some rickety old storage warehouse. Shelves, ceiling, floor — every last bit of it was timber. I lay there on the floor of what looked for all the world like a logistics warehouse out of a medieval fantasy setting, rolling my eyes around in an effort to make sense of things, when hurried footsteps came pounding in from outside the door.

"Beor, are you okay?! I just heard an enormous crash…."

…They were huge.

Ah — no. What a rude thing to think upon first meeting someone.

I wrestled down the purely masculine instinct that had been momentarily bewitched by the enormous something swaying before my eyes, and only then registered the person attached to them: a woman with short pink hair, hurrying toward me where I lay.

"Oh no, did you fall off the ladder?! I told you to be careful…."

"……."

"Look at that lump on the back of your head…. Are you all right? Can you stand, Beor?"

"…Um, I'm sorry, but…."

"If it hurts, you should clock out early today and get treatment at the church…."

"Is Beor… my name, by any chance?"

"……."

I'd asked out of genuine curiosity, but the moment the words left my mouth, the woman who had been helping me up went completely rigid.

Judging by that reaction, it seemed my name — or rather, the name of the body I'd possessed — really was Beor.

"G-Guildmaster…!!"

Of course, that was immediately followed by a minor uproar once she decided I was suffering from amnesia.

"Taking a comprehensive look at the symptoms you've described for this brother… I would estimate traumatic amnesia."

"Pardon?"

"Simply put, it means a severe shock to the brain has caused the loss of some portion of one's memories. Either part of the brain itself has been damaged by the impact, or something has gone wrong with the process of retrieving those memories."

"…Are you talking about dissociative amnesia?"

"Dissociative… what?"

"…Never mind. Must be the amnesia making me say strange things."

Well, of course. In a world that looked this thoroughly like a fantasy setting, a term like "dissociative amnesia" was never going to mean anything to anyone.

I'd had a vague inkling the moment they brought an injured man not to a hospital but to a church — and everything else only confirmed it. The building where I'd cracked my head on the floor, the so-called Adventurer's Guild, and the scenery along the way here to this place called the Kaleidos Church, all of it felt alien in one way or another.

It was the kind of strange landscape you'd expect after stumbling into what people casually call a "medieval fantasy" world.

I still have no idea how any of this happened.

Of course, as a thoroughly modern person, I wasn't completely ignorant of the concept of a "medieval fantasy world." I'd played a few fantasy games in my previous life — niche ones, admittedly — and back in middle and high school, borrowing one or two fantasy novels a week from the rental shop had been one of my small pleasures.

I just never imagined I'd actually end up inside one.

It still feels like I'm dreaming.

Except the ache at the back of my head was still very much real. And more importantly, I'd never once managed a lucid dream in my previous life — which meant the sensible conclusion was that this world I could see and touch was simply another reality.

Believing it all at once was still a bit of a stretch, though.

"…ther."

"If that woman earlier claimed to be my senior, does that mean I'm an employee of the Adventurer's Guild too? And where on earth are my house and family in this world…."

"Brother? Are you listening?"

"S-sorry."

I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gotten so overwhelmed with things to think about that I'd completely tuned out the priestess standing right in front of me. Still, she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was taking the time to examine me free of charge — ignoring her to her face would have been rude.

"I understand that losing your memories has left you confused, but please try to focus on what I'm saying."

"I'm sorry. What were you talking about?"

"I was discussing the treatment fees for your amnesia, brother."

"…If it isn't too forward of me, could you give me a rough idea of the cost?"

"Healing the lump on the back of your head is one gold coin. Removing only the pain while leaving the wound itself costs five silver. And the holy rite to restore lost memories is twenty gold coins! Ah, and for that last option, we do offer an installment plan of five silver a month over forty months…."

"Thank you so much for your help, Sister!"

"Wh— Brother?!"

I had no real sense of this world's currency values, but the moment the words "forty-month installment plan" left her mouth, I was certain the sum was nothing to take lightly. I fired off a quick word of thanks to the priestess who'd looked me over and bolted out of the church.

…I'd already suffered enough because of debt in my previous life. There was no way I was walking the same path in this one.

After fleeing the facility known as the Kaleidos Church, the first place my feet carried me was back to the Adventurer's Guild where I'd started.

If I was going to recover the memories belonging to this world's "me," returning to a familiar place seemed like the best place to begin.

"Beor, how are you feeling? What did the Sister say?"

The senior (presumably) who had taken my hand and guided me all the way to the church in the middle of a busy shift looked up at me with worried eyes.

I'd sensed it from first impressions, but this person who was apparently my senior seemed genuinely kindhearted.

…And no, that assessment had absolutely nothing to do with her chest. Absolutely not.

"She said it's dissociative— ah, no, traumatic amnesia. No threat to my life, but she said it might take time for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the memories to come back…."

"Oh no. Isn't that dangerous? Do you remember anything at all? Your house, your hometown…?"

"I'm sorry. I really don't remember a thing. Not even that I worked here…."

"N-no! You don't have anything to apologize for, Beor. You're the one who must be most confused right now…."

…It was cleansing. How long had it been since someone had genuinely worried about me?

The memory of being hauled to the emergency room from overwork in my previous life rose unbidden.

…I shouldn't have dredged that up. That bastard Manager Choi.

Come to think of it, whether my memories came back or not, living in this world might actually be the better option.

At least my senior here didn't curse me out for being sick. And she was pretty, and her chest was huge.

"Thank you, Senior. You even took me all the way to the church when I collapsed earlier. You're really warmhearted in so many ways."

"H-huh?! N-no, Beor. A guy collapsed in the warehouse — of course I'd take him…."

"Pardon?"

"A-anyway, I'm just glad it doesn't hurt! Still, maybe you should head home early today? Your family must be worried sick."

"…I'll finish out the rest of my shift. Working might help a few memories come back, and aside from a little throbbing in my head, I'm fine."

"I thought it was strange enough when I heard a guy was working at the Adventurer's Guild, but Beor really is tough…."

…What was that about? Was there some reason a man wasn't supposed to work at an Adventurer's Guild?

Her words carried a strangely loaded weight, but I decided not to dwell on them for now. My own body's memories hadn't even returned yet — whatever she meant might not matter much even if I asked.

With that thought, I took my place at the Adventurer's Guild reception counter alongside my senior, and only then realized I'd forgotten the most important thing of all.

"Ah, Senior. It might be rude to bring this up so late, but…."

"Hm? No, no. Did you remember something about your lost memories?"

"It's not that. The truth is… I've forgotten your name as well."

"Ah…."

"I'm so sorry! Forgetting the name of a senior as beautiful as you…!"

"No, no! You have amnesia, Beor — of course you wouldn't remember someone you've only known a few days. A-and calling me beautiful…. You and your jokes…."

Fortunately, she didn't seem particularly shocked that I'd forgotten her name. With the same kind smile as before, she introduced herself.

"I did this a few days ago already, but I'll introduce myself again. My name is Elin Heidi. I've been working at the Adventurer's Guild since the year before last, so I'm about two years your senior."

Elin Heidi.

It was a name every bit as lovely as her sparkling appearance.