The First Quest is Herb Gathering

The moment the words slipped out of my mouth, Tomika's eyes went wide. Edna stared at me in silence before her lips parted.

"...Excuse me?"

Her expression was a subtle mix of bewilderment and confusion. As if on cue, a staff member who had accompanied Edna cleared their throat awkwardly out in the hallway.

"..."

I screwed up. I spoke without thinking. No matter how I looked at it, that was a statement ripe for misunderstanding.

"...Ahem."

I cleared my throat belatedly and scrambled to add an explanation.

"Ah, what I mean is, she was the first one to guide me. And since I'm a bit shy around strangers, I thought it would be more comfortable to stick with the person I already know!"

"..."

Edna let out a soft sigh and straightened her posture. Slowly, she lifted her hand from Tomika's head and spoke.

"...Tomika. Return to your post the moment you finish guiding him."

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

Sensing something unusual in Edna's demeanor, Tomika answered with the vigor of a soldier. Edna gave me one last look before turning on her heel and heading out into the hallway.

"Let's go."

"Yes, Vice Branch Manager!"

*Click. Clack.*

Edna departed with the staff member who had been waiting in the hallway. Only when the clicking of her heels faded completely did Tomika finally pat her chest, looking as if she had just escaped the gallows.

"Phew... I survived."

"...Is she really that terrifying?"

"Incredibly so," Tomika muttered, her face pale with lingering dread. "She used to slice through demons with nothing but a greatsword. When she gets angry, she's an absolute nightmare."

"..."

I could have guessed that much just by looking at her. Her gaze, the scar across her eye, and that overwhelming aura were no joke.

"Anyway!"

Tomika's expression flipped in an instant, as if her previous terror had been nothing but an illusion.

"Since things turned out this way, I'll give you a proper~ tour."

She stood up, lightly tugging on my arm with a bright smile.

"..."

Even if this cheerful persona of hers is an act, it's still much better than the tearful face she wore earlier.

Letting out a soft chuckle, I followed her.

*Step, step.*

Leaving the room, she walked down the hallway with a light, bouncy step. It was hard to believe she had been on the verge of tears just moments ago. But as we reached the stairs, she suddenly came to a halt.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for earlier."

"...Pardon?"

"For helping me out. I hadn't gotten a chance ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to thank you properly yet!" Tomika let go of my arm and gave me a sweet, eye-smiling grin. "If you had been even a second later, I would have been in serious trouble."

"...Was it really that bad?"

"Yes~ She seemed to be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in a bad mood since this morning. And then she caught me trying to slack off like that..."

So she knew she was slacking off. And yet she did it anyway?

A slight sense of bewilderment washed over me, but I decided to let it go, knowing that digging deeper would only drain my energy.

"If she had just walked past, I definitely would have gotten smacked."

"Right... Ah! But is it okay to talk about this so openly here?"

"Oh, it's fine! If I remember correctly, there are quite a few people taking the test today, so she'll be busy from now on."

"...By any chance, is that test...?"

"The one I mentioned earlier!"

"..."

Edna's face flashed through my mind. Just imagining her holding a sword sent a sudden chill down my spine.

Skipping that test was definitely the right call.

"Shall we head down now?"

"Sure."

Tomika hummed a tune as she skipped down the stairs. It seemed she had dragged me all the way to the second floor just to survive an encounter with Edna. At this point, those tearful expressions of hers were definitely an act.

"Hurry up!"

Having already made it halfway down the flight, Tomika waved at me. Her smile was incredibly bright.

Still...

That expression is much better.

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

As I caught up to her, she tilted her head in curiosity. I shook my head.

"It's nothing."

"Hmm~ Really?"

*Step, step.*

She turned back around and led the way down. I followed silently behind her. As we reached the first floor, the raucous noise assaulted my ears once again. Well, to be precise, I had been hearing it since we were halfway down the stairs.

"Bring more booze!" "Where the hell is my money?!" "I'm telling you, it was a real goblin this time!" "Ugh... I loved her!!"

Tomika navigated through the drunken mercenaries with practiced ease. As the afternoon rolled in, the crowd had noticeably grown. Earlier, walking around had been effortless, but now I had to actively dodge people to avoid bumping into them.

"Over here."

Following closely behind her as we squeezed through the gaps, I spotted a small, shabby wooden board. Plastered all over it were various sheets of paper under a sign that read: F-Rank Quests Only.

"..."

It was far smaller and more dilapidated than the other boards lined up next to it. It looked so fragile that if I tore off a quest sheet too carelessly, the whole board might come down with it. Just then, Tomika leaned in close.

"Ah! You were just thinking, 'If I pull a quest sheet off, this whole thing might break,' weren't you?"

"How... how did you know?"

"Hehehe. I'm a veteran staff member, after all. I can tell with just a glance. ...Well, actually, I've just overheard a lot of people worrying about the exact same thing."

"I see. So it's actually fine?"

"Yes! It looks a bit worn, but it was built quite sturdily. It won't budge under normal force!"

"Is that so? Thank you for letting me know."

"Don't mention it! I should be the one thanking you for letting me slack off. Anyway, let's pick a quest. You're going to work right away, right?"

"Yes. I plan to start immediately."

"In that case..."

She turned her attention to the board, resting her index finger on her chin as she scanned the listings. Following her lead, I shifted my gaze to the board as well.

"...There's really not much here."

"F-rank is always like this. Most of the jobs are just chores, and the pay is terrible. That's why when people first become F-rank mercenaries, they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠struggle and work themselves to the bone to rank up quickly. Once you reach E-rank, the jobs get much more diverse, and the rewards are at least double."

"Is the difference really that big?"

"Yes! The higher your rank, the wider the gap becomes."

"...I see."

I recalled hearing a saying in games: "The lower the rank, the more people there are, and the fewer jobs available." In the end, even for the same tasks, clients naturally preferred higher-quality service. Mercenaries were no different. Nobles would always demand higher-ranked mercenaries, no matter how expensive they were. And even commoners would want high-ranked mercenaries if their circumstances allowed. No one wanted a dime-a-dozen F-rank mercenary.

"...So even if the Vice Branch Manager is terrifying, there's a reason why people still take the test."

Tomika spoke casually. I simply nodded in agreement.

"That makes sense."

"Hmm... this one looks good!"

*Rip!*

With a satisfied smile, Tomika tore off one of the quest sheets.

"I highly recommend this one! There's no daily quota, so you can just do as much as you want. Plus, it's outside the village, so you can get some fresh air."

"Really? Let me see."

Although I was slightly taken aback by her tearing it off without asking, I maintained my smile and took the paper from her.

"...This is..."

"Herbs."

"Yes! It's a herb gathering quest. You can harvest as many as you want and bring them back."

"Hmm..."

I stroked my chin, staring at the paper for a moment.

*Ding.*

So this is how it displays.

Up until now, I had only used my Investigation skill on Tomika. Since this was my first time using it on a non-living object, I had been curious about how it would work.

"Um... what do you think?"

"Ah."

Tomika, standing beside me, asked with a slightly awkward smile.

"...It looks good."

I had been staring at the quest window floating in front of me while looking at the paper. To her, I must have looked like a weirdo suddenly spacing out into thin air.

I need to be more careful in the future.

"So, will you take this one?"

"...Yes."

Honestly, the pay was incredibly meager. But then again, all the other options were just as bad. Besides, herb gathering was practically a staple for the beginning of any fantasy story. Starting my very first quest with this felt somewhat fitting.

"Now that you've decided, let's go!"

"Pardon? You're coming with me?"

"I'll walk you to the village entrance!"

"Uh... are you sure that's okay? You'll get in trouble if you're caught."

"Oh, please~ It's fine! It'll take at least another hour before anyone notices. I might not look it, but I have the entire schedule memorized!"

"Ah, I see."

Her desire to slack off was painfully obvious now, but since it didn't cause me any harm, I decided to let it slide. Together, we stepped out of the Guild.

*Creeeak—*

"Ah~ It feels so good to be outside after so long."

"After so long?"

"Yes! I spend almost all my time inside the Guild. On my days off, well... I'm basically a corpse."

She dragged her feet, mimicking a zombie.

"Days off... I suppose on days off, leaving the house is..."

"...Hmm?"

"Ah."

For a brief moment, memories of my original home flashed through my mind, and my expression darkened. I quickly forced a small smile and looked back at Tomika.

"Shall we?"

"Ah, yes!"

Tomika stopped her zombie impression and stared at me. She had likely caught that fleeting shadow of melancholy on my face.

"..."

But her affection level toward me is practically non-existent. She probably won't think much of it.

With Tomika by my side, we left the outskirts of the village, passed through the town square, and headed toward the center. Warm sunlight bathed the streets, and the village was as lively as ever. Merchants shouted their wares, drunken mercenaries brawled, and children ran laughing through the alleys.

Tomika walked beside me, her hands clasped behind her back. After a long stretch of silence, she suddenly spoke up, breaking the quiet.

"...You know, you're really unusual."

"In what way?"

"Usually, rookies are incredibly tense."

"Well... I was pretty nervous too."

She narrowed her eyes, a playful smirk playing on her lips.

"Says the person who said that right in front of the Vice Branch Manager~?"

"...Ah."

I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly.

"At the time... it just looked like you were about to get scolded terribly."

If I didn't have the Calm Mind skill, I wouldn't have been able to pull it off.

Tomika giggled at my reaction.

"You're an interesting one. We barely even know each other, yet you had a battle of nerves with the Vice Branch Manager just for my sake? Or was what you said back then... actually sincere?"

"..."

Suddenly, the words I had blurted out to Edna echoed in my mind.

'No, thank you. I like Miss Tomika.' 'I like' 'Miss Tomika.'

Instantly, a flush of heat rushed to my face. However, thanks to Calm Mind, my emotions quickly stabilized, and the heat subsided just as fast.

"Th-there was no other meaning behind it. Did it make you uncomfortable?"

"Eh?! No, not at all! Actually, I quite liked it..."

"..."

Tomika looked down with a faint blush and a small smile. Strangely, her face looked even cuter now than it had back at the Guild.

"You... liked it?"

"Ah... I mean... because of that, I was able to get out of trouble!"

"Ah~ Right."

We continued to chat about various trivial things. Whenever topics related to the world's lore came up, a cold sweat would break out, but I managed to deflect and respond smoothly.

"..."

How long has it been since I last talked to a girl my age? It must have been at least eight years. Middle school was the last time.

"...We're already here."

"Ah. You're right. It was closer than I thought."

Lost in conversation, we had arrived near the village entrance in what felt like the blink of an eye. It was time to part ways. I looked at Tomika and spoke.

"Will you be alright?"

"Huh? About what?"

"Don't you want to slack off a bit more?"

"Hmph... No, I don't! What kind of person do you take me for?!"

Her blush deepened slightly in embarrassment. She puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away, but she quickly softened her expression and smiled back at me.

"Ginyu, please be careful. Since you're a rookie, don't push yourself too hard."

"Of course. Get back safely. When we see each other at the Guild later, make sure to say hello."

"Hmm... I'll decide when the time comes."

Matching her expression, I looked at her with a warm, eye-smiling grin. At that, Tomika's eyes trembled slightly.

"I-I'll be going now!"

Flustered, she stammered before quickly turning around and walking back toward the Guild.

...What was that? Did I make a mistake?

I scratched my head and pondered for a moment, but I couldn't come up with an answer. Since her affection level toward me was practically zero anyway, it probably didn't mean much.

"Well, time to go."

I took a few more steps and joined the end of the fairly long queue waiting at the entrance.

"Next!" "Next!" "Next!"

High wooden palisades. Armed soldiers. A massive gate hung suspended next to the dirt road leading outside. Seeing how it was connected to a pulley system inside the village, it seemed they lowered it when necessary. Though, judging by the thick layer of dust settled on it, it hadn't been closed in quite some time.

"Next!"

Once the man in front of me safely passed through, my turn arrived. Holding my pre-prepared notebook, necklace, and quest sheet in hand, I stepped up to the soldier.

The Vice Branch Manager's office, located on the third floor of the Guild. With a floor-to-ceiling window taking up one wall, it was the most well-lit room in the building. Edna leaned against the window frame, staring blankly up at the sky.

"...Ginyu."

She muttered under her breath and closed her eyes. Usually, rookies could barely speak a word in her presence. Even if they managed to, they could never meet her gaze. It was a natural trait of hers, a personal skill she used to break the spirits of others.

Although she had carefully dialed it back since he was only an F-rank, Ginyu had been different. He was clearly tense and afraid. Yet, he had quickly regained his composure and said everything he wanted to say. To top it off, he had boldly claimed the junior she was raising right in front of her.

"...He had guts."

A faint smile touched her lips. She felt a surge of satisfaction at the thought of having discovered a rough diamond that might one day become a powerhouse.

"I'll have to get a proper report."

Her gaze drifted downward toward the Guild entrance. There, she spotted Tomika walking back with a light, cheerful skip in her step. Edna withdrew her gaze from the window and turned around.