I'm a Greenhorn, But...
The second floor of the mansion—my bedroom.
“Hwaaam.”
I was still half-asleep, my mind pleasantly fuzzy.
I sat up and stretched my upper body with a long groan.
‘My body feels… light. Looks like the priestess’s Purification Ritual worked perfectly again last night.’
It wasn’t just about taking medicine to suppress my illness. Just as the church had explained, Isabel worked every single night to stabilize my ether while I slept.
In other words, once she used her sleeping incense to put me under, my unconscious state made it far easier for her to adjust and calm my unstable ether.
She performed that stabilization process for about an hour every night.
Ever since I first met her back in my hometown, she had done it without missing a single day—for five whole years.
…So no, I wasn’t scolding myself for nothing.
.
.
.
Breakfast was warm bread and milk that the priestess had prepared.
After finishing the light meal, Isabel went upstairs for a moment before coming back down. She carefully set a small glass vial on the dining table.
“Here. You must take this today as well, Rowen.”
Inside the transparent bottle, a deep blue liquid swayed gently.
Gulp.
Even a single sip filled my mouth with a bittersweet yet faintly sweet aroma. I had drunk this medicine countless times over the past five years, and I was long used to the taste, so I downed the rest in one go.
The moment it slid down my throat, a familiar warmth spread deep into my body.
A slight languor, accompanied by a peaceful feeling in my heart.
“Thank you again today, Priestess. By the way… are we still good on the medicinal ingredients?”
“Yes, we still have enough. About three weeks’ worth left, I believe.”
“From now on… I think I’ll be able to contribute a little toward the cost of the herbs.”
At my words, a worried light flickered in Isabel’s amber eyes. But she soon gave a small smile.
“Hehe, I’ll look forward to it. But… don’t push yourself, alright?”
“Of course. I’ll start with the basic requests and take things step by step. Please don’t worry.”
“I’d like to come with you, but… I have some duties at the church starting today.”
Isabel would be visiting the church from today onward. She wasn’t going every single day, and there was no real obligation, but she said it was simply the right thing to do out of courtesy.
Well, we had received this wonderful mansion for free, after all…
Besides, even though she said she wanted to come along, Isabel herself had no connection to combat whatsoever. I had never once seen her fight a monster, nor had I even heard any stories about it. If I actually asked her to follow me because I wanted healing, it would be nothing short of a nuisance.
“Oh, just in case, maybe I should prepare some food in advance before I leave.”
“Ah, no need. I might come back first. I’ll make something then.”
“Really? Then should I come home late on purpose so I can taste Rowen’s cooking?”
“Ahaha… It’s not that impressive…”
I spent a little while chatting lightly with the priestess.
Soon after, I finished preparing to head out.
.
.
.
After asking around, I learned that the Mercenary Guild was located in the southern part of the central district.
Time is money, so I decided not to walk. I hailed a carriage at the waiting station and traveled the twenty-minute distance.
By the time I arrived, the square was already bustling with practitioners.
There were quite a few people at a similar stage to me, along with others who handled their ether far more sharply.
There was no need to be nervous.
I wore a dark brown leather armor vest over a tight shirt. My lower half was clad in loose, beige desert-style pants. A gladius and buckler hung at either side of my waist.
Even though I was only at the Initial Stage of the 1st Realm, I was still a proper practitioner.
The armor only protected my chest and shoulders, so its defensive power wasn’t particularly high. Still, this light set of armor was perfect for moving nimbly. At least, that was what the retired practitioner back in my hometown had taught me.
‘…It’s enormous.’
The Pletur Mercenary Guild building.
The magnificent structure proudly displayed its presence from the main road.
It was a massive four-story gray stone building. A huge bronze statue of a warrior stood at the front entrance.
Stepping inside, I found a vast hall filled with countless practitioners scattered about. Some were chatting in groups, others stared at the request bulletin boards while muttering to themselves. It felt like stepping into a chaotic marketplace.
Unlit torches and magic lamps were embedded in the walls at regular intervals. I had heard the guild operated twenty-four hours a day. Both inside and out, the entire place gave off a strongly practical and rugged impression.
I waited in line at the reception desk, and soon it was my turn.
A middle-aged man looked at me, gave a small, businesslike nod, and wore an expression that clearly said, If you have something to say, say it quickly.
“I’d like to register with the Mercenary Guild.”
“New issuance? Any experience from elsewhere?”
“Completely new.”
“Fine. Registration fee is three gold coins.”
Becoming a mercenary in Pletur was that simple. For just three gold coins, they’d accept even someone at the Initial Stage of the 1st Realm. Of course, that only meant starting at the very bottom as an F-rank mercenary.
“My name is Rowen Priamo.”
“Noble birth?”
“No. I’m a commoner. My family ran a medicinal herb shop in the countryside…”
There was no need to use a fake name, right?
At my answer, the copper-colored guild card began filling in my personal details one by one. Name, age, rank, primary weapon…
The back of the card was completely blank. That was where my career and special notes would be recorded.
When I accepted a request, it would link with the guild’s massive crystal orb and leave a magical trace on the card. Then, once I completed the request and submitted it, my career and notes would be engraved onto it.
A short while later.
I stood alone in the wide hall, fiddling with the shiny copper guild card.
“Hehe…”
A frontal photo of me—taken at some point I couldn’t remember—had already been embedded on the front, and all my details were neatly written out.
It was a copper card, the symbol of F-rank, but even that looked beautiful in my eyes.
I had heard that a Mercenary Guild ID was incredibly useful throughout the entire city. And although it was currently blank, once I built up a career, I could use my credibility and reputation for all sorts of transactions.
‘To promote to E-rank… I need to complete thirty F-rank requests.’
Not only that, but if my success rate was too low, they might reject the promotion even after I met the quota.
Considering that, the best approach seemed to be finding requests suited to my level and tackling them one by one.
Besides, just as Isabel had said, I had no intention of overdoing it from the start. And since accepting requests that took several days could worsen my condition, I needed to be cautious.
…So, as much as possible, I would stick to same-day jobs.
In front of the F-rank request board, a few practitioners at the initial stage like me were scattered about. There were slightly more men than women, and their ages varied widely.
I followed their example and carefully scanned the posted requests.
‘Subjugate five goblins in Aseto Canyon to the east… Whoa, wait, the reward for this is…’
“Even if they’re a bit stronger than regular goblins, there are only five of them, so…”
I was seriously rereading the request when I heard a low snort from right behind me.
“…Pfft.”
Hm?
When I turned my head, I saw a girl with long red hair tied high in a ponytail standing with her arms crossed. Sharp golden eyes were scanning me from head to toe.
She let out a sigh as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing and spoke.
“Never seen you before, kid. Greenhorn, what the hell are you doing? You got a death wish or something?”
Greenhorn?
…Kid?
I took a proper look at the woman in front of me.
No—looked down at her.
‘She’s at least fifteen centimeters shorter than me, right?’
It was a female mercenary I had never seen before. Her striking red hair caught the eye, and despite her sharp gaze, she had a rather pretty face. The figure revealed beneath her tight leather armor was impressively curvaceous. Of course, nowhere near Isabel’s level.
Her words were rough, but she was the first outsider to speak to me. Isabel had always said that speaking sincerely would let the truth get through. Even though she looked around my age, it was probably better to be polite.
“Um… Hello. Yes, I am a greenhorn, but I don’t have a death wish. I was just looking because the pay seemed pretty decent. Oh, right—my name is Rowen…”
“……………………………….”
For some reason, the mercenary stared at me with an utterly dumbfounded expression for a long moment before suddenly letting out a chuckle.
“You think that stubby little sword of yours is gonna cut it?”
“Pardon? Ah, I know it looks short, but on my body…”
Hm?
I stopped mid-explanation.
I stared down at her again.
She was using the exact same combination of gladius and buckler as me.
What was with this person?
Wait… was I being teased?
I immediately widened my eyes.
“Excuse me… Are you making fun of me?”
“…Heh. …Ahaha. Ahahahahaha!!”
The red-haired girl burst into bright, refreshing laughter before looking at me again.
“Greenhorn, that was pretty funny, so I’ll give you a special tip just this once.”
Her sharp eyes fixed on me.
“The goblins in Aseto Canyon are smarter and hunt in packs, got it? Going alone is a guaranteed death sentence.”
“Then… wouldn’t it be better to find party members?”
“Party… Setting aside how the rewards get split, who’s going to take a total rookie like you in the first place?”
“Well, they might.”
The girl lifted the corner of her mouth and continued.
“But only in an ‘unavoidable situation’—and in that case, you’d have a very high chance of being abandoned…”
“Unavoidable situation…”
My mind snapped into focus.
I had heard that if a party member went missing or died, it negatively affected the surviving members’ reputations.
But someone like me—a complete beginner—wouldn’t it be perfectly believable if I became that ‘unavoidable situation’?
Taking that into account… the one most likely to be thrown into danger first would almost certainly be me.
“…You’re right. That makes sense.”
“See? If you’re not sure, go over there—to the party recruitment board—and look for the ones offering crappy rewards. Start with those, solve them one by one, and get a feel for things. Got it?”
“Yes! Thank you so much. Oh, may I ask your name…”
“Forget it, greenhorn. I’m leaving.”
“Hey, move.”
When the mercenary girl glared at the man standing in her way, he hurriedly stepped aside. She then headed straight up to the second floor.
She pressed her card against the crystal plate on the door, the iron door on the second floor opened, and soon even her red ponytail disappeared from view.
Being able to use the second floor meant she must be quite skilled.
Well, her tone had been overflowing with confidence from the start…
But why did she suddenly talk to me?
Ah, maybe she noticed because we used the same weapons?
Wait. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.
Following the girl’s advice, I headed toward the party recruitment board.
The area around the recruitment board was crowded with countless men and women. Probably because party recruitment often sought a wide range of ranks.
I squeezed through the buzzing crowd and stared frantically at the board.
Let’s see… Requests… Ah, here it is!
A standard goblin subjugation.
I read the last line of a request that perfectly matched the conditions.
…F-rank mercenary party of four (3/4). Looking for one more, conditions irrelevant.
Exactly one spot left.
This was it.
Feeling as if it were fate, I pressed my guild card against the small crystal on the request form.