The Iron-Bronze Duo
Ahin spotted the familiar notice board and, as usual, plopped himself down right beneath it with a thud.
Right below him sat a man whose face was just as familiar to him as the notice itself.
Shining blonde hair and, by far more eye-catching, golden eyes that sparkled with something almost divine.
But the blank, emotionless stare he was fixed on the empty air made Er’s stomach twist with that same uneasy feeling it always did.
“Ahin.”
“…”
“Ahin!!!”
“U-uh? Wha—”
The moment he snapped his head side to side, scanning the board like always, his gaze landed on her.
“Oh, it’s you, Er. I thought someone else was signing up for a party again.”
He shook his head with a lazy grin and kept talking, voice still half-drunk with sleep.
“Hah, another bad luck day. Figures. I knew this was coming, so I’ve been collecting good leaves for the last few days and turning them into a blanket. Should be plenty warm if I just dig a little deeper. Lucky the weather’s not freezing.”
Er’s face was the picture of helpless exasperation, but all she could do was let out a tiny sigh and finally speak.
“Stop with the act and get up.”
“Nope. If I miss today, I’m really sleeping under those leaves.”
“I clearly gave you twenty silver, didn’t I? That’s—”
“…Spent most of it on potions. And I’m not even counting the rest.”
He flicked the left arm he still kept wrapped in a thin cloth for all to see.
It was the price of catching that lizardman’s spear.
The moment the light hit the tip, the spear had wobbled just enough for Er’s borrowed shield to avoid being pierced.
But the shoulder took the full impact instead, and that was when he’d ended up with a week’s stay at the healing house.
So this was the very first time he’d tasted actual potions, and even though they were garbage-tier, they were still better than going hungry.
Waiting around for his wound to heal himself would’ve been too risky with rent due tomorrow.
Er watched him with that same tired look, arms crossed, and tilted her head.
“…I paid for the potions, right? Even the lowest grade—”
“Yeah, but the potion money’s separate from the healing bill and the doctor’s fee.”
“Really?”
“Really. The healing-house idiots… the second I left, they started sending me invoices like they were trying to exorcise me.”
So most of the twenty silver she’d given him had vanished before he could even blink.
Now the beggar of the party sat on the notice board once more, because no guild party in its right mind was going to take him on.
Er noticed his pitiful state and let out another small sigh.
“Even if you try to recruit a party looking like that, nobody’s going to take pity on you, right?”
“Who knows? Maybe a kind-hearted soul will take pity on me.”
“…Is that what you’re hoping I’ll say?”
“…”
“Answer me!”
Ahin clamped his mouth shut with a look of pure disgust, but Er still burst out laughing at his own loud complaint.
When would he ever act serious? Just yesterday in the dungeon he’d seemed reliable enough.
But now, with those golden eyes glowing softly and staring straight at her, he still looked mysterious and trustworthy—
“…Ugh, fine. Just get up. I have somewhere to go.”
“Somewhere? Where?”
“The adventurer guild.”
Er lifted her thumb and index finger in a circle and grinned.
“Shall we go claim our reward?”
●
“First, I must apologize for the guild’s mistake that put both of you in danger.”
The guild official bowed his head with the same deadpan expression he always wore.
Ahin’s face twitched with something unreadable.
Er, watching him from the side, asked quietly, “Ahin, why so serious?”
“Is a human supposed to apologize for everything?”
“…What kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden?”
The guild official’s employees never learned.
Ahin kept ranting in a voice only he could hear, and Er finally turned away with a tired sigh and said to the official, “I’ll accept the apology.”
“Thank you for accepting. Now, regarding the reward—”
Before he could finish, the official flipped through several pages of documents on the desk and continued.
“We sent an investigation team to the location you mentioned. As you said, we found traces of lizardmen enslaving kobolds and goblins. We also confirmed the Bronze-rank adventurer’s party was attempting to kill his own party members.”
“How did they even find out about that…?”
“We have mages, remember?”
Ahin muttered in disbelief, but Er simply answered calmly, “So what happens now?”
“Because it’s clearly the guild’s fault, the original reward plus a separate compensation fund will be paid. However, the compensation—”
“It includes a gag order, huh? I get it.”
The guild didn’t want their mistake spreading.
The misfortune that had befallen Ahin and Er would be quietly rebranded as a party betrayal, and the price to keep their mouths shut would be folded into the reward money itself.
“Ahin, are you all right?”
“Umm, even though adventurers live like flies, telling me to shut up with a few coins is a bit—”
“By the way, the compensation amount is—”
“Thank you, sir! Long live the guild! I’ll serve you for eternity!!”
Ahin’s eyes went wide at the number on the paper and he shot to his feet, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the desk.
Er watched him with the same deadpan expression she’d been wearing all day and muttered, “Ahin, you really are serious about money.”
“If you saw my situation, you’d understand. How happy it is to have a roof over your head…”
Er shook her head, glancing at the distant look in his eyes, then turned back to the official.
“I have no complaints about the amount. But please make sure nothing like this happens again. We can’t guarantee other adventurers will be as lucky as us.”
“Of course.”
That was all. They could pick up the reward on the way out, so there was no reason to linger.
But—
“Might I ask if you two have any plans for later?”
“Plans?”
“…Not really.”
“Then please spare me a moment. The guild has a proposal for you two.”
The official smiled faintly, pulled a single sheet from a folder, and handed it over.
“This is—”
“A quest request form?”
“Correct. It was submitted to the guild a few days ago. It’s still under review and not yet public.”
“…Why are you showing this to us?”
“We would like both of you to accept the quest.”
The official’s tone was flat, but Ahin’s voice dripped with disbelief.
“Right after almost dying on a guild quest, you want us to—”
“By the way, the reward is—”
“I’ll perform the mission for my life! No need to worry!”
Ahin leapt at the amount and shouted dramatically.
“Ahin, just stay still for a second… what on earth are you showing us this for?”
Er sat him back down and asked sharply, “This doesn’t look like an ordinary quest.”
“Not ordinary?”
“…I was going to explain anyway.”
The official nodded as if he’d expected her words and spread three fingers.
“There are three main reasons. First, it’s to cover up the guild’s mistake. The fastest way to erase rumors is to see a guild quest performed by someone who was almost betrayed.”
“…And the other two?”
“The rest are matters of efficiency.”
He folded one finger and pointed at the corner of the form.
“This is likely to be classified as a secret quest, especially because of the client.”
“Client?”
“Let me check… the client is—”
Ahin leaned in to read, then froze.
“…Ahin?”
“…”
“Ahin, what’s wrong?”
“…The client is the church.”
His voice had gone strangely cold.
Er’s mind flashed to the rosario around his neck and opened her mouth to speak.
“If it’s a church quest, that makes sense. They probably don’t want outsiders knowing they’re using external help.”
“Exactly. If you accept, you two will have to operate alone. Ahin, you really know a lot more than I expected.”
“…I figured it out by accident. At least I know that much. So what’s the last one?”
Ahin waved the church part away and asked, and the official folded another finger.
“Skill level. You two took down a lizardman—a Bronze-rank adventurer and a Scrap Iron-rank. That’s—”
“…Does that matter?”
“Not at all. The guild welcomes the growth of excellent adventurers, and besides, you may have skills we don’t know about. I’m simply judging based on your record.”
“…You were the one who decided to give us this quest?”
“Precisely. I personally selected the two of you.”
“…Why? You said you don’t know what skills we’re hiding.”
“What does that have to do with it? As long as you complete the quest according to guild rules, there’s no problem.”
The official folded the last finger until all five were pressed together.
“A small team with proven results benefits both the guild and you adventurers. What will it be? I’d prefer your answer here and now. The moment you refuse, I’ll have to look for other adventurers.”
“Ahin… what are you going to do?”
Er asked carefully after hearing everything.
“It does feel a little weird, doesn’t it? I almost died on one like this recently, and my shoulder still hurts…”
“It’s fine.”
“N-no, so we should refuse… what?”
Er blinked in surprise at the unexpected answer.
Ahin looked at her with a serious expression and said, “Too much money for me.”
“You’re really—”
“Besides, your opinion matters more than mine. You know? I can’t handle this quest alone.”
Obviously the guild wouldn’t even consider giving a Scrap Iron-rank adventurer a secret quest. That was obvious.
But Er knew.
Behind Ahin’s words was another truth.
He trusted her.
He had no choice but to trust her.
Which meant her decision would shape his entire future.
The thought made her smile grow wider.
“Why are you smiling so mischievously?”
“…Me? What?”
“It’s like a beast eyeing its prey… yeah, kind of like that lizardman.”
“What are you talking about?!”
Er slapped Ahin’s shoulder without thinking, then winced when she realized it was still injured.
She ignored his yelp and said, “All right. Let’s accept the quest.”
“…Understood. Please take the form and fulfill the deadline written on it.”
“Of course.”
“Then, that’s all. If you have any questions, ask Lise at the adventurer guild.”
Lise… that was the name.
The official stood, bowed, and left the room without another word.
Er watched him go, still stunned, and turned back to Ahin, who was still whimpering.
“Let’s get up too. Stop acting so delicate and move.”
“Delicate? Hey, you know I hurt my shoulder and you’re—”
“I’ll treat you to dinner. And we can talk more on the way.”
“Yes, ma’am, Er. I’ll lead the way. How about meat? I love meat.”
“…”
Er’s lips curved into a small, helpless smile as she looked at him.
She had always known he was a reed—flexible, easy to bend, impossible to break.