The Next Morning

After thoroughly enjoying the breakfast Mary had prepared, Ray and I headed straight for the guild.

Mary remained at home.

I hadn’t hired her or anything, so I had no intention of restricting her actions.

However—

“It is my duty to warmly welcome Lord Arios,” she insisted, showing no intention of leaving the village. I was truly grateful.

Incidentally, news of the hideout’s subjugation had already spread throughout the village.

It seemed that thanks to 《Novice Adventurer Arios》 achieving a great feat, my name had suddenly become well-known.

“Oh… Big Brother!”

On top of that, some of the victims we rescued yesterday turned out to be residents of this village.

As we passed by, they bowed deeply in gratitude.

“When I grow up, I’m going to marry you, Big Brother!!”

“Haha… Is that so?”

It was an adorable confession.

Now then.

As Ray and I arrived at the guild, Guild Master Altro was there waiting for us as if anticipating our arrival.

“Oh, Arios! You’ve come!”

“Yes. …Am I a bit early?”

“No, no. I’ve been waiting for you!”

Altro grinned and handed me two small pouches.

…Wait a minute. The surrounding adventurers were staring at me oddly.

It felt like they had been waiting for my arrival too.

“This is your official reward. Accept it without hesitation.”

“Th-This much…?”

Even before opening it, I could tell there was quite a lot of money inside.

Was it really okay for me to take this?

Though I hesitated slightly, I went ahead and accepted it.

And then—

“Oh…!”

No way.

It was incredibly heavy.

“A-Altro-san, this is…?”

“Hmm. Five gold coins, eight large silver coins, and three silver coins. Take it without reservation—”

“I can’t accept this!”

I interrupted Altro’s words.

This was an enormous sum.

Normally, a single gold coin was enough to live on for a month.

For reference, the currency values were as follows:

• 1 Gold Coin = 10 Large Silver Coins
• 1 Large Silver Coin = 10 Silver Coins
• 1 Silver Coin = 10 Copper Coins

In other words, just from completing a single request, I had earned over five months’ worth of living expenses.

“Hmm? What’s wrong? Is it too little?”

“No, no! It’s way too much!”

This was ridiculous.

I couldn’t possibly accept it.

“Hmph, I figured you’d say that.”

Altro chuckled bitterly.

“But think about it, you not only uncovered the Arceus Salvation Party’s hideout, but you also rescued many victims. This much is only fitting.”

“I-Is that really the case…?”

“Indeed. Just take it without worrying about it.”

Well… I guess I should accept it for now.

I was practically broke, so having money was better than not having it.

“And one more thing, Arios. There’s another message for you.”

What? There was more?

“A directive from the guild headquarters in the royal capital. Arios Macba, you are hereby officially recognized as a D-rank adventurer.”

“『Oooooh!!』”

A wave of excitement rippled through the crowd.

“Arios! You did it!”

Ray was so overjoyed that she started hopping around excitedly.

Huh?

Was this really such a big deal?

As I blinked in confusion, Altro let out another chuckle.

“It’s unprecedented for someone to rank up in just one day after registering as an adventurer. That alone proves your abilities. …Frankly, D-rank feels too low for you.”

“No, no. That would be too much for me.”

After all, adventurer rankings weren’t based solely on combat ability.

I still had a long way to go.

…Though if I said that, it would raise questions about what happened with Eujess the other day. Perhaps he got carried away after reaching B-rank.

“That concludes the official announcements. Arios, I look forward to working with you from now—”

Altro was mid-sentence when—

“Arios! Join our party!”

“No way! Join ours instead!!”

“Arios-sama! Do you remember this humble one? Please, let me accompany you…!!”

“Wait, wait! If you join our party, we’ll build you a harem!!”

“Wha—?!”

Adventurers suddenly swarmed toward me, leaving me stunned.

Their enthusiasm was overwhelming.

“Ah, w-wait…!”

Even Ray was flustered.

I had no idea what was going on.

“Enough, you lot! Settle down, settle down!!”

Altro’s calls for order went ignored as the adventurers’ excitement only grew.

This was turning into quite the spectacle.

At times like this—yes, the best option was to run.

“Ray, let’s go.”

“Huh? Ah—!”

Grabbing Ray’s hand, I bolted from the guild at top speed.