Having spent time helping the blacksmith’s son, Kumito, on his way to the guild, Rei and Seto arrived well after the morning rush. The hall was sparse, with only a few adventurers lingering inside.
It wasn't quite empty, as plenty of adventurers preferred the quieter hours, but it was at least possible to move freely. Rei left Seto in the waiting space for mounts and carriages out front and headed straight toward the reception desk.
There was one person who noticed him immediately.
“Oh, if it isn't Rei-kun! I hasn’t seen you in forever. I heard you were out on a long-distance request. Nobody picked on you, did they? If they did, you just tell me. I’ll comfort you anytime—and I’ll be sure to spread some nasty rumors about whoever gave you trouble.”
The moment she spotted him, Kenny—the cat beastman sitting on the other side of the counter—called out in a loud voice.
Naturally, this drew the eyes of every adventurer in the guild toward Rei. The men, in particular, leveled sharp glares at him. Kenny was a true beauty, more than capable of handling her duties as a receptionist while boasting a voluptuous figure that was a magnet for male attention. Naturally, she had plenty of fans and suitors; seeing her wave so happily at a newcomer was more than enough to spark their jealousy.
The reactions were split: those who knew Rei and those who didn't. Since several days had passed since he had left for the dungeon with Elena’s group, the number of fresh faces in the city had grown. The men who had been shot down by Kenny after asking her out for meals or dates were especially hostile. Kenny had a well-known soft spot for younger men, and ever since meeting Rei, she had been aggressively pursuing him for both business and pleasure. However, those who were paired with veterans were quickly warned about exactly who Rei was. They didn't move—or rather, they couldn't.
Sensing the souring atmosphere, Lenora—the ponytail-wearing receptionist sitting beside Kenny—finally spoke up.
“Kenny, honestly!”
“Hmm? What?”
“You really need to think about Rei-kun’s position a little...”
Rei ignored their usual bickering with a faint smile and walked straight to the counter.
“It’s been a while. I’m glad to see you’re both as lively as ever.”
“Ahaha. Welcome back, Rei-san. Thank you for your hard work on such a long request. How can we help you today?”
Avoiding Kenny, Rei approached Lenora and pulled a single sheet of paper from his robe. It was the document from Daskar, Margrave Larkus, certifying the completion of his mission.
This move drew glares from Lenora’s admirers as well, but Rei didn't care.
“I’m here to report completion and collect my reward. As for the monster materials, I have them stored in my Item Box, but they haven’t been skinned yet. I’ll bring them by another time.”
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
Lenora nodded and took the paperwork to the back of the counter. As it was a nomination request, there were likely extra protocols to follow.
With Lenora gone, Kenny’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “So, Rei-kun. You went into a dungeon for this one, right? How was it?”
Rei couldn't exactly mention Vel’s betrayal or the Ritual of Inheritance, so he kept his summary vague.
“Well, the most shocking part was that there was a forest, a river, and even a sun inside.”
“Wait, really? But the dungeon you went to was underground, right?”
“Yeah. B1F and B2F were standard... if you can even call them that. But B3F was covered in giant mushrooms, B4F was a forest, B5F was an Undead Habitat, and B6F was packed with traps. On the lowest floor, there weren't even any normal monsters.”
As Rei explained, Kenny tilted her head, her imagination struggling to keep up. It was then that a pair of adventurers in their mid-twenties, looking for any excuse to meddle, decided to interject.
“Hold on now. Just because Kenny-chan is the receptionist doesn't mean you can just make things up to look cool, kid. Hey—let me see your face.”
The man, a warrior-like man with a sword at his hip, carelessly reached out and pulled back Rei's hood. He revealed Rei’s face—which, at fifteen, still looked quite youthful. The warrior's partner, the man with the spear, burst out laughing.
“Pfft! He’s just a brat! Listen, kid, no matter how much you want to act tough at your age, don’t go around lying about going into dungeons.”
A few people in the hall—those who actually knew Rei—watched with exasperated expressions. The others, the ones who didn't know him, began to jeer.
“...Am I right to assume I'm being picked on here?”
“Er, well... yeah. Probably,” Kenny muttered, looking tired.
The two adventurers smirked, clearly misreading the room. “You’re using the fact that you’re a kid to get close to Kenny-chan and—Guh!”
Rei let out a short sigh. He kicked off the floor, closing the gap in the blink of an eye. He lunged forward and seized the warrior-like man by the throat with his right hand, cutting off the man's words. Then, he hoisted him into the air and hurled him straight into the man with the spear.
“Gah!”
The man with the spear hadn't expected a fully armored warrior over 180 centimeters tall to come flying at him. He failed to catch his partner and was knocked flat, the two of them sliding several meters across the floor.
Silence reclaimed the guild hall. It was a silence of two halves: the veterans thinking, Of course he did, and the newcomers wondering, Who the hell is this guy?
Rei looked at the man with the spear, ignoring the unconscious swordsman. “You two just registered here recently, didn't you?”
The spearman was still in a daze, but he snapped back to reality and began to tremble. He finally understood what he had just challenged. No normal person—no matter how experienced a warrior—could swing an armored man around with one hand. And the boy in front of him had done it effortlessly, without even breaking his stance.
“Y-Yeah. We just got to the City of Gilm about two days ago.”
His face turned ash-white. This wasn't a matter of pride anymore; it was pure, unadulterated terror.
“I thought so. If you had—”
Rei started to say something, but Lenora chose that moment to return from the back. It was likely a stroke of luck for the two men.
“Rei-san, I’ve brought your reward—Oh? Did something happen?”
“...No, it's nothing.”
Rei gave the spearman one last look of pity before turning back to the counter.
“Eeeeek! Rei-kun, you're so cool! Don't fight over me! I'm all yours!”
Rei did his best to ignore Kenny, who was currently swooning in the background.
“Um... what happened to the person on the floor?”
“Who knows? Maybe he’s just sleep-deprived.”
“He looks absolutely terrified of you, Rei-san. ...Hah. Did someone pick a fight with you again, like back with Falcon's Claws?”
Lenora sighed, looking at the unconscious swordsman and his trembling partner.
“Shere-san. This is Rei-san, a D-Rank adventurer. He’s the Shortest Time Record Holder in Gilm, having reached D-Rank in just one month. You really should be more careful about who you target.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
Letting out a shrill cry, the man with the spear—Shere—hoisted his partner onto his back and sprinted out of the guild. Rei watched him go, his opinion of the man rising slightly because he hadn't abandoned his friend.
“Now then, here is your reward. Please confirm the amount.”
Lenora handed over a small cloth pouch as if nothing had happened. Inside, Rei found exactly what Gran had promised: 2 Light Gold Coins and 1 Platinum Coin. The success reward was 2 Light Gold Coins, so the Platinum Coin was clearly the bonus Daskar had promised. Two Light Gold Coins alone was enough for a family of commoners to live comfortably for nearly ten years without working. Lenora had likely used the pouch to keep the other adventurers from seeing the massive sum.
Rei offered her a small smile. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“It’s part of the job. Though it seems you’re attracting attention for a different reason now, Rei-san.”
Rei shrugged at the stares from the room.
“Anyway, anyway! Rei-kun! You’re back from your request, so we have to celebrate! I want to toast your safe return. I’ll even give you some special 'service'.”
Kenny pressed her chest against her arms, emphasizing her cleavage through her collar. Lenora snapped instantly.
“Kenny! You're working! Save that for after your shift!”
“But if I do, Rei-kun might go off to celebrate with some woman I don't know!”
“Work comes first!”
“Hmph. This is why small-breasted women have such small hearts.”
Lenora's forehead practically pulsed with anger. “Kenny... should I report those comments to the Guild Master? What do you think?”
“Meow?! Wait, that’s cheating!”
“You’re slacking off. As a serious guild employee, it’s my duty to inform the higher-ups.”
“...Fine. Sorry, Rei-kun. Invite me some other time...”
Kenny slumped onto the counter in defeat, her curves pressing against the wood and drawing every eye in the room once again.
“Men are so predictable...” Lenora muttered. The men quickly looked away, sensing the cold glares from the female adventurers.
“Anyway, I should be going. I'd like to say I'm going to relax with Seto, but I still have to skin these monsters and harvest their Magic Stones. The other party was generous enough to let me keep almost everything we killed.”
As he spoke, the memory of Elena flashed through his mind, followed immediately by the scene of their kiss. His cheeks flushed. Kenny saw it instantly.
“Wait—Rei-kun! I don't know who she is, but don't you dare let some hussy seduce you!”
“Kenny, settle down! Rei-san, I’ll keep her here—go now!”
“Right. See you.”
Rei hurried out of the guild, sensing that staying any longer would only lead to disaster.
“Leave this to me and go!”? What is she, a knight in a story? That's quite the flag to raise... Rei thought to himself.
Behind him, he could still hear their voices.
“Lenora, let me go! My Rei-kun is being tempted by a wicked woman!”
“Will you just behave yourself?!”