Afterward, I had the request completion report signed and went to collect my reward.
"R-Reina-san? Isn't this too much?"
"Ten silver coins are the base reward. The remaining forty are a bonus. The Guildmaster agreed to the amount as well, so please take it."
"No, wait, all I did was tidy up the warehouse like I was asked."
"The results far exceeded our expectations, which is why we're giving you a bonus. Plus, completing this request earns you a promotion. Congratulations!"
With that, Reina-san handed back my adventurer card.
In the section indicating my rank, it now clearly read Bronze Rank.
"Huh? Had I already built up that many achievements? I thought I still had quite a few requests left to do..."
"Normally, you'd need twice as many. But in your case, Erik-kun, you've received top marks on every single request, completed a subjugation request, and turned in monster kills from our Permanent Requests. Taking all of that into account, the decision was made to promote you."
Hearing Reina-san's explanation, a smile spread across my face as I looked down at my newly updated adventurer card.
"Ah, that reminds me. Reina-san, could I open an account right now, too? Carrying this much cash makes me pretty nervous..."
"With your track record, Erik-kun, you certainly can. It costs five silver coins to open an account. Is that alright with you?"
"Yes! Being able to withdraw money at any guild while having it kept safe makes that a bargain, honestly."
I handed over the fee using the reward I had just received.
Originally, I had ten silver coins on hand, so after the deduction, I ended up with fifty-five in total.
I still had a little left back at the inn, but I decided to keep that aside for upcoming living expenses.
"It hasn't been that long since I started out as an adventurer, so I'm really glad I've been able to save this much."
"It makes sense. You don't waste your money, Erik-kun. Plus, your gear was given to you as a reward, so your expenses have been remarkably low."
"That's true. Aside from the inn fees, I haven't really spent money on anything."
Thanks to that, I had managed to put away a tidy sum.
Apparently, deposits and withdrawals could be handled directly through my adventurer card, so I didn't even have to carry around an extra card.
I had earned a promotion, and I had successfully opened an account.
Even though I hadn't been able to go outside to level up, today had turned out to be thoroughly satisfying.
"Well now, Erik. You're in awfully high spirits. Did something good happen?"
"Yes! Look at this!"
Beaming, I showed Amanda-san my adventurer card.
"Well, look at that! Bronze Rank already? That's amazing."
"It's thanks to your help, too, Amanda-san."
"Ha, all I did was introduce you to Reina. More importantly, today calls for a celebration! I'll tell my husband to make tonight's dinner extra special."
"Wait, no, you really don't have to go that far!"
I tried to stop her, but she was already in a celebratory mood, and my protests fell on deaf ears.
In the end, massive steaks were served for dinner that night.
And not just for me, either.
Everyone staying at the inn was treated to steak, and the other guests joined in to congratulate me on my promotion.
For one reason or another, I hadn't really talked much with the other lodgers until now.
Heading out early in the morning and returning in the evening meant our paths rarely crossed long enough to chat.
Tonight, however, I got to talk with all sorts of people, sharing a wonderfully lively meal.
"...Come to think of it, I wonder if the anomaly around the royal capital is going to be okay."
The strange disturbances had supposedly been going on for several days now.
Over lunch, I had heard that higher-ranked adventurers were looking into it, but the cause remained unknown.
"I hope things settle down soon. I'd really like to get back to leveling up..."
If I added other monsters to my hunting list, my pace of leveling would pick up a bit.
Even so, I still didn't have the confidence to face goblins or horn rabbits.
"Other adventurers might think I'm a coward, but I really don't feel like dying."
Goblins, in particular, were monsters that people tended to underestimate.
In reality, they were remarkably cunning and posed a genuine lethal threat to beginners.
Horn rabbits also packed immense force behind their charging attacks.
Even with protective gear on, taking a direct hit was dangerous.
"Well, no matter how much I mull it over, staying inside the walls is the smartest move right now. I'll just stick to town requests again tomorrow."
Settling on that plan, I lay down in bed and drifted off to sleep.
"——!"
"—!?"
I didn't know how long I had been asleep, but a violent tremor accompanied by a deafening roar jolted me awake.
The other guests were also roused by the commotion, frantically pouring out into the hallway.
"Everyone, there might be aftershocks! Please evacuate the building!"
At Anna-san's urgent shout, everyone staying at the inn—myself included—rushed outside.
Gathered out in the open, we all waited anxiously, wondering if the ground would shake again.
The very next moment, the moonlit ground suddenly plunged into shadow.
Looking up into the sky on instinct, I froze at the sight of a colossal creature looming above.
"A... a dragon?"
A beast with wings spanning several meters wide.
A dragon was soaring through the night sky.
It glided directly over the royal capital, vanishing into the distant horizon in the blink of an eye.
We remained outside for a while after that.
No further tremors occurred, and Amanda-san and the others murmured among themselves that the dragon had likely been the cause of the disturbance.
Eventually, we filed back inside and returned to our respective rooms.
"That was my first time ever seeing a dragon... It looked so powerful, and so cool..."
A creature I had only ever known through picture books.
Even from afar, catching a glimpse of the real thing had left my heart racing with excitement.
I had no desire to fight one.
I just found myself wishing that, someday, I might be able to admire that magnificent form from a little closer.
"...I've got an early start tomorrow, so I'd better get some rest."
Shaking myself out of the daze I had fallen into while staring out the window, I hurriedly climbed back into bed and drifted off to sleep.