Chapter 25: The Unforeseen Obstacle and a Familiar Face

Hiring adventurers or hunters was out of the question; I had no desire to spend extra money on such people. Besides, venturing into the Blue Lake Forest alone, with my own strength, shouldn’t pose too significant a problem.

But then…

“No, you cannot enter without proper identification.”

Just as I was about to step into the forest, two guards blocked my path.

Blue Lake Forest was encircled by a towering mountain range, its interior lush with verdant trees, and the vast Blue Lake itself lay at the forest’s heart. Unless one scaled the peaks, this was the sole entrance.

Given that some wild beasts and demonic creatures resided within, the kingdom had dispatched guards to secure the entrance, preventing commoners from straying in.

Ordinary individuals were required to register with the Adventurers’ Guild and possess certification to gain entry.

I had only just learned of this, never having entered before. Scaling the mountains was impractical, and forcing my way in would lead to my arrest. In essence, I had no choice but to register with the Adventurers’ Guild.

“Is that so.”

A deep, heavy sound resonated from within my armor as I turned and walked away.

Indeed, I had already switched to my combat body. On the way here, I found a secluded corner, unseen by anyone, and used ‘Prism’ to don this heavy armor before approaching the Blue Lake Forest entrance.

I had presumed my appearance would grant me passage; surely, I looked like someone capable of combat. Alas, proper identification proved to be the only way.

***

The Adventurers’ Guild, the world’s largest organization for adventurers, boasted a long history and a globally recognized rating system.

Its qualification certificate was the only acknowledged one. Only by registering there and receiving an emblem could one be considered a legitimate adventurer.

Enhancing one’s reputation and achieving higher ranks became the goal for many adventurers. Accepting various quests also served as a crucial source of their income.

I had no desire to register with the Adventurers’ Guild, a place prone to trouble, utterly incompatible with a civilian like myself, who merely concocted potions. However, without it, finding the Sacred Dew Leaf would be impossible.

So, I had to grit my teeth and proceed? It shouldn’t be an issue, I reasoned. This body was, after all, meant for combat, and it wouldn’t affect my regular life.

“Yo! Big guy, brother!”

Just as I was lost in thought, someone called out to me.

It was a man clad in light armor, wielding a longsword. From his appearance alone, he seemed to be my age and looked very much like an adventurer.

Trailing behind him was a young woman with short, light-yellow hair. Her body was snugly wrapped in light clothing, and she carried a bow and quiver on her back, resembling a forest ranger.

She stood with her arms crossed, head tilted, eyes half-lidded, appearing rather listless. Or rather, her gaze seemed to be complaining about the man standing before me.

I offered no verbal response, halting my steps to observe the man.

“From your conversation with the guards just now, it sounds like you don’t have an Adventurers’ Guild certificate, do you?”

“…”

I remained silent.

His tone and confident expression clearly indicated he was recruiting new members. Whether he had deliberately eavesdropped or followed me, or simply happened to pass by, I had no interest in teaming up with others.

It was far too troublesome. Thus, I ignored them and walked away.

“Wait a minute, brother!” The man quickly caught up. “You’re heading to the Guild to register now, aren’t you? So, how about considering joining our party? We’re short on people and planning to go to Blue Lake Forest ourselves.”

“…”

I continued forward, offering no reply.

Though I possessed no magic, I did have the ability to perceive it. I had carefully observed these two earlier. If they weren’t deliberately concealing their power, their magic was merely average, at best an intermediate level.

Even if they commanded some combat techniques, their fighting strength would be insufficient. This was likely why they intended to recruit me, the seemingly formidable ‘big guy’.

Unfortunately, I was unfamiliar with the conditions inside Blue Lake Forest and had no desire to protect two others simultaneously. Therefore, I would not agree.

“Just consider it! You haven’t registered with the Adventurers’ Guild yet, have you? Nor have you accepted any quests? That makes you a complete novice, someone who’s never entered a dangerous area, right?”

“…”

“Since that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to let us, your seniors, guide you? We’re very strong—oof!”

Before he could finish, the young woman grabbed the top edge of his armor and pulled him aside.

“That’s no way to recruit people. Get over here. Apologies for bothering you.”

She took over from the male warrior, addressing me. Though her demeanor seemed somewhat casual, her politeness far surpassed his.

“What he said earlier was nonsense. We’re just short-handed and lacking in combat power. I’ll be direct: Are you strong?”

Given her relative sincerity, I responded, but only by shaking my head.

Regardless of the truth, my stance was one of refusal; it wasn’t modesty.

“In that case, my sincere apologies for disturbing you.”

“Hey! We finally found someone who looks like they can fight, and you’re just going to…”

“Stop talking nonsense and go back! We just barely escaped the forest; how dare you try to trick someone else? I told you to wait for Helene to return before going in again.”

“What do you mean trick? This is a sincere invitation, alright! Besides, with Helene’s meager strength, even the three of us going in would be a death sentence!”

As their voices faded into the distance, I didn’t turn back to look at them. I had already known how this would unfold, and it was best if they left of their own accord.

***

I returned to the city in my armor. After much deliberation, I headed directly to the Adventurers’ Guild.

Indeed, direct registration seemed the most convenient option.

“Alright, sir, please register your information here.”

The receptionist handed me a form. I filled in my details, fabricating a name, ‘Mori’, then removed the gauntlet from my arm, preparing to press my thumbprint.

Since this was a different body, the fingerprints would also be different, so there was no fear of being discovered.

“Your hand…”

Just as I was about to press my print, the receptionist looked at my exposed right hand with surprise. I followed her gaze.

It was covered in scars, large and small, like battle honors etched into the flesh—a robust arm, a rough palm. It was clearly a body that had endured countless struggles.

Yet, the owner of this body had not registered with the Adventurers’ Guild, nor was they a legitimate adventurer. Many would find this somewhat surprising, just like this young woman.

She was likely seeing such a ‘newbie’ adventurer for the first time, one who looked anything but new.

After all, during my journey, I had indeed experienced countless battles. I felt that such an appearance befitted that adventurous period, so I had deliberately fashioned this body into its current state.

I offered no response to the receptionist’s astonishment. I pressed my thumbprint into the designated box on the form, then re-donned my gauntlet and tapped the form.

“Ah, yes, please wait a moment.”

She finally snapped out of her daze, resuming her standard receptionist’s smile. She placed the form on a small magic array on the desk below, then took a palm-sized emblem and set it on the form, pressing her hands upon it to begin casting.

The magic array, the form, and the emblem all emitted a soft white glow. This was the process of magically recording my information onto the emblem, which completed in a few seconds.

“It’s done. Congratulations, you are now a member of the Adventurers’ Guild. Please enjoy your adventure.”

After delivering this standard, formalized phrase, she handed me the emblem. I took it with one hand and glanced at it. The white emblem bore my adventurer rank: Pebble, the lowest tier.

“Oh! You finally registered!” Just then, the male warrior from earlier reappeared. “My other companion will arrive tomorrow morning, and then we’ll head to Blue Lake Forest. Interested in joining us? As your seniors, we can look after you!”

“…”

Still boasting, I ignored him and turned to leave… but he followed suit.

“You’re still going to Blue Lake Forest, right? Let me make it clear, that place is very dangerous. If you go alone, you’ll—oof!”

Soon, just like before, the man was pulled back by his female companion.

“Give it up. You know how dangerous that place is, yet you’re dragging a novice along. Are you trying to get someone killed?”

“What are you afraid of when I’m here?”

“Precisely because you’re here!”

I left the Adventurers’ Guild, still paying no mind to their bickering.

From their conversation, it seemed Blue Lake Forest was beyond their capabilities, yet the male warrior insisted on going, even wanting me to assist them—though he verbally claimed he would lead me on an adventure.

Since it was dangerous, I couldn’t accept his invitation; I simply wouldn’t go. However, given his attitude, he would undoubtedly drag his companions into it.

Though I didn’t know their objective, perhaps they had taken on some quests? I could only hope they valued their lives.

Now that I was a legitimate adventurer, the first thing I needed to do was… return.

It was already noon, and Nina was probably growing anxious. So, my priority was to go back to her. The matter of Blue Lake Forest could wait until tomorrow morning, a one-day delay.

Beatrice wouldn’t mind, and besides, I didn’t expect her to return to the village for a rendezvous so soon.

To be clear, this was absolutely not about worrying for those two, deliberately pushing back my plans to align with theirs. I simply wanted to return to Nina quickly; I had promised her I would be back early.

***

Thus, I reverted to Ken’s appearance and returned to Emma’s house.

“Papa.” As soon as I arrived, Nina hugged me. “You’re finally back.”

“Papa promised Nina he’d be back early, didn’t he?”

“Mm! That… Sacred Dew Leaf, have you found it yet?”

“Not yet. There was a slight complication; I can only go tomorrow.”

“Oh, I see.”

Nina didn’t react much. It seemed she didn’t mind postponing our return home by a day; perhaps she wanted to play here a few more days—though for me, Emma was nothing short of a nightmare.

“You’re back, Ken-nii-san.”

“Ah, I’m back… Eh?”

Seeing Emma approach, I looked up, and then… I saw someone unexpected.

A familiar white fitted dress, a familiar figure, but her hood was down, revealing long orange hair… and the twitching fox ears atop her head. Most striking of all were the nine familiar, fluffy fox tails behind her.

I had seen her, definitely somewhere before. She was the woman I had inadvertently rescued this morning. And, long ago, in the royal palace, my younger self had fallen asleep in her arms.

There was no mistaking it; this person was undoubtedly… Lily-nee-san.