Chapter 19 : Join a guild

Adventurer.

By its literal meaning, it’s someone who undertakes adventures, but in this world, the term primarily refers to those affiliated with a guild, carrying out quests.

Qualifications are generally lenient, requiring only a clean record and proof of proper identity.

Adventurers tackle a range of tasks—from simple chores like herb gathering to dangerous monster subjugations. By taking on these varied jobs without discrimination, they naturally accumulate experience and achievements, growing into seasoned adventurers.

And right now, Rona needs both experience and achievements.

Personally, I believed adventurer was the ideal path for Rona to pursue at this moment.

The key issue, however, was whether Erina would approve.

Prioritizing Rona’s safety, Erina might view adventurers—who tackle all manner of harsh tasks—negatively.

So, I was somewhat cautious about proposing this idea…

“Alright. I’ll allow it,” Erina said.

“Really okay with this?” I asked.

“We need to produce some results, don’t we? And being an adventurer doesn’t always mean dangerous work… Besides, Rona gets super excited whenever adventure stories come up in her fairy tales,” she explained.

“Moo-heom~♪ Moo~ heom~♬” Rona hummed.

Singing, she stuffed toys and collected pebbles into her bag.

Her excited reaction, as if heading on a picnic, showed that, as Erina said, Rona admired adventurers.

Right, if Rona’s eager to step up, there’s no reason not to proceed.

“But before she officially becomes an adventurer, I’ll lay down some rules to follow,” Erina said.

“Rules?” I asked.

“Rules that must be followed no matter what. Got it?” she stressed.

“…I’ll comply,” I agreed.

“Then, Rona, come here,” Erina called.

“Yeees~” Rona chirped.

Grabbing her backpack, Rona stood beside me.

Confirming this, Erina cleared her throat and knelt to Rona’s eye level, continuing.

“Rona, as you know, adventurers handle all kinds of tasks. They travel to many places, and someday, you might meet the dragon you want to find,” she said.

“Dwaegon!” Rona exclaimed.

“But dragons are mysterious beings. You can’t just rush off and find them. To meet one, you need to prepare thoroughly. Understand what Mama’s saying?” Erina asked.

“Yup! Pwe-pare cawefully,” Rona nodded.

Smiling at Rona’s response, Erina patted her head.

But her next words carried a stern tone, contrasting her earlier gentleness.

“Now, I’ll tell you three promises you must keep to become a proper adventurer,” she said.

“Pwomises?” Rona asked.

“Yes, promises you absolutely must keep as an adventurer, no matter what,” Erina said.

With a weighty tone, Erina hooked Rona’s pinky finger.

Instinctively sensing their importance, Rona sobered and listened attentively.

“First promise: Your immediate goal is to be kind to those around you,” Erina said.

“Kind…?” Rona tilted her head.

“Yes. Meeting a dragon is too reckless for you now. So, instead of aiming for big, grand things, start with small tasks, build experience, and help people around you,” Erina explained.

Avoid overexertion and tackle small tasks step by step.

This rule reflected Erina’s philosophy for raising Rona.

For a child who doesn’t yet understand justice or good and evil, fostering small virtues takes precedence over a Hero’s sense of duty.

“Second promise: If you want to do something, consult with Papa first before deciding,” Erina continued.

“Papa, pew-mission…?” Rona mumbled.

“You’re still young and don’t know what’s okay or not. So, until you can decide for yourself, ask adults like Papa a lot. Especially, avoid dangerous things,” Erina said.

“…Okay. Always ask Papa,” Rona agreed.

Nodding at Erina’s words, Rona understood.

Confirming this, Erina spoke with an even heavier tone for the final rule.

“And the most important third rule: Never harm a life, no matter what,” she said.

“Life, pwecious?” Rona asked.

“Yes, life is precious,” Erina affirmed.

Quietly embracing Rona, Erina’s voice carried a faint sadness, which resonated with me.

This third promise stemmed from experiences I shared with her.

“Mama wants Rona to understand the value of life,” Erina said.

Yes, she was a soldier.

Though not directly killing, she witnessed countless comrades die on the battlefield and saw enemies perish solely because they belonged to a different faction.

Actions forced by her status, beyond good or evil.

Her following advice clearly conveyed her desire to spare Rona those experiences.

“Life, once gone, never returns. That means there’s nothing as heavy and precious as life. So, Mama wants Rona to weigh the value of life and never stain her hands with blood until she’s a grown adult,” Erina said.

Ending her words, Erina glanced at me.

I understood her words weren’t just for Rona.

“Got it,” I said.

As she embraced her role as Rona’s mother, I too had to become a father, not a soldier.

I must distance myself from my past actions.

“…I’ll keep it in mind,” I said.

At my resolve, Erina finally smiled with relief and released Rona.

Pushing her toward me, she said, “I’ll watch the house. You two go and come back safely.”

“Alright, we’ll be back,” I replied.

With the three promises as the foundation, permission was granted.

Leaving the house with Rona, I prepared to take her first steps as an adventurer.

“Now, Rona, let’s go,” I said.

“…”

“…Rona?” I called.

Normally, she’d be bouncing with excitement by now.

Curious, I looked down and saw Rona standing frozen, staring at the ground.

Repeating one word endlessly.

“Pwomise, pwomise…” she murmured.

Promise.

This innocent child likely didn’t grasp the weight of that word.

Yet, the need to keep it resonated, and Rona was etching Erina’s promises deeply into her heart.

“Papa, pwomise too!” she said.

Extending her pinky finger to share her resolve, Rona’s face held an uncharacteristically serious expression.

Feeling this, I couldn’t help but chuckle and hook her pinky.

“Yes, Papa promises too,” I said.

Like Rona, I engraved the three promises in my heart.

Vowing deeply to uphold them no matter what.

Our destination was the Adventurer’s Guild on the village outskirts.

Today, it was bustling with adventurers from afar, its scale noticeably larger than when I first settled in this village.

Come to think of it, the village chief mentioned recently that the Empire was heavily supporting pioneering efforts.

With such funding, it’s natural that people flocked here, but I wondered if this was someone’s intentional outcome.

Perhaps, with a future Hero here, the Empire’s higher-ups were boosting this village’s influence…

“People, lots!” Rona exclaimed.

“Yes, lots of people,” I agreed.

Whatever the reason, we were here, and Rona would take her first steps as an adventurer.

Navigating the crowd, I approached the guild counter and greeted the clerk.

“Got a moment?” I asked.

“Oh, Logan! Been a while,” she said.

“Taking a break lately,” I replied.

Having dealt with the clerk for quests before, interacting was easy.

Maintaining a friendly demeanor, she asked, “Here to take a quest? Or post one?”

“No, today I’m here to register as an adventurer,” I said.

“Huh? But Logan, you’re already registered… Oh, maybe a rank-up test?” she asked.

“No, not that…” I started.

“Rona! Adventurer!!” Rona shouted.

While I pondered how to explain, Rona reached up.

Hanging onto the counter and showing her face, she caught the clerk’s startled gaze.

“Uh… this is that kid from before, right? The one found where the light fell…” the clerk said.

Right, Rona had visited the guild once.

Lifting Rona onto the counter, I stated directly, “Can you grant this child adventurer status?”

“Huh?” the clerk blinked.

“I said, I’d like Rona to be registered as an adventurer,” I repeated.

“Adventurer!” Rona declared.

Striking a proud pose, Rona proclaimed her ambition.

The clerk, hearing something unexpected, adjusted her glasses and asked in a tense voice, “Seriously?”

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“You know what adventurers do, right? You’re not planning to take a kid on subjugations or dungeon raids, are you?” she asked.

“Relax. We’ll focus on safe, manageable tasks,” I reassured.

“Even so…” she hesitated.

“Is there an age restriction for becoming an adventurer?” I asked.

“…No, there isn’t,” she admitted.

“Then no problem. Please, the application form,” I said.

Drip, drip. The clerk sweated nervously at my request.

The guild’s atmosphere grew chaotic, as nearby adventurers focused their attention on us.

“What’s that guy doing, asking for adventurer status for that kid?” one muttered.

“Is he crazy or just reckless?” another whispered.

“What’s he thinking, making a kid like that an adventurer…?” a third grumbled.

Voices filled with shock, confusion, and disapproval directed at me.

Even to experienced adventurers, a child like Rona aiming to become an adventurer seemed unsettling.

Of course, given my circumstances, I had no intention of backing down.

“…Is the form ready?” I asked.

“Oh, yes. Here,” the clerk said.

The adventurer application form was promptly provided.

It was nearly identical to the one I filled out when I first arrived, and Rona, taking it, immediately began reading the top section carefully.

“Puh-son-al, in-fo, ma-tion…” she sounded out.

“Oh my! You can read?” the clerk exclaimed.

“Yup! Learned!*” Rona beamed.

Right, on rest days, Erina taught her reading and writing.

Then, filling out the form herself could be good experience.

Thinking this, I sat beside Rona to watch her write.

“N-name… Ro, o, na,” she wrote.

“Not ‘Rona’ with an ‘o,’ it’s Rona with an ‘a,’” I corrected.

“Ro, o… na. S-mi, th…” she continued.

“Write Mama and Papa’s names in the family section too,” I said.

“Mama, name…” Rona pondered.

Recalling Erina’s name, Rona glanced at me and said aloud, “Emmina?”

“…Watch your pronunciation,” I said.

You’ll get scolded by Mama like that.

Correcting her, Rona finished writing our family names, then frowned at the next section.

“Age, what’s that?” she asked.

“Haha, age means… how many birthdays you’ve had,” the clerk explained.

“Birfday…” Rona mumbled.

Deep in thought at the clerk’s words, Rona soon realized her age and grinned, shouting, “One!”

“…Huh?” the clerk blinked.

“One! Rona’s age, one!” Rona insisted.

Oh, she must think her age is one since she just had her first birthday yesterday.

To calm the confused clerk, I explained, “…I don’t know her exact age. She was adopted after we came to this village.”

“Oh, okay. Can’t be helped,” the clerk said.

With help from me and the clerk, Rona carefully filled out the form.

The handwriting on the completed document was crooked but legible, and under the clerk’s review, the process passed more smoothly than expected.

“Alright, the paperwork is submitted,” the clerk said.

“Rona, did it!” Rona cheered.

Was filling out the form herself that fulfilling?

Regardless, Rona had officially earned her adventurer status.

Relieved, I thought we were done, but the clerk quickly raised the next issue.

“Now, it’s time for the initiation test,” she said.

“Test? Wasn’t that not a thing back in my day?” I asked.

“Well, actually… while you were on break from adventuring, the guild leader changed,” she explained.

The guild leader changed? I owed the previous one quite a bit, so this wasn’t welcome news.

But the pressing matter was that the change in leadership altered the guild’s joining process.

Asking for details, the clerk shared in a bitter tone.

“Since the current guild leader took over, the joining process changed. One change is that to qualify for quests in this guild, you must pass a test set by the guild leader himself,” she said.

“The guild leader personally tests newcomers?” I asked.

“Yes, to make pioneering efforts more serious, they created a sort of filter. And that means…” she trailed off.

Her gaze shifted to Rona.

The worry in her eyes likely stemmed from the test being difficult, which wasn’t reassuring to me either.

If the test involved dangerous tasks, I’d have to risk breaking Erina’s promises.

–Murmur, murmur.

While I grappled with what to do, the surrounding atmosphere grew chaotic again.

Drawn to the commotion, I saw a hulking man striding from the guild entrance.

The adventurers watching him all bore unfriendly glares.

“Ugh, his highness the guild leader has arrived,” one sneered.

“What’s he planning to mess up this time, strutting in like that?” another grumbled.

“Damn jerk. What’s God doing, not taking that guy?” a third cursed.

Disgust, hostility…

Emotions far from what you’d expect toward someone titled ‘guild leader’.

Picking up on this, an adventurer approached me and whispered in a worried tone.

“Listen, I’m saying this out of concern, but for your kid’s sake, you should make her give up on becoming an adventurer,” he said.

“…Because of the guild leader?” I asked.

“Yeah. That guy enjoys tormenting aspiring adventurers under the pretext of testing them. Nicknamed the ‘Rookie Slayer’… Plenty of people in this guild have been screwed over by him,” he warned.

Of all times, the new leader had to be notoriously cruel.

Feeling unease, I looked down.

There was Rona, still unaware of the situation, staring blankly at the approaching guild leader.

“Shiny, sparkly!” she exclaimed.

Seeing his bald head gleaming without a single hair, Rona shouted in wonder.