Stupid Heroes ~We Draft Candidates~ (WN): Chapter 22

 

Chapter 22: The Heroes' Visit to the Adventurer's Guild

 The Adventurers' Guild is usually deserted during the daytime, but today, many figures can be seen. And all of them are children with dark eyes and dark hair.

 The academy allowed them to register with the Adventurers' Guild. On the same day, the hero candidates visited the guild to register.

 After visiting the guild's headquarters building, the hero candidates toured the place as if they were on a trip.

"It's kind of just as I imagined."

"Really? Though I don't see a pretty lady at the reception desk."

"No, I'm sure she's there somewhere."

"As for me, I still wanted cat ears."

 Looking at the state of the reception, there are also candidates who say selfish things.

"Oh! Is this a request?"

"Seriously! Heh, is it like this?"

"What's the request?"

 Some candidates are making noise in front of the bulletin board where the request forms are posted.

 It is quite noisy, but the guild staff does not pay attention to them. This is because these kinds of visitors are always present, regardless of the number of people.

 And the adventurers who might complain are not at the guild at this time because they are working on a request. The hero candidates were able to enjoy their visit without being disturbed by anyone.

 Even so, some candidates don't get overwhelmed and move on quickly to complete their original purpose.

"I would like to register as an adventurer."

"Me too."

"The registration desk is number one to number three. Please proceed to the first available window."

"Yes."

 After asking the receptionist who was right next to the entrance, Jin and Mei headed to the first window.

"Are you registering as adventurers?"

"Yes" "Yeah"

"Please fill out this form with your name, age, and address. If you don't know your address, just write [undecided]."

"I understand."

 The two of them immediately wrote down the necessary information on the form they were given and handed it over to the receptionist.

“Yes. Thank you... we don't want any age falsification."

"Eh?"

"Neither of you looks like nineteen."

 Both Jin and Mei write down their true ages. It's the age from before the transfer to another world.

"We were summoned from another world, and at that time we became young again."

 Thinking that she didn't understand the situation, Jin explained.

"Yes, I am aware of that."

"You know?"

 The woman at the reception desk was not unaware of the situation.

"You have black eyes and black hair and wear a school uniform. I can only think of a hero candidate."

“Is that so?

"Yes. It's been about two years since you were summoned, right?"

"Yes."

"If you were eleven when you were summoned, how old are you now?"

"13" "Same"

"Then you're thirteen."

"Eh? Is that so?"

 There is no basis for the age of thirteen. Jin did not know how it could be applied.

"Yes. That's the rule."

 The basis was the rules of the guild.

"Wait a minute. Are there rules for summoned humans?"

 Surprised by the receptionist's explanation, Mei opened her mouth.

"Yes. The adventurer's guild has a long history."

"...So everyone will be eleven years old when summoned?"

"That's the rule."

"I see."

"Now, Jin Takamiya-san, Mei Katsuragi-san."

"Yes" "What is it?"

“Both of you are underage. In order for a minor to register with the Adventurer’s Guild, a letter of recommendation is required, and the guild leader must approve the recommendation. Do you have a letter of recommendation?"

"Yes. Here." "Mine too."

 Both of them took out a folded piece of paper from their pockets and presented it to the receptionist. The receptionist who saw it opened her eyes slightly. She never thought they had a letter of recommendation.

"...I see you have it."

“I came here after hearing about registration. I don't know if this recommendation will be accepted by the head of the guild."

"I see. Then, I will take it."

 The receptionist not only received it, but began to check its contents. After confirming the signature on the letter of recommendation and showing a slightly satisfied expression, she placed it on a box at the reception desk that they didn't know what it was.

"...Certainly, it's real."

"You can tell?"

"I don't know, but...... please spare me the details."

"Yes"

“Then, I will check with the guild leader. It will take some time, so please sit down and wait.”

 When she said this to the two, the receptionist took the letter of recommendation and withdrew to the back.

"Thank goodness. It was almost a waste of time."

“I guess so. But the question is, will the guild leader approve it? He said he wouldn't."

"What do you think?"

"I don't know. But if he's recognized, that means we'll be recognized, too."

"I guess so."

 While having this conversation, the two sat on chairs near the reception desk and waited for the receptionist to return. However, the surroundings suddenly become noisy.

"Why can't I register?"

 Suddenly, Yuya's voice echoed through the guild.

"I'm sorry. That's the rule."

"What do you mean by rules? The church has approved our registration."

“The Adventurers Guild has nothing to do with the church. It is none of our business if the church approves."

"It doesn't matter... this is the church capital, right?"

"Yes"

"Is it okay to defy the church?"

"It's the Adventurers' Guild's rules."

 The receptionist replied by emphasizing the Adventurers' Guild. Yuya is already antagonizing the staff. This may be his talent. It would only do him harm.

"I'm a hero. Don't you think it's good for the guild that I, a hero, am registered?"

"Adventurers are not discriminated against or given preferential treatment by the guild in any way."

"But if I do well, so will the guild."

 Yuya's way of trying to get his point across no matter who it is doesn't change. In this case, it's pretty bad.

"...Don't you have to stop him?"

“Give me a break. If the guild thinks I’m his ally and notices me, I'll lose my registration.”

"That's right. After making that many statements with such utter disregard for the independence of the guild."

 Yuya's statement should never have been made to the guild. He could have been judged to be unfit to be an adventurer.

"......How did he become like that?"

"It's been around for a long time, right? We just didn't care before because the demands were smaller and we were getting more for ourselves."

"That's right. When you have more, you demand more."

"Desire."

"I'm sure we are too."

"Yeah, I guess so. But we can't help it now. If we don't become greedy now, it will make a big difference in the future."

"I'm a little envious of Mei who is so divisive. I'm still a little reserved."

"I'm brazen anyway."

"No. That's all right. It's just hypocrisy. Even if I feel bad in my heart, I still put myself first."

 Even though he knows what he's doing is wrong, Jin can't stop it. He feels that lamenting it is just comforting his feelings.

"...That's surprising. I didn't expect Jin to be this serious."

"That's rude."

"I'm sure you've lost a lot in exchange for what you've gained."

"......I agree."

 The two of them had a somber atmosphere, but they didn't realize it yet at this time. That in a little while they would get themselves into trouble.

 The two of them were looking at Yuya, who was persistently pestering a staff at the reception desk, with dismay. The time had come for them.

"Thank you for waiting! Jin Takamiya-sama, Mei Katsuragi-sama!"

"Ah, yes!"

 The two stood up from their chairs when called by the staff. All eyes were on the two of them at once.

"...It's not good."

"What?"

“How did we manage to register with this? They'll be asking us how we did it."

"...That sucks."

 Noticing this, the two approached the staff so as not to make eye contact with the surroundings. In particular, they try not to look at Yuya at all.

"I'm sorry, but would you mind if we took a moment of your time?"

"Time? I don't mind."

"Then please come with me."

"Eh? Is that what you mean by time?"

"Yes. The guild leader has something to ask. It shouldn't take too long."

 With those words, the two couldn't raise their heads more.

"……Yes, I understand"

"Then can you see the door at the end of the reception?"

"……Yes"

"You can get in from there. I will unlock it from the inside, so please wait in front of the door."

"……Yes"

 They headed for the door indicated to them by the staff, pretending not to hear the familiar voices in their ears. As soon as they stood in front of the door, it was opened from the inside, and they entered.

 There, they were finally able to relax. The two unconsciously exhaled loudly.

"What's wrong?"

"No, just a little. There was an unexpected situation."

"Are you all right?"

"Yes. No problem at all now."

"Then, let me show you around. This way, please.."

 The staff led them down a corridor, but their destination was close by. They turned a corner and saw a woman sitting at a desk in the hallway a little further ahead. She looked like a secretary.

"I brought the two."

“Thank you for your hard work. You may let them through to the room."

"Yes. Then, both of you, please enter the room."

 The staff opened the door of the room and asked them to enter. They stepped into the room with slightly nervous look on their faces and saw a man sitting at a massive desk in front of them.

 No need to ask. It's easy to tell that he's the guild leader.

 It was not only because he was in the room. It was the atmosphere that told them that the man in front of them was not an ordinary man.

"You're here. Please sit on the sofa in front of you."

"Yes"

 The two of them sat down on the sofa as the guild leader told them to. They were more nervous than before they entered the room.

"I'm sorry for bothering to call you. There's one thing I want to confirm."

 The guild leader, sitting at his desk, immediately went to business.

"What is it?"

“The letter of recommendation you submitted, but how did you make him write it?”

"Yes?"

 Jin did not immediately understand the meaning of the guild leader's question.

“It certainly seems like it was written by the person himself. But I don't think he would write a letter of recommendation for someone."

"...I asked him to write it for me."

 Jin, who answered the guild leader's question, seemed slightly upset. He didn't just ask him to write it.

"Do you have a special relationship with him?"

"What do you mean by special?"

"Special is special"

"...He's a classmate."

"I see. And the woman?"

"The same."

"In other words, it has nothing to do with it. Then there is no way he would write it by you just asking it. I will ask again. How did you get him to write it?"

"...I made a promise."

 When asked the second time, He knew he couldn't keep it hidden, so Jin told the truth.

"Promise... you mean there is a condition? What kind of condition is that?"

"One was that I would take care of the other students when they became adventurers."

"Take care of them? You are a newcomer, too. How can you take care of them?"

“The content is to accompany and support the request of a student who has no combat talent.”

"Hmm. You will do that all the time?"

"No, it is a promise for up to three times."

 If it is all the time, Jin and the others will not be able to accept it. They know that, so there is a limit to the number of times they can do it.

"You said one. What else?"

"That everyone who becomes an adventurer should be restrained so that they don't get out of control."

"...I see. In other words, he thinks they will go out of control."

"I don't understand. What is going out of control in the first place?"

“Hmm. I don’t know what he assumed. But the guild has some concerns."

 For the guild, the adventurer registration of the hero candidate is not a blessing. On the contrary, it can be said to be a nuisance. The hero candidates, including Jin and Mei, do not understand this.

"What is it?"

"Receiving requests unnecessarily. Adventurers make a living from their work. Many of them don't make enough money, but they certainly try. But what about you? Can't you make a living without taking requests?"

"……No."

"If you guys take all the good requests, there might be some adventurers who can't make a living."

"But that's because they don't have the ability, right?"

"Fumu... that's certainly true. The second is killing magical beasts for nothing."

 The guild leader turned his gaze to Mei, who suddenly cut in, but he quickly returned it and continued the conversation.

"……What do you mean?"

"If there are ten beasts in the request, it is an unspoken promise to keep it at that number. But you guys don't seem to keep that kind of promise. I think you will just kill them all."

"Is it wrong to kill magical beasts?"

"Killing too much"

"You're not protecting them, are you?

"Protection? Not to that extent. But if all the magical beasts were exterminated from around the capital, there would be a lot of people in trouble. It is not only adventurers. Craftsmen who use materials made from magical beasts, merchants who sell them, and countries that receive taxes from them."

"I see……"

 Extinction due to overhunting. They've heard that story in their original world.

"Now, do you have the power to make sure that these things are protected by other hero candidates?"

"That's..." "I will."

 Jin hesitates to answer, and Mei responds with a clear affirmation. The guild leader could have predicted this reaction.

"...How so?"

"We two are among the top four hero candidates. We have the ability to make those around us do what we say."

"I see. Was it called the Four Heavenly Kings?"

"Yes."

"Then can you stop the other two?"

"Eh?"

"When the other two go out of control, will you two be able to stop them?"

 Yuya is the hero candidate who is most likely to run wild. If you can't stop Yuya, you can't say you can stop him.

"...I can stop it."

“Fumu. On the other hand, the guy doesn't seem so confident."

“Even though we are in the top four, there is a difference in our abilities. Besides, the remaining two don’t have the personality to listen to others.”

"I see……"

"Can I have a moment?"

 Mei's questioning face clearly shows irritation.

"What?"

"Is this an interview?"

"No, it's not."

"Then how do you decide if we can register or not?"

"Registration has already been decided. The Adventurer's Guild does not refuse anyone who comes before the rules. If you apply for registration, we will not refuse you."

"If that's the case, then what was all that talk about?"

“I wanted to know why he wrote the letter of recommendation. That's what I thought I asked you the first time."

"……Is that all?"

 Mei looked puzzled at the guild leader's explanation. It wasn't the answer she had in mind.

"What else is there?"

"That's……"

"I don't think so, but did you think I had some special interest in you guys and that I was using it as an excuse to set up the meeting?"

“…………”

 Mei's face turned red and fell silent.

"It seems I've hit the mark. But that's not true. You are just a bunch of adventurers. There is no point in paying attention to you."

"I see."

"Fumu. Have I offended the pride of the excellent hero candidate?"

"Not really..."

 The guild leader's way of saying it clearly contains some sarcasm.

"Well, that's all. You may return to the reception desk."

"Yeah, I will do so."

"Um."

 In a tense atmosphere, Jin timidly called out to the guild leader.

"What?"

"You don't think he's a perched adventurer?"

"That's right. As long as he is not a hero candidate, there is a possibility that he could go on forever."

"I see... By the way, do you know why he wrote the letter of recommendation yet?"

 The guild leader said he had spoken to them to find out about it. However, it is not clear to Jin what he had found out.

"...What do you think? Even if I think I understand, it doesn't mean I'm right."

"What does the guild leader think?"

"Is there any point in asking that?"

"I was called to confirm that, so I think I have the right to ask."

“Fumu. That makes sense. Then, I will tell you. I guess it doesn't matter."

"Ha?"

 The guild leader's answer was something that could not be called a reason.

“Even if he didn't write the letter, there are people in the church who can write a letter of recommendation. If that were the case, I think he might have decided it was better to ingratiate you and put conditions on it."

"......Why those conditions?"

"Because there is a possibility that he will be forced."

"Eh?"

“It is a common practice to take care of newcomers. If a newcomer seems to be particularly problematic, the guild may instruct you to accompany him or her. In order to prevent that from happening to him, he pushed you guys ahead of time."

 If that happens, it's highly likely that Ren will be judged to be the right person. This is really annoying to Ren himself.

"Does he ever actually accompany one?"

"I don't need to answer that."

"I see……"

"Jin, that's enough. There's nothing to be gained from talking here."

"Mei, you're being rude."

"Which one is rude? You call people over and only talk about nothing. You've wasted my precious time."

 Mei seemed quite annoyed, and even though she was in front of the guild leader, she didn't choose her words.

"That's enough. You're not respectful to the guild leader."

 Jin gets angry at her rudeness.

"Oh, don't worry about that. If you mean lack of courtesy, there are plenty of people who are worse."

 There are only a few people who have learned etiquette. He can't be a guild leader if he worries about each and every thing.

"……I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize"

"But"

"It's on purpose."

"Eh?"

"I made you angry on purpose."

"Why did you do that?"

"It was written in the letter of recommendation. They're two decent people, but even so, I still think one of them isn't cut out to be an adventurer."

 In other words, it's also a lie to say that he only wants to know why Ren wrote the letter of recommendation.

"Wait! What part of that is a letter of recommendation!?"

"It's not a given that a letter of recommendation has to say only good things."

"...Did you trick me?"

"You're overreacting. I'm just checking on you a little. You are proud in a bad way, and you lie about your ability to do things you can't do. In addition, you even change your attitude when you realize that there is no advantage for you."

“…………”

 Mei couldn't complain about the guild leader's words. The attitude she showed in front of the guild leader was the same.

"Such people are not suitable for adventurers. His evaluation is correct."

“…In other words, I failed?”

"What is?"

“Does that mean that my registration is not allowed?”

"I told you that I will not refuse anyone who comes. Just go to the reception and complete the registration procedure."

"...What do you mean? What's the point of testing me?"

 Even though she was judged to be unfit to be an adventurer, she was allowed to register. Mei did not understand what that meant.

"You are not qualified to know that"

“…What about Jin?”

"The same. He said he could do what he couldn't too."

"He hesitated to respond, remember?"

“It was a condition of the letter of recommendation. He lied about what he couldn't do, and you got him to write a letter of recommendation."

"Yes... By the way, did you do the same thing to him?

"No"

"Isn't that unfair?"

“He said a lot of conditions before we even tried. He can do this much. Can't or won't do more. We've gone over the conditions in great detail."

 Before the guild leader tried it, Ren had given the answer he was looking for.

"...I see. So what happens if you pass it?"

"Nothing. I just think I might be able to trust you a little bit."

"I see."

 That can't be true. In fact, one would be the subject of a nomination request from the guild leader, and if one successfully fulfilled it, one would be allowed access to his original office.

 Become one of the absolutely reliable adventurers who can be entrusted with quests that do not allow failure.

"Is there anything more?"

“No. But the guild is tough. There are a lot of people who are less decent who sign up as adventurers."

"That's true."

"There might be some problems."

"That's right."

"How are you going to hold them?"

 She can hold them herself. This is what Mei wants to say.

“A little bit of confusion will naturally subside.”

"……Why?"

 The guild leader's reaction was not what Mei wanted.

“Have you heard about the guild system before registering? Then you will hear the explanation later."

"......I will. But can I ask you one more question?"

"What is it?"

"Why are you making a hero candidate your enemy?"

"I am not trying to."

"You do."

"That's just because you didn't get special treatment, right?"

"...If that were the case?"

 Talent is everything in this world. The guild leader is indifferent to Mei, who has that talent. Mei cannot accept that.

"Are you being defiant? I don't think you're a decent person."

“In this world, talent is celebrated. I have that talent, you know? It's natural to think that getting special treatment is normal."

"Talent. Do you think it's only for the hero candidates?"

"What do you mean?"

"Let me tell you as a special treatment."

"What?"

“Some adventurers are more talented than others. I agree. Perhaps if you were an A-rank adventurer right now, you would be better."

"...For now."

 Even though she replied like this, Mei was shaken inside. She had no idea that A-rank adventurers were that good.

"And A is not the highest adventurer rank in the guild."

"...S rank?"

"Hoh, you know better."

"Where is this person?"

"I don't know that. Their existence is a secret."

"There's no way you, the guild leader, would not know it, right?"

"The S rank is special. There are very few people who can reach that level. I don't know if there are any now."

 The guild leader does not know either. The words he just said indicate that such an existence exists.

"......Isn't it a punchline that they aren't actually there?"

"That's a possibility."

"I knew it."

"But that's irrelevant. What I'm trying to say is the fact that talent is not exclusive to the hero candidates."

"...But there is a difference in the content of that talent."

"I see. It seems useless to talk about it. Enough. Go back to the reception."

"Yeah, I will do so."

 This concludes the end of the meeting with the guild leader. It was a bad end for both of them.

 There are some reasons why it couldn't be helped. The guild leader does not see them as an enemy, but he does not take kindly to the hero candidates. He is not happy with them, because the heroes who follow their country and the adventurers who act freely without being bound by their country are opposites.

 For this reason, the guild leader's words were rarely favorable, but they never reached the hearts of the two.

 Talent is not only for the hero candidates. It is a matter of course. The two did not understand that they did not understand that obviousness.