I Played the Role of a Hated Hero, but for Some Reason, I’m Loved by the Last Boss and Living With Her! - Chapter 77

「A map showing the habitat of demons?」

I sipped the blended coffee recommended by the guild that had been brought to me and told them what I had come here for.

「Yes. I wanted to get information on the demons that live around here. That’s why I’m here. Can you give it to me?」

I looked up at her, inhaling the steam with its fragrant aroma into my nose. Her calm, yellow-crystal citrine eyes looked slightly up at the ceiling, and as she held up the silvery tray to her chin in front of her chest, which was as well developed as the dragon god, Beatrice, the guild master, tilted her head and said,「Hmmm.」

「I have no problem giving you the map… but may I ask why, just to be sure?」

「I make my living selling materials from demons, but I’ve never been to this area before. I’m having trouble finding information on the demons that inhabit the area.」

「Do you collect the materials yourself? Or do you outsource it to someone else?」

「The former. I hunt my demons.」

「So you are a qualified adventurer, correct?」

「Oh, no. I had it once upon a time. But I haven’t been taking on any requests for a while now. They’ve probably revoked it away by now.」

Adventurers are assigned a quota for completing a certain number of requests within a certain period. If they had been idle for two years, they would certainly have been taken away from the guild.

Incidentally, it is forbidden for unqualified persons to accept requests from the guild without permission, and violating this rule will result in being arrested.

「Then, even if we give you a map, you cannot hunt demons. The map itself is given to peddlers and others as a means of self-defense, so we can give it to you. You must be a qualified adventurer to enter areas inhabited by demons.」

Guilds may restrict or prohibit the entry of civilians into areas inhabited by demons in each branch. The guild in this town apparently forbids entry altogether.

If so, then in this case.

「Does that mean I have to retake?」

「That’s the way it is. Even if you were a highly ranked adventurer in the past, you will have to start over from the lowest rank『F』if you decide to retake. Of course, there will be a registration fee. If you are willing to do so, we would be happy to register you as a member of our guild right away.」

「That’s fine.」

「I understand. Then, please go to the reception desk over there and complete the formalities.」

I looked in the direction Beatrice indicated with her hand. Right next to the bulletin board quest board, I saw a counter where two receptionists, a man, and a woman, were waiting. I bowed to the guild master, got up from my seat, and walked over to the counter. As I approached the counter where the first male receptionist I saw was sitting, I simply told him that I wanted to register as an adventurer.

He then pulled out a sheet of paper from behind the counter and asked me to fill out the necessary information. I looked down at the paper he handed me and skimmed the whole thing lightly from the top. The contents seem to have not changed since I qualified a few years ago.

I dip my pen into ink provided at the reception desk and fill in my name (false name), job (false job), and hometown, and a wry smile comes to my lips as I remember the time two years ago when I had to clean up my mess under the false name of Alexei. The man at the reception desk looked at me quizzically, but I paid no attention to him and completed the registration as『Alexei』just as I had done in the past.

The class is called『Magic Swordsman』. This way, there is no question that I can handle both swordsmanship and magic. The false report will be immediately discovered if the personal information managed by the temple is inspected, but in the first place, few people register class as『Swordsman』even though they can’t actually use it.

The most common reason for this is that the person is not able to do what is expected of him or her and is either isolated or, in the worst-case scenario, is on his or her way to heaven by taking on a request that is beyond his or her size. And if you are caught lying, your license will be revoked in a matter of minutes and you will not be able to reacquire it. In the adventuring business, where many jobs require risking one’s life, false information can be fatal. Therefore, most of them fill in the truth.

In my case, however, I can’t let my『Hero』class be known, and this class will bring me nothing but trouble, including the trouble I got into two years ago. It’s times like this that I’m thankful that『Appraisal』can’t be used against humans. I shudder to think what would have happened if they had found out the truth. It’s also frightening how easily personal information can be passed on.

「Is this all right?」

I hand the form I have finished filling out to the man at the reception desk. As he reviewed the description of his appearance received, from top to bottom, he smiled fondly and looked up at me, saying,「It’s okay.」

「Then please wait here for a moment while we issue you a tag now.」

He stood up from the counter with the registration form in his hand and went back to the back. I waited for about 10 minutes. He returned with a small black rectangular tray holding a metal tag that reflected a dull light.

「Here’s a recognition tag for adventurers. We have registered Alexei-sama information here.」

A chain extends from the tag so that it can be worn around the neck. I took the tag from the tray and saw that my name (fake name) was engraved on it.

Adventurers receive a different metal and number of tags for each rank.

『F』is『iron』,『E』is『two pieces of iron』,『D』is『copper』,『C』is『two pieces of copper』,『B』is『silver』, and『A』is『gold』.

Incidentally, the highest rank, the unprecedented『S』, is『mithril』. However, no one has ever seen the tag, and only its existence is known.

「Since you said you worked as an adventurer before, let me give you a brief explanation.」

The explanation the receptionist began with was no different than the one I received when I became an adventurer…

If you lose your tag, it can only be reissued by the guild where you registered. There is also a reissue fee. Requests from guilds cannot be accepted unless you have the tag. If you have not completed a request within a certain period, your qualification will be revoked. To raise your rank as an adventurer, you must accomplish designated requests, and so on…

And he ends with,

「The work of an adventurer is always fraught with danger. However, the Guild accepts no responsibility for injury, illness, or death. You are solely responsible for your actions.」

These are the words for those who become adventurers for the first time. The man at the reception desk, however, does not change his expression and speaks in a matter-of-fact tone. But his eyes are serious. It is not unusual for many adventurers to leave for wealth and fame and never return.

He must have seen many such people off. I catch his gaze as he looks up at me, hangs the tag around my neck, and looks back at the receptionist’s face.

「No problem.」

I said one word and paid the fee for registration. After confirming receipt, the receptionist took a piece of paper from the counter.

「This is the『monster map』that records the habitat of the demons living in the area around Cid.」

All right. I clenched my fist inwardly. I came here to get this. With this, the collection efficiency of the Anima Crystals would be improved beyond comparison. I unfolded the monster map I had received and checked it. I couldn’t help but smile at the detailed descriptions of the monster habitats.

「Thank you very much. This will make my job much easier.」

When I said this honestly, however, the man at the reception desk nodded his head but turned mysterious.

「What is it?」

「Yes… the map will indeed give you a general idea of where the demons live, but… at present, the information on the map is not very useful.」

「Ha? What does that mean?」

No way. My eyebrows furrowed when I heard that this map I had just acquired was suddenly useless.

「Recently, there have been some major changes in the habitat of the demons around Cid. We are currently investigating the details. Rumor has it that in the past few months, mysterious giant demons have been confirmed in the area around Cid… and there are multiple of them. It is speculated that all of the currently confirmed anomalies of the demons may be due to their presence.」

「―――!?」

No way…

Giant demons. The fact that they started to be sighted in the last few months means that… I can picture certain beings in my mind. I can’t stop the cold sweat from dripping down my chest.

「And, as a matter of fact, just recently. There have been some problems in town.」

「Problem? That…」

The man at the reception desk raised his eyebrows as if somewhat troubled. I asked him for more details.

*BANG!*

Suddenly―――the door was opened vigorously behind me. All eyes in the room, including mine, turned to the door and focused on the person standing in front of it.

「Ares, found you…」

Ahead of everyone’s gaping eyes. There was a girl with milky white hair and half-closed crimson eyes. My eyes widened and I thought to myself,「What kind of a joke is this?」

However, the girl who appeared in front of me ran up to me without regard, and she pulled me to her waist with such force that I felt as if I was magnetized.

I blinked again and again to make sure I wasn’t looking at the wrong person. Oh, how absurd. Here she is, no doubt, one of my acquaintances and one of the relatives who had just snuck into my brain…

It’s Behemoth.