This Hero is Too Curious! - 79 Intermission.

The final batch of teleports had just concluded. The lingering mist that happens when teleports occur filled the room. Although I’m not the one that teleports people specifically, I still need to activate the circles which take mana. As a result, I’m fairly tired. My shifts start at 3 in the morning and end at noon so I just need to give my daily report and then I’m off work for the rest of the day.

I rested my back against the stone wall and stretched out my wings. It’s been too long since I took a nice flight. Maybe I’ll go and do that after work?

After giving an exhausted sigh, I walked out of the room and back into the main guildhall. Before I was able to get behind the counter, a patron flagged me down.

“Hey Yimmie! Get me a beer! Also when are you off work?”

As always, the half-drunks would try to flirt with me. This has always been a problem, so I started just saying that I had a boyfriend. It’s made everything far simpler than having to constantly deny their advances.

“I have a boyfriend.” I turned around and went behind the counter. I could hear the man’s friends laugh at him as I left.

“Whew…” I closed my eyes and gathered myself for a moment. After some time I went to the back room to talk to the manager so I could be relieved for the day.

“I’m coming in!” I said as I pushed open the door.

The interior is fairly small. This room can’t be bigger than 2 meters long by 3 meters wide. From what I heard, it used to be a broom closet, but since the manager likes confined spaces he turned this into his office. Other than the size, the only things here are the desk which is covered in documents and the chair that the manager is sitting in. He didn’t seem to care that I stepped inside, so I gave him a minute to finish his work.

“Ah… Yimmie! I didn’t realize you were here.” He looked up from his work and gave me a warm smile… Well, at least I think it’s a smile.

The manager is a froglin. They’re cold blooded humanoids that resemble tree frogs. They average around only a meter tall, but on occasion they can be as large as a meter and a half. Despite being a froglin, the manager was wearing the standard work uniform and thin half moon spectacles which made him look rather formal.

“Sir, I’m here to give my report and then go home for the day. May I do so?”

“Oh yes of course.” He returned his gaze to his papers as he motioned to me with his hand.

“Well as usual, the time between 3 to 5 in the morning was fairly quiet. I wiped down the tables in preparation for the people that would arrive for breakfast services. At around 6 in the morning people began to step inside and eat breakfast.”

“Did you initialize anyone today?” The manager placed his sheet down and pulled up a new sheet. His gaze never faltered.

“No I did not.”

“Speaking of, actually, who was that fellow that was last initialized? You mentioned his name but I forgot.”

“Oh, that would be Kenji-san.”

“Kenji, huh? Well… Is he good? How’s his adventuring been going?”

“He’s been gaining levels with his party at an alarming rate. I’m honestly worried about how fast he’s improving.

“What do you mean by that?” The manager leaned forward and gazed straight at me.

“I-I mean… Last week he was a level 0! Not only that, but he left with Tael! Tael was just a level 1 half-elf, but they somehow managed to clear out an entire cave of goblins, kill a hobgoblin, and then return with 2 more people than they left with!”

“Hoh… That is substantial, but people get lucky every day. An event like that isn’t exactly something to lose your mind over.”

“It’s not just that! He just got back from that job over in Mulbik! Apparently there was a mulaplix there!”

“A mulaplix? Did they run or something?”

“No! Apparently they killed it!”

“Wait, you mean to tell me that some guy with 3 other people that just recently started adventuring managed to take down a mulaplix without any casualties? I’m sorry Yimmie, but I don’t believe you.”

“You can choose to not believe me all you want. I didn’t believe it myself when I heard it, but when I saw Kenji-san’s new stats I was certain that he did it. Honestly, at this rate he’s gonna leave me and go to the capital like all those other great adventurers!” I held my face with both hands as my wings slightly flapped nervously.

“Well, where is he now? I’d like to meet this man and his party.”

“Oh, um… I sort of teleported them to the Frozen Mist Hills…”

The manager closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This is something he always does whenever he gets frustrated, so I braced myself accordingly.

“Yimmie, you sent a promising adventurer and his party to the Frozen Mist Hills when they were only level 12? Why would you give them authorization to do that?”

“Well he said it was just for vacation! He wanted to visit the hot springs!”

The manager placed his hand on his forehead and looked down in frustration.

“Yimmie, he was obviously just saying that so he wouldn’t have to be approved for it! He wants to power level like every other upstart adventurer! Tell me, did he go with another adventuring group?”

“He did…”

“Ugh.” The manager spun his chair around and faced the wall. I stood at the doorway silently for a few moments. I don’t want to catch his wrath.

“If he ends up dead, you’re fired.”

“W-What? Why would I get fired?”

The manager spun back around in his chair and looked me dead on.

“Because it would be your fault that he went in the first place. Promising adventurers like that Kenji and his party don’t grow on trees… But wait, does he have a brother? Biologically his siblings should be capable of gaining power in the same way.”

“Well, Tael has a lot of half siblings, Erana is an only child, Kany has a younger sister but she’s far too young to begin adventuring, and I have no idea what Kenji’s familial situation is.”

“What do you mean ‘have no idea?’ Surely he’s told you SOMETHING. From the gossip I’ve heard around here, you’re on him all the time.”

“W-What? I am NOT on him all the time! Who told you that?”

“Oh please. He’s the only guy you don’t do that ‘I have a boyfriend’ thing with. That heavily implies that you two are close, at least close enough to know where he’s from.”

“Well that’s the thing! He won’t say! It’s so odd, but he refuses to talk about where he’s from or anything like that. Yesterday I met an old woman that seemed to know him pretty well, but he claimed that they weren’t related. I can’t really get a read on him. Any time I try to ask him questions he just responds with his own anyways.” I crossed my arms and pouted in frustration. I am not on him all the time. That’s an exaggeration.

“Fine. I understand. When I met my wife I had a hard time talking to her too. Trust me, I get it.”

“WE ARE NOT MARRIED!” I stamped my foot as hard as I could to emphasize this. My point seemed to have the opposite effect unfortunately as the manager only chuckled in response.

“Alright alright! I get it! Look, let’s just hope he comes back okay. The Frozen Mist Hills may be under attack by the armies of the demon king, but that doesn’t mean that he’s in danger. The walls have held for about a year now so I don’t see why they would fall anytime soon. Let’s just hope that he doesn’t go and do anything stupid like attack a hell guardian or something.”

“Kenji-san wouldn’t do something like that. He’s pretty careful about doing things that are dangerous so I think he’ll be fine.”

“Well, for your sake and mine, let’s hope you’re right. In the meantime, is there anything else of importance that you need to tell me?”

“Nope. Can I go home now?”

“If that’s it then absolutely. Stay safe Yimmie. Times are uncertain now. I’ve heard there’s even been an uptick in crime here in Ruks recently. Make sure you stay on well lit streets or travel with a group, okay?”

I gave a salute. “Yes sir!” And with that I left the guild hall, ready to enjoy the rest of my day in peace.