Volume 1 Chapter 9 The Kind-hearted Guild Receptionist
The next day.
I promised to help Rose grow again today, so I decided to head out for monster hunting from the morning.
The meeting spot is in front of the guild.
Since the training area is the same western forest as yesterday, it was convenient to meet at the guild.
I woke up a bit earlier than usual, so I arrived at the guild 30 minutes before the meeting time.
I thought about casually looking at the bulletin board while waiting for Rose when...
"Hmm?"
I spotted a familiar face inside the guild.
Oh, I thought, almost instinctively walking over to that person.
Before I could say anything, she at the reception desk noticed me.
"Oh, it's Aroze! Good morning... but what's with that face?"
"Do you really not understand what I'm trying to say?"
I narrowed my eyes and shot a sharp look at the receptionist, Ms. Terra.
I had come to the guild yesterday to tell her something, but I couldn't meet her because she was off duty.
Then she showed a slight expression of thinking and finally understood what I wanted to say.
"Oh, haha, could it be about Rose-Rose?"
"...It definitely is. Why did you tell her about me?"
"Well, there's a bit of a reason for that..."
It was Ms. Terra who told Rose about me.
I heard it straight from Rose herself.
I thought I had made it clear to Ms. Terra that I wanted to live quietly.
Even though I re-registered at the adventurer guild under a different name, I never expected Ms. Terra, who handled that process, to reveal anything about Trainer.
So I figured there must be some reason behind it, and when I asked, Ms. Terra glanced back at me with an apologetic look.
Since it's still early in the morning, the guild isn't too crowded, but soon many adventurers will come to take on requests.
I didn't have much time to chat at the reception like this.
So I suggested we wrap up the conversation quickly.
"Can you just briefly explain how you ended up introducing me?"
"Uh, yeah, sorry about that."
Ms. Terra lowers her voice a bit and starts talking.
"Well, to put it simply, I found that kid struggling in the guild and just couldn't ignore them. That kid got kicked out of her party... but you probably already know that."
"Yes, she mentioned it."
"And then, after that, she desperately tried to join other parties, but she was turned away everywhere. She cried every time she was rejected..."
"..."
I can easily imagine that scene.
When I first became an adventurer, I often got kicked out of parties due to my lack of skill.
The feeling of being unwanted back then was really tough.
"As you know, a lot of newbie adventurers are pretty stressed out, so everyone's on edge. There are many people who are harsh and send them away with tough words."
"...So, you couldn't bear to watch and decided to help her, Ms. Terra?"
Ms. Terra nods silently in response.
Well, that was pretty much what I expected.
There's no way Ms. Terra would tell Rose about me for some mischievous reason.
I could easily imagine she had some kind, genuine reason for doing so, especially after seeing that kid being turned away from every party.
"You haven't changed at all, Ms. Terra."
"Huh, did you just call me a good woman?"
"...I didn't say that."
Well, in a way, it's true, so it's hard to deny.
Yes, this person is simply a good person.
"When I was younger, I couldn't get into any parties either, and I was often kicked around, but Ms. Terra would always come and talk to me."
"Back then, Aroze had that same vibe that made me want to help you. It's kind of nostalgic."
Those were the days when I was turned away from every party, and my adventurer activities were at a standstill.
I was young and lacked skill, so there were very few requests I could take on.
In the midst of all this, Ms. Terra noticed my situation and made various arrangements for me, prioritizing requests with better conditions and sending them my way.
I feel like the situation back then is very similar to what Rose is going through now.
"Well, that's why I thought I wanted to help Rose somehow, and that's what made me tell you about her. I thought you could make her stronger."
"...This is quite a bother for me."
"But I didn't say you were 'Aroze from the Hero Party,' right? I just mentioned you're a Trainer who knows a lot about raising adventurers..."
"Just saying 'Trainer' is basically giving it away!"
Fortunately, Rose doesn't seem to notice, or rather, she doesn't seem to know about Aroze, so it's fine for now.
But I wish she'd be a bit more careful.
"Sorry, sorry. I should have at least said something to you. As an apology, I'll treat you to a free date next time."
"...Do you usually charge for that?"
It seems this was a joke from Ms. Terra, as she stuck out her tongue playfully.
"Well, putting the date thing aside, we still have that promise to go eat together, right? That's still on, isn't it?"
"Uh? Y-Yeah, I guess."
"Then I'll cover all the meal costs that time. Plus, I'll dress up super cute for you, so let's call it even!"
As she said this, Ms. Terra clapped her hands together to show her gratitude.
I didn't really need her to apologize, but hearing her reasons for wanting to help Rose made me understand.
Well, aside from that, I still haven't gone out to eat with Ms. Terra, so I decided to take this opportunity to solidify that promise.
"...By the way, I'm curious, did you end up accepting Rose's request after all?"
"..."
I nodded in silence, and Ms. Terra burst out laughing.
"Yeah, I knew you were a good guy."
I felt like this person had a hold on me in various ways, and it left me with a strange feeling.
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