第１９０２堀：冒険者の仕事は一旦一区切り (Part1)
Chapter 1902: An Adventurer's Work, Briefly Paused
Side: Milly
"Ugh, I'm exhausted."
I muttered those words to myself as I made my way back to the inn that served as my home. The sun was already dipping below the horizon, and I was just barely making it back in time for dinner. Still, compared to the days when I lived in the guild dormitory, this was a massive improvement.
"Oh, come on. You’ve got a feast and a hot bath waiting for you at the inn, don't you? That’s not so bad."
"Kina, I don't know how you can stay so cheerful. Your workload has exploded since you were just a receptionist, hasn't it?"
It was true. Being a receptionist was never an easy job, but the responsibilities of a guild master were on an entirely different level. Between the endless paperwork, meetings with high-ranking officials, and delicate negotiations, it was a mountain of tasks. It was surprising to hear such a lighthearted tone from Kina, who had taken on the mantle of Guild Master.
"Well, maybe. But ever since you became the representative for the Weed dungeon district, I’ve been serving as your vice-guild master, and honestly? Glass Port Town doesn't have nearly as much trouble as Weed does."
"Is that so?"
"Of course. I don't have to manage a mountain of dungeons like you do. My work is mostly managing the adventurers and coordinating with the local facilities. As for the 'powerful figures' I have to deal with, it’s just Yuki-san, Seraria, you, and directly, Sisua and Sona. It’s a huge weight off my shoulders."
"Ah, I see what you mean."
She was right. Glass Port Town didn't have any dungeons nearby, so we were spared the headache of managing them. And when it came to those tedious meetings with the powers-that-be, they were all people we knew well, so there was no need for that suffocating level of tension. We had practically built this town together, after all.
Still...
"Even so, the Adventurer's Guild operations must be tough. I hear reports about powerful monsters in the surrounding areas and the damage they’re causing."
It was true; the Adventurer's Guild here didn't have it easy. Because the town was adjacent to the sea, the monsters were fierce. In areas where human hands hadn't yet reached, we were still getting reports of encounters with creatures no one had ever seen before—reports that piled up significantly whenever the military went out for a sweep.
Most were just subspecies of monsters we were familiar with, but there were also entirely new types that crawled out of the sea to roam the land. They weren't as strong as someone like Shera-chan, but these four-legged, land-walking fish were surprisingly powerful, and because they were so unfamiliar, they were experts at catching people off guard.
That applied to the adventurers, too. Unlike the military, which could rely on sheer numbers, adventurers mostly operated in small parties, making them much more susceptible to casualties.
"True. The injuries are brutal, but we have the Litea Church and the Weed hospital for that. Besides, if skilled adventurers from Weed are getting killed or maimed, it hurts our reputation, so we’re providing support, right?"
"Of course. We can't have the word spreading that Glass Port Town is a death trap. But that doesn't mean the danger isn't real. We charge for the services, and the church does the same."
As Kina said, because the monsters in the port town were so strong, we had to prepare an environment suitable for the adventurers working here, and medical care was a major part of that. It was difficult to fight sea monsters or new species without getting hurt, and we had a vested interest in keeping these adventurers alive so they could gain the experience necessary to face the threats from the sea.
But as I said, it wasn't free. Injuries like lost limbs required *Extra Heal*. Even though the number of people in Weed capable of casting it had increased, it wasn't a simple recovery spell, and even with the discounted rates, it wasn't a sum that could be paid easily.
"I know that much. But that’s just how it is. And like I told you, because the monsters are so strong, we told them not to send beginners—only members with real ability."
"Exactly. If you brought a beginner out there, they’d be dead in an instant. That’s how powerful the sea monsters are."
"That’s why. Because they’re earning a decent income and are skilled enough to survive and gain experience, they can afford the treatment if they get hurt. If we started worrying about that, no adventurer would ever be able to go on an adventure in the first place."
"I suppose you're right."
It’s a harsh thing to say, but "adventurer" is a profession where you can drop dead at any moment. They paint it as a dream of striking it rich or living out a heroic tale, but those who become the exception are a tiny handful.
Wait, didn't Yuki-san say something similar? That in any profession, the people who become legendary are few and far between, and what matters is the steady, day-to-day accumulation of effort.
"So, our response isn't any different from a normal Adventurer's Guild. We just happen to have better medical care and better information disclosure for monster subjugation. It makes the guild staff's work harder, though."
"I see."
Kina’s explanation made me realize that things in Glass Port Town were actually more stable than I had imagined.
"Speaking of which, Milly, you’ve been busy cleaning up the mess left by Usano and Aae. How did that turn out in the end?"
"Oh, that? It’s settled. It’s been handed over to the Adventurer's Guild headquarters. The cover-up work is finally finished. All that’s left is the relocation of the people from the Village at the Edge of the World."
"Right, that. Some of them moved to the New Continent, didn't they? We couldn't just leave them be, could we?"
"Exactly. We couldn't risk the information leaking out, so we offered for them to come to Weed. But the elders are insisting on being buried in that land. It seems they feel a sense of responsibility for having been sealed away there."
"That’s a tough one. The children and the younger ones are saying they want to move, right?"
"Yeah. They don't want to drag the children into it. But it’s painful to just abandon them..."
Families couldn't just stand by and watch their loved ones fade away in loneliness.
"Well, it’s only a matter of time. Still, it’s been longer than I expected—if I may say so."
It was true. We had been talking about persuading the elders, but it was proving to be a difficult road.
"Is there some kind of problem?"
"It’s a matter of the heart, I suppose. Even if it’s a place that was abandoned and called the 'Edge of the World,' they built those homes and fields with their own hands. For those who were there from the beginning, it’s not so easy to just walk away..."
"Well, I get that, but is there nothing else? Since you’re trying to persuade them, is there still a threat from the Royal Family?"
"Oh, as for that, we’re planning to fake it so it looks like they were wiped out by monsters. Though, it’s been thirty years, so these days, it’s rare for anyone to even check on them once a year."
They had been all but forgotten. Not that they could ever make a comeback in a place like that.
"That’s pretty careless. So it really is just a matter of their feelings?"
"Probably. Although, there is one thing that’s been bothering me."
"And that is?"