I checked the guild’s bulletin board.
I already checked it yesterday but it’s important to look at it frequently.
The fact that it hasn’t changed is actually also important. For example, if a request is posted for too long, then there’s a catch. Either the reward is too small for the nature of the request, or the previous parties haven’t returned.
The best example of that is the tanned request forms in the left corner of the board.
Looks like the oldest quest posted on the board has been there for 20 years and over. I’m not sure if it’s the right term but it’s got the nickname of “vintage.” Rumor has it that a party of silver-grade with high hopes for the future took the challenge as a bet and none of them returned. It may be a made-up story, or it might be real. Just when you’re about to forget about it, the party that was rumored to challenge it disappearing becomes the topic and so nobody’s smart enough to pay attention to it.
It’s like the urban legends in my past life, but I believe in it.
Back to the subject.
The reason I came here was, of course, to see if there are any parties open for my next job. Meaning, I’m looking for party-wanted posters.
A party of adventurers can have many different personalities.
Parties that only take on monster-slaying, or focus on investigating dungeons and ruins, merchant guards, gatherers, and those who take on requests based on the pay. It’s preferable to join a party that matches your skill and rank.
When recruiting, they have a list of requirements for the people they’re looking for.
It’s usually about the level and rank of your guild license, and the weapons you use. If the party has some trend, they may describe what kind of jobs they do.
In my case, I don’t particularly care about the trend of the quests. I’ve been an adventurer for five years so I’ve experienced every job the guild has to offer. It’s also because I can’t really pick my party.
The majority of the newcomers don’t survive for more than six months of adventuring business, and if they survive for five years without having any skills, then that’s something. To some adventurers, I’m as much of a tumor as the vintages on the board. Joking that the only difference between the two is that the real thing appears before you.
The adventurers hate me to no end, but the guild gives me a reasonably good reputation. It’s mainly because of the high survival rate, and the number of requests I completed. So, when the time is right, a special job gets issued to me, introducing a new party of adventurers to me and leading them until they grow.
It’s an industry with a high replacement rate so there’s no way to train the newcomers properly.
I guess the guild thinks that if they increase the survival rate of the new adventurers even slightly by having me with my high experience, it’ll result in an increase in the number of high-ranked adventurers.
It seems that now wasn’t that time.
Most of the requests were of a difficulty level that won’t allow newcomers.
There’s not enough work for the newcomer parties. So, there’s no choice but to blend with some party and do the job.
Occasionally, there are times when the guild is flooded with high-difficulty jobs every day.
Based on how I see it from the past few days, it’s like we’re at that time.
「 This won’t do. It’s a bad day it seems 」
「 Really? 」
Marie’s attitude is a little blunt as I tried to hide my disappointment.
She spoke back with such a small voice that I might not have heard it and lost it among the noise around me. Her gaze remained on the board.
「 It doesn’t matter, right? You’re staying over at my house for a while anyway 」
「 Thanks for that. But, I’d rather not be broke and left to feed and shelter 」
「 Didn’t I tell you not to worry about it too much? Aren’t we friends? 」
That stiff attitude and expression were exactly like her when she was an adventurer, but her voice sounded somewhat softer and less tense. The mood of her tone gives me the impression that she’s more of the girl from yesterday.
Still…”Friends” huh?
I’m more than happy to know that she feels that way with me.
I’ve been in and out of parties so much that I didn’t have the confidence or reason to say that someone was a true friend. I’ve experienced betrayal many times. Just like in my previous life. I longed for the existence of friends and allies who could believe and support each other.
Marie says that I’m a friend. She trusts me.
That’s enough to warm my heart and save me.
I know I’m being simple-minded, but it makes me fall in love with Marie even more.
–Speaking of which, how do I tell Marie that I got her pregnant?
I suddenly remember my biggest worry.
I just came inside her and impregnated her irresponsibly. It’s not something I can just say the words and tell her, and even if she believes me, I’m broke right now. It’s no exaggeration to say that I’m leeching Marie for food, clothing, and shelter.
「 I’m happy that Marie feels that way, but I want to earn money by myself to save face, or rather I don’t think I can look at Marie in the face if I keep leeching off you 」
My stomach churns in guilt.
How much does it cost for a family of three to live together? – Besides, how long does it take for children before they come out here? Assuming the knowledge from my previous life is also the same here, first, sperm and egg meet at the fallopian tube, to form a fertilized egg, then it takes about a week for the fertilized egg to implant. Wait, didn’t the system say that the implantation has been confirmed? The math doesn’t add up. In my previous life, I think the timing for implantation is on the third week of pregnancy. Geez, I don’t get it! This is where modern science and compulsory education should show their power! But I guess I let it slide since men don’t get pregnant! Shit, what do I do now? I mean, if we apply the ten-month count, we’ll get a child in nine months? Right?
I wonder if my memory and knowledge would’ve been a little more accurate if I had a wife and children in my previous life? No, unless you’re an obstetrician, you can have all the knowledge about sex, but not about childbirth and pregnancy! Right?
I’m dripping in a cold sweat as my brain is running at full speed.
「 Men sure are idiots 」
Marie’s cold gaze pierced through me.
「 Sorry 」
I can’t look at Marie’s face anymore, so I looked away. I wonder if she’ll give birth to my child. But before that, how do I tell her. Child support. House. Marriage. Responsibility. My head’s going in circles.
「 Zalmen, Marie! Can you come here? I need you two to do something for me 」
I look up at the sudden voice that called me out.
It’s a man with a greasy beard, round glasses, and a smelly smile on his face.
「 It’s unusual for you to come out all the way to the hall, Himmler 」
He’s the guild leader, despite appearances
And he’s famous among adventurers for being the one that brings trouble.
He walks up to us and whispered, using his hands as a partitioning screen.
「 The truth is, I want you to take care of something urgent in private. It’s an important job that I can only entrust to a trusted and experienced adventurer. I can’t tell who’s listening here. I’ll tell you the details inside 」
Himmler spoke took quickly and he didn’t even ask for our response, he just quickly rolled to the back of the guild.
「 We going? 」
「 I don’t feel like it 」
We can already smell something fishy from how he appeared, but we can’t ignore Himmler since he’s the manager. So, we had no choice but to follow him to the back.