"Let's just create your guild card for now."

Finally... I'm finally free from the lecture disguised as an explanation.

While I, exhausted and slouched, Galli takes out a blank card.

"Put a drop of blood here, please."

I take out a Karambit knife, lightly cut my right thumb, and let a drop fall on the card. After that, the card shone and turned into a card with engraved characters.

"El-chan, let me heal your finger."

"Lizlina, it's okay. It will heal on its own."

"No waaay! You're a girl, so you need to take care of your body. Come on, give me your hand."

Lizlina's tone has changed because she found out we're the same age. She returns to her usual way of speaking, and her demeanor loses its fierceness, now having a gentle expression.

"It's a bit confusing that Lizlina's way of speaking has changed from earlier."

"Hehe~ I change my way of speaking between work and regular times to add some contrast. Anyway, give me your hand."

Lizlina takes my right hand and looks at my thumb.

"Huh? The wound is gone. Did you heal it yourself?"

Lizlina looks puzzled as she examines my right thumb I cut with the Karambit.

"No, it's not like that. In my case, wounds like this heal quickly, so don't worry about shallow wounds like this."

"El-chan's body is mysterious... Anyway, your hands are beautiful, I'm jealous~"

Lizlina looks at my hand enviously.

Is it common for girls to be concerned about beauty and skin condition, looking at me so closely like that?

"Ehhem!... Can we proceed with the explanation now?"

"Sure."

Oops, I almost forgot. I was in the middle of joining the General Guild.

"This is your General Guild card. The guild card also serves as an identification, so if you commit a crime, it will be recorded on the card. Also, if you lose the card, there is a fee for reissuing it, but that fee is high, so be careful not to lose it. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Alright, take it."

I receive the card from Galli.

"Now, let me explain the Adventurer's Division to which you belong. In the Adventurer's Division, there are ranks based on individual proficiency, and it's also indicated on the card."

Yeah, it's a template.

"There are six ranks, E, D, C, B, A, and S. Everyone who joins the General Guild starts from E rank, so your rank starts from E too.

To raise your rank, you need to accept quests at the reception, then defeat monsters or gather materials to accumulate quest points.

Once you gather a certain amount of points, you can take the Rank Up Quest. If you pass it, you can upgrade your rank. However, if you just tag along on someone else's quest without doing anything, like not fighting monsters or just stabbing at them, even if the quest is successful, you won't earn points, so be careful.

Also, we will inform you when you are eligible to take the Rank Up Quest."

I see, so you can't climb up the ranks relying solely on others.

"Furthermore, you can only accept quests corresponding to your rank. E-rank adventurers can only take E-rank quests. If you are A-rank, you can take quests from E to A-rank. There are exceptions..., but I can't talk about them until you reach C-rank. Also, when trying to rank up from C-rank and above, you need to accept mandatory quests in addition to accumulating quest points. If you don't, you won't be able to take the Rank Up Quest, so be careful. Any questions so far?"

Yes, there is one. I need to ask this.

"Is there a penalty for failing a quest?"

"I was just about to talk about that."

Oh no, did I mess up?

"If you fail a quest, of course, there will be penalties. For monster-killing and gathering quests, you'll lose quest points. For escort and transport quests, in addition to losing quest points, there may be times when you have to pay a penalty fee.

Also, if you continuously fail quests, your rank may be downgraded, so be careful."

Hmm, you might have to pay a penalty fee sometimes. I'll have to be careful.

"May I ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"If there are problems with the client in escort or transport quests, and I fail because of that, do I still have to pay the penalty fee?"

It's possible that there are people who intentionally make quests that lead to failure for the sake of obtaining penalty fees.

"You don't have to worry about that. If there is a problem, we will mediate and determine whether you should pay the penalty. Besides, to request escort and transport quests, generally, you need to register in the commercial or production divisions of the General Guild unless you are a royal or some privileged individuals.

Moreover, if they engage in acts such as paying a penalty fee on the spot or lowering the reward, it will be considered an illegal act according to the rules set by the General Guild, so individuals of that nature are unlikely to appear. Conversely, adventurers demanding an increase in reward from the client also falls under the General Guild law. I believe you are aware, but it is also a crime to kill the client for monetary purposes, so please absolutely refrain from doing so."

Alright, it seems like there are rules in place, so I don't have to worry.

"And finally, the higher your rank, the more lucrative quests you can take, but on the flip side, the danger also increases, so I recommend forming a party."

Party, huh... Well, I guess I can think about that along the way.

"That's all for the basic information. If you have any questions, feel free to ask at the counter."

"Thank you very much!"

"No, not at all, the pleasure is mine."

With that, the guild registration is complete.

Afterward, the Guild Master requested that we interrogate Gulbert here and instructed the guild staff to bring him. During that time, we chatted and waited for Gulbert to arrive, but the door was suddenly thrown open, disrupting the pleasant atmosphere.

"Captain Guell!!"

"What are you doing, Keith!? We're in front of the Duke!!"

Guell is angry, but Keith, out of breath, looks flustered. Something must have happened.

"It's not the time for that!!"

Guell frowned as he gazed at Keith.

"What happened?"

"I'll explain later. Please come with me to stop Aid!"

"""""""Huh?"""""""

Please come stop Aid...? What does he mean?

While going to the scene with doubts in my mind, I found Aid punching the restrained Gulbert's face outside.

"You scum! As I thought, it was really true!!" 

Gulbert's face was swollen and battered, with several teeth missing, likely from being repeatedly punched by Aid. In that state, Gulbert weakly began to speak while looking at Aid.

"Ah, th-tha's right. Aft'r finishin' you off, I was told by Livais t'eliminate your family, th'ones I took as hostages. I'm beggin' you, please, stop already."

Gulbert, with his face swollen from tears, mucus, and blood, pleaded with Aid, but Aid's anger didn't subside, and he clenched his fists, raising them threateningly.

"Aid! Stop already!"

Though Guell said that, Aid either didn't notice or didn't care and continued to strike.

Hmm? What did he just say?

It's about time to stop this before it becomes a serious problem, but there was a concerning phrase in what Gulbert said, that made me stop in my tracks.

"Where is my family!? If you won't talk, I'll freaking kill you myself!!"

Huh!? Family... Does that mean Aid is...?

"Hie!? Th-the basem-mint! There'ss a hid-den door in the s-s-study. I-I threw them in th-there. They're al-l-live. Please, h-help! P-please, help meeee!!?"

Having noticed our presence, Gulbert looked at us for help.

"Stop it, Aid! This isn't like you!!"

"Aid-senpai! Please stop!!"

"Aid, that's enough!!"

Guell and the others try to restrain and stop Aid while each saying words, but he struggles and tries to break free.

After hearing that, my speculation has turned into conviction. I want to believe otherwise, but... let's listen. I believe that he will tell us everything openly, considering his current state.

"Um, Aid... Could it be that your family has been taken hostage by Gulbert?"

At that moment, Aid, who had been struggling while showing an angry face, stopped moving and turned to me. His expression changed from anger to a sad and pained one.

"Ah, that's right... My family was taken hostage by this guy."

Upon hearing those words, the others, except me, were surprised.

Guell releases his grip and steps back. Then he starts talking to Aid.

"So, your strange behavior today was because your family was taken hostage, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. My family was kidnapped two days ago. On that day, the kidnapper told me, 'Cooperate in the assassination of Duke Valdeck the day after tomorrow, or your family's life is forfeit. If you dare to tell anyone about this, you know what will happen to your family, right?'..."

Is that what was going on? That's why he was glaring at me that time.

"I found out about the location of my family and the mastermind. But with no time to rescue them, I was at a loss... Then the day came and I thought, 'There's no other choice but to do it,' so that's why today... I tried to betray you guys."

Guell and the others look at him in disbelief.

"Aid... You..."

"So, the place where the adventurers attacked was the site of the operation, huh?"

However, I wonder why Aid didn't appear as an enemy on the radar... Well, I'll ask God about that later.

"Yeah, that's right. The moment it failed, I blamed you. However, after the battle was over, I started to think, 'Wasn't it planned for me to be silenced right there as well?'"

"And when you asked the person himself about it... it turned out to be true."

Aid looked frustrated.

"I'm sorry. I had no other choice... I don't expect to be forgiven even if I apologize."

"Aid..."

I feel sorry for the somber Aid and the others, but we need to move now to rescue Aid's family. Also, let's get Gulbert over here. I have some questions for him.

"Let's leave the remaining discussion for later. Regarding the hidden room, inform the guild staff and have them find it. Also, I'd like to ask Gulbert some things, so can you leave him to me?"

"Very well. By the way, what do you want to ask him, Elaina?"

"I want to ask about this 'Livais' Gulbert mentioned before." "Gah!?"

As I turned my gaze towards the source of the voice, I found Gulbert lying on the floor, with a thick stone spear impaled in his chest.