novelraw Chapter 155 : Promotion
Chapter 155 : Promotion
Chapter 155: Promotion
Delinger safely returned to Narvik.
As if everything that had happened had been a lie, the city was peaceful.
Sigbard lightly smacked Delinger on the back.
“Live honestly.”
“O, Of course I will! But why are you saying that to me……?”
“I just felt like saying it.”
It had been Sigbard’s attempt at a joke, but Delinger nodded vigorously.
“I won’t forget this kindness!”
“You worked hard too. Off you go.”
Robin took out 1 Silver from his pocket and flicked it over.
Leaving behind Delinger, who caught it with a dazed expression, he headed toward the Guild.
The Monster By-products had already been disposed of at the Rest Stop, and what remained was the promotion.
They entered the Guild confidently, and the three Copper Rank tokens were changed to Silver Rank.
“Congratulations on your promotion.”
The receptionist continued with her explanation, but no one was really listening.
The benefits of becoming Silver Rank and the fact that they could receive a Summons in case of emergency.
It was information they already knew, so it was hardly nourishing.
Putting everything else aside, simply showing a Silver Rank meant they would be far less likely to be treated like pushovers wherever they went.
“You got promoted to Silver Rank on your third expedition?”
“A rookie’s appeared.”
The rumor spread quickly.
Those inside the Guild began to watch Robin’s party closely.
Even when they headed straight to the inn, the guests were already chewing over the rumors.
“Welcome.”
“Humphrey, have you been well?”
“Congratulations. It’s been a while since a promising talent has appeared.”
Even Margaret waved at them in the middle of her busy work.
Shaking off his awkwardness, Robin paid for the lodging and headed toward their room.
The gazes stuck to the back of his head showed no sign of falling away.
With Serena there, no one approached them recklessly, but the burden remained.
Thud.
Only after they closed the door and the four of them were alone did it grow quiet.
“It’s better to divide the profits quickly, right?”
All three agreed.
Robin placed the money on the table.
The earnings from this expedition totaled 1 Gold 71 Silver.
From that, they decided to fill the party fund with 40 Silver before distributing it.
From now on, they planned to set aside 20% of their earnings as party funds.
Dividing the remaining 1 Gold 31 Silver into four equal parts meant each would receive 32 Silver 75 Copper.
For the three who had been Copper-Ranked Adventurers when they left, it was an amount large enough to make their eyes widen.
“I, Is this really money I earned?”
Aelin was moved as she looked at the money that had suddenly come into her hands.
Even after selling books, she had only earned a mere 15 Copper.
She carefully examined the Silver and Copper coins in her hands.
“Serena, you’re more capable than I thought.”
The total earnings included the 56 Silver they had collected from the Adventurers earlier.
The experience of a Gold-Ranked Adventurer had helped increase their profits.
“In an Uncharted Area, the strong make the rules.”
“When you put it like that, it sounds like we extorted them.”
With the distribution finished, what remained was reorganization.
They decided to spend their time freely until the next expedition.
“Aelin, it’s fine to eat something delicious, but don’t spend too recklessly.”
“I know that much now.”
After Aelin and Serena left, Sigbard headed to bathe as soon as he set down his luggage.
Although the room was equipped with shower facilities, Sigbard preferred the large bathhouse.
Thanks to that, Robin was able to shower without waiting.
Once he had changed into clean clothes in a fresh state.
Flop.
He threw himself onto the bed.
Fatigue had piled up, but he consciously drove away his drowsiness.
‘I settled in faster than I expected.’
If he had gone through trial and error on his own, he would not have been able to achieve promotion in just three expeditions.
Serena’s influence had been significant.
Even by his own assessment, he had concluded that he was fortunate in his relationships.
Sigbard and Aelin were also doing their parts.
There was more than enough room for further growth ahead.
As he reviewed the expedition process in search of improvements.
“Robin, what are you doing.”
When he opened the door, Serena entered.
Perhaps she had just showered; she looked fresh like Robin.
“I was just resting.”
“If you’ve got nothing to do, let’s go out.”
There was no reason to refuse, so he followed Serena.
“What about Aelin?”
“She said she was going out for dessert.”
Now that she had money, she probably wanted to spend it.
Serena did not seem particularly interested in desserts.
“By the way, where are we going?”
“Somewhere with a nice view.”
Thinking she might have something important to say, Robin walked quietly.
They arrived at the lower reaches of the Altaelv River.
On the way, they saw a street vendor selling grilled skewers, so they bought two and shared them.
A few citizens were strolling along the river.
As if holding the vitality of the city within it, the river flowed smoothly.
“I’ve never told you about my uncle.”
“By uncle, do you mean the Spirit Mage, Lexus?”
“I thought I should tell you.”
Serena began speaking as if it were nothing.
While tracing Lexus’s footsteps, she had learned a few things.
First, there was a high possibility that Lexus was no longer in this world.
Second, that he had earned the displeasure of the Imperial Family.
The part about earning the Imperial Family’s displeasure was slightly different from what she had heard from Brandok.
“So he offended someone high up and got marked.”
“Right. He acts like a complete child.”
Serena looked strangely out of place as she gnawed on the skewer, worry in her voice.
‘Who’s worrying about whom?’
Swallowing the thought, Robin asked what she meant by saying he was no longer in this world.
“It was my uncle’s dream to travel the Spirit Realm. I think he’s there.”
He wondered what she was talking about, and Serena added an explanation.
Those who were exceptionally attuned to Spirits could set foot in the place where Spirits lived.
“When he was young, his dream was to become a Spirit. He finally achieved it.”
“Ah… um……. He sounds very pure-hearted.”
Not knowing how to respond, Robin mumbled vaguely.
“If my uncle is in the Spirit Realm, I’m thinking of going there too.”
“I’m curious as well.”
“You’re not going to stop me?”
He thought he understood why she had brought this up.
Lexus was not friendly toward the Empire, and it was uncertain whether he was even in this world.
Finding him was practically impossible, and even if they did, getting involved with him would bring no benefit.
“If I try to stop you, will you listen?”
“No.”
“I thought so.”
“You’re not even going to say a few words?”
Robin shook his head.
“I’d rather help than stop you.”
Perhaps she had not expected that reaction; Serena only blinked.
“By that logic, I’m not normal either for wanting to go to the Demon Realm.”
“That’s true.”
“Wasn’t that answer a little too fast?”
The two of them let out a small laugh at the same time.
On the surface, she had looked as if she had nothing to worry about.
It seemed Serena had her own concerns after all.
“Sigbard and Aelin probably won’t mind much either.”
“If that’s how you see it, I’m grateful.”
“From now on, speak comfortably. We’re already in the same boat.”
Serena did not open her mouth for a while.
She simply gazed at the shimmering ripples reflected on the river.
A companion who was seasoned yet quirky, careless yet considerate.
Only after finishing the grilled skewer did Serena turn her back.
“Let’s go.”
“You seemed to enjoy it. Want me to buy you another?”
“Sure.”
On the way back to the inn.
The snacks sold at the street stalls tempted their noses.
Robin went ahead and bought some for Aelin and Sigbard as well.
“Can’t I just eat them all myself.”
“Are you hungry? I should’ve bought more.”
“…Forget it. We’re eating dinner anyway.”
Chatting softly, the two walked at a slow pace.
It was a good day to savor the leisure they had almost forgotten.
They set aside a week for reorganization.
Most of the time was devoted to training, and in their spare time they wandered around.
Partly to acquire equipment for the next expedition.
And partly in hopes of finding useful information.
In the end, however, they came up empty-handed.
The hottest topic among Adventurers was Robin’s team.
“Are you perhaps Robin of the Dancing Twin Swords.”
“With that black hair, it’s definitely you!”
“Nice to meet you! I’ve heard a lot about you!”
For some reason, in just a few days, rumors about Robin had spread throughout Narvik.
They said nothing traveled faster than rumors.
Wherever he went, there was always at least one person who recognized him.
‘Being famous isn’t all that great.’
Most people watched with eyes full of admiration, but not all of them.
Occasionally, he felt gazes tinged with jealousy and contempt.
Assuming it would naturally die down with time, he visited the Guild.
“So you’re Robin, the man of the hour. How may I assist you?”
“I’d like to add a Priest to the team. Are there any applicants?”
Priests who wielded divine power possessed healing techniques.
Bringing one on board would reduce potion consumption.
Moreover, divine healing did not hurt like drinking potions did.
If they could recruit one, the team’s stability would noticeably improve.
“Unfortunately, there aren’t any today either.”
“It can’t be helped.”
‘As expected.’
The more devout the Priest, the stronger the divine power they could wield.
And such Priests were usually devoted to their religious order, making them hard to find.
Higher-ranked Adventurers each had a Priest on their team, but Robin had not yet reached that level.
Just as he was about to rise with a click of his tongue.
“Robin, you’ve received a designated request.”
“Me? From who?”
“Please come this way.”
The receptionist guided Robin to the reception room.
It was mainly used for discussing important matters.
After closing the door so that no sound would leak out, she even activated a soundproofing Artifact.
‘This is making me nervous.’
What kind of request warranted all this?
The receptionist brought out a cup of tea and flipped swiftly through a file.
“The client is unknown. But there’s no need to be too tense. It’s a simple task.”
Concealing a client’s identity was not uncommon.
That did not erase the unease.
“Patrol the slums near the southern gate. The pay is 1 Silver.”
“That’s it?”
If they were offering 1 Silver for a single patrol, he would welcome it with open arms.
“There’s something else you need to do.”
‘Of course there is.’
The receptionist continued her explanation.
“Did you know that many of the old buildings are connected to each other?”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“When wars were frequent in the past, they built evacuation routes. Not many people remember them now.”
She briefly shared a piece of historical knowledge.
Most large cities had such Underground Passages, she said.
“You just need to check those evacuation routes and see if any criminals are hiding there.”
“If we find a criminal, do we have to capture them alive?”
“There’s no need. Just report it to the Guild. Simple, right?”
She handed over ten wanted posters.
The highest bounty was 2 Silver.
In other words, they were nothing more than petty criminals.
“May I ask why this was assigned specifically to me?”
“Well, I don’t know who the client is either…….”
As he put a piece of the prepared refreshment into his mouth, he thought it over.
A sort of reconnaissance mission to check for the presence of criminals.
Since it was for the public good, there was a high chance it had been designated at the city level in Narvik.
A newly rising Adventurer with proven skills and no criminal record.
Perhaps the city intended to sponsor him.
Assigning the request might be a means of evaluating what kind of person he was.
‘Ah, maybe that’s going too far.’
He ran through various possibilities, but in the end, there was nothing particularly harmful about it.
1 Silver was enough to cover a week’s food expenses.
Robin accepted the request.
“You’ll need to complete it within ten days. If you capture a criminal alive, the bounty will be paid in full as well.”
“And what if we kill them?”
“We recommend capturing them alive… but if you execute them, you’ll need to bring back the head to receive the bounty.”
Robin signed the request form.
“Um, and…….”
“Yes?”
“Could I get your autograph? I’m a fan.”
“……?”
The receptionist brought out a clean sheet of paper and held out a pen.
He stared at her, wondering if she was joking, but she was sincere.
“Sure, well…….”
Though he wrote his name in a flowing script rather than neatly, his handwriting was elegant.
The receptionist beamed as she looked at the autograph and thanked him.
‘It’s not some kind of blank contract, is it.’
If it were such a trick, he would not let it slide, so he memorized her face and name.
As Robin stepped out of the Guild, pleasant sunlight shone upon him.
Narvik was bright as ever.
A cool breeze perfect for walking brushed past.
It was ideal weather for a patrol.